From the Administration
Dear Belvedere Families,
We hope you are enjoying the lovely fall weather with crisp air and clear skies. It’s hard to believe this is already the third week of school! Thank you for working together with our teachers to support our students.
In these first few weeks of school, we have been taking a close look at instruction, considering what is working and what is a challenge for students. Across the board, we have noticed that the last hour of the school day is a time when many students struggle to sustain focus. We have also heard from some parents who have expressed concerns about the length of screen time in the afternoon. In response to these issues, we have taken a closer look at our overall class schedules and made a change at the end of the day. Rather than having one of the independent/choice sessions placed somewhere in the middle of the school day, we have moved this session to the end of the school day, making the last 40-50 minutes of the day a time for independent family choice/no screen time. Additionally, although individual teachers have built in small five to ten minutes breaks throughout the day, we have formalized these breaks by indicating them in the schedule for each grade. We believe this will better meet the needs of our students and will aid in their ability to remain focused during afternoon instructional times
The schedule for each grade level is here. Please note that there may be some unique differences on a given day of the week for your child's class. When your child’s teacher communicates next week’s schedule this Friday, you will see your child’s specific schedule.
We thank you for your continued support. Please feel free to reach out to us should you have any questions or concerns. We are here to support you and your child.
Sincerely,
Cecilia Vanderhye, Principal and Kelly Cabezas, Assistant Principal
Home Internet Access Assistance
FCPS is working to ensure that all FCPS students have internet access at home. FCPS is transitioning to a new program in partnership with Cox Communications, in which the school system will pay for internet service for qualifying families for the school year. Cox’s Connect2Compete program provides low-cost internet to families that meet these qualifications:
- Have at least one child that attends an FCPS school.
- Participate in, or qualify for, one of these government subsidy programs: the National School Lunch Program, SNAP, TANF, or Public Housing.
- Have not had Cox standard internet services in the home within the last 90 days.
If your family needs internet service at home so that your student can participate in virtual learning, please contact the Belvedere office to begin the application process. If you qualify for the program, the school will contact you to let you know how to complete the steps to receive your internet service.
Student Rights & Responsibilities: Parent/Guardian Acknowledgement
Parents and guardians, please review the Student Rights and Responsibilities and related resources at www.fcps.edu/srr. After reviewing the information, please help us by filling out the SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form. The form must be filled out one time per student. Thank you!
Important Information about Grab and Go Meals
Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) continues to update times and locations for grab and go meals posted on its website here. It is important for families to check this information. Grab and go meals are available to ALL students. In addition, FNS will offer breakfast and lunch meals for Saturday during distribution on Fridays.
Free and Reduced Lunch
Fairfax County Public Schools will be offering healthy breakfasts and lunches throughout Fairfax County during the school year. To find out more about this service and find locations click here. Please note that this information has recently been updated.
Belvedere is a Title I school and our Title I status is determined based on the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced price meals. If you think you might qualify for free and reduced meals, please click here to apply. If you need help with the application, please contact the Belvedere office at 703-916-6800 and we will help you with the application. If you would like a paper application, they can be picked up at all food distribution sites.
Library Books by Bus!
Belvedere will be delivering library books by bus on Fridays, beginning this Friday, September 25! Click on this link to find out how your child can participate. Please note that the deadline to place holds will be Tuesdays at noon for book deliveries that Friday, so the deadline for this Friday's deliveries has passed.
AAP Services Presentations
Please mark your calendars for presentations by our Advanced Academic Resources Teacher, Ms. Lynch, on the Advanced Academic Program (AAP):
- Thursday, October 1 (Link): Presentation on the continuum of AAP services at Belvedere (in English beginning at 6:00 p.m.; in Spanish beginning at 7:00 p.m.)
- Thursday, October 22: Presentation on the AAP Level IV screening process (in English beginning at 6:00 p.m.; in Spanish beginning at 7:00 p.m.)
- Friday, October 23: Presentation on the AAP Level IV screening process (in English with Spanish interpretation, beginning at 2:00 p.m.)
Links for these sessions will be included in a future issue of News You Choose.
Digital Consent Form
Fairfax County Public Schools uses a variety of resources to support student learning. In cases where FCPS contracts with a vendor to host student information, FCPS requires that the vendor adhere to the security and privacy requirements specified in a confidentiality agreement included in their contracts. FCPS does not have contracts with every instructional tool vendor. Many valuable instructional tools are governed by Terms of Service (TOS) and include both free and paid tools. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year require parental consent.
Here is where you can find out what tools we are planning on using this year at Belvedere.
You will need to provide parent consent for each child in your household. Please click this link to do that! Instructions on how to complete the consent form are available here.
News from the PTA
The PTA has put together this awesome Fitness BINGO Card for the September PTA fitness challenge! Students can complete various physical activities to make a "BINGO" on their card through September 25. Winners will be featured in the next PTA newsletter! More information is available through the link above.
In Case You Missed It:
First Day Forms
An electronic version of First Day Forms was distributed to families on Tuesday, September 8. If you need paper copies of any of these forms, please contact the Belvedere office at 703-916-6800.
FCPS Tech Help Desk
To support families who are working with their children during virtual learning, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has launched a new Parent Technology Help Desk, effective Monday, August 24. The help desk can be reached at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS) and will be answered by staff members between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., seven days a week.
Parents or guardians who need help in a language other than English can inform the help desk staff when they call, and an interpreter will join them live on the call.
If help desk staff members are unable to solve the issue, they will request help from the appropriate FCPS team.
For a list of Tech help resources, please visit the Belvedere website here.
Upcoming Dates
- Friday, 9/25: Library Books by Bus Begins
- Thursday, 10/1: Presentation on AAP services at Belvedere (in English at 6:00 p.m.; in Spanish at 7:00 p.m.) [Link]
- Monday, 10/12: No Classes (School Planning Day)
- Thursday, 10/22: Presentation on the AAP Level IV screening process (in English at 6:00 p.m.; in Spanish at 7:00 p.m.)
- Friday, 10/23: Presentation on the AAP Level IV screening process (in English with Spanish interpretation, beginning at 2:00 p.m.)
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