CES Important Update - Upcoming Parent Coffees and Update about In-Person Instruction for Students

Dear Chesterbrook Parents, 

As a follow up to the communication sent this evening by FCPS, I wanted to share with you information specifically for our community regarding upcoming parent coffees and how you can update your preference for instruction.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is planning to bring additional student groups back to school for in-person instruction in the near future. We will follow strict safety and health protocols to minimize health risks for students and staff. To learn more, visit here.

Chesterbrook administrators will also hold two parent coffees next Tuesday to provide information as you consider options for return. You will have an opportunity to meet our new Assistant Principal, Farris Thomas, during our meetings and hear about the planning and preparations for your children.  

Parent Coffee - Tuesday, October 27th 1 PM or 6 PM
Use this link to join either virtual meeting 

The following groups of students will be returning to in-person instruction (start dates below are tentative and subject to change):    

Group 5: Week of November 16 – tentative date: Kindergarten

Intensive Support Needs(students instructed w/ modified curriculum for at least 50% of their core courses and instructed in special education settings 50% or more of their instructional day),

Group 6: November 30 - tentative date: Grades 1-2

Group 7: January 4 – tentative date: Grades 3-6

Group 8: January 26– tentative date: Grades 7-12 

The following special education groups will receive in-person instruction four (4) days per week (Tues - Fri) - Intensive Support Needs - Group 5

We will be using concurrent instruction for students who receive in-person instruction. This means that students who elect in-person instruction will receive two days of teacher-led instruction in the school building and two days of teacher-led instruction at home. Students who elect all-virtual learning will continue to receive four days of teacher-led instruction at home.

In either format, Mondays will be a full day of independent learning for students to give our teachers more time to prepare and plan the week’s lessons. This will begin on Monday, November 9, 2020 for Group 5 and on November 16, 2020 for Group 6.  November 12 and 13 will be teacher workdays and independent learning days for Group 5 students to give our teachers time to prepare and plan for in-person instruction.  November 20, 23, and 24 will be teacher workdays and independent learning days for Group 6 students.

Some schools are already piloting concurrent instruction. The Superintendent will report his findings on the pilot program at the November 12 School Board work session.  Here is a video that demonstrates how a concurrent classroom will look.

We will honor the choice you made in the FCPS July survey to determine the setting for instruction. If you chose in-person instruction, we will assume your student(s) will return to in-person instruction in accordance with the schedule above. If you chose all-virtual instruction we will assume you will continue in that format. If your circumstances have changed, please submit a request to change your preference no later than Friday, October 30th. We will try to accommodate your request based on the availability of staff and space. One form request must be completed for each child needing an updated preference.

We will strive to minimize the impact of this transition; however, some students may experience a change in schedule or class assignment as we work to accommodate everyone’s preferences.

Thank you for your support and cooperation as we continue on this journey to deliver the best instruction for all FCPS students. 

Sincerely, 

Stacy Kirkpatrick
Principal