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Dear Kent Gardens Families,
As a follow up to the communication by FCPS, I wanted to share with you information specifically for Kent Gardens regarding upcoming parent coffees and the process in which you can update your intent for your child(ren) to return to school for instruction.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is planning to bring additional student groups back to school for in-person instruction soon. We will follow strict safety and health protocols to minimize health risks for students and staff. To learn more, visit here.
We will also hold a parent coffee Tuesday, October 27th and another parent coffee on Thursday, October 29th to provide information as you consider options for return and hear about the planning and preparations for your children. We will do our best to answer your questions regarding the return to school. Note that we will hold additional parent coffees going forward - if you are a parent of an upper grade student, you may decide to wait until November to join a Parent Coffee. You may use this link to connect to the coffees.
Parent Coffee - Tuesday, October 27th 8:00 a.m.- 8:30 a.m.
Parent Coffee – Thursday, October 29th 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
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: (Identified 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 – KG administrators will be in touch with specific families),
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
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. We will also keep families on the same schedule to support
Thank you for your support, patience and flexibility as we work through this return to school.
Sincerely,
Holly McGuigan
Principal
ParentVue - Go Paperless!!
This year more than ever, SIS ParentVUE (PVUE) is an essential tool for parents/guardians to keep up with their student’s attendance, progress report cards, and more. This will be the first quarter that FCPS has offered a PDF version of the progress report and ES parents/guardians now have the option to “Go Paperless” for all report cards and progress reports.
If you have not yet created a PVUE account, we encourage you to do so by reaching out to the our school SIA, Tracy Dean, tadean@fcps.edu to provide an activation code. Details on what can be found in PVUE and how to activate a new PVUE account using your activation code can be found here - Student Information System - SIS Parent Account Overview
Positivity Project
This week, we are focusing on Creativity. You come up with new and original ways to think about and do things. Creative people can look at the world in original ways. They are open to new experiences, and have an imaginative and independent thought process. They generate lots of different ideas and can pursue them with energy and enthusiasm. Creativity is a process that takes courage.
“Creative people do not see things merely for what they are; they see them for what they can be.” ~Julie Israel
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KG Pumpkin Patch
We would love to see and share your pumpkin creations! You can drop off a decorated pumpkin along the kiss and ride sidewalk OR you can send your pic of your completed pumpkin to Gardenskent1717@gmail.com. As we collect pumpkins for our very own KG pumpkin patch, please remind your child NOT to touch and also remind older students to be mindful of others' belongings. If you visit, please be mindful of social distancing - wear a mask! Pick up date is Sunday, November 1st.
We will place in social media on KG Facebook and Twitter. Check out our first grader's creations!
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Virtual Book Fair!!
Kent Gardens invites you to shop our Online Book Fair and support our school library! The Online Fair runs from November 4th – November 16th. All purchases will benefit our school directly (25% back in rewards!). Don’t miss these two weeks! https://www.scholastic.com/bf/kentgardens
PTA - One and Done Extension!!
Please do Join the PTA and also contribute to One & Done. The deadline has been extended – see the note whereby we will be having teachers share pets in costume – we are working on it and will share virtually! Thanks to the families who have contributed to One & Done.
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PTA - Pizza Night
Order lunch and/or dinner delivery between 12pm and 8pm from BaddPizza in Mclean on Tuesday or Wednesday, October 27-28th and mention the Kent Gardens Fundraiser. 15% of the proceeds from that day will go directly to help our school! BaddPizza is a family-run franchise new to McLean at 6263 Old Dominion Drive. 703-356-BADD (2233) Click here to order online!
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