Sangster News You Choose
Two Weeks At a Glance
October 30 -
- End of 1st Quarter/2-Hour Early Release
- Final day to inform administration about preferred Return to School learning model
- Last date for 3rd and 4th grade students to put books on hold
- Last call to drop off painted rocks for the Sangster Rocks ROCKTOBER
November 1 - Daylight Savings Time
November 2-3 - Student Holidays/Teacher Workdays
November 3 - Election Day
November 4 - Library Book Pick Up - 3rd and 4th Grades, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
November 5 - Virtual AAP Screening & Referral Meeting, 7:00 p.m. (link below)
November 9 - Virtual Kindergarten Parent Information Meeting, 7:00-8:00pm
A Message from Ms. Jankovich
Good evening Sangster families! I hope this message finds you well.
Thank you to those who attended our parent information meeting last night. Mrs. Redford and I apologize for any difficulty you had with the BBCU link. We are looking into possible reasons the link worked for some, but not for others. If you were unable to attend, you may listen to the recording at Sangster Parent Information Session 10-28-20 Recording.
I know many of you are still struggling to decide if the instructional setting you selected on the July Return-to-Learn survey is still the right choice for your child and family. If you chose in-person instruction in July, we will assume your child will return to in-person instruction when their group is scheduled to return. If you chose all-virtual instruction, we will assume your child will continue in that format. You DO NOT need to contact me if your decision has not changed.
If your circumstances have changed, and you would like to change your child’s instructional setting, please email me no later than the close of business on Friday, October 30 at ALJankovich@fcps.edu. Please include the following information: student’s name, grade level, current teacher, and desired instructional setting (virtual or in-person). The teachers and I will begin meeting next week to review any changes to the July survey and to formulate a plan for moving forward. As I shared last night, while we will do our very best to keep students with their current teachers and will strive to minimize the impact of this transition, some students may experience a change in schedule or class assignment as we work to accommodate everyone’s preferences.
While the health and safety of our students and staff will remain our top priority, please know there are a plethora of additional factors that must be considered as we transition to a concurrent model including: consistency for all students, continuation of services for special education and ESOL students, staffing demands, space issues in the building, and master schedule adjustments.
I hope that the message you are hearing from Mrs. Redford and me is that we care about our students, we care about our staff, and we care about you. Please know I will continue to work with you, as none of us can predict what the future holds. I can’t promise that I will be able to grant every request, but I promise to listen and to be fair.
To quote Mrs. Reddel, Sangster is a community where “Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships” makes us who we are. I believe in this more now than ever and hope that you do too.
For more information, please go to A Family Guide for Return to School. Have a wonderful weekend and I will be in touch soon.
Sincerely,
Ms. Jankovich
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Sangster Library Book Checkout is Here for Grades 4 and 3 Only
October 30th Hold deadline
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3rd and 4th Grade students now have an opportunity to "check out" books from the Sangster Library!
Classroom teachers shared the information with their classes this week and explained the process by which they can use the Destiny Discover system to place holds on library books they want to check-out (physical copies, not e-books).
Holds must be placed no later than Friday, October 30th. During the curbside pick-up, each student will receive up to three books based on their placed holds. Our librarian, Mrs. Oberdick, will make every attempt to provide each student with at least one (if not all) of their requested books.
Curbside pick-up will be Wednesday, November 4th between 4:00-5:30PM. Just as with the pick-up of student materials, parents are asked to pull into the Sangster bus loop, remain in their cars, and hold up a sign with their child's name and grade. Staff will be there to assist you. Masks are required.
If you cannot make the scheduled pick-up time, you can pick up your child's library books any time after November 4th between the hours of 8:30AM - 3:30PM, Monday - Friday. You do not need to call ahead, just ring the doorbell and announce you are there to pick up library books.
Want to return a Sangster Library book? No problem! We always have a labeled box outside - just drive-up and drop-off anytime during school hours.
Thank you for being patient with us as we navigate this new system of library book check-out.
Sock Drive - Drop off deadline - October 30
For the second year in a row the Lake Braddock Athletic Sports Leadership Class is holding a sock drive to collect new socks to distribute to local families in need. Sock Drive drop boxes are outside Sangster and at the Springfield Glory Days Grill from 8:30AM - 3:30PM. Thank you!
Advanced Academic Program (AAP) Virtual Parent Information Meetings
Thurs., Nov 5th, 7:00pm - AAP Screening and Referral Meeting
Please join the meeting via this BBCU link AAP Parent Information Meeting Link
*If you missed the October 6th AAP Overview Parent Information Meeting and would like more information about the services offered by FCPS and Sangster, please email Mrs. Biberaj @ lbiberaj@fcps.edu for more information.
Level IV Referral Deadlines:
December 1, 2020 - for those seeking placement in the 2021-2022 school year
Download the AAP Level IV Referral Form here
Download the Parent Guardian Questionnaire here (optional but encouraged)d
Veterans Day
Virtual Celebration
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Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11, 2020. It is a day to recognize and honor the brave men and women, both at home and abroad, who have served and continue to serve in our Armed Forces. For almost a decade Sangster ES has proudly hosted a Veteran’s Day ceremony, to not only reflect upon the sacrifices of all service members, but to show our love and support to the hundreds of military families and students in our community. This ceremony, originally started by the Military Spouses’ Club, has evolved over the years to become one of the most beloved events at Sangster.
We are thrilled to share that this year, the tradition carries on! Our Virtual Veterans Day Celebration will be shown to all students in their BBCU classes on November 11 (times TBD). I will also send out the link to view the celebration in the November 12 News You Choose.
As part of our Veterans Day Celebration every year, teachers invite veterans into their classes to share their experiences and knowledge with our students. Stay tuned for more information!
Finally, over the next week, we will be collecting pictures of our military families for our Veterans Day Celebration. Please send those pictures and/or any images that include Sangster students and families with the American flag to Jennifer Redford at jaredford@fcps.edu. We plan to use these in a picture slideshow during our Virtual Veterans Day Celebration for students.
October Monthly Classroom Newsletters are Up!
Virtual classrooms at Sangster Elementary School have been are hard at work in October. See all the amazing ways they are learning in this month's newsletters by checking them out on our Sangster website!
Attendance Reporting Changes
FCPS has established new attendance reporting guidelines. Please report your student's absence by using one of the following methods:
Virtual Family Nights with Sangster Clinical Team
The Clinical Team at Sangster would like to provide families with information sessions in the form of Virtual Family Nights to support parents and guardians at home. Please consider responding to the Google Survey Form below to let the Clinical Team know what topics may be of interest to you.
We look forward to hearing from you and receiving your feedback!
Virtual Family Night Google form
Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R)
Due ASAP: Link is for Sangster Students ONLY
Parents and guardians, please review the Student Rights and Responsibilities and related resources at www.fcps.edu/srr. After reviewing the information, fill out the SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form using the link below. This form must be filled out once for each SANGSTER ES student.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Links are school-specific. The link below is for ONLY Sangster ES students. If you have a student in another FCPS school you must complete the link provided by that school.
Sangster ES Link: FCPS SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form
Grab and Go Meals
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FCPS Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) offers grab and go meals to ALL FCPS students Monday-Friday. In addition, FNS offers breakfast and lunch meals for Saturday during distribution on Fridays. Food distribution locations and times are posted and updated frequently on the FCPS website: https://www.fcps.edu/return-school/food
Sangster is a new stop location for Grab and Go Meals! A bus arrives every morning from 7:10-7:20 a.m.
Other stops serving Sangster ES:
New: Fairfax Meal Kits Offered at Select Locations
Dinner and snacks are now offered at select locations. FCPS wants to provide every FCPS student daily access to nutritious meals. Fairfax Meal Kits are offered at several sites, containing seven (7) days of breakfast and lunch items packed in bulk. Meals can be picked up 8:00am-12:30 pm., or until supplies are exhausted.
The closest Fairfax Meal Kit location to Sangster ES is at:
Meals are available at no-cost to FCPS students and children 18 years of age and under. Parents/caregivers may pick up for children, and adults may purchase kits for $28.00.
More information is available online or by calling the Office of Food and Nutrition Services at 703-813-4800.
Positivity Project
This year, Sangster will continue implementing the Positivity Project (P2). P2 is dedicated to empowering America’s youth to build strong relationships and to understand, appreciate, and exemplify the character strengths in us all. Every 1-2 weeks, students learn about a new character strength.
It is easier than ever for Sangster families to access P2 resources this year! The site P2 For Families is available for connecting P2 to your home and you can learn more about the site here. Many of the slides are password protected and the password is P2 (case-sensitive).
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Positivity Project - Week of October 25
This week’s character strength is Creativity. You show this strength when 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.
Next Week’s Character Strength: Perspective
Eating Disorders in Adolescents - November 10 Virtual Presentation 7:00pm
West Springfield Pyramid is hosting a virtual program on the subject of Eating Disorders in Adolescents: What to Look For and How to Get Help. This virtual presentation will be led by speaker, Ashley Steelman, MA, LCSW, the Clincial Director at Clementine Twin Lakes.
See flyer for program details and the BBCU Meeting link.
Fairfax County Public Library - LEAP Program
FCPS students (Pre-K-12) can check out materials from the Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) under the Library Equity Access Pass Program (LEAP), a partnership with FCPS and FCPL. Students only need their name, not a physical library card, to check out three items at a time for six weeks each (no renewals). LEAP accounts are never charged fines or fees.
For more information about the LEAP Program.
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News from the PTA
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Sangster ES PTA launches the Sangster PTA News You Choose
The all new Sangster PTA News You Choose announcement will be sent out every Tuesday (starting October 27th) with info about PTA events and programs.
Sangster Rocks ROCKTOBER! - Rock drop off - Friday, October 30
Drop off your finished painted rocks for Sangster’s new rock garden in the grey pots at the back of school, directly behind the library. Pots are labeled by grade near the garden bench. Watch for pictures of the finished rock garden!
PTA Fall Auction - October 25 - November 1
Check out our Fall Auction items up for sale: PTA Fall Auction
For more information on PTA activities, please see the “Weekly Email Update” heading on our PTA website: Sangster PTA website
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