Fairhill Forum December 8, 2020

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News from Fairhill

Dates to Remember:

December 7th-13th:  Inclusive Schools Week

December 7th-13th:  Computer Science Education Week

December 10th: Town Hall for Spanish Speaking Families, 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.  

December 10th: PTA Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

December 14th:  Last Reading on the Run Curbside Pick-up before January 11, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

December 17^th:  PTA Family (Take) Out, Panera, Mosaic District, 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

December 21st-January 1st: Winter Break, no school

January 4th:  Return to school from Winter Break, No Reading on the Run Curbside Pick-up. 

January 11th:  Reading on the Run Curbside Pick-up, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

January 11th: Fairhill Coffee Talk, Mr. Magliola, Principal from Luther Jackson Middle School, 3 p.m.

January 14th: PTA Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

January 18th: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday - Student Holiday

January 20th:  Inauguration Day - Student Holiday

January 22nd:  End of Second Quarter, 2 Hour early release

Join the Fun of Celebrating the 12 Days of December!

Even though we are not all together we are always looking for ways to build our community and have some fun! 

Please consider joining in the fun and posting pictures of you and your family celebrating December! 

For an easier-to-view document please click this link. 

Computer Science Education Week This week is Computer Science Education Week, when we learn and explore more about Computer Science and coding. Computer Science is the study of how to use computers to learn, explore and create. Creating, building and editing code is one way to learn about Computer Science. When students engage in coding, they learn critical thinking and problem solving and are actively engaged in creativity. Coding can be accessed by all students and empowers them to be resilient and try new things. Click here for more information.

December 7th - 11th is Inclusive Schools Week  Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference, and other factors. This year, the Inclusive Schools Week’s theme is “Time for Inclusion is The Now!” Click here for more information and activities to celebrate throughout the week.

2020-2021 Fairhill Yearbook The 2020-21 school year has and will always be a year like no other. To help us capture and celebrate these moments for all time, please consider submitting a candid photo of your students for our FES yearbook. Consider capturing memorable moments throughout the school year such as spirit days, school activities, and more!  Click here to submit 20-21 yearbook photos. Your submission will be sent to Ms. Florjancic, our yearbook sponsor.

Fairhill's Outstanding Staff Brace yourself for some exciting news!  The Fairhill Elementary School community has selected representatives for FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards. The 2020-2021 Fairhill representatives this year include:  Outstanding Principal:  Candace Hunstad Outstanding Leader:   Courtney Korb Outstanding Teacher:  Shalika Santiago Outstanding Operational Employee:  Amy Spector  Outstanding Professional Employee:  Stephen Giese Congratulations to all our nominees and finalists.  Thank you for all you do!

Updated Technology Supports for Families   Parent Help Guides and Video Tutorials-access videos and resources to help your student in the virtual learning environment. Parent Technology Help Desk- (1-833-921-3277) available to support families 7 days a week from 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Fairhill Parent/Student Support Request- this form should be completed when help is needed from Fairhill. Fill in all of these fields so that the Technology Team at Fairhill can reach out to you with solutions or schedule a time to get help with equipment.

Fairhill Town Halls/Coffee Talks Now that we have gotten into the groove of virtual learning, we are kicking off our Monthly Town Hall Meetings.  Please see our schedule below for dates, times and topics and MARK YOUR CALENDAR. Links to join will be sent out prior to each Town Hall.  December 10th at 5:30 p.m.: Town Hall for Spanish Speaking Families January 11th at 3:00 p.m.: Mr. Magliola, Principal from Luther Jackson Middle School February 17th at 6:00 p.m.: Conversation about Equity with Ms. Gauta and Mrs. Dux March 15th at 3:00 p.m.: Reading at Home with Mrs. Norris, Ms. Gauta and Ms. Piesto. April 21st at 6:00 p.m.: Math Strategies with Mrs. Hartman, Mrs. Santiago, Ms. Chen and Mrs. Deneault.  May 17th at 3:00 p.m.: Mental Health Conversations with Fairhill Mental Health Team

Sesion Informativa para las familias que hablan Espanol/Town Hall for Spanish Speaking Families Los invitamos este 10 de diciembre de 5:30 a 6:30 de la tarde a una sesion informativa para familias que hablan Espanol. Estaremos platicando sobre los planes para el regreso a la escuela. La directora Hunstad y una servidora estaremos contestando todas sus preguntas. Por favor mande un correo a la Sra. Martha Ghahremani mlghahremani@fcps.edu para que se le envie el enlace para esta sesion. Please join us on December 10th from 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. for a Town Hall for Fairhill’s Spanish Speaking Families. We will be talking about Return to School and have a general Question and Answer with Mrs. Hunstad and Mrs. Korb. Please email or text Martha Ghahremani, parent liaison, for a link to the session at mlghahremani@fcps.edu

Weekly Character Strength: Other People Mindset - Words and Actions WHAT DOES OPM-Words and Actions MEAN?Everything that you do and say can affect people in a positive way. We will continue to be a Positivity Project Partner School. Learn more about it here.

News from Fairhill PTA

Become a Fairhill PTA Member! Please consider becoming a PTA member for the 20-21 school year.  Click this link for membership options!

Holiday Gifts for Teachers/Staff

 As we head into the holidays, it is a great time to show our appreciation to the wonderful teachers and staff at Fairhill.  Traditionally, room parents coordinate group gifts, students create cards or bring in gifts of their own.  Our virtual environment is going to make this approach very difficult.  The PTA is here to help with a new approach to holiday gift giving! Through our online store, we will offer families the option to donate to the GrubHub accounts of their favorite teachers and staff members.  This holiday season, let's treat the teachers and staff to a fun meal delivered to their home!  

How to participate:  We have added individual teachers and staff members to our online store.  Parents can select as many teachers/staff members as they would like and enter the desired gift amount for each teacher/staff member.  The PTA will direct the funds into the teacher/staff member's GrubHub account.  Any personal messages entered will be sent to the teacher/staff member as well.  This is a great way to remember the specialists, teaching assistants and office staff in addition to our classroom teachers.

Click the link here to access the online store.  Deadline to participate is Friday, December 18.

We are currently updating the staff list.  If you have any questions or can't find a teacher/staff member, please contact president@fairhillpta.org

As always, participation is optional.  

Boon Supply Holiday Gift Store

Looking for some unique holiday gifts?  Even better, gifts that will also give back to the Fairhill community?   Check out the Fairhill "We Miss Our School" fundraiser store with Boon Supply.  40% of all purchases will go to the Fairhill PTA.  Boon Supply offers a variety of home and kitchen items (many of them waste-free).

Click here to see the catalog and start shopping!

PTA Family Night (Take) Out Even though we are not physically in the school building, we still are trying to raise funds for our students. Please consider taking the night off from cooking and order in some food.  Fairhill gets a percentage of money spent from each location. It's a WIN--WIN! Mark your calendars NOW!  December 17: (4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Panera (Mosaic – 8191 Strawberry Lane) Bring this flyer or show an electronic version to the cashier when you place your order and Panera will donate a portion of the proceeds to Fairhill.

PTA Meetings Mark your calendars for upcoming PTA meetings this  school year.  December 10, 6:30 p.m. January 14, 6:30 p.m.   February 11, 6:30 p.m. March 11, 6:30 p.m.   April 8, 6:30 p.m. May 13, 6:30 p.m.

News from FCPS

Family Guide for Return to School

The FCPS Family Guide for Return to School has a wealth of information on topics like concurrent instruction, lunch, the mandatory mask policy, recess, laptops, health protocols, and more.

Encouraging Positive Behaviors at Home:
A Behavioral Support Series for Families

Register for Free Webinars- Parent Resource Center

Attend our free parent and educator webinars to learn the latest information to help your child succeed.

In collaboration with FCPS Behavior Intervention Services, the PRC brings you this series of webinars. This series will provide families with strategies and positive supports to help encourage social, emotional, and behavioral growth.

For more information about each session click here

Coping Strategies for Anxious Kids Webinar

Friday, December 11, 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Join Dr. Erin D. Berman, a clinical psychologist at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, for an important session helping children cope with anxiety.

Webinar highlights:

• How to identify an anxious child.
• How to change anxious thinking.
• The science and biological roots of anxiety in children.
• How computer technology is transforming the understanding of anxiety.
• Current treatment options. 

Register for Coping Strategies for Anxious Kids.

New FCPS COVID-19 Dashboard 

FCPS has launched a COVID-19 dashboard to share weekly COVID-19 cases that have been self-reported to us. Data is updated weekly on Friday by 1 p.m. Any cases occurring after that time are reported for the following week.

This data should be interpreted with caution as it only reflects cases that have been shared with FCPS through self-reporting and may not be aligned to future epidemiological investigations. This data is currently being shared from a division level, as opposed to school or work site, so that it does not jeopardize sharing personally identifiable, confidential health information involving FCPS students and staff. Case reports indicate the total number of COVID-19 cases self-reported to principals, administrators, and program managers. Reports were shared with the Fairfax County Health Department to initiate contact tracing.

Effective November 2, the FCPS COVID-19 dashboard will be disaggregated and will present case data by school and case type (student, staff, visitor) and data will be updated daily. 

Updated information is available on the FCPS website. 

Meals are available for pick up between 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

As of 12/2, all Grab & Go sites will have afternoon snack and supper meals available.  

Curbside meal pick-up stations are generally located in the bus lanes at the schools or in the kiss and ride area. Look for the canopy tent along with Food and Nutrition Services staff, who will deliver meals directly to vehicles. 

Walk-ups are still welcome at all sites. Walkers are asked to use school sidewalks to safely navigate their walk to the pick-up stations.

Please wear a mask when picking up meals.  

More information is available online, or by calling the Office of Food and Nutrition Services at 703-813-4800. 

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) buses are delivering grab and go meals along some bus routes.  School buses will stop at designated intersections to deliver these meals. 

All FCPS students (regardless of age) are eligible for free grab and go breakfast and lunch, as well as other county children, under the age of 18. Adults picking up meals for children should let staff know how many children meals they need. Adults may pay $2 for the meals as well.

The service will be available Monday - Friday only.  

New for this fall:  breakfast and lunch meals for Saturdays will be distributed at all sites and bus routes each Friday.

PLEASE NOTE:  Updates to bus routes are posted each afternoon by 5pm. Changes will be marked as "new" or "updated".  

Arrival times at bus stops may be delayed several minutes due to unexpected issues.

FCPS Cares Do you know a Fairhill employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone.

Fairhill's Mission 

Fairhill Elementary fosters academic excellence in a respectful environment which instills strength of character and embraces community involvement.

Fairhill's Vision

The staff of Fairhill Elementary prepares children for a productive future by providing for successes in a positive, enriching and academically stimulating environment. We celebrate diversity, foster mutual respect and embrace collaboration as we unite to achieve common purposes and clear goals.

Our vision for the 2020-2021 school year

To be:

A place where every staff member and students feels included and loved.

A place where every student and staff member can be their best and true self.

A place where every student and staff member feels seen and valued.

A place for joy!

Important Contact Information

Fairhill Phone Numbers:

• Health Room 703-208-8110

• Cafeteria 703-208-8121

Administration e-mail addresses:

• Principal, Candace Hunstad: cjhunstad@fcps.edu 

• Assistant Principal, Courtney Korb: cbkorb@fcps.edu

3001 Chichester Lane, Fairfax, VA 22031 | Main Office: 703-208-8100
Attendance: 703-208-8181 | Web | Twitter | Facebook