Haycock Families,
I hope that you all are healthy and well. I look forward to the day when I can safely meet you and your student in person.
This week was Inclusive Schools Week. We featured items on the news and teachers included activities and resources in their instruction regarding the importance of creating an inclusive culture here at Haycock ES. For more information regarding Inclusive Schools, please see this resource FCPS Inclusive Schools
This coming week brings creative ways to celebrate the winter holidays. We are using innovative ways to make this is special week for our students in the virtual environment.
For those of you who were unable to join us for today’s Principal Coffee, here is a link to the presentation slides December Principal's Coffee.pdf and the recording from the session https://us.bbcollab.com/recording/b99555fcb8ae4f3c9dc5e23142f4af26
Dr. Brabrand presented to the School Board last night. When we have students return to school in person, our bell schedule will become 10:05-4:50. This is not an ideal schedule change, but it is based on the need for social distancing and bus cleaning between runs. Dr. Brabrand proposed a tentative schedule for student return as follows:
Return of Kindergarten- week of Jan. 12
Return of Grades 1 and 2- week of Jan. 19
Return of Grades 3 and 4- week of Jan. 26
Return of Grades 5 and 6- week of Feb. 2
This is a tentative plan. The School Board will vote on Jan. 5. The decision at that time will depend on the health metrics, number of new cases per 100,000, the positivity rate, and a third metric, which is our ability to implement mitigation strategies with fidelity which include:
- Consistent and correct use of masks
- Social distancing to the largest extent possible
- Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette
- Cleaning and disinfection
- Contact tracing in collaboration with the health department
We continue to focus on providing our students with high quality, rigorous virtual instruction while we work hard on preparations for our eventual return to the building.
With Haycock pride,
Dr. Liz Beaty
Principal
embeaty@fcps.edu
SCA School Spirit Week!
Dec 15 - Dec 18
Celebrate Spirit Week with the SCA by participating with the asynchronous activity spirit board . Send pictures of your student enjoying their spirit activities to haboyd@fcps.edu to be included in school newsletters and perhaps in the yearbook.
We've got spirit, yes we do...we've got spirit, how 'bout you?!
Author Visit - Lulu Delacre visit on READ-IN Day, December 18
K, 1 and 2: 9:45 – 10:15
5 and 6: 11:15 – 12:00
3 and 4: 1:00 – 1:40
Lulu Delacre won the Pura Belpre Honor three times. This literary award is given to a Latino or Latina author or illustrator whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work for children. Lulu Delacre also illustrated Sonia Sotomayor’s book titled Turing Pages, a New York Times best seller.
Thank you, PTA, for sponsoring the visit!
Reminder: Library Curbside Checkout Available
Library Curbside Hours until students are in person: 9:00am-1:00pm
Library Curbside Hours once students return to the building:TBD
(because of the later start time we’ll have to figure this out)
Meal Service over Winter Break
Bus route meals will be available over Winter Break. See specific information about locations and times here
- Friday, 12/18 -- Bus routes will offer 4 days of breakfast and lunch Grab & Go locations will offer 4 days of breakfast and lunch
- Monday, 12/21 -- Bus routes will offer 4 days of breakfast and lunch Grab & Go locations will not distribute any meals
- Tuesday, 12/22 -- Bus routes will offer 4 days of breakfast and lunch Grab & Go locations will offer 14-day meal kits. Meal Kits sites will offer 14-day meal kits
- Wednesday, 12/23 through Friday, 1/1/21 -- No food service
- Monday, 1/4/2021 -- Bus routes delivering breakfast and lunch will resume daily service
- Tuesday, 1/5/2021 -- Grab & Go locations resume daily meal distribution
- Wednesday, 1/6/2021 -- Sites that distribute 7-day meal kits resume
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School Computer Update
Nearly 500 school laptops have been loaned to families so far this year. Many of them haven’t been on our wireless network in months. Many issues that we’re experiencing can be resolved and prevented with a simple maintenance task: restarting the computer. This both installs updates and ends background processes. If you or your student gets in the habit of doing this each morning, it will keep the devices in tip-top shape!
One clear indicator of not doing this is an incorrect time on the device. To remedy this, bring your computer to the nearest FCPS school at any time. Upon arrival, sign in with your child’s credentials, wait a few minutes, and restart. Repeat that cycle a few times until the clock is correct, and any updates have been installed.
Finally, sixth grade students received a message from Mr. James on November 3rd about an important network driver update that they need to install. Please check in with your child about this task. If they haven’t done it yet, please do so as soon as possible. Thanks!
More help for troubleshooting other issues you may experience can be found on FCPS’s website: Tech Support for Families. Bookmark this site, as it can help solve many common problems. Obviously we want our students to have the best experience possible in our current virtual environment!
Five New Managing the Moments Videos Just in Time for the Holidays
Too much togetherness cramping your communication style? Too much teenage anxiety taking over the household? Too much frustration with distance or hybrid learning with your kids? When it gets to be “too much,” take a few moments to check out a few new video offerings from the Safe Community Coalition’s Managing the Moments series.
These short videos are produced by the psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers of the SCC’s mental health committee. Topics selected reflect what they are seeing both in their private practices and on the homefront.
The new videos include:
- Coping With the Holidays – how to make the most of an unprecedented holiday season
- Creating Coping Capacity – body awareness and mindfulness techniques to feel more calm and relaxed
- Connecting Through Play – strategies for minimizing frustration of younger children
- Anxiety in School – an honest look at teenage anxiety straight from a teen being interviewed by his mother
- Your Daily Prescription to Cope with Covid – focusing on ways to nurture yourself
These new videos join the original six videos: Deescalating Conflict, Effective Communication, How to Talk to Your Parents, Brain Breaks During Distance Learning, Self-Care and Calming Techniques, and How Are You?
All videos and accompanying tip sheets are free and available on the SCC website, mcleanscc.org. Make sure to bookmark the page and watch any time!
Resources for Families Going through a Tough Time
This has been a challenging time for all of us. If your family is in need, please contact our social worker, Marcie Cohen at MLCohen@fcps.edu. Ms. Cohen can assist families with multiple resources, including gift cards, in order to help you make it through these tough times.
Parent Resource Center Webinars
The FCPS Parent Resource Center offers several free parent and educator webinars to provide the latest information to help your child succeed. Some upcoming webinars include: .
All Behavior Happens for a Reason: Behavior as Communication
- Overview on the reasons why behaviors may occur.
- Overview about reinforcing positive behavior.
- General tips for encouraging replacement behaviors.
Thursday December 17, 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Register for All Behavior Happens for a Reason: Behavior as Communication.
More information about Parent Resource Center webinars is available online.
Book Share Opportunity
S.H.A.R.E. Book Club is a nonprofit club founded by two high school students: Cristina Pak (McLean High School) and Kayla Park (Thomas Jefferson High School). S.H.A.R.E. stands for: Speak, Hear, Analyze, Read, and Evolve. We provide a space for students to be creative and expressive while discussing the many messages books have to offer. This club is inclusive of all genres, from fiction to current events to poetry! It's a great opportunity for students to interact with others of varying ages, especially in the midst of a pandemic!
To join our interest meeting on 12/18/20, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/EeSz928SH3AizTE47.
For more information, go to: core68.webnode.com/.
Thank you Haycock ES!
S.H.A.R.E. Book Club Team
Haycock Elementary Teacher Takes Teaching to New Levels in Backyard Treehouse
Teachers in Fairfax County Public Schools have developed creative workspaces at home and in their classrooms for virtual learning. For Haycock Elementary School teacher Nellie Williams, creativity took on new heights as she and her husband decided to upgrade their backyard treehouse for her to use as a classroom. Learn more about Nellie Williams’ treehouse.
Ms. Williams has been featured on Channel 4 and 7 news, along with being interviewed by the Washington Post and Voice of America-Eurasia division.
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Nellie Williams - Treehouse Learning |
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