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In this Friday Message you will find:
- Principals' Message
- Suggested Family Resources
- Tip of the Week
- Kids' Clubs
- Return to In-Person Learning Dates
- Soaring Eagles
- Positivity Project
- Staff Spotlight
- Upcoming Dates
Dear Floris Families,
It was a wonderful week here at Floris. We had some students in the building, a great Town Hall on Tuesday evening with more than 50 families in attendance, and a little snowy weather.
Next week is a busy one. Monday is the Presidents' Day Holiday for all students and staff. On Tuesday, students in group 3 return to in-person learning and our bell schedule changes to 9:45am-4:15pm. Wednesday evening at 6:30pm is our monthly PTA meeting and we hope to see you there.
The slides from our Virtual Parent Town Hall are posted on the Floris webpage under the section Return to Building Town Hall Presentation. Emails were sent to our 1st-2nd grade families with their days of the week for in-person learning or virtual learning along with the teacher names. Teacher changes for grades 1-6 will begin on March 2nd in advance of those students returning to the building.
Happy Lunar New Year to those who celebrate!
Have a wonderful long weekend!
Holly Walker and Amanda Dorr
hjwalker@fcps.edu
acdorr@fcps.edu
Suggested Family Resources
February is Black History Month!
Because literature is so central to the ways in which children learn about the world, Black History Month is a great time to recommit to reading stories that celebrate Black perspectives, experiences, and contributions.
Below are some lists of books to consider:
Coretta Scott King Award Winning books
Additional Award Winning Titles
Watch this section each Friday in February for additional resources.
This week's tip focuses on Math!
Math is a part of our daily lives and jobs. Here are a few ideas for making math fun and practicing math skills at home:
- Have your children measure during baking or cooking.
- Sort silverware by knives, forks, and spoons.
- Have a fun geometry lesson by letting children create a collage of circles, squares, and triangles. Challenge them to come up with as many different shapes as they can using only triangles.
- Play store with the items in your cupboard.
- Allow children to explore capacity and volume using a bucket or pan of water and some jars or cups of different sizes.
- Try to think about gifts or items that are fun and focus on math and problem solving: blocks, building sets, geometric tile sets, puzzles, board games, weather stations, maps, puzzle books, calculators, strategy games, scales, and origami are just a few.
- Encourage problem-solving.
- “How many different ways are there to walk to ______?”
- “What’s another way to arrange the furniture in this room?”
- “How many different ways can I measure flour to get half a cup?”
- Try to come up with more than one solution for everyday problems.
- Play games that include math:
- "Go Fish” teaches counting and grouping in sets.
- Games that use play money teach how to make change.
- Board games that use dice teach addition and counting.
- Backgammon teaches addition, subtraction, and strategy.
- Beans, stones, or marbles can be used to play number games. Let your child develop his or her own games by sorting beans into different sizes or types, setting up the rules for a counting game, or using different types of pasta to make a pattern.
Floris Kids' Clubs
Return to School Dates:
February 16:
- Group 3 returns to in-person learning
- New Bell Schedule Begins 9:45-4:15
February 23:
- Kindergarten Students begin in-person learning - A group
February 25:
- Kindergarten Students begin in-person learning - B group
March 9:
- 1st and 2nd grade students begin in-person learning - A group
March 11:
- 1st and 2nd grade students begin in-person learning - B group
March 16:
- 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade students begin in-person learning - A group
March 18:
- 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade students begin in-person learning - B group
Soaring Eagles
Please continue to share your love, gratitude and kindness with our staff on Soaring Eagles, the new online tradition at Floris. Please take a moment to say thank you and/or show appreciation for our staff and the hours of hard work happening day and night!
Please click HERE to share your Floris Soaring Eagles!
#EaglesSoaringHigherTogether
#PositivityinAction
Positivity Project
LOVE
What does Love mean? You value close relationships with others and being close to people. The character strength of love represents the way we think, feel, and behave towards the people with whom we have close relationships. When one person loves another person, that person: comforts and makes the other feel safe; sacrifices on the other’s behalf; supports the other during struggles; and places the others needs ahead of his/her own. If you love a person, that person makes you feel safe and secure. You can be yourself with that person. You miss that person when he/she is not around.
Why does it matter? Love is imperative to an individual’s happiness and fulfillment in life. It allows us to open up to another person and be vulnerable. That openness gives us the ability to learn and grow. Loving another person and sacrificing on his/her behalf produces positive emotions. And, it helps you access strengths – and feelings – you never knew you had.
Quote of the Week: “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” -MAYA ANGELOU
You may also visit P2 for Families and use the password P2 to access activities and tools for you to use at home with your children.
This week's spotlight...
We started the school-year sharing about our new to Floris Staff and are now sharing some fun details about more Floris Staff members.
KAT CLIFFORD
Kat Clifford joined the Floris family in 1998 and has taught grades 4 and 6, as well as kindergarten during those 23 years. “I always wanted to be a teacher,” she says. “I had an amazing 5th grade teacher named Ms. Buffy who inspired me and continued to mentor me throughout my career.” Mrs. Clifford loves seeing her students smile and their excitement about learning; she also loves to hear about their accomplishments later in life.
As a first generation immigrant, Mrs. Clifford’s family’s dream was to come to America and live a life full of opportunities. She grew up and still lives in Reston. Mrs. Clifford was an FCPS student herself when she was in school. She always wanted to return to and give back to the area in which she was raised.
Mrs. Clifford is fit and strong! She enjoys riding her Peloton bike at home and her electric RAD bike outside. She also has fun using her Cricut machine to make t-shirts and “bling things out,” she shares. Going to the beach and spending time with family makes Mrs. Clifford happy. One of her biggest accomplishments was building a memorial playground for her “sweet Kylie Xiu” for Floris students to enjoy.
Tootsie, an adorable three-month-old French Bulldog puppy, is keeping Mrs. Clifford extremely busy right now. She is reading books about how to raise a French Bulldog, determined to be a great puppy mom!
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February 15: No School, President's Day Holiday - FCPS Schools and Offices Closed
February 16: First day back for students in Cohort Group 3
February 17: PTA Meeting, 6:30pm, Zoom Link from PTA
February 23: First day back for Kindergarten Group A
February 25: First day back for Kindergarten Group B
March 5: 2 Hour Student Early Release
March 8:
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Staff Development Day
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No School for Students
March 9: First day back for 1st and 2nd grade Group A
March 11: First day back for 1st and 2nd grade Group B
March 16: First day back for 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th grade Group A
March 17: PTA Meeting, 6:30pm, Zoom Link
March 18: First day back for 3rd, 4th, 5th &6th grade Group B
March 26:
March 29-April 2: Spring Break
April 5: Teacher Workday - No School for Students
Find the 2020-2021 School Year Calendar Here
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