From the Administration
Dear Belvedere Family:
We are so excited to have our first and second in-person students back in the building! It was a week filled with smiles and joy for both students and staff. Students attending virtually were able to see and hear their classmates, interacting and learning together. Thank you for your continued support.
Thank you to those who attended yesterday’s PTA meeting. One question that came up related to kiss and ride. We have a new system in place this school year where each family is assigned a number. This will be the number placed in the car widow when parents pick up their children. We will call students by number rather than name, making it easier to keep the line going. If you pick up your child via kiss and ride, please encourage him or her to memorize the number. The number given will remain with the family for the duration of their time at Belvedere. As a reminder, students may not be dropped off prior to 9:20; the school day will begin at 9:45. Students will begin dismissal at 4:15; please be sure to pick up your child promptly at dismissal. Additional information on Kiss & Ride can be found here. A traffic diagram for Kiss & Ride can be found here.
Our gardens are ready for spring planting! If you would like to support our gardens, please contact Stacey Evers (severs@fcps.edu). We want to give a special thanks to our student, Nell Crofford, for her girl scout project upgrading the school garden beds. They look amazing!
We hope you enjoy the spring weather this week!
Best Regards,
Cecilia Vanderhye, Principal and Kelly Cabezas, Assistant Principal
Use of School Grounds
Dear Belvedere Family:
Now that school is back in session with in-person students, we want to take a moment to remind you of when you can use school grounds. While school is in session, school grounds are reserved for school staff and in-person students only. We have a rotating recess schedule and are using all areas of our school grounds to maintain social distance. Also, students are always wearing masks.
Please help us support the well-being of our students and staff by refraining from using our school grounds during the school day, which ends around 4:30 p.m. Thank you for your support.
Return of Student Forms
If you have paper forms that you need to return, you may return them to the office or place them in the bin outside Door 1, which will be checked regularly.
It is especially important that we have the Parent/Guardian Health Screening Commitment form on file if your child is returning In-Person. (Click here for an Arabic form, here for Chinese, and here for Vietnamese.) If you are not sure whether or not you have returned this form, please call the Belvedere office at 703-916-6800.
Student Intentions for 2021-2022 School Year
Hello Belvedere Families!
We would like to hear from you regarding your student's plans for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year. Please click on this link to complete a brief survey regarding your student's intentions.
Thank you!
En Pocas Palabras FCPS Podcast for Spanish Speaking Families
Welcome to En Pocas Palabras FCPS Podcast from Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). Listen to En Pocas Palabras FCPS in Spanish and English to hear timely, important information related to school news. FCPS cares about all families. The podcast is produced in conjunction with the Office for ESOL Services and the Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement.
The goal of every podcast is to help families access key resources and understand how to best support their children’s education. En Pocas Palabras FCPS will bring you something new to discover. We are a community. Together, we are stronger! Listen on:
Specialists Newsletter
Click here to read about all the things your child is doing during their Specials Classes (Art, Music, Health & Phys Ed, Spanish & Library).
TJHSST Diversity in STEM Talk
The PTSA Diversity Committee of the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) will hold its next Diversity in STEM Talk in on Monday, March 15 at 6 p.m. This series is especially for elementary and middle school students in grades 4-8.
Join us Monday, March 15, at 6 p.m. to hear from Vern Williams, former math teacher in the Fairfax County Public Schools and current math teacher at BASIS Independent McLean in Tysons Corner. Some questions we'll explore are:
- What sparked their interest in math?
- What does he enjoy most about math?
- What would he recommend to students who want to pursue math?
Parents, register at this Zoom link. Submit questions in advance here.
If you missed our February 8 talk on robotics, you can view the recording here.
Fairfax Recharge: Free Child Care for Low-Income Families
Get free child care with the Fairfax Recharge program! Use the time to work, seek employment or take care of other responsibilities. Low income Fairfax County residents may be eligible to receive free child care for 15 hours a week for 8 weeks.
For additional details, see the flyer here.
Fairfax Water Bill Relief Program
Drinking water and wastewater utilities provide a critical service to the community, especially during a pandemic. To provide financial relief for customers in need, Fairfax Water is working to administer funds received from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s COVID-19 Municipal Utility Relief Program.
A application is available on Fairfax Water’s website at bit.ly/FWoptions. To qualify, you must meet certain eligibility requirements, attest that you are experiencing financial hardship due to the coronavirus public health emergency, and submit an application to Fairfax Water. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so please apply soon.
For additional assistance, call Fairfax Water’s customer service department to discuss payment options. The call center is available weekdays, 8:00am - 6:00pm at 703.698.5800 (TTY 711).
Chrome Sync
As part of FCPS’s ongoing effort to support student use of technology, Chrome Sync and the ability to save passwords will be available as an option starting on February 18th. Students are not required to use Chrome Sync and save passwords, but may choose to them in order to reduce their log-in time and access bookmarks and extensions across devices.
Chrome will remember and offer saved passwords when students are logging into different instructional applications. Chrome will also make bookmarks and extensions available on any device in which the student logs into Chrome and turns on Sync.
If your student would like to use Chrome Sync and save passwords, support resources are available on the FCPS website. If your child is logging into Chrome now, they may need to log out of Chrome and log back in to see the new features.
Library Book Pick-Up
Changes to Distribution of Library Books
Our bus drivers are now having to transport students, so buses can no longer provide book delivery to bus stops. Students can still request books as they have been doing (by noon Tuesdays), but books will only be available for pickup through the Kiss and Ride line at Belvedere on Fridays from 8:00-9:00 a.m. and 12:00-1:00 p.m. This new procedure began on Friday, January 29.
Students who are coming to school in person will receive their library books at school. If your child is remaining virtual, we will still offer library book pick-up on Fridays in the Kiss and Ride lane 8:00-9:00am and 12:00pm-1:00pm.
When coming to pick up your books, please stay in your car, drive through the Kiss and Ride line and come to the tent. Please have a sign with your student's name(s) on it, and please wear a mask.
For more details on how to reserve and pick up library books, click here.
Library Book Return
You can return library books on Fridays when you pick up your books. You can also drop off library books at the bin next to the main Belvedere entrance (Door 1) Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. You do not need to ring the doorbell--just put them in the bin labeled for library books.
If you have questions, please email Mrs. Atkins at: mfatkins@fcps.edu.
Backpack Friday Pickup
If you participate in the Backpack Friday program, you will be able to pick up your food during regular office hours on Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you would like to be added or removed from the Backpack Friday list, please call the school office at 703-916-6800.
FREE Fairfax Meal Kits
We are excited to announce that we will be distributing FREE Fairfax 7-Day Meal Kits at Belvedere on Wednesdays. Meal kits now include breakfast, lunch, supper and snack!
The kits will be available for pick up from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., or until they run out. Meal kits will be available to ALL FCPS students and children 18 years of age and under at no cost. Each meal kit will contain breakfast, lunch, supper and snack for one person for a week. Parents and caregivers may pick up one meal kit for each child. Adults may purchase meal kits for $28.
For a full list of bulk sites where these fresh fruits and vegetables will be served, please visit https://www.fcps.edu/return-school/food.
Instructions on how to store the food and prepare it will be provided. Meal kits will be distributed every Wednesday unless otherwise noted.
Don’t miss out! Stop by Belvedere and pick up your no-cost Fairfax Meal Kit on Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.!
Elementary Magnet School Lottery
The Magnet Program registration window will open March 2, 2021. No late applications will be accepted.
Families wanting to apply for the Magnet Lottery must have a SIS account. If a student is not currently enrolled in FCPS, registration at the base school for the upcoming school year will be required.
A separate application must be completed for each sibling applying. Legacies also must apply to be eligible. Acceptances into one of the magnet programs is not transferable into another program or school.
Registration for the elementary magnet school lottery closes on Tuesday, April 6, at 4:00 p.m. No late applications are accepted.
For additional information, click here.
Employment Opportunities
New opportunity: Classroom Monitors
FCPS schools and centers will be hiring classroom monitors to provide in-person classroom assistance for students when a staff member remains virtual. If you would like more information about the position, please review the job description and qualifications online and apply if interested. Please feel free to share information about this opportunity with anyone else you think may be interested.
Substitute Teaching
Are you or somebody you know interested in substitute teaching with FCPS? Apply here or attend one of our Friday information sessions to learn more! To sign up for a session, visit our substitute information page here. Say Yes 2 FCPS!
PTA Direct Donation Campaign
As of now, our generous Belvedere community has raised nearly $1,000 for our school! The PTA supports Belvedere's students and staff in many great ways. For example this year, PTA funds will go towards school technology, teacher training, software licenses, school spirit, and so much more.
Instead of asking our students and staff to sell various fundraising products, we ask all members of our community to contribute to the important work of supporting our school by making Direct Donations. Our fundraising goal this year is $8,000 to help our school! Please consider donating whatever you can today. You may mail payments by check to "Belvedere Elementary School PTA, 6540 Columbia Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041" or through PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/belvederePTA
From the PTA
In Case You Missed It
FREE COVID-19 Testing at George Mason Regional Library
Click here for information about a new FREE COVID-19 testing site at George Mason Regional Library.
Individuals who exhibit any symptoms, or who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, should get tested. Fairfax County has an incredible array of services and supports to help individuals who test positive!
Information about additional COVID-19 testing sites in Fairfax and surrounding jurisdictions is available here.
Upcoming Dates
- Week of March 16: Third through Fifth-Grade Students return to In-Person Instruction (2 days per week)
- Friday, 3/26: 2-hour Early Release (End of 3rd Quarter)
- Monday, 3/29 to Friday, 4/2: Spring Break
- Monday, 4/5: No School (Teacher Workday)
- Tuesday, 4/6: Classes Resume
Keep in Touch
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