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In this Friday Message you will find:
- Principals' Message
- Tip of the Week
- Read and Ride, April 12, 1:00-3:00pm
- Picture Day
- Kids' Clubs
- Soaring Eagles
- Positivity Project
- Staff Spotlight
- PreK and Early Head Start Applications
- Upcoming Dates
Dear Floris Families,
April is here with spring weather and continued amazing learning opportunities. We are one week into the 4th quarter, and preparations are underway for end-of-year activities, including our 6th grade Promotion Ceremony. Please continue to watch for dates, times and details in the upcoming weeks.
With the year-end testing and events, we will not be offering clubs in May and June. Thank you to all the students and staff who participated in clubs this year and made them one of the highlights of the week.
We continue to receive inquiries about a change in learning status for students. At this point in time, we are not able to accommodate changes for students from virtual learning to in-person instruction.
Current in-person students who are invited to school for four days of in-person instruction will be notified by April 12. Parents will need to respond to this opportunity no later than Wednesday, April 14. Four-day-a-week instruction will begin on Tuesday, April 20. Transportation for bus riders will be provided as soon as possible, but cannot be guaranteed for April 20.
We are excited to continue to see these positive changes and the plans for FCPS students to attend five days of in-person instruction in the fall.
Thank you for your continued support during this ever-changing year! Have a wonderful weekend!
#Eagles:SoaringHigherTogether
Holly Walker and Amanda Dorr
hjwalker@fcps.edu
acdorr@fcps.edu
This week's tip is from our Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, Amy Albanese.
Expanding our Critical Thinking by Exploring Point of View
One of the nine critical and creative thinking strategies is Point of View. This thinking strategy helps students to explore ideas from multiple perspectives. It’s important that students examine many points of view before forming an opinion. Students in all grade levels work to build this skill through critical and creative thinking lessons administered by their classroom teachers or by the Advanced Academics Resource Teacher. If you want to explore Point of View with your own child at home, consider reading The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka or Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. As you read, you can identify and discuss how the main character’s viewpoint might be different than your own and that everyone has a viewpoint. It’s important for children to become comfortable sharing their own viewpoints and listening to and learning from the viewpoints of others.
Read and Ride Day
When: Monday, April 12 from 1:00-3:00 PM
Who: Floris Students
What: An opportunity to check-out and return library books from the comfort of the car.
How:
- Families drive up to Door 1
- Remain in the car with face masks on
- Have a piece of paper with their child’s name and student ID number ready
- Student tells a staff member the book choice
- Books will be delivered to the car
Book choices for Monday, April 12 include:
- Picture Books about Kindness
- Picture Books about Dogs
- Picture Books with Funny Characters
- I Can Read Picture Books
- True Books about Religion
- True Books about Weather
- True Books about Ancient Cultures
- True Books about Wildlife
- Adventure Chapter Books
- Realistic Chapter Books
- Harry Potter
- A-Z Mysteries
- Geronimo Stilton
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Goosebumps
- Big Nate
Picture Day is Coming Soon
All Students:
As in years past, picture orders must be placed PRIOR to picture day. To preorder your pictures, please use this Picture Day Order LINK with school order code: 0037063.
In-Person Students:
- Tuesday, April 20 All Group A (Tuesday/Wednesday) in-person students
- Thursday, April 22 All Group B (Thursday/Friday) in-person students
Virtual Students:
Monday, April 19, 8:30AM – 4:30PM
Schedule your child's appointment time using the link emailed on Tuesday, April 6.
Students will be escorted by staff members to the gym and returned to your car following their picture being taken. Parents/Guardians will not be allowed in the building. To continue to ensure everyone’s health and safety, masks will be required to and from the building. Your child will be able to remove their mask to have their picture taken.
Floris Kids' Clubs
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 of Learning
What does Love of Learning mean? You master new topics on your own or in school. Those with a love of learning are intrinsically motivated and engaged in a topic regardless of achieving an external standard. They enjoy learning simply for the sake of learning. They don’t need a prize or a high grade as a reward. Their reward is the process of doing the work and improving. People who love learning experience positive feelings in the process of acquiring skills, building on existing knowledge, or learning something completely new. Overtime, individuals with this strength may develop deep and wide knowledge. Their knowledge enables them to make significant contributions to others’ understanding.
Why does it matter? Developing a love of learning is highly beneficial for an individual. It means that they are intrinsically motivated to deepen their existing skills and abilities, or learn something completely new. Since intrinsically motivated action is correlated with positive emotions, those who act on their love of learning may also have enhanced mental and physical health. Additionally, individuals who love learning have the desire and ability to overcome challenges, due to a sense of autonomy and control over their environment.
On a group level, love of learning is crucial. The best leaders have an insatiable desire to learn. It’s love of learning that compelled Benjamin Franklin to fly a kite and make significant advances in electricity. It’s love of learning that led Nelson Mandela to read voraciously and complete his law degree while in Robben Island’s Maximum Security Prison. When he was released from prison after 27 years, he emerged as a highly educated and well-read leader, ready to take on the challenges of transforming South Africa.
It’s only by learning and experimenting that we continue to grow.
Quote of the Week: ““Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi
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.
KATIE PICKETT
“What I love most about my job as a teacher is getting to work with not only an amazing team of educators at Floris ES, but incredible students and families too. Each year, students grow and learn so much and I love watching their transition from the beginning to the end of the year. Teaching students how to read and watch their love of reading grow and flourish brings me so much joy,” says Katie Pickett. “It is my passion to instill a love of learning in my students, and I am proud and honored to be a Floris ES Eagle!”
This is Mrs. Pickett’s seventh year teaching and her second year at Floris. She grew up in Northern Virginia and is an FCPS graduate. She was a student at Crossfield ES, Rachel Carson MS, and Oakton HS, and then graduated from James Madison University with both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Mrs. Pickett began her teaching career in Arlington Public Schools where she was a Teacher of the Year nominee. This year, she is working on virtual coaching of new teachers across the state of Virginia. Mrs. Pickett is a valuable member of the Floris and FCPS communities where she is such a positive resource for her students and colleagues.
Mrs. Pickett loves to read, golf, and hike outside with her dog, Ava, but her life is about to get much busier. “This year has brought great joy to my family as we are expecting our twin girls to arrive this spring,” Mrs. Pickett shares. “We are so excited for our twins’ arrival and to welcome them to our family! Ava is ready to be a big sister and share the spotlight after being an only child.”
Our best wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Pickett, and to Ava, as they begin an exciting new chapter in their lives!
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FCPS offers a PreK and Early Head Start income eligible program serving children ages 3 or 4 by September 30 in multiple classrooms across the county and ages 6 weeks to 2 years in the Reston, Herndon and Springfield areas.
Currently, FCPS is still accepting applications. If you are interested and need to determine whether or not you are eligible to apply for one of these FCPS programs, please select this link: FCPS PreK Application Information for further information and application forms and requirements.
Should you have questions, you can call:
English Line: 703-208-7900
Spanish Line: 703-208-7901
or email FCPS PreK Program Office at fcpsprekoffice@fcps.edu.
April 12:
- NNAT Testing for 1st grade students at scheduled times
- Read and Ride, 1:00-3:00pm, Door 1
April 15: AAP Level IV Orientation for newly eligible students (link received with letter)
April 19: Picture Day 8:30AM – 4:30PM Virtual Only families Appointment Required
April 20: Picture Day All Group A (Tuesday/Wednesday) in-person students
April 21: Purple Up Day- VDOE Annual Military Kids Celebration
April 22: Picture Day All Group B (Thursday/Friday) in-person students
Find the 2020-2021 School Year Calendar Here
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