Spring Hill ES Panther Press

In-Person Learning Update

As you may have seen on Monday, Dr. Brabrand sent out a communication regarding the impact of the updated CDC guidance on school operations.  The letter can be found here in its entirety.  I would like to further clarify this guidance and provide updates on how this will look at Spring Hill Elementary School.  Below you will find information on how we will implement this new guidance and the factors that will guide our decision making process. 

We will be inviting a small number of students back to four days of in-person instruction to begin next week (4/13).  These students have previously been identified by our Multi-tiered Systems of Support Team.  Students have been identified based on select criteria. 

We will look at inviting a subsequent group of students back as space allows.  Please understand that this process is time consuming and schedules need to be reviewed individually to determine if space allows in each classroom setting.   

Per Dr. Brabrand’s letter, if we believe we have space to increase the instructional days for your student(s), we will be in contact with you. We are not able to honor individual requests from families at this time.  If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Amy Briggs at arbriggs@fcps.edu or Mr. Mike Casey mpcasey@fcps.edu .


Standards of Learning Testing Info.

While the Virginia Department of Education requires that SOLs must be offered, they have also announced that a virtual testing option is being developed (no published timeline for availability), and that families are being provided with expanded SOL refusal options for COVID-related concerns.

Over the next couple weeks, we will hold a virtual SOL information session and much more information about SOL administration will be shared.


Rising Kindergartener Information

Children who are five by September 30, 2021 and eligible should register here:  https://springhilles.fcps.edu/new-student-registration-2020-21

Visit the Kindergarten Registration page on the FCPS Kindergarten Registration website for required registration packets.

SAVE THE DATE!  We are so excited to meet our newest Panther Cubs!  We will hold a virtual Kindergarten Information Session on Monday, April 19th at 9:30am.   More information to come!


Virtual Students Vision/Hearing Screening Update

Kindergarten, 3rd Grade, & Students New to the County ONLY

UPDATE to February 25 Infogram: Vision and Hearing Screenings for Students Attending Virtually During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction has granted a waiver of the statutory requirement § 22.1-273 allowing parents of students who attend school on an entirely virtual basis, to “opt-out” of hearing and vision screenings when all of the following criteria are met:

  • Virtual Attendance Only.  The student attends school on an entirely virtual basis during the 2020-2021 school year.
  • Parental Opt-Out.  A parent of a student (who attends school on an entirely virtual basis) declines vision and hearing screening services in writing and submits such writing to the student’s school.
  • Notice of Screening Benefits.  Prior to declining, the parent has been informed of the benefits of vision and hearing screenings for a student’s health and wellbeing.

Parents of students attending virtually may opt-out by completing and returning the Vision and Hearing Screening Opt-Out Form.

FCPS has developed a Vision and Hearing Screening Checklist to assist principals/designated staff to assist in the process of conducting vision and hearing screenings for students who are attending virtually whose parents/guardians who have not opted-out. Guidelines for Safely Conducting Vision and Hearing Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic have also been developed to assist screeners, including SHAs, PHNs, FCPS staff and volunteers, in using safe practices to complete Vision and Hearing Screenings.

Using the updated guidance above, principals/designated staff will identify all students attending on a virtual basis who will require vision and hearing screenings. Required hearing and vision screenings for students attending virtually who have not returned the “opt-out” form should be completed by May 1, 2021.


The PTSA Diversity Committee of Thomas Jefferson HS

The PTSA Diversity Committee of the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will hold its next Diversity in STEM Talk in April! This series is especially for elementary and middle school students in grades 4-8. 

 

Join us Monday, April 12, at 6 p.m. to hear from Julie Ann Sosa, MD, Leon Goldman MD Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Sosa was born in Montreal and raised in upstate New York. She received her AB at Princeton, MA at Oxford, and MD at Johns Hopkins, where she also completed the Halsted residency in general surgery and a fellowship. She previously practiced medicine and taught at Duke University Medical School and Yale University Medical School. She is published in numerous medical journals and books. Dr. Sosa’s research interests include outcomes research, health care delivery, hyperparathyroidism, and thyroid cancer, with a focus on clinical trials. Join us to hear more about a career in medicine and her experience as a surgeon, professor, and now administrator in a large teaching hospital.

 

- What sparked her interest in medicine?

- What does she enjoy most about practicing medicine?

- What would she recommend to students who want to pursue a medical career?

- What else would you like to know?

 

Parents, register at this Zoom link*: http://bit.ly/TJStemTalk4 

  *To ensure you receive the Zoom link, do not use an FCPS schools student email account!

 

Submit questions in advance here: https://bit.ly/tjdiversitytalks

 

Information and recordings from past Diversity in STEM Talks can be found on the TJ PTSA Diversity Committee webpage: https://tjptsa.com/committees/diversity/

 

Diversity Talks Flyers

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