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In this Friday Message you will find:
- Principals' Message
- Tip of the Week
- Library Book Returns- May 24
- Soaring Eagles
- Positivity Project
- State Immunization Requirements for Fall 2021
- Staff Spotlight
- Fairfax County Student Human Rights Commission (SHRC) will host “Let’s Talk: featuring the Fairfax Police Force”
- Upcoming Dates
Dear Floris Families,
The weather may have felt a little more like March than May, but it is wonderful to see everything turning green. This week our Positivity Project focus was on Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence. We continue to appreciate the many fantastic learning opportunities our staff and students are participating in both in-person and virtually.
SOL Testing continues next week. The schedule is listed below and families received emails the last week of April sharing the details and times specific to your child's grade level tests.
If your child is going to be in the building for testing or are an in-person student, it is important each child wears a snug-fitting mask while they are in the building. All masks must cover the nose and mouth area, be multiple layers, and not have an exhalation valve or vent. Parents should also review the importance of handwashing and/or sanitizing hands with their child(ren) and be able to answer "no" to all questions on the Health Questionnaire before sending their child(ren) off to school each day.
Also, with more students in the building for in-person instruction and SOL testing, it is important that all jackets, water bottles, etc. be labeled with your child's name. We are already seeing lost items around the school and have no way to return these items to their owner since they don't have names on them.
Just a reminder that we are accepting parent input as part of the class placement decisions for the 2021-2022 school year in the Google Form until June 4, 2021. Please do not request a specific teacher in your information. Teacher requests cannot be guaranteed for multiple reasons.
This week was Eid al-Fitr, a holiday that marks the end of the month long fasting of Ramadan. We would like to wish all our Floris families who celebrated Eid Mubarak!
Have a fabulous weekend!
#Eagles:SoaringHigherTogether
Holly Walker and Amanda Dorr
hjwalker@fcps.edu
acdorr@fcps.edu
This week's tip is from Ms. Molitor, our Math Lead Teacher.
If you are looking for a quick way to improve math skills, look no further than vocabulary! It may seem odd to suggest studying language to improve numeracy, but communication is key. As math becomes increasingly complex and advanced, the language we use to describe it becomes more important and precise. By studying and using the correct mathematical vocabulary, students increase their overall understanding of complex topics, can formulate stronger, in-depth answers, and are better able to communicate confusions when these arise.
How do students and their parents know which words to study? Students learn new math vocabulary in class, but parents don’t always know which words are essential. The Virginia Department of Education offers a useful resource: https://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/mathematics/resources/vocab_cards/index.shtml. These word wall posters are available for all grade levels through Algebra II and are closely aligned with the vocabulary students can expect to see on their SOLs. Each ‘poster’ has a vocabulary word, definition, and usually an image to go with it. Shrunk down, they make great flash cards for use at home! Learning and effectively using the correct mathematical vocabulary is an essential skill at every math level.
Library Book Collection Day!
Monday, May 24th
1:00-3:00pm
Please come to Door 1 on Monday, May 24 to return all Floris Library Books.
In-person students may return their books to their teacher in the building.
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
Fairness
What does Fairness mean? You believe that all people have value. You approach situations with an unbiased mindset and treat everyone with respect. Fairness is the product of moral judgment – the process by which people determine what is morally right and what is morally wrong. Moral reasoning has been explored and analyzed in two main traditions: the justice reasoning approach and the care reasoning approach. Justice reasoning emphasizes the use of reason and logic. In justice reasoning, fairness is determined by objectively weighing what is right or wrong, as determined by a group, society, or universal ethical principles. Care reasoning, by contrast, emphasizes care and compassion. This approach uses concepts like empathy – and understanding and accounting for the needs, interests, and well-being of another person – when making moral decisions. Although the two approaches are different, most people use a blend of justice and care reasoning when making choices related to fairness.
Why does it matter? For individuals, cultivating the character strength of fairness is correlated with highly desirable developmental outcomes. It helps people to become trustworthy friends, responsible citizens, and generally moral people. Fairness is also essential for the good of the group. As individuals develop the capacity for moral reason they often find a strengthening of: the aptitude for self-reflection: self-awareness and self-confidence; and perspective taking (i.e. the ability to “put themselves in another’s shoes”). When taken together, these skills significantly enhance a person’s ability to solve interpersonal and group relationship problems.
Quote of the Week.
“It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.”-Eleanor Roosevelt
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.
Important Immunization Requirements:
While the COVID-19 vaccination is NOT required by schools for the 2021-22 school year, many other vaccinations are.
Seventh-grade students need:
- One dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) given at age 7 or older.
- One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo) given at age 10 or older.
Twelfth-grade students need:
- One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo) given at age 16 or older.
More information on new immunization requirements is available online.
This week's spotlight...
GAIL HEIDT
“Most people have an amazing story about a teacher that inspired them, but I’m the opposite,” says Gail Heidt. She shares that she lived in Brazil for four years as a child before returning to FCPS as a student. She recalls spending a lot of time working alone in the school library because her language skills were different from that of her peers after several years overseas. Humiliated by this separation and not feeling welcomed as a member of her class, Mrs. Heidt says, “I decided then that I wanted to become a teacher and promised myself that I would never make a child feel the way that I felt,” and she has kept her promise for 27 years, inclusively and compassionately working with all Floris kindergartners who have been in her class.
After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in family and child development, Mrs. Heidt worked as a preschool teacher in DC before pursuing a master’s degree in education from Marymount University. A life-long learner, she became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2008 and successfully completed the recertification process to maintain her certification in 2017.
“I have been married to my husband, Alex, for almost 26 years. We have two sons, Kyle (23) and Tyler (21), a cat named Taz, and a beautiful English mastiff named Thor,” says Mrs. Heidt. Her hobbies include spending time with family, relaxing at Leesville Lake, cooking, reading, and being with Thor. She has traveled to fascinating places that include Machu Picchu, Peru, Sydney, Australia, and the IceHotel in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden.
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The Fairfax County Student Human Rights Commission (SHRC) will host “Let’s Talk: featuring the Fairfax Police Force” on Monday, May 17th from 4:30-6:00pm. Panelists include: Lieutenant Brenden Hooke, Fairfax County Police Department, and Captain Ronnie Lewis, City of Fairfax Police Department.
Youth interested in registering or submitting questions for the event, please visit tinyurl.com/policeforcepanel to receive the Zoom link.
For more information: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/humanrights/shrc-host-virtual-panel-discussion-policing-schools
May 18- 3rd grade Math SOL testing
May 20- 4th grade Math SOL testing
May 21- 5th grade Science SOL testing
May 24- Virtual Kindergarten Orientation- details to follow
May 25- Math 6 SOL testing (Math Teacher- McMonigle or Barnes)
May 27- Math 7 SOL testing (Math Teacher Molitor)
May 28- Math 5 SOL testing (Math Teacher Noll)
May 31- No School- Memorial Day Holiday
June 8- No in-person learning- Virtual Synchronous Day for all FCPS students
June 11- Last Day of School and Early Release Day for Students
Find the 2020-2021 School Year Calendar Here
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