Welcome Letter from the Principal

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/11/2021 04:50 PM EDT

Welcome Everyone

** This letter is also being mailed directly to all families in paper form. **

 

Welcome to Mantua Elementary School

2021-2022

The entire Mantua Staff joins us in welcoming students and families back to the building, and we look forward to an amazing school year learning together!

Linda Shannon, Principal

Amy Alley, Nick Rousos and Rich Deixler, Assistant Principals

 

Summer Updates

  • We say goodbye to some wonderful teachers and instructional assistants. Lana Amer and Ms. Kristen Monheim, 6th Grade Teachers, have both accepted teaching positions closer to their homes.  Mrs. Diane Grice, Mrs. Janet Sottolano, and Mrs. Sheila Andersen, who collectively had over 85 years of dedicated teaching experience at Mantua, have retired.  Ms. Patti Harling-Gray, 6th Grade Teacher, has moved to teach in another school.  Our AAP Resource Teacher, Ms. Eva Bousbouras, has accepted a position at the high school level.  Ms. Kimberly Buchholz, Special Education Teacher, has moved to the Midwest to be closer to her family.  Ms. Deborah Glickman, Speech and Language Pathologist, has retired.  Ms. Alicia Roman and Ms. Stacy Gough, Instructional Assistants, have accepted positions to be Art Teachers.  Mrs. Arielle Yousha, Kindergarten Instructional Assistant, has moved to the Northeast to be closer to her family.  Ms. Joyce Hough, Instructional Assistant, to focus more on her family, will not be returning.
  • Mantua’s SOAR (Summer Olympics Aspiring and Reaching) School was a great success! We were able to welcome close to 60 students for three weeks of instruction centered around essential numeracy and literacy concepts. A special thank you to Aaron Wilson, 1st Grade Teacher, for being Site Director of this program, and for all the amazing work put in by our teachers and staff.

 

Health & Safety

The safety of our students and staff is our greatest concern.  We closely follow the FCPS guidelines and increase our mitigation efforts to the greatest extent possible.

  • Masks – Masks are required for all students and staff while within an FCPS building. Temporary exceptions include while actively eating or drinking. Any student that is not wearing a face mask upon arrival to school will be given a mask.
  • Meals – Our cafeteria will be arranged with desks facing the same direction and with additional spacing as compared to a typical year. School breakfast and lunch will be free for all students this year. Additional meals will cost $4.50. All information for school meals can be found on the FCPS website using this link.
  • Students will need to bring a healthy, dry snack each day.
  • Student Groups – We plan to cohort as much as possible, however, to be able to engage in the learning day, students will not always be able to cohort, particularly in grades 4-6.
  • Hand Washing / Sanitation – Hand sanitizer is placed throughout the building and will be available in every classroom. Handwashing protocol will be reviewed with students and encouraged throughout the day.

 

Open House(s):

August 19th for Grades 2-6, August 20th for Kindergarten and 1st Grade

  • This event is the first opportunity for families to meet their teacher, drop off supplies, and see a bit of the school. In an effort maximize social distancing, we are asking that only one parent attend and to avoid sibling attendance.  The time in the classroom is expected to be brief.  Be sure to access our additional resources available on site (i.e. creating accounts, visiting with the parent liaison).
  • Please refer to the Mantua School Website https://mantuaes.fcps.edu/ for The Open House and Back to School schedule. Be sure to note the specific details for your Open House including the date and time slot(s), entry doors, and order of programming.
  • Classrooms and Teachers will only be available during the grade level specific times
  • Medications with appropriate forms can be submitted to the Health Room during Open House
  • Teachers will be reaching out via email introduction on August 18, by 4:00PM!

 

First Day for Students, August 23, 2021 (MONDAY)

  • Mantua Bell Hours: 9:20 – 4:05PM, Monday – Friday (students are marked tardy after 9:20AM)
  • Students arriving late must first come to the main office upon arriving to check-in before going to their classrooms.

Arrival/Dismissal

  • Doors open at 9:00AM. Students are expected to be in their classroom ready to learn by 9:20AM.  There is no adult supervision of students outside prior to 9:00AM, please do not drop off your child early.
  • Coordinated activities that require entrance prior to 9:00AM needs to be through the front doors (Door 1) and pre-arranged with a staff member.
  • Notices for changes in transportation must be received by the front office by 1:00PM.
  • Written permission is needed from a parent of both families for a student to leave from school with a friend at dismissal. We ask that all requests be submitted to attendance@fcps.edu.
  • Due to the high volume of traffic on Kirkwood Dr. at the end of the day, we ask that cars/vans not line up for Kiss & Ride prior to 4:00PM. Cars parked blocking the entrance to Horner Ct. for Kiss & Ride prior to 4:00PM will be asked to leave.

Transportation

  • Bus Riders: Specific bus information is available ONLY on the FCPS website using ParentVue. If you are having difficulty signing  up for a Parent Vue account, please call Mantua  directly at 703-945-6300 and ask to speak to our Registrar, Mergie Kakouris. 
  • Record your child’s name and how they get home on the enclosed tag. (ex. Bus 4, SACC, Kiss & Ride, Walker, JCC, etc.) The tag should be worn on the first day of school.
  • Students should report to their stops early the first week of school as time is needed for schedules to fall into place.
  • FCPS August /September Bus Policy: From the first day of school through the month of September, no student will be permitted to ride home on a bus other than their own (i.e. No Bus Passes).
  • FCPS Bus Policy Regarding Kindergartner Bus Drop Off: Kindergarten students riding school buses are to be met at their bus stop by a parent, guardian, or student in 7th grade or higher who will identify the kindergartener by name. The kindergarten students will be returned to school if a designated person is not present at the stop.

School/Home Communication

  • The Red and White Raccoon Folder will be distributed at Open House, or on your child’s 1st day, and contains school policies and procedures, as well as forms needing to be filled out and returned.
  • Class assignments will be sent on Wednesday August 18th by 4PM.
  • The Tuesday Take-Home folder goes home weekly and includes student work, teacher communication, and school events. This folder is signed by a parent and returned to school the next day.

Medication

  • Students cannot bring medication to school in their backpack.
  • Medication must be brought into the Health Room by a parent, and forms need to be completed.
  • Medication with the appropriate forms can be submitted to the Health Room during Open House.

Technology

  • All students will be assigned a laptop and participate in a digital citizenship lesson within the first week of school.
  • Grades K-2 – laptops will remain in school and Grades 3-6 will go back and forth between home and school. These will need to be charged overnight at home.

Save the Date

Our Back To School Night (BTSN) will be held virtually on September 29th, from 6:30 – 8:30.  Teachers will have an opportunity to share information about themselves and their grade level content and connect with families.