Important Upcoming Dates
August 22: First Bears Bedtime Stories-7:00 p.m.
August 23: First Day of School (Bell Schedule-8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m.)
September 1: PTA Meeting-6:00 p.m.
September 3: No School
September 6: No School
September 7: Rosh Hashanah
September 16: Yom Kippur
September 17: Woodson Feeder Night-Football Game
September 21: Fall Pictures
September 22: Back to School Night-6:30 p.m.
September 25: PTA Laps for Learning
 Our staff had so much fun visiting families at our first Welcome Walk event!
New This Week
1. Message from Mrs. Miller
2. Meet our New Olde Creek Staff
3. Bears Bedtime Stories - Sunday, August 22
4. Transportation Updates
5. Beginning of the Year Forms
6. Health and Safety Updates
7. Breakfast and Lunch
8. Bell Schedule, Arrival, and Dismissal
9. Cultural Observances and Religious Holidays
10. Bears Care Outreach
Reminders & Updates
11. Contacts
12. Be Informed, Stay Involved!
1. Message from Mrs. Miller
Dear Olde Creek Families and Friends,
We have had an exciting week at Olde Creek! Last Friday, our kindergarten and first grade students participated in their Safaris and playdates to become more familiar with Olde Creek and their peers. We welcomed our incredible staff back on Monday and they have been busy preparing for our Bears all week!
On Wednesday, our new students and families had the opportunity to join us for an orientation, tour, and popsicles on the playground. Welcome home to all of our new Bears!
Thursday, we had our first ever Welcome Walk! We loved bringing a little bit of school to our students’ homes! It was an outstanding opportunity to reconnect with our students and families. We would appreciate your feedback on this event - please consider sharing it through this Welcome Back Feedback Survey. Also our OC Picnic and Bear Scavenger Hunt had a great turn out Thursday evening! It was wonderful to see so many families and students back in the building! We are grateful for our PTA for providing the popsicles for this event. Thank you, everyone, for following safety protocols and for enjoying these events!
All of our families are invited to join us for our first Bears Bedtime Stories for this year on Sunday evening. The link to join will be sent out on Sunday morning. We are looking forward to welcoming all of our Bears back to five days of in-person learning on Monday! Welcome to the 2021-22 school year!
Stronger Together,
Melissa Miller, Principal
Alison Butler, Assistant Principal
Kelly Durso, Assistant Principal
2. Meet our New Olde Creek Staff Members!
Didi Muniz - Kindergarten Instructional Assistant
Hi! I’m Didi Muniz, a long time Old Creek resident, and have been will be a Kindergarten Assistant this year. My three children all attended OCES from K-6, and now I am thrilled to be a part of the OCES community on a professional level. Before children, I was a special education teacher in Las Vegas. I am very excited to work with the Kindergartners.
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Jason Frank - Special Education Instructional Assistant
Hello OC! I'm Jason Frank, I am married with 2 daughters and 2 dogs, Rebel and Sparkle. My wife Shelly is in the Air Force, my oldest Maddie is in college majoring in Art education, and Lucy is a rising freshman at WT Woodson high school. I enjoy all sports and playing board games with the family.
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Sara McClam - Special Education Teacher
Hello All! My name is Sara. I was born and raised in South Carolina. I have lived in Virginia for 13 years and been married for 11 years to my amazing husband, Spencer. I am a life long learner. In my spare time I enjoy reading, traveling, and spending time with my family and friends.
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Kristin Judy - School Based Technology Specialist
Hi Olde Creek! My name is Kristin Judy. I have been so lucky to be a classroom teacher at our amazing school the last 14 years and am now excited to become our School Based Technology Specialist! I am a proud FCPS and University of Mary Washington grad. In my free time I love spending time with my family, cheering on Washington DC sports teams, reading, and traveling. I am looking forward to a great school year!
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3. Bears Bedtime Stories - Sunday, August 22
On the evening before our first day of school, on August 22 at 7:00pm, all of our Bears are invited to attend our first Bears Bedtime Stories event of this school year. Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Butler, and Mrs. Durso will be reading First Day Jitters as we get ready for an exciting first day of school. We hope that many of our Bears will be able to join us! A link to the virtual session will be sent out that morning.
5. Beginning of Year Forms
It is important that we have updated information from all families to start the school year.
In ParentVUE, you can access the weCare module to update emergency care information and health information. Each school year parents need to verify the information in weCare for each student. We are required to have this completed at the start of each school year to meet regulations. For information on accessing weCare in ParentVUE, click here.
There are other forms linked below that parents may print and drop off in the main office or send in with your child. These forms will also be sent home on the first day of school.
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6. Health and Safety Updates
As we prepare to begin the 2021-22 school year, FCPS is aware of your questions and concerns about the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. The health and safety of our students, staff, and community are the school system’s highest priority and every day we are working closely with health officials to review our layered prevention strategies and ensure our schools and buildings are safe places to learn and work. We are also using universal masking as a key mitigation strategy as we gear up to start the school year five days in-person. We look forward to welcoming you back on August 23.
We encourage all families to review the FCPS Health & Safety Document which includes information regarding:
- Universal Mask Wearing
- Cleaning & Disinfecting
- Hand Hygiene & Respiratory Etiquette
- Ventilation
Screen for Illness Every Day, Stay Home When Sick
As a reminder, any student who is ill or has COVID-like symptoms should remain at home. The daily health screening questionnaire and all translated versions can be found on our Health and Safety Guidance webpage. Daily completion of the health screening is done on an honor basis and does not need to be sent to the school.
FCPS Mask Guidelines
Approved Masks vs Not Recommended Masks
Full details regarding face masks are available in the Health and Safety Guidance Document.
Approved Types of Masks
- Disposable masks
- Cloth mask coverings
- Gaiters
- Clear masks
- Cloth masks with clear plastic panel
All face coverings/masks must meet the following requirements:
- Face coverings/masks that fit properly (snugly around the nose and chin with no large gaps around the sides of the face)
- Face covering/mask with two (2) or more layers of non-woven material
Face Coverings/Masks that are Not Recommended
- Face coverings/masks that do not fit properly (large gaps, too loose or too tight)
- Face coverings/masks or gaiters with one layer
- Face coverings/masks with exhalation valves or vents
7. Breakfast and Lunch
This year, all FCPS students will be offered a no cost breakfast and lunch for the entire school year! To view the daily offerings, menus will be available online beginning August 18 at https://fcps.nutrislice.com/menu/. Additional meals cost $4.50.
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8. Bell Schedule, Arrival and Dismissal
Olde Creek Bell Schedule: 8:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Arrival
Students may begin arriving at 8:15 a.m. If you arrive after 8:30 a.m., please park your car and walk your student(s) to the front office through door #1.
Walkers: Staff will greet walkers at the crosswalk corner and escort them across. Students are directed to the cafeteria or main entrance. This will begin on the first day due to health & safety precautions.
Bus Riders: Students are dismissed from their buses at 8:25am.
Kiss and Ride: A staff member will signal for students to exit cars.
Dismissal
Walkers: Will be dismissed from their classrooms. If you are meeting your student(s), please meet them at the Parent Waiting Area (labeled below).
Kiss and Ride: Each family will receive a number that should be displayed on your dashboard or passenger window. Students will wait in the cafeteria until their number is called.
Bus Riders: Will be dismissed from their classrooms. If you are meeting your student(s), please plan on being at the bus stop at least 5 minutes early. Kindergarten students must be met at the bus stop.
9. Cultural Observances and Religious Holidays
The Fairfax County School Board voted to approve a calendar for the 2021-22 School Year that is designed to recognize, respect, and honor the plurality of religious and cultural observances in Fairfax County. The calendar ensures students will not have to make choices between honoring their cultural or religious beliefs and missing a test or school activity.
On the 15 observance days listed below, Olde Creek will not schedule tests or quizzes. Tests and quizzes will be given before any of these days, so students are not expected to study on the observance day. In addition, Olde Creek will not schedule events including field trips, assemblies, etc. on any of the 15 observance days. The calendar recognizes 15 diverse religious and cultural observances including:
The 2021-22 calendar also separates spring break from any religious or cultural observances.
10. Bears Care Outreach
The Bears Care food pantry provides weekend food provisions to our families in need during this extraordinary time. Please use this sign up for much needed items that can either be dropped off at the school or sent through this Amazon Wish List. Go through Amazon Smile to donate a percentage to Olde Creek!(Email Lisa at lisamarm@gmail.com for other drop off/mailing information.)
New! You can donate through the OC PTA PayPal account. The funds will be used to purchase items and gift cards based on the greatest needs of our families. Access the OC PTA PayPal account here: https://paypal.me/OldeCreekPTA.
Bears Care is also looking for someone to help run the pantry and a Frost/Woodson student to help pack bags on Thursdays after school. (Please contact Lisa at lisamarm@gmail.com.)
Thank you, as always, for your kindness and generosity!
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11. Contacts
Olde Creek Attendance Phone Line: 703-426-3192
Olde Creek Attendance mailbox: OldeCreekElem.Attendance@fcps.edu
Technology Support for Families/Parent Help Desk: 1-833-921-3277
Parent Information Phone Lines/Support for parents who do not speak English as their first language: Parent Information Phone Lines
Parent and Student technology support: IT Support Portal
Melissa Miller, Principal, mhmiller@fcps.edu
Alison Butler, Assistant Principal, ajbutler@fcps.edu
Kelly Durso, Assistant Principal, kldurso@fcps.edu
Sylvia Alverson, Administrative Assistant, sjalverson@fcps.edu
Ann Platenkamp, Administrative Assistant, amplatenkamp@fcps.edu
Lizardo Santos, Student Information Assistant, LISantos@fcps.edu
Sandy McCulloch, Office Assistant, slmcculloch@fcps.edu
12. Be Informed, Stay Involved!
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