From the Administration
Dear Belvedere Family:
Fall weather is creeping into our mornings and evenings, but days continue to bring wonderful outdoor weather. In our school gardens, Monarch caterpillars are eating away at milkweed plants and forming cocoons, green with a thread of gold, under window ledges and on walls. All students, but especially our second graders who study Monarch butterflies, are fascinated by this cycle of life happening before our eyes.
Thank you for continuing to help us by adhering to our health safety guidelines, particularly proper mask wearing. It would be very helpful if you can also reinforce with your child the importance of maintaining some distance from other students. We strive for students to be three feet apart as much as possible.
A big win for this week was our first fieldtrip! Half of 5th grade traveled via coach buses to Patuxent River Park in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, to learn about the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The students also had a chance to travel on a boat! The second half of fifth grade will go on the same trip in October. As you receive notification about field trips and requests for chaperones, please keep in mind that all field trip chaperones must be vaccinated. So, if you are helping us during a field trip, please have your vaccination card with you on the date of the trip or a picture of the card on your cell phone to show at school and potentially at the fieldtrip venue.
Best Regards,
Cecilia Vanderhye, Principal and Kelly Cabezas, Assistant Principal
Fall Picture Day on September 27
Our Fall Picture Day will be on Monday, September 27! Order sheets were sent home in today's Wednesday folders.
To order your child's photos online, go to strawbridge.net, click "Order Pictures and Yearbooks," and enter code FM371866.
To subscribe to Strawbridge Studios online ordering, click here. As a subscriber, you will receive emails letting you know when your pictures are ready to order, as well as promotional deals and discounts on your child's pictures.
Seeking Parent Helpers for Picture Day
We are seeking 1-2 volunteers to help on picture day. Volunteers will help with order forms, labels, and making sure that the students maintain social distancing. You do not need to stay for the entire day--just an hour or two would be great. Parent helpers will receive a picture voucher for $15.
If you are interested, please contact the main office. Thanks for considering!
Extra Items at Lunch
Lunch this year is at no cost for all FCPS students; what this means is that a student may choose a 4-component meal at no cost. Students may purchase an additional meal after receiving their 4-component meal; students may also purchase an additional serving of vegetable, fruit, milk or bottled water. The cost of these additional items is:
- 1 serving of fruit or vegetable: $1.00
- Milk: $.60
- 8 oz bottle of water: $1.00
- 2nd meal: $4.50
Students will need either cash or funds in their MySchoolBucks account to purchase additional items.
In the event that your student does not know their cafeteria PIN, the cafeteria has classroom lists with PIN numbers.
Advanced Academic Programs Overview Night
Please join Mrs. Lynch, our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, to learn about the different Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) in Fairfax County Public Schools. FCPS offers different levels of AAP service for students K-12 that build upon students' individual strengths and skills and maximizes academic potential for all learners.
The session will be held virtually on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 6:30 and Spanish interpretation will be provided. Please plan to attend so that you can learn about the AAP levels of service, including Young Scholars, that FCPS has to offer. A session link will be available closer to the date. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Lynch.
For an overview of the continuum of AAP services, click here. (Arabic version available here; Spanish version available here.) Please note that parents or guardians may request a one-time retake of the CogAT and Naglieri ability tests during the fall testing windows. Please contact the school testing coordinator, Assistant Principal Kelly Cabezas, no later than October 15, 2021 for the NNAT.
Stretch your Food Dollars with SNAP
Get more fruits and vegetables when you spend your SNAP dollars at Annandale Farmers Market! For more information, click here.
Schoology Information Session
Thank you all to who attended the Schoology Information Session on Monday. It was a great turnout and participation! Please check your child’s teacher’s newsletter in Schoology for the follow up links, video recording, etc.
We will conduct another information session in the coming weeks!
Backpack Friday Permission Slips
If your child received a letter regarding the backpack Friday program, we ask that you please turn in the form by September 30, 2021. After the deadline, we will contact parent/guardians individually. If you have any questions or comments, please email School Counselor: Paige Simpson at psimpson@fcps.edu or call 703-916-6829. Thank you!
Parent Center Resources
Our Family Liaison, Ashley Hidalgo, has created this padlet where you can view information from FCPS and outside organizations to help support our families, including information on personal finances, tutoring services for students in grades K-7, FCPS webinars, and more!
Ms. Hidalgo will continue to add resources to this padlet as she receives them. We will highlight noteworthy items in this space as well.
Also, if you are in need of school supplies for your child, please contact Ms. Hidalgo by email or phone (703-916-6824).
Lebanese Taverna PTA Fundraiser (Friday, September 24)
Order your dinner this September 24 from Lebanese Taverna restaurant. Enjoy a delicious dinner and support the Belvedere PTA. Order your dinner ahead of time and pick it up ready-to-eat in the afternoon!
Drive to the truck, give your name and we'll put it in your trunk. No contact is necessary. During the collection, please maintain social distancing. Your safety is our primary concern.
To order click here. You must place your orders before 9 pm on Thursday, September 23.
PTA Class Directory
The PTA is putting together a class/grade level directory so that parents can connect with each other and students can stay in touch outside of school.
Please fill out this form by October 8, with the information you feel comfortable sharing!
Support the Belvedere PTA
Our PTA supports Belvedere in myriad ways: organizing school events, enrichment and outreach activities; providing funding for field trips, library books, and technology in the classroom; and building a school community outside the classroom.
In addition to the Lebanese Taverna fundraiser described above, there are several other ways to support the PTA:
FCPS Multilingual Family Podcasts
Listen and subscribe to a FCPS Multilingual Family Podcast to hear timely, important information related to school news. The podcasts are produced in conjunction with the Office for ESOL Services and the Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement. The goal of every podcast is to help families access key resources and understand how to best support their children’s education.
Listen and Subscribe here:
Upcoming Dates
- Friday, 9/24: Lebanese Taverna PTA Fundraiser (ordering deadline is 9/23 at 9:00 p.m.)
- Monday, 9/27: Fall Picture Day
- Thursday, 9/30: AAP Overview Night (6:30 p.m.)
- Monday, 10/11: Student Holiday (Staff Professional Development Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day)
Keep in Touch
Daily Health Screening Questionnaire
Health and Safety Guidance Webpage
Visit the Belvedere website
Report student absences
Follow Belvedere on Twitter
Follow our PTA on Facebook
Change your email preferences
FCPS Calendar: 2021-2022
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