Churchill Chatter - Issue 3, September 17, 2021
Dear Churchill Road Parents and Guardians,
We hope you have an enjoyable weekend.
Last week FCPS and Churchill Road recognized the 20th anniversary of September 11 by holding a moment of silence. Additionally, we presented lessons on September 11 in our grade 3-6 classes.
COVID mitigation continues to be a priority at Churchill Road. We are doing our part by implementing layered prevention strategies and will work with FCHD to address issues if they arise. We encourage our students and families to help by wearing masks, practicing healthy hygiene, and staying home when sick.
In addition, FCPS and the Health Department recently shared their plans to streamline asymptomatic, vaccinated students’ return to school when identified as a possible close contact, which should speed up the process for some students to return, as needed.
Our arrival and dismissal routines have become much more streamlined since the first few weeks of school. To ensure that our students are safe when coming to and leaving school each day, we ask that you please follow traffic safety rules, especially by not making U-turns on Churchill Road during arrival and dismissal times. We also ask that if you are picking up your students as walkers, you do not park so as to block our neighbors' driveways on surrounding streets.
As always, we want to work with you to ensure our community and school partnership is strong throughout the school year and beyond. Please let us know if we can support you in any way. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Ms. Cherith Pierson, Principal
Ms. Jennifer Niccolls, Assistant Principal
In This Week's Issue
- Lockdown Drill
- Student Illness Procedures
- Back to School Anxiety Panel DIscussion September 21
- Advanced Academic Parent Information Session September 22
- Reminder about Dogs on School Property
- PTA News - Movie Night 10/1, School Supplies for Dogwood, Reflections Arts Contest, Parent Ambassadors, and Parent Meet-ups
- Important Dates
Lockdown Drill
Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for all of us. We have a crisis management and emergency preparedness plan for our school that is reviewed and updated regularly. Our plan includes procedures on how to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Students and staff regularly practice these drills every school year. We also practice lockdown drills.
A new Virginia Law (22.1-137.2) requires schools to notify parents at least 24 hours before a school practices a lockdown drill. We are required to practice lockdown drills two times a year. FCPS lockdown drills do not include any type of active shooter scenario training, they are instruction and classroom based.
Our first lockdown drill is this coming Monday, September 20 at 2:30 p.m. A lockdown requires that all students and staff remain in classrooms or other designated secure locations that are away from danger and that minimize access and visibility. During the drills, signs will be posted on the entrance doors indicating the school is in lockdown. No one will be allowed into the school at this time. Similar procedures would be followed in a real situation. Please take this into consideration if your child has an appointment scheduled for Monday afternoon, September 20.
Please note that our kindergarten students are exempt from mandatory participation in lockdown drills during the first 60 days of the school year. They will participate in our second and final drill later this school year.
Additional information on our lockdown drill program to include parent tips and FAQs can be found on the Emergency Planning and Crisis Response web page. After reviewing this content, you should discuss the value of these safety drills with your child.
Keeping our school safe and secure for all students and staff involves the participation of the entire school community, and we thank you for your help to keep our school safe.
Student Illness Procedures
Student Screening for Illness Prior to Leaving Home
Any student who is ill or presents with COVID-like symptoms is to remain at home. Daily completion of the health screening is done on an honor basis and does not need to be sent to the school.
COVID-19 may cause different symptoms in different students. Listed below are possible symptoms for COVID-like illness as according to the VDH:
- Feeling feverish and/or having chills (if thermometer reads a temperature/fever of 100.4F or greater)
- A new cough, not due to another health condition
- Fatigue (more tired than usual)
- Nasal congestion or runny nose
- Headache
- A new sore throat, not due to another health condition
- New chills, not due to another health condition
- New muscle pain, not due to another health condition or caused by a specific activity such as physical exercise
- New loss of taste, smell, or poor appetite or poor feeding
- Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting
NOTE If your child has seasonal allergies or a health condition, please let our School Public Health Nurse, Jeanne Frost, know. She can be reached at 571-722-5784.
Returning to School After Illness
Students who are sent home from school will be required to present one of the following forms of documentation when returning to school:
- A negative COVID test
- A completed Return to School Form provided by the school
- A clearance letter provided by the Fairfax County Health Department stating that a student has completed quarantine or isolation following exposure to COVID-19 or having had COVID-19
Thank you for partnering with FCPS to Stop the Spread of COVID-19 in our schools. For more information, visit https://www.fcps.edu/blog/stop-spread.
Back to School Anxiety - Panel Discussion September 21
The return to school is often accompanied by a myriad of emotions…excitement, nervousness, anxiety, you name it! And certainly, this year is no exception.
Recognizing that we all may be a little more anxious than usual, the Safe Community Coalition (SCC) is proud to offer an online panel discussion with local mental health professionals Jennifer Weaver, Mimi Weisberg, and Robyne Davis on Tuesday, September 21 at 7 p.m. The panel will discuss Back to School Anxiety and offer concrete ways you can help get the school year off to a great start. The link to the FREE webinar can be found on the SCC website http://mcleanscc.org/
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Advanced Academic Parent Information Session on September 22
An Advanced Academic Program parent information session will be held online on Wednesday, September 22, 2021 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. An overview of the levels of AAP services and the identification & screening for Level IV services will be shared. Please visit AAP Parent Information Meeting Link to register for the Zoom session.
For recent updates regarding testing and due dates, please visit: AAP Level IV Screening for 2021-22 school year. Please note for families new to FCPS boundaries as of January 1, 2021, the deadline to submit a Level IV parent referral is October 7, 2021. For current FCPS families, the Spring 2022 referral deadline is December 15, 2021.
For more information or any questions, please contact Esther Lee, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, eclee1@fcps.edu.
Reminder about Dogs on School Property
We love dogs, too! Please follow the county guidance and signs around Churchill Road and leave your dog at home when you walk to drop off or pick up your student. Some students are afraid, some are allergic, and the number of students at peak arrival and dismissal times can scare your pup. Let's not take any chances. We want to keep our students and four legged friends safe.
Important Dates
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Wednesday, September 22 - AAP Parent Information Night, 4-5 PM
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Friday, October 1 - Family Movie Night
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Monday, October 11 - Teacher Workday, No School for Students
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Wednesday, October 13, Virtual PTA Meeting, 7 PM
Please visit the FCPS School Year Calendar for more information
2021-22 School Year:
https://www.fcps.edu/calendars/2021-22-standard-school-year-calendar
Please visit the FCPS Return to School page for the most up-to-date information on student groups and the return to in-person learning: https://www.fcps.edu/returntoschool
Save the Date - Movie Night
Join us under the stars in the CRS “backyard” on October 1 for a showing of Peter Rabbit 2. Look for details on ticket sales next week at churchillroadpta.org.
School Supplies for Dogwood
Our sister school, Dogwood Elementary, is in dire need of school supplies. Many of the students in this Title 1 school lack the supplies they need for this school year. We're collecting donations at CRS through Tuesday, September 21. Find all the details on our website at churchillroadpta.org/community-service
Reflections Arts Contest
Our Reflections arts contest is open for entries! Reflections is a National PTA program where students create and submit artwork inspired by a theme. Our annual arts contest, Reflections, is open for entries! Reflections is the National PTA program where students create artwork inspired by a specific theme. All CRS students whose families are members of our PTA are invited to showcase their creative talents for fun and recognition. Learn more at churchillroadpta.org/reflections.
Become a Parent Ambassador
Interested in volunteering as a Parent Ambassador? Please attend our first meeting of the year; join us virtually at noon on Tuesday, September 28. Email Christie Buschmann at vpmembership@churchillroadpta.org to RSVP and receive the meeting link.
Join our Parent Meet-ups
Connect with your fellow parents! Our virtual parent meet-ups are next Wednesday, September 22. Join us at (1) 9-10 a.m. and/or (2) 7-8 p.m. All parents are welcome to join either session. During each session, parents will be sorted into "break out" rooms by grade level so that parents can connect with other parents in their child's grade. Register
If you are interested in helping to lead a grade level break-out session, please email Christie at vpmembership@churchillroadpta.org.
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