From the Administration
Dear Belvedere Family:
We hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving break. We are excited to have everyone back in school. Students have jumped right back into the school learning routine!
At Belvedere, learning through inquiry is an essential part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program. Students not only engage in collective inquiry, but they also pursue personal inquiries. Asking questions and following up on those questions is a lifelong skill, something students do daily in school but something they can also do outside of school. Inquiry can be about content taught in school, but it can also be about the world around us, such as nature, sports, hobbies, and other areas of interest to the students. To support inquiry at home, IB has developed a guide you can find here.
Best regards,
Cecilia Vanderhye, Principal and Kelly Cabezas, Assistant Principal
Book Fair!
The library will be hosting the Bookworm Book Fair again this year, from December 6 to 10. Classes will browse during their regular library lesson and checkout time.
Please note that, due to COVID-19, we cannot invite parents into the school to shop. Parents wishing to buy books can send money on their student's purchase day, or shop online using the Online Book Fair link here. The shopping link will be open for the rest of the school year!
Outdoor Club on Saturday, December 11
The next Outdoor Club outing will be to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts on Saturday, December 11. We will tackle the Wolf Trap TRACK Trail (approximately 1.5 miles), which is geared toward children and families. Bus transportation will be provided from Belvedere and from Barcroft View apartments.
Information/interest forms will be sent home in Wednesday folders today (you can also see that information here). Signed forms are due Thursday, December 9.
Please contact our Environmental Educator, Andrea Auerbach (asauerbach1@fcps.edu) with any questions.
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics
Fairfax Health District and Fairfax County Public Schools are hosting 19 COVID-19 vaccine clinics at 9 schools for students ages 5-11 years. Schools include Hutchinson, Annandale Terrace, Woodlawn, Centreville, Providence, and Franklin Sherman. Attendees are not required to be a student at that school. Vaccines will not be available for those 12 years and older. No appointment is necessary, vaccinations are free, and children must be accompanied by a parent or another responsible adult.
More details are available here.
Free or Low-Cost Internet through Cox's Connect2Compete Program
FCPS is working to ensure that all FCPS students have Internet access at home. Through the FCPS Cox Connect-to-Compete program, FCPS will pay for Internet service for qualifying families through June 2022. Cox’s Connect2Compete program provides low-cost internet to families that meet these qualifications:
- have at least one child that attends an FCPS school;
- participate in, or qualify for, one of these government subsidy programs: The National School Lunch Program, SNAP, TANF or Public Housing; and
- have not had Cox standard Internet services in the home within the last 90 days.
If your family is in need of Internet service at home so that your student can participate in virtual learning, please contact the Belvedere office to begin the application process.
Reminder: Window for AAP Level IV (full-time) Referrals to Close December 15, 2021
Parents/guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time advanced academic programs (level IV AAP services) may submit the AAP Level IV Referral Form to our AART, Preshion Lynch, no later than December 15.
The window to submit an AAP Level IV Referral Form is the first day of school through December 15, annually. Forms for full-time and part-time referrals are available on the AAP Forms Page. No late referrals for Level IV services can be accepted.
Submitting a referral form for AAP Level IV will initiate a process that begins at the local school and is then completed at the central office level. Our school will put together a portfolio that includes multiple data which are considered holistically. At the central office level, a committee of professionals from various schools review materials to determine eligibility for level IV placement. Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. Parents may request a copy of the portfolio that was submitted after they are submitted to the central selection committee by emailing Ms. Lynch at pmlynch@fcps.edu. Referrals for AAP Levels II-III (part-time services) are screened at the local school.
For more information, there are parent presentations available on the FCPS AAP website (under “Presentations”) that contain information similar to our fall parent information meetings at Belvedere.
Free and Reduced-Price Meals Application
Although this school year breakfast and lunch meals are free to all students, we encourage families who believe their children might qualify for free and reduced-priced meals to apply for this program. Qualifying for free and reduced-priced meals has many added benefits, beyond the free meals. For elementary students, these include:
- Reduced or waived musical instrument rental fee
- Information about holiday assistance
- Information about non-FCPS scholarships, classes and other non-FCPS educational related services
- Pupil placement fees
There are also many other benefits and fee waivers that apply to students in middle school and high school (see this earlier letter from Dr. Brabrand).
Belvedere is a Title I school. A school’s Title I status is calculated based on the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals. As a Title I school, Belvedere benefits from grant funds that support many school programs.
To apply for free and reduced-price meals, please go to this website.
We are here to support you. If you need help completing this application, please call the school. We can help you over the phone or schedule a time for you to come to school and complete the application.
Thank you for considering this important matter.
Family 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).
Items for the Family Center
If you would like to donate items to out Family Center, Ms. Hidalgo has compiled this Amazon Wish list with some of our most-desired items.
Bus Information
Parents can access bus delay information at the FCPS Bus Delay website (we encourage you to bookmark this site!), or via the Here Comes the Bus app.
PTA Meeting on Tuesday, December 14
The next Belvedere PTA meeting will be on Tuesday December 14 at 6:30pm (English) and 7:30 pm (Spanish). The meeting will be live-streamed on Facebook Live. Click here to join [Meeting ID: 872 5659 8890; Password: 952095].
We want to hear from you! If you have a question or topic you’d like us to address at the meeting, please submit it here.
We hope to see you there!
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.
There are several ways to support the PTA:
Upcoming Dates
- Tuesday, December 14: PTA Virtual Meeting (6:30 English/7:30 Spanish)
- Monday, December 20 through Friday, December 31: Winter Break (Classes resume on Monday, January 3, 2022)
Keep in Touch
Daily Health Screening Questionnaire
Health and Safety Guidance Webpage
Visit the Belvedere website
Report student absences
Bus Delay Website
Follow Belvedere on Twitter
Follow our PTA on Facebook
Change your email preferences
FCPS Calendar: 2021-2022
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