Churchill Chatter - Issue 12, February 4, 2022
Dear Churchill Road families,
We would like to thank every community member for their commitment to maintaining student safety and partnership here at Churchill Road.
As we begin February, we wish good fortune to those who celebrated Lunar New Year earlier this week. May this new year be filled with happiness and prosperity. Happy Chinese New Year 2022! 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè)
February is Black History Month and is an ideal time to learn about and recognize the contributions and history of Black Americans. At home, you might consider exploring some resources like National Geographic Kids with your child to learn together as a family.
Many of our grade levels are having Valentine's Day celebrations. Students will be able to bring in paper Valentine’s on February 14th to share with their classmates. We are kindly encouraging families to not send in candy; however, knowing families might have a difficult time finding Valentine cards without candy, we will allow Valentine’s with candy attached to be given out. Candy must be factory-wrapped. Candy will be put in a bag to be taken home and not eaten at school.
Even though Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog, saw his shadow earlier this week, this only makes us more grateful for the beautiful spring weather we will enjoy six weeks from now.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Cherith Pierson and Jennifer Niccolls
In This Week's Issue
 The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is declaring February 8 "We Love FCPS Day." Join us in the celebration. Look for an email this coming Monday on how you can show your love for our school and staff.
School Year 2022-23 Calendar
The 2022-23 school year calendar was approved at the January 27 School Board Meeting. This calendar was developed with significant input from the FCPS community. Thank you to everyone who participated in the process through surveys, webinars, and participation in the feedback committee. This effort reflects the best effort of everyone the school calendar touches.
Highlights include:
- Alignment with surrounding jurisdictions.
- 14 professional work days for teacher planning and professional development time.
- Additional days off. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Orthodox Good Friday, and Diwali will now be designated as student holidays. (Eid and Lunar New Year fall on a non-school day in 2022).
- Inclusion of Veterans Day as a student holiday and staff work day.
A change in FCPS’ approach to “O” days. Regulation 2234 will be revised to allow new instruction to take place on days denoted as religious and cultural observances. Tests, quizzes, tryouts that cannot be rescheduled, and sporting events and other school-sponsored special events and activities will still be prohibited.
To find out more about next year’s school calendar, visit the FCPS website.
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Survey of Kindergarten Students for 2022-23
We need your help in projecting the Kindergarten enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year. Virginia Law, section 22.1-254, requires that children who will reach their fifth birthday on or before September 30, 2022, must be enrolled in Kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year unless the parent or guardian notifies the school in writing that they do not wish the child to attend school until the following year.
If you have a child who will be five years old on or before September 30, 2022, please complete this form on the Churchill Road website no later than March 1, 2022. If any of your neighbors have children who will be eligible for Kindergarten, please share this information with them, as we are especially interested in reaching those Churchill families who do not have children currently attending school.
The information on this survey will help the school plan for adequate facilities and personnel for the 2022-2023 school year. We thank you in advance for returning the form no later than March 1, 2022.
Kindergarten Registrations for 2022-23 Now Underway
We are also taking registrations for the next school year. If you have a child at home who will be five by September 30, please start your registration now. You may begin the process by completing an intent form on the CRS website: If you have any neighbors with little ones, please send this information to them as well. You can either stop by the office to pick up a registration packet or you can download it from: https://www.fcps.edu/registration/forms. Please note that forms downloaded from the website must be printed single sided.
Please contact CRS Registrar Angie Kim (ackim@fcps.edu) with any questions.
Save the Date! Kindergarten Orientation is March 3
Save the date! Our Kindergarten Orientation is scheduled for Thursday, March 3 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. It will take place in our gym. The program will finish at 3:00 p.m. (At this time, we are anticipating that we will be able to have this event in-person. We will communicate further if there are any changes related.)
Please register by going to this link.
More information on our kindergarten orientation is available here.
At the beginning of the meeting, rising kindergarteners will be taken to a kindergarten classroom to do some activities with the kindergarten teachers. Parents will be staying in the cafeteria to continue the meeting with the principal and other Churchill Road staff.
FCPS Contact Tracing Update
While the Virginia Department of Health shifted the expectation for contact tracing in schools to only on outbreaks, the CDC continues to indicate that contact tracing, in combination with testing, wearing a well-fitting mask, and quarantine and isolation, are effective strategies to identify people with COVID-19 (cases) and to reduce transmission.
FCPS has and continues to implement CDC recommendations, to the greatest extent practicable, to prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools and to foster the continuation of in-person learning for students and staff. As a result, FCPS will continue contact tracing until further notice.
The following changes are effective 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 4:
- FCPS Pause (Close Contact) Letter includes quarantine guidance and replaces the FCHD quarantine email to families.
- FCPS Student Quarantine Exemption and Attestation Form replaces the FCHD Vaccine Verification Survey (and will be embedded in the FCPS Pause Letter and available on the FCPS webpage; physical copies will be available if needed).
Monitoring COVID-19 cases is critical to maintaining a safe in-person learning environment for all students. Please continue to let us know if your child has tested positive for COVID-19 or may be a close contact. We will work with you through the process to return your child to the classroom as quickly as possible.
Community Review of Elementary English Language Arts Basal Instructional Resources
Parents, students, and community members have a unique opportunity to help FCPS select important learning resources. These reviews do not happen frequently, so selected resources will be in classrooms for years and are a significant financial investment.
Resources for elementary language arts are being reviewed through February 28. Interested individuals can review and provide feedback on digital resources online. Physical texts can be reviewed at the Willow Oaks Administrative Center in the lobby. Please ask about the books at the reception desk from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., Monday-Friday. In-person review hours will be extended to 7 p.m. on February 10, 17, and 24. You are encouraged to review both sets of resources for the full catalog of resources under review. Learn more about the elementary language arts resource review here.
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Dual Language Immersion Registration for
2022-23 School Year
Online registration for the county-wide lottery for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) dual language immersion (DLI) programs closis open. Please note that online registration closes February 16, 2022 at 4 PM for first grade and on March 3, 2022 at 4 PM for kindergarten. Current prekindergarten students may apply for the kindergarten immersion program and current kindergarten students may apply for the first-grade immersion programs for the 2022-23 school year. For more information, visit the FCPS website here.
FCPS Special Education Conference on March 26
FCPS’s 17th Annual Special Education Conference will be held virtually on Saturday, March 26, with a combination of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded) sessions. Registration for this free conference will begin in March.
More information on the Special Education Conference is available online.
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Important Dates
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Wednesday, February 9 - New Families Virtual Discussion @ 6:30 PM and Virtual PTA Meeting, 7 PM (See PTA information below for specifics)
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Monday, February 21 - President's Day Holiday, School Closed
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Thursday, March 3 - 2-hour Early Release @ 1:20 PM
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Friday, March 4 - Student Holiday (Professional Development Day)
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Thursday, March 31 - End of Third Quarter - 2 hour Early Release @ 1:20 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
Virtual Discussion for Families New to Churchill Road on February 9
Join Churchill Road's Administration for an informal discussion on February 9 at 6:30 p.m. They will help answer questions about Churchill Road ES and give a welcome to our newest CRS families! Please plan to stay for the PTA virtual meeting immediately following at 7 p.m. to learn more about the CRS PTA. Please RSVP here.
Date: Wednesday, February 9
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Virtual. Please RSVP here to receive the meeting link.
Questions? Please email vpmembership@churchillroadpta.org
Thank You CRS Families!
A big thanks to all the Churchill Road students and teachers, PTA Community Services chair Lelia Sloane, Brenda Spevak and her fabulous team of room parents, and all the families who gave so generously to the Dogwood Elementary gift bag project. Because of your generosity and creativity, we were able to gift each of the 675 students at our sister school, Dogwood Elementary, with their own individual, decorated gift bag containing either a book, crayons, colored pencils, or markers. Some of our families sent in additional gift and school supply items as well, and we have passed everything we received along to Dogwood. Get a peek at some of the creative bags made by students in our Bobcat News video.
28 Days of Equity Awareness 2022
We're marking Black History Month with an invitation to read with your kids. Check out our list of children’s books that gently explore perspectives from an intersection of marginalized voices and find info on events this month for the Langley pyramid at churchillroadpta.org/awareness.
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