Cub Run Family Newsletter

Your Family’s Wellness

The idea of wellness gets thrown around often, but what does it really mean? According to the National Wellness Institute, there are six components to wellness: physical, intellectual, occupational, social, emotional, and spiritual. The idea of having wellness in our lives comes from modifying our behaviors to have more control over these six areas. Here are some tips to help your family’s wellness:

• Cook with your kids! It’s a great opportunity to not only have a laugh with each other but to teach science and math.
• Designate a family night once a week. Play a board game or watch a movie!
• Have family meetings. This is a great way for children to feel like they are part of the decision making process in the family.
• Volunteer! Find opportunities in your community to give back, whether its planting a tree or serving a meal to a family in need. Volunteering can help promote a sense of accomplishment and teach kids life skills. 

Rising Kindergartners

Do you have a child who will be five years old by September 30, 2022? If so, your child is eligible for Kindergarten 2022-2023. Please register your child at this link, or contact our registrar, Doris Velez, at davelez@fcps.edu to begin the enrollment process.

If any of your neighbors have children who will be eligible for Kindergarten, please have them contact the school, as we are especially interested in reaching those Cub Run families who do not have children currently attending school.

Local Alternative Assessment 

FCPS’ mission is to support student success in school and in life. In our rapidly changing, global society, the way students learn and the way they are assessed must evolve in order to meet this goal. In today’s world where knowledge is just a click away, it is important to go beyond simply assessing what students know to having students demonstrate what they can do with what they know. By engaging in this learning and assessment process, students develop important content knowledge and growth in Portrait of a Graduate skills. These research-based skills support students as productive members of a global community and in the workforce of the future. Learn more by visiting the Portrait of a Graduate webpage https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/portrait-graduate).

Impact on FCPS and State Assessment Policy

Since 2014, the Virginia Department of Education has increasingly implemented assessments that support an approach where students are required to apply knowledge and skills. Local Alternative Assessments (LAAs) and performance-based assessments (PBAs) have been adopted in place of certain Standards of Learning (SOL) tests as part of this shift. Currently, FCPS uses LAAs in place of SOL tests in Grade 3 Science, Grade 3 Social Studies, Grade 4 Virginia Studies, Grade 5 Writing, and Grade 6 U.S. History. Visit the LAA and PBA public webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/node/45043) to learn more.

As a student enrolled in one or more of the above courses, your child will participate in at least one performance-based assessment (PBA) as part of state guidelines for LAAs. A PBA requires students to perform a task or create a product using their acquired knowledge and skills.

PBAs:

• Invite students to learn in ways that are student-centered and culturally responsive, going beyond memorizing surface-level facts to thinking critically about the content and making real-world connections,
• Provide opportunities for on-going support and feedback to students from teachers based on the progress they demonstrate within the task,
• Require students to respond to a challenge and apply what they’ve learned; for example, they might participate in a debate, create a persuasive piece of media, or write an essay,
• Assess and score student work/creations using a rubric that describes the criteria for success.

Talking with your child

There are many ways to support your child with PBAs.

• Encourage your child to embrace the role of a creator.
• Ask your child to share their thoughts about what they are creating.
• Reinforce that PBAs are primarily about the process, and not the product. There is no one right answer — rather, it’s a chance for students to show what they are able to do with their knowledge and skills.
• PBAs are graded/scored using a common rubric. Encourage your child to use the rubric as a tool for guiding their work and progress.