Friday, March 4, 2022 Churchill Chatter School Newsletter

Churchill Chatter - Issue 14, March 4, 2022


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Read Across America Day was a success!


Dear Churchill Road families,

Hope you have an enjoyable three day weekend!

We want to thank everyone for their support as we transitioned this week into having masks as optional. Students and staff worked together to be respectful of individual family choices. We continue to focus on supporting one another during this time.

Our students enjoyed Read Across America Day with dedicated read-ins with their classmates and special guest readers throughout the day.  In-person kindergarten orientation happened this week as well!  It was so nice to be able to interact face to face with new families and students.  Please continue to encourage your friends and neighbors who have not yet registered for kindergarten to contact Angie Kim in the front office.  This will help us as we begin planning for next year.

We also are beginning to receive information regarding summer academic programs and summer camps here at Churchill Road.  Look for more details in the next couple of weeks.

Sincerely,

Cherith Pierson and Jennifer Niccolls


In This Week's Issue 

  • Digital Citizenship Tips and Advice fror Families
  • ESSER III School Funding
  • Smiles for Miles Toothbrush Drive March 14-18
  • PTA News
  • Important Dates

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Digital Citizenship Tips and Advice for Families

Parenting in the Digital Age

Parents and caregivers are looking for resources and advice on all things media and technology. This playlist includes four videos addressing many frequently asked questions.

  • What are ways I can set boundaries and support my kids in their tech lives?
  • How can we ensure our kids are having high quality experiences?
  • I don’t know anything about social media or the apps my kid is on. What do I need to know to keep them safe?
  • I’m worried that my kids will use social media inappropriately. And what are these “challenges”?

In addition, these Parent’s Ultimate Guides (guides to TikTok, Fortnite, Instagram, and more) are also helpful.

Mr. Kilpatrick is also curating resources for families about digital citizenship that he is placing on our school website. Please visit the Churchill Road Digital Citizenship Webpage often, as it will continually be updated. 


ESSER III Funding at Churchill Road

Last fall, FCPS received $188.8 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) funding. These funds have helped us safely reopen our schools and keep them open. We have also been able to address the impacts of COVID-19 on students. Visit the ESSER III webpage for more information.

Some of the ways that we have used the ESSER III funding provided to Churchill include the following:

  • Providing before school and after school math and reading interventions 
  • Providing training for teachers in Responsive Classroom practices
  • Providing school-based leadership training for team leads
  • Purchased research-based Second Step curriculum - a program to support the social and emotional learning of all our students
  • Purchased additional math and reading instructional supplies (i.e. guided reading book sets, math fluency kits)
  • Purchased additional social and emotional instructional supplies and classroom materials (i.e. silent fidget materials, chimes, calming materials, and teacher reference books)
  • Planning for professional development for teachers for the upcoming school year

Smiles for Miles Toothbrush Drive

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Prior recipients of the Churchill Road Smiles for Miles toothbrush drive.

Hello!  My name is Cleia Jones and I am a Churchill Road alum, attending Langley High School.

In 2018, I founded a non-profit organization called Smiles for Miles. Smiles for Miles is an organization where we raise toothbrushes locally and send them to kids in need in Central America. Throughout this process, we have raised over 1,500 toothbrushes! This organization was founded by kids, is run by kids, and benefits kids. Just like many others, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to stop collecting in 2020. Now that things have begun to recover, we are back in business and are excited to do what we love most: raise toothbrushes!

We are excited to announce that we are holding another toothbrush drive at Churchill Road ES, from March 14th to March 18th. Keep your eye out for the blue bins around the school where you or a student can drop off your unopened, packaged toothbrushes and other dental products.

And of course, always remember, everything starts with a smile! 



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.


Important Dates

  • Wednesday, March 9 - Virtual PTA Meeting, 7 PM
  • Tuesday, March 15 - Spring Picture Day
  • Friday, March 25, SAVE THE DATE PTA Bingo Night
  • Saturday, March 26 - FCPS Special Education Conference
  • Thursday, March 31 - End of Third Quarter - 2 hour Early Release @ 1:20 PM
  • Friday, April 1 - Student Holiday (Teacher Workday)
  • Monday, April 4 - Friday, April 8 - Spring Break, Front Office Closed

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


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CRS Spelling Bee Champion

After 1.5 hours and 16 rounds, the CRS Spelling Bee winner is 6th grader Esther Choi, winning with “extraterrestrial” - so outstanding! 2nd place was 5th grader Meera Bansal. Let’s wish Esther the very best as she advances to the Fairfax County Spelling Bee on Sunday, March 20th!

Congratulations to all the finalists in our Bee, who were the top scorers in our written round. Zayna Ansari (4), Neel Arora (5), Sean Bajaj (6), Meera Bansal (5), Eleanor Barnes (4), Esther Choi (6), Hannah Haly (4), Leah Jacob (6), Olivia Jacob (4), Kaynisha Kadia (4), Ayaan Khatri (4), Benjamin Kim (6), Jonathan Lee (3), Isabel Li (6), Justin Luftig (5), William Newburn (6), Wesley Walsh (1), Melanie Worden (6), Chelsea Zeng (5).


Restaurant Night with Lebanese Taverna

Our next Restaurant Night is on Thursday, March 10 and features the delicious food of Lebanese Taverna! 

Place your order online through our order link by noon on Wednesday, March 9. Then pick up your at CRS on 3/10 at 4:30 p.m. in the CRS parking lot. Drive up to the Lebanese Taverna truck, give your name, and the staff will place your order in your trunk. Once you get home, you can reheat the food or serve it at room temperature. Note: Minimum order is $35 and there is a $5 delivery fee per order. Menu & ordering


Spring After School Activities

Our class catalog for our spring after school activities is now available. Take a look at our fun option! Class catalog


Quick Links

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