AAP & Wellness Updates from Glen Forest ES

To read in other languages please view it on the Glen Forest website at this link.

SPRING SCHOOL-BASED AAP SERVICES NEWSLETTER ARTICLE

ADVANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS (AAP)

SCREENING FOR SCHOOL-BASED (LEVEL II-III) SERVICES

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) offers a continuum of advanced academic services for all students in grades K-8.  Learning experiences are designed to develop higher-level thinking through enrichment, acceleration, and extensions of the Program of Studies (POS).  Teachers, administrators, and advanced academic resource teachers (AARTs) work together to provide the following levels of school-based services in each elementary school:

• Critical and Creative Thinking Lessons, Grades K-6 (Level I)

All students in kindergarten through grade six receive level I services which consist of model lessons that are designed to teach critical and creative thinking skills.  The lessons are modeled in all classrooms by AARTs and the thinking strategies are then used throughout the year by classroom teachers and other teachers who work with students. Student responses to these model lessons are used as part of the identification process for AAP services.  Parents may also practice the thinking strategies during family conversations and activities.  A description of the nine critical and creative thinking strategies can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/advanced-academics/critical-and-creative-thinking.   

• Differentiated Lessons in Areas of Academic Strength, Grades K-6 (Level II)

The AART collaborates with classroom teachers to provide additional challenge through lessons and resources that extend and enrich the POS.  Level II services are part of a talent development pool.  Students are rescreened annually to make decisions about the need for this level of service.

• Part-Time Advanced Academic Programs, Grades 3-6 (Level III)

Students identified by a local school screening committee for part-time advanced academic services are challenged through models and strategies designed to extend and enrich the POS in the four core subject areas.  Students receive direct instruction from the AART at the local school using curriculum from the AAP Curriculum and Resources to Support the Differentiated Framework.  Students identified for Level III services continue to receive level III services through grade 6.

Screening for school-based services can happen at any time during the school year but is done schoolwide in spring to determine services for the next school year.  Parents or guardians may initiate the screening for school-based (level II and III) services by submitting the AAP School-Based Services (Level II-III) Referral Form (available at https://www.fcps.edu/registration/advanced-academics-identification-and-placement/elementary-school/current-fcps at the bottom of the page in Forms) to one of the AARTs at Glen Forest Elementary by May 6, 2022.   Multiple criteria are used to screen students for all levels of AAP services.  Parents or guardians who submit a referral will be notified by Glen Forest Elementary of their student’s eligibility status by June 10, 2022. 

If a parent or guardian wishes to appeal an ineligible decision, they may submit an appeal with new data for consideration by the local school screening committee.  This new information should be submitted to Patricia Edwards, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, by June 30, 2022. 

If you have any questions, please contact Patricia Edwards at pwedwards1@fcps.edu.

 

Wellness Updates from Glen Forest ES!

Many of our students will take end of year assessments during the month of May, including iReady and SOLs. Ask your child how they feel about these tests and communicate the importance of a growth mindset. These tests are intended to measure how much students learned over the last year and should be viewed as a celebration of their knowledge. Nevertheless, students often experience testing anxiety. Consider the following calm down and mindfulness strategies as your child prepares for the testing.

 

• Practice taking deep breaths together: 
• Many students learn different types of breathing through counseling lessons.
• Ask them to teach you their favorite breath: elevator, alligator, butterfly, etc.
• Get a good night’s sleep:
• See recommended amounts below.
• Set a routine to reduce screen time at least one hour before bedtime.
• Eat breakfast together, especially on days your student has a test.
• Replace worries with positive self-talk:
• “Today is going to be a great day!”
• “This test is just one part of my day.”
• “I am prepared and will try my best on my test!”
• “If I don’t know an answer, I can keep going.”
• Muscle relaxation: 
• Tense and release your muscles progressively to release tension, such as through squeezing your fists or a stress ball.
• Remembering your worth
• Remind your child that their tests do not determine their value or worth
• Celebrate after your child has finished taking tests at school. Have a special meal together or take a trip to the park! 

Please review the following Parent Resource Webinars and consider participating:

 

Worry and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: Using Evidence-based Strategies to Help Kids and Caregivers Cope During Tough Times: May 6, 2022, 10 - 11:30 a.m.

Join us for this important webinar to help caregivers and families learn strategies to support children during tough times. Topics include:

• Science and biological roots of anxiety in children
• Identifying an anxious child
• Changing anxious thinking
• Computer technology and the understanding of anxiety
• Current treatment options (medications & CBT: cognitive behavioral therapy)
• Different coping strategies needed for the current pandemic

Presented by Dr. Ramaris E. German, a clinical psychologist in the Neuroscience and Novel Therapeutics Unit of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

 

Managing Fighting and Aggression: A Webinar for Families: May 13, 2022, 10-11:30 a.m.

Ever wonder how to manage difficult behavior like fighting and aggression between your children? Join Karen Coad, LCSW,  local Clinical Social Worker and Therapist, for this important webinar as we discuss some of the reasons why children fight, and the skills that children need to cooperate and get along well with others.

 

SIBSHOPS: An Exciting, In-Person Workshop for Brothers and Sisters of Children with Special Needs! Saturday, May 14, 2022, 9 a.m-noon in-person Providence Community Center. The Sibshop workshops are for children in grades 2-6 enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools who have siblings with special needs to:

• Meet other siblings in a relaxed, virtual setting.
• Celebrate the many contributions made by brothers and sisters of children with special needs.
• Share sibling experiences and receive peer support.
• Play games and have fun

Supporting Early Learners: Growing the Caregiver’s Toolbox: A Webinar for PreK-2 Families: Fridays, 10-11:30 a.m.: Growing through Tough Moments in Early Learners

There are so many ways children learn and develop throughout early childhood. Relationships, habits, and even challenges can become rich opportunities to teach and foster lifelong learning and skills for our children. Learn more about how self-regulation, executive functioning, and routines can help your children learn and develop.