Good Morning and welcome to this week's newsletter!
 During Foster Care Month and throughout the year, we are grateful to foster parents as they play a vital role in supporting biological parents and helping them enhance their relationship with their children to achieve family stability and maintain family connections in support of the goal of family reunification or permanent placement with relatives.
Learn more at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/familyservices/children-youth/foster-care-adoption or email BeAFosterParent@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Enjoy the performances at Wolf Trap with your family this Summer!
Wolf Trap Theater-in-the-Woods features music, dance, puppetry, and storytelling performances recommended for children ages 2 and up. The summer season runs for 7 weeks from mid-June through early August (Tuesdays through Saturdays). Each show begins at 10:30am and is approximately 45 – 60 minutes in length. Tickets are $12 and free for children under 2 years old.
 Click to see the full schedule and age recommendations for shows:
https://www.wolftrap.org/about/venues/theatre-in-the-woods.aspx
Contact:
Wolf Trap
Address: 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, VA 22182
703-255-1868
 Camp Fairfax is a full-day program for rising 1st through 7th graders that features exciting opportunities in outdoor adventures, performing arts, sports and recreation, visual arts, science, technology, engineering and math exploration and much more! Camp Fairfax is available for rising 1st- through 7th-grade children residing in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax.
Community Centers: Weekly Sessions from Monday, June 13 – Friday, August 19, 2022 (Closed Monday, June 20 and Monday, July 4)
FCPS Sites: Weekly Sessions from Tuesday, June 21 - Friday, August 5, 2022 (Closed Monday, June 20 and Monday, July 4)
Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Fees will be available this month. For more information access:https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/office-for-children/camp-fairfax
Therapeutic Recreation offers affordable summer camp experiences for individuals (ages 5-22) with developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, physical disabilities, emotional disabilities, learning disabilities, and/or attention deficit disorders. The summer will be packed full of special events, art activities, sensory play, games, sports, outdoor play, music activities and more.
Fee: $80/week. Fee variances and scholarships are available for those that qualify.
For more information on dates and locations access: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/neighborhood-community-services/therapeutic-recreation-camp
Tech Adventure Camp (TAC) is a weekly exploratory camp designed to give students the opportunity to explore STEAM, culinary, health, trades, business and marketing areas. The camp is open to students in grades 2-6 during the 2021-22 school year.
Time: 8:30am - 2pm
Dates:
- Week 1: July 11 - 15, 2022
- Week 2: July 18 - 22, 2022
- Week 3: July 25 - 29, 2022
Tuition: $275 per week
- Students eligible for free and reduced lunch: No tuition.*
For more information access: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/summer-learning-programs/camps-and-institutes-tech-adventure-camp
A summer enrichment and skills development program for students currently in grades 7-11.
CTE Summer Academy (CSA) is a weekly enrichment program that allows students to:
- Dive deeper into Career and Technical Education (CTE) program areas
- Encourages skill development
- Begin career exploration
Students are able to personalize their experience by choosing which CTE classes they will take!
For more details on dates, time, fees, and location, access: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/summer-learning-programs/camps-and-institutes-CTE-summer-academy
Please join us in the cafeteria for a parent discussion about student anxiety. Members of our Haycock student services team, our family liaison, and Dr. Jill Priesmeyer, a psychologist from central office, will lead a session on the signs of and tips for dealing with student anxiety. We will also explore some information from the book, How to Raise and Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims.
FCPS Online Tutoring Resources
- Tutoring is available in most K-12 subjects.
- Student participation in online (voice and/or text chat) tutoring services is completely optional.
- Students will use the same FCPS-sponsored platforms they are familiar with for online learning.
- The tutors employed by Tutor.com do not work for Fairfax County Public Schools.
- All tutors are subject matter experts and must pass a thorough background check conducted by Tutor.com and meet Federal and State requirements (aligned to FCPS practice).
- FCPS school staff do not participate in the online tutoring sessions between a student and their tutor.
- FCPS does not assume responsibility for supervision during tutoring sessions.
- For the purposes of safety and security, every tutoring session is recorded, and transcripts are available (up to 6 months) for students, parents and FCPS staff to review if needed.
Teaching Children How to Accept Mistakes and Disappointment-By FCPS Psychology Services
We all want to see our children succeed. However, making mistakes and learning how to handle disappointment are valuable experiences for children. Here are some strategies for parents on teaching children how to deal with their mistakes in a healthy way.
Show acceptance and empathy.
Not only is it important to teach children to accept their own mistakes, it is equally important that parents accept that their children are going to make mistakes, leading to failure and disappointment. Parents are encouraged to empathize and validate feelings of frustration and disappointment. Use language such as, “I can see you are disappointed and upset, I know you really wanted to do better.” By taking the time to talk with your children and recognize their feelings, it lets them know you are listening and are there to help.
Model it.
Be an example of someone who makes mistakes and deals with them appropriately. Your children may see you as someone who is invincible. Be open to showing your children that everyone (even adults!) makes mistakes by willingly acknowledging your own mistakes when you are near or around them. Be willing to accept and even laugh them off. Talk openly through the steps you use to handle challenges. Ultimately, you want to clearly demonstrate to your children the same behaviors you would like them to demonstrate when they inevitably make mistakes.
Make it a teachable moment and give examples.
A child’s disappointment or mistake is an opportunity for parents to teach acceptance and problem-solving skills. It is important to explain that mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow. When your children make a mistake, ask them what lessons were learned? What did this experience teach them? What can they try differently next time as a result? Again...reinforce the idea that everyone makes mistakes. One way parents can do this is by providing examples of famous or successful individuals who previously experienced failure, disappointments, or mistakes in their life. Thomas Edison went through thousands of prototypes before successfully inventing an improved electric lightbulb. What if he had quit? Michael Jordan did not make his high school basketball team the first time he tried out. What if he had decided he was not good enough to play? These examples teach children that it is OK to make mistakes and that making mistakes does not mean they will not succeed in life. Instead, mistakes can help them continue to learn, grow, and persevere.
Step back and allow children to make mistakes.
While it can be difficult to watch children make a mistake and experience disappointment, they can only learn how to handle it through trial and error. There are various books, like Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed, which emphasize the benefits of parents who allow their children to make mistakes or experience challenges and focus on offering support in working through it (as opposed to overly focusing efforts on denying children having to face difficult experiences). This sets children on the path to developing increased resilience and confidence to take on new challenges independently.
Encouragement to try new things.
It is important to help children step out of their comfort zone and take some risks. Let children know that by only doing things they are already good at, they limit themselves and may miss out on new enjoyable opportunities. You can share that you will be available to offer support in tackling the new risk. We learn and grow by challenging ourselves with new experiences and working through them. This helps lead to a mastering of dealing with challenges and disappointment.
If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis, text HOME to 741741 to reach a crisis counselor, call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or call 911.
Thank you and have a great week! If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns please email me at eshoemaker@fcps.edu.
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