Principal.Message.6.6.2022

PRINCIPAL DAUGHERTY

Dear Beech Tree Families,

These past few days have been very busy for me, as well as incredibly rewarding. My son graduated from Justice High School and both sets of grandparents were able to be present to celebrate our boy’s first milestone into adulthood. It was special to be surrounded by my friends and family who have been an ever present part of his childhood. It was a moment of counting many blessings. Last week, our preschool families experienced a milestone and this Friday our Kinder families will experience their child’s “Moving Up Ceremony” and our 5th grade families will have a bittersweet moment of honoring their pre-teen student in their “Moving On Ceremony.” I have to admit that I remember crying as I left my son’s 5th grade ceremony. It was difficult to say goodbye to elementary because that represented his childhood, although I knew he was ready for middle school. We look forward to celebrating both milestones on Friday, June 10th, 2022:

 

I would like to remind you of procedures for our end of year “Moving Up Ceremony” for Kindergarteners and our “Moving On Ceremony” for 5th graders. On Wednesday, June 8th Kinder and 5th grade families will receive the following in their Wednesday Folders:

 

          1) An invitation to the ceremony

 

          2) 6 Guest Name Tags, specific to each student, which are your

          TICKETS and permission into the ceremony

 

Both ceremonies will be held in the gym and accessed through Door #9, by the SACC entrance/library. There will be a staff member stationed at that entrance to check tickets, which are limited to the 6 guests per Kinder OR 5th grade student.

 

*Please remember to bring your assigned name tag that identifies you as a an approved guest.

 

  • The Kindergarten “Moving Up Ceremony” will be held at 10am.

 

  • The 5th grade “Moving On Ceremony” will be held at 11:45am.

 

Guests are asked to exit the ceremony through the same door they entered from, which is Door #9, by the SACC entrance/library. If you plan to take your student with you after the ceremony, please exit the building and come to Door #1 to ask for your student to be brought to you. Please understand that this is to keep track of all of our students after the ceremony in a safe and orderly manner. Thank you.

 

This week, we honor Ms. Do, who has served Fairfax County Public Schools for 28 years:

 

1) Current and past Beech Tree students, staff, and parents, are invited to shower Ms. Do with love and appreciation throughout the last week of school, Monday, June 6th through Friday, June 10th. She loves hand-written, student-created cards and gardening. If you wish to send flowers, she is an avid gardener, so flowering plants she can add to her garden would be very special for her.

 

2) Our current staff will have a private, celebratory breakfast on Monday, June 13th.

 

3) Our office staff will hold a private retreat on Tuesday, June 14th to celebrate Ms. Do’s birthday and retirement.

 

This Wednesday, June 8th, we will hold our Field Day:

 

10:00 – 11:10 – Primary Grades (K-2) Field Day (Specialist and Resource teachers will facilitate the stations while classroom teachers guide their classes.)

 

11:20-1:50 – Lunch Break (Normal lunch schedule)

 

2:00-3:10 – Upper Grades and Enhanced Autism Field Day (Classroom teachers and one specialist/resource teacher will facilitate the stations and the students will rotate themselves.  Enhanced Autism teachers and staff will stay with their class to help them rotate.)

 

Please dress your child in comfortable loose-fitting clothing that can get dirty and wet. A change of clothes is recommended.  Please have your child wear tennis shoes and sunscreen. 

 

As always, I thank you for your trust and support. Let me know if you ever have any questions or concerns.

 

Karim Daugherty

Principal

Beech Tree ES

703-531-2600

 

https://twitter.com/BeechTreeElem

 

https://beechtreees.fcps.edu/

 

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell

 

 

REMINDERS:

Beech Tree Office Contacts

Spanish Speaking Parent Liaison: Stella O’Brien at msobrien@fcps.edu

School-Based Technology Specialist (logging on/using programs): Mike Meyer at mkmeyer@fcps.edu

Technology Specialist (laptop issues): Tom Kindregan at tpkindregan@fcps.edu

Registrar: Susan Do at sndo@fcps.edu

Attendance Secretary: Sheila Hudson at skhudson@fcps.edu

Principal’s Secretary: Esther Baca at ebaca@fcps.edu

Assistant Principal: Maureen Lopez at mmlopez1@fcps.edu

Advanced Academics Resource Teacher: Patty Settel at pasettel@fcps.edu

 

PTA Information

PTA Officers:

President: Megan Laboy, meganlaboy@gmail.com

Vice-President: Sonali Khadilkar, sonali@khadilkarlaw.com

Secretary: Penny Yiannarakis, pennyzoutis@gmail.com

Treasurer: Elizabeth Allison, elizabethmallison@hotmail.com

 

For Memberships, t-shirts, etc: https://beechtreepta.memberhub.com/store

 

Fundraising:

Smile.amazon- Beech Tree Elementary School Falls Church VA

Harris Teeter VIC card: Must be renewed

every year – our number is 4085

Boxtops- Download the app and choose Beech Tree Elementary School, Falls Church, VA

 

 

FCPS Calendar

The following link provides you with the 2021-2022 Calendar: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/2021-22-standard-school-calendar.pdf

December 20 - 31  Holiday (Winter Break) - Classes Resume on January 3, 2022

January 17   Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday)

January 20   End of Second Quarter - 2-hour Early Release

January 21   Student Holiday (Teacher Workday)

January 24   Student Holiday (Professional Development Day)

February 21 Holiday (George Washington’s Birthday and Presidents’ Day)

March 3        2-hour Early Release

March 4        Student Holiday (Professional Development Day)

March 31      End of Third Quarter - 2-hour Early Release

April 1            Student Holiday (Teacher Workday)

April 4-8        Holiday (Spring Break)

May 30          Holiday (Memorial Day)

June 10         Last Day of School (Early Release)

 

iReady

iReady is an online Reading and Math intervention resource that is available to all of our 1st through 5th graders. IReady is adapted to each student’s needs based on their division-wide online iReady assessments. Your child may access this intervention at anytime and it will also be available to students over the summer break, so you may access it even while you travel. It can be found as an icon on the desktop of your student’s school laptop. If the icon will not work, or if you are accessing it on your home computer, your student may login through: http://www.fcps.edu/us

 

Health & Safety Procedures:

Visitors in the Building

Beech Tree visitors may enter by appointment only, with limited access to the building. All must have an ID, such a driver’s license or passport, and will be asked to respond to a Health Screening Questionnaire. Parents may drop off and pick up materials, as needed, by ringing the doorbell and communicating with office staff. Office staff will then bring the materials to you at the door or receive the materials from you at the door.

 

Water Fountain Use

Students should bring their own water bottle for use during the day. School staff will supervise the refilling of  water bottles, as necessary. Water fountains should not be used as usual. Water fountains can be used to refill water bottles when practical, but students and staff should not drink directly from any water fountains or faucets, which could contribute to illness transmission; individual water bottles should be used instead. 

 

Care Rooms

    • The predetermined care room is a designated location and must be separate from the health room. It may be necessary for schools to identify a second care room due to the requirement for physical distancing and room capacity.
    • A designated staff member must be assigned to supervise students while in the predetermined care room should the need arise. The staff member will be provided with a gown or lab coat, gloves, and a face shield as appropriate. Staff will need to be available at various times throughout the day to supervise any student exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 while awaiting pick up by the parent or guardian.
  • *At Beech Tree, the designated Care Rooms, so as not to impact student instruction, are the principal’s conference room and the principal’s office. The designated staff, so as not to impact student instruction, are the assistant principal, Maureen Lopez, and the principal, Karim Daugherty.