Mantua Elementary Newsletter

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 06/21/2022 04:54 PM EDT

Message from Ms. Shannon

Good Evening Mantua Families,

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday yesterday.  As you know, Juneteenth marks the historic end of slavery in the U.S. and has been observed as the day of liberation for Black Americans. It is also an opportunity to consider how we all can play a role in creating a more inclusive environment so that everyone in our community feels seen, heard, and valued.

It has been a few days since we closed out the year but I could not let summer get into full swing without thanking the many families for joining us at our end of year celebrations!  Whether you volunteered at a class party, game day, or joined us for the 6th Grade Promotion Ceremony, being with families this spring made school feel like school again! You can view the 6th-grade promotion slideshow by clicking here.

As we close out our school year, I want to thank all of you for welcoming me into our school and community.  When I spoke at my interview close to this time last year, I shared that if I had the opportunity to lead this great school, it would be my dream come true.  I can honestly say that this is my dream job.  I love working with our amazing students and talented staff each day and getting to know so many of you. At our staff end-of-the-year celebration, we reflected on student achievements and growth as a result of the intentional interventions of our staff and we shared excitement for next year.

As we plan for the 2022 school year, we are looking forward to welcoming our new Instructional Coach, Jackie Cordiner.  Jackie comes to us with a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience supporting collaboration, instructional planning, and student achievement.  Her most recent appointment within Fairfax County was as a Reading Specialist at Canterbury Woods ES.  She is experienced in supporting collaborative work on grade-level teams and supporting excellent Tier 1 instruction for all students. Our grade-level Team Leads selected her from a pool of talented candidates with complete confidence that she is meant to be at Mantua!  

We will be hard at work this summer preparing for an excellent school year as well as a few cosmetic upgrades to our building. We hope that when families return to Mantua this fall, you will be excited to see some of our new looks! Our students were able to get a sneak peek of the mural during library lessons in the final weeks of school!

Thank you,

Linda Shannon, Principal

Promotion

Important Dates

July 4: Independence Day/Offices Closed

August 22: First Day of School

Moving On!

As I shared in our last newsletter, this time of year is always hard when we have to say goodbye to some of our amazing staff. We celebrated Ms. McCoy and Ms. Cajaiti as retirees at our end-of-year staff celebration.  In addition, we celebrated several others who are moving on to new adventures or schools closer to their homes. Please join us in wishing them all the best!

  • Zahra Arif, Instructional Assistant
  • Nicole Arratia-Walters, 3rd Grade
  • Anna Bukont, School Psychologist
  • Dewon Denmon, Instructional Assistant
  • Cindy Drechsler, Special Education Teacher
  • Yasmin Galloway, FLES Teacher
  • Karissa Garcia, Instructional Assistant
  • Michelle Hawk, Librarian
  • Song Hong, 6th Grade
  • Dannette Redmond, 5th Grade
  • Scott Roskwitalski, TSPEC
  • Merete Showalter, Kindergarten
  • Emily Tilman, School Social Worker

As I mentioned in a recent PTA meeting, Mantua will have 2 Assistant Principals next year.  We are fortunate that both Ms. Alley and Mr. Deixler will be staying on to complete our administrative team.  We are sad to say goodbye to Mr. Rousos as he will be remaining at Virginia Run Elementary School, where he served as an Acting Assistant Principal this spring.  We send our deep appreciation for his time and care for our students and school community over the many years he served at Mantua.

 

Mental Wellness Consultations

This summer, the FCPS Office of Intervention and Prevention Services will offer virtual Mental Wellness Consultations from June 21, 2022 through August 5, 2022.  Parents and students will have an opportunity to schedule a 45-minute consultation with a school psychologist or school social worker by phone or videoconference. Consultations will be offered in two ways:

  1. Directly to parents of students in any grade level.  This consultation provides an opportunity for parents to receive guidance on how to support their child’s social, emotional, behavioral, and academic success.  Information about community resources will also be provided.
  2. Directly to students in middle or high school.  This consultation provides an opportunity for middle and high school students to receive guidance and support for concerns related to anxiety, mood, behavior, peer or family interactions, or school transitions and changes.  Strategies and tools can also be provided to address academic challenges such as organization and time-management.

All parents and secondary students are encouraged to take advantage of this service by clicking here to request a consultation. You may also leave a message at 703-503-2520.

Reminders 

Music Intent for Current 4th and 5th Grade Students Parents of current 4th and 5th graders,

Please make sure to complete your child's music intent form for next year as soon as possible. You will need to be signed in to your child's school email account to access the form. Students can choose between band or strings and can also choose to participate in chorus. Please email any questions about the form, or to change your form selections to kjeaston@fcps.edu. The link to access the form is https://forms.gle/3jGc2KL2HrapUcqw5. 

Technology Reminders

Digital Programs Available this Summer

The following online programs will still be available to students this summer if they were using them during the school year:  Typing Club, Wixie, ST Math, Lexia, Reflex, Frax, Imagine Language & Literacy, Imagine Reading, and Pioneer Valley Literacy Footprints will also be available throughout the summer, with some scheduled outages related to Clever (to be announced). Access to Literacy Footprints will be available through August 15, 2022. Access to both Imagine Learning products will be available.

Laptop Use in Summer Programs

Students who are attending FCPS SOAR and ESY will have their laptops returned to them by their summer program.  

Paying for lost/damaged equipment:

  1. Sign-on to MySchoolBucks

  2. Select School Store

  3. Select Browse All Items

  4. Select the icon for which you are paying “Lost or Damaged Cables/Power Cords” or “Lost or Damaged Laptop”

  5. Select your child’s name and teacher

  6. If you need to purchase a laptop, please contact the school before making any payments

  7. Select Add to Basket

  8. Follow the process for payment

If you have any questions, please email Chris Webster at cwebster@fcps.edu.

 

2022-2023 Kindergarten Survey

We need your help in projecting the Kindergarten enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year. Virginia Law, section 22.1-254, requires that children who will reach their fifth birthday on or before September 30, 2022, must be enrolled in Kindergarten for the 2022-2023 school year unless the parent or guardian notifies the school in writing that they do not wish the child to attend school until the following year.

If you have a child who will be five years old on or before September 30, 2022, please complete this form as soon as possible. If any of your neighbors have children who will be eligible for Kindergarten, please share this information with them, as we are especially interested in reaching those Mantua families who do not have children currently attending school.

The information on this survey will help the school plan for adequate facilities and personnel for the 2022-2023 school year. Please email the completed form to Mergie Kakouris at mbkakouris@fcps.edu. 

Contacts