CES Summer Update 8.6.22


Message from Mrs. Kirkpatrick

This coming week we look forward to seeing many of you at a couple of our welcome back events. We will host our new family coffee on Tuesday morning at 10AM and our New Librarian meet and greet on Wednesday morning.  Please note our building will be closed to all staff and community members on Friday and Saturday, August 12th and 13th for room HVAC work. The upcoming kinder playdate previously scheduled Saturday will be moved to Tuesday, August 9th at 6PM.

This week's summer update includes a staffing update for the upcoming school year. I have received a number of emails asking about numbers, especially in kindergarten, and I needed to ensure information was solidified before sharing it with our community. Each spring and throughout the summer I work closely with our region office to monitor student registration and grade level numbers. This helps us ensure we have the correct number of teachers and support staff to meet the needs of each student. This summer we have seen a shift in our 1st grade growth which is wonderful, requiring us to add an additional teacher. We have also seen a shift in kindergarten where the enrollment will only require two classrooms. The best news is we can keep our current staff in place with a couple of shifts.

Introducing our instructional teams for the 2022-23 school year:

Kindergarten: Ms. Kuduk; Mrs. Soulos; Special Education Teachers Ms. Garrett, Ms. Kohout

1st Grade Team: Mrs. Hancock, Mrs. Strubhar, Mrs. Wei and Mrs. Limbaugh; Special Education Teacher Ms. Garrett

2nd Grade Team: Ms. Butler, Mrs. Gales and Mrs. Hutchins; Special Education Teacher Ms. Garrett

3rd Grade Team: Mrs. Jankowski; Mrs. Hudler; Mrs. Miller; Special Education Teacher Mrs. Gallo, Ms. Kohout

4th Grade Team: Ms. Flegas; Ms. Glass; Ms. Logan; Ms. Nalewanski; Special Education Mrs. Montana Damerell, Ms. Kohout

5th Grade Team: Ms. Eichmeier, Mrs. Hamsher-King, Ms. King and Ms. Scrabis; Special Education Ms. Boehm

6th Grade Team: Mr. Gaba, Ms. Mabile, Mr. Treacy; Special Education Mrs. Park

Last week this part of my message was cut off, so I'm including it this week. The theme for this school year is "The Best is Yet to Come." As we are on the horizon of a new year, we look forward to helping our kids continue to grow in social emotional well being and increase their academic abilities in all areas. The growth mindset will continue to be at the forefront of the work with do with kids and this theme will hopefully resonate throughout the school year.

The Best is YET to Come
Y= Be YOU!

E= Education - Helping our students set rigorous educational goals. What growth goal do you have?

T= Teamwork - Collaborative teamwork helps us grow!

 If you are looking to get involved, we have a few opportunities listed in this newsletter. Enjoy these last couple weeks of summer and we will see you all very soon!

Sincerely,

Stacy Kirkpatrick, Principal


In this summer update you will find the following information:

  • Upcoming Dates to Note
  • 5th & 6th Grade Student Tour Guides Needed (register below)
  • Supply Kit Volunteers Needed 8/17 7:30 AM
  • Lunch Room Volunteers
  • Free and Reduced Meals Application Available Now
  • REMINDERS from previous newsletters

Upcoming Dates to Note

New CES Family Events
Tuesday, August 9th
 - New Family Parent Coffee 10AM

Wednesday, August 17th - New Family Tour - 2PM

ALL CES Families Welcome to the Following Events

Tuesday, August 9th (New Date) - Kindergarten Playdate 6PM - Playground

Wednesday, August 10th - Family Meet and Greet in the Library (All Families invited)
9:30 AM K-2 Families with Students
10:15 AM 3rd - 6th Families with Students
Join us to meet our new librarian and reconnect with administration. Students will also enjoy story time.

Friday 8/12; Sat 8/13 - School Closed, No staff on site, No community access due to craning of equipment

August 19th - CES Open House 10 - 11:30 AM
Suggested alpha split to spread out families. If you cannot come during alpha split, you are welcome to come anytime during open house.
10:00 A-H |  10:30 I-P  |  11:00 Q-Z

Monday, August 22nd - 1st Day of School

Monday, August 29th - CES Community Cookout - We are hoping to hold a new event this year to bring our community togethers. Save the date for our Chesterbrook Community Cookout and join us for dinner and conversation. The event will be held 5 - 6:30 PM.

September 8th - Back to School Night 
5:30 Admin and PTA General Session
Classroom Sessions 6:00, 6:30 & 7:00PM
*Any scouting groups that would like a table for BTSN are welcome to reach out to Holley Remer to ask for a table in our pod area.

FCPS 2022-23 school year calendar


5th & 6th Grade Student Tour Guides Needed for Aug 17th New Family Tours

5th and 6th Grade Students are needed for he 8/17 New Family Tours. If your returning student would like to help with tours, please complete this form. Tour guides should arrive to Chesterbrook at 1:30 on 8/17 and be picked up at 3PM. Complete this Google form to sign up to be a Tour Guide


Parent Help Needed for Supply Kit Organization & Distribution 8/17 at 7:30 AM

We can use some help with organizing supply kits for the coming year. On Wednesday, 8/17 at 7:30AM, supply kits will be labelled and then delivered to the hallway by grade level classrooms. Parents will be able to pick up these kits for delivery to their child's homeroom at open house.  Please sign up to come help get things ready for our Open House.


Lunch Volunteers Needed for 22-23

This school year students will be eating in the cafeteria. We have found great value in having additional parent support during lunches to assist with student needs and help support student behavior. We are looking to keep consistency  to have trained volunteers that can build relationships with kids throughout the year which further supports positive behaviors during lunch time. If you are interested in supporting in this role, please fill out this google form. More information will be shared.


Breakfast and Lunch Accounts

Meals will be available for purchase. Breakfast will be available from 8:30 - 8:50. My School Bucks will be used for lunch purchases and parents can load funds on the account to cover the cost of meals. Children may not share lunch accounts, so please ensure you have deposited funds for each student.

Add money to your child's account using www.MySchoolBucks.com
Once the account is open, parents can check the fund account at anytime.
More information can be found here.


CES Grade Level Contact Directory Opt-Out by 8/19

Each year teachers are asked by many families to provide parent contact information, which can be very helpful in planning playdates or parties outside of school. Room parents will also use contact information to coordinate class activities and parties coordinated with the grade level teachers. If you would like to opt out of sharing contact information with your grade level parents, please complete this google form. Grade level contact information will be shared with parents through schoology once it is ready.


Virginia Tax Free Weekend 8/5-7

August 5-7, 2022 is a three-day sales tax holiday in the state of Virginia. For more information, visit Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday webpage. If you haven't picked up your child's school supplies, find the list for each grade level here.


Reminders

Free & Reduced Meals Program

During the 20-21 and 21-22 school year, the federal government supported free lunches across schools. This funding will not continue for this school year. 

If needed, please review and apply for Free and Reduced application, which is open now. Click Here to Apply Now

Learn more about the Free and Reduced-Price Meal program online


School Registration Forms

Reach out to Mr. Troskey ASAP to set up a registration plan and time to bring in paperwork. Mr. Dave Troskey can be reached at DATroskey@fcps.edu or 703-714-8200. New Student Registration Info & Form

After you complete the paperwork, bring the signed paperwork and the following items to the school: Original Birth Certificate, Enrolling Parent Photo ID, Proof of Residency (deed or lease)


2022-23 5th & 6th Grade Student Ambassadors

APPLY HERE!  Parents, please share this form with your student so they can complete the sign up if they are interested. Students must be logged into their fcpsschools account to complete the form. 

New 5th and 6th grade students will register as school opens and their accounts are created.