Family Liaison Corner
from Ms. Susana Trupo
Dear Cameron Families,
The school year 2022-2023 started on Monday 8/22. The energy at Cameron is great, we are so excited to have your children. I thought sharing the below information with you might help your children start a great school year.
Take their emotional pulse
Before the year gets underway, ask your child questions such as “What are your biggest worries about going back to school?” and “What are you most looking forward to doing this year?” “Say, ‘We want you to feel great about going to school every day, and if you feel like things are going off the rails, we’re here for you.’ This might easy up their level of stress.
Have them reflect on personal goals
Children can feel powerless because they have little control over things. Asking about setting simple goals, will give them some control.
As psychologist Haynes suggested “I tell them to display their goals in a prominent place where they will see it, because that keeps it fresh in their mind and serves as a motivator”,
Suggest them to connect with other children
Research shows that connecting with others can improve mental health, and children need the practice, but they may need an assist. If they’re too anxious to host a friend at home, you can suggest a structured activity such as a basketball at the park. Encourage them to sign up for at least one after-school club that reflects their interests, too.
The idea is to find low-pressure opportunities where kids can practice making eye contact and resolving conflict.
Affirm that they’ll be fine
Focus on the strengths of your children, that will make them feel self-confident, mentioned that we all make mistakes, and it is ok to make them if we learn something from them.
Assure them that after the school is done, you will always be there for them.
|
Accessing Student Rights & Responsibilities Forms Online
FCPS’ updated Student Rights & Responsibility booklet is now available online and in the ParentVue section of the Student Information System (SIS). The SR&R booklet explains expectations for student behavior, and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment.
Each year, we ask parents to review, sign, and return the SR&R to their child’s school. In ParentVue, you may now download and digitally sign the SR&R. Every parent/guardian with a ParentVUE account will see the SR&R upon login to ParentVUE until the SR&R acknowledgement has been completed.
Once you log on, you will see a message about acknowledging the Student Rights & Responsibilities.
Your name in the digital signature box must match the parent/guardian’s first and last name in SIS exactly before the signature will be accepted.
Please take a moment to log into ParentVue in your child’s SIS account to access the SR&R. Signatures are due by September 30, 2022.
Please contact us if you are having difficulty accessing the booklet.
1st Quarter Parent Teacher Conferences
During the 1st nine weeks of school, teachers will schedule conferences with all families. October 31 is a student holiday and a teacher workday. Teachers will be available to hold conferences on this day and other dates that works best for the teacher and parent. Your child's teacher will communicate with you within the next month to schedule conferences.
|
Buses and Delays
Please be aware that all of us are getting used to new routines at the start of the school year. Thank you for your patience as those routines are established. If a student’s bus is delayed, parents may access the Bus Delay Notification System or use the Here Comes the Bus mobile app to receive the delayed bus report. E-Notify (School Messenger) email messages will also be sent to announce significant bus delays. Contact the Transportation Office at 703-446-2050. For any concerns after hours (after 5:30 p.m.), contact Safety and Security at 571-423-2000.
|
Lightspeed Parent Report on Child’s Device Activity
FCPS has tools to help parents and guardians know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided by Lightspeed, our internet content filtering service, at no cost to families. You may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. If you want more detailed information, sign up for the Internet Use Parent portal and log-in anytime to see more detail about your child’s browsing and “pause” access to the internet during non-school hours. Find out more and sign up for these services on our website.
|
Parents can Receive Text Messages from FCPS for Emergencies and Essential Information
Make sure your cell phone numbers are listed in the parent/guardian contact information section on the emergency care information form for each of your children. Parents and guardians can view and update emergency contact information online using weCare@school.
Text messages will be sent in the event of emergencies, delays or school closings, if buses are running more than 30 minutes late, if your student missed the morning attendance deadline, and for other important reminders.
Standard message and data charges may apply for text messages depending on your cell phone service plan. More about text messages is available online.
|
COVID Updates
Earlier this week, FCPS sent an update on COVID-19 layered prevention strategies that will continue to be in place this school year. While we had hoped that the pandemic would be behind us, it seems that COVID will be something we must manage as a community for the foreseeable future. FCPS will continue to follow the guidance of national, state, and local health experts when determining the layered prevention strategies that are needed to keep our schools safe and open for learning. It is important that we all work together towards this goal.
Highlights from that guidance include:
- FCPS continues to require families to review the Daily Health Screening before sending students to school.
- The 5 Day Isolation Period will continue for COVID positive students and staff.
- The CDC recommends the COVID vaccine as a safe and effective way of significantly lowering your risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death if you get infected. Vaccines are now available for our youngest students. However, COVID vaccines are not part of the required immunizations for school entry.
- At this time, masks are not required. The current CDC COVID-19 Community Level for Fairfax County is low. However, should the community level rise to “high,” FCPS would then require all students, staff, and visitors to wear a face covering when indoors on school property (to include the buildings, school buses and other school provided vehicles; except while actively eating/drinking). The Code of Virginia allows parents/legal guardians to elect for their child not to wear a face covering while on school property.
- Diagnostic testing will be available beginning Tuesday, August 16, for FCPS students and staff who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. Information on diagnostic testing will continue to be updated on our website.
- FCPS will no longer send a daily or weekly COVID case update. Parents/Guardians will only receive an email from their child’s school when several cases of COVID-19 occur in a single classroom, sports team, or extracurricular activity within a 14-day period. Individual case reports will be available on the FCPS COVID-19 Dashboard on our website.
To stay up to date, please continue to review our Health and Safety Guidance on our website.
Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights
Fairfax County Public Schools wants all parents to understand its policies regarding surveys, records, curriculum, privacy, and related rights.
Please look for an email that you should have received August 18 in which FCPS shared the Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights and Opt-Out Forms (Annual Notice), FCPS provides explanations of the rights listed above as well as forms that may be used to exercise opt-out choices. Two versions of the Annual Notice are available—a grades K-8 version and a grades 9-12 version. If you have children at different grade levels, please read each applicable version of the Annual Notice because the notices and opt-out rights vary depending on the student’s grade level.
Get more information and view the 2022-23 Opt-Out Booklets
 From Lee Mount Vernon Sports Club:
LMVSC has been providing sports opportunities for over 50 years. We never turn a child away based on finances. We are strengthening our communities by: providing activities and exercise for kids; reinforcing friendships made through their school and neighborhoods; making new friends on the field; and building confidence and learning new skills.
Go to https://lmvsc.org/ for more information!
Upcoming Events
-
Friday, September 2 and Monday, September 5 - School Closed for Labor Day Holiday
-
Thursday, September 17 4pm-6pm- Back to School Picnic (Cameron Elementary)
-
Monday, September 26 - No School for Students
Click to see the full 2022-2023 School Year Calendar
|
|
