Message from Ms. Shannon

Good Evening Mantua Families,

We had a fantastic start to the 2022-23 School Year this week!  We were excited by the energy in the classroom, hallways, and all throughout our campus.  Our team visited each classroom over the course of the week and made several student connections.  We are looking forward to many more!   Check out the collage of pictures that we have tweeted throughout the week.

We wish everyone a wonderful rest of the week and restful holiday weekend. 

Take good care,

Linda Shannon, Principal

Amy Alley, Assistant Principal

Rich Deixler, Assistant Principal

Important Dates

September 1: Pizza and Ice Cream Social 5:30 PM -7:00 PM

September 2: No School

September 5: No School

September 7: Back to School Night - Virtual, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

September 9: PTA Meeting, Mantua Cafeteria, 9:30 AM

September 26: Student Holiday, No School 

See the complete 2022-23 school year calendar

Back to School Night - September 7, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Based on positive parent and staff feedback from last year, this event will again take place using an all virtual format.   On Tuesday, September 6, one day before Back To School Night, all grade levels and specialists will have pre-recorded informational presentations available for viewing, that can be accessed from the Mantua main webpage.  We will send out a communication on September 6 with links to these presentations.  We are asking families to view these videos before attending on September 7.  Then, at the designated time below, please join staff for a virtual Question and Answer session.  These virtual Question and Answer sessions will be run using Zoom, through each teacher’s Schoology page.  On Tuesday, teachers will email out invitations and links to those Q&A sessions.

Meet School Resource Officer Brian Sehrer

Please join me in welcoming SRO Brian Sehrer to our Mantua Community.  He is assigned to Frost but will support Mantua in school related safety resources as needed.  He plans to visit our site regularly and will be a great resource to us as we continue to make Mantua the safest place to learn and work.

Kiss & Ride Updates & Reminders

Our School Day is 9:20 AM - 4:05 PM.  Your children’s safety is our priority. We understand the hurried nature of mornings and evenings but please be sure to drive slowly and safely through our parking lots and beyond. 

Arrival

Kiss & Ride:  Please be sure to pull completely forward as staff directs you to do so.  Staff will assist your child's exit from the car as needed. Please remain in your car.  Please note that this is a single lane loop.  Stay to the far right and remain in the line as you proceed through the loop. The included image is to assist you.  No cars should should drive in the middle lane, as indicated by the red car in the image.

Dismissal 

Students will wait at the Kiss & Ride loop and staff will assist in calling students as parents arrive.  If you arrive before dismissal begins at 4:05, please pull all the way to around the loop (parallel to the field) to wait for dismissal to begin. As the cars begin to move, we ask that you continue to pull forward as directed by staff so that we can continue to bring cars into the loop. 

Staying Connected!

In the upcoming weeks, we will increase the use of our social media platforms.  Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @MantuaES, @MantuaPrincipal, and @MantuaLibrary for updates and good news throughout the school year.  We will be launching an Instagram site soon! 

Birthday Treats 

Families may resume pre-COVID birthday treats in the classroom.  Please connect with your classroom teacher prior to sending in birthday treats to check for student allergies and to ensure the item is appropriate.  Please plan for individual items that can be easily distributed. No cakes please.  We would like to remind families that parents are under no obligation to send in birthday treats. Our teachers will recognize birthdays in class to ensure all students feel celebrated. 

PickUp Patrol (PUP) - In Effect Tuesday, September 6

As mentioned in earlier correspondence, Mantua will transition to a virtual platform for dismissal.   A primary reason for the shift is to increase all parties' accuracy and efficiency in communicating student arrival and dismissal plans. Another fantastic aspect is that it will allow us to have a silent dismissal.  Staff and volunteers at Mantua will appreciate the benefits this will have on our afternoons. 

How it Works

You will receive a registration email this week inviting you to create a default dismissal plan.  Student plans will become visible to the main office and to the individual teacher.  If a student needs to leave school during the day for a doctor's appointment, families will update their child's dismissal plan using the app. This information will be communicated to the teacher and main office staff. At the time of pick-up, the parent/guardian will come to the office to pick up the child. *The registration email will be sent the by this Wednesday and we will begin using the information shared within the platform on September 6.  Until that time, please communicate dismissal needs to Ms. Fadwa Finaish at ffinaish@fcps.edu or call 703-645-6300.

Key Points to Remember

• All children must be signed in and out in the office (late arrivals, early dismissal, re-entry).
• A student CAN NOT be released to anyone except the parent/guardian or the emergency contact indicated on the emergency care card. Parents/Guardians can give consent to release their child to a different adult by making a change to their child's dismissal plan using the PUP app. Please know that if the person picking up a child is unknown to the staff, identification will be required. 
• Changes to the default plan need to happen prior to 2 PM daily.
• Changes can be made in advance for planned changes to the student’s schedule.
• No dismissals can occur within 20 minutes of the end of the school day. 
• As you use the application, If you have any questions, please check the PUP FAQ page. If you still need help, please reach out to Ms. Fadwa Finaish at ffinaish@fcps.edu or PickUp Patrol at support@pickuppatrol.net.

Attendance 

We will also be using PUP for absence reporting beginning September 6.  Until that time, please email Fadwa Finaish at ffinaish@fcps.edu or call 703-645-6363.

Beginning September 6: In the event of an absence or tardy please login to PickUp Patrol or call 703-645-6363. Please be specific as to a physician’s diagnosis such as strep throat or pinkeye. If your child has not seen a physician, please be specific about the symptoms your child is having such as fever, cough sore, throat headache, diarrhea, and/or vomiting. This information is tracked by our Public Health Nurse.

Acceptable Excused Absences – Illness, Doctor/Dentist Appointment, Religious Holiday, Pre-Arranged Absence, Death in the Family.

FCPS Communication

COVID Updates

Last 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.

Contacts

Linda Shannon, Principal lcshannon@fcps.edu 

Amy Alley, Assistant Principal, avalley@fcps.edu 

Rich Deixler, Assistant Principal, radeixler@fcps.edu 

AnnMarie Delvalle, Administrative Assistant, adelvalle@fcps.edu 

Mergie Kakouris, Student Information Assistant, mbkakouris@fcps.edu 

Amrita Love, Office Assistant, aglove@fcps.edu 

Fadwa Finaish, Office Assistant, ffinaish@fcps.edu 

Technology Support for Families/Parent Help Desk: 1-833-921-3277

Parent Information Phone Lines/Support for parents who do not speak English as their first language: Parent Information Phone Lines

Parent and Student technology support: IT Support Portal

9107 Horner Court, Fairfax, VA 22031 | Main Office: 703-645-6300

Attendance: 703-645-6363 | Web | Twitter