Welcome Back to School!
Meet the School Board members and listen to their back to school messages here:
Rachna Sizemore Heizer - https://youtu.be/40qDf840rlk
Stella Pekarsky - https://youtu.be/2_bPrRpMXZs
Karen Keys-Gamarra - https://youtu.be/BllJbS9bQIw
Back to School Night!
Grades 1, 3, 5 and Kindergarten on
Thursday, September 15th:
 Grades 2, 4 and 6 on Thursday, September 22nd:
 Please join us for Back to School Night for a presentation by your child's teacher and hear important FCPS information on what to expect this school year.
More information and schedules here: 2022-23 B2SN
*Childcare will not be available, please plan accordingly*
 |
|
School Portrait Day Coming Soon!
School Picture Day is Tuesday, September 13, 2022.
Pictures will be available approximately two weeks following our school's photo day. Save time and Pre-order online here: Victor O'Neill Studios - Portrait Day
For questions about ordering please email underclass@vosphoto.com
|
 |
|
Deer Park Family Lunch Day! |
Family day is celebrated in September by putting a spotlight on the people that make our lives meaningful. Families come in many forms and sizes and under different circumstances but all share unconditional love and support.
Deer Park invites you to celebrate Family Lunch Day on Monday, September 19th by joining your child during their regularly scheduled lunch time. Bring lunch from home or an outside restaurant OR purchase a Deer Park Cafeteria meal.
Adults and non-fcps siblings are $4.50 each *PLEASE have exact change* or you can pay with your student's lunch account.
Seating will be available both in the cafeteria and the tents outside the school.
School lunch menu here: deer-park-elementary/es-lunch
Lunch Schedules:
Student Rights & Responsibilities Booklet
FCPS' updated Student Rights & Responsibilities booklet is 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/caregiver with a ParentVUE account will see the SR&R upon login to ParentVUE until the SR&R acknowledgement has been completed.
Your name in the digital signature box must match the parent/caregiver’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 30th.
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener Information
Students in grades K-6 will participate in the SEL Screener in the Fall and Spring this school year. The Fall window of the SEL Screener is Oct. 17-Nov. 4. Please see the attached letter and links for more information about the screener and the opt-out form/process. All opt-out requests should be returned to your child’s classroom teacher, no later than Friday, Oct. 14. Parents are able to access the notification and select to opt their student out via SIS ParentVUE or can send back the opt-out portion of the notification letter.
sel-screener-notification-and-opt-out-english
sel-screener-notification-and-opt-out-spanish
SEL Screener Public webpage
Grades 3-6 Questions
Grades K-2 Questions
Advanced Academics Program (AAP)
Interested in learning more about the levels of service offered in AAP? Read the September Newsletter and join us on Wednesday, September 28th at 4:00 PM in the Deer Park Library. We will share important information about AAP in FCPS as well as how AAP services are provided at Deer Park. Additionally, time will be allocated to have your questions answered. We look forward to seeing you! Questions? Feel free to email Sandy Murray, AART at saguidicemur@fcps.edu
Important dates:
-
Wednesday, September 28th at 4:00 PM in the Deer Park Library, join us for the Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Overview of Services meeting.
All families (K-6) are invited to come and learn more about the different levels of Advanced Academic Programming that FCPS offers. Additionally, we will share details specific to AAP at Deer Park.
-
Friday, October 15, 2022, Level IV referrals are due for students NEW to Fairfax County boundaries as of January 1, 2022.
-
Thursday, October 27th at 4:00 PM in the Deer Park Library OR Friday, October 28th at 9:00 AM in Room M02, 2-6th grade families, join us for the Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Level IV Screening Information meeting. This session is important if you are planning or are interested in referring your child for level IV services (only applicable to grades 2-6). Your level IV screening and identification questions will be answered, and we will go in depth to cover the level IV referral and screening process to support you with the with the process.
-
August 22nd-December 15th- the window for the Level IV AAP referral submissions. No referrals will be accepted after December 15, 2022.
Fall DPES AAP Parent Newsletter 2022
Body Safety Program
The Fairfax County Department of Family Services will be bringing the Body Safety Program, called "Speak Up Be Safe" to Deer Park the week of September 19th. This is a voluntary program offered to students in grades K to 6 focusing on teaching children about personal safety.
During the session a trained facilitator will present research-based, age-appropriate lessons to help children learn the skills to prevent or interrupt cycles of neglect, bullying and child abuse – physical, emotional and sexual. The Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe curriculum includes information for children, parents, teachers, and communities to reinforce important safety rules.
More information is available on the attached flyer. If you do not want your child to participate, please sign the opt-out form and return to your child's teacher
If you wish to opt your child out of this program, please return the opt-out form by
September 14th, 2022.
Speak UP Be Safe OPT OUT - English
Speak UP Be Safe OPT OUT - Spanish
Attention 3rd-5th Graders!
You are invited to participate in Deer Park’s Virginia Readers’ Choice Program! The Virginia State Literacy Association has nominated 10 books “to encourage young readers to become better acquainted with contemporary books with outstanding literary appeal, to broaden students’ awareness of literature as a life-long pleasure, to encourage reading aloud in classrooms as a means of introducing reading for pleasure, and to honor favorite books and their authors.”
Students who read 5 of the books and complete a form for each book will earn a star on the Library Wall of Fame. Students completing all 10 books and a form for each will earn a 2nd star on the Wall of Fame, they will be invited to a special celebration next spring, and they will participate in state-wide voting to name the best elementary book for Virginia. The Deer Park library has copies of many the nominated books; several books are still on order. Students have until April 1, 2023 to complete the program.
Students can check out Schoology/Groups/2242 DP Virginia Readers’ Choice 2022-23 for details and to access the forms! Questions? Email Librarian Mrs. Farfan: kmfarfan@fcps.edu
ELEMENTARY TITLES 2022-2023
Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
Butterfly for a King by Susan Roth
Don’t Check Out This Book by Kate Klise
Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade
JD and the Great Barber Battle by J Dillard
Ruby in the Sky by Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo
Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake
The Elephant’s Girl by Celesta Rimington
The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman
Safety Drills During the School Year
Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for all of us. Each school has an emergency preparedness plan to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Schools are required by state law to practice emergency drills, including lockdown drills, each year. Schools are required to notify parents and guardians at least 24 hours before a school conducts a lockdown drill. However, schools are not required to give the specific date and time of the drill in advance.
The first lockdown drill of the school year must take place within the first 20 days of school. We practiced our first Fire Drill and Lockdown drill this week and our students did great listening to directions and staying quiet.
Your child may come home and talk about their experience during the drill. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Here are some helpful tips for families to use to support their students before and after school lockdown drills.
Working together, we create a safe, secure environment for students to learn and grow in our schools.
Spanish Translation available-
Traducción al español disponible aquí:
PTA Translation for September 8
Join the PTA!
Be a part of the PTA, a community of parents raising funds for Deer Park and sponsoring events! We have helped renew classroom libraries with diverse books, update technology and software used in classrooms, help fund field trips and assemblies, and much more! Come out and make new friends at our meetings and volunteering at our annual festivals, Family Nights and Movie Nights! Follow the link to join: https://deerparkespta.memberhub.com/store
After School Clubs
Registration for After School Clubs ends today! Click here to enroll in Flag Football, Multi-Sport, or Lego-Amusement Park. Click here to register for our FREE parent fun Chess Club. We are also offering a FREE STEM club through STEMVocate, a volunteer organization of Oakton high school students. To learn more or sign-up click HERE. Contact the PRA if you have any questions, pta.deerparkes@gmail.com
Deer Park Spirit Wear
One more week to jazz things up with tie dye, keep things cool with short sleeve dry-fit or shorts, or cozy and warm with a hoodie or long sleeve T. Order forms were sent home in Thursday folders last week and are due back by Friday, September 16 th . Orders may also be placed online @BUCKY22.ITEMORDER.COM or by scanning the QR code above. (If you are ordering online, please do not submit the paper form.) Orders will be delivered mid-October. Order your spirit wear today!
 Reflections Art Contest
It is time for the annual PTA Reflections Art Contest! This year’s theme is “Show Your Voice” and entries will be due for Deer Park on 10/21/2022. For more rules and regulations including accepted sizes and formats see the new FAQ section on the PTA website https://www.deerparkespta.org/get-involved/reflections or email Angela Gaylord, PTA Reflections Chair at Agaylord01@gmail.com
 |
|
Upcoming Dates |
September
13 - School Portrait Day
15 - Back to School Night-Grades 1, 3, 5 and Kindergarten @ 5:30-8:30pm
19 - Family Lunch Day
19 - 23 - Body Safety Lessons
22 - Back to School Night-Grades 2, 4 and 6 @ 5:30-8:30pm
26 - Student Holiday in observance of Rosh Hashanah (Teacher Professional Workday)
28 - Advanced Academics Overview Meeting @ 4:00pm in the Library
October
5 - Holiday (Yom Kippur)
10 - Student Holiday/Indigenous Peoples' Day (Professional Workday)
24 - Holiday (Diwali)
27 - Advanced Academics Parent Meeting @ 4:00pm in the Library
28 - Advanced Academics Parent Meeting @ 9:00 am in Room M02
28 - End of 1st Quarter - 2 Hour Early Release @ 1:25pm
31 - Student Holiday (Professional Workday)
22-23 School year calendar
|
