Weekly Words
September 23, 2022
We are Better Together!
Dear Island Creek Community,
The entire school is excited for next Friday’s Croc Rock-N-Run! A heartfelt thank you to the PTA, Christine Mehrtash (5th Grade Teacher), and Lindsey Barber (PE Teacher) for their tireless effort with organizing what will be an amazing day of fun and physical fitness for all of our Crocs! The PTA has purchased Croc Rock-N-Run shirts for every student and staff member, and classroom teachers will be disseminating shirts to students on Friday morning.
We hope all of our Island Creek families have a safe, fun, and happy 3-day Fall Weekend!
Your Proud Administrative Team,
Jen Fallert Karen Baxter
JRFallert@fcps.edu KPBaxter@fcps.edu
Principal Assistant Principal
Second Grade Met an Author
Thanks to our Librarian, Maura Keaney, and our Second Grade Team (Michelle Hopler, Shannon Query, Meghan Ritter, Stephanie Reininger, and Brad Stillions), our Second Graders were able to meet author Maria Gianferrari! All of our Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade classes have read some of her books and our Second Grade students were able to ask her questions.
Calendar Reminder: Rosh Hashanah
Monday, September 26, is a student holiday (no school for students, professional work day for teachers).
It is also Rosh Hashanah, the celebration of the Jewish New Year. “Shanah tovah” to our Jewish community celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year! Meaning “head of the year,” Rosh Hashanah is one of Judaism’s holiest days and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of introspection that ends with Yom Kippur.
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Looking Ahead: Yom Kippur, October 4 and 5
Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, begins at sundown on Tuesday, October 4, Tuesday is noted as a ½ religious/cultural observance date on the FCPS calendar.
Wednesday, October 5 is a holiday for teachers and students (only 12 month employees report).
Young Crocs in Motion
The Young Crocs in Motion running club is offered to students in Grades 4, 5, and 6. The students meet as a team and have lessons about character traits, leadership skills, and confidence through fitness and social peer relationships. The Young Crocs in Motion will create goals and run a 5K.
Registration for Young Crocs in Motion is due by Wednesday, October 5th and the fee of $45 is also due on Wednesday October 5th with checks made out to Island Creek PTA.
Practices will be held on Thursday mornings from 7:15 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. The team will meet at the front of the school and will have time to change and eat breakfast before the start of the school day.
There will be a Fall and Spring session offered. The capacity for each session is 60 students. If a child registers but does not make it into the Fall Session because of team capacity, their participation in the Spring Session is guaranteed. If a child participates in the Fall Session and also wants to participate in the Spring Session, they will be placed on the waitlist.
Click here to register for Young Crocs in Motion.
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Hispanic Heritage Month: Student Voice At Island Creek
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The celebration started on September 15th and runs through October 15th. This year's theme is Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation. Our diversity is our strength, and our contributions to the culture, the economy, and the future of our nation cannot be denied. It’s a wonderful time to pass on the beauty of Latino culture to children of Latino descent or expose any child to learning about a diverse group of people and new cultures
Island Creek students have two opportunities in which they may share about the Hispanic culture.
First, we invite our students who identify as Hispanic to share something from that culture with their Island Creek friends.
Second, we invite all students who would like to learn about the Hispanic culture to share their learning (ie., facts, poems, artwork, traditions, history, music, celebrations, contributions of notable Hispanic Americans, etc.) with their Island Creek friends.
If your child is interested in recording a 1-2 minute segment for our Morning News Show please use this link https://flip.com/2ec3a9bc as we would love to learn from them! Should you need additional information about the recording, please contact Ms. Keaney, Librarian (mkeaney@fcps.edu). Alternatively, if your child would prefer to make a poster to display in the hallways at Island Creek, please have them bring their poster to Ms. Fallert, Principal (jrfallert@fcps.edu).
Bonus: The first 50 students to share about Hispanic Heritage (poster and/or recording for ICES News Show) will receive a Friendship Bracelet that was handmade in Peru. Ms. Fallert expects delivery of the bracelets by the end of September.
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Meet our Specialists
  
Bullying
At Island Creek we strive to develop classroom communities that are inclusive, respectful, and celebrate the unique strengths and personalities of each of its members. Even so, students may have missteps or disagreements with classmates.
Bullying in Students Rights and Responsibilities is defined as: “Any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim; and is repeated over time or causes severe emotional trauma. “Bullying” includes cyberbullying. “Bullying” does not include ordinary teasing, horseplay, argument, or peer conflict.” If you have questions about bullying, or want to learn more about how FCPS responds to bullying accusations, please see this FCPS website reference or contact your child’s teacher or counselor (Grades: K, 1, 2, 3 and 5 – Ms. Shelesky at STShelesky@fcps.edu and Grades 4 & 6 – Ms. Liverpool at oliverpool@fcps.edu )
Kindergarten: Students were read the story Words Are Not for Hurting and learned that bullying is defined as being mean or trying to hurt someone's feelings or body on purpose over and over again.
Grades 1-6: Students were read the story The Juice Box Bully which focuses on the role of the bystander. Bystanders are those who see bullying behavior happen but do nothing about it. Bystanders make up the largest population of the “bullying circle” – the person(s) who bullies, victim(s)/target(s), bystanders – and therefore, have the power to reduce bullying behaviors by speaking up – by being an upstander.
Students are taught to implement a Plan of Action:
What do you do when someone is bullying you?
STOP – inform the person to stop
WALK – walk away if it doesn’t stop
TALK – report the behavior to an adult
Advisory Committee For Students with Disabilities (ACSD)
The Department of Special Services is in need of parent representatives to serve as members of the Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) for the 2022-2023 school year.
We are looking for parents who are collaborative and invested in examining our current supports and services for students with disabilities, and making recommendations to the School Board around areas of improvement.
The commitment would be a meeting each month during the school year.
If interested, please complete the form below and email to acsdchair@fcps.edu
ACSD Public Interest Form
FCPS Parent Resource Center
The FCPS Parent Resource Center offers a welcoming and engaging environment for families, educators, and community members. It provides access to information and resources to support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities.
Throughout the year it offers family and educator webinars. Upcoming sessions include:
To join the PRC email list and receive notices of upcoming webinars, sign up for their News You Choose newsletter.
Click to view the 2022-2023 FCPS School Calendar
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Monday, September 26 - Rosh Hashanah (student holiday)
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Wednesday, September 28 & Thursday, September 29 - Virginia Growth Assessment (grades 3-6)
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Thursday, September 29 - First Quarter Interim Reports sent home for school-age students
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Friday, September 30 (during grade-level Specials)- Croc Rock-N-Run
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Friday, September 30 - Student Rights and Responsibilities Signature Due
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Wednesday, October 5 - Yom Kippur (holiday)
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Monday, October 10 - Indigenous Peoples’ Day (student holiday)
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Friday, October 21 (6:00-7:30 PM) - PTA “Oh the Places You’ll Go”
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Monday, October 24 - Diwali (holiday)
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Friday, October 28 (dismissal at 1:20 PM) - First Quarter Ends, 2 hour Early Dismissal
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Monday, October 31 - Teacher Workday (student holiday)
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