KGES News 10.2.2022

Important Upcoming Dates 

• Wednesday, October 5: Yom Kippur - No School
• October 5 and 6:  Dine-in or order from Ledo Pizza 7510 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, on Wednesday October 5th and/or Thursday October 6th, and they will donate a percentage of the sales to our school! Ledo Pizza

• Thursday, October 6:  Bike/Walk to School Day! We encourage all kids to "Hike it or Bike it" to school that day.  Stop by the table at the front of the school to sign our banner and be sure to show your #kgpride gear! 
• Thursday, October 6:  Level IV Referral Process Meeting 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. ~ Cafeteria  AAP Fall Newsletter Letter 2022 
• Friday, October 7: Parent Coffee - Cafeteria- Facility Discussion 8:45 a.m. Attended by Elaine Tholen, School Board Rep.,  Dr. Zuluaga
• Monday, October 10: No School (Staff Dev.)
• Friday, October 14: Fall Picture Day - more info. to come
• October 17 -21:  School Book Fair  - see below
• Wednesday, October 19: Unity Day!  WEAR ORANGE! 
• Monday, October 24: Diwali - No School
• Thursday, October 27: PTA Meeting joined by Kirsten Maloney, Coordinator of AAP. 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
• Friday, October 28:  Fall Festival Celebration - Two Hour Early Release - End of First Quarter - More information coming from homeroom teachers
• Monday, October 31: No School (Teacher Workday)
• November 1 - 5:  French Week
• Tuesday, November 8:  Election Day - No School
• Friday, November 11:  Veteran's Day - No School/Teacher Workday
• November 23 - 25: Thanksgiving Holiday
• November 29:  Make Up Day for Photos

FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23 https://www.fcps.edu/calendars/standard-school-year-calendar/2022-23-school-year-calendar

 Dear Parents,

The cool weather has been wonderful!  As we plan forward, we have included calendar dates through the end of November for your planning purposes. This year, the FCPS student holidays are different from previous years recognizing other important dates/cultural events. 

A few additional reminders for all of our parents: 

• Advanced Academic Meetings  - Referral Information will be shared on Thursday, October 6th at 5:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. We also will host Kirsten Maloney on October 27th. See the dates and deadlines below for referrals.

• Dismissal changes: Keep your dismissal routine. It is important to discuss any dismissal change with your child AND submit dismissal changes online in the morning, to avoid confusion. If it’s an unexpected change which your child(ren) isn’t aware of, please indicate that in your request, so we can notify student/teachers timely. If your child has an early dismissal, please do notify the school utilizing this link. 

• Tardy, Early Pick Up, or Absence - If your child will be absent or late, please do use this link to notify the school. 

Looking forward to another great week!  Thanks for your support. 

Holly McGuigan        Tia Hawkins              Sarah Talley

Principal                    Assistant Principal    Assistant Principal

Buses and Delays

Please know that we have advocated with Transportation and our Assistant Superintendent to have a regular schedule and understanding of bus departures from KG. Note that Elaine Tholen, our school board representative, has also connected with them.  That said, there is a significant shortage of drivers.  We will work with transportation to improve communication.  Thank you for your patience. 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.  Use code 28982 when registering for Here Comes the Bus. 

Upcoming Parent Coffee

Our next Parent Coffee will be in person on October 7th at 8:45 a.m. in the cafeteria.  It will include Dr. Zuluaga, Assistant Superintendent, Elaine Tholen, School Board Rep., Brian Schoester, Director, Facilities Services and Planning. We will be discussing the current facility and overcrowding at KG. 

Advanced Academic Information Session Dates

Join Kent Gardens' administration and Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, Debra Bulford, to learn more about FCPS and Kent Gardens' Advanced Academics Program. The sessions slides will be made available on the parent Schoology site if you are unable to attend.  

•  Advanced Academics Overview and Curriculum – Review the slide deck from the previous presentation here.
• Thursday, October 6th  - 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Level IV Referral and Screening Process – Geared for parents of students in grades 2-6 interested in referring their child for Level IV services.
• Thursday, October 27th  - 8:45 - 9:45 a.m.  Kirsten Maloney, Coordinator of the AAP Office will join the Parent Coffee meeting. 

Fall Referrals for NEW to FCPS or returning students who were new as of January 2022 are due to the school by October  15th.  Referrals for Level IV Screening for all other students are due December 15^th, 2022.  For more information including the forms, please visit this link.   

AAP Fall Newsletter Letter 2022 is the link to learn more about the AAP program located in Schoology. If you would like to learn more, please join us, or feel free to visit the KGES Parent Schoology site for additional information, due dates, and forms or visit the overview link.  You may also contact Debra Bulford, AART, at drbulford@fcps.edu.

Supporting Your Child in a Digital World

Setting Media & Device Boundaries with Your Child

Parents can also get information about their child’s activity on FCPS laptops by signing up for weekly Lightspeed Parent Reports.

Cognitive Ability Testing

FCPS uses ability testing as one consideration of the holistic screening process for advanced academic services. Test scores are not weighted nor prioritized in the holistic screening process. 

• All students in Grade 2 take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) on October 17 – 19 
• All students in Grade 1 take the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) in March of 2023

• CogAT and/or NNAT may be administered to students in Grades 3-6 who are NEW to FCPS and/or do not have an ability test score during the regularly scheduled testing windows during these timeframes:
  
  • CogAT grades 3-6 in October 11– 13  
  • NNAT grades 3-6 in November  - specific timing tbd

Parents or guardians may request a one-time retest of either the CogAT or the NNAT in grades 3-6. Requests must be made during the fall testing windows. Please contact the school testing coordinator Tia Hawkins, tnhawkins@fcps.edu by October 4, 2022  to request the CogAT or by October 14, 2022 for the NNAT. 

FCPS Cares

Want to recognize an FCPS employee who has gone above and beyond?  See this information about the FCPS Cares program. 

Book Fair is Coming!  Help Support! 

Setup:                                Friday, October 14 (9:00 – 12:00 PM)

Fair:                                   October 14 - October 21

Class Preview:                  October 14 - 18

Class Shopping:                October 19 - 21

Parents and Pastries:        Tuesday, October 18 (8:00 - 8:45 AM)

Family Night Event:           Wednesday, October 19 (4 - 7 PM)

Breakdown:                       Friday, October 21 (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM)

Volunteer and help bring creative flair to signs and decorations, assist younger students creating wish lists, help with crowd control during family events, organize and put things in place, offer a helping hand, set up, or pack up, and help shoppers of all ages find the perfect book! We appreciate your support in whatever form it takes! If you weren't able to attend the volunteer meeting, please contact Karen Hershey at kehershey@fcps.edulick to edit this placeholder text.

Dr. Reid to Host Q&A for Students

On October 19th at 6:00 PM at the McLean Community Center (MCC) 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, VA, Dr. Reid will be answering the questions and concerns from STUDENTS.  We encourage all students from Kindergarten through 12th Grade to bring their questions or simply come to meet and listen to our new FCPS Superintendent.  The Superintendent oversees almost 200 schools and centers in a county serving approximately 180,000 students.  This event will be focused on questions and concerns from students attending elementary, middle, and high school students with the McLean, Langley, and Marshall Pyramids.  

PTA Updates

The start of the school year has been a huge success as our children are learning in a happy and fun environment!  We also understand the beginning of the school year is hectic and we often feel like we "forgot" to do something.  The PTA hopes this short checklist is a helpful tool for our KG community!   

STEP 1:  Join the KG PTA today!  Membership is just $20 annually per family.  Our PTA is vital and strong, providing valuable support for our school through volunteering, providing classroom mini-grants, sponsoring enrichment classes, planning fun school events and so much more! 

The PTA welcomes all parents, teachers and community members to join in the activities and provide suggestions for future actions.  Many parents feel they cannot participate in the PTA because of time constraints but please don't let that discourage you.  Whether you have 30 minutes or a few hours, your ideas, your talents, and your voice are truly needed and appreciated.  Your voice is important so make it count!  Join out next general membership meeting on October 27th at 8:45am.  Kindly visit our website to obtain more information and become a member today.  PTA Membership - Click Here.  Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to get all of the latest information.  

STEP 2:  Donate to the One & Done fundraising campaign which is a one-time donation to support the school, programming, and the teachers.  The suggested contribution is $150 per family but any amount is greatly appreciated.  Donate today at this link - Donate Here

Through the generosity of our families, we gifted each one of our teachers with a check that will help fulfill classroom wish-lists and supply needs.  We also recently updated the Staff lounge and it looks great!   Furthermore, in 2021 we supported our teachers with luncheons and events, purchased tents to be used for outdoor activities such as Field Day, purchased “Library Book Return” carts for each classroom, and donated funds to be used toward updating each water fountain into a water bottle filling station.

We acknowledge there are many wishes in our community as to how our funds are spent, and we will continue to work with FCPS and our community to bring them to fruition. 

STEP 3: Purchase some awesome KG swag for the entire family!  Kent Gardens Spirit Wear shirts, sweatshirts, and other gear is exclusively available online - Shop Here.  All items ordered online will be processed by SmartSource, printed, and shipped directly to your home address. 

*Class shirts this year will be purchased for all students through room funds, so no need to order through the shop.

STEP 4:  Sign up to become a volunteer at KG!  Regardless of your availability, we will offer opportunities for you to get involved and help make a difference at our school.  We are stronger when we work together - please sign up today here at this link Volunteer Form - Click Here.

Let's work together to achieve a great year filled with learning new things, working together, and having a lot of fun!  #kgpride  #strongertogether

ROOM PARENT OPPORTUNITIES

One of the strengths of our school is the partnership between teachers and Room Parents.  Room Parents provide a vital connection to the classroom and offer support in many ways.  Some of the year's favorite events, including class celebrations and Field Day, are possible because of the involvement our Room Parents have with their teacher.  

Please reach out to your child's homeroom teacher for more information as to what support they need in their classroom and to volunteer. We will be holding a Room Parent meeting in the coming weeks.  The presentation will be emailed out to all Room Parents following the meeting. We thank you for your support in the classroom and around the school!

Come Join Some of the PTA Sponsored Activities! 

RETURN OF AFTER SCHOOL ACADEMIES!

KG PTA will pilot the return of academies with a six-week session from October 25-December 8 (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday afternoons). Academies are after-school special interest classes taught by outside vendors or KG teachers and parents.  Classes are held at KGES, right after school ends. Classes will include karate, intro to magic, PE games, investment club, and more! Registration will run from October 6-13th.  More information to come.

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

Kent Gardens will again compete in the Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO) in 2022-23. We are excited about this year after our successful Science Olympiad team advanced to the State Finals last year while having fun. Kent Gardens participates with a Division B (6 – 8th grade) team and a Division A (3- 5thgrade) team. The Division B teams participate in up to 23 events. The 6th grade team competes officially. The 3 -5th grade team competes in 25 events as a practice team with more relaxed rules. Sometimes 5th graders participate in the Division B. Four of our 15 state finals team members in 2022 were 5th Graders. Division A will have testing competitions on November 5 and device competitions on November 12. The Division B regionals will occur in late January 2023. Cost is $70 for the year. Click here to register Science Olympiad!

1717 Melbourne Drive, McLean, VA 22101 |  Phone: 703.394.5600  

 Attendance: 703.394.5656 or KentGardensES.Attendance@fcps.edu

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