Important Upcoming Dates
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Monday, October 10: No School (Staff Dev.)
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Friday, October 14: Fall Picture Day - more info. to come
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October 17 -21: School Book Fair - Parents, set up an eWallet for your student. Any unused funds can be spent at The Scholastic Store Online or to fund an eWallet for a future fair. Set up an eWallet here If you’d like to fund a teacher’s eWallet, you may find do so by visiting this document and selecting their link. Thank you for supporting our school through the Book Fair! Please note that tax will now be charged on sales at the book fair. VA sales tax rate in Fairfax is 6%.
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Wednesday, October 19: Unity Day! WEAR ORANGE!
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Monday, October 24: Diwali - No School
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Thursday, October 27: PTA Meeting joined by Kirsten Maloney, Coordinator of AAP. 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
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Friday, October 28: Fall Festival Celebration - Two Hour Early Release - End of First Quarter - More information coming from homeroom teachers
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Monday, October 31: No School (Teacher Workday)
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November 1 - 5: French Week
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Tuesday, November 8: Election Day - No School
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Friday, November 11: Veteran's Day - No School/Teacher Workday
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November 23 - 25: Thanksgiving Holiday
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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,
Thank you to the more than 100 parents who joined us for the Principal Coffee Friday, October 7th to discuss our current facility and overcrowding. Elaine Tholen, School Board Representative, Dr. Fabio Zuluaga, Assistant Regional Superintendent, and Brian Schoester; Acting Director of Facilities Planning Services, were with us to share data and information from FCPS and hear your concerns, questions, and suggestions.
As many of you are aware, our school lacks sufficient space to accommodate the growth of our community. We are proud that we can offer an education and environment that makes so many families want to be part of Kent Gardens Elementary School. However, it is necessary to address the strain of these capacity challenges. We all share the same goal– to continue to offer a place where students will learn and thrive.
The October 7th Principal Coffee was an important step towards exploring various options to address capacity issues and keep our students’ needs at the forefront. This work will continue and I hope you will continue to be part of this important work. To stay informed and involved, I encourage you to:
- Sign up to be added to our contact list so you can stay informed about the latest news and opportunities to share your thoughts.
- Take a moment to give us feedback on the capacity challenges and possible solutions.
- Watch your email for the announcement of a webpage exclusively for information about this topic.
Thank you for being engaged with Kent Gardens Elementary School. Looking forward to another great week! Thanks for your support.
Holly McGuigan Tia Hawkins Sarah Talley
Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal
School Picture Order Information!
School Picture Day is coming Friday, October 14, 2022. Pictures will be available approximately two weeks following our school's photo day. Save time and Pre-order online here: https://vando.imagequix.com/g1000942223, For questions about ordering please email underclass@vosphoto.com. Please direct all questions about your school's upcoming event to eventconfirm@vosphoto.com
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.
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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 15th, 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
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New apps, movies, video games, shows and podcasts are released everyday and can quickly become overwhelming to learn the positives and negatives of each and if they are appropriate. Questions arise such as: Why is a video game rated T (teen) and not E10+ (Everyone 10+)? How secure is an app? Is our data protected?
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Common Sense Media is a wonderful resource to visit to help parents make decisions best for their family. Common Sense Media provides their own reviews and ratings for media and technology to help guide families on their suitability for children. Search for a specific movie, TV show, app, book, podcast or game you’re curious about or your child is asking about, or view their “Best ___ List” for a quick rundown of their top recommendations.
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.
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We Are Thankful for our Custodians!
Thanks to our wonderful custodians - we couldn't manage without them! We truly appreciate them!
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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! Sign Up for your eWALLET
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)
Click here to view the Class Preview and Buying schedule.
UPDATE: Parents, set up an eWallet for your student. Any unused funds can be spent at The Scholastic Store Online or to fund an eWallet for a future fair. Set up an eWallet here: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/kentgardens If you’d like to fund a teacher’s eWallet, you may find do so by visiting this document and selecting their link. Thank you for supporting our school through the Book Fair!
Please note that tax will now be charged on sales at the book fair. VA sales tax rate in Fairfax is 6%. Thank you for your support!
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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.
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.
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!
Remember to 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.
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.
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SHOW OUR TEACHERS SOME LOVE #teacherlove |
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The Wellness Committee met recently and recommended some ways to show our teachers some love. They shared that the teachers love it when there is coffee/tea available, occasionally including a small snack for them in the lounge.
We would like to have a parent or two volunteer to choose one day a week to show #TeacherLove. It can be Starbucks Coffee/tea, and the staff always get excited when there's candy in the Lounge. Adding bags of mini candies would be a big hit for them! We can also stack up the staff lounge with paper plates/cups/napkins...etc.
Please click here to pick a slot and volunteer to drop off in the lounge by 8:00AM on Wednesdays to show some love and support to our fabulous teachers! Thank you in advance for supporting our wonderful teachers!
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Come Join PTA Sponsored Activities!
RETURN OF AFTER SCHOOL ACADEMIES
After School Academies are coming back to Kent Gardens. Registration for the 6-week fall mini-session start October 13 and end October 17. Classes run from October 25th-December 8th. Check out these FALL SESSION offerings! A complete will be remitted on October 6th through the ROAR.
PE Games with Ms. Deemer & Mr. Avery (4th-6th) on Tuesdays
Hip Hop Dance (K-2nd) on Wednesdays
Readers Theater with Ms. Johnson and Ms. Potts (3rd-6th) on Thursdays
Musical Theater (K-3rd)
French Games and Music with Mdm. Otterson (1st-4th) on Wednesdays
Investment Club with Mr. Blake (4th-6th)
Karate with Sensei Mami (K-6th)
Girls Volleyball with Ms. Altman and Ms. McDonald (5th-6th) on Wednesdays
Sports and Homework with Mr. Biggs (Wednesdays)
And more! * Class size is limited.
Additional offerings coming in January 2023 for 8-week sessions include:
Intro to Magic (K-2)
Intro to Piano (K-3)
Coding (K-4)
LEGO Engineering (K-3)
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