 Students in Ms. Egber's FACS class are getting ready for winter weather. They are proudly showing off their hand sewn felt hats.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I can’t believe that it is already December. I am not sure about you but it feels like the first day of school was just a week ago. As we wrap up the last two school weeks in December we will stay busy with spirit weeks, field trips, winter concerts and a winter wonderland dance. Although numerous fun events are planned for the building it is so important that students are staying academically focused. Stone has some pretty intelligent and talented students across the building and it brings me joy to see their individual growth and successes in and outside of the classroom.
Let’s enjoy these next two weeks!
Upcoming Dates:
Sincerely,
Sonya Williams
Principal
School Picture Retakes
School picture retake day is on December 14, 2022. In order to have retakes done, students are asked to return their original package on Picture Retake Day.
Pictures can be ordered at https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/
Picture Day ID: EVTKZDCKJ
A flyer was sent home with your student on Friday, December 2.
Inclusive Schools Spirit Week
 Stone Leadership classes have planned a Spirit Week to raise awareness about all inclusive schools. The will be celebrated with activities being incorporated through Panther Leadership, Panther News, SEL Lessons, Morning Announcements, and during lunches.
Preparing for Winter Weather
 Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather-related closing decisions are made.
FCPS’ inclement weather procedures will remain the same as last year. The first five inclement weather days will be traditional “snow days” with no school activities. After those five days, we will use the flexibility provided by the Virginia General Assembly to have unscheduled virtual learning days, whenever possible, to maintain the continuity of learning. Virtual learning on these days will be synchronous/live instruction, following the inclement weather virtual learning day schedule (includes a two-hour delay).
FCPS’ website is generally the first mode of communication during emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be sure to plan ahead for the winter season. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date in weCare@school, bookmark the FCPS website, plan for childcare, if appropriate, and make sure your child is bringing home their laptop and charger before a weather event.
Hope Heals
 For the upcoming holidays, the organization Hope Heals is distributing toys at no cost to families in need. If this would be helpful to your family, please plan to go to their event at:
Warrenton Community Center
Day: December 17th, 2022
Hours: 12pm – 3pm
Address: 430 E Shirley Avenue, Warrenton, VA 20186
Para las próximas fiestas, la organización Hope Heals estará distribuyendo juguetes sin costo alguno a las familias necesitadas. Si esto sería útil para su familia,
planee ir a su evento en:
Warrenton Community Center
Dia: 17 de Diciembre, 2022
Horas de repartición: 12pm – 3pm
Direccion: 430 E Shirley Avenue, Warrenton, VA 20186
Hunger is Closer Than You Think
 Stone Middle School has partnered with Food For Neighbors to help feed our local students who deal with food insecurity because even in counties as wealthy as Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun at least one in four kids in our area are struggling with hunger.
Food for Neighbors is a local organization addressing this problem by collecting food from our community via the Red Bag Program and donating directly to our local schools. The food is then distributed to our students every week through our food pantry.
We hope you will consider participating in the Red Bag food collection program. You can make a difference in a local student’s life by simply adding a few extra items to your shopping cart every 2 months.
Here’s how it works:
- Request a reusable Red Bag here and Food For Neighbors will drop it off at your house.
- Fill the Red Bag with food items that are listed on a tag on that bag.
- Put the Red Bag outside your front door in the morning on the next bag collection day (all collection dates are listed on the tag). And don’t worry, they send reminders.
Your Red Bag will be picked up from your house, the food sorted at a local school and delivered directly to the school food pantry at our school. As an added benefit, you can get a tax deduction for the food that you donate!
With your help, even more kids can be fed. For more information on the Red Bag program click here. Check out what items FFN collects as they are targeted to ready-made, individually packaged food items that students and teens can eat on-the-go or with little preparation.
The organization also offers volunteer opportunities including Driving to pick up filled Red Bags and Sorting the donated food during the Red Bag Day events. Visit the FFN FAQ page to find out more about and to sign up to volunteer in these 2 very important roles. This is a great way for students to receive community service hours, too.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sonya WIlliams snwilliams1@fcps.edu or Karen Joseph Karen@foodforneighbors.org .
Thanks for helping us provide food to students who need that extra support!
Keeping Your Child Warm During Outdoor Activities
Your school’s principal will monitor the weather for low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories which may prevent children from being outside. Make sure your child is dressed appropriately with a warm coat and other cold-weather clothing, so they can comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. See the National Weather Service’s tips on staying safe during cold weather.
If you need assistance supplying your child with cold-weather clothing, please call Fairfax County's Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) at 703-222-0880. The multilingual staff can assist with any challenges you are facing, including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and healthcare.
Multicultural and Language Resources for Families
FCPS’ Office of Family and School Partnerships would like to remind families of some of the many resources available to them:
- Bilingual community liaisons support student registrars by providing families with information about school and community services offered in Fairfax County. Liaisons are available to help families speaking Spanish, Korean, and Arabic. Once registered at a school, families can contact their family liaison for assistance.
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Early literacy programs are available to Fairfax County residents for parents of children up to 5 years old. These programs help prepare children for school and build confidence in parents as their child’s first teacher. They also help parents become active partners in their child’s education. Programs are available in African-Heritage, Arabic, Spanish, and Korean.
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Parent Information Phone Lines are available in eight languages for parents who speak languages other than English.
- A Multilingual Family Podcast is produced by the offices of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Family and School Partnerships, and Professional Learning and Equity. It covers important information for parents in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Korean.
- ESOL services are available in Fairfax County not only for students, but also for adults and families. Information on Spring classes will be posted in March 2023.
Visit the Family Engagement webpage for more resources.
District News/In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- Proposed Process for Special Education Enhancement Plan
- Provide Feedback on Secondary World Languages Basal Resources
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, sign up today.
Stone Quick Links
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