CES Weekly News 12.15.22

Principal's Message

As we close out before winter break, I want to share my appreciation for our hard working staff. They care deeply about your the growth of our students and work hard to ensure their instructional and social emotional needs are met on a daily basis. I'm proud of the work I've seen in the classrooms to deepen the instructional practices as students have been collaborating, sharing and explaining their thinking across curricular areas. 

I want to extend my appreciation for all of our parent volunteers that have helped make this year a success thus far. At the top of this list is our lunch room weekly volunteers who are building relationships with our children and supporting their needs. Additionally our PTA has helped with many community events, family fun nights, class field trips and grade level parties, upcoming assemblies and has helped fundraise and written a grant to ensure our school is supported across many areas. We were thrilled to receive a $15,000 grant from the Mclean Community Foundation for a new electronic marquee that will modernize our communication on Kirby road. There are many individuals stepping up and I am appreciative of each of you for helping our school continue to do the best work for our students!

Our theme for this school year is "The Best is Yet to Come" and great things continue on the horizon at Chesterbrook Elementary. We want to introduce the inaugural year for The Chesterbrook Theatre. I am thrilled to have on board a passionate staff member, Ms. Cody Boehm, that approached me with this idea and with open arms we are going to host our first musical this spring. See below for more ideas if your fourth through sixth grade student is interested. I could not be more thrilled to have this opportunity for our students and look forward to watching them shine on stage.

We wish your family a wonderful break and celebration of the upcoming holidays and new year.

Sincerely,
Stacy Kirkpatrick


Chesterbrook Theatre

Introducing
Chesterbrook Theatre!

This year Chesterbrook Theatre is proud to present “A Night of Broadway” for the spring musical! This will be a musical revue that will have numbers from Matilda the Musical, Shrek, and so many more! During this process, kids will learn collaboration and team building skills, while also being able to express themselves in a musical and creative way.

Sign up soon to receive audition material!  Auditions will be held in January. We do have spacing limits in the show, so don't delay if your child wants to participate.

Please click here for more information.


Chesterbrook is Selected as Pilot

Safety of our students during arrival and dismissal has been a paramount topic for many years. Please note this new speed camera technology will be piloted on Kirby Road in our Chesterbrook ES school zone. We do not yet have a date of installation, but it is expected soon. We appreciate your support of safety measures.

Speed Cameras Target School Zone Safety On December 6, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to launch a pilot program that will have 10 speed monitoring devices (speed cameras) installed throughout the county. These cameras will be in nine school zones and one construction zone. Thanks to our county partners for helping to improve the safety of our students and staff.

Studies show that speed camera enforcement is effective in improving safety by reducing speeding, accidents, and injuries. Read more about the school zone speed camera pilot program.


Parent Coffee Info: SEL Screener 3rd - 6th Grades

December 1st, counselors held a parent coffee to share information on the SEL screener. As a follow up, the following resources are included to help parents interpret the screener results.

Connecting with Your ChildFamily Guide - Talking about the SEL Screener

SEL Screener Parent Letters for Grades 3-6 will be mailed via USPS around January 1, 2023. Families will receive their student’s SEL Screener scores as students return from Winter Break. Please review our Family Guides for Understanding SEL Strengths to help understand the survey results for student SEL skills, relationships, school environment, and well-being.

Any questions, please reach out the Chesterbrook School Counselors:

Grades 3 and 5: Heather Lomelin, helomelin@fcps.edu

Grades 4 and 6: Beau Buchanan, bsbuchanan@fcps.edu


Tips Supporting your Family During the Holidays 

Holidays can be fun but also bring about more stress. Caroline Miller from Child Mind Institute writes, “Why are holidays so fraught? Because expectations are heightened, and holidays can feel like a test of how happy and successful your family is.” Here are some tips to minimize holiday stress.


Chesterbrook Outstanding Employee Awards

Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for the Outstanding Employee Awards! Congratulations to all of our nominees and winners, who were honored at a recent staff meeting. Chesterbrook winners will progress to a "next round" for McLean pyramid. 

Congratulations to the following school-level winners!

Outstanding Principal: Stacy Kirkpatrick (Principal)

Outstanding Leader: Farris Thomas (Assistant Principal)

Outstanding Professional Employee: Heather Lomelin (Counselor)
Nominees: Kristi McGeehan (Special Ed Dept. Chair), Megan Brown (School Based Technology Specialist), Amy Vallath (Adv. Academic Resource Teacher), Maria Mahoney (Social Worker)

Outstanding Operational Employee: Holley Remer (Front Office Assistant)
Nominee: Dave Troskey (Student Information Assistant)

Outstanding New Teacher: Kendall Bryant (ESOL Teacher)
Nominees: Claire Garrett (Special Ed Teacher), Kelsie Glass (4th Grade Teacher), Sara Eichmeier (5th Grade Teacher)

Outstanding Teacher: Taylor Hutchins (2nd Grade Teacher)
Nominees: Marissa Gallo (Special Education Teacher), Cynthia Kohout (Special Education Teacher), Leanne Strubhar (1st Grade Teacher), Isabel Scrabis (5th Grade Teacher).

Outstanding Emp

FCPS Devices Over Winter Break

To support a healthy media balance and to encourage students to spend time away from screens, FCPS devices in general will not be going home over winter break. If you have a need for your child to have their device with them over break, please copy and paste the following sentence and email it to your child’s teacher.  "My child, <insert name>, needs access to their school-assigned device over winter break. I will take responsibility for my child’s activities on the device and make sure they are following the FCPS SR&R guidance and acceptable use policy.  Thank you, <insert parent name>"


Longfellow Middle School

Longfellow Middle School is excited to invite you to the Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night on Wednesday, January 11 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. This night will be full of information about Longfellow and the transition to middle school. Our core and elective teachers will highlight their exciting classes. There will be students and staff members to answer any questions you might have. The inclement weather date is Wednesday, January 18 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.


COVID Diagnostic Testing in January

Mark your calendars! COVID diagnostic testing will be available for FCPS teachers, staff, and students at five locations across the county January 3-5 from 5 to 8 p.m. This testing is for those who are either experiencing COVID symptoms or have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID. Appointments are not required, but registration must be completed before testing. Visit the COVID Testing webpage for more information


Strategic Planning Community Forums Scheduled

Beginning January 30, FCPS will host a series of community forums as part of our Strategic Plan development process. The completed schedule and locations for the sessions are posted on FCPS' Strategic Planning webpage.


Upcoming Important Dates

Friday, December 16: Tacky Holiday Sweater Day; Students will be able to wear festive holiday hats; K, 2nd, 4th, 5th & 6th Winter Parties.

Tuesday, January 3:  1st Day Back for Staff and Students

Monday, January 9th:  Assembly - Magic in Me (All grade levels will participate in two PTA sponsored assemblies)

Thursday, January 12th: PTA Meeting (Cafeteria)

Monday, January 16th: Student/Staff Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr Birthday)

Tuesday, January 17:  PTA General Meeting

Friday, January 20: Chinese New Year, Family Fun Night 6PM
*New Event showcasing talents of our 6th graders along with festivities.  Stay tuned for more info in the new year!

Wednesday, January 25th - End of 2nd Quarter - 2 hr early release at 1:35

Thurs/Fri, January 26, 27- Staff Workdays/ Student Holiday

FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23