Olde Creek Weekly Update
 Happy Pajama Day from the Olde Creek Bears!
Important Upcoming Dates
December 18-26: Chanukah
December 19-January 2: Winter Break, School Closed
December 25: Christmas
January 3: School Resumes
January 6: Three Kings Day/Epiphany
January 11: PTA Meeting - 6:30PM (Virtual)
January 16: No School - Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday
January 19: Orthodox Epiphany
January 20: Battle of the Books
January 25: Two-Hour Early Release for Students; End of Quarter 2
January 26 & 27: Teacher Workdays (Student Holidays)
January 30-February 3: OC Kindness Week
 Our Bears did a fantastic job at our Winter Sing-a-Long this afternoon! Ask your child what their favorite song was!
New This Week
1. Message from Mrs. Miller
2. Calendar Reminder - Winter Break
3. Congratulations to our Outstanding Staff Members
4. Preparing for Winter Weather
5. Olde Creek/FCPS Inclement Weather Plan
6. Mental Health, Coping, and Addiction
Reminders
7. Equity Book Club & C.U.B. Club
8. Tutor.com
9. Bears in the Spotlight
10. OC Staff Shout-outs
11. Yearbooks Now on Sale
12. Reading Fitness Quest
13. Amazon Smile
14. Contacts
15. Be Informed, Stay Involved!
1. Message from Mrs. Miller
Dear Olde Creek Families and Friends,
As we head into winter break, we want to thank all of our Bears, staff members, families, and our community for their tremendous support this year. We are honored to serve such an extraordinary and supportive community. Throughout this year, we have enjoyed many events. It has been wonderful to see all of our volunteers in for our winter parties and we had a fantastic afternoon with our winter sing-a-long. It warmed our hearts to be back together again as a whole school!
We wish you all a safe, healthy, and joyful winter break with families and friends. Wishing you hope and happiness this holiday season and into the New Year! We look forward to seeing our Bears back in 2023!
Our warmest wishes,
Melissa Miller, Principal
Alison Butler, Assistant Principal
Stephanie Kaminsky, Assistant Principal
2. Calendar Reminder: Winter Break
December 19 to January 2: Winter Break - No School for Students
The Olde Creek office will be closed during winter break. Classes resume on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023
Best wishes to all of you for a safe, restful, and happy winter break!
3. Congratulations to Our Outstanding Staff Members
We are excited to announce that the following staff members were chosen as being outstanding in their categories in the FCPS Awards Program:
OC Outstanding New Teacher: Julie Eneboe
OC Outstanding Teacher: Christina Cronin
OC Outstanding Professional: Kelsey Christian
OC Outstanding Operational Employee: Sandy McCulloch
OC Outstanding Leader: Alison Butler
We are thrilled to share that we also have two Woodson Pyramid winners!
Woodson Outstanding New Teacher: Julie Eneboe
Woodson Outstanding Professional: Kelsey Christian
Congratulations to Ms. Eneboe and Ms. Christian!
As we work to move them forward to Region 5, we will be working on nomination packets. If you have any comments or specific examples about these nominations, please send them to our Awards Liaison, Julie Wilson, at jmwilson1@fcps.edu by January 6.
4. Preparing for Winter Weather
Winter weather is here, please take a moment to watch this video detailing how weather-related closing decisions are made.
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 know what items your child may need to take home before a weather event.
5. Olde Creek/FCPS Inclement Weather Plan
As you have read from the FCPS announcements, the inclement weather procedures for FCPS 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 have unscheduled virtual learning days, whenever possible, to maintain the continuity of learning. Virtual learning on these days will be synchronous/live instruction.
On those days, teachers will have students access a Zoom link from their class Schoology site. All students will have had a practice with their teachers so that all students know how to access Zoom and what behaviors are expected as to attendance and working.
Please consider bookmarking FCPS' Weather Cancellation Procedures to stay informed in case of winter weather or other emergency situations.
6. Mental Health, Coping, and Addiction
One in four Americans suffer from a mental illness. Almost 3 in 5 people with mental illness will receive no treatment or medication. In 2019, an estimated 47.6 million adults (19% of the country) had a mental illness, but only 43% received any kind of mental health care (Johns Hopkins). There are many reasons why a person may turn to drugs or alcohol initially, including using these mind-altering substances as a coping mechanism for stress, difficult emotions, physical ailments, and other issues. Drugs and alcohol can provide a temporary respite from reality and everyday life. They can enhance pleasure and decrease inhibitions and anxiety. Drug use can be an unhealthy coping mechanism. Coping mechanisms are habits formed over time that serve to help a person manage situations or stress levels. Not all coping mechanisms are maladaptive or destructive; however, addiction is both.
Before using drugs as a coping strategy here are some recommendations for a healthier mindset. The goal is to identify the “void” or issue and work towards healing. In the meantime, experts recommend diet and exercise as great places to start. See your Primary Care Physician and a therapist if needed. Quality sleep is also a major factor in a healthy mind. Surround yourself with good people and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270.
Resources:
Substance Use Disorder info
FCPS Social Work
For further Information & support:
De’Ja Ruffin (McNeil)
Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist
dsmcneil@fcps.edu
7. Equity Book Club & C.U.B. Club
Olde Creek is excited for our 2nd Equity Book Club & C.U.B. Club (formerly called Social Justice Book Club)!
- WHO: Equity Book Club for grades K-2 & C.U.B. Club for grades 3-6.
- WHAT: Reading "A Family, Is a Family, Is a Family" Considering "How can we help create a safe/equitable environment for our families?”
- WHEN: Tuesday, January 24th from 3:15-4:15
- Please complete this Google Form to indicate if your student(s) will be participating.
- The first 40 families to register will receive a free copy of the book, registration closes on 1/13.
8. Tutor.com
Are you wondering what experience other FCPS families have had with Tutor.com? Read some comments below:
- “As a parent, I logged in for the first time to see what my student could expect here. The tutor I chatted with was very helpful with my questions and gave me some great tips to try with my child. Next time, I will log in with my child and hopefully match with a tutor that will help him realize learning can be done in different ways.” -Elementary school parent
- “My child used tutor.com last night and said her math tutor was EXCELLENT. She was happy and so now I'm happy, too, as she's been grinding it out solo in the hardest math.” -High school parent
Unless they have been opted out, students can access Tutor.com through Schoology. Every session is personalized to meet students’ needs from remedial to advanced levels. Sessions focus on conceptual learning and critical thinking—not quick answers. Learn more on FCPS’ Tutor.com webpage.
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9. Bears in the Spotlight
We are excited to continue our News Show segment titled Bears in the Spotlight this year! If your student is interested in sharing what they did over the summer and/or their skills and talents outside of school, please complete this Google form! We can’t wait to feature our OC Bears on the News Show!
10. OC Staff Shout-outs
Our Olde Creek staff is outstanding and we are grateful for all they do every day! We want to celebrate the extraordinary efforts of our teachers and staff during the 2022-23 school year. If your family would like to give a shout out to an OC staff member, please complete this survey.
11. Olde Creek Yearbooks Now on Sale!
It’s time to order your copy of the 2022-23 Olde Creek Yearbook. Order early and reserve your copy for $16 at this website: www.strawbridge.net.
School Code: YB26259
For more information, view the yearbook flyer here.
12. Reading Fitness Quest
If your family needs an incentive to stay active and practice reading don’t forget about Olde Creek’s Reading Fitness Quest! Your child can earn 1 point each day (school day or not!) that they read for 20 minutes AND log any type of physical activity for 20 minutes. Both reading and exercise should be done in a single day for a point. The reading and exercising must be done before school, after school (this includes SACC, jump rope club, etc.), on weekends and holidays. The reading needs to be beyond regular daily homework assignments. It can be fiction or non-fiction. The exercise should be heart healthy. Examples of heart healthy exercises are jump rope, jogging, swimming, biking, soccer, and basketball. You or another adult should sign and date a box for each day your child reads and exercises for 20 minutes.
Yellow papers went home in Friday Folders to get your child started with the first 50 days of Reading Fitness Quest. When your child completes the first 50 days, return the paper to Mrs. Chapman or Ms. Alonso for the next paper. Prizes are awarded as students finish each level of Reading Fitness Quest.
They are as follows:
50 points (one sheet) you will earn a white ribbon
100 points (two sheets) you will earn a red ribbon
150 points (three sheets) you will earn a blue ribbon
200 points (four sheets) you will earn a trophy
We will discuss Reading Fitness Quest further in PE classes this week and please reach out to Mrs. Chapman (emchapman@fcps.edu) or Ms. Alonso (amalonso@fcps.edu) with any questions. Reading Fitness Quest will run through May 17, 2023 with that being the last day to turn in any completed sheets! Have fun!
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13. Amazon Smile
AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon and is an on-going fundraiser for the Olde Creek PTA. When you shop on AmazonSmile, 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases are donated to the OCES PTA. Please click here to sign up and support Olde Creek!
14. Contacts
Olde Creek Attendance Phone Line: 703-426-3192
Olde Creek Attendance mailbox: OldeCreekElem.Attendance@fcps.edu
Technology Support for Families/Parent Help Desk: 1-833-921-3277
Parent Information Phone Lines/Support for parents who do not speak English as their first language: Parent Information Phone Lines
Parent and Student technology support: IT Support Portal
Melissa Miller, Principal, mhmiller@fcps.edu
Alison Butler, Assistant Principal, ajbutler@fcps.edu
Stephanie Kaminsky, Assistant Principal, sjkaminsky@fcps.edu
Sylvia Alverson, Administrative Assistant, sjalverson@fcps.edu
Ann Platenkamp, Administrative Assistant, amplatenkamp@fcps.edu
Lizardo Santos, Student Information Assistant, LISantos@fcps.edu
Sandy McCulloch, Office Assistant, slmcculloch@fcps.edu
Maria Ruiz, Family Liaison, miriuiz@fcps.edu
15. Be Informed, Stay Involved!
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