In This Week's Wise Words: 

🌟 Principal's Message

🌟 Winter VGA Schedule

🌟 New Year’s Resolutions

🌟 Family Math Week

🌟 Virtual Snow Days & MiFi Devices

🌟 Positivity Project

🌟 Student Birthdays

🌟 Breakfast & Lunch Reminders

🌟 Attendance

🌟 Save the Date

Principal's Message

Hello Shrevewood Families,

Happy New Year! We were so excited to welcome everyone back and it was a wonderful time as staff and students returned to school for the first week of 2023. The smiles and excitement were shining throughout the building!

We jumped right back into learning and reviewing routines this week.  A new year is a great time to reset and start good habits.  If you need help setting up better routines for your house in the morning, or after school, or bedtime routines, please feel free to reach out to one of our amazing counselors who can help you develop a plan that works for your family and schedule.

We are looking forward to all of the fun and learning that the rest of the school year will bring!

Sincerely,

Joshua DeSmyter, Principal 

Katie Vandawalker, Assistant Principal

Winter VGA Schedule

Combined Fall and Winter VGA score reports will be delivered to families via U.S. Mail as soon as possible after all Winter VGA tests are completed. The anticipated delivery timeline is late February or early March 2023. The intention of combining this VGA reporting is to make it easier for families to view growth in the Vertical Scaled Scores (VSS) from fall to winter and to compare the student’s VSS results to the end-of-year proficiency target. More information pertaining to the VGA can be found here.

If you have any questions about the VGA, please email Katie Vandawalker at kmvandawalke@fcps.edu.

New Year’s Resolutions

In December, many people will head to their local Target or Michaels to find a new planner. The crisp, fresh feeling of new paper to write new and improved goals gets some of us excited. When thinking of your goals, consider making them SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound). This method breaks your goals down into specific objectives and makes it easier for you to track your progress. What goals would you like to share with your child to show them examples of healthy adult introspection? Introspection, looking within, is necessary to learn how to manage stress in a healthy manner. What regular coping skills can be implemented into your daily/weekly routine? Some goals may be physical, spiritual, financial, or emotional. Would it be easier to have serious conversations over a family dinner, or maybe regular family dinners spark joy and connection that’s often missing?

Research has shown that family therapy is the best treatment option for young people who misuse drugs and alcohol (SAMHSA). Many people use drugs to manage life’s hardships when they feel disconnected from themselves or others.The opposite of addiction is connection, and young people benefit from connection with their families. Families who have a common mission based on autonomy and openness instead of secrecy and silence thrive. Families teach young people how to manage stress when they communicate honestly and openly with one another. Learning how to manage stress early in life could be a major factor in whether or not a young person decides to use drugs.

For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270.

Sources & Resources

Why Small Conversations Make a Big Difference

SMART Goals Quick Overview

Knowing the Signs: Substance Abuse & Today’s Youth

For further Information & support:

Ally Jacobi, MSW

Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist

Ajacobi1@fcps.edu

Family Math Week

ST Math is hosting family math week from January 9, 2023, until January 13, 2023. During the week of January 9, 2023, students will be encouraged to log onto the FCPS Family Math website to engage in math activities including stories that include mathematical concepts and a variety of different math games from around the world. All activities are available in English and Spanish. 

To learn more about ST Family Math Nights check out this video.

Virtual Snow Days & MiFi Devices

FCPS has announced updates to its inclement weather procedures for the 2022-23 school year.

Like last year, the first five inclement weather days will be traditional “snow days.” These five days may occur consecutively due to a single weather event or may take place as several individual events.

Once these five days have been taken, FCPS will use the flexibility provided by the General Assembly to have unscheduled virtual learning days, wherever possible, to maintain continuity of learning.

During weather events, FCPS must consider power outages, technical connection issues, and whether students have access to devices that they may not have taken home the night before.

Allowing five days for inclement weather events allows time to plan ahead as best as possible to ensure everything needed to continue to serve our students and families is in place. This includes allowing for pick-up times for devices, clearing parking lots so those devices can be collected, as well as allowing teachers time to reformat their classes for a virtual format.

MiFi (Mobile Hotspot) Check-out

Schools have mobile hotspot devices (MiFi) for checkout to students who have no internet access at home. These MiFis are intended to support school-related activities only and include internet filtering that prevents recreational uses including Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services. If your student needs a MiFi device to complete school work at home, please fill out this Google Form. Our school team will be in touch regarding distribution of these devices.

Next week, our Positivity Project lessons in Morning Meeting will be focusing on the prudence character strength. Prudence means you plan for the future and achieve your goals by making careful everyday choices.

Questions that you can discuss with your child include:

• Where have you seen people make and follow a plan to achieve their goal?
• What short term goals will you need to achieve in order to work towards one of your larger goals?
• What might distract you from achieving your goal, and how can you deflect that?

“Prudence is the knowledge of things to be sought, and those to be shunned." -Cicero

Student Birthdays

We will be recognizing and honoring our students' birthdays monthly. For the safety of all students and staff in our building and to limit the amount of classroom disruptions, please do not send in food or toys for your child's birthday.

Breakfast & Lunch Reminders

Attendance

As a reminder, school begins at 9:20 am and ends at 4:05 pm. Please notify us if your child will be absent or late to school.  We will have an automated “call-out” at approximately 11 am. for students who were absent without prior notification. If you receive that call, please contact our office the next day. 

Here is how you may report your child being absent or late to school:

Attendance Line | 703-645-6666

Main Office | 703-645-6600

ShrevewoodElem.Attendance@fcps.edu

Or the online attendance form:

https://shrevewoodes.fcps.edu/attendance-form

Save the Date

⭐VGA Testing⭐

Tuesday, January 10 - Friday, January 20

⭐Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday⭐

Monday, January 16 - No School

⭐End of the 2nd Quarter⭐

Wednesday, January 25 - 2 hour early release

⭐Teacher Workday⭐

Thursday, January 26 & Friday, January 27 - No school for students

7525 Shreve Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Office: 703-645-6600
Attendance: 703-645-6666 | Web | Twitter