Churchill Chatter School Newsletter


Churchill Chatter - Issue 11, January 6, 2023


cookies

Second grade students and families enjoyed time together prior to winter break with a cookie exchange at the Old Firehouse in McLean.


Dear Churchill Road Families,  

We are so happy to see all of our students after winter break.  Students are rested and eager to engage in learning. During the past week,

  • Kindergarteners developed goals for 2023.
  • First graders continued learning about vowel sounds.
  • Second graders studied analogies and created their own analogies about their families.
  • Third grade students learned about different economic concepts of Ancient Egypt such as resources and specialization, and engaged in activities to understand opportunity cost. 
  • Fourth graders have spent this last week creating an emergency weather broadcast warning for extreme weather and will record their own weather broadcasts.
  • Fifth graders continue their work on our Hammurabi Document Based Question (DBQ), “What is Justice?” 
  • Sixth graders practiced researching and determining reliable sources to stay safe online.

Warmly,

Jen Niccolls and Cherith Pierson-Barr


In This Week's Issue

  • Portrait of a Graduate - Collaboration and Creative and Critical Thinking
  • Rise Against Hunger
  • SEL Screener Results Coming in January
  • FCPS Family Math Week
  • Reminder - No Dogs on School Grounds
  • From the PTA:  Register for Winter After School Activities
  • Youth Substance Use Presentations January 23 (in-person) and March 21 (virtual)
  • FCPS Webinars for Parents/Caregivers
  • FCPS Cares Program
  • Important Dates

Portrait of a Graduate

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This month’s theme is aligned with the Portrait of a Graduate attributes of being a Collaborator and a Creative and Critical Thinker. Being a collaborator involves skills such as working respectfully with others by honoring different viewpoints, ideas and perspectives to achieve common goals. Being a creative and critical thinker involves creating unique solutions to challenges that arise and making the world a better place by asking: “How Can I Make a Difference?”


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Rise Against Hunger

We hope you will sign up to volunteer and donate for our annual Langley Pyramid Rise Against Hunger event on Saturday, February 4, 2023! This is a wonderful Langley pyramid tradition, and we want to make sure our families can participate in any manner they see fit. We will be collecting student donations through Friday, January 20.  Students may return donations to their classroom teacher or with students stationed in the lobby and at Kiss and Ride during morning arrival. Also you may donate online:  http://events.riseagainsthunger.org/LangleyPyramid2023

A few volunteer slots remain.  Register to volunteer for the event at: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E0C45ABA62FA1FC1-churchill

Thank you for your support.


SEL Screener 

Parents/guardians of students in grades 3-6 who participated in the Fall 2022 SEL Screener will have the results mailed to their homes at the beginning of this month.  FCPS has created the SEL Screener Family Guide to support you in understanding your child’s scores. If you have any additional questions about your child’s SEL Screener results, please feel free to reach out to our school counselor, Samantha Zourelias.


FCPS Family Math Week

The Parent Resource Center will host Family Math Week January 9-13. Families can log in from home for stories, games, and math activities in English and Spanish. Math week offers families an opportunity to experience math, literacy, history and geography in a positive way. 


no dogs

Dogs on School Grounds/Walker Arrival and Dismissal Locations

Just a reminder that sadly, we are going to need to tighten the policy that dogs are not allowed on school grounds and therefore not at the walker area, either at arrival or dismissal. We have had situations that have created safety concerns for our students and families. Thank you for adhering to this policy.


From the CRS PTA:  Register for Winter After School Activities!

We are excited to partner with Baroody Camps for the winter 2023 enrichment class session, providing a variety of Enrichment Programs for your children. 

  • Priority registration opens up at 9am on January 9 for active PTA members.
  • Regular registration opens up at 9 a.m. January 11 for non-member. All registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on January 13.

Full registration details, class descriptions, etc. are located on the CRS PTA website here.  

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Youth Substance Use Presentations

FCPS is dedicated to providing parents and community members with the most accurate and up-to-date information on youth substance use, prevention, addiction, interventions and available supports. Please join us and our partners from the Fairfax County Police Department and Community Services Board as we discuss these topics as well as the ongoing opioid crisis. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of:

  • Alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and opioids.
  • List what you can do as a caregiver.
  • How to identify and connect with community resources.

The Langley Pyramid presentation will be held on January 23rd at 6:00pm at Langley High School.   There will also be a virtual presentation in partnership with the Parent Resource Center on March 21.


Webinars in January for Parents/Caregivers

The Parent Resource Center will present the following webinars in January:

Click on the links above for more information or to register.


FCPS Cares Program

Recognizing employees who go above and beyond

FCPS Cares is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize those who go above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story so we can all acknowledge the outstanding work of FCPS, and more specifically, Churchill Road employees.


calendar

Calendar Reminder: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

As a reminder, schools and offices will be closed on Monday, January 16, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. See the complete 2022-23 School Year Calendar.


Important Dates

  • Tuesday, January 10 - PTA Meeting, Virtual, 7 PM
  • Monday, January 16 - MLK Jr. Birthday Holiday - School Closed
  • Monday, January 23 - Youth Substance Abuse Presentation, Langley HS, 6 PM
  • Wednesday, January 25 - End of Quarter Early Release @ 1:20 PM
  • Thursday-Friday, January 26-27 - Student Holidays

Please visit the FCPS School Year Calendar for more information

2022-23 School Year:

https://www.fcps.edu/calendars/standard-school-year-calendar/2022-23-school-year-calendar


Quick Links

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