January 9 News from Sleepy Hollow

January 9, 2023


Dearest Sleepy Hollow Family,

I hope this newsletter finds you in the best of health and in great spirits. We had a pretty amazing first week—2023! It was great being back home with our Dolphin staff and students. We kicked this week off with an assembly. Ms. Jenan A. Mahmood, Educational Program Officer, Sultan Oman-Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, Washington, DC, introduced our 4th and 5th Grade students to the Omani culture through a variety of Arabic games. A special thanks to Mrs. Salih Zienab, Arabic Resource Teacher, for coordinating this learning opportunity for our students. 

As we move forward this week, we cordially invite you to attend our virtual PTA meeting on Thursday, January 12th, at 7:00 p.m. A Zoom link will be sent via eNotify prior to the meeting.

Wishing you a week filled with Amazing Grace, peace, and JOY!

~A joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together.~ Brene Brown

All the best,
Mattie Fallen, Principal


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Library News

Our school library has books in different genres, different languages, and different lengths.  Did you know we also have different formats?  The book’s format is the way the story or information is being presented.  An example is graphic or cartoon format – books in this format can be fact or fiction, long or short, in English or in Spanish . . . but the way it is presented is with panels and speech bubbles.  Another example of format is Verse Novel, which is a fiction chapter book told through poetry.  Stories told in Verse move quickly because of the sparse text, but still tell a fully-rounded story.  One last format to share with you is Choose Your Own Adventure.  These books can be in any genre such as Historical Fiction or Mystery, as well as have factual information, but the book’s format is set up to allow the reader to make a choice about which part of the book will be read next.  Talk with your student to see if they have a preference on the format of their books, and feel free to reach out to our librarian at barbara.oswalt@fcps.edu if you want to learn more – happy reading!


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Our Salad Bar is Coming Back!

FCPS salad bars are making a comeback in our elementary schools as part of lunch service in just a few weeks! Elementary schools that had a salad bar prior to the onset of the pandemic and have Title I designation will be prioritized. Sleepy Hollow’s salad bar will be re-introduced on Wednesday, January 25, 2023!


Understanding the SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Screener Results

Recently, results from the SEL Screener were sent home. The screener is used to gather information about your student’s perceptions of their skills, relationships, mood, and the school environment. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions (CASEL, 2021). If you would like to understand your child's SEL Screener outcomes, click here for additional information.


Family Life Education Instructional Program Information

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve.  Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.

Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program.  Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices.  If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms will be included in your child’s back-to-school/orientation packets and are available online for.  Please fill in the opt-out form and return it to your child’s school prior to Family Life Education instruction.

Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Elementary (K-6) ,. FLE grade level-specific lessons and media that FCPS has streaming rights for are available for parents online in Schoology.  Parents/guardians login to Schoology using the same username and password as their Student Information System (SIS) Parent account.  Grade level-specific lessons are also available at the City of Fairfax Regional Library (this location does not have media).  Grade level-specific lessons and media that is not streamed online are available for review at your child’s school library.  Due to copyright permissions, we are unable to stream all media online.

Program questions may be addressed at your child’s school or by contacting Instructional Services at 571-423-4550 or fle@fcps.edu.


Tech Adventure Camp Summer 2023

This weekly summer program gives students the opportunity to explore the exciting pathways in Career and Technical Education including STEAM, culinary, health, trades, and computer science.


Parent Resource Center

Virtual Math Week Coming Soon

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Come together as a community for students in K-8 for 5 nights the week of January 9, 2023, with delightful math games and stories - all on your own time and from the comfort of your own home. All content will be available for free directly to all families in English and Spanish. 

Through rich story-based mathematics experiences, math week offers families  an opportunity to experience  math, literacy, history, and geography in a positive way. The games and stories feature several countries including Lesotho, Madagascar, Ghana, and China. 

All content will be available completely free on the website starting January 9, 2023. To access the games, families will be able to simply click on the day of the week and find their child's grade and language. View the website at anytime for explanations and videos.

Families can play for as little as 15 minutes or replay over and over lasting more than an hour on any given night. For families that want to reduce screen time, we will have physical print options for access to the content and games as well.

Use the games and stories on our website or dust off your favorite math game and play it as a family.

Any and ALL math experiences outside of a normal week count. Our goal is for FCPS to experience 1,000,000 minutes of math outside of the school day. Join us!

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SIBSHOPS: An Exciting, In-person Workshop for Brothers and Sisters of Children with Special Needs!

The Sibshop workshops are for children in grades 2-6 enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools who have siblings with special needs to:

  • Meet other siblings in a relaxed setting.
  • Celebrate the many contributions made by brothers and sisters of children with special needs.
  • Share sibling experiences and receive peer support.
  • Play games and have fun!

Thursday, January 26, 2023  9 a.m.- noon at Providence Community Center

Presented by FCPS School Social Work Services. There is only an in-person option.

Register for SIBSHOPS: An Exciting, In-person Workshop for Brothers and Sisters of Children with Special Needs!


Register for January Webinars

Neurodiversity: What Do You Mean We are All Neurodiverse?

All human beings are neurodiverse. There is infinite variation of thinking and experiencing the world due to our identities, experiences, and brain wiring that is a valuable form of human diversity (Büdy, 2021; Singer, 2019). This webinar examines the brilliance and advantages of neurodiversity and the different ways brains may function as it relates to neurodivergence or neurotypicality.

  • What is the relationship between neurodiversity and student relationships and engagement? 
  • How can we use asset-based language?
  • How can we reflect on individual mindsets towards inclusion for all students?

Presented by Kristen Haynor, FCPS Neurodiversity Specialist.

January 12, 2023 at 6:30 p.m:  View the individual event page if you would like to share this event with others. January 13, 2023 at 10 a.m:  View the individual event page if you would like to share this event with others.

Register online for Neurodiversity: What Do You Mean We are All Neurodiverse?


Social-Emotional Milestones in Early Childhood

The first five years of life are a period of incredible growth in all areas of a child’s development. Social and emotional development includes the child’s experience, expression, and management of their emotions, and the ability to establish positive and rewarding relationships with others. Join us for this important webinar to learn about the social-emotional developmental milestones in early childhood.

Webinar Highlights:

  • Identify social-emotional skills that develop in early childhood
  • Discuss strategies to support children in their social-emotional development
  • Explore concepts of attachment, temperament, and self-regulation and their impact on social-emotional development

Presented by Naomi H. Grinney, LCSW, Infant Mental Health Specialist, IMH-E® Clinical Supervisor/Behavioral Health Senior Clinician Infant-Toddler Connection of Fairfax – Falls Church

January 20, 2023 10-11:30 a.m.

Register for Social-Emotional Milestones in Early Childhood

View the individual event page if you would like to share this event with others.


Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting: Building Positive Classroom Communities through Social and Emotional Learning

Join us to hear about how teachers and school staff are building positive schoolwide and classroom communities through social and emotional learning. 

During this session, families will:

  • Learn about the evidence-based Responsive Classroom practices of Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting. 
  • Understand how teachers are using these practices to engage students in learning that is challenging, developmentally appropriate, and supportive of the whole child.
  • Learn new tips so you can continue these responsive practices at home.

The presenter is Ivette Robles,  FCPS Curriculum Resource Teacher, Office of School Improvement and Supports.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023, at 10-11:30 a.m.

Register for Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting: Building Positive Classroom Communities through Social and Emotional Learning

View the individual event page if you would like to share this event with others.


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Monitorea a tu estudiante y su desarrollo academico en  SIS Parent Account

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