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Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS. Learn more about Black History Month.
Joan Trumpauer Mulholland will be visiting Bush Hill on February 15th. She is a civil rights icon who has received many awards and recognition for her work in the Civil Rights Movement. We will learn about her experiences and important activism.
The National African American Read-In is a groundbreaking effort to encourage communities to read together, centering African American books and authors. It was established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. More information is coming soon about details for this event at Bush Hill Elementary.
Library:
This month we will be celebrating Black History Month through the stories in our library. We will be reading, researching, and exploring some of the many contributions and achievements of Black people throughout history. Students in 5th grade will also be finishing their “Inside a Character” projects where they are working on perspective by explaining a character through first person point of view.
PE:
This month starts the third quarter and with that comes striking with implements, dance, and volleyball. In grades K-6 we will start with hockey skills such as stick handling, passing, and shooting. Towards the end of hockey, upper grades will play modified, small-sided games showcasing their skills, and lower grades will play modified activities, getting a chance to reinforce those concrete skills. After hockey, we plan to start a dance unit! Students in all grade levels will dance to familiar favorites such as, “The Cha Cha Slide,” “Cupid Shuffle,” or “The Hokey Pokey.” Students in 5th and 6th grade will be required to come up with a dance routine of their own while students in lower grades will follow along to a teacher-created dance.
Music:
As we celebrate Black History Month, students will be learning about various Black musical artists and composers. Students will also be learning about how Black culture and traditions directly influenced music and dance, creating many of the musical genres that are popular today. 5th and 6th grade students will also be studying the anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. Students will learn about the history of this song and why it is such an important and influential piece of Black history.
Art:
Artists in Kindergarten this month will be starting their painting units. We will be exploring painting techniques and following the three step painting process. We ask that students wear appropriate clothing during art days. 1st grade artists are exploring clay and paper weaving units while incorporating themes of family. 2nd grade artists are exploring paper weaving and will start their painting units soon. 3rd grade artists are starting their printmaking and clay units exploring cultural botanicals and animals. 4th graders have finished their painting units and are starting a clay coil unit. 5th grade artists will be exploring printmaking and clay units during the 3rd quarter. 6th grade artists are finishing up their printmaking unit and will be exploring collage and clay units during the 3rd quarter.
STEAM:
This month we are engaging in computer science by learning to code small robots called Ozobots. Students will use different color patterns on a path to create programs for their robots. Students will be creating algorithms, or step-by-step instructions, to tell their robot to do tricks such as spin like a tornado, move like a snail, change directions and more! Students will be creative & critical thinkers as they design new codes for their robots. Check in with your student this month to find out about their new Ozobot friends!
Wear your work out gear or Sports jerseys!
Here are some movement activities to check out:
Valentine This or That/Eye Spy/Valentine Run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n39xh8kw0tY
Valentine Run -Cupid’s Revenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJegWcBPrqA&t=21s
This or That Winter Sports https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvrScK5Q7-M
Harry Potter Chase https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwfh96Oj9-c
Heart Trivia This or That https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6J4cBkATs0&t=113s
Happy Workout Wednesday!!!!
 Celebrating National Wear Red Day on February 3, 2023
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In last week's News You Choose, the Bush Hill PTA announced that Joan Trumpauer Mulholland will share her story with students during two student assemblies in the morning of February 15, one at 9:30 am and the other at 10:45 am.
We hope you can join us! We have 30 spots available for parents/guardians to come hear Joan share her experiences as an "ordinary hero" on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement. We will also learn more about her ongoing work as an advocate for justice and equity, especially for Black Americans.
Please use this sign up genius link to sign up for this upcoming event: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D4CA5A82EA6F85-speaker
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Two-Day Restaurant Fundraiser: Uno's Pizzeria February 22 & 23
Raise some "dough" for Bush Hill Elementary at Uno's Pizzeria in Kingstowne on two days, February 22nd & 23rd from 11a.m. to 10p.m.. You can dine-in or order to go and Uno's Kingstowne will donate up to 20% of sales to the PTA. Be sure to bring the flier with you or show it on your phone at the restaurant - you can find a copy on the Bush Hill PTA Facebook page here.
Enrichment Classes
Bush Hill Families,
This spring, the PTA will be offering before and after school enrichment classes for all students in grades k-6. We are in need of volunteers who would like to share their hobby, interests or talent with students for 1 hour each week, up to 8 weeks. The spring session will be 6-8 weeks in length beginning sometime in March and ending in May. Any materials needed for the course will be provided by the PTA. All classes are capped at a student to Instructor ratio of 25:1. However, each enrichment instructor will determine how many students they are able to work with in their class. We will also gladly accept volunteers to assist with student arrival and dismissal of enrichment classes.
If you are interested in teaching an enrichment session or volunteering to assist with student logistics during the sessions, please contact me, Jennifer Olin, as soon as possible.
Here is a sample of what could be offered: Soccer, Chess, Cooking, Dance, Choir, Acting, Legos/lego robotics, Engineering, Pottery, Art, Jewelry making, Sewing, Music lessons, Language Lessons, & Coding.
Jennifer Olin
jenniferbynes@gmail.com
763-923-1674
Resources:
The Fairfax County Park Authority has begun Spring Break and Summer Camp registration. Here is the Parktakes Digital Catalog and the Registration page.
H.I.P.S. is a community awareness program to educate parents on signs of risky behavior. Please consider joining on Saturday, February 18th at 12:00PM for "Hidden in Plain Sight" at the Mount Vernon District Station.
You must register to attend this FREE event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hidden-in-plain-sight-mount-vernon-district-tickets-529379066037
5th Grade will be celebrating Harry Potter day on February 16th to end our Fantasy Unit! Just like at Hogwarts our students will arrive in the gym to get placed into their houses and compete for points to win the house cup! It will be a fun day filled with Quidditch, reading and sharing our fantasy stories, playing a Harry Potter themed math game, and paying a visit to the Honey Dukes candy store in each of our classrooms!
Extra Help for Students at No Cost to Families
With Tutor.com through Schoology, FCPS students are able to get learning help at any time, even from bilingual tutors! Students in FCPS meet with tutors thousands of times each week to practice reading, prepare for an upcoming math test, write computer programs, study for the SAT, or to get feedback on scholarship essays–all at no cost to their families! If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take just a few minutes to connect with a tutor with your child. More info about Tutor.com in FCPS is available here.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a COVID-19 Testing Locator website, which can help families find no-cost COVID-19 testing sites:
The locator is part of the CDC’s Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program, which focuses on at-risk communities. Testing is available at pharmacies and other locations and is provided at no cost to individuals with or without health insurance and in areas with an increased demand for testing.
More information via the CDC’s recent announcement is available at the following link:
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/s0124-testing.html
 
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