Olde Creek Weekly Update
 Today was the first day of reintroducing our Salad Bar at lunch! Our Bears did a fantastic job!
Important Upcoming Dates
March 21: PTA Family Dinner Night- &Pizza - 4:00-8:00
March 21: Braddock and Springfield District Town Hall at Lake Braddock Secondary
March 23: Religious/Cultural Observance-Ramadan
March 27: Woodson Pyramid Art Show - 6:00-8:00PM - Door 3, CAV Hall
April 3-7: Spring Break
April 12: Principal’s Walking Club - 8:00AM
April 13: End of the Third Quarter - 2 Hour Early Release (Dismissal at 1:15PM)
April 13: Religious/Cultural Observance - Last Day of Passover
April 14: No School/Teacher Workday/ Religious/Cultural Observance-Orthodox Good Friday
April 17-20: Get2Green Earth Week 2023
April 19: Military Child - Purple Up! Day
April 20: Kindergarten Orientation - 4:00PM Cafeteria
April 21: No School/ Religious/Cultural Observance - Eid al Fitr
April 24-28: Spring Book Fair
April 27: Family Engagement Night/Book Fair Late Night - 6:00PM
April 28: PTA Family Heritage Night
New This Week
1. Read Across America Continues
2. Ramadan
3. Student Laptops
4. 2022-23 Yearbooks-Last Day to Order is March 31
5. Send a Candy Gram!
6. Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
7. Equity Book Club & C.U.B Club
8. Lost & Found
9. Career Shares in April
10. PTA News
11. FCPS News
Reminders
12. Joint Braddock and Springfield District School Board Town Hall
13. Woodson Pyramid Art Show
14. Family Engagement Night - April 27
15. SOL Schedule
16. Overtime Athletics Summer Camp at OCES!
17. Olde Creek Opportunities
18. Kindergarten Registration
19. Bears in the Spotlight
20. OC Staff Shout-outs
21. Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital
22. Contacts
23. Be Informed, Stay Involved!
1. Read Across America Continues
Olde Creek will celebrate Read Across America throughout the month of March!
 Check out Olde Creek's Reading Bingo board below!
2. Ramadan
This year, the first day of Ramadan is Wednesday, March 22. Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year, a time for spiritual discipline for Muslims, who believe it was during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Quran to Mohammed. Read more about Ramadan in National Geographic Kids.
Ramadan begins with a half “O Day” on March 22, followed by an O Day on March 23. The school calendar recognizes many religious and cultural observances (O days) during the school year. There is school on these days, however, the School Board has directed that tests, quizzes, field trips, graduation, homecoming, or FCPS-scheduled athletic events will not be held on these observance days. Half O days are full school days, but important events will not be held after school on those days. See the complete 2022-23 School Year Calendar.
Olde Creek recognizes that many families in our community will be celebrating Ramadan. The library will be available for any student who will be fasting and we have rooms throughout the day allocated for praying. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your student’s teachers if your student will need to use either of these spaces.
3. Student Laptops
As we get closer to spring break and warmer weather, the chance of snow days is coming to an end. We will not continue to send student laptops home beginning on March 31. Student devices will remain at school starting March 30. Please make sure that your student returns the charger that they have been using at home to charge their device overnight. We appreciate your help with this.
4. 2022-2023 Yearbooks - Last Day to Order is March 31
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.
5. Send a Candy Gram!
Our Student Council Association will be selling Candy Grams starting March 17 through March 24. Candy Grams will be delivered on March 31. Please see the flier in Friday Folders for additional information. 100% of the proceeds will go towards the purchase of new cafeteria tables.
6. Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
Every year, absences increase in the weeks before and after spring break. Please make sure your child is in school every day until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. Visit our website for more attendance resources.
7. Equity Book Club & C.U.B Club
Olde Creek is excited for our 3rd Equity Book Club & C.U.B. Club!
- WHO: Equity Book Club for grades K-2 & C.U.B. Club for grades 3-6.
- WHAT: Reading- "Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You." Considering- "How can we help create a safe/equitable community?"
- WHEN: Tuesday, March 28th 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 3/24.
8. Lost and Found
Is your child missing any items? Please encourage your child to look for missing items or feel free to stop by and check out our lost and found in the cafeteria. Over spring break, all unclaimed items will be donated or discarded.
9. Career Shares in April
We are looking for parent/guardian volunteers that would be willing to create a 10-15 minute video for guidance shares during the month of April. In this video you will share your knowledge and expertise relating to your career. Feel free to answer the following questions as a guideline for your video response.
- What is your career/job?
- What education or training is helpful/required for your job?
- What are the joys and challenges of your work?
- What would be the highlights of a typical day if a student were to shadow you?
- What brought you to this occupation? Who and/or what were your inspirations?
- What did you want to be or do when you were in elementary school?
Please contact Jeanna Squif at jmsquif@fcps.edu if you are interested for more info on how you can share about your career!
10. PTA News
Family Dinner Nights
The following Family Dinner Night will be March 21st at &Pizza in Fair City Mall from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Proceeds benefit the Olde Creek PTA.
Young Rembrandts: Drawing Classes for Kids
Please see the flier for information about this great after school opportunity!
Olde Creek Spiritwear
11. FCPS News
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- FCPS Building and Renovation Plans
- Upcoming Webinars for Parents/Caregivers
- Dual Language Immersion Program Registration
- Academy Open Houses
- Resources for Families of Students with Disabilities
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, sign up today.
12. Joint Braddock and Springfield District School Board Town Hall
 Join Springfield District Representative Laura Jane Cohen, Braddock District Representative Megan McLaughlin, FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid, and Student Representative to the School Board Michele Togbe for a town hall. All Braddock and Springfield District parents/guardians, staff, students, and community members are welcome. We hope to see you there!
When: Tuesday, March 21, 2023, from 7:00-8:30PM
Where: Lake Braddock Secondary School (Little Theater), 9200 Burke Lake Road, Burke, VA
13. Woodson Pyramid Art Show - March 27
14. Family Engagement Night - April 27
Use the QR code below, or click here to RSVP!
15. SOL Schedule
As you plan for upcoming appointments, we want to be sure you have our SOL dates. We encourage you to schedule appointments and any absences that can be avoided with these dates in mind.
3rd Grade: Reading - May 5; Math - May 12
4th Grade: Reading - May 4; Math - May 11
5th Grade: Reading - May 2; Math - May 9; Science - May 16
6th Grade: Reading - May 3; Math - May 17
16. Overtime Athletics Summer Camp at OCES!
See below for the flyer about camps at Olde Creek this summer!
Registration Link: https://otamanage.azurewebsites.net/office/nova
 
17. Olde Creek Opportunities
Olde Creek is looking for energetic family members, friends, grandparents, or adult siblings, who may be looking for an opportunity to join our Olde Creek Elementary staff. Olde Creek is a positive work environment, and we are ready to fill the following opportunities with members of our community. Applicants must be 18 or older.
Site-Based Substitutes
Hourly 8:00AM - 3:30PM, Monday-Friday, $24.86 per Hour
Are you or somebody you know interested in working as a substitute with FCPS? FCPS is seeking individuals to serve as substitute teachers, instructional assistants, public health training assistants, and public health attendants! We are looking for a site-based substitute to work at Olde Creek five days a week. You will find information about the application process here. Interested applicants should contact Mrs. Miller, mhmiller@fcps.edu or at 703-426-3100. Please also send your resume directly to Mrs. Miller, principal, mhmiller@fcps.edu. To sign up for an information session, please visit our substitute information page here. Please feel free to share information about this opportunity with anyone else you think may be interested.
Student Monitors
Hourly 8:00AM - 3:30PM, Monday-Friday, $16.36 per Hour
Description
Provides supervision of students throughout the school day, including but not limited to the classroom, hallways, lunch, recess, specials, and at arrival/dismissal; helps maintain order and discipline and assists in managing the behavior of students; operates technology; performs administrative and non-instructional duties; ensures all layered prevention/safety protocols and procedures are implemented and followed; works with individual and small groups of students.
Qualifications
Any combination of education and experience is equivalent to graduation from high school. Must be comfortable managing student behaviors in large and small groups, ensuring all layered prevention/safety protocols and procedures are implemented and followed, and have general familiarity/skills with basic office technology in support of teachers, students, and the classroom.
Please pass this information along to anyone you may know. Interested applicants should contact Mrs. Butler, ajbutler@fcps.edu or at 703-426-3100.
18. Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten Registration: It’s as Easy as 1-2-3…There’s an easy five-step process outlined for parents looking to register their child for kindergarten:
- Determine eligibility.
- Identify your local school.
- Gather documents.
- Fill out forms.
- Schedule an appointment.
After the appointment at the school (the student and one caregiver must be present), the student will be ready for orientation, Bridge to Kindergarten, or any other introductory events each school may host. Read more about the registration process.
19. Bears in the Spotlight
We continue to highlight the incredible things our Bears are doing outside of school on our News Show segment titled Bears in the Spotlight! If your student is interested in sharing their skills and talents, please complete this Google form. Examples can include pictures or videos from their games, playing instruments, cooking, singing, etc. We can’t wait to feature our OC Bears on the News Show!
20. 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. We recognize our staff in our weekly staff messages, on the morning news, and at staff meetings. Our students have also been sharing great stories and experiences to highlight the exceptional work of our staff.
FCPS CARES
The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for families, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story, so we can all acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees at Olde Creek. We love our staff members; let's tell them how we feel!
21. Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital
Click here for more information about Camp Primavera.
22. 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
23. Be Informed, Stay Involved!
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