|
Dear Mantua Families,
Last week was filled with great learning, celebrations, and fun! Many classes participated in Pi Day themed activities, including pie making and competitions to memorize the most digits of Pi. The winner memorized 107 digits of Pi! Friday was loaded with luck and green attire, while our Kindergartens were just shy of catching a classroom leprechaun! Finally, we wrapped up our first week with our recess plan in place. The play was inclusive, fun, and safe! Thank you to all of the staff, students, and families who were a part of the work to make this possible! Much of this weekl's fun is shared in the pictures below!
We are very much looking forward to our celebration of Heritage Night this week! Heritage night will be Tuesday evening at 6:00 PM in the gym. We anticipate a fabulous turnout and a great time of experiencing the many cultures of our Mantua families!
Later this week begins Ramadan, a month-long observance for Muslims and a time of spiritual discipline for those who celebrate. We know that there may be additional needs for some students during this time, and we encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher if there is a way that we can support you. To find out more about Ramadan, please click on the link below.
Be sure to keep an eye on our calendar below, so you don’t miss all the exciting events at Mantua!
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Take good care,
Linda Shannon, Principal
Amy Alley, Assistant Principal
Rich Deixler, Assistant Principal
Important Dates
March 21: Heritage Night at Mantua Elementary, 6:00-7:30 PM
March 22-23: Religious and Cultural Observance Day for Ramadan (begins the evening of March 22)
March 24-25: All county Chorus Festival, 9:00-4:00, Lake Braddock Secondary School
March 27: Pyramid Art Show, 6:00-8:00, Woodson High School
April 3-7: Spring Break Week (no school for staff or students)
April 10: Students and staff return to school from Spring Break week
April 12: Literacy Night 6:30-8:00 PM
April 13: End of the third quarter, two-hour early release
April 14: Student Holiday, Staff Professional Workday
Deadline to order Mantua yearbooks
See the complete 2022-23 school year calendar.
Woodson Pyramid Art Show: March 27, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
 |
|
Please Join us for the Woodson Pyramid Art Show next week. It is a wonderful opportunity to see the talents of our students! |
Mantua's Literacy Night: April 12, 6:30-8 PM
Please join us for interactive literacy activities for the whole family! Dr. Diane Leipzig will begin our evening at 6:30 PM in the library with a presentation describing the shifts in literacy instruction toward the Science of Reading. During this presentation, child care will be provided in the cafeteria for Mantua Students (we will not be equipped to watch anyone younger than kindergarten). A select number of classrooms will open at 7 PM so that families can pick up their children and participate, “open house style,” in a variety of age appropriate reading and writing activities.
Read-A-Thon: April 17-22
Mark Your Calendars! The 2nd Annual Mantua PTA Read-a-Thon Fundraiser will be taking place April 17-28. Over the course of these 2 weeks, students will be encouraged to read, read, read! Students will be able to track minutes online and be eligible for some fun raffle prizes! This is one of our PTA's biggest fundraisers, so we thank you in advance for your support. Stay tuned for more information!
Tornado Drill: Wednesday, March 29th
March is Severe Weather Awareness Month. Teachers will review with students what to do in the event of strong winds and tornado warnings. Just like we practice for fire drills, we will be conducting our annual required tornado drill on March 29.
Seeking Candidates to Join our Team!
Student Monitor:
Student monitors can serve in full-time or part-time positions. Reach out to us to talk about opportunities! Monitors may supervise students throughout the school day, including the classroom, hallways, lunch, recess, specials, and at arrival/dismissal. Hourly, $16.36 per Hour.
Dining Room Assistant:
Dining Assistants help students during lunchtime by supervising students during lunch, clean-up, and dismissal. Qualifications: Friendly, energetic, assertive in maintaining expectations of cafeteria behavior, and loves working with children. Hourly, $12.03 per Hour.
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten Registration: It’s as Easy as 1-2-3… Each school’s staffing depends on the upcoming year’s enrollment. The sooner our students are enrolled, the better we can plan for next year. An easy five-step process is 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. You may contact Mergie Kakouris us at 703-645-6303 for more information or to schedule a registration appointment.
Yearbook Time!
The link is now open for you to order yearbooks for the 2022-2023 school year! The link to order can be found here. Orders are being accepted only online, and the deadline to order is April 14. After April 14, the link will be taken down, so make sure to order yours today!
FCPS & Pyramid News
Recognitions & Celebrations
March 22-April 21 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.
Mantua recognizes that many families in our community will be celebrating Ramadan. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your student’s teachers if your student will need a space for fasting or praying
April 5-13 Passover
Many Jewish communities in the United States celebrate Passover, a recognition of the deliverance of Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Passover is also known as Pesah, Pesach, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Many Jewish families in the United States eat a ceremonial meal known as the Seder, which involves telling the story of the exodus from Egypt as well as eating various symbolic foods, such as meat of the paschal lamb and bitter herbs, recalling the harsh life of slavery.
April 7 Good Friday
Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, is the day on which Christians annually observe the commemoration of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Good Friday is a day of mourning. During special Good Friday services Christians meditate on Jesus's suffering and death on the cross, and what this means for their faith. Read more at Britannica.com. This is a Fairfax County observed religious observance, but it falls over Spring Break week.
Equity in Education Month
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)—in conjunction with the Virginia School Boards Association—observes March as Equity in Education Month, a division-wide opportunity to deepen our commitment to creating a climate and curriculum where all students receive the resources they need to reach their fullest potential.
Proposed Updates to the SR&R
Proposed Updates to Student Rights and Responsibilities The Department of Special Services will be hosting two virtual meetings for the FCPS community regarding proposed updates to the Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) Regulation. Please join one of the meetings below via Zoom (click the date to register):
Participants will have an opportunity to learn about the suggested updates and ask questions via Zoom Chat. Language interpretation will be available in Spanish. A certified deaf interpreter will be available as well.
Beginning Monday, March 20, families and staff will also be able to provide feedback on proposed updates to the SR&R via a short survey. Please stay tuned for details. Visit FCPS’ website for more information.
Virtual Strategic Planning Community Forums Coming Soon
FCPS is hosting a virtual community forum to discuss the first draft of proposed goals for the new Strategic Plan.
Forums are scheduled for:
- Monday, April 10, at noon.
- Tuesday, April 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (in Spanish).
- Monday, April 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
FCPS Strategic Planning Survey Closes March 20
If you haven’t already, please take a moment to share your perspectives on the current draft of FCPS’ new Strategic Plan. Your input is important to this work and will help ensure a thriving future for each and every FCPS student.
Parents and caregivers of current FCPS students, please check your email for a message from FCPS dated Tuesday, March 14. For community members who do not currently have a student enrolled in FCPS, please use this link to participate.
All responses are anonymous. Visit our Strategic Planning webpage for more details.
Contacts
Linda Shannon, Principal lcshannon@fcps.edu
Amy Alley, Assistant Principal, avalley@fcps.edu
Rich Deixler, Assistant Principal, radeixler@fcps.edu
Ann Marie Delvalle, Administrative Assistant, adelvalle@fcps.edu
Mergie Kakouris, Student Information Assistant, mbkakouris@fcps.edu
Fadwa Finaish, Office Assistant, ffinaish@fcps.edu
Susan Palomino, Office Assistant slpalomino@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
Our Mental Health Team is available if your child needs support.
Richard Hang, Counselor, rhang@fcps.edu
Susan Song, Counselor sssong@fcps.edu
Austin Swift, School Psychologist, atswift@fcps.edu
David Glasser, Psychologist, dmglasser@fcps.edu
|
