In this week's Paw Print:

1. Principal Message 🐾

2. Light the Night Campaign ❤️

3. Purple Up - Month of the Military Child 💜

4. Save the Date: Chantilly Pyramid Spotlight on Student Learning 💡

5. Chantilly Pyramid Art Show 🎨

6. Talk About It Tuesday 🗣️

7. K.A. Holt Author Visit 📖

8. Panther Praise 🙌🏼

9. Testing Information 📋

10. PTA Information 🤲

Dear Poplar Tree Families,

This week we had a fun outdoor assembly with Freestyle Connection BMX Team. Thanks to our awesome PTA for their support and funding of this event! Ask your kids to share what they learned about making good choices and trying new things!

We also welcomed our future panthers for our Kindergarten Orientation! It was so nice to see both returning and new families in the building. The students enjoyed visiting the library, the Kindergarten classrooms, and even getting a tour of a school bus! We can't wait to see our new Kindergarteners in August!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sue Andujar, Principal

Carol Larsen, Assistant Principal

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Light the Night Campaign

Our school is participating in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Light The Night campaign, a service-learning program that helps raise critical funds for blood cancer patients like Harper (above). Did you know that leukemia is the #1 most diagnosed form of childhood cancer? LLS is the world’s largest nonprofit fighting blood cancer and is working to change this statistic through its Children’s Initiative, which seeks to accelerate treatments with fewer harmful side effects, so that young cancer patients like Harper not only survive but thrive for generations to come.

As a school, Poplar Tree has a goal of raising $5,000! The grade level that raises the most money will have teachers complete a dare voted on by students. In the past, teachers have been slimed and played egg roulette! We can’t wait to see what dare teachers complete this year! We invite you to join our school as we fundraise to help end blood cancers. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Sniffin at smsniffin@fcps.edu. Thank you for your support!

There are THREE ways to donate:

1. Through your child’s classroom page (for the specific link, please contact your child’s teacher)
2. Our school website by clicking HERE.
   • Click “Join Team” to create a fundraising page
3. Sending in a check made payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (please send in an envelope and have your child bring to Mrs. Sniffin’s class or mailbox)

Our campaign will run from Monday, April 17 - Friday, May 5!

Purple Up on April 19

We join the rest of FCPS in celebrating the resilience of our military-connected children during April, the Month of the Military Child! Every year we take this opportunity to celebrate our military-connected children and thank them for their service as part of a military family.

To show our support, we will join FCPS in joining other Fairfax County students, families, school employees, and community members to “Purple Up!” on April 19 for military children. 

Why purple? Purple symbolizes all branches of the military as a combination of Army green, Marine Corps red, and Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force and Space Force blue. 

We extend our appreciation for the service of all children from military families and celebrate them by wearing purple in an effort to say “Thank You!” Whether or not you know any military-connected youth, please take a moment to recognize and honor them by wearing purple on April 19. 

Post your picture and tag #PurpleUpFCPS.

Let’s Purple Up! for military kids! 

💡Save the Date! 💜

Chantilly Pyramid Spotlight on Student Learning

The Chantilly Pyramid is excited to host a Spotlight on Student Learning on April 25 from 6:00-7:30 pm at Franklin Middle School. This event will feature students from all schools in the pyramid sharing their learning related to Portrait of a Graduate attributes. There will be a teacher and student panel as well as a showcase of learning. We’ll also be giving away student-designed stickers! Families and students are welcome- see you there!

Chantilly Pyramid Art Show

Our Chantilly Pyramid Art Show is back again and better than ever! Come to Chantilly High School on April 19 between 6-8 to enjoy student artwork from all over the community, enjoy fun crafts, and even more food trucks than last year! Help us support our student artists and have a great night out with the family!

🗣️ Talk About It Tuesday! 🗣️

Check out the video below where we learn about 6th graders being Goal Directed and Resilient as they Collaborated & Communicated as they participated in a Keva Plank Challenge!

K.A. Holt Author Visit

K.A. Holt, author of the award-winning book House Arrest will be coming to Poplar Tree to present to fifth and sixth graders on Monday, April 24 and books are available to purchase for signing! Scrawl Books will deliver all book orders to Poplar Tree before the author visit free of charge!

To order, visit https://www.scrawlbooks.com/ka-holt Enter your information in the delivery address field but make sure to select the Poplar Tree Author Visit  option under "Calculate Shipping Cost." Write your student's name, teacher, and how you would like your book personalized by the author in the Order Comments field.

Deadline to order is Sunday, April 16.

A huge thanks to the Poplar Tree PTA for making this visit possible!

Support our 6th Grade!!

Poplar Tree Staff Panther Praise!

We truly appreciate all our Poplar Tree staff and would like to give the community the opportunity to say thank you and/or show appreciation for all of the effort the Poplar Tree Staff is putting in day and night! We will share these praises with the staff members. To submit a Staff Panther Praise, please fill out this form!

Thank you for helping to recognize our amazing staff!

Testing Information

Spring SOL Testing Grades 3-6

Grade 3 Reading: May 10
Grade 3 Math: May 17

Grade 4 Reading: May 3
Grade 4 Math: May 16

Grade 5 Reading: May 4
Grade 5 Science: May 11
Grade 5 Math: May 18

Grade 6 Reading: May 9
Grade 6 Math: May 23

** Students in the AAP program in grades 5 & 6 will take their advanced grade level math tests on the date listed for their current school grade level (e.g. Grade 5 Math AAP students will take the Grade 6 Math SOL on May 18th).

Spring Assessment Information

Spring iReady Assessment Grades 1-6

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) adopted iReady assessments as an academic universal screener for all elementary school students in grades 1-6. In addition to the iReady assessment, all elementary school students in grades 1-6 complete the Developmental Spelling Analysis (DSA).

The purpose of iReady assessments is to identify students who may have gaps in foundational literacy and mathematics skills. iReady tests are also used to measure student progress in reading and mathematics skills. The purpose of the DSA is to measure the development of spelling skills.

The iReady assessment includes a reading test and a mathematics test. In grades 1-3, teachers also assess students’ oral reading fluency to fulfill state testing requirements. Based on test results, some students may require additional assessments to further diagnose specific skills that may need support.

All students in grades 1-6 will complete iReady and DSA in the spring. iReady and DSA are delivered within the classroom instructional block. Additional information can be found at the iReady Universal Screener webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/us). If you have further questions about these assessments, please contact your student’s teacher or the school test coordinator (Carol Larsen calarsen@fcps.edu). These assessments will be given to all students in at Poplar Tree this spring within the following testing window: April 11-May 19 Grades 1 & 2 & DSA Grades 1-6 and April 11- June 9 iReady Grades 3-6. For the expected dates when your child will test, please contact your child’s teacher.

Kindergarten VKRP Spring Testing

The Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP) assessments provide actionable information that will assist teachers, school leaders, and parents/guardians in supporting student success in school and to better understand school readiness skills across the state of Virginia. This spring, all kindergarteners will participate in the three assessment components of the VKRP, which measure literacy, mathematics, self-regulation, and social skills. More information about the assessment can be found on the FCPS Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program Parent Notification webpage. Testing will be conducted between April 11 and May 19. If you have questions about the assessment or the specific assessment dates for your child, please contact your child’s teacher.

Poplar Tree Elementary Talent Show

The Talent Show is for everyone! Sign-up to share your talent with the Poplar Tree community!

• April 17 - sign-ups close at 4pm on Monday April 17
  
• April 20 - Zoom parent meeting is April 20 - one parent from each act must attend.
  
• May 10 - Mandatory Dress Rehearsal after school on May 10 in the cafeteria, all students in each act and at least one parent per act must attend.
  
• May 12 - Talent Show!
  

Sign-up HERE! 

Each member of an act must complete the sign-up form separately. Please agree on an act name before signing-up. Each child may only appear in one act. Acts can be no longer than one minute and 30 seconds. Questions? Email PoplarTreeESTalentShow@gmail.com

🏃🏼 Spring Color Fun Run 🏃🏼‍♀️

We will be having a Spring Fun Color Run! Join us for a 1 mile run starting and ending at PTES! Registration is only $5! Register HERE!

👏🏼 Block Party Volunteers 🎈

We are looking for some parents to help us plan and coordinate the Second Annual PTES Block Party on May 19th! Help us make this a fun event for the school community by signing up HERE!

13440 Melville Lane, Chantilly, VA 20151  |  Main Phone: 703.633.7400
Attendance: 703.633.7474 or PoplarTreeESAttendance@fcps.edu
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