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Dear Spring Hill Families,
We hope this finds you well and that you had a wonderful spring break as a family. We had a great short week back as we wrapped up the third quarter. It is hard to believe that we are headed into the last quarter of the year! The end of the year always rolls in quickly and is busy with learning, assessment, and lots of fun activities. However, when we take a moment to turn around and look back at the year so far, we can see how much we have accomplished as a school community and how much growth our students have made. They should be so proud, as should our staff and families! We are looking forward to a strong last nine weeks of school!
Yesterday, we loved welcoming our future kindergarten Panthers and their families for our kindergarten orientation! We are already bubbling with excitement for our newest students to join us in the fall. If you or a neighbor has a rising kindergartener, don't forget to contact the school office to register now!
Have a great weekend!
Walls around the Dulles Airport TSA precheck security checkpoint are more colorful than ever. That is partly thanks students at Spring Hill Elementary School.
The Youth Art Walk is a joint initiative between The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact, Fairfax County Public Schools, and the McLean Project for the Arts. It highlights more than two dozen pieces of art created by local public, and private students of all ages.
To read more about this, click here.
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Due to the short week, Get Caught Reading forms may still be handed in on Monday, April 17. We love all the pictures that have come in so far and hope everyone has been reading some good books!
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There are two core beliefs that Spring Hill School Counselors, Dr. Trigiani and Ms. Rinker, instill in the students. The first is that all feelings are valid. Even if we as the listener or caregiver do not understand the reason behind the feelings or that it is not as big of a deal as it seems for the child, it is important to still validate their feelings. This is not the same as enabling though. Validating feelings simply lets them know that you hear and see they are having a tough time. The second belief is that all feelings are okay. Some feelings such as anger, worry, sadness, may be harder for children to experience than others, but it is okay to feel that way. They are natural feelings we all have from time to time. The problem becomes when the strong feelings take control and problematic or hurtful behaviors surface. These behaviors are commonly observed when a student is in an Escalation Cycle. It can be difficult for both the child and the caregiver when the child is in the cycle. Attempts at trying to help the child often add to the escalation and/or cause the caregiver to show strong reactions as well. The question becomes, “How does one help a child who is experiencing not only strong emotions, but strong reactions?”
Aly Bothman, Occupational Therapist at Oak Tree Developmental Center in Chicago, Illinois, helps answer that question through this article from the center’s blog. Bothman also provides ideas to help your child regulate their emotions and behaviors. According to Bothman, the escalation cycle is a tool that can help us understand how our emotions work during times of big upsets. As caregivers, it can help us think about different strategies that are best to use during these different phases of an escalation. You can learn more about the specific stages of the escalation cycle, including signs and suggestions here.
 Bothman further explains when we are very upset, our brains are not thinking clearly and are not able to problem-solve effectively. Trying to “talk it out” or reason with a child (or anyone!) who is at the peak of an escalation is typically counterproductive and only adds fuel to the fire. Think about where your child is on the escalation cycle during an emotional escalation. Choose your reaction to their behavior carefully based on the phase of the cycle. For example, if I notice my child is starting to show some small signs of frustration/escalation, I might intervene by taking a few deep breaths, offering two calming activity choices, or redirecting them to take a break and get some exercise outside. Oftentimes the best and most efficient route to returning to the baseline phase is to simply take a break. Think about reducing the demands being placed on your child (stop asking questions, offering solutions, scolding, reduce noise/stimulation in the environment, etc.) so their nervous system can start winding down and they can access their rational thinking and problem-solving parts of their brain again. Provide wait time before talking about what happened until you are sure they are back at baseline and in a calm and relaxed state - that will be the best time to debrief and brainstorm different choices for future emotionally charged events.
We are calling on all of Spring Hill’s Panthers to help celebrate and care for Mother Earth this year! April 22 is the official day we observe Earth Day, but we will be spending the week leading up to Earth Day doing our part to become better environmental stewards. Please use the following Spirit Week suggestions to guide and encourage discussions about what each of us can do to help protect our beautiful planet. Remember, if we all take little steps forward we can make a big difference.
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Monday, April 17 - Saving Water - Wear blue
- Did you bring your reusable water bottle or turn off the water while brushing your teeth? What else can we do at school to save water?
Tuesday, April 18 - Beautification Day - Wear orange
- This is our day to make Spring Hill look stunning! Go out with your class and have your students pick up the trash they see. What can we do to minimize trash?
Wednesday, April 19 - My Earth Day Promise - Wear purple
- Students will all fill out a promise (paper will be provided) they can make to Mother Earth to help protect her and reduce their carbon footprint
- I promise to reduce my carbon footprint by…
- I promise to help the planet by…
Thursday, April 20 - Walk to School Day - Wear green
- Students who are able will meet prior to school are welcome to meet teachers at Hamlet Park, located near the corner of Macbeth St and Falstaff Rd in the McLean Hamlet neighborhood by 8:30am. From there, they will complete the short walk to school together.
- If many of your students are unable to attend, consider walking a lap around the school or track.
- Walking is a great way to reduce our carbon footprint and stay healthy!
- All students will receive an Earth Day bracelet whether they walked to school or not.
Please update the school or the Public Health Nurse of any medical conditions that may impact your student’s school day.
- Spring weather is here. With that comes spring allergies. Allergy symptoms can be difficult to differentiate between cold, flu and COVID 19 symptoms. It is important to have seasonal allergies documented as a health condition so that we know why they are symptomatic.
- PLEASE let us know if your child has a food allergy. Our goal is to provide a safe environment for you student’s education. Knowledge of food allergy is a pivotal way to help us achieve this.
The FCPS Office of Research and Strategic Improvement (ORSI) would like to gather feedback about teaching and learning efforts as part of an ongoing study related to improvements following the pandemic. This includes the use of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) funding to address the safe operation of schools and impacts related to Covid-19.
Surveys will be administered to teachers, families, and students in grades 4-12. Students will receive an email link in their fcpsschools.net account while parents will receive a link through the email of the enrolling parent between the dates of April 17th through May 1st. Family surveys will be available in translated versions.
Thank you for your participation and support of this survey to inform FCPS about its teaching and learning efforts to best meet the needs of our students.
Don’t miss your opportunity to have your panther memories for years to come. Please be aware we will not be ordering extra yearbooks, so if you want one, order now!
Yearbook Ordering link: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/
Yearbook ID Code: 12616523
Direct link: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/LookupJob?jobNumber=12616523
Start your day right by fueling your brain to optimize energy, concentration, and memory. These breakfast ideas provide a good balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to keep your brain sharp.
- Oatmeal made with old fashioned oats topped with bananas and nuts
- Whole eggs fried, scrambled, hard-boiled, or as an omelette, or toast with avocado topped with an egg
- Smoothie made with berries, kale or spinach, any type of milk, ice cubes, and honey
- Low-sugar yogurt parfait layered with low-sugar granola, cereal, or oats and berries
The public is invited to a community meeting on April 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at McLean High School to address capacity challenges at Kent Gardens Elementary School. This meeting will be held in the school cafeteria, and will explore options including boundary scope changes. The public will have the opportunity to provide input about these options as well as the schools and communities that could be involved in the boundary scope.
The amendment to the FY 2024-28 CIP adopted by the School Board in February enables staff to begin the community engagement identified in School Board Policy 8130 and Regulation 8130, for Local School Boundaries and Program Assignments. More information on the process is available in Regulation 8130.
FCPS staff will present an option for the boundary scope to the school board for approval. There is currently no designated date for this action.
The next opportunity for public input on this process will be in the fall. Community meetings will be held for all schools and communities identified in the boundary scope.
Information to address questions and feedback has been posted to the Kent Gardens Capacity Challenges Website. While there, sign up for the project mailing list. Communication about this ongoing work will also be shared by the school and your school board representative, Elaine Tholen.
Hughes VIP Summer Camp
The VIP Camp will be held at Hughes Middle School this summer for rising 7th and 8th graders attending the following middle schools: Carson, Herndon, Cooper, Hughes & Longfellow Middle Schools.
Program Details: Wednesday, June 28 - Thursday, July 27 (no camp on Monday, July 3 and Tuesday, July 4)
Mondays - Fridays, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (site opens at 8 am for drop-offs)
Bus transportation will be available to and from Longfellow.
VIP camp costs $100 to attend. Some scholarships are available in cases of financial hardship; reach out to your school's After-School Specialist for more information. Payment is accepted through MySchoolBucks.
Payments are due to MySchoolBucks by June 2, 2023.
Questions about VIP Camp? Contact your school's After-School Specialist:
Hector Martinez hmartinez@fcps.edu
Click here for the camp flyer:
Registration: https://forms.gle/W9fzURTaoN2FPijo9
Grades 3-6:
- IReady (Reading/Math):April 11-May 19. Click here for more information regarding the iReady.
- Spring SOL's (May 1 - May 26). Click here for more information..
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April 21 - School Holiday
April 16- Chorus Concert (6:30pm)
May 26- Field Day
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