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Good Morning Haycock Families! It's been a while since a family liaison newsletter has been sent out, but there is a lot to share for the upcoming months. Please enjoy reading the newsletter below, and as always please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
On May 3rd, we will be reviewing the last chapters of the book Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be at 7pm over Zoom. A meeting link will be sent out as we get closer to the date. I hope you will be able to join us.
Curious About Cancer | IN-PERSON
Fairfax: April 11th – May 9th, Tuesdays from 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Loudoun (NEW!): April 13th – May 11th, Thursdays from 5:30pm – 6:30pm
This 5-week program is intended for children ages 7-11 who have a parent or sibling with cancer. The purpose of this group is to learn broadly about cancer, become comfortable with some of the terminology, meet peers with similar experiences, learn coping strategies, and have a safe place to share. To register, please email us at LWCpeds@inova.org.
Click Here!
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurological disorders that affect brain development and can lead to challenges with social skills, language/communication, and behavior.
The goal of Autism Acceptance Month is to be more inclusive of the very community it seeks to celebrate. It promotes not just education about the differences of people with autism but understanding and respecting those differences.
Background information about Autism
Start Here: a guide for parents of autistic kids. This booklet by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, is designed for parents of children who recently received an autism diagnosis.
Guidebooks for Families
https://researchautism.org/families/guidebook-series/
The Organization for Autism Research publish and provide comprehensive guidebooks, manuals, and booklets for families that are written by experts in the field and backed by research.
VDOE:
Tools for educators, administrators, and parents working to improve services for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) – created in collaboration with staff at the Virginia Commonwealth University Autism Center for Excellence (VCU ACE).
FCPS:
Webinars
Looking for a sensory-friendly, fishing activity for the entire family? Lake Fairfax Park is hosting Anglers with Autism on Sunday, April 30. This event is designed for participants with Autism and their families to learn about fishing during World Autism Awareness Month. Learn how to fish together through basic fishing education and a guided fishing opportunity. All fishing equipment will be provided.
Location: Lake Fairfax, 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston, Virginia
The event is free and advanced registration is required. Participants 16 and older must have a valid Virginia fishing license.
Find more information. For questions, call 703-471-5414.
Registration for NCS' 2023 Therapeutic Recreation Summer Camp opens on Wednesday, April 19.
This is a wonderful opportunity for children and young adults with disabilities ages 5-22 to be involved in up to three weeks of a safe and fun summer program. The summer will be packed with special events, art activities, sensory play, games, sports, outdoor play, music activities and more.
All programming is designed to meet the different interests and abilities of the campers. All camp sites are open to participants with developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, physical disabilities, emotional disabilities, learning disabilities, and/or attention deficit disorders. Camp locations are Kilmer Middle School, Key Middle School and Rocky Run Middle School (subject to change).
Each site will have a variety of staff to participant ratios available to meet the different needs of campers. Ratios range from 1:2 to 1:5 at each site. Participants who require a constant 1:1 may need more support than this camp structure can provide. Transportation is available.
Register through TRACERS.
Campers Ages 5-12
Dates:
- June 27 - June 30 (NO CAMP June 26)
- July 3 - July 7 (NO CAMP July 4)
- July 10 - July 14
Hours: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Fees: $80/week (subject to change). Fee variances and scholarships are available for those who qualify.
Campers Ages 13-22
Dates:
- July 17 - July 21
- July 24 - July 28
- July 31 - August 3 (NO CAMP August 4)
Hours: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Fees: $80/week (subject to change). Fee variances and scholarships are available for those who qualify.
For questions and more information, please call 703-324-5532 or email NCS-TRACERS@FairfaxCounty.gov.
Contact Information
Cristin.Bratt@fairfaxcounty.gov
Stop by Vienna Parks and Recreation’s Wellness and Safety Expo for adults age 55+ years. There will be medical screenings and educational opportunities from local vendors providing a wide range of resources to enhance physical and mental wellbeing.
Event Highlights:
12:15 p.m. Vienna instructor Kate Montoya- Eccentrics class demo
12:30 p.m. Renee Prioleau- Eating for One cooking demo
1 p.m. Guest speaker Matthew Quinn from "Antiques Roadshow"
1:30 p.m. Vienna instructor Teresa Fletcher- S.A.I.L. class demo
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Open play pickleball demonstration
Be sure to visit the Fairfax County Department of Family Services-Adult & Aging Division and Fairfax Pets on Wheels booths, along with the other vendors. You’ll learn about services for older adults and people with disabilities, pet therapy dogs and much more.
Location: Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St. SE, Vienna, VA 22180
Live stream presentations by our guest speakers and asynchronous (pre-recorded) conference presentations by FCPS Staff and Community Partners will be available during sessions 1 and 2.
Register for a live session by clicking the registration link in the schedule below.
- You must register for each individual session you plan to attend.
- You will receive an individual link to each Zoom session after you submit your registration.
- If you need a foreign language interpreter (Spanish, Korean, Amharic, or Arabic), American Sign Language (ASL), or any other accommodation to attend this conference please indicate so on the registration form. For questions, please contact the Special Education Conference Planning Committee at specialedconf@fcps.edu.
Celebrate Earth Day Fairfax 2023 - the Largest Earth Day Celebration in Fairfax County! Join us on Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Sully Historic Site (3650 Historic Sully Way in Chantilly).
FCPA and partners will have a fun day packed with entertainment, activities, food vendors, Touch-A-Truck, prizes, and more! Learn more about how we can all support our event theme of “Healthy Planet – Healthy People” and all that Fairfax County is doing to support environmental sustainability.
Be a Vendor / Exhibitor or Volunteer! Sponsor this popular event!
Here are some reasons to prioritize time with your child:
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Daily moments add up. Spending time with each child makes positive memories and develops a shared history. It’s in those everyday unscripted moments that the magic happens in relationships. The spontaneous fun, the belly laughs, and the small bonding moments often happen when you are focused on each other.
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Let your child take the lead. It can be valuable to step into your child’s world and spend time how they would like. Open-ended, creative, or imaginative activities can allow your child to assert their developing personalities. You can learn a lot about them if you just enjoy your time with them and don’t try to correct or teach them during this time.
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Engage your child in what you do. Other times, it’s good to bring your child into doing an activity you enjoy or even something you do out of necessity. It can help your child to better understand you and what you value. Contributing to the household can also boost their self-esteem. Helping you make a grocery list, sort socks and fold laundry, or chop veggies for the salad are all simple ways a child can spend time supporting their parents.
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It’s only a few minutes. Keep it simple. Take short breaks during your day to spend time with your child(ren). Set a timer to help everyone know when the break is ending. Give your child a two-minute warning when the time is winding down to ease the transition.
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Plan for the occasional longer activity. Once a week or month, as you’re able, have an adventure with your child. Work on a longer project together or go someplace fun. Make it just the two of you if you can arrange for your spouse, a friend, or relative to take care of your other children for that extended time. Give your those trusted positive adults time to do this as well.
Celebrate International Dark Sky Awareness Week at Turner Farm Park Observatory. Look through telescopes and learn about why it is so important to protect our dark sky. Learn how plants and wildlife are affected by artificial lights at night and what simple actions you can take to protect people and wildlife from light pollution in your neighborhood. The viewing takes place at Turner Farm Park at 925 Springvale Road in Great Falls from 8 to 10 p.m. For more information, visit Turner Farm Park or call 703-324-8750.
Calling all citizen scientists 13 and older! Do you like observing nature? Make your observations count! The City Nature Challenge is a friendly worldwide competition among metro areas to see whose residents can spot and identify the most wildlife. We need you to look for signs of life in local parks and to see what plants and animals share our environment. Participation in this volunteer activity can take place at any Fairfax County park location and can be any time from dawn to dusk (6 a.m. to 9 p.m.) Please remember to stay on the trails and follow park rules while making your observations.
For questions or information, contact volunteer administrator Duston Meyers at Duston.Meyers@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-324-8513.
Sign up for the City Nature Challenge
The Park Authority is committed to reducing invasive plants in our parklands and we need your help! Join us for the Take Back the Forest campaign. This effort, part of the Invasive Management Area (IMA) Volunteer Program, targets the removal of invasive plants during the beginning of the growing season to allow native plants to flourish. Anyone can participate and be an environmental hero! This is a fantastic opportunity for those looking to earn service hours, Scout groups, students, work groups, families, master naturalists and community members looking to make a difference. Take Back the Forest volunteers will receive a free Take Back the Forest T-shirt, while supplies last.
For more information about Take Back the Forest or the Invasive Management Area (IMA) Volunteer Program, visit the Invasive Management Area website.
Sign up for a shift to Take Back the Forest
Join us for the 5th Annual Mount Vernon District Environment Expo: Get Outdoors! Learn and Do! on Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Fort Hunt Park, 8999 Fort Hunt Road. We were excited to partner with the National Park Service George Washington Memorial Parkway. Attendees will learn about the environmental and climate challenges we face on a daily basis and actions you can take to help.
The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) is seeking teenagers looking to develop their leadership and communication skills to become Counselors in Training (C.I.T.). The C.I.T. program is open to teens ages 14 and older and provides real-world experience in planning and leading activities for elementary-aged children participating in FCPA camps and Rec-PAC. Participants often return year after year, eventually accepting paid staff positions when they turn 18.
Serving alongside adult leaders, participating C.I.T.s assist counselors with programming, gain experience working as part of a team, develop new communication and leadership skills, and have fun helping elementary school-age children. Each participant receives a T-shirt and will receive an assignment for a specific Rec Center, park or school site.
To participate, applicants must submit the C.I.T. application and complete an interview. Once selected to the program, there is an application fee and initial online training that must be completed before the start of the summer program. Specific instructions for summer camp and Rec-PAC C.I.T.s are included below:
Summer Camp C.I.T.s: Applicants must submit their application to the camp program directors at the location they are interested in being assigned to. Camp C.I.T. training will be held virtually on Tuesday, June. 6 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Become a Camp C.I.T.
Learn more about FCPA’s camps by visiting the Camps website.
Rec-PAC C.I.T.s: Applicants must note their preferred location and submit applications by Friday, June 9 and attend an in-person training event on June 17. Accepted applicants will be assigned to a site and work daily on weekdays from June 26 through Aug. 3, from 8:15 a.m. through 4 p.m.
Become a Rec-PAC C.I.T.
Learn more about the FCPA Rec-PAC program by visiting the Rec-PAC website.
Don’t wait, submit a C.I.T. application today!
I hope you have a great rest of your week! Please email me at eshoemaker@fcps.edu if you have any questions, comments, or concerns
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