Fairfax Villa Weekly Message 7/31/2023

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 07/31/2023 03:00 PM EDT
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To read this newsletter in other languages, please visit our website.

Para leer este boletín en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.

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Important Upcoming Dates  

8/9: Kindergarten Playdate 9am-10am

8/9: New 1st Grade - 6th Grade Student Tour/Playdate - 10am-11am

8/17: Fairfax Villa Back to School event for parents and students (also PTA meeting #1 of the school year in our school lobby)

8/21: First day of school 2023-24

9/5: Boosterthon kick Off

9/13: Boosterthon Fun Run

9/19: PTA Meeting #2 (Waples Mobile Home Park)

9/22: Woodson Feeder Night Football game 

10/12: Zoom PTA Meeting #3

10/20: PTA Fall Festival

11/9: Zoom PTA Meeting #4

11/17: PTA Glow Party

1/18: Zoom PTA Meeting #5

2/9: PTA Heritage Night

4/4: Zoom PTA Meeting #6

4/12: PTA Bingo Night

IN THIS ISSUE

  1. 2023 Open House/Back to School Event
  2. Kindergarten & Grades 1-6 New Student Tours & Playdates
  3. Still Need a 2022-2023 Yearbook?
  4. Kindergarten and New Student Registration
  5. Class Placement Letters
  6. First Day Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
  7. Kiss and Ride Information and Registration
  8. ParentSIS/ParentVue Accounts
  9. Updated FCPS Phone Policy For Students
  10. Technology Updates and Information For Families
  11. Plan to Submit Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications This Summer
  12. Summer Office Hours
  13. Summer Reading Programs
  14. Attendance Matters
  15. Important Fairfax Villa Contacts
  16. Be Informed; Stay Involved!

1.2023 Open House/Back to School Event

We are so excited to greet returning and new Villa Dragons for another outstanding school year!  As we have had in the past, we are having a combined Open House and Back to School event on Thursday, August 17. This combined event will allow our students to explore their new classrooms and meet their teachers, as well as allow our parents to receive a curricular overview and understand student expectations for the school year. 

This event will consist of two parts. First, students and families will go to the classroom together to meet the teacher informally. School supplies may also be dropped off. After, a staff member will take all students to another classroom at Fairfax Villa ES where team-building activities will take place. While students are with that staff member, teachers will give a formal presentation to families without students present.

Parking can be a challenge in our school neighborhood. As a result,  we are asking for all families who reside in walking distance to please walk to and from school for this event. Parking on the school grounds will be available, but limited.  If necessary, you may park on the street as long as you follow the county parking guidelines.  

Students MUST be accompanied by a parent to attend this event. We look forward to seeing you at the Open House and Back to School events!

Event Times 

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2.Kindergarten & Grades 1-6 New Student Tours & Playdates

Welcome to our NEW Villa Dragons who are attending our school for the first time! You  are invited to bring your  families and  come to Fairfax Villa next Wednesday, August 9, for a tour of the school and to informally meet new friends.  The kindergarten session will be from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and the grades 1-6 session will be from 10:00 AM -11:00 AM.  This event will include a bus ride around the neighborhood and a school tour by our very own staff members and administrators, followed by popsicles on the playground. Come out to meet new friends before the first day of school!

3.Still Need a 2022-2023 Yearbook?

Yearbooks were distributed at the end of the school year. If you did not order and receive one, there are 36 left! Please call the school office at 703-267-2800 to reserve and pick one up or come in to the office Monday-Friday between 9am-1pm. Yearbooks are $13 each and payment can be made in cash (exact change, please) or check, payable to “Fairfax Villa Elementary School.” The actual payment is required to reserve a yearbook.

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4.

Calling All New Dragons!

Virginia law requires that all children who will be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2023, must be enrolled in kindergarten for the 2023-2024 school year.  If you do not wish your child to attend school until the following year, you must notify the school in writing. 

If you have a child who will attend Fairfax Villa Elementary next year, and you have not already registered them, please contact Silvia Dossmann to allow accurate numbers for staffing and classes next year!

Register your child by:

Please spread the word to your neighbors who will have children attending Fairfax Villa ES.

5.Class Placement Letters

Fairfax Villa parents/guardians with an email on file with our school will receive an email the evening of August 16th with your child’s teacher’s name and room number for the upcoming school year. Your child’s teacher will also be posted in your ParentVUE account the following day. If you have any questions or have not received an email with this information, please contact the school at (703) 267-2800.

6.First Day Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

On the first day of school only, families are allowed to walk their children to the classroom doors where they will be greeted by the teachers. Please be considerate of the teachers’ time and plan for a quick goodbye to your child in the hallway outside of the classroom. So that our teachers and students may start their exciting first day back in our building, all visitors, including parents, will need to be out of the building by 9:15 am.

Instead of going directly to the kindergarten rooms on the first day, kindergarten students and family members will go straight to the cafeteria to meet the teachers there. (If your kindergartner rides a bus, a staff member will meet them on the bus and take them to the cafeteria.) The kindergarten parents may then walk with their children from the cafeteria to the kindergarten hallway and say a quick goodbye in the hallway. For the first week of school, please have your kindergartner wear the name tag given to them at the Thursday Open House. 

In the afternoon on the first day and for the rest of the school year, bus students will be exiting our school to the buses at the front door (door 1), the Kiss and Ride students will exit at door 8, and all walkers will exit at door 2. At dismissal, kindergarten walkers must be met at 4PM by a guardian at door 2. Kindergarteners will not be released unattended. Please be sure that all children know how they go home from school.

After our first day on Monday, August 21, families will not be able to enter the school building unless they are going to the office for school business.

7.Kiss and Ride Information and Registration

Parents may once again use the Kiss & Ride line this school year as a transportation option for students. Full instructions and rules about the Kiss & Ride transportation can be found here: Kiss and Ride Procedures 

To register for Kiss & Ride, please complete this form.

A number will be assigned to your car to expedite the drop-off/pick-up process. You do not need this number immediately to go through the line! After registering, you will be given the number at pick-up time during the first week of school.

8.ParentSIS/ParentVue Accounts

All parents of registered students should have a ParentSIS account set up as this is where you can access test scores (including SOLs, iReady, etc.), your child’s attendance, emergency care data, and progress reports among other important information.

If you have never set up your account, please submit a SIS ParentVUE Request to receive an activation letter. If you have already created an account but need login assistance, please click here and follow the steps.

9.Updated FCPS Phone Policy For Students

Students in K-6 must keep phones silenced and in backpacks for the duration of the school day unless there is a medical need or emergency, or teachers have allowed the usage of cell phones for instructional activities where they are the most appropriate tool. 

Parents should talk to their child(ren) before the start of the school year about these expectations for this upcoming school year. Families may also review the parental controls available for all iPhone and Android users. More information about the SR&R is available online.

10.Technology Updates and Information For Families

As we prepare for the new school year, we want to share the following technology information for parents and guardians. Please contact Ms. Hachwi if you have any questions. 

  • If your child still has a Fairfax Villa laptop issued from last year, please bring it to the office before the start of school so that we will be able to give your child a new laptop when they are here the first week.
  • If your child has lost their laptop, please contact Ms. Hachwit and Ms. Payne immediately.
  • If your child has lost their power cord, please pay for it by sending in the exact amount of cash ($23) or  a check for $23 made out to Fairfax Villa ES to your child’s teacher.
  • Preschoolers and kindergartners will receive new iPads in the first few weeks of school. Students in grades 1 and 2 will receive laptops that will stay at school. Students in grades 3-6 will receive laptops, cases, and chargers that will be taken home each day. Please ensure all students return to school the next day with fully charged laptops.

11.Plan to Submit Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications This Summer

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We encourage all interested families to submit the Free and Reduced-Price Meal application as soon as possible to begin receiving benefits. Applications and information are available on the FCPS website. A new application must be submitted every school year.

In addition to qualifying for free or reduced-price school meals, approved students may qualify for benefits such as waived or reduced fees for instruments, uniforms, field trips, FCPS class fees, and Parktakes classes.  

If you have questions, need assistance, or would like to request a paper application please contact Food and Nutrition Services at 703-813-4800 or via e-mail FCPSMealsAps@fcps.edu.

12.Summer Office Hours

Until August 14th, our Fairfax Villa office will be open during the summer from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Monday - Friday.  Please call the school office at 703-267-2800 if you need to unenroll and/or register a student for the 2023-24 school year.

13.Summer Reading Programs

We encourage all students to continue reading over the summer! In June, two public librarians came to talk to the students about the Public Library Summer Reading Adventure. Students can pick up a reading log at any library branch or find more information online. When students complete the log, they can bring it back to any branch of the public library and get a coupon book.

14.Attendance Matters

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https://www.fcps.edu/attendance

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Students who attend 90% or more of the school year are more likely to graduate from high school on time.
  • Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
  • Missing 10 percent (or about 2 days per month) can make it harder to learn to read.
  • Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
  • Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day every few weeks.
  • Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
  • Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with peer conflicts or facing some other potentially serious difficulty, and help is available. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

  • Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
  • Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
  • Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots.
  • Introduce your child to her teachers and classmates before school starts to help her transition.
  • Don’t let your child stay home unless she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
  • If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
  • Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.
  • Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

15.Important Fairfax Villa Contacts

16.Be Informed; Stay Involved!