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Dear Parents and Guardians,
Last week was wonderful as we welcomed our students back into the building for the 2023-2024 school year! The energy, smiles, and excitement radiated throughout the school.
Our priorities this year include providing all students with personalized and individualized experiences, further developing our family and community partnerships, and a commitment to ensuring a sense of belonging and school spirit through our Panda Pride.
We hope to see all of our parents on Thursday night for our Back to School Night so that you can learn more about the year ahead!
Sincerely,
Kathleen Quigley
Principal
Important Dates
August 31 Back to School Night
September 1-4 Labor Day Holiday
September 11 Commemoration Day
September 14 PTA Meeting
September 15 Rosh Hashanah
September 17 Constitution Day
School Calendar: 2023-24
Contents
6:30 - 6:55 p.m. K-2 Classrooms
7:00 - 7:25 p.m. 3-6 Classrooms
BTSN provides a structured opportunity for parents to meet with teachers and learn important detailed information about curricula and classroom expectations, supports that are in place for children, and structures for communicating with staff. For those unable to attend, teams will load their slide presentations onto Schoology for you to view at your convenience.
Specialists will be available in the Library, during the event. We invite you to learn more about art, music, PE, STEAM and FLES along with other supports at our school by stopping by the libary before or after you classroom presentation.
This is a night for parents and there are no activities for children. Please make arrangements to attend without your children.
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FCPS’ Student Rights and Responsibilities document (SR&R) explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment. In late June, the School Board approved changes to the SR&R for the 2023-24 school year. Updates include a revision of dress code expectations, bystander expectations for students witnessing harmful or unsafe behaviors, bullying, and substance abuse responses. Read Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid’s letter to families regarding the SR&R.
Parents/caregivers should talk to their child(ren) about expectations for this school year. Also, please log in to SIS ParentVUE and sign to acknowledge your review of the SR&R, or sign and return the signature sheet to your child’s school by Friday, September 29.
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Some FCPS-approved digital resources require parent consent before they can be used by students. Find the list of resources which require consent on the Parent Consent webpage. This page also includes directions for providing permission.
Each digital resource used in FCPS has had an instructional and technical review. Information about the educational technology tools approved for use within FCPS can be found in the online Digital Ecosystem Library.
Parents can find more information about FCPS-approved digital resources on the Digital Resources in FCPS webpage.
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FCPS has tools to help parents know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided at no cost to families by Lightspeed, the school division’s internet content filtering service.
Parents may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. The report also offers parents the ability to sign up for free access to the Internet Use Parent Portal. Through the portal, parents may pause their child’s access to the internet on their FCPS device during non-school hours.
Learn more about Lightspeed Parent Reports.
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There will be external opportunities for after school activities at Franklin Sherman ES with Baroody Camps Inc, through the PTA. Opportunities offered by organizations other than Fairfax County Public Schools are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, or a specific school. These opportunities may utilize technology tools that have not been assessed by the Fairfax County Public Schools Department of Information Technology. Students should gain permission from their parent or guardian before engaging in any non-FCPS enrichment opportunity and families should review the Terms of Service, User Agreements, and Privacy Policy for any technology platform that the enrichment opportunity may use before participating.
Additionally, the Franklin Sherman ES Health Room is not available during afterschool activities. For students with health needs or who require medications, please coordinate this directly with the afterschool organization.
After School Activities Information from Our PTA
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In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, sign up today.
Nonprofit Fliers Distribution
FCPS offers the opportunity for nonprofit organizations to make their materials available, through local schools, to students and parents. Fliers will be sent home in student’s backpacks. Fliers, sorted into 15 groups of 25, need to be at the school by 12:00 p.m. on the Friday before the below date.
- September 29, 2023
- January 26, 2024
- May 17, 2024
What are the rules for fliers?
- Fliers must include or have attached the following disclaimer statement:
- “These materials are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, or this school” It is the responsibility of the sponsoring organization to include this language on each copy of the flier, or to securely attach it to the flier.
- Material may not advocate or represent violent, illegal, or obscene activities, be of a nature to disrupt school activities, endanger the health or safety of students, constitute libel or slander, or be inappropriate to the age of elementary school students. Partisan political material and charitable donation solicitations will not be distributed
- Fliers are offered to students; students are not required to take them
- No person may distribute fliers directly to students in school buildings or on school grounds during school hours, and elementary aged students may not engage in direct distribution of fliers.
Review Regulation 1367 on Distribution of Fliers
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Friday Fun Day with Kona Ice
Friday, September 8 after dismissal till 4:30 p.m.
After-School Activities
Registration for after-school activities at Franklin Sherman opens September 11 at 10 am. You must first join the PTA in order for your child to participate. Click here to view the schedule. In addition to the programs offered through Baroody, Miss Pam will be back with an art class on Thursdays.
Sign Up for PTA Text Reminders
Have you ever forgotten a school deadline or activity? We realize parents get A LOT of emails. To help you cut through the clutter, the PTA is sending out occasional, short text reminders to help parents not miss out. If you'd like a reminder about the next ordering deadline, next picture day, or next PJ day, etc. please text "FSES OPT IN" to fsespta@gmail.com from the phone number where you'd like receive text messages (sending an email will not work).
Annual PTA membership costs $20 per family and is due EACH school year. Join here!
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Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
The beginning of the school year is the best time to develop strong attendance habits! Students who attend school regularly are more likely to perform well in reading and math, develop strong social and emotional skills, and graduate from high school on time. Help prepare your child for future success. Watch this video with tips from Fairfax Pyramid principals and visit FCPS’ Attendance webpage for tips and strategies.
Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights
Fairfax County Public Schools wants all parents to understand its policies regarding surveys, records, curriculum, privacy, and related rights.
In its Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights and Opt-Out Forms (Annual Notice), FCPS provides explanations of the rights listed above as well as forms that may be used to exercise opt-out choices. Two versions of the Annual Notice are available — a grades K-8 version and a grades 9-12 version. Parents with children at different grade levels should read each applicable version of the Annual Notice because the notices and opt-out rights vary depending on the student’s grade level.
Get more information and view the 2023-24 Opt-Out Booklets
Invitation from McLean Community Center
We will be hosting Celebrate McLean on September 8th from 4pm-6:30pm and we are hoping that you can help us spread the word to your communities. It will pretty much be the same set up as last year. We will have carnival type games, a DJ, food trucks and most of our clubs/sports will be having tables set up.
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