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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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School Hours: 9:15 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday
School building opens for students at 9:00 am
Office: 703-988-8900
Attendance: 703-988-8989
August 23, 2023
The Welcome Walk, Picnic and First Day of School was a success!
Thank you to all the parents for a successful Welcome Walk, Picnic and the First Day of School! We are excited to have our Vikings back in school after the summer break!
 Welcome Walk 2023
Back-to-School Night (Updated)
Back to School Night will be held on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. Since we do have families with children in multiple grade levels, we are offering 2 sessions with a transition in between to give families time to get to the next teacher. Session times are below:
Session 1 from 6:30 - 7:10 pm
Session 2 from 7:20 - 8:00 pm
From 6:00 - 6:30 pm, parents will have an opportunity to “Meet the Specialists” and our Principal, Elizabeth Bumbrey, and Assistant Principal, Nick Rousos in the library. Classroom presentations will begin at 6:30 pm.
New Parent Coffee
On Friday, August 25th from 9:30 - 10:30 am, the PTA and administrators will host a coffee for parents new to Virginia Run Elementary School in the cafeteria. You will have the opportunity to meet Mrs. Bumbrey, Principal, Mr. Rousos, Assistant Principal, and our counselors. Our PTA members will be available to answer any questions about the community and to offer assistance to new families. Please RSVP by August 23rd by calling the main office at 703-988-8900. We hope to see you there!
A Big Thank You to MidSouth Building Supply
We would like to thank Tim Bergen and Denisse Fadoul for dropping off school supplies for the upcoming school year. They came to represent MidSouth Building Supply and held a school supply drive at their Springfield branch. Their employees were so generous in providing the school with supplies and resources for the upcoming school year.
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Is Your Student Interested in joining Strings or Band?
STRINGS: All interested students in grades 4th - 6th can participate in their school’s String Orchestra Program. Strings classes take place once a week for an hour during the school day. Please click the link below for more information.
https://forms.gle/SCiU6xsYo6P988bW6
BAND: All interested students in 5th and 6th grade have the opportunity to learn an instrument as part of the band program. Please click the link below for more information.
https://forms.gle/S3VzpKCX3SMWqGCv8
Deadline for Strings and Band registration is Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
6th Grade Parent Presentation
There are some changes for 6th grade this year. If you were unable to attend the 6th Grade Parent Presentation last week, please use the links below to access the presentation slides.
6th Grade Parent Presentation - English
Presentacion para Padres de 6to Grado - Spanish
Birthday Celebrations
More and more of our students are diagnosed with severe food allergies, and many of our parents/guardians want to limit their children's intake of sweets. If you wish to bring a small treat to celebrate your child's birthday, please send a non-food treat for your child to share with his/her classmates (pencils, stickers, eraser, bookmark, etc.). This will allow all students in the class to participate in the celebration while keeping all our students safe.
If your child is inviting classmates to his/her birthday party, please do not have your child distribute invitations at school. Please note, teachers cannot provide student contact information.
Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) Parent/Guardian Signature
FCPS’ updated Student Rights & Responsibility booklet is now available online and in the ParentVue section of the Student Information System (SIS). The SR&R booklet explains expectations for student behavior, and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment.
Each year, we ask parents to review, sign, and return the SR&R to their child’s school. In ParentVue, you may now download and digitally sign the SR&R. Every parent/guardian with a ParentVUE account will see the SR&R upon login to ParentVUE until the SR&R acknowledgement has been completed.
Your name in the digital signature box must match the parent/guardian’s first and last name in SIS exactly before the signature will be accepted.
Please take a moment to log into ParentVue in your child’s SIS account to access the SR&R. Signatures are due by Friday, September 29, 2023.
Please contact us if you are having difficulty accessing the booklet or if you need a paper signature form.
Bus Transportation
Students are required to board and depart the bus assigned to the student to prevent overcrowding on buses. Any changes require permission from the transportation office. Transportation can be reached at 703-249-7000. Please be patient with any changes or delays in the transportation schedule as some needed adjustments are made during the first week of school.
Due to overcrowding issues, we do not allow students to go home on the bus with other students for a play date. We understand sometimes an emergency case may arise where childcare plans result in your child having to get off at a different bus stop other than the one closest to your home. In this case, please notify the office immediately. We need this information as soon as possible in order to assure correct transportation information.
Virginia Run does not make any bus transportation decisions. For all questions relating to the bus routes, stops, or times, please contact transportation at 703-249-7000.
Kiss 'n Ride and Walkers
- Kiss and Ride
- Drop off time - between 9:00 and 9:10 am
- All students need to be in class by 9:15 am (tardy bell)
- Pick up time – 4:00 pm
- Walkers – are encouraged to walk in pairs or groups home for safety reasons
Car riders must use the Kiss N’ Ride area in front of the school. For safety reasons, the side driveway (bus lane) is restricted to bus traffic in the morning and afternoon. Parents are not permitted to use the bus lane. Dropping your child off in the parking lots presents a safety hazard for students, staff, and vehicles. While in the Kiss N’ Ride Line, the students must exit the vehicle on the right-hand side. For safety reasons and to keep the line flowing, we ask that parents do not exit their vehicle to help their child out of the car while in the Kiss N’ Ride line.
Students arriving to school after 9:15 am should be accompanied into the office by a parent or guardian.
ATTENTION KINDERGARTEN PARENTS
According to Transportation Services, the bus driver will return your kindergartener to their school if your child is not met at the door of the school bus by a parent, a guardian/caregiver, or a sibling who is middle school age or older and asked for by name.
Breakfast/Lunch
Breakfast is served at VRES. Students will be able to pick up a “Grab and Go” breakfast for $1.75. Students on free or reduced meals receive breakfast for free. The price for a school lunch will be $3.25 including milk. Milk may be purchased separately and costs $.60.
You may deposit money (Cash or Check) into your child’s lunch account during the classroom visit on August 17th in the cafeteria, or by sending cash or check made payable to Virginia Run Food Service on the first day of school in an envelope with your child’s name and teacher name. Money can be added to the account at any time during the year. You may also pay for your child’s breakfast/lunch with credit/debit card or electronic check online only at www.myschoolbucks.com.
Free and Reduced Application
Qualifying families can apply for free and reduced prices. Please use the link below to apply online.
https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/food-and-nutrition-programs/free-and-reduced-price-meals
Wednesday Envelope
Please read over the contents of the envelope carefully. Inside you will find valuable information and forms which need to be returned to school. The Wednesday Envelope is our communication link with you. The Wednesday Envelope is a bright yellow envelope that students will take home every Wednesday. In the envelope you will find fliers, schoolwork samples and other school communications. Parents are asked to remove and read the contents, sign the front of the envelope, and help students remember to return it to school the next day.
News You Choose (Viking Voice Newsletter)
News You Choose will provide you with important information from the school and PTA events. You are automatically signed up for News You Choose with the email that was supplied at registration. If you have changed your email address since registration, you will need to sign up using the following link:
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/VAEDUFCPS/subscriber/new?qsp=VAEDUFCPS_1
Please take time to read it as it contains relevant and timely school information. If you do not have access to the Internet, please let the office know.
You can opt out of News You Choose at any time by clicking on the opt-out option at the bottom of the email.
*The newsletter will continue to be emailed to enrolled families on the first Wednesday and third Wednesday of the calendar month.
**Our first newsletter will go out Wednesday, September 6, 2023.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Students and staff greatly appreciate the support we receive from the PTA. All parents are encouraged to join the PTA and help make the 2023-2024 school year successful for all students.
PTA Board for 2023-2024:
President: Christina Minogue
VP of Social: Cara Priester
VP of Education: Kim Wilson
VP of Fundraising: Melinda Soltys
Secretary: Tracy Mandina
Treasurer: Matthew Reklau
To stay informed regarding all upcoming PTA activities, visit the PTA website at https://vrespta.ptboard.com/.
Parents will be able to join the PTA at the Welcome Back Picnic.
Parent Screen Activity Report
A new functionality is available to FCPS parents who are interested in knowing more about their child’s Internet browsing activity on an FCPS device. Parents can sign up to receive a weekly Parent Report from Lightspeed, our internet content filtering service, which will provide a list of the top sites the child visited that week.
Additionally, if parents wish to get more detailed information, the weekly Parent Report offers parents the ability to self-sign-up to the free Internet Use Parent Portal. Parents who sign up for the Internet Use Parent Portal can log-in any time to see a little more detail about their child’s internet browsing. The portal also offers the parent added ability to “pause” access to the internet during non-school hours on the FCPS device.
Interested parents can submit a request directly at the bottom of the Technology Support for Families page for weekly Parent Reports. FCPS will validate the enrolling parent’s email in SIS, and once processed, the parent will receive a weekly report over each weekend. The weekend report will come from our internet content filtering service, Lightspeed.
For more information, including a sample view of the Parent Report and the Internet Use Parent Portal, please visit our Lightspeed Parent Report information page.
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