Oak View Review

Labor Day Holiday Friday & Monday

Oak View reminds all families that school will be closed this Friday, September 1 and Monday, September 4 in observance of the Labor Day Holiday. We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Tuesday, September 5.

Walker & Bike Safety Reminders

Oak View reminds all students and families who walk/bike to school to note the reminders below:

• Walkers and bikers must stay on sidewalks and crosswalks only
• Please do not cut through parking lots due to busy arrival and dismissal traffic (our students are not taller than cars moving through the lots and this creates unsafe conditions for all)
• Use crosswalks and wait for crossing guard at Sideburn Road

Return Emergency Care Card & Forms

Oak View reminds all families to review email sent Friday afternoon about required Return to School forms. Most importantly, please review pre-filled Emergency Care Form (sent home in Friday Folder) and make any updates on paper copy, sign and send back to school with your child. These are critical forms should we need to contact a parent or pickup contact in case of emergency. Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this request.

Band & Strings Interest Forms DUE Thursday 

Oak View was delighted to welcome the Robinson Band, Orchestra and Chorale students to school this past Friday. They had a showcase to encourage participation in elementary band and strings programs. Oak View has an amazing Band and Strings program led by Band Director, Mrs. Andray and Strings Director, Mr. Miller. We remind all families of 4th (Strings Only), 5th & 6th (Band or Strings) graders to consider participating in this awesome opportunity! Students were provided interest forms this past week and more are available outside the band and strings room at school.

Hiring Student Monitors - Join Our Staff

Oak View is seeking interested community members to serve as Student Monitors. The hiring of monitors will promote additional valuable planning time for the teachers on a consistent basis and is required per county regulations. Monitors will be trained to cover recess for a classroom teacher a time or two a week and support in the cafeteria. Again, these are hourly paid positions and required at all schools. We look forward to welcoming Oak View community members to express interest via email to our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Hanson, at rnhanson@fcps.edu. The monitor position is needed between 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM most days. There is flexibility within this time and days of the week. Thank you for considering joining our Oak View team!

Safety Drills During the School Year

Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for Oak View and FCPS. Oak View, like all FCPS schools, has an emergency preparedness plan to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Schools are required by state law to practice emergency drills, including lockdown drills, each year. Schools are also required to notify parents and guardians at least 24 hours before a school conducts a lockdown drill. However, schools are not required to give the specific date and time of the drill in advance. 

The first lockdown drill of the school year must take place within the first 20 days of school. Preschool and kindergarten students are exempt from practicing the first lockdown drill. 

Your child may come home and talk about their experience during the drill. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Please review these frequently asked questions to support your students before and after school lockdown drills.

Save the Date - Back To School Nights

Oak View will be returning to in-person Back to School Nights this fall. Our teachers love to welcome parents/guardians into the school and classroom and this evening is a wonderful chance to connect with others in the Oak View community. Oak View staff will share a yearly overview of the curriculum, classroom routines and expectations, general field trip information and more! We know the virtual option met the needs of some families and we will continue to offer this option to families as well in a hybrid approach.

As a reminder, this event is designed for parents/guardians only.

Mark your calendars for the dates and times below:

Tuesday, September 19

5:30 p.m. Grades 2 & 3

6:30 p.m. Grade 4

Wednesday, September 20

5:30 p.m. Grades K & 1

6:30 p.m. Grades 5 & 6

Oak View PTA Wants YOU 

Oak View has a dedicated parent community and many of our families support our students and staff through the OV PTA. This 100% volunteer organization is dedicated to supporting the needs of our students, staff and families through a variety of activities and events throughout the year. They are always looking to grow their membership and hope all families will consider joining this school year!

Did you know that during the 2022-2023 school year, the OV PTA was responsible for the following contributions:

• Organization of PTA After-School Clubs (Wait until you see the fall list!)
• Offset a portion of the cost of one field trip per grade level
• Free-family events including Book Swap Bingo, Movie Night & Fall Fest
• Organize Fall & Spring Book Fair, fundraisers, spirit wear and staff appreciations
• Purchase of School-wide T-Shirts for every student and staff member
• Purchase of Cafeteria Projector to support variety of school and community needs

Read more about this amazing volunteer organization at the Oak View PTA website and join today!

OV PTA After-School Enrichment Programs OPEN NOW

Oak View PTA has created an amazing fall slate of after school enrichment options for students. Registration is now open and there are a few programs with open seats and waitlists available for full options. As each independent vendor sets the class size limits, please know space is limited and classes will likely fill up quickly. 

Check out the offerings and registration information available here.

New to Schoology?

• What Is Schoology?

Teachers use Schoology to post their classroom materials online; to provide a secure forum for students to discuss their ideas and collaborate on projects; and to assign and collect homework electronically. It helps students stay organized, and it keeps the class connected.

A Schoology Parent Account gives you access to:

• Your child’s classes.
• Your child’s upcoming assignments.
• School, class, and group announcements.

Parent accounts now available. To access Schoology, parents will need to have an active SIS/ParentVUE account. Get more information on how to login and use Schoology.

Lightspeed Report on Child's Device Activity

Oak View distributed laptops to most students in Grades 3-6 at the end of this past week. The Oak View tech team of Mrs. Riddick and Mrs. Farris spent time reviewing safe usage and digital citizenship before the distribution.

In addition, 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.

Support Your Child's Success with SIS ParentVUE

• Update Contact Information to Receive Messages From FCPS

Be among the first to know about weather closings, bus delays, and other critical communications from FCPS and our school by providing your cell phone number and email in SIS ParentVUE. Make sure you complete the Emergency Care Form for your child every year and update when necessary. 

To update your contact information in ParentVUE, click the “Online Packets” tab in the upper right of the screen, then select the “Online Verification/Update” form in the drop down menu. Click “Begin Packet.”

Parents who do not have a SIS ParentVUE account may still communicate updates via the normal paper process. They may also print and complete a blank Emergency Care Information Form with updates and submit it to the front office.

Free and Reduced-Price Meals Application Now Available

According to the Centers for Disease Control, eating breakfast at school is associated with better attendance rates, fewer missed school days, and better test scores. Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals receive breakfast and lunch at school at no cost. 

Families in FCPS that are earning less than 185% of the poverty level can receive meals for their students at no cost. Families should complete the application before the start of each school year. Approved applications may also qualify students for additional benefits. 

Apply on the Free and Reduced-Price Meals webpage.

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/caregivers 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.

INOVA Free School Physicals and Immunizations

Inova Cares Clinic for Children (ICCC) and Inova Partnership for Healthier Communities (PHC) are now scheduling appointments in August to provide children ages 5 and up with FREE school physicals and immunizations to begin the 2023-24 School Year. This will take place at the Inova Cares Clinic for Children in Herndon, Manassas, and Falls Church.

PHC will be on site to screen and enroll qualifying families in Medicaid/FAMIS and connect them to an appropriate and affordable source of quality healthcare providers. Please share the flyers below.

Flyer for Insured and Inova Patients

Flyer for Medicaid or Uninsured Patients

✨ The 2023-30 Strategic Plan — Goal 1: Strong Start: Pre-K-12

The 2023-30 strategic plan sets five main goals to create positive change in FCPS. These goals show where we should focus our attention and will help us align our efforts. Our equity commitment and a set of measures in each goal will measure our success. 

Our first goal in the strategic plan is to help all students develop academic skills, curiosity, and a love for learning. These skills and attitudes are crucial for success from pre-K to 12th grade. Our related equity commitment is to ensure authentic and affirming partnerships with families and key stakeholders through collaborative decision making that results in each student's success.

Visit the Strategic Plan webpage to learn more about how we will measure the success of Goal 1. 

Sub and Save the Day!

Oak View has a strong group of substitute teachers and we are always looking for kind and caring substitute teachers and substitute instructional assistants to add to our pool! Substitutes ensure our students continue to thrive when teachers and instructional assistants need to be out of the classroom. Substitute teaching is a great opportunity for future teachers, stay-at-home parents, retirees, college students, part-time employees, and anyone who wants to make a difference!

We provide substitutes with a flexible work schedule that a substitute teacher or substitute instructional assistant can tailor to their needs. This includes choosing the grade level(s) and subjects a substitute would like to teach, schools they would like to work at, and more!

Read here for more information.

Fairfax County Public Library - LEAP

FCPS is partnering with Fairfax County Public Libraries to provide Library Equity Access Passes (LEAP) to any FCPS student.

WHAT IS LEAP?

All students (PreK-12) in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) have LEAP accounts at FCPL. These public library virtual accounts allow students to check out up to three items at a time for six weeks each (no renewals).

WHY IS LEAP AWESOME?

• A student only needs their name, not a physical library card, to check out materials.
• LEAP accounts never charge fines or fees.
• A student can have a LEAP account as well as a standard library account (application online and in library branches). Standard accounts allow users to place holds on materials and access FCPL digital resources such as eBooks and databases.

Good News Around FCPS

Oak View is glad to share the good news happening around FCPS in this section. Each week check back for happenings around FCPS!

• 8/23/23 Connection Newspapers - FCPS First Day of School 2023

Fairfax County Public Schools opened the doors of its 198 schools and centers to over 181,000 students on Monday, Aug. 21, for the 2023–2024 school year.

• 8/24/23 Connection Newspapers - School Year Begins for Area Schools

Accompanied by parents to elementary schools, bused to middle schools, or driving to high schools, area students again took up their roles as architects of their own futures with the start of another school year. Parents, crossing guards, teachers and school staff lent a hand.