Hello, Scottie families!
We hope everyone has a wonderful and relaxing long weekend.
Morgan Birge, Principal
Natalie Vershaw, Assistant Principal
Melissa Johnson, Assistant Principal
Family. Relationships. Success.
Next Week's Events
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September 4 - Labor Day Holiday (no school)
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September 6 @ 6-7:30 PM - Back to School Night (EAC & 4th-6th grade)
A few amazing highlights that happened this week...
Labor Day Holiday
Monday, September 4, Labor Day, is a holiday for all FCPS employees and students. We hope everyone takes the long weekend to celebrate a strong start to the school year and enjoy time with family and friends. See the complete school year calendar.
Back to School Night for EAC & Grades 4-6 (6 pm-7:30 pm)
Parents/Guardians of students in EAC and 4th, 5th, and 6th grade are invited to join their child's teacher at Bonnie Brae on Wednesday, September 6th to learn about their child's classroom experience, grade level curriculum, and other important school year details. There are two slots offered so families can attend multiple teacher sessions if necessary (session 2 is for families with more than one Bonnie Brae student, providing these parents an opportunity to hear from multiple classroom teachers). Additionally, parents and guardians will have the opportunity to visit with our specialists in the library, either from 6:30-6:45, or from 7:15-7:30. Please see the updated schedule below!
As a reminder, Back to School Night is for adults and teachers. However, we understand that some parents may need to bring young children. While space is limited in our classrooms, if you do bring your child, please make sure they are supervised at all times, as we are not able to provide childcare.
Session 1: 6:00 - 6:30 PM (classrooms)
Intersession: 6:30-6:45 PM (parents switch classes and/or visit with specialists in the library)
Session 2: 6:45 - 7:15 PM (classrooms)
Wrap-up: 7:15-7:30 PM (parents have the opportunity to visit with specialists in the library)
We look forward to seeing our EAC and grades 4-6 parents/guardians next week on Wednesday, September 6!
SEL SCREENER
FCPS is committed to supporting the mental wellness of all students. The Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener helps our students share their perspectives on how their schools and communities support them and help them develop the skills they need to succeed.
The screener is offered to all students in grades 3 through 12 in the fall and spring. It addresses skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions. Students also share how successful their school and community are at making them feel valued, included, and supported. Screener data is used to plan programming for the division, schools, and individual students.
Key updates to the screener this year include:
- Different versions for students in grades 3-5 and 6-12.
- Fewer topics with more questions to provide schools and families with more data to support planning.
- Additional questions aligned with FCPS’ commitment to educational equity.
Results are mailed home to families after each screening. Families who wish to opt their child out may do so by completing the opt-out form in the Annual Notice packet or SIS ParentVue.
For more information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage or contact us at 703-321-3900.
Picture Day: Fall Individual Photos
Fall Picture Day is on Tuesday, September 19. Students will attend picture day with their teachers. Flyers and order forms will be sent home via Tuesday Folders and the information will soon be available on our Bonnie Brae ES Website.
Parent/Guardian Consent For Digital Resources
Teachers will use a variety of digital resources to help students learn during the 2023-2024 school year. These digital resources have been checked and approved by Fairfax County Public Schools. Some of these digital resources require parent consent. Families, please provide your consent for your student to use these resources through the Parent Digital Consent System. Log in with the same username and password you use for ParentVue SIS.
Please see the FCPS Digital Resources - Parent Consent page for a full list of digital tools requiring family consent. Not every student will use all the tools listed on the FCPS page.
2023 Student Rights and Responsibilities
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.
Safety Drills During the School Year
Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for FCPS. Each school 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.
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.
Remembering 9/11
Each year, the United States commemorates the tragic loss of life on September 11, 2001, and the acts of courage, compassion, and sacrifice that followed. The September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, also called Patriot Day and 9/11, is a chance to reflect and to act in service to others as a way of honoring those who were injured or killed in the terrorist attacks.
Volunteer Fairfax is a resource that can be used to find out about service-learning opportunities in the community. Service learning is a great way for students and families to engage with local nonprofits and volunteer. More information about volunteer opportunities on this day can be found on Volunteer Fairfax’s website.
Lightspeed Parent Report on Child’s Device Activity
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.
Restaurant Night-Five Guys
Bonnie Brae PTO is pleased to kick off our first restaurant night of the year at Five Guys on Burke Centre Parkway, on Thursday, September 7th. Please mention the Bonnie Brae PTO at checkout. Five Guys will donate 20 percent of the sales from 4-8 pm to the Bonnie Brae PTO. We hope to see you there! Thanks for your support of the Bonnie Brae community.
After School Clubs
Bonnie Brae and the PTO are happy to bring back After School Clubs! Look for more information in next week's Tuesday folders and check out the PTO website to see the many exciting teacher-led clubs and community-led programs that will be offered this Fall!
Disclaimer About After-School & Enrichment Opportunities
At times there are external opportunities that students may want to explore. When schools share these opportunities with families and students, please know:
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.
View the 2023-2024 FCPS School Calendar
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September 11 - National Day of Service and Remembrance
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September 19 - Fall Picture Day
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September 25 - Yom Kippur (no school)
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