Weekly Words
August 31, 2023
Dear Island Creek Families,
It has been another great week at Island Creek! We are excited that all of our Crocs are at school with us as we welcomed our preschool students on Monday.
As a reminder, we have a four-day weekend and school will not be tomorrow or Monday, September 4. We look forward to seeing all of our Crocs on Tuesday, September 5.
All our best,
Jen Fallert
Principal
Karen Baxter
Assistant Principal
 
Calendar Reminder: Labor Day
Friday, September 1, and Monday, September 4, are Labor Day holidays for all FCPS employees and students. Virginia legislation requires that schools opening prior to Labor Day must be closed the Friday immediately preceding Labor Day. We hope everyone takes the long weekend to celebrate a strong start to the school year and enjoy time with family and friends.
View the School Year Calendar
|
Volunteer at Island Creek
Island Creek Elementary School welcomes volunteers, including parents, community members, and high school students. Volunteers provide a valuable resource of assistance at the school. Opportunities include tutoring, mentoring, assisting in the library, supporting classroom or school-wide events, and many critical, behind the scenes tasks. Access the FCPS Volunteer Opportunities webpage to learn more about volunteering at FCPS.
If you are interested in volunteering at Island Creek, please review the Island Creek Elementary Volunteer Procedures and Logistics presentation and complete and submit the registration form found near the end of the presentation. This request is only if you are volunteering for a school sponsored activity, and it is separate from any PTA volunteer requests. We ask new volunteers to review the presentation and complete the Island Creek Elementary Volunteer Registration Form. Volunteers who completed the registration form last school year do not need to register again this year.
The Volunteers webpage found on our website provides more information about volunteering at Island Creek Elementary. Please contact Jane Horowitz, the Family Liaison, at jrhorowitz@fcps.edu with questions.
|
 |
School Safety Drills
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.
Community Flier Distribution
This semester’s nonprofit Community Flier Distribution will take place on Thursday, September 7. To submit a flier for approval, it must be received in the office by noon on Wednesday, September 6 and include the following disclaimer – “This event [or activity] is sponsored by [name of the organization] and is operated independently of the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, and Island Creek Elementary School.”
Once the flier is approved, please deliver 27 sets of 30 copies each no later than 10:00 AM on Thursday, September 7. Fliers will go home with students on Thursday, September 7.
Get Information About Your Child’s Internet Activity on Their FCPS Laptop
There is a new online service that is free to FCPS parents who are interested in knowing more about their child’s internet 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. More information can be found here: Lightspeed Parent Report Request
Wellness Resource
Start a fun and engaging health routine by following daily challenges for the month of September!
 Click to view the 2023-2024 FCPS School Calendar
-
Friday, September 1- Monday, September 4: Labor Day Break, Student and Staff Holiday
-
Friday, September 8 (8:30-9:30): Military Meet and Greet at Island Creek, Theatre
-
Monday, September 11: Commemoration/Patriot Day
-
September 15-October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month
-
Saturday, September 16: Rosh Hashanah (begins sundown 9/15 - sundown 9/17)
-
Sunday, September 17: Constitution Day
-
Friday, September 22: Crock Rock-N-Run (during school day)
-
Monday, September 25: Yom Kippur, Student and Staff Holiday
Upcoming Events
Mark your calendar now so you don’t miss our events happening the week we return from the long weekend!
Croc Bite Spirit Night: Taco Bamba
We will have our first Croc Bite Night Spirit Night on Tuesday, September 5 at Taco Bamba in Springfield.
A portion of all orders, including gift card sales, will be donated to the PTA, so come and enjoy TACO TUESDAY!
Order in-store or online! For in-store orders, tell the cashier that you are part of the Island Creek ES PTA Fundraiser. For online orders, use code: ICES in the coupon code area.
Movie Night: The Super Mario Brothers
Join us in the fields at dusk at Island Creek Elementary on Friday, September 8 for an outdoor viewing of the Super Mario Bros. Movie!
We anticipate the sunset around 7:40 pm. We'll be setting up at 7 pm. You are welcome to come early and grab your spot! Bring comfy chairs, blankets, and snacks.
Three Wishes Bookshop, a children's mobile bookstore, will be set up near the kindergarten playground.
Save the Date: PTA General Membership Meeting
Join us for the first PTA General Membership Meeting (in-person) of the year, held from 7 - 8 pm, on Tuesday, September 12, in Island Creek Cafeteria. During the meeting, verified PTA members will vote on the proposed 2023-2024 budget.
|
