Upcoming Dates
September 13 - 26 - VGA Assessments 3rd -6th Grades (see info below)
Tuesday, September 19 - Parent Information Session Inclusive Preschool Program, 1PM Library (see info below)
Boundary Study Community Meeting, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. McLean HS Cafeteria ~ Door #9 (no registration required)
Monday, September 25 - Yom Kippur - School Closed
Thursday, September 28, 8 - 8:30 AM - Blue Star Welcome Breakfast for Military Connected Families (See invitation for Military Connected Families below)
Thursday, October 5 - Fall School Pictures
Monday October 9 - Student Holiday - Teacher Workday
FCPS annual calendar is here.
Preschool Inclusive Community Peers Program
Chesterbrook Elementary is pleased to announce that we will have community peers in our preschool program. This will involve teaching preschoolers with developmental delays and without delays in the same classroom. It can provide young children with a more stimulating environment, teach skills for coping with different situations, and provide the opportunity to learn appropriate social skills.
Our program will invite a limited number of community preschoolers (1-2 students), who are age 4-5 years (must be at least 4 years old by September, 30 of school year), to participate in our daily preschool activities. The children from the community will have the opportunity to make new friends and share experiences with current early childhood special education students. Our students will, in turn, benefit from being with community peers who can model appropriate language, motor, and social skills.
The goal of this program is to encourage active learning and promote social interaction and acceptance through shared experiences between the community children and our preschoolers with special needs.
Our Preschool Hours are Monday - Friday as follows:
AM Preschool 9:20 am - 12:40 pm
PM Preschool 12:45 pm – 4:05 pm (students aged 4-5 are eligible for PM preschool).
If you are interested in expressing interest in Chesterbrook’s Community Peers Program, please complete this google form.
Chesterbrook will host a Parent Coffee for interested parents on Tuesday, 9/19 at 1:00PM . Please join Mrs. Kirkpatrick and Mrs. Thomas to hear more about this opportunity. We request that interested parents fill out the interest form linked above prior to attending the meeting.
Recess Collaborative Play & Safety
Safe play during recess is important. During our first days of recess each year, teachers shared with students expectations for recess to ensure a fun and safe playtime for everyone. These expectations have been consistent each year to support our students. We wanted to share these through our communications, so all families can understand what we have shared with students. We welcome you to talk with your kids about safe play if they are concerned why we have rules for safety in place. It is great to have the beautiful large play area but it also becomes a challenge for teachers to manage all student behavior if they are not following expectations.
- Kinder and 1st graders are not allowed on monkey bars.
- Students may not chase or play tag on the playground area (tag is encouraged on the open field). This is to prevent children from running into poles or other equipment and also from falling off equipment while being chased. Running and walking on the track is also encouraged.
- Students follow the same approved activities they play during PE and can be safely monitored by teachers during recess. Small sided games may be played such as 3 on 3 soccer and 1/2 court basketball. No full sided games can be played such as a large team soccer game, full court basketball or football which can become aggressive quickly.
There are many games students are encouraged to play such as kickball, 3 on 3 soccer, knockout, 400, 4-square and more that offer students an opportunity to play in a safe and collaborative space where they can build friendships and work on social emotional skills. Thank you for your support so our students can enjoy recess safely.
Talking Points Communication
Chesterbrook staff will use Talking Points to communicate with families. It is helpful for families to download the app which will make our communications easier throughout the year. If you don't have this app, please follow these instructions. New CES families will need to set up the app for ease of communication. Directions to download the app and set up your home language can be found here.
Attendance Matters
As you plan upcoming trips and other family events, please remember the importance of sending your child to school every day. Review the FCPS School Year Calendar and try to plan any time away during long breaks from school.
Children who show up for school regularly develop fundamental reading and math skills while building a habit of good attendance that will carry them into college and careers. Research shows that children who were chronically absent (missing 18 days or more) in kindergarten and first grade were far less likely to read proficiently at the end of third grade.
Private Tutoring Options and Online Tutoring
Each year we share teachers that are available to tutor students. FCPS keeps a tutor list and this year we have a couple of teachers within our school. The FCPS tutor link is also included. You may access this list here.
FCPS also provides a free online tutoring resource for all families - Tutor.com. You may access more information on this resource here.
Virginia Growth Assessment
In 2021, the Virginia General Assembly introduced the expectation for new state "through-year" assessments in elementary and middle schools. Beginning in 2022-23, students in grades 3-8 take the Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) in fall and winter. The purpose of these assessments is to measure student growth and progress in reading and mathematics content standards.
Chesterbrook's VGA Schedule:
September 13th- 5th Grade Reading
September 19th- 3rd & 6th Grade Reading; 4th Grade Math
September 20th- 5th Grade Math
September 21st- 6th Grade Math
September 26- 3rd Grade Math
Please contact Farris Thomas (fsthomas@fcps.edu) with any questions regarding VGA.
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