 We Love our Custodians!
Forestdale Families,
What a fun attendance awareness spirit week we had this past week! Students enjoyed wearing their pajamas, their workout wear, their "dress to impress" best, and their Falcon pride. Thanks to all those who participated, and thank you for joining us in our commitment to strong attendance practices.
Monday, October 2 is National Custodian Appreciation Day, and Forestdale's custodial team is the best of the best! Each day, these amazing Falcons "take care of this place" by ensuring our students, families, and staff come into a safe, beautiful, and clean building each day... and they do it with smiles full of love. You can hear the custodians' laughs throughout the halls as they greet students and staff; what an important part of our family they are! Please join us in showing our deepest gratitude to our amazing team (left to right), Ms. Salomey Agyeiwah-Takyi; Ms. Mary Koduah, Building Supervisor; Mr. Thanhphuong Luu, and Ms. Ama Adu-Ampong, Assistant Building Supervisor. Whenever you see them throughout the year, please be sure to join us in showing them our appreciation for taking care of our school community.
We are looking forward to kicking off the year with our new PTA Board! Thank you to our new board members (below) for taking on the responsibility of working with the school to increase family engagement and partnership and planning school-wide events. See below for more information about the PTA meetings and events coming up. Our goal is for 100% of staff and families to join the PTA, allowing us to provide more events and opportunities for our students and families. More information will come home from the PTA in a Thursday folder soon. We are excited to continue the amazing partnership with our PTA and families!
President: Ms. Neris Ramirez
Vice President: Ms. Kadedra Gordon
Co-Secretaries: Ms. Gabriela Vinet & Ms. Amber Wixtrom
Treasurer: Ms. Stacy Niederman
Membership: Ms. Claudia Flores & Ms. Christina Schauss
We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and lovely week ahead!
Your partners in education,
Mrs. Jenny Cunneen, Proud Principal
Dr. LaDonna Tate, Proud Assistant Principal
Fall Book Fair: October 3-10
Our Fall Book Fair is coming soon, October 3-10! This year, we will have a new vendor, Bedford Falls. Their books are less expensive than our previous vendor, and there is also no tax charged.
Your child will attend the book fair with their class two times: once to fill out their wish lists, and once to purchase books.
We will also have after-school shopping hours on October 4, 5, and 6 (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Families can come to buy books then, too!
Students can pay during school hours with cash (no credit cards or checks please).
Families can use credit cards or pay with cash during after-school hours.
If you'd like to volunteer at our fair, helping kids make their wish lists and find books, you can sign up here.
Looking forward to seeing you at our book fair!
 Social and Emotional Learning Screener Offered in October
The screener is offered to all students in grades 3-12 in October and again in February or March. It addresses skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions.
The SEL Screener also helps students evaluate their school community’s efforts to make them feel valued, included, and supported. Screener data is used to create the learning, experiences, and environments students need to be successful. 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.
SEL Screener results are sent to families via postal mail. Families who wish to opt their child out should complete the opt-out form in the Annual Notice packet or in SIS ParentVUE.
For more information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage or contact your child’s school.
Please note that the SEL Screener differs from the anonymous Fairfax County Youth Survey.
Attendance Tip: Scheduling Family Trips or Events
Good attendance is an important life skill that will help students succeed in school and beyond.
When scheduling trips or family events, try to use weekends and school holidays, and refer to the FCPS Calendar when planning. Every day of learning is a day toward success. Keep in mind that absences add up quickly. Students who are absent 10% of the school year (or just two days per month) are considered chronically absent.
When possible, schedule appointments for your child outside of school hours. If your child needs to miss school because of an illness or another reason, you must report the absence to their school. Most schools have links to their attendance email or notification systems on their homepages. If you are unsure how to report an absence, please call your school’s front office.
Watch this video with tips on understanding our school calendar and visit our Attendance webpage for additional information. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!
Free Family Opportunity at Forestdale: HIPPY Classes
Forestdale is excited to announce that we will be hosting the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program again this year, free for families of 2, 3, and 4-year olds. This class will be held weekly on Thursdays from 9:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. See flyers below for more details.
To enroll in this free class, please contact Elizabeth Bruzon at embruzon@fcps.edu or (703)204-4350 OR Sara Parada at spparadacamp@fcps.edu or (703)204)4307.
 
Free COVID-19 Tests
Every U.S. household can place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home.
Review health and safety guidance for schools to stay up to date on the best ways to prevent the spread of disease, and for information on when students should stay home from school.
A Note from Lewis Lancers Head Coach
Hi, this is Larry Choates, the Head Coach of the Lewis High School Football Team. Our team has been working to build a community through service. We have been reading to elementary students during Read Across America and teaching middle school students the game of football with our Rising Lancers Program. We are fundraising for our team meals and for long sleeves for the players to have during cold games. Please consider helping us through this link and write “Lancers Football” in the box. Thank you!
2023-30 Strategic Plan — Goal 5: Leading for Tomorrow's Innovation
The 2023-30 strategic plan sets five student-centered goals to create positive change in FCPS. These five goals show where we should focus our attention and will help us align our efforts.
Under Goal 5, every student will graduate ready to thrive in life after high school with the skills they need to navigate, adapt, and innovate for a sustainable future. Using data gathered from students, we will ensure they are ready for a wide variety of options for their futures.
Visit FCPS’ Strategic Plan webpage to learn more about how we will measure the success of Goal 5.
PTA Corner
Become a Member
Join the Parent Teacher Association (PTA)! Your membership helps support events and resources for our school You can join by clicking this link. You can also make donations to the PTA at this link. Membership is $10 per family. Our goal is for 100% of staff and families to join the PTA, allowing us to provide more events and opportunities for our students and families.
Free Pizza at our First PTA Meeting: October 11
Join us for our first PTA meeting of the year at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 11 in the cafeteria. Register for upcoming events, learn about our mission, and share your ideas for the year. The meeting will be informal, giving you time to meet other families. Kids are welcome.
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Hangry Burger Restaurant Night: October 18
Back by popular demand, the PTA will be holding another Hangry Burger Restaurant Night fundraiser
Come join Falcon families or pick up diner to go from Hangry Burger on Wednesday, October 18 anytime between 4:00-8:00 p.m.
6699 Frontier Dr Suite G, Springfield, VA 22150
The restaurant is generously donating 15% of all sales (dine in or take out) to the Forestdale PTA. Thank you in advance for your support our school!
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Learn More about the PTA
Learn more on Facebook by following "Forestdale Elementary PTA" on Facebook or emailing questions to forestdaleelementarypta@gmail.com.
Important Dates
October 3-10
Book Fair (October 4, 5, 6: After-school shopping hours from 4:30- 6:30 p.m.)
October 9
Indigenous Peoples' Day, Staff Development Day/Student Holiday (No school)
October 10-12
Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) for students in grades 2 and new students in grades 3-6 without a test on file
October 11
First PTA Meeting: 7:00-8:00 p.m., cafeteria (free pizza will be served)
October 12
Level IV Screening Process for Families, 6:00-7:00 p.m., cafeteria
October 18
PTA Hangry Burger Restaurant Night Fundraiser
See the complete FCPS 2023-2024 school year calendar.
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