Fairfax Villa Weekly Message 10/13/2023

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 10/13/2023 05:56 PM EDT
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Para leer este boletín en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.

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Important Upcoming Dates  

10/16: Impact Aid Survey Available on ParentVUE - Please complete!

10/18: AAP Full Time Screening Information Zoom Meeting

10/20: PTA Fall Festival 6pm-8pm

11/3: 2 Hour Student Early Release at 2pm

11/6: Student Holiday / School Planning Day

11/7: Student Holiday / Teacher Work Day

11/9: Zoom PTA Meeting #4

11/15: Thanksgiving Luncheon 

11/17: Impact Aid Forms Due

11/17: PTA Glow Party

11/22 - 11/24: Student Holiday

12/6: FVES Book Fair & Family Math Night

12/14: Strings Concert 7pm

12/16 - 1/1: Student Holiday / Winter Break

1/18: Zoom PTA Meeting #5

1/31: Gr. 3 Family Folk Dance 7pm

2/7: Winter Band Concert 7pm

2/9: PTA Heritage Night 7pm

4/4: Zoom PTA Meeting #6

4/12: PTA Bingo Night

5/23: Strings Evening Performance at 7pm 

5/29: Springs Band Concert at 7pm

6/6: Grade 6 Showcase at 7pm

6:12: Last Day of School - 2hr Early Release

IN THIS ISSUE

  1. Villa's Own Fall Festival!
  2. Attendance Tip: Scheduling Family Trips or Events
  3. AAP Parent Information Meetings
  4. Reflection Sheets
  5. STEM Fest
  6. Monday and Friday Fairfax Villa Clothing
  7. Technology Updates and Information For Families & ParentVue Accounts
  8. Important Fairfax Villa Contacts
  9. Be Informed; Stay Involved!

1.Villa's Own Fall Festival!

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Join us from 6-8p on Friday, Oct. 20

for an evening of fun and excitement for the whole family! Admission is free, so come one, come all, to enjoy a delightful array of activities.

Let your kids bounce to their hearts' content in our Bounce House, test their skills at Carnival Games, and delight in whimsical Balloon Animals. Kids can try their luck at Snag-a-Bag and get their faces painted. Don't miss out on Pick-a-Pop, where every lollipop reveals a colorful surprise. And when hunger strikes, our Concessions Table is fully stocked -- with pizza, too! With something for everyone, this Fall Festival is the perfect way to celebrate the season together. Hope to see you there!

Chocolate, pumpkin, goodies galore! SCA will be having their own baked goods stand to raise funds for various activities to participate in as the year progresses and for next year. They are accepting cash only for the delicious treats. Don’t forget to stop by to say hello to the 2023-2024 officers and grab a treat in the cafeteria! 

Lastly, we need your help to make it happen!

Whether you're able to donate time or treats, we're counting on our Villa community to be part of this evening's success. Please sign up below for one (or more) options -- we're grateful for whatever you can do!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4EADA628A13-44979982-2023#/

2.🗓️ 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.

Currently (10/6/23), Fairfax Villa’s chronic absenteeism rate is 10.4% for this school year. A school’s chronic absenteeism rate is the number of students that are absent 10% or more throughout the school year.   As we finish quarter one of the 2023-24 school year, we will continue to update this percentage with you in hopes that we can join our Woodson pyramid schools for having an acceptable chronic absenteeism rate. 

Watch a video with tips on understanding FCPS' school calendar and visit our Attendance webpage for additional information. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!

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Please review the FCPS School Year Calendar and line up vacations/appointments with the school’s schedule and during long breaks from school. 

Click here for more FCPS Attendance Information!
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Our 3rd grade students and their buddy classrooms are working together on their reading! 

3.AAP Parent Information Meetings

Cat Wilkins, Fairfax Villa’s Advanced Academics Resource Teacher (AART), will be sharing detailed information about the Full-Time AAP screening process in a virtual parent meeting on Wednesday, October 18, at 7:30 p.m. This meeting is intended for parents of 2nd-6th grade students who are interested in referring for Full-Time (level IV) services. The deadline for referrals for students new to Fairfax County (since January) is October 15. Please contact Mrs. Wilkins at cmwilkins@fcps.edu if you are a parent of a new student in grades 3-6 and are interested in referring for full-time services, as the deadline falls before the meeting. The deadline for all other referrals is December 15.

Here is the information for the Zoom meeting:

Mrs. Wilkins previously presented an overview of AAP services at a meeting on 9/27. If you would like to view the recording and slides (available in English and Spanish) from that meeting, please visit the “All Parents/Guardians” course on Schoology here. Please note that you will need to be logged in with your parent view.

4.Reflection Sheets

Fairfax Villa staff members care deeply about our students' safety and learning. We want the students to be able to respect themselves and to care equally about their safety and their learning. Therefore we are changing our Think Sheets to Reflection Sheets in hopes that students can express themselves well enough to have thoughtful discussions about the choices they make. We ask that our families also engage in thoughtful discussions with their child in the event a Reflection Sheet should come home.  Reflection Sheets need to be signed by a parent/guardian and returned to school the next school day. Students who do not return the Reflection Sheet the next school day will be asked to meet with Mrs. Sobeski or Mr. Gerstner during the students lunch and a phone call will be made to inform the parent/guardian.  The ultimate goal of behavior Reflection Sheets is to teach students how to think about and, eventually, regulate their own behavior. We appreciate all your support with this matter. 

5.STEM Fest

Students are invited to participate in STEM FEST, Saturday, October 14, at South County High School

Participate in STEM FEST: Students in kindergarten through eighth grade can participate in robotics demonstrations, coding experiments, and other activities. High school students are invited to volunteer. Visit the STEAMOLOGY website for more information. 

  • Audience:  K-8 Students and families
  • Date/Time: Saturday, October 14, 2023; 11:30 am - 3:00 pm.
  • Location: South County High School, 8501 Silverbrook Rd, Lorton, VA 22079
  • Click Here for Student Registration

Volunteer Information: Visit the STEAMOLOGY website

6.Monday & Friday Fairfax Villa Clothing

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Students and staff will be wearing the same clothing to kick off and end each week during the 2023-24 school year!

  • On Mondays, we will be wearing our Positivity shirts to highlight our character strengths and virtues that we will be learning throughout the school year.  The Boosterthon team distributed these green shirts during the fun run for the past 3 years. The shirts highlight our Villa dragon and Positivity logos on the front of the shirts. 
  • On Fridays, we will be showing off our favorite Fairfax Villa spirit wear.  If your son or daughter has outgrown their Fairfax Villa spirit wear clothing, our PTA has some new ones.

7.Technology Updates and Digital Consent Families

8.Important Fairfax Villa Contacts

9.Be Informed; Stay Involved!