In this Friday Message you will find:
Floris Families,
Welcome to the first Friday Message of the new year. It was a wonderful few days as staff and students returned to school for the first week of 2024. The smiles and excitement in the building were shining throughout the building.
January can be a busy month, and we also know that Mother Nature can throw in some wintry weather as well in January. Many of the weather teams are predicting that we will see some wintery weather/snow/ice in January and February.
A reminder that FCPS will be returning to its previous procedure for snow days - there will be no virtual learning days when school is closed due to bad weather. FCPS explains that Weather Cancellation Procedures on the webpage.
Eleven snow days are built into the existing FCPS calendar. Eliminating virtual learning days will allow us to maximize students’ in-person learning and provide equitable access to instruction and student services.
Holly Walker, Principal, hjwalker@fcps.edu
Rob Gibbs, Assistant Principal, ragibbs@fcps.edu
#EveryEagleEveryDay
Floris Soaring Eagles
As we kick off the New Year, we are bringing back our online tradition here at Floris that gives the community the opportunity to say thank you and/or show appreciation for all our staff do each day to make Floris amazing!
Floris Soaring Eagles are compliments, kudos, etc. that we will share with the staff. Just click HERE to access the Floris Soaring Eagle Google Form and share your appreciation.
You can also recognize staff with the FCPS Cares. The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care.
🔢 Help FCPS Reach 1 Million Minutes of Math
FCPS Family Math Week starts on Monday, January 8! Join us online for games and stories. FCPS is working toward a total of 1 million minutes logged by families. Participation is free, with activities from ST Math geared toward students in grades K-6 and their families.
Math Week offers families an opportunity to experience math, literacy, history, and geography in a fun and positive way. All content will be available for families in English and Spanish beginning Monday, January 8. Visit the Math Week website for games, stories, and other activities.
January is National Mentoring Month
Imagine a world where young people feel empowered, encouraged, and understood. Mentors can make that world a reality by helping young people find and follow their passions, excel in school, and thrive wherever they are. Learn more about Mentoring Month.
Research has shown that young people with at least one trusted mentor are less likely to skip school, less likely to use illegal drugs or drink alcohol, and more prepared to enter college or the workforce. Yet one in three children lack a mentor.
All it takes is one person to serve as a trusted adult to help change a young person’s path in life. Mentors provide attention, support, and enrichment, and help connect their mentees to resources that may help them on their journey in life.
FCPS’ MentorWorks program matches mentors with students in schools near where they live or work. They meet for at least 30 minutes a week. Learn more about how to become a mentor for an FCPS student. Please contact Martha Macdonald, mentoring specialist, for additional information at mmacdonald@fcps.edu.
School Year 2024-2025 Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program Information
All rising kindergarten and first grade students who live in Fairfax County may enter a lottery to participate in Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs. In DLI programs, students are learning elementary content in two languages with students spending half of the day learning in either language. English Language Arts and Social Studies are taught in English. Math, Science, Health, and Target Language Arts are taught in another language.
FCPS offers DLI programs in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Online lottery application begins on January 22nd (9 a.m.). A SIS account is required to complete the application. If a student is not currently enrolled in FCPS, registration at the base school is required.
FCPS does not provide transportation for students who live outside the attendance area of the DLI school. A one-time fee of $100 must be paid upon acceptance of an out-of-boundary placement (see Notice 5922).
For additional registration information, please visit: https://www.fcps.edu/registration/dual-language-immersionprograms-registration.
Three Kings Day/Epiphany
Three Kings Day (January 6), also known as the Epiphany, is a Christian celebration that commemorates the Biblical story of the three kings who followed the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to the Christ child. This marks the official 12th day of Christmas. Learn more at National Geographic Kids.
FCPS has designated Three Kings Day/Epiphany as a religious and cultural observance day (O day). There is school on these days, however, the School Board has directed that specific events that cannot be made up will not be held on these observance days.
Orthodox Christmas
Many Orthodox Christians in the United States celebrate Christmas Day on or near January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. It is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who they believe to be the son of God. Learn more facts about Christmas from National Geographic Kids.
Do You Hear the Buzz?
Did you know the runner-up in last year's Fairfax County Spelling Bee was a Floris student?
Or that the Fairfax County speller went on to win 2nd place at the National Spelling Bee?
The Floris PTA Spelling Committee has been planning for another successful Spelling Bee program for the 2023-2024 school year, and is proud to offer students an opportunity to exhibit their proficiency in the arts of spelling and vocabulary. The school Spelling Bee Champion will have the opportunity to advance to the Fairfax county regional competition. The regional winner will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee representing Fairfax County.
The Floris Elementary Spelling Bee will be held in two rounds:
- Preliminary Round: Monday February 12th, at 5:30PM in the Floris cafeteria.
- Finalists Round: Friday February 19th, at 5:30PM in the Floris cafeteria.
To register your child for participation in this year's Spelling Bee, please use the form here: https://forms.gle/i5GdkfHw5FgJTSyFA
Registered students will be provided with the School Spelling List. For more details and links to study and practice materials, please visit http://florispta.org/enrichment/spelling-bee/ or www.spellingbee.com. Please always feel free to send us an email with your questions and/or ideas to florispta.spellingbee@gmail.com
Congratulations to Tanush (Floris, 2nd grader) who tied for 2nd place and with tiebreaker score got a bronze medal for 7th place at grade-2 level at the US Chess National Scholastic championships held in Orlando last month. He won 6 of the 7 games played. In all 231 kids played at his grade level, and 2444 kids turned up for the event at the various grades from all over the country. Great job Tanush.
Please remember you can find the breakfast and lunch menus and nutritional facts at FCPS Nutrislice- Floris
January 8-12: Winter VGA Testing for grades 3-6
January 15: MLK, Jr. Holiday, All FCPS Schools and Offices are closed
January 17: PTA Meeting, 6:30pm, Zoom
January 25:
- End of 2nd Quarter
- Early Release, Floris Dismissal, 2:00pm
January 26: No School for Students, Teacher Workday
February 2: PTA Movie Night, 6:30pm, café
February 5-9: National School Counseling Week
February 12-16: Kindness Week
February 19: Presidents’ Day Holiday, All FCPS Schools and Offices are Closed
Find the 2023-2024 School Year Calendar
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