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 Congrats to December's PAWSitive Award winners!
Practice Kindness | Act Responsibly | Work & Play Safely | Show Respect
Important Upcoming Dates
December 7-15: Chanukah
December 8: Religious/Cultural Observance: Bodhi Day
December 12: Equity Book Club and C.U.B Club
December 15: Laps for Learning Final Incentive: Pajama & Movie Day!
December 15: AAP Full-time Referrals Due
December 18-January 1: Winter Break
December 25: Christmas
January 1: New Year’s Day - No School
January 2: School Resumes
January 4: Power of Our Words Virtual Preview (Grades 4-6) - 5:00PM
January 5: Winter Spirit Day
January 9: Winter Concert for 6th Grade Advanced Band, 5th/6th Grade Strings, and 5th & 6th Grade Chorus - 7:00PM, Gym
Overview of this Issue
New This Week
1. Bears Care Outreach
2. Calendar Reminders
3. Winter Break - Olde Creek Office
4. Reminder: Window for Full-time AAP Referrals Due - December 15, 2023
5. Power of Our Words Preview Night (Grades 4-6)
6. Olde Creek Opportunities
7. Snow Days this Winter
8. Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
9. FCPS News
Reminders
10. Snack Sign-up for Olde Creek Staff
11. Bears in the Spotlight
12. OC Staff Spotlights
13. Save the Date: Family Engagement Night - January 18
14. Contacts
15. Be Informed, Stay Involved!
 Poetry, cocoa and sweets, oh my! Fourth-graders wrapped up their poetry unit in style with a visit to the Poetry Cafe. They participated in a riveting poetry slam, while indulging in some scrumptious delights. A big shout-out to all the families who came out to cheer them on!
Updates
1. Bears Care Outreach
The Bears Care food pantry is collecting holiday gift cards for students in our program to purchase turkeys or other perishable food items of their choice. Please use this sign up for Safeway, Walmart, and Target gift cards that can either be dropped off at the front office of the school or shipped. Please note on the item that it is for Bears Care. (Email Lisa Goodwin at lisamarm@gmail.com for any questions.)
You can also donate through the OC PTA PayPal account. The funds will be used to purchase items and gift cards based on the greatest needs of our families. Access the OC Bears Care PTA PayPal account here, or check out the PTA Bears Care page.
2. Calendar Reminders
Chanukah
Chanukah, an eight-day Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple and the miracle of a small quantity of oil that lit the Temple’s menorah for eight days.
This year, Chanukah began at sundown yesterday, Thursday, December 7. Learn more about Chanukah in National Geographic Kids.
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Bodhi Day
Bodhi Day, Friday, December 8, is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni), experienced enlightenment, also known as "bodhi" in Sanskrit and Pali. Learn more about Bodhi Day in this video from the Miami Children’s Museum.
The school calendar recognizes Bodhi Day as a religious observation day. There is school on this day, however, the School Board has directed that certain events will not be held on these observance days. See the complete school year calendar.
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Winter Break
As a reminder, there will be no school from Monday, December 18, to Monday, January 1, 2024, for winter break.
To help make sure you and your children have a restful break, no homework will be assigned during this time. Teachers may assign long-range assignments in the weeks ahead of the break, allowing students to practice time management skills, but no assignments will be due immediately following the break.
We look forward to welcoming students back in the new year. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. See the complete school year calendar.
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3. Winter Break - Olde Creek Office
The Olde Creek Main Office will be closed over the winter break. If a need arises over the break, please contact Melissa Miller, Principal, at mhmiller@fcps.edu.
Students and Staff will resume normal school hours on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.
If there is an emergency or security concern over the winter break, please contact FCPS School Security at 571-423-2000.
4. Reminder: Window for Full-time AAP Referrals Closes on December 15, 2023
Parents/guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time advanced academic programs may submit the AAP Full-Time (Level IV) Referral Form to Wendy Stobbe, AART, at wmstobbe@fcps.edu no later than December 15, 2023.
The window for families to submit a referral for full-time AAP services is the first day of school through December 15, annually. Forms for full-time and part-time referrals are available on the AAP Forms Page. No late referrals for Full-Time AAP services will be accepted.
Submitting a referral form for full-time AAP will initiate a process that begins at the local school and is then completed at the central office level. Our school will put together a portfolio that includes multiple data which are considered holistically. At the central office level, a committee of six trained professionals from various schools and roles will review the portfolio materials to determine eligibility for full-time placement. Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. Parents may request a copy of the portfolio that was submitted after they have been turned in for central selection by emailing Wendy Stobbe, AART, at wmstobbe@fcps.edu.
Referrals for subject-specific and part-time AAP are screened at the local school. If you miss this deadline, your student can still be screened for subject-specific AAP or part-time AAP for the remainder of the year and submit a referral for full-time AAP next fall.
For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs website.
5. Power of Our Words Preview Night - Lessons for Grades 4-6
Our students in grades 4-6 will have lessons on the Power of Our Words in January. We have been collaborating with our Region 5 Educational Specialist for Equity and Cultural Responsiveness and our pyramid colleagues in bringing this opportunity to our students. The goal of this lesson is to help our students be more mindful of the language they are using, as well as the importance of understanding the impact rather than the intent of their words. If you are interested in previewing the lesson, please plan on joining our admin team virtually on January 4th at 5:00PM. We will send out the link to all families in grades 4-6 closer to the date.
6. Olde Creek Opportunities
Olde Creek is looking for energetic family members, friends, grandparents, or adult siblings, who may be looking for an opportunity to join our Olde Creek Elementary staff. Olde Creek is a positive work environment, and we are ready to fill the following opportunities with members of our community. Applicants must be 18 or older.
Site-Based Substitute
Hourly 8:00AM - 3:30PM, Monday-Friday, $24.86 per Hour
Are you or somebody you know interested in working as a substitute with FCPS? FCPS is seeking individuals to serve as substitute teachers, instructional assistants, public health training assistants, and public health attendants! We are looking for a site-based substitute to work at Olde Creek five days a week. You will find information about the application process here. Interested applicants should contact Mrs. Miller, mhmiller@fcps.edu or at 703-426-3100. Please also send your resume directly to Mrs. Miller, principal, mhmiller@fcps.edu. To sign up for an information session, please visit our substitute information page here. Please feel free to share information about this opportunity with anyone else you think may be interested.
Student Monitor
Hourly 8:00AM - 3:30PM, Monday-Friday, $16.36 per Hour
Description
Provides supervision of students throughout the school day, including but not limited to the classroom, hallways, lunch, recess, specials, and at arrival/dismissal; helps maintain order and discipline and assists in managing the behavior of students; operates technology; performs administrative and non-instructional duties; ensures all layered prevention/safety protocols and procedures are implemented and followed; works with individual and small groups of students.
Qualifications
Any combination of education and experience is equivalent to graduation from high school. Must be comfortable managing student behaviors in large and small groups, ensuring all layered prevention/safety protocols and procedures are implemented and followed, and have general familiarity/skills with basic office technology in support of teachers, students, and the classroom.
Please pass this information along to anyone you may know. Interested applicants should contact Mrs. Butler, ajbutler@fcps.edu or at 703-426-3100.
7. Snow Days This Winter
For the current school year, 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.
During snow days, students may still access Tutor.com, complete any supplemental learning opportunities recommended by their teachers, and view educational programming (available virtually and on public access television channels):
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.
8. Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
We often notice more empty seats in our classrooms as winter break approaches. This year, let's work together to nurture a rock-solid attendance habit. Every hour of every school day is a unique opportunity for students to learn, connect, and grow.
A big thank you to:
- 🌟 Students who show up every day and the parents/caregivers supporting them.
- 👩🏫 Teachers who create a welcoming environment for learning.
- 👨💼 Administrators who provide a safe and engaging place to grow.
- 👏 Bus drivers, support staff, and volunteers who lend a helping hand to all our learners.
If you or your child need support, please reach out to our school social worker or family liaison. If your child is not feeling well, please refer to the When Should I Keep My Child Home? webpage for guidance.
There will be no school from Monday, December 18, to Monday, January 1, 2024, for winter break. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 2.
Visit FCPS’ website for more attendance resources.
9. FCPS News
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- Snow Days
- Winter Break Reminder
- Food Insecurity Resources for Families
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
10. Snack Sign-up for Olde Creek Staff
We would love your continued help as we give thanks to our staff by stocking our staff lounge and teacher planning spaces with individually wrapped snack foods, beverages, and sweet treats. Join us in showing our gratitude to our outstanding staff along with keeping them energized as they educate and support our Bears.
Please sign-up for any of the items at this link and drop off donations to the main office. The main office is open daily, Monday through Friday from 8:00AM-4:00PM. Please note on the item that it is for staff.
We want to thank all of our families that have already donated. We greatly appreciate your generosity to support our exceptional staff!
11. Bears in the Spotlight
We are excited to announce that we will be continuing to feature students on the OC News Show in our Bears in the Spotlight segment! This is a way for students to share their hobbies and after school activities with the school community. We want to highlight all the amazing things that our students are passionate about!
To submit your student's information, please fill out the Bears in the Spotlight Google Form. You can find the form here.
The information that you submit will be used to create a slide that will be shared on the News Show. The slide will include any photos or videos that you include as well as a description of your student's hobby/activity.
We appreciate your help in spotlighting the awesome talents and interests of our OC Bears!
12. OC Staff Spotlights
We're excited to highlight our incredible staff members in our Staff Spotlights! In these features, our staff shares their love of working at OC and their hobbies and interests. To browse more staff spotlights, visit the Features section of our Olde Creek website!
13. Save the Date: Family Engagement Night - January 18
Click here to RSVP! We hope to see you there!
14. Contacts
Olde Creek Main Office: 703-426-3100
Olde Creek Attendance Phone Line: 703-426-3192
Olde Creek Attendance mailbox: OldeCreekElem.Attendance@fcps.edu
Technology Support for Families/Parent Help Desk: 1-833-921-3277
Parent Information Phone Lines/Support for parents who do not speak English as their first language: Parent Information Phone Lines
Parent and Student technology support: IT Support Portal
Melissa Miller, Principal, mhmiller@fcps.edu
Alison Butler, Assistant Principal, ajbutler@fcps.edu
Stephanie Kaminsky, Assistant Principal, sjkaminsky@fcps.edu
Sylvia Alverson, Administrative Assistant, sjalverson@fcps.edu
Lizardo Santos, Student Information Assistant, LISantos@fcps.edu
Sandy McCulloch, Office Assistant, slmcculloch@fcps.edu
15. Be Informed, Stay Involved!
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