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Dear Mantua families,
The temperatures outside have dropped, but our energy and enthusiasm for learning are soaring! Our P2 (Positivity Project) thoughts for last week center around optimism. Optimism represents hopefulness, confidence about what lies ahead, and the focus and hard work needed to create change. We look forward with confidence to a great semester and to helping students meet challenges and reach their learning goals. Families can participate in The Positivity Project with activities at home; please see the information and link below for ideas. Some of our fourth-grade students shared their hopes and ambitions for the new year; we’ve shared first-week back pictures below.
FCPS is hosting a virtual Math Week beginning on Monday, January 8! Students can participate in online games, stories, and other activities. This is expected to be a great learning experience, and we encourage all Mantua students to hop online and join the fun! We’ve included a link below.
Lastly, I want to direct your attention to an FCPS message below from Dr. Reid regarding the awareness of drug use in the community. As a parent of a 5th grader, I have given great consideration as to how and when I will have related conversations with my daughter. The video prompted me to talk with her about the issues and worries this weekend. While it may feel early, it is right now that I still have her ear, her confidence, and her trust, which will undoubtedly ebb and flow as she continues to mature as a teenager. In today’s message, I choose to share my lived experiences as a parent and educator, as I often do privately within the walls of Mantua, but this time on a larger scale, because the message is so important. Please consider joining Dr. Reid on Wednesday, January 10, at 6:30 p.m., at Edison High School for a community conversation about opioid awareness and determine the next steps that are best for your family.
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
Take good care,
Linda Shannon, Principal
Rich Deixler, Assistant Principal
Colleen Vaughan, Assistant Principal
Important Dates
January 15: Martin Luther King’s birthday, student holiday, schools and offices closed
January 17: Parent Orientation at Frost Middle School for rising 7th grade families
January 19: Orthodox Epiphany( religious and cultural observance)
January 25: End of quarter, 2 hour early release for students
January 26: Teacher workday, student holiday
January 31: Mantua rising 7th grade students visit Frost Middle School
Be sure to bookmark the FCPS school year calendar to keep track of school holidays, breaks, and observances.
Personal Electronic Devices
As some students returned from break with new and exciting devices, we want to send a friendly reminder to review the SRR guidelines with your students. In elementary schools, phones must be silenced and in backpacks for the duration of the school day. Watches that serve a dual purpose (e.g., smartwatch) may be worn; however, phone features (e.g., texting, Internet, calls, etc.) are to be off when phone use is prohibited. Please reach out to the administrative team if you have any questions. Have a great week!
Candid Yearbook Photos
Candid photos for the yearbook will be taken this week in classrooms, and club/group photos will be taken on Wednesday, January 10th, for the yearbook. The following groups will have their photos taken: patrols, strings, band, and chorus. Please remind your students to dress appropriately and with the understanding that photos might be taken of them in the classroom or one of these group settings.
Positivity Project (P2) at Mantua
This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Prudence. Prudence means you plan for the future and achieve your goals by making careful everyday choices.
Prudence is the ability to do the right thing for the right reason at the right time. It’s a future-oriented way of thinking that helps a person set goals, make plans, and have the discipline to accomplish them. It is cognitive -- more a strength of the head than of the heart.
Prudence supports effective individual self-management. Whether aspiring for an athletic record, academic grade, or purchasing a car, foresight, and planning are necessary; however, even with a plan, long-term goals can only be obtained by overcoming those impulses and desires that steer you away from your goals. Prudence provides the wisdom to know which character strength to leverage and at which time to achieve your desired end state.
To practice and encourage the character strength of prudence with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2) (English, Spanish), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.
Seeking Student Monitors for Mantua
Hourly 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, 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 Mr. Rich Deixler, radeixler@fcps.edu.
After-School Enrichment Opportunity
Our after-school enrichment program has been running for over 10 years and averages over 500 student registrations yearly. This program and others like it at Mantua cannot exist without our amazing parent volunteers. The current volunteer for the program is aging out of Mantua, and the PTA is still searching for someone to take over the reins of this wonderful program that serves so many of our student population. Please consider volunteering for this important role in the PTA to save our enrichment program so that future students can benefit! Please email Heather Hill at hillheather96@gmail.com for more information; she would like to have the new coordinator shadow her during the Spring planning, which begins in January, in order to ensure a successful 2024-2025 program launch.
Attention Rising 7th Graders Attending Frost MS: Save the Date(s) for Parent Orientation Night
Please join us for our upcoming Rising 7th Grade Parent Orientation Night on Wednesday, January 17th, at 6:30 PM at Frost Middle School. At this event, parents and guardians who will have students at Frost during the 24-25 school year will hear specifics about Frost Middle School, the 7th grade curriculum options, and the course selection process. Due to space restrictions, students will have a separate opportunity at each individual elementary school to hear this information and will also have a school visit to Frost! A list of all upcoming events can be found here. If you are unable to attend on the 17th, the materials for you to access will be placed there.
If you need language translation services for the 17th, please email Ms. Kim at hkim22@fcps.edu or complete this survey by January 4th.
If you have specific questions you hope will be addressed at the Parent Orientation, please submit those here.
Conversation to Raise Awareness of Fentanyl and Other Drugs
In this video, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid interviews the Fosters, a family who tragically lost their son Cayden to a half pill of fentanyl mistaken for Percocet. This heart-wrenching yet eye-opening video of their experience is essential to raise awareness among parents/caregivers and students about the dangers of fake painkillers.
Please join Dr. Reid on Wednesday, January 10, at 6:30 p.m., at Edison High School for a community conversation about opioid awareness. You may register to attend. However, registration is not required; it is simply for space considerations.
The evening program is appropriate for parents/caregivers and students in grades 6-12. All attendees will receive free REVIVE! Narcan training during the event and learn about support services currently available within FCPS and Fairfax County.
FCPS’ website also has resources to help you to start the conversation and additional support for families struggling with substance misuse.
Virtual Math Week, January 8
FCPS Family Math Week starts tomorrow, Monday, January 8! Participate in games and stories online. FCPS is working toward a total of 1 million minutes logged by families. The event 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.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday
FCPS schools and offices will be closed on Monday, January 15, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr.
Volunteer with Give Together
FCPS students continue to find incredible ways to serve their community while building Portrait of a Graduate skills such as becoming an ethical and global citizen. The school division is excited to collaborate with Volunteer Fairfax for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Students and families can volunteer on Monday, January 15, at Volunteer Fairfax’s Give Together event. It is designed to engage families with children (ages 5-12) in service learning.
Projects will include a food drive, assembling caring kits for community members who need support, making no-tie fleece blankets for veterans, environmental stewardship, and support for animal welfare.
Students ages 13 to 18 are welcome to serve as teen event volunteers. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Safe Students, Safe Schools
Fairfax County Public Schools believes that academic success is built on the foundation of a safe learning environment. This includes physical safety, and mental health and wellness.
FCPS has a comprehensive approach to safety that involves physical security measures, online monitoring by security staff, and crisis intervention support. The division has created the Safe Students, Safe Schools Brochure (PDF) to enhance your awareness of potential hazards and to equip you with practical tips for how you can help. Visit the FCPS website for more information.
Snow Days
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):
Elementary school instruction: Red Apple 21.
Middle school instruction: Channel 25.
High school instruction: Channel 99.
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.
Preparing for Winter Weather
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather-related closing decisions are made.
FCPS’ website is generally the first place where we will post an emergency weather closing. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible, including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be sure to plan for the winter season. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and plan for childcare if appropriate.
Dual Language Immersion Program Registration
Registration for the countywide lottery for Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs will open on Monday, January 22. Current pre-K students may apply for the kindergarten immersion program, and current kindergarten students may apply for the first grade immersion programs for the 2024-25 school year. Programs are available in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.
Parents/caregivers who are interested may want to attend an informational meeting. Meetings are held at the school site. Check the FCPS events calendar for the most current information. Meetings will begin on Tuesday, January 16.
A virtual meeting hosted by the World Languages Office will include general program information. Access to this virtual meeting will be made available on the FCPS events calendar and the Dual Language Immersion registration site on the day of the meeting.
Get more information on the immersion program webpage and registration page.
Quick Contacts & Links
Linda Shannon, Principal lcshannon@fcps.edu
Rich Deixler, Assistant Principal radeixler@fcps.edu
Colleen Vaughan, Assistant Principal CAVaughan@fcps.edu
AnnMarie DelValle, Administrative Assistant, adelvalle@fcps.edu
Mergie Kakouris, Student Information Assistant, mbkakouris@fcps.edu
Fadwa Finaish, Office Assistant, ffinaish@fcps.edu
Susan Palomino, Office Assistant slpalomino@fcps.edu
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