Weekly Words
January 12, 2024
Dear Island Creek Families,
Our Croc students demonstrated the Crocs’ Creed character trait of “Resilient” this week with the heavy rain on Tuesday at dismissal and our 45-minute power outage on Wednesday. On Thursday, we recognized our 92 Respectful and Resilient Croc Stars on the Morning News and with a photo in the cafeteria. Each of our Croc Stars also received a certificate.
School will be closed Monday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and we look forward to welcoming our Crocs back to school on Tuesday.
Warmly,
Jen Fallert
jrfallert@fcps.edu
FCPS schools and offices will be closed on Monday, January 15, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. The holiday marks the birthday of King, who was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement. The movement protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr.
Volunteer with Give Together FCPS is excited to collaborate with Volunteer Fairfax for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Community members 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, making no-tie fleece blankets for veterans, environmental stewardship, and support for animal welfare. Children ages 13 to 18 may serve as teen event volunteers.
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
|
Congratulations VOKE Singers
Congratulations to five of our 5th Grade students who participated in the VOKE Children’s Choral Festival and performed an outstanding concert on Sunday. Since September, they have been working on 6 challenging pieces of music every Tuesday after school. At the festival, these students not only sang beautifully, but they also represented Island Creek well by showing respect and being responsible! Thank you to our amazing Music Teachers, Sarah Laird and Deb Tien, for their time and efforts in supporting these talented singers.
Chorus Concert
Congratulations to our 5th and 6th Grade Chorus students for their beautiful chorus concert on Monday afternoon and evening. Thank you to Deb Tien and Sarah Laird for leading these talented singers.
Congratulations Respectful and Resilient Croc Stars
2nd Graders Learn all about the Weather!
Authors and Artists!
Family Input: Island Creek's Vision and Mission
Starting in August 2023, Island Creek Staff have been working on a new Mission and Vision for Island Creek Elementary that reflects the work we do each day, and the outcomes we desire to have our students, your children, achieve. The effort is being led by Island Creek's Compass Team and all Island Creek Staff have engaged in dialogue and opportunities to share their thoughts.
The best Vision Statements are inspirational, clear, memorable, concise, and focus on ends, not means. Mission Statements should encompass values and actions to achieve the vision.
The Compass Team values your opinion and trusts you will provide us with honest feedback that we can use to edit our working document. After reading through the draft Mission and Vision, please complete this form by Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
Responsive Classroom: Reinforcing Language
As Island Creek Staff delve into The Power of Our Words, there has been a renewed focus on reinforcing language which stems from providing children with specific positive feedback and meant to encourage all students within the classroom. When using reinforcing language, teachers provide specific examples and feedback for children and not vague statements such as good job or nice work. An example of this would be “I noticed that Jim added 3 key details from the text in his extended response. This will help to support his claim and back up his ideas.” Reinforcing language is meant to bolster students' confidence and support their learning in a kind and positive way.
Island Creek Celebrates Diversity
We want to empower our Island Creek students to have a strong voice, share their experiences, and learn from, and celebrate, each other! We would love to hear from our Crocs about the various traditions, holidays, observances, and cultural experiences families celebrate or recognize.
During January we would like our students to learn about the following observances:
- New Year’s Day
- Three Kings Day/Epiphany
- Kwanzaa
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
-
Additional January observances or celebrations that your child would like to share
If your child is interested in recording a 1-2 minute segment for our Morning News Show please use this link: https://flip.com/95550918 as we would love to learn from our Crocs! Alternatively, if your child would prefer to make a poster to display in the hallways at Island Creek, please have them bring their poster to the front office to be displayed.
|
Island Creek is seeking Classroom Monitors
Island Creek is seeking candidates to serve as student monitors for the remainder of this school year. If interested please follow the application guidance below. Please share this opportunity with others who may be interested! We are interviewing until all positions are filled.
RESPONSIBILITIES - Provide supervision of students throughout the school day including but not limited to the classroom, hallways, lunch, recess, specials and arrival/dismissal.
QUALIFICATIONS - Any combination of education and experience equivalent to graduation from high school. Must be comfortable supervising students in large and small groups.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS - Pay: $17.19/hour (no benefits) Hours: 8:10-3:40, 7-hour paid day with a 30-minute unpaid lunch
TO APPLY:
Supporting Beginning Readers Information Session: January 31
Kindness Week at Island Creek (February 12-16)
Save the Date: This is Us Multicultural Night!! (2nd annual)
Tutor.com Can Help With More Than Homework
Tutor.com offers more than help with homework! This on-demand tutoring service also provides a comprehensive range of resources including exam prep for AP, SAT, and ACT tests at no cost to families.
Students can take practice quizzes at any time. If they struggle in particular areas, they can immediately connect to a live tutor for help through voice or chat options. Learn more on the FCPS Tutor.com webpage.
 Click to view the 2023-2024 FCPS School Calendar
-
Monday, January 15: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday (school holiday)
-
Tuesday, January 16: Island Creek’s Vision and Mission family input due
-
Thursday, January 18: Band and Strings Concert (6:30, Gym)
-
Wednesday, January 24: Authors and Artists (4:30-6:00)
-
Thursday, January 25: Last day of 2nd Quarter, 2-hour early release for students (1:20)
-
Friday, January 26: Teacher Work Day (no school for students)
-
Monday, January 29: 3rd Quarter begins
-
Wednesday, January 31: Supporting Beginning Readers Information Session (9:15, Island Creek Theatre) (session will be recorded)
|
