Weekly Words
February 9, 2024
Dear Island Creek Families,
On Thursday we celebrated our 100th day of school! This week we took time to recognize our amazing counselors, Ms. Bohnert and Ms. Shelesky. They are visible daily supporting students, staff and families across the school and providing opportunities for students to strengthen social and emotional skills.
Next week our Crocs will celebrate Kindness Week with a variety of ways to show kindness to others. Additionally, the SCA will be collecting toothbrushes for Smiles for Miles!
We look forward to seeing many of you this evening at the PTA’s Bingo event!
Thank you for continuing to partner with us to support your child(ren). Have a wonderful weekend and spend time with a good book!
Warmly,
Jen Fallert
jrfallert@fcps.edu
Kindness Week at Island Creek (February 12-16)
100th Day of School Parade
 
Lunar New Year: February 10-24
Did you know approximately 2 billion people celebrate Lunar New Year? 2024 is the Year of the Dragon and the dragon symbolizes power, nobility, honor, luck, and success! This year the Lunar New Year starts on Saturday, February 10 and lasts until Saturday, February 24. The Lunar New Year is a holiday that marks the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar, which is the calendar traditionally used in many east Asian countries including China, Vietnam, Singapore, and South Korea. In these and other Asian countries, it is one of the most important holidays of the year. The Lunar New Year is all about ushering in luck and prosperity with family. Read more about Lunar New Year and its animal symbols in National Geographic Kids.
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February is Black History Month
February is Black History Month which is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in United States history. Did you know the theme for this year’s Black History Month is African Americans and the Arts?
Thanks to our Equity and Family Engagement Committee, all of our Croc Students are learning about a famous African American on our daily Morning News Show. This week our students learned about Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Langston Hughes, Maggie Lena Walker, and Carter G. Woodson.
Shown to the left is a gorgeous display that our 5th Grade Students created profiling famous African Americans whose contributions shaped the United States. We love the display so much, that we’ll be placing it in a permanent location in the building.
Click here to learn more about Black History Month.
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January Croc Stars demonstrated being Open and Honest!
Stop by the Kingstowne Library to see beautiful artwork!
Twenty students from Island Creek have their work on display in the children’s department at
Kingstowne Library. Please stop by and have a look!
Specials: Art Classes
Our art department has been busy! Last week, we had Authors and Artists Night and there is nothing better than seeing so much art from our students adorning the hallways!! In addition, it was wonderful to see so many of our Croc families attend. In other news, we are excited that 20 of our students have artwork being featured in the Kingstowne Library (children’s department) for the month of February!
Kindergarten and First Grade:
- “guided drawing” in creating amazing snowmen and penguins
- using warm and cool colors on the color wheel and how they impact artwork and learned how to paint “swirls” but holding their paint brush like a ballerina on her tippy toes
- making patterns in math to add details to their work in the form of shapes and colors
- learning about positive and negative space through cutting out hearts and creating expressive and colorful “happy hearts”
- weaving the colors of the rainbow into their sky blue paper.
- making different 3D forms with paper to make a model playground.
Second Grade:
- investigating the wonders of the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights to create winter landscapes with chalk dusted color “streaking” through their skies
- exploring smudging techniques and learned about the importance of horizon lines in a composition
- learning about Brazilian pop art artist sensation Romero Britto and creating patterned, colorful hearts
- making a clay animal sculpture and taking features of different animals and mixing them together to make a new animal creation
Third Grade:
- creating gingerbread houses on winter landscapes
- learning about the artwork of the Aboriginals (indigenous people of Australia) and their amazing use of dots in their work
- drawing native Australian animals like kangaroos, wombats, koalas, snakes, lizards and platypus and turning them in to silhouettes for their projects
- learning about Andy Warhol, pop art, and printmaking
Fourth Grade:
- studying about art and stained glass and created some sensational “Faux” evergreen trees – some that are realistic and some that are more abstract or zany
- using modeling clay and construction of clay coil pots inspired the work of Native American
Fifth and Sixth Grades:
- Working on units on painting with tempera and the basic elements of a painting: foreground, middle ground, background and horizon line
- Creating value in color for different effects of showing near and far in snowy winter landscapes
- Learning about one point perspective and exploring different types of painting techniques
- Working on sculptures with the mindset of a toy product designer and creating a rattle sculpture
Save the Date: (2nd annual) This is Us Multicultural Night!
 We are excited to host our second annual This is Us Multicultural Night! Please complete this Registration Form and join us on Thursday, March 7, from 5:30 - 7:00 PM. We hope all Island Creek families can attend! Should you have questions please email our Family Liaison, Jane Horowitz, at jrhorowitz@fcps.edu
Click here to view the event flyer for more information.
Yearbook Cover Art Contest
We are looking for talented artists to create our yearbook cover for the 23-24 school year. Entries will be accepted from all grade levels.
This year, we would like for students to draw Crocky doing their favorite activity! So if you like to read, draw Crocky reading – if you like to skateboard, draw Crocky and some friends skateboarding – video games, sports, dancing, watching movies - it’s whatever you enjoy doing!
Cover submissions must be 8.5 x 11 inches (same size as standard printing paper) and all designs must be vertical (portrait) orientation.
Submissions must have:
- The name of the school: Island Creek Elementary (please double check spelling and grammar – proper titles should be capitalized).
- The school year: 2023-2024.
- The student’s full name and teacher written neatly on the BACK in pencil.
Things to keep in mind:
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Bright and vivid colors are best since the cover must be scanned before printing.
- Your design should fill the entire page and have lots of color - even the background! (The less white space, the better)
- Be mindful that small details can be difficult to see – design elements should be big, bold, and defined.
- Designs can include several mediums – Colored pencil, marker, crayon, watercolor, oil pastel.
- Artwork must be an original creation.
- One submission per student.
Cover art should be submitted to the main office by Friday, March 5 or sooner.
 Kindergarten Orientation
Updated date: April 2, 2024 - 2:30 - 3:30 PM
We're excited to welcome our newest Crocs to Island Creek Elementary School for the 2024-2025 school year!
This event is intended for the rising kindergarten student and their parents/guardians. This year we are trying something new! Rising kindergarten students and their parents/guardians will be placed in tour groups and visit eight different locations at Island Creek to see our amazing school and meet our fantastic staff. At 3:30 we will have Popsicles on the Playground and the opportunity for students to board a school bus.
Due to limited space, we ask that only rising Kindergarten students and their parents/guardians attend.
2024-2025 School Year
We will begin accepting registrations for the 2024-25 school year at the beginning of April 2024. Do you have a child that will turn 5 by September 30, 2024? Virginia law states that parents/guardians must ensure a child attends school if he or she will be five years old on or before September 30.
You may begin the process by completing the registration intake on our website: https://islandcreekes.fcps.edu/resources/new-student-registration.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our registrar Theresa Painter at tepainter@fcps.edu
Hayfield Secondary Craft Fair
7630 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22315
March 16, 2024, from 9 AM - 3 PM
Hayfield Secondary will be hosting a Craft Fair & Silent Auction on March 16. There will be over 125 vendors, including food! Admission is free.
For more information, click here to view the event flyer.
 Click to view the 2023-2024 FCPS School Calendar
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February 2024: Black History Month
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Saturday, February 10-24: Lunar New Year (The Year of the Dragon)
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Monday, February 12-Friday, February 16: Kindness Week and toothbrush collection for Smiles for Miles
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Monday, February 19: Washington’s Birthday and Presidents Day (school holiday)
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March 2024: National Women’s History Month
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Tuesday, March 5: Presidential Primary, School Closed for students
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Thursday, March 7: This is Us Multicultural Night (5:30-7:00)
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Sunday evening, March 10-Tuesday, April 9: Ramadan
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Friday, March 22: Last day of 3rd Quarter of School
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Spring Break for students: March 25-April 2
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Sunday, March 31: Easter
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Tuesday, April 2: Orientation for Rising Kindergarten students (2:30-3:30)
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Wednesday, April 3: 4th Quarter begins
PTA News
Island Creek PTA Virtual Silent Auction
The Island Creek PTA Virtual Silent Auction is now open. Bidding will end at 7:30 p.m. on February 9.
We have many items and experiences to bid on! A few of our favorite items are the teacher experiences (over 24), tastings at local wineries (including a private wine tasting for up to 20 people!), tickets to the Washington Nationals and other sporting events, family activities at local businesses, and much more! While the auction is open to the community, the teacher experiences are for ICES students only.
Winners can collect items from 8-8:30 p.m. on February 9 during Bingo. Please stop by during the pickup window to claim your item if you are not attending the event. The winner will receive either the item or a printed certificate that includes instructions for redemption.
Please bid on the items below or consider making an armchair donation here! Funds raised during this auction will support our digital sign purchase and Ready Set Math kits.
Ready Set Math is a program that Island Creek teachers at all grade levels will use to boost every student's math confidence and skills. This research-based program provides engaging, hands-on lessons and activities for whole group, small group, and independent learning. Teachers can target essential numeracy skills like place value, mental math strategies, and problem-solving, ensuring every child builds a strong foundation for success. Ready Set Math kits ($5,000) comes complete with all the materials and game sets needed to make learning fun and effective, even for students who might be struggling. Let's invest in our children's future!
Join the PTA in supporting the acquisition of Ready Set Math for our school and give every student the tools they need to shine in math!
If you have any questions about the silent auction or the information below, please email islandcreekptapresident@gmail.com.
Upcoming Events...
Register for Bingo
The PTA's Family Bingo registration is open, and tickets are selling fast! This popular event sells out every year, so get your tickets today! Bingo runs from 6 - 8:30 p.m. on Friday, February 9. We will play ten games, and every game will have at least one winner! Tickets are $10.
We need your help to make our family bingo night & silent auction a success! We need volunteers to help the night run smoothly, as well as prize donations for our bingo games. If you are able to help, please sign up here.
- Bingo Prize gift card donations
- Celebrity Callers (Island Creek teachers/staff)
- Check-in desk volunteer
- Pizza distribution volunteer
- Silent Auction distribution volunteer
Save the Date: February 22
Join us for a Croc Bite Spirit Night at the Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar in Old Town Alexandria. Stop by between 4 - 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 22 and a portion of the sales will benefit the PTA.
Crock Flock: Game Night at iCode
Join us at iCode in Burke for a Croc Flock Parent Night from 6 - 8 p.m. on Friday, March 15. Drop the kids off at iCode Burke for game night fun, and all the proceeds will go back to Island Creek's PTA!
Kids will play in our eSports gaming lounge, play Roblox with friends in our Mac room, go to a virtual world using our VR Oculus Headsets, get creative with Lego, color, watch movies, and have fun! Pizza and Drinks are included! Open to kids ages 5 - 14 . Registration is open here.
Teacher Appreciation: Chili Cookoff
We’re planning for the end of the 3rd Quarter on Friday, March 22. Do you make a great pot of chili and love a challenge? Sign up to provide a crockpot of chili or accompaniments, and each teacher will vote on their favorite chili. The winning chef will receive a prize!
Register for STEAM Night
The PTA's STEAM Night registration is open. STEAM Night runs from 6 - 8:30 p.m. on Friday, April 19. Tickets are $10 per student and parent registration is free.
If you would like to volunteer at the event, host a table, or prepare an activity or talk, please sign up here.
Staff Appreciation Committee
We are looking for volunteers to join our staff appreciation committee. The committee will plan the staff appreciation week events (May 6 - 10). Sign up here and provide your availability for a future planning call.
Other Ways to support Island Creek
Sign up for Givebacks and select Island Creek PTA as your charity of choice. Givebacks will automatically apply givebacks to Island Creek PTA based on what you buy!
A Special Offer from Our Sponsors
Is Your Child On Track in Math?
The IvyMath tutoring session, parent conference, and learning plan are free for all Island Creek families. Popular times fill up, so please register quickly! Signup here.
Free T-Ball This Spring!
Pioneer Baseball offers free T-Ball this spring for kids ages 4-5. Pioneer also provides recreational baseball leagues for ages 4 - 15 years old. Registration closes on March 3.
Summer Camp Available!
Elite M.A. Center in Kingstowne registration for summer camp is open. Camp includes daily games, fields trips, martial arts lessons, and more! Camp drop off runs from 7:15 am ends at 9:30 am and pick up is available from 4 pm until 6:15 pm.
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