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To read our newsletter in other languages, please view it on the Centre Ridge website.
Para leer nuestro boletín en otros idiomas, visite la página web de Centre Ridge.
لقراءة النشرة الإخبارية بلغات أخرى ، يرجى الاطلاع عليها على الموقع الإلكتروني
영어가 아닌 다른 언어로 뉴스레터를 보시기 원하시면 이 웹사이트를 클릭하여 주십시오.
.اس نیوزلیٹر کو دوسری زبانوں میں پڑھنے کیلئے ، براہ مہربانی ہماری ویب سائیٹ ملاحظہ کیجیئے
Volume 2, Issue 17; February 16, 2024
Tomorrow is National Random Acts of Kindness Day!
Dear CRES Community,
At Centre Ridge Elementary, we are excited to continue our journey celebrating the spirit of kindness throughout this special month.
February is more than just a month marked by Valentine's Day; it is a time when we come together to reflect on the importance of kindness, compassion, and empathy. As a community, we recognize the profound impact that acts of kindness can have on our students' lives and the world around us.
Throughout this month, our school is focusing on various activities aimed at nurturing a culture of kindness and empathy among our students and staff. From classroom discussions and read-alouds, to interactive projects and service opportunities, we aim to inspire our young learners to embrace kindness as a way of life.
We encourage you to join us in this journey by engaging in conversations about kindness at home and reinforcing the values of empathy and compassion with your children. Whether it is a simple act of kindness toward a classmate, a heartfelt note of appreciation, or a thoughtful gesture toward a neighbor, every action, no matter how small, contributes to creating a more compassionate and inclusive community.
Together, we play a crucial role in shaping the values and character of the next generation. Let us strive to instill the importance of kindness, not just in February, but every day of the year.
Dr. Hertzberg, Ms. Wu, Ms. Baugh, Ms. Helmer, and Ms. Ford
New Student Registration is Open for the
🧸 2024-2025 School Year! 🧸
Registration is available online or you can pick-up paperwork in our front office.
Required documents for registration:
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Proof of residency: A deed, lease agreement
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Proof of birth: Original birth certificate
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Health documentation: A certificate of physical examination including required screenings completed within the last 12 months prior to starting school by a US licensed physician.
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New Preschool students, visit the Early Childhood Registration page.
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Non-parent registrations, visit the Special Registration Situations page.
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Rising kindergarten students that were enrolled in one of our FCPS preschool programs this year, contact the registrar at the school the student will attend kindergarten for the upcoming school year. School information can be found on the Schools and Centers page.
Please contact Patricia Kirkpatrick, our School Information Assistant (SIA), for more information. She can also be reached via phone at 703-227-2605.
For support in Spanish, please contact Mary Pierri, 703-227-2656.
For support in Korean, please contact Toyon Eum, 571-536-8009.
💻 Try Online Registration
Parents may register their children online for kindergarten through 12th grade. Learn how to begin the online registration process.
When registering, parents will create (or log in to an existing) SIS ParentVUE account. Please note that passwords should be more than 12 characters long. If you have an existing account and your password is shorter, please update it when you log in.
Fiscal Year 2025 Proposed Budget Focused on Educational Excellence and Competitive Compensation
At the last School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid proposed a budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 that focuses on excellence and providing students an equitable education in an inclusive and respectful environment, where access, opportunity, and achievement are available to all.
The budget also prioritizes competitive compensation to attract and retain a world-class workforce.
The FY 2025 Proposed Budget totals $3.8 billion, an increase of $301.8 million, or 8.6%, over the FY 2024 Approved Budget. Nearly 86% of the budget is focused on instruction. Key highlights include:
- Supporting students academically by maintaining existing class size formulas and providing necessary support to all students.
- Retaining and attracting world-class educators with a 6% market scale adjustment.
- Strengthening student well-being outside of the classroom with expanded athletics offerings, additional athletic trainers, and enhanced stipends for fine and performing arts.
- Continuing initiatives including expansion of inclusive preschool, adoption of green initiatives, and funding assistant director of student activities positions previously funded with ESSER III.
Special education daily contract extensions, funding for the safety and security screening program, and late buses to support academics and activities at middle schools are several of the priorities to be addressed at the end of FY 2024.
The School Board is scheduled to adopt the Advertised Budget on Thursday, February 22nd. Read more about the proposed budget. Keep up with FCPS’ budget development process.
🎤 Our Schools, Our Future: Community Conversations Continue
Join Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid for Our Schools, Our Future – A Community Conversation. Your voice matters! Share your thoughts about FCPS and bring your questions to a conversation on:
- Tuesday, April 16th, 6:30-7:30 pm, at Graham Road Elementary School.
- Tuesday, April 30th, 6:30-7:30 pm, at South County Middle School.
- Thursday, May 2nd, 6:30-7:30 pm, at Terraset Elementary School.
- Wednesday, May 8th, 6:30-7:30 pm, at Hybla Valley Elementary School.
- Thursday, May 16th, 6:30-7:30 pm, at Poe Middle School.
- Tuesday, May 21st, 6:30-7:30 pm, at Katherine Johnson Middle School.
Pre-registration for a Community Conversation is not required but will help FCPS plan. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided for all events based on staff availability. Events are open to all. Learn about other opportunities to connect with Dr. Reid.
👩🏫 Help Students Achieve Their Dreams.
Teach for FCPS!
Save the date! Attend FCPS’ instructional job fair on Saturday, February 24, 9 a.m.-noon, at Lake Braddock Secondary School. Network and take advantage of interview opportunities with representatives from various FCPS schools. Employment offers may be extended during the fair. Register today.
Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge
The Real Food for Kids Culinary Challenge will be held on Saturday, March 2nd, at 10:45 am, at Hayfield Secondary School. The event features a public tasting of student dishes and demonstrations from two local celebrated chefs.
The student challenge at the heart of this event is to create healthy, delicious, and culturally diverse school menu items that meet USDA guidelines. Entries will be judged by a panel including celebrity chefs, school food professionals, and local food producers. The public is invited to vote for their favorite dish.
Chefs Najmieh Batmanglij and Chris Morgan of Joon will offer a demonstration at 11:15 am. Public tasting of student dishes will get underway at noon.
Student-created dishes from this annual event have been featured on school menus throughout the Greater Washington Region. It is free to attend, but registration is required.
Ronnie Ram's Tweet or InstagRAM of the Week!
We love highlighting learning experiences that support the acquisition of Portrait of a Graduate attributes and skills across our classrooms!
Ms. Wind's second graders spread kindness through a gallery "heart" walk. They wrote on one another's hearts, filling their classroom with compliments and kind words!
For more information on Portrait of a Graduate, ask your child how they are a communicator, collaborator, critical and creative thinker, goal-directed and resilient individual, or ethical and global citizen. Or, click here!
Please click on our main hashtags, #CRESCulture and #CRESConnections, for more awesome highlights from Centre Ridge!
We also expanded our social media presence! Find us on Instagram for all our #CRESConnections!
Kindness changes everything.
DedicatED: For Parents and Teachers
Nurturing Kindness: Try Our Simple Recipe
Excerpted from The Family Dinner Project
The ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, or consider the impact of your actions on another person, or attempt to lighten the load for someone who is having a hard day by offering a smile or an ear, are all ways we demonstrate kindness. They are also all qualities that can be learned and reinforced at home—even at the dinner table. Here’s how:
Be a role model for empathy.
The dinner table can be an ideal incubator for modeling empathy. A simple way to do this is to ensure that everyone who wants to gets a turn to talk, and then everyone else listens so the speaker feels that his or her words and experience matter. This means that eye contact is made with the person who is speaking, only one person speaks at a time, and you occasionally register that you understand how your child or spouse is feeling.
Emphasize the positive.
When children share stories at the table about their days, you might point out and praise acts of kindness shown toward siblings, friends, pets, and others. By highlighting these acts, you are positively reinforcing your child in making good choices! You can also ask them to point out nice things others have done for them recently, and of course share your own stories of kindness—both given and received— from the day.
Perform a kindness mission.
Surprise a friend, or a neighbor or even a charity by doing something thoughtful. You can brainstorm ideas at dinner, or you can use the kid-friendly suggestions we offer in The Family Breakfast Project to give your kids a kindness mission for the day and then have them report back at dinner. Another variation of this idea might be to put all family member’s names in a jar and have each person choose someone they will do something nice for that day.
For more information on how to foster kindness with kids, check out this article about using a kindness jar!
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🐉 Lunar New Year 🐉
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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Don't forget to join us for our Family Literacy Night, "Rams Read Like Champions," on Thursday, March 7th!
Please Mark Your Calendars!
Great news! Centre Ridge Elementary School's events are now easily added to your own personal calendar. To find out how to download our
February 19th: Presidents' Day (Holiday): All schools and offices will be closed. Learn more about Presidents' Day on Britannica.com.
March 7th: Family Literacy Night: RAMS Read like Champions! 5-7 pm, RSVP here. (More information coming soon!)
March 14th: Instructional Design Focus Group, 5-6 pm, library, RSVP here.
See the complete 2023-2024 school year calendar.
FCPS Cares Program
Recognizing employees who go above and beyond
FCPS Cares is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize those who go above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story so we can all acknowledge the outstanding work of FCPS, and more specifically, Centre Ridge employees.
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Ram Reflection
To provide feedback directly to Dr. Hertzberg, please use the QR code, or click on this link. Thank you, in advance, for sharing your thinking!
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