Principal's Message
As we reflect on February, students have been deeply immersed in learning, our tutoring program for math has been up and running smoothly and we held our quarter 2 Pep Rally on one of the nicest days this month. We were able to capture a school wide photo of the event which you will see below. Entering March, grade level teams are focused on strong instruction leading into Spring Break and rounding out plans for the remaining events this school year.
This past Friday, we said good-bye to our interim Assistant Principal, Melissa Wallace. She has been instrumental in supporting our staff and students since mid-January and I wanted to share my gratitude for her work.
I look forward to introducing Ms. Macdonald to our school community as she joins our team. Ms. Macdonald will start with us on Thursday, March 7th. Additionally, as we prepare for the 2023-24 school year I've been busy interviewing to find talented staff to join our team next school year. With our boundary growth, we will add students from the new boundary to our Kindergarten and 1st grade teams as well as smaller increases in upper grades.
This week we also celebrate our Social Worker, Maria Mahoney during the National recognition for school social workers. Thank you Ms. Mahoney for all you for for our students and families at Chesterbrook. We appreciate you!
As Spring is soon upon us, please mark your calendars for our upcoming school wide events. Check our schedule below for our upcoming Book Fair, Spring class photos and Kindergarten Orientation for rising students.
Wishing everyone a wonderful week!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Kirkpatrick
Upcoming Dates to Note
March 4 - 8: National Social Work Week; Read Across America Week;
Friday, 3/8 PJ Day
Tuesday, March 5: Student Holiday, Election Day; Chipotle Restaurant Night
Thursday, March 7: Welcome Ms. Macdonald, New Assistant Principal, Mathnasium Family Fun Night 6 - 7 PM
Friday, March 8th: CES PTA Parent Social at Northside Social (Tickets)
Thursday, March 14th: PTA Meeting 9:15 AM
March 14 - 19: Spring Book Fair (More info will be sent)
Monday, March 18: Spring Picture Day (Class Photos; 6th Grade Panoramic); Spirit Day: Dress to Impress
Tuesday, April 2nd: Rising Kindergarten Orientation 10 - 11:30AM
We are currently registering new students for the new year. We will send out more information soon!
Summer Quest Registration is Open (July 8 - 26) - Click Here to Register
Calendar for 2023-24 School Year
Calendar for 2024-25 School Year
Read Across America Week
Get ready for a fun week of stories! Read Across America Week is this week, March 4 - 8. Students will enjoy great read alouds and end the week with Pajama Day, because who doesn’t love reading in your coziest PJs. We will also be kicking off our Virginia Reader’s Choice Battle of the Books with classes voting for their favorite books, until we reach a winner on Friday, March 15th.
March 5 Presidential Primary
The Fairfax Board of Elections requested that schools be closed on Tuesday, March 5, to accommodate the administration of the 2024 presidential primary election. March 5 will be a holiday for students and a virtual School Planning Day for teachers. Central offices and school offices will remain open.
Chesterbrook FLES Program Language Change to Spanish Update
Over the past two years, we have worked to examine our current FLES Chinese language program, work to grow the program and examine the needs of our students in many ways. Steps to examine our current program and evaluate whether there was a need for a change to the language were as follows:
- Historical data was collected from Longfellow regarding language course selections over the past few years
- A parent coffee was held in June 2023 on our FLES program and information shared with community via newsletters
- Two parent survey opportunities were given to the Chesterbrook Community in June 2023 and December 2023
- A staff presentation and survey was given in January 2024
- Ongoing conversations were held with the World Language Office Team, CES PTA members, staff, Dranesville School Board members, the MS and HS principals, Region 2 Leadership and input considered from students.
- Direct work with our current FLES teacher over the past two years as we have examined the program and options.
Based on all these factors, an administrative request was made to the FCPS Leadership team to approve a change of language from Chinese to Spanish. The request to change was recently approved and this change for Chesterbrook students will take place at the start of the 2024-25 academic year.
Our administrative team will work with the World Language office to hire a highly qualified Spanish teacher to help us transition our Chesterbrook students in K-6 to Spanish in the 2024-25 school year. Our students who would like to continue with Chinese language will have the opportunity to enroll in Chinese 1 when making their course selections for Longfellow.
FCPS Family Engagement Survey
FCPS’ Family Engagement Survey will open Sunday, March 3rd. Parents/caregivers will receive the survey link via email from independent research firm K12 Insight. Please participate — your feedback is critical in helping to inform and improve practices to best support our students.
Taking this survey will also help strengthen the partnership between your family and your school. When that partnership is strong, students can experience a range of benefits including improved school readiness, higher student achievement, better social skills and behavior, and an increased likelihood of graduating high school.
The survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete and will be available in 10 languages. Please visit the Family Engagement Survey webpage for more information. Your voice matters!
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