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To read this newsletter in other languages, please visit our website.
Para leer este boletín en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.
ይህንን ዜና መፅሄት በሌሎች ቋንቋዎች ለማንበብ፤ እባክዎን ድረ ገፃችንን ይጎብኙ።
اس نیوزلیٹر کو دوسری زبانوں میں پڑھنے کیلئے ، براہ مہربانی ہماری ویب سائیٹ ملاحظہ کیجیئے۔
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Important Dates and Events
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March 8, Friday, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - SLES Family Culture Night
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March 22, Friday - End of Third Quarter
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March 25 to March 29 - Spring Break
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April 1, Monday - Student Holiday
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April 2, Tuesday - Student Holiday and Kindergarten Student Orientation
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April 9, Tuesday - Kindergarten Family Orientation - Adults only
A Message from Mr. Morris for our incoming Kindergarten Families
Our kinder orientation program is evolving at Stratford Landing, and I wanted to ensure our community was clear on our new changes and updates to how we welcome new kinder students to Stratford Landing. These changes are for the next year and school years to come.
We will host four kinder specific events April through August. These events are in addition to your student registration appointment with Ms. Rakes.
Kindergarten Student Orientation
Formerly our summer “Kindergarten Jump Start”, this is an opportunity for your student to visit a kindergarten classroom. During this event, your child will participate in a morning meeting, complete a kindergarten activity and SLES teachers will check for student letter/sound and number recognition. This is a student only event, and families will drop their student off and pick them up. This student orientation will take place in the spring of the current school year. For this year, our new Kindergarten Student Orientation is scheduled for April 2, 2024. See the flyer below.
Kindergarten Family Orientation
Families of incoming kindergarten students may join for an orientation presentation from our kindergarten teachers. This event is for adults only. The family orientation will take place in the spring of the current school year. For this year, our Kindergarten Family Orientation is scheduled for April 9, 2024. See the flyer below.
Kindergarten Playground Playdate
Stratford Landing Administration will organize a new kindergarten student playground playdate during the summer before the start of the new school year. Additionally, our SLES Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) may host events for families to attend in the summer.
Kindergarten “Early Access” for Stratford Landing’s Welcome Back to School Open House
Before the start of each school year, Stratford Landing hosts an open house for all students and families. This is always scheduled the week before the first day of the school year. Families and students visit the school, see their classrooms, meet their new teachers and visit former teachers and their friends. Our kindergarten families will have early access that will begin one hour prior to the start of the open house.
Student Registration Appointment
In addition to these changes, we are asking families bring their kindergarten student to their registration appointment with Ms. Rakes. While Ms. Rakes is working with the family, a SLES staff member will provide a brief letter/number assessment to help inform our class placements for incoming kinders. It is important to note, we do not build kindergarten classrooms based on abilities of students, meaning there is no such thing as a “high, medium or low” class at Stratford Landing. Instead, we use this assessment data to ensure we create balanced, equitable class groupings that set our little dolphins up for success.
If you have any questions on our new kindergarten orientation approach for students and families at Stratford Landing, please contact me directly at kmorris@fcps.edu.
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Take the Family Engagement Survey!
FCPS’ Family Engagement Survey is now open. Survey partner K12 Insight emailed a link to families on March 3 and again on March 6. Please participate! Your feedback is critical in helping to inform and improve FCPS practices to best support our students.
The survey is available in 10 languages. Parents/caregivers may stop by the front office to fill out a paper survey or complete the survey online. Please check your email for the survey invitation or use this survey link. Get more information on the Family Engagement Survey webpage. Your voice matters!
Family Culture Night is Tonight
It is tonight! We're so excited to celebrate our families, their traditions, and all of the things that make them unique!
New Regulation on Meditation and Reflection Spaces
FCPS has developed Regulation 1502 to ensure all students and staff have reasonable accommodation and access to meditation and silent reflection spaces within the school division. The regulation provides guidance for schools on how to manage requests for silent reflection during instructional and non-instructional time, and for students to leave school for religious activities.
These spaces are for individuals to engage in prayer, meditation, or silent reflection, inclusive of their religious or non-religious beliefs. Parents/caregivers must provide written permission for students requesting to miss instructional time on a regular basis. Families are encouraged to contact the principal or the family liaison regarding accommodations. View Regulation 1502. Visit FCPS' Guidelines for Religious Activities webpage for more information.
Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
This year, spring break is March 25-29. We will be eager to welcome your children back to school on Wednesday, April 3, after two teacher work days. Student attendance is very important. Every day, our teachers will be teaching, and students will be learning. Studies have shown that just two absences per month can cause students to fall behind. Let’s finish this school year strong. Visit FCPS’ website for attendance resources.
National Women’s History Month
Every year, March is designated Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history.Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS. Read more about Women’s History Month in National Geographic Kids.
Daylight Saving Begins (Spring Forward)
Sunday, March 10, at 2 a.m., daylight saving time begins. Don’t forget to move your clocks ahead one hour!
As a result of the time change, many students will be walking to school or to bus stops in the dark. Help your child stay safe by having them wear reflective clothing and bright or light colors, or add reflective items to their backpacks or clothes. Also, encourage your child to be especially alert for cars that are turning or backing up and not to run into the street or cross between parked cars.
Ramadan
This year, the first full day of Ramadan is Monday, March 11. In Islam, Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year. During this month Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset each day while striving to increase their spirituality, through prayers, charity and good deeds. Read more about Ramadan in National Geographic Kids.
March 11 is an O day. The school calendar recognizes many religious and cultural observances (O days) during the school year. There is school on these days, however tests, quizzes, field trips, graduation, homecoming, or FCPS-scheduled athletic events will not be held on these observance days. See the complete 2022-23 school year calendar.
Throughout the year, as we celebrate and recognize various cultural holidays and observances, families are encouraged to contact their student’s principal or the school's family liaison regarding accommodations, including but not limited to those around lunch, prayer/meditation and silent reflection spaces and times, and instruction.
Lightspeed Classroom Management
As part of our commitment to creating a safe and focused learning environment for our students, our school is using a classroom management tool that will help teachers better connect with student devices during classes. We are continuing to expand our use over the coming weeks. This tool will provide teachers with a number of helpful features:
- Easily view student screens in real time from the teacher console to see which students may need guidance or support.
- Focus student attention on a particular website on their device to minimize distractions.
- Pause student access to the internet to focus on other classroom tasks.
We believe this classroom management tool will allow us to maximize class time to support your student’s learning while at school. Please note that student devices will not be monitored outside of school hours. The regular filters remain in place on school devices, but once they are home, teachers cannot monitor students. As parents, we would like to encourage you to sign up for your own Lightspeed reports, which will allow you to see how your child is spending time on the computer during and after school hours.
Share Your Thoughts on Schoology
FCPS will be conducting voluntary, anonymous surveys on the use of Schoology from Monday, March 11, to Friday, March 22. Surveys will be delivered to:
- Elementary students (grades 3-6) through the Schoology App Center.
- Secondary students via email from Naviance.
Student feedback will inform the school division’s use of Schoology and help improve its processes, communication, and professional learning for staff. FCPS’ Instructional Services Department will also be reaching out to families through focus groups.
Please contact Schoology@fcps.edu if you have questions.
Tentative Schedule for SOL Assessments
PTA News
PTA Board Nominating Committee
We need three people to help us out with the Nominating Committee for the 2024-2025 PTA Board. There is a minimal time commitment. Email volunteers@slpta.org if you're interested. Thank you so much!
Subs for the Family Volunteer Room
If you'd like to be a part of the Family Volunteer Room, but can’t commit weekly, we would love to have you on our "sub list" to fill in when people are sick. Email volunteers@slpta.org if you can help out. We could also use two more people to commit weekly for an hour on Wednesday afternoons and Thursdays anytime between 10 and 2:30. Thank you!
PTA Member Meeting with Financial Planning Specialist Cody Monarch
Please join us on Thursday, March 14th at 7 p.m. in the Stratford Landing Library for our next PTA Member meeting. In addition to our regular meeting, we have the pleasure of hearing from Cody Monarch - a financial planning specialist on a top 2% Morgan Stanley team. He is coming to speak about the importance of planning for children’s education financially and the benefits of utilizing 529 accounts. If you cannot make it in person, we plan to livestream the meeting.
Camp Invention - July 8th-12th
Spark your child’s curiosity and creativity with our all-new Camp Invention® program, Illuminate! Near SLES from 7/8 to 7/12, campers in grades K-6 will collaborate with friends to take on fun, hands-on STEM challenges. From designing a light-up ball game to tackling global water challenges to starring in a prototyping game show, each experience adds up to an imagination-stretching, confidence-boosting summer. Visit invent.org/mylocalcamp to secure your spot! Use promo code SUM25 by 3/27 to save $25.
Military connected and need based scholarships are available, please contact Mrs. Moon at vnmoon@fcps.edu for additional information.
Tell Your Story: SLES 2023-2024 Yearbook on Sale Now through Monday, April 1st
 Don't miss your chance -- the SLES 2023-2024 yearbook is on sale only through MONDAY, APRIL 1.
Yearbooks are $25 each. Order online here today -- once the window closes, there will be no extensions.
Seeking SEPTEMBER photos: Do you have photos taken at SLES in SEPTEMBER? If so, please consider uploading them here. Thanks in advance!
If you are interested in donating a yearbook to SLES Care & Share, you can do so by using the "Donate-A-Book" option on the ordering website. (Note that there is no option this year for cash donations.)
Please send questions to StratfordLandingESYearbook@gmail.com -- we are also accepting candid photos from all SLES activities at this address. Please send photos by Monday, April 1.
Library Volunteers Needed
We need more people to help out in the beautiful library! You can sign up to help a K or 1st grade class check out books. You can also shelve books (timing is flexible, just let Mrs. Snow know when you will be in). Sign up here: https://signup.com/go/mziCJCY
Family Liaison Resources
by Inge Gatti
As your family liaison, my goal is to keep you informed about the valuable resources, events, and family engagement opportunities available through SLES, FCPS, and the community.
If you have questions about navigating the school, learning about FCPS resources, or getting your student set up for success, I'm glad to be here to help you and your kids. Please email, or call 703-619-3690 to set up an appointment. I am looking forward to meeting you!
Visit the SLES Family Liaison homepage for additional information and resources.
Gentle Used and Clean Pants Donations
SLES families, the Family Resource Center needs pants donations for our students. We have a large amount of donated clothes, including winter coats, but we are almost out of pants - which usually is what students need the most when accidents happen, especially playing outside and getting muddy. Please consider donating gently used and clean pants to our school when putting away clothes that you want to give away. You can drop them off in the red box by the entrance hallway. We appreciate your kindness!
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Sherwood Regional Library Classes and Events
Interested in some of the many activities happening at Sherwood Library? Click on this link to register to your favorite picks.
Summer Camps and Learning Programs
Have you made summer plans for your child yet? Are you looking for a summer camp for your child with special needs?
The Family Resource Center has compiled information on summer camps including local options, camps for students with special needs (sorted by need), and camps for students experiencing grief or who have parents in the military.
Sign Up for FCPS Summer Camps
Registration is now open for several summer camps and learning opportunities offered by Fairfax County Public Schools for all students.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) camps and Institute for the Arts camps will be held in July at Lake Braddock Secondary School from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bus transportation will be available from select FCPS middle and high schools.
Tech Adventure Camp is available for current grade K-5 students to explore STEAM, culinary, health, trades, and business and marketing areas. E-IFTA is a weekly arts camp for elementary students who love to sing, dance, act, perform, make, and create. Visit the E-IFTA webpage to register.
For 6th Graders - VIP Summer Program
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