IN THIS ISSUE

1. Principal’s Message
2. Daylight Savings Reminder
3. Picture Day Reminder - March 15
4. SOL Testing Dates

5. Math Enrichment Session with the WTW Math Honor Society

6. Celebrations of Lexia
7. Woodson High School - The Last Firefly Play
8. Ramadan Photos for Bulletin Board
9. Supporting Students During Ramadan
10. Family Engagement Survey
11. Lost and Found
12. 2024-2025 Registration
13. Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
14. Important Upcoming Dates

1.Principal’s Message  

This week at Fairfax Villa I was able to observe the TJ Assistive Technology Club (TJ AT Club) in action here at our school. Students at Thomas Jefferson HS must use their Wednesday free period to participate in clubs or academic groups. This club has been around for 20 years! It started as a digital buddy reading group and has since grown! We are fortunate to have the AT Club partner with Fairfax Villa ES this year.  The AT Club has executive board members who are now proficient at using specialized software to help create books, games, and activities that are used with students. 

Students in Mrs. Kinerney’s class and Mr. Hoover’s class wrote digital books with their buddies. It was so engaging and a joy to observe. Thanks so much to Mr. Fleming, Assistive Technology Specialist, for setting this up at our school! Please check out this link to view a news segment that aired last year.

Last night I enjoyed the talents of our 5th graders as they sang songs while playing the ukulele. Students gathered in small groups on the stage to perform some well known song hits for their peers, friends and family. Thank you to Ms. Hood and Mx. Gaskins for all that they do to support our students with their musical talents.

As partners in your child’s education, please take a moment to complete the Family Engagement Survey that opened on March 3rd. You can find more information below. Your feedback is welcomed and valued. 

Sincerely, 

Shelia Sobeski, 

Principal

2.Daylight Savings Reminder

Please make sure to adjust your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night, to be ready for the time change at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 10th when daylight savings time begins.  Adjust your schedule now to have a smooth transition on Monday!

3.Picture Day Reminder - March 15

Spring Picture Day is coming!  It will be held Friday, March 15.  Class and individual pictures will be taken.  We will be starting at 9:30am and will be finished by 3:30pm. Sixth Graders will take a grade level photo on April 17th. Order forms were sent home.

4.SOL Testing Dates Spring testing is just around the corner.  Students in grades 3-6 participate in the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments. Here are the specific dates and times we will be testing here at Fairfax Villa.  Please try to avoid absences on these dates.  If you know your child will be absent, please reach out to our Test Coordinator, Carol Larsen (calarsen@fcps.edu) to make arrangements for a make-up test. All initial testing attempts must be completed by Friday, May 24th.  These dates will also be included in the calendar below from here on. *Note that on the fifth grade test dates, fifth and sixth grades will switch lunch and specials times to accommodate the fifth grade tests.

Fifth graders participated in their ukulele concert! Congrats on a great performance.

5.Math Enrichment Session with the WTW Math Honor Society

On Thursday, March 14, the Woodson Math Honor Society students are coming to Fairfax Villa Elementary School to offer the 4th and 5th grade students a fun and exciting enrichment experience!

Your student will complete activities with fractions, decimals, and order of operations. They will also have a chance to interact with great Woodson students!

This event will begin promptly after school at 4:05 p.m. in the cafeteria and end at 5:15 p.m. If your student is interested in attending, please sign the permission slip distributed by classroom teachers and return to your student’s teacher by Monday, March 11th.

Math Enrichment Permission Slip 

6.Celebrations of Lexia!

28 = Lexia Certificates given this past week! 1188= Lexia Certificates given this year! 70% =  Students working at or above grade level! Parents - ask your child to show you their Lexia Superstar Certificates for the completion of each level! Congratulations to all of our students who are working hard on their Lexia lessons and making so much progress. At the beginning of the school year, 32% of our students in grades K-6 were working on grade level material in Lexia. It is VERY important that families do NOT help students with the Lexia lessons. We need a true picture of what they have learned so that teachers can best support. Assisting students will alter weekly learning results. Practice Lexia at home:  Log onto https://clever.com/in/fairfax/student/portal using their FCPS Google account. Click on the Lexia icon. It is strongly recommended that our K-6 graders spend 15-30 minutes each night learning with this Lexia. Students can also login to Lexia through their Schoology account. After they go to https://lms.fcps.edu/ and log into Schoology, click on the waffle in the upper right corner, click on Clever, and then Lexia. 7.Woodson High School - The Last Firefly Play

Woodson High School Drama class will be presenting a public performance, free for any student, with a pay what you can ticket option for parents between $0-20. One day only on Saturday, March 9th at 10am! Here is the link for tickets or you can pay at the door. The Last Firefly Tickets | Fairfax, VA | Woodson High School Theatre (etix.com) The Last Firefly description: The fantastic story of Boom, the child of Thunder, is a mythical adventure about discovering one's inner strength. After being forced out of the home at the hand of a cruel stepfather, Boom sets out on a journey of self-discovery where battles against the forces of nature are courageously fought. Recommended for grade 2nd and above - because it contains mild theatrical violence and scenes of action that may frighten younger children.

8.Ramadan Photos for Bulletin Board

Ramadan Mubarak! To mark the month of Ramadan, observed by many of our students, some of our 6th grade students are creating a bulletin board to celebrate and share their Ramadan traditions. If your family observes Ramadan, we invite you to send in a photo that represents your own Ramadan traditions and celebrations. Please put your student’s name and teacher on the back of the photo so we can return it later.

Please note: As a new part of our diversity learning and growth at Fairfax Villa, we are featuring holidays from different cultures throughout the year. Although we would like to feature every holiday all our cultures celebrate, our goal is for every student to see at least one holiday that they observe featured during the year. 

9.Supporting Students During Ramadan

Ramadan, one of the holiest times on the Islamic calendar, begins on March 10th. We are here to support students who may need special considerations or accommodations during this time.  If your student will be fasting during Ramadan, please contact their homeroom teacher so that they are aware and able to support your student. Students who are fasting will have the option of joining another class while their class is at lunch. If your student is observing restrictions regarding music, please contact Mary Gaskins (mngaskins@fcps.edu or via Talking Points) for information about accommodations we can provide in the music room.

10.Family Engagement Survey 

Participate today! 

Your voice matters! 

 Parents: Your feedback helps us understand what is going well in your child's school and where we can improve. Take 10 minutes to complete the Family Engagement Survey today. It is available in many languages. Your responses are confidential.Survey topics include:

• Welcoming environment
• Communication
• Student success
• Advocacy
• Family and school partnerships
• Community partnerships

Help us better recognize, understand, respect, and address family strengths and needs in our schools. 

TAKE THE SURVEY!

Visit the Family Engagement Survey webpage for more information.

11. Lost and Found

If your child is missing a jacket, sweater, or some type of accessory item, please tell them to check out our Lost and Found located in the cafeteria alongside the right wall when you walk into the cafeteria.  Families are welcome to look through the items between 9:00 – 9:15 and again at 4:00 – 4:15. If you are in the building for a parent-teacher conference or another meeting, please let the front office know that you would like to check out the lost and found. Items that are not retrieved in a timely manner will be donated periodically throughout the year

12.Kindergarten and New Student Registration

If you have an unregistered child who will attend Fairfax Villa Elementary next school year, please complete the online intake form to plan accurate class sizes/staffing for next year. 📢Please spread the word to your neighbors who will have children attending Fairfax Villa ES.📢 If you have any questions, please contact Silvia Dossmann at smdossmann@fcps.edu.

13.Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!

We are making great progress to meet our goal to have less than 12% of our students have chronic absences (missing more than 10% of the school year, or 18 days by the end of the year). Attending school is important and can impact your child’s future: A study of weather-related absences in Massachusetts found that each missed day affected a student’s test scores and grades. This was especially true on snowy days when school stayed open but some students missed class. Please remember, Tuesday, March 5th is a school holiday.  We are eager to welcome your children back in school on Wednesday, March 6th.

14.Important Upcoming Dates

3/14: K-3 Author Visit with Cazzy Sahursky (during specials)

3/14: WTW Math Enrichment Experience - Gr. 4-5

3/15: Spring Picture Day

3/25 - 3/29:  Spring Break

4/1: Teacher Workday

4/2: Staff Development Day

4/4: Zoom PTA Meeting #6

4/10: Student Holiday

4/11: Spring Chorus Concert 7pm

4/12: PTA Bingo Night

4/16: Grade 5 IRW Test

4/17: 3rd Quarter Progress Reports Go Home

5/1:  First & Second Grade Performance 7pm

5/3: Teacher Workday

5/3: Kindergarten Orientation 2pm

5/7: Grade 5 Reading SOL Test

5/8: Grades 3 & 6 Reading SOL Test

5/8: 4th Quarter Interims Go Home To Select Students

5/9: Grade 4 Reading SOL Test

5/14: Grade 5 Math SOL Test

5/15: Grades 3 & 6 Math SOL Tests

5/16: Grade 4 Math SOL Test

5/21: Grade 5 Science SOL Test

5/23: Strings Evening Performance at 7pm 

5/27:  Student Holiday

5/29: Springs Band Concert at 7pm

6/6: Grade 6 Showcase at 7pm

6/7:  Field Day

6/11:  6th Grade Luncheon

6/12:  6th Grade Promotion Ceremony

6/12: End of Year Progress Reports Go Home

6/12: Last Day of School - 2hr Early Release

Frequently Visited Links and Important Fairfax Villa Contacts

Fairfax Villa Contacts Page 

2023-2024 School Year 

Sign up for News You Choose 

Join the Fairfax Villa PTA

Report Your Child’s Absence 

Visit the Fairfax Villa Website

Substitute Teaching Opportunities

Monitor your student's academics with a SIS Pare+nt Account

Recognize an FCPS Employee at FCPS Cares

Mental Health Resources and Emergency Services Information

Parent Handbook

Fairfax Villa Contacts Page 

2023-2024 School Year 

Sign up for News You Choose 

Join the Fairfax Villa PTA

Report Your Child’s Absence 

Visit the Fairfax Villa Website

Substitute Teaching Opportunities

Monitor your student's academics with a SIS Pare+nt Account

Recognize an FCPS Employee at FCPS Cares

Mental Health Resources and Emergency Services Information

Parent Handbook

10900 Santa Clara Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030  |  Main Office: 703-267-2800
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