Principal's Message
I trust this break found you able to enjoy time with family and friends and hopefully a bit of much needed down time. Wednesday, we look forward to welcoming students back for the 4th quarter.
Tuesday at 10AM we are excited to welcome our incoming kindergarten students for the 2024-25 school year. Families are welcome to arrive between 9::30 to 10AM to check in, get their photo taken and meet Chester the Chipmunk, staff and student ambassadors who will be providing tours. We are excited to welcome our newest Chipmunks! If you know any incoming kinders, please spread the message. We don't want anyone to miss this special event.
Over Spring Break, our custodial staff stayed busy ensuring our building is kept in top notch shape. Our team is dedicated to make our building and grounds are in great shape for our community. This past week, they worked hard to clean carpets, hallways, furniture, courtyards, and tidy up grounds after the winter to ensure our staff and students return to a beautiful and clean space. Additionally, our PTA budget is at work as our gardens fund helped support our spring pond cleanup, which was a major chore. The courtyards are ready for our students and staff to enjoy and our fish and turtles begin to peek their heads out as the weather warms up. They were quite happy with the cleanup.
There is a lot of important info packed in this message, so please take a few minutes to read and see what applies to you. I'm excited to see you all back soon.
Warmly,
Stacy Kirkpatrick, Principal
Upcoming Important Dates
April 1 & 2 - School Planning Day/Teacher Work Day - No School for Students
April 1-5 - National Assistant Principals Week
April 4 - School Librarian Appreciation Day
April 8 - Solar Eclipse Experience - Parent Volunteers Requested in Afternoon during Viewing Experience
April 9 - 1st Grade NNAT administration
April 10 - Eid al-Fitr Holiday - all schools and offices closed
April 17- Purple Up Day - Celebrating our Military Students and Families
6th Grade Families, Save the Date for Chesterbrook's Promotion Celebration. The 6th grade Celebration will be held during the last day Wednesday, June 12th.
Tuesday, June 11- 5:30 PM Longfellow MS - limited tickets will be available for families but we do our best to accommodate as many as possible.
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☀️Safely View Solar Eclipse on April 8
Chesterbrook Requests Parent Volunteers to Support Afternoon Event
A total solar eclipse will occur on Monday, April 8, and will be viewable, depending on weather, in Fairfax County. The eclipse will begin in our area around 2:04 p.m. and end around 4:32 p.m., with the maximum eclipse occurring around 3:20 p.m.
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With this rare scientific event next week, we would like our students to learn about the science behind the eclipse and be able to safely experience this opportunity. As a community we need to be mindful that this will also occur during dismissal, which will have our students quite curious and we want to make sure they are informed about the dangers of looking directly at the sun.
We have received a parent donation for a set of glasses for the 2nd grade and with PTA support, purchased the remaining glasses needed for students and staff. We would like to schedule time for our students to be able to safely go outside with their class, but understand that curious students may need additional adult supervision to safely view. . Administration is requesting parent volunteers to help support classes during this time and also help support our dismissal. Please click here to help out Chesterbrook for the eclipse. If you would prefer your child NOT participate in the outdoor viewing opportunity during school hours, we can still provide them the glasses for you to catch it afterschool. Please email your child's homeroom teacher if you would like to Opt Out.
Because the timing overlaps with dismissal, it is crucial that students understand the importance of safe viewing practices. We encourage families to review these Solar Eclipse Resources, especially the eye safety information. We hope everyone takes the opportunity to learn more about this extraordinary natural phenomenon while prioritizing safe solar viewing.
Family Engagement Survey Extended to 4/3
The deadline to take FCPS’ Family Engagement Survey has been extended to Wednesday, April 3! If you haven’t already responded, please participate now. The survey is available in 10 languages.
Your feedback will help us develop a plan to improve family and school partnerships throughout the division to support student success. All responses will be confidential.
Thank you for lending your voice to this important effort — it matters!
National Librarian Appreciation Day - 4/4
Please join us in celebrating our amazing librarian, Mrs. Ashley Schorr. In her first year as our librarian, she has truly created a warm and inviting hub for our school where students can thrive in their learning and growth. She works closely with our student ambassadors to direct our morning news program and helps them create videos to showcase Chesterbrook for special events. Mrs. Schorr has continued to grow our resources, allowing students the most current access to children's literature and research tools. She inspires our students to read through the various competitions and challenges, such as our most recent Spring Break reading challenge. I hope you will join us in showering Mrs. Schorr with thanks and appreciation this week and help recognize all she does for our community.
Spring Break Reading Challenge due Wednesday 4/3
Have your child complete as many squares on the Spring Break Reading Challenge Board as possible and return the completed paper on Wednesday, April 3rd to get a free raffle ticket for the Book Fair Raffle Baskets. We can’t wait to hear about all the reading our students do over the break.
National Assistant Principals Week - 4/1 - 4/5
Join NASSP, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and the American Federation of School Administrators in honoring the enormous contributions of assistant principals to student success across our schools. While she is brand new to us, our new Assistant Principal, Mrs. Lara Macdonald, has quickly become an instrumental part of our team, supporting our community. Please join us in welcoming and thanking Ms. Macdonald this week during National AP Week!
FCPS CARES
Do you know a Chesterbrook Elementary or FCPS employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone.
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Reminders
Chesterbrook Yearbook Orders
Don't forget to preorder your copy today, deadline will be coming up soon.
www.yearbookordercenter.com
Use school code 24891
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2024-25 School Year Planning
Intent to Not Return for the 2024-25 School Year
Chesterbrook Elementary is in the process of planning for next year! In order to monitor class size and hire the very best staff, we need to know plans for our families. If you are NOT planning to return to Chesterbrook or Longfellow MS next school year, please complete this student/family intent form letting us know of your plans.
Parent Input for Class Placement
Parents that wish to contribute information towards class placements for the 2024 - 2025 school year, may submit this information on this form. Completion of the form is optional, however, the deadline for submission is May 4th, 2024. Thank you for your partnership. Parents of rising kindergarteners will receive an email once we have more enrollment, but are welcome to complete this now. Kindergarten placement takes place in August when we have completed our pre-assessments of all students. No requests for a specific teacher may be made. These requests will be deleted.
Summer Opportunities for Students
CES Summer Quest - July 8 - July 26
FCPS Bridge to K, SOAR and Young Scholars at Timberlane ES - July 8 - July 26th Students will be recommended by teachers based on academic need. Students currently receiving interventions may be a good fit for the program. Teachers will be in touch in April to plan for registration.
Elementary Institute for the Arts
Additional Opportunities for Students
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