 Dear Panther Families,
Our 4th grade oceans fashion show was such a creative way to celebrate the ocean and end the week! The costumes were incredible!
A huge congratulations to SHES Teams A and B for their phenomenal second-place finishes at the Virginia State Odyssey of the Mind competition in the Problems category! This achievement earns them a spot at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals! We are incredibly proud of their dedication, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Grade Level Adventures!
Our curious learners were busy exploring this week!
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3rd Grade: Journeyed back in time with a trip to the Natural History Museum, where they marveled at dinosaurs and unearthed fascinating discoveries.
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4th Grade: Stepped into history with a visit to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. We're sure they learned valuable lessons about our nation's founding fathers.
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5th Grade: Enjoyed a captivating performance at the Alden Theater. We hope it sparked their love for the performing arts!
Mark Your Calendars: Kid's Heart Challenge!
Looking ahead, we're gearing up for the exciting Kid's Heart Challenge on April 25th! This is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about heart health, participate in physical activities, and raise funds for a worthy cause. Stay tuned for more information!
Congratulations again to our Odyssey of the Mind teams and all our curious explorers! Keep up the fantastic work, SHES!
Sincerely,
Amy Briggs
Upcoming Dates
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April 16
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Advanced Academics Information Night (5-6pm)
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April 17
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Last Chance to order yearbooks
School Chorus Concert Parent Concert-6:30pm
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April 18
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First grade performance-9:15am
5th Grade Reading/Writing SOL
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April 19
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2nd Grade Field Trip
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April 25
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Kids Heart Challenge
Staff Vs. 6th grade Basketball game
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April 30
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5th Grade Field Trip
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May 3
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Kindergarten Orientation & Registration
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May 29
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5th & 6th Grade Orchestra Concert, 6:30pm
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May 30
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6th Grade Field Trip
Taste of Spring Hill
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May 31
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Field Day
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June 5
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4th Grade Orchestra Concert, 6:30pm
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June 11
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6th Grade Promotion Ceremony
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June 12
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Last of School, Dismissal at 1:35PM
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FCPS School Year Calendar for 2023-24
We are excited to let you know that we will be doing the KHC/AHA (Kid’s Heart Challenge/American Heart Association) again this year on April 25th. Heart disease continues to be an issue and one of the best ways to help fight it is by exercising. This year will consist of 3 different stations. Using a Hulu Hoop, running, and a homerun derby. Of course, there will be a cold treat afterwards! All families are welcome and encouraged to come and support all the participants.
Registration is free for the event and all students who register will receive a wrist band. Both the SHES P.E. Department and AHA encourage you to donate if you feel comfortable doing so. All donations will go towards fighting heart disease and help us purchase new PE equipment. The Spring Hill Community was tremendous last year with supporting this event/cause and we hope this year is the same. We thank you for all your support!
Schedule:
6th Grade – 9:15am to 9:55am
5th Grade- 10:15am to 10:55am
4th Grade- 11:15am to 11:55am
3rd Grade – 12:30pm to 1:15pm
Kinder/1st – 1:30pm to 2:15pm
2nd Grade – 2:30pm to 3:15pm
Please click on the link below to Register.
https://www2.heart.org/site/TR?fr_id=9739&pg=company&company_id=449411
Mr. V & Mr. Worthington
 Safety Corner
Keeping our students safe is our number # 1 priority. Please adhere to the following:
- As a reminder, the left side parking lot is closed to traffic between 8:30-9:00 am and between 3:35-4:00pm.
- Kiss & Ride is only from 8:30-8:50am. After 8:50am you must park your car in a parking spot and walk your child to the front office.
- The Hamlet is not a designated Kiss and Ride drop-off/pick- up location.
- The front driveway is for Buses only.
A Message from PTO
A TASTE OF SPRING HILL IS BACK!
~Thursday, May 30, 2024, 6 PM to 8 PM~
Taste of Spring Hill International Food Night (TOSH) is a special evening to celebrate the amazing cultural heritage of our students, staff and families! We hope to have as many cultures and countries (or U.S. states) represented as possible. We are looking for parents and families willing to teach more about their culture, country and heritage – ideas include cultural décor, food, performances, and more. Visit the TOSH Sign Up Genius to sign up and share your culture and help us transform the cafeteria into a robust Cultural Showcase with flags, decor, games, pictures, food tastings, and posters! We will connect families who sign up to share the same culture so that you can coordinate with one another!
STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK
Coming up May 6th – 10th
We love our SHES staff and are so grateful for all that they do for our Spring Hill community! During Staff Appreciation Week, the PTO Staff Appreciation Committee is looking for volunteers to help show our amazing staff how much they mean to us. Volunteer opportunities include:
- Helping with decorations
- Setting up for teacher appreciation lunch
- Clean up
If you are interested in lending a helping hand, please email the PTO President-Elect, Anna Engle, at presidentelect@springhillpto.org.
LOOKING FOR LOST & FOUND ITEMS?
Welcome to Spring Hill’s Lost & Found Web site!
Our wonderful Lost & Found Team has put together PDF images of all lost-and-found items! Please take a few moments to scroll through the PDFs – which will be updated periodically with new lost items. You never know when you might find something you didn’t even realize was missing – so please check back in regularly!
Understanding Different Types of Hurtful Behavior
According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, one out of every five (20.2%) students report being bullied. It is no wonder that bullying is on the forefront of many caregivers' minds. But with so much talk about bullying, sometimes caregivers and students call behavior “bullying” that is actually not. Below are explanations of different types of hurtful behavior.
Rude - When someone says or does something unintentionally hurtful. Rude words or actions are usually spontaneous, unplanned inconsideration, based on thoughtlessness or poor manners or narcissism, but not meant to actually hurt someone.
Mean - When someone says or does something intentionally hurtful and they do it once or twice.
Bullying is defined in the FCPS Students Rights and Responsibilities as, “Any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim; and is repeated over time or causes severe emotional trauma. “Bullying” includes cyberbullying. “Bullying” does not include ordinary teasing, horseplay, argument, or peer conflict.”
Our Spring Hill School Counselors teach students the acronym, BOO, to remember the definition of bullying.
B - Being mean
O - On Purpose
O - Over and Over
Please join us on April 16th to learn more about our Advanced Academics Programs (AAP) at Spring Hill. We will have our Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, Mrs. Erin O'Connor presenting along with our grade level AAP teachers.
SHES VASO Division A and Division B - Team Formation for 2024
The Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO) is a great opportunity for kids passionate about science to team up with their schoolmates and compete against great minds from schools all across VA. The three VASO divisions include Division A - Grades 3 through 5, Division B - Grades 5 through 8 and Division C - Grades 9 through 12. For Elementary school, the relevant divisions are A and B. A fifth grader can participate in Division A or B (but not both) in any given year. In 2023, for Div A, Spring Hill Mavericks was the highest scoring team in VA with 14 medals and Spring Hill Wizards had 12 medals.
Currently, we are soliciting interest from parents for participation in Division A (Grades 3-5) and Div B (Grades 5-8). You can find out more details about the type of events for Division A and Division B here
https://www.virginiaso.org/div-a
https://www.virginiaso.org/div-bc
The fundamental difference for a 5th grader is - in division A they will participate against their peers in schools all over Virginia in grades three through five whereas is in division B they will compete with middle school and fifth and sixth grade elementary school kids all over Virginia.
SHES can have up to 3 teams for each Division and each team can have up to 15 kids. Being a primarily parent led effort, we need parent coaches and volunteers to support the preparatory and participatory needs of the Division A and B team(s).
Typically, for Div A, the commitment will be to work individually with your kids starting now to the competition timeframe in November 2023, especially taking advantage of the summer break as well as to participate in weekly team activities once school is back in session from August to November 2023. Division B tournaments occur between December and April.
Parents will also be expected to financially contribute for the cost of competition registration, preparatory materials and travel/hotel expenses when participating in the regional competitions (within VA). Kids with a burning passion for science coupled with parents who are interested in mentoring their kids along with their kids’ teams and with flexibility participating in weekly meetings and competition related travel will be ideal candidates for the SHES team(s). We will be holding an SHES information session in the SHES library on April 18, 2023 from 4 PM to 5 PM interested parents. Look forward to seeing everyone!
Save the date! Our Kindergarten Orientation is scheduled for Friday, May 3 at 9am. It will take place in our cafeteria. Please share the word with any new neighbors or families of rising kindergarten students. Information about how to register can be found below ! Early registration for all grade levels helps us plan for the upcoming year including hiring classroom teachers. Families with new students in any grade level (K-6) can contact our front office to begin the registration process.
At the beginning of the meeting, rising kindergarteners will be taken to a kindergarten classroom to do some activities with the kindergarten teachers. Parents will be staying in the cafeteria to continue the meeting with the principal and other Spring Hill staff
School Year 24-25 registration at Spring Hill Elementary is open for new student. If your student is applying for Dual Language Immersion lottery or Magnet school lottery, please let registrar know. You can start registration process by entering student’s information in New student Registration Intake Form.
Spring Open House – April 30,, 2024
We cordially invite all our Rising 7th & New FCPS families to our Spring Open House on Tuesday, April 30th from 6:30-7:30pm. During this time, you will have an opportunity to tour LMS and ask any questions you may have to prepare for the 23-24 school year. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Jump Start Registration Now Open!
Jump Start registration is now open on myschoolbucks. Choose between session 1 – August 5th – 6th or session 2 – August 7th – 8th.
Hours are 8:30a.m. – 12:00p.m. Look forward to learning about Longfellow with school tours, ice breakers, scavenger hunts, team building and more. If you have any questions, contact Lavina Gangwani-Colaco at lkgangwanico@fcps.edu
Advertised Budget Focuses on Schools and Instruction
Investing in excellence means putting our dollars where it matters most — schools and instruction. Nearly 93% of FCPS full-time staff work directly in our schools. And nearly 86% of FCPS’ Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Advertised Budget is dedicated to instructional programs across all grade levels, including special education.
Only 5% of the advertised budget is for general support and central administration. Central office administrators represent only 0.8% of total full-time positions.
For more details on FCPS’ advertised budget, view budget documents, including the FY 2025 Budget Book.
Nominations Open for the Bussey Memorial Equity Award
The Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee (MSAOC) sponsors the Dr. Lawrence Bussey Memorial Equity Award to honor the legacy of Dr. Bussey, a founding member of the MSAOC and a longtime advocate for students and families. Read more about Dr. Bussey.
This award recognizes staff or community members who have demonstrated significant and impactful efforts to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of students from groups who are marginalized or underserved.
Any FCPS employee, student, or community member can nominate an individual or group for the award. All nomination materials must be submitted by Wednesday, May 1. The winner will be recognized at the FCPS Equity Symposium on Tuesday, June 18.
Full details and the nomination information form are available on the Dr. Lawrence Bussey Memorial Equity Award webpage.
Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) School Health Services Internal Survey
The Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) employs school health aides and public health nurses who provide school health services to the students in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). To determine the quality of these services, a survey has been developed by the FCHD to be shared with all parents or guardians of FCPS students. Parents/guardians will be asked for feedback on the level of satisfaction with School Health services provided to the school community. The survey will be distributed electronically via FCPS This Week. The survey window is April 15 - April 26, 2024. Survey link: www.redcap.link/FCHDSchoolHealthSurvey.
Survey results will provide a basis for quality improvement of School Health services. The data-driven process is in alignment with the FCPS Strategic planning process, and the survey results will contribute positively to the FCPS Strategic Plan that reflects a shared consensus among stakeholders.
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/family liaison/their child’s teacher] regarding accommodations. View Regulation 1502. Visit FCPS' Guidelines for Religious Activities webpage for more information.
We are so fortunate to have so many students from all different backgrounds at Spring Hill. We would love if you and your child could share more about your heritage with us. Our goal is to have your child share this information on our live morning news show for students and teachers to view. Please fill out this brief form with your student(s) to share your culture with us!
We are looking for one additional person to serve our school community.
We are looking for a Dining Assistant for the rest of the 2024 school year.
Please contact Boutia Pourhashemi at bpourhashemi@fcps.edu if you are interested.
We welcome parents to come volunteer in the cafeteria to support our students! If you would like to volunteer, please Sign-up so we can plan on your help! Thank you to all who help us!
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