Good afternoon families!!
I am sorry for the late delivery but I was out of the building on Thursday and Friday last week. A quick reminder that the PTA meeting is tonight (April 22) at 6:30 (not the normal start time!). We have a full week of school this week, but we do have an 'Observance' day on Wednesday. There will be no new instruction on Wednesday, and no tests/quizzes or projects due on Thursday, so that students can participate in the observance without worrying about school.
As we approach the month of May, attendance becomes extremely important for our students (and punctuality!). All grade levels will begin administering EOY assessments from SOLs and PRFs to DSAs and VKRPs. I am sure there are a few other acronyms in there too! Research shows that students perform better when tested in the original window with peers than they do in a make-up setting. When in a 'make-up' setting, many students are distracted by what they are 'missing' in the regular classroom. Please check with your classroom teacher about any upcoming testing and please try to schedule around it. Obviously, if your child is sick, please keep them home that day! Testing often begins promptly at 9:25 or 9:30 and, if late, students may NOT be able to attend class until testing is complete!
The month of May also includes many programs in different grade levels. Medieval Day, Poetry Cafe, Kindergarten Orientation, and many other things will be happening!! Please keep up to date via my newsletter, the PTA newsletter, and any classroom communications so that you don't miss out!!
I hope you had a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mark Bibbee
Principal
Cherry Run ES
April 22 - PTA Meeting - 6:30-7:30 - Cafeteria & Zoom
May 3 - Teacher Workday - No Students - School is open
May 7 - Interims come home (only for 1's & 2's)
May 7 - PTA Meeting - 7:00-8:00 - Cafeteria and Zoom
May 9 - Kindergarten Orientation - Library - 2:45 (doors open @ 2:35)
May 27 - MEMORIAL DAY - No Students - School is CLOSED
 To pre-register and "skip the line", please use this link to register all adults planning to attend: https://forms.gle/MczTWV69PSk3mFXRA
** Adults MUST have a valid photo ID to enter the school (even if pre-registered)!
** Children do not need to pre-register.
⏰ Community Forums on Middle School Start Times
FCPS is exploring options for adjusting middle school start times and invites the public to be part of the process. All forums will deliver the same presentation and provide the same feedback opportunities. Register for an in-person forum by clicking on one of the following dates:
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Monday, April 29, 6-8 p.m., at Glasgow Middle School
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Monday, May 6, 6-8 p.m., at Whitman Middle School
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Monday, May 20, 6-8 p.m., at Hughes Middle School
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Wednesday, May 22, 6-8 p.m., at Frost Middle School
A virtual forum will be held on Monday, May 13, 6:30-8 p.m. That registration link will be available soon.
While registration is not required, it does help with planning. Language interpretation and childcare will be provided. Learn more about the project exploring middle school start times.
- Foros Comunitarios sobre el Horario de Entrada a la Escuela Intermedia
FCPS está explorando opciones para ajustar los horarios de inicio de las escuelas intermedias e invita al público a ser parte del proceso. Todos los foros tendrán la misma presentación y proveerán las mismas oportunidades de retroalimentación. Inscríbase para un foro en persona haciendo clic en una de las siguientes fechas:
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Lunes 29 de abril, de 6 a 8 de la tarde, en la Escuela Secundaria de Glasgow.
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Lunes 6 de mayo, de 6 a 8 de la tarde, en la Escuela Secundaria de Whitman.
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Lunes, 20 de mayo, 6-8 p.m., en la Escuela Secundaria de Hughes.
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Miércoles, 22 de mayo, 6-8 p.m., en la Escuela Secundaria de Frost.
El lunes 13 de mayo, de 6.:30 a 8:00 p. m., se ofrecerá un foro virtual en el que pronto estará disponible el enlace de inscripción.
Aunque la inscripción no es obligatoria, facilita la planificación. Habrá servicio de interpretación y cuidado de niños. Aprenda más sobre este proyecto que está analizando los horarios de inicio de las escuelas intermedias.
- Social and Emotional Learning Screener Results Coming Soon
FCPS students in grades 3-12 took the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener during March, providing updated information on skills such as achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions. The SEL Screener also helps students evaluate their school community’s efforts to make them feel valued, included, and supported.
In late April, individual student SEL Screener results will be available for families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent via postal mail.
Get more information about the screener on the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage. For support in understanding your individual student’s results or ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or contact your student’s [teacher or counselor].
Estudiantes de FCPS en grados 3-12 tomaron la Encuesta de Aprendizaje Social y Emocional (SEL) durante marzo, proveyendo información actualizada en habilidades como alcanzar metas, entender y manejar emociones, establecer y mantener relaciones con adultos y compañeros, y tomar decisiones responsables. El SEL Screener también ayuda a los estudiantes a evaluar los esfuerzos de su comunidad escolar para que se sientan valorados, incluidos y apoyados. A finales de abril, los resultados individuales del SEL Screener estarán disponibles para las familias en la sección Documentos de SIS ParentVUE. Para las familias que no tengan una cuenta activa en ParentVUE, los resultados se enviarán por correo postal. Para más información sobre el cuestionario, por favor visite la página web del cuestionario de Aprendizaje Social-Emocional (SEL). Para obtener ayuda para entender los resultados individuales de su estudiante o ideas sobre cómo apoyarlos en casa, por favor revise la Guía Familiar o póngase en contacto con el maestro o consejero de su estudiante.
Cherry Run and the PTA are teaming up to host a Diversity Celebration to highlight the many different cultures that make up our amazing community. During the week of June 3-6, we will be hosting a variety of events to celebrate our diverse student body and educate students about different places around the world. There will be a parade (similar to our clap outs and dragon parade), an assembly, posters, and an International Night, featuring food, music, stories/traditions, and traditional dress, to culminate the week. We are looking for families to share during this week and hoping for a HUGE turnout at the event. Please be on the lookout for more information.
Student Placements for 2024-2025
While it is still early to be thinking ahead to next year, we want to give you information about class placements for the 2024-25 school-year ahead of time. The staff at Cherry Run works hard to place students in an optimal learning situation each year. If you would like to share some information that would help us make those decisions, please send your comments via email to me: mebibbee@fcps.edu, by May 15. Please do not list teacher names. Rather, describe the learning environment in which your child learns best. These emails will be for my eyes only, so please feel free to share anything about your child you'd like me to know. Thank you.
- 🎤 Our Schools, Our Future: Community Conversations Continue
Join Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid for Our Schools, Our Future – A Community Conversation. Your voice matters! Share your thoughts about FCPS and bring your questions to a conversation on:
- Tuesday, April 16, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Graham Road Elementary School.
- Tuesday, April 30, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at South County Middle School.
- Thursday, May 2, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Terraset Elementary School.
- Wednesday, May 8, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Hybla Valley Elementary School.
- Thursday, May 16, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Poe Middle School.
- Tuesday, May 21, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Katherine Johnson Middle School.
Pre-registration for a Community Conversation is not required but will help FCPS plan. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided for all events based on staff availability. Events are open to all. Learn about other opportunities to connect with Dr. Reid.
Want to know if your child's bus is on schedule or where the bus is? Here Comes the Bus® is an easy-to-use website and app that enables parents to see the location of their child’s school bus — almost in real time — on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.
Parents can track multiple buses if their children don’t all ride the same bus; know exactly when children arrive at school or the bus stop; and receive customized text and/or email notifications about bus locations, schedule changes, or delays.
To get started, download the app from the Apple iOS or Android app store. Check out the Here Comes the Bus and Frequently Asked Questions webpages for more information.
Already using the Here Comes the Bus app? Send your feedback to HCTB@fcps.edu.
Note: eNotify text messaging will continue to be used for reporting bus delays and bus incidents.
- 🚍 Here Comes the Bus (Ahí Viene el Autobús)
¿Quiere saber si el autobús de su hijo llegará a tiempo o dónde está? Here Comes the Bus® es un sitio web y una aplicación fáciles de usar que permiten que los padres vean la ubicación del autobús escolar de sus hijos -casi en tiempo real- en un smartphone, una tableta o un ordenador personal.
Los padres pueden ver la ubicación de varios autobuses en caso de que sus hijos no viajen todos en el mismo autobús; saber exactamente cuándo llegan los niños a la escuela o a la parada de autobús; y recibir notificaciones personalizadas por mensaje de texto y/o correo electrónico sobre la ubicación de los autobuses, los cambios de horario o los retrasos.
Para comenzar, baje la aplicación de la tienda de aplicaciones de Apple iOS o Android. Consulte las páginas web Here Comes The Bus y Preguntas Frecuentes para obtener más información.
¿Ya utiliza la aplicación Here Comes the Bus? Envíen sus comentarios a HCTB@fcps.edu.
Aviso: La mensajería de texto eNotify seguirá utilizándose para informar de retrasos e incidencias en los autobuses.
- 🙋 Student Attendance and Engagement
During the Academic Matters segment of the November 9 School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid discussed student attendance and engagement. Attendance and absenteeism rates are one measure for Goal 2 of our 2023-30 Strategic Plan.
Chronic absenteeism — which is defined as a student missing 10% or more of school for any reason — is a concern across Virginia school districts. Although FCPS continues to outperform the state average in attendance rates, we are tracking chronic absenteeism closely.
Data shows that:
- Missing just 10% of school — just two days a month — negatively affects a student’s academic performance.
- Only 17% of students who were chronically absent in both kindergarten and first grade were reading proficiently in third grade, compared to 64% of those with good attendance.
- Students who fail to read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely than students who achieve proficiency to drop out of high school.
- By sixth grade, chronic absenteeism becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
Attendance is critical for academic success!
Missing School Over the Holidays
Looking ahead to the holiday season, if missing school is unavoidable, please speak with your child’s teachers in advance to create a plan for making up missed work. However, a homework packet cannot make up for the interaction and learning that happens in the classroom.
Visit FCPS’ website for more attendance resources.
- How to Access Free Resources from Tutor.com
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All FCPS students continue to have unlimited access to live, 24/7, one-on-one online tutoring services through Tutor.com at no cost to families. Student participation is optional and parents/caregivers can opt their student(s) out of accessing the services. Get more information on the Tutor.com Online Tutoring Services webpage.
Students can access Tutor.com via a link in Schoology. Additional information about how to log in and access a tutor is provided to families via the following: Elementary - How It Works and Middle & High - How It Works. Questions not answered in the posted resources may be sent to onlinetutoring@fcps.edu.
Here we see students in Ms. Smith's class working on a social studies assignment. Students are discussing economics in Greece and identifying different types of resources, then categorizing them in to a resource 'type'.
The students are very engaged in the activity!
Today's "Staff Spotlight" focuses on Ms. Samantha Smith. Ms. Smith is a first year teacher here at Cherry Run and a first year teacher overall. It is always tough to be the 'new person' in any school, and it is particularly tough in a school like Cherry Run with so many accomplished teachers. Luckily, Ms. Smith is on an amazing team and had some fabulous mentors to support her.
Ms. Smith graduated from JMU with a Master's degree in The Art of Teaching and a minor in Elementary Education . She was able to complete her student teaching in Kindergarten and 4th Grade. Fun fact, Ms. Smith is getting married this Spring (May 25th!). She will be Ms. Smith for the remainder of this school year, but will return next year as Mrs. Bills.
We are very excited to have Ms. Smith join us this year and I know she is going to grow into an AMAZING teacher!
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