Shrevewood Wise Words - 5/3/24


🌟 Principal's Message

🌟 Green Team Parent Volunteers Needed

🌟 International Night – June 6th

🌟 Health Room Notice

🌟 Parent Input re: Class Placement

🌟 Staff Appreciation Week - Celebrating our Owl*Stars

🌟 Shrevewood Yearbook Orders

🌟 Rising Kindergarten Registration

🌟 SOL Schedule

🌟 The Positivity Project

🌟 Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

🌟 Jewish American Heritage Month

🌟 Updated COVID Recommendations

🌟 Prearranged Absences

🌟 Change in Transportation Protocol

🌟 Procedures when you come to join your children for lunch

🌟 🤒 When a Student Should Stay Home From School

🌟 Free/Reduced Lunch Applications

🌟 FCPS News

🌟 Save the Date


Principal's Message

gcp1

Dear Shrevewood Families,

It may have been a short week, but the warm weather and sunshine brought bright spirits to Shrevewood Elementary. Our 6th grade students enjoyed a thrilling visit to Kilmer Middle School for their orientation. They are buzzing with excitement about their upcoming transition! Huge congratulations to Harry, Jadon, Charlotte, Eli, Emily, and Josie for showcasing their incredible work and experiences with the Global Classroom Project at the GCP Showcase at Robinsons Secondary School! We are incredibly proud of these students and their dedication, and we extend a special thank you to Ms. Daniels, Ms. Jones, Ms. Tucker, and Ms. Pinkerton for their continuous support and enrichment of these young minds through these learning opportunities.

Next week, students in grades 3-6 will be participating in the Reading SOL testing. Please ensure your child brings their laptop and charger to school on testing days. Encourage a good night's sleep the night before the test to ensure they feel well-rested and ready to shine. Our dedicated teachers and students have been working diligently all year long. We have full confidence in their capabilities and know they will succeed in these assessments.

Sincerely,

Joshua DeSmyter, Principal

Katie Vandawalker, Assistant Principal


Green Team Parent Volunteers Needed

Attention Parents:  The Green Team is looking for a couple of parents to help cut old textiles into strips.  Please contact April Done at ardone@fcps.edu if you are interested.  This volunteer job can be completed at school or from home. 


International Night - June 6th

international night

Health Room Notice

The school health room is reminding parents and guardians that all medication stored in the health room must be picked up no later than 2:00 pm, student dismissal time, on the last day of school, June 12. Medication left in the health room after that time will be discarded. It is school policy that medications must be picked up by the parent or guardian. Medication cannot be sent home with your student.

Medication authorization forms for next school year may be obtained from the school or online at https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/school-health-services. A medication authorization form is required for any medication, prescription or over-the-counter, to be kept at school.


Parent Input re: Class Placement

We know that a good teacher-student match and a productive mix of children are ingredients for success, and we carefully consider each child’s strengths and needs during the class creation process.  While we do not accept requests for individual teachers by name, we encourage parents to share information school staff should be aware of to aid in the process of creating classes for the 2024-2025 school year. Keep in mind parent input is one source of information used to create classes. Classes are not finalized until mid-August.

If you have multiple children at Shrevewood, please fill out a separate form for each child. Please submit your input by Friday, May 17, so your submission can be considered prior to conversations with school staff. Thank you!

Shrevewood ES Class Placement: Parent Input


Staff Appreciation Week - Celebrating our Owl*Stars

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Staff Appreciation Week (SAW) is May 6th-10th, and we are SO excited to celebrate our Owl*Stars with a fun-filled week of meals, custom coffee deliveries, a smoothie truck, games, raffle prizes, snack carts, and more! Thank you for all of your generous donations of both items and your time in order to make the week a success.

Please use the SAW website to keep up-to-date on how to participate in the week's events (e.g., spirit days, Hall of Fame printout) and volunteer opportunities.


Shrevewood Yearbook Orders

yearbook

Our 2023-2024 Shrevewood yearbooks are for sale for $15! If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook, use the link and user ID below.

Buytheyearbook.com

User ID: 720126


Rising Kindergarten Registration

If you have a rising Kindergarten student, please fill out this new student intake form to begin the registration process. If you have a neighbor or friend with a child who will be turning five on or before September 30th, please pass along this information!

If you have any questions about the registration process, please email SWESoffice@fcps.edu.


SOL Schedule

Our Standards of Learning (SOL) tests are coming up in April and May.

These assessments measure the extent to which students have learned the content and skills reflected in state standards. The content tested varies by grade level. See below for the scheduled dates this Spring.

Grade 3:

  • 📖 Reading: Tuesday, May 7
  • 🧮 Math: Tuesday, May 14

Grade 4:

  • 📖 Reading: Tuesday, May 7
  • 🧮 Math: Tuesday, May 14

Grade 5:

  • Integrated Reading & Writing: Tuesday, April 16
    •  
  • 📖 Reading: Wednesday, May 8
  • 🧮 Math: Wednesday, May 15
  • 🔬 Science: Tuesday, May 21

 Grade 6:

  • 📖 Reading: Wednesday, May 8
  • 🧮 Math: Wednesday, May 15

 Retakes:

  • Students scoring 375-399 will be eligible for a retake May 28-31.

If you have any questions about SOL tests, please reach out to our School Testing Coordinator, Kaylin Daniels (KLDaniels@fcps.edu).


p2

Next week, our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Leadership. Leadership means you value each member of your group and inspire people to do their best.

Leadership can be both formal and informal. It is concerned with getting others to do what needs to be done while maintaining group morale to ensure readiness to act in the future. This character strength’s focus is on the personal qualities of leaders rather than the practice of leadership. These qualities include the ability to understand others and inspire them toward a common goal, the capacity to mitigate conflict and mold consensus, and the desire to lead other people.

For individuals, leadership is a way to achieve what you know is important, as groups of people invariably achieve more than individuals. If you want to achieve your vision for the future, you need to inspire others to join you. As an individual’s ability to lead develops, so does that person’s confidence and sense of self-efficacy.

To practice and encourage the character strength of leadership with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.


Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

People with ancestral roots in Asia and the islands of the Pacific have been integral to the story of America. In 1992, May was designated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month to celebrate their heritage and contributions.

Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.


Jewish American Heritage Month

Jewish American Heritage Month

May is a national month of recognition of the history of Jewish contributions to American culture, acknowledging the diverse achievement of the Jewish community in the U.S. 


Updated COVID Recommendations

In accordance with the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) respiratory virus guidance, FCPS and the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) have updated school COVID-19 recommendations.

The COVID-19 isolation period of five days is no longer recommended

New respiratory virus guidance applies to respiratory viral illnesses, including COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Students who have symptoms of, test positive for, or have been diagnosed with a respiratory virus may return to school when the student is fever-free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication; AND the student’s symptoms have improved or resolved. 

Students should follow additional precautions as outlined per the CDC upon resumption of normal activities. 

Should I Send My Child to School?

Please refer to the chart on this attendance webpage if your child is experiencing symptoms or illnesses, and you are unsure if they should go to school. 

Thank you for helping keep our students and staff healthy.


Prearranged Absences

Parents are encouraged to minimize student absences during school hours and to plan family trips and vacations during school holidays. If a student will be absent for more than one day, parents should submit a prearranged absence request, so teachers and administrators are alerted to the absence reasons and a plan to handle missed work is developed. Requests for prearranged absences for longer than one school day must be submitted to the school office within a reasonable time (three to five school days in advance) for the principal to review. Prearranged absence requests for periods longer than five school days must be reviewed to prevent student absences from becoming chronic and to avoid withdrawal from school. Student absences can have a significant impact on learning, and priority must be given to ensure that students attend school regularly. 


Change in Transportation Protocol

If playdates are planned, the Shrevewood office team must receive notifications from the parents of all students involved.  Playdate notifications may be made via the online Change in Transportation Form or via an email sent to SWESOffice@fcps.edu. For any changes in transportation, please make sure to contact the office no later 3:00 pm.


Procedures when you come to join your children for lunch:

  • Enter at Door 1 and report to the Main Office. 
  • Using a government issued photo ID, you must sign-in and receive a visitor sticker. 
  • Please ensure you are wearing the visitor sticker at all times. 
  • Report directly to the cafeteria. 
  • Enjoy lunch with your children. 
  • Return to the main office to check-out using your sticker. 
  • Lunch visitors should not go to the classroom or recess, so our daily schedule and routines can continue for our students. 
  • We ask that you not bring fast food for lunch. 
  • Please do NOT bring any food to share with other children, due to safety protocols and allergies.

🤒 When a Student Should Stay Home From School

Whether students miss school because of illness or any other reason, missing school leads to learning loss.

Help your student succeed by encouraging them to attend as many days as possible, but do make sure your student stays home if they are sick. Visit FCPS’ website for information on when you should keep your child at home.

If your child has a chronic illness, please notify his/her teacher, so assistance can be provided if needed. Please contact us as soon as you know your child will be absent.

Read more about how families can help form good attendance habits.


Free/Reduced Lunch Applications

food

Breakfast and Lunch

Breakfast will be $1.75.  Lunch will be $3.25, milk $0.60.  Money can be added to your child(ren)’s accounts using www.myschoolbucks.com.  You can also write a check to Shrevewood Food Services and deliver it to our Food Services Manager. During the school year, you can find the menu for breakfast and lunch at https://fcps.nutrislice.com/menu/shrevewood-elementary

Free and Reduced-Price Status

Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals will continue to receive these benefits through the end of September.   A new application must be filled out each new school year. Forms are available online now: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/food-and-nutrition-programs/free-and-reduced-price-meals.  Applications are accepted at any time, but we encourage you to apply or renew your application before the end of September. Call (703) 813-4800 if you need help. This must be completed for eligible students to receive free meals.  


FCPS News

In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:

  • FCPS Summer Extravaganza
  • Required Immunizations for Rising 7th and 12th Graders
  • No-Cost Virtual Therapy for High School Students

Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today


Save the Date

Teacher Workday

Friday, May 3 - No school for students

Grade 3 and 4 Reading SOL

Tuesday, May 7

Grade 5 and 6 Reading SOL

Wednesday, May 8

Grade 3 and 4 Math SOL

Tuesday, May 14

Grade 5 and 6 Math SOL

Wednesday, May 15

Grade 5 Science SOL

Tuesday, May 21

International Night

Thursday, June 6 - 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Field Day

Monday, June 10

6th Grade Promotion Ceremony

Tuesday, June 11, at 10:30 a.m.

Last Day of School

Wednesday, June 12 - 2 hour early release

Click here for the 2023-2024 FCPS School Calendar