Good afternoon families!!
Next week is the start of May and the official 'testing season' here at Cherry Run! Please check with the classroom teachers about testing if you are planning any absences or check in/out for appointments! It is so much better for the children to test with their class instead of 'missing' something on another day to take a make-up!
Today we had our first big EOY grade level event with our Poetry Cafe. The kids did such an amazing job! Thank you to all the parents who joined us to celebrate with the kids. There are many more events yet to come, so please make sure you are checking the grade level newsletters so that you don't miss out!
This year, we have added a 'Rising Kindergarten Play Date' to the calendar for May. This will be in addition to the regular play date right before school starts. It was thought that having all the kids here already might be a great chance to play and meet new friends! More information is listed below!
Lastly, we will have a "special meeting" of the PTA to discuss budget items and a few other small things. We do need a quorum to be able to vote, so I hope you will be able to attend. It is a virtual meeting only (no in-person attendance). The meeting will be on Tuesday, April 30th, at 8:00 pm (to avoid a conflict with the Chorus concert). I hope you can join us!
Enjoy the weekend!!
Sincerely,
Mark Bibbee
Principal
Cherry Run ES
April 30 - Special PTA Meeting - 8:00-8:30 - Zoom only (link sent by PTA)
May 3 - Teacher Workday - No Students - School is open
May 7 - Interims come home (only for 1's & 2's)
May 9 - Kindergarten Orientation - Library - 2:45 (doors open @ 2:35)
May 9 - Kindergarten Play Date - Playground - 4:00 - 5:00
May 27 - MEMORIAL DAY - No Students - School is CLOSED
The Cherry Run Elementary School PTA would like to invite all of our rising Kindergarteners and their families to a "play date" on Thursday, May 9th from 4pm to 5pm, following Kindergarten orientation. Come meet your peers at the Cherry Run school playground. Popsicles will be provided by the local Girl Scout council!!
 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:
-
Monday, April 29, 6-8 p.m., at Glasgow Middle School
-
Monday, May 6, 6-8 p.m., at Whitman Middle School
-
Monday, May 20, 6-8 p.m., at Hughes Middle School
-
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:
-
Lunes 29 de abril, de 6 a 8 de la tarde, en la Escuela Secundaria de Glasgow.
-
Lunes 6 de mayo, de 6 a 8 de la tarde, en la Escuela Secundaria de Whitman.
-
Lunes, 20 de mayo, 6-8 p.m., en la Escuela Secundaria de Hughes.
-
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
-
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 Mrs. Manikas' classroom working on math. Students participated in number talks, algebraic thinking strategies, and singing the 'Find a Peanut' song to find common denominators. You can see by the fun the kids are having and the raised hands that the class is very engaged in the learning.
Math is taught very different from when I was in school! But, as long as the kids are engaged in learning, I'm not going to complain!!
Today's "Staff Spotlight" focuses on Mrs. Melanie Manikas. It was about 10-11 years ago (this summer) when I had the good fortune to 'steal' Mrs. Manikas from a neighboring school. Mrs. Manikas was returning from a LOA and was looking for a change. She reached out and, when one of my best friends (administrator at another school) said "HIRE HER!!!!", I knew I was probably getting a pretty special teacher!
Mrs. Manikas joined us as a 5th grade teacher and then moved to 4th grade the next year. She has been in that position ever since. She is a team leader, an AAP lead, works on the SIIP team, is a mentor, and is our Great Beginnings Lead teacher (supports new staff). As one of the few schools that 'departmentalize' in 4th grade, I make it clear that it is only possible because of her ability to teach MATH!
Mrs. Manikas also has three children that have all been Cherry Run students (one current student). She is a tremendous asset to the school and I am forever thankful that she "wanted a change"!
|
