Virginia Run Weekly Message 7/30/24

To read this newsletter in other languages, please visit our website.

Para leer este boletín en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.

يرجى زيارة موقعنا الألكتروني لقراءة هذه النشرة الإخبارية بلغات أخرى.

July 30, 2024


IN THIS ISSUE

  1. Kindergarten & Grades 1-6 New Student Tours & Playdates

  2. Welcome back message with important dates

  3. Limited Early Release Mondays for 2024-25 School Year

  4. Volunteers Needed for Wednesday Envelope stuffing for Welcome Walk

  5. Summer Office Hours

  6. Summer Reading Bingo

  7. Virginia Run Elementary School Book Mobile

  8. “Popsicles on the Playground” Back-to-School Social

  9. PTA Meeting Dates

  10. Elementary School Grading and Reporting

  11. Kindergarten and New Student Registration

  12. Support Your Child’s Success in SIS ParentVUE

  13. Mount Olive Baptist Church Back to School Festival

  14. Asha-Jyothi 5K Run/Walk

  15. Important Upcoming Dates

  16. Frequently Visited Links and Important Virginia Run Contacts

 


VRES Admin Team

Mr. Gerstner, Mr. Rousos, Ms. Coulter, and Ms. Arreaza attended the Region 5 Kickoff!  We're excited to welcome students back into the building!!

 


1. Kindergarten & Grades 1-6 New Student Tours & Playdates

Welcome NEW Virginia Run Vikings! You are invited to bring your families and come to Virginia Run on July 31st, for a tour of the school and to informally meet new friends. The kindergarten session will be from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and the grades 1-6 session will be from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM. This event will include a bus ride around the neighborhood and a school tour by our very own staff members and administrators, followed by popsicles on the playground. Come out to meet new friends before the first day of school!

 


2. Welcome Back Message with Important Dates

Dear Virginia Run Elementary School Community,

Welcome back to another exciting school year at Virginia Run Elementary! We hope you've all had a wonderful summer filled with relaxation, fun, and memorable moments with family and friends. As we prepare to embark on the 2024-25 academic year, Lauren, Nick, and I want to extend a warm welcome to both our returning students and families, as well as those who are new to our school community.

We have several important events lined up to kick off the school year:

Virginia Run Welcome Walk

  • Date: August 15
  • Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Virginia Run Open House

  • Date: August 15
  • Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Stone Middle School Open House

  • Date: August 15
  • Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Westfield High School Open House

  • Date: August 15
  • Time: 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM

FCPS First Day of School

  • Date: August 19

Virginia Run Back to School Night

  • Date: September 10
  • Session I     Grades PS, Kindergarten, 3 and 4     5:30 PM – 6:15 PM
  • Session II    Grades 1, 2, 5 and 6                           6:30 PM – 7:15 PM

These events are fantastic opportunities for students and parents to meet teachers, tour the school, and get prepared for the new school year. Our dedicated staff is eager to welcome everyone back and ensure a smooth transition into the academic routine.

As always, communication between home and school is essential for the success of our students. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns throughout the year. Together, we can make this a fulfilling and productive year for every student at Virginia Run Elementary.

Here's to a fantastic year ahead!

Our best,

Dave Gerstner, Principal 

Lauren Arreaza, Assistant Principal

Nick Rousos, Assistant Principal

 


3. Limited Early Release Mondays for 2024-25 School Year 

We are eagerly preparing for the 2024-2025 school year and can't wait to see what it holds for our Virginia Run community.

As you may have heard, the Virginia Literacy Act requires Elementary Teachers (classroom, special education, and ESOL) to complete approximately 27 hours of training focused on the Science of Reading and evidence-based literacy during the 2024-2025 school year. As a result, Fairfax County Public Schools has planned seven early release Mondays starting in September. 

Please note the dates and times for your calendars listed below. 

Virginia Run Elementary will release students at 1:00 PM. on the following days:

  • September 23
  • October 28
  • November 25
  • February 24
  • March 17
  • April 28
  • May 19

To support our families, FCPS has created a webpage with detailed information about the early release Mondays. We encourage you to visit this page for any additional information you may need.  

 


4. Volunteers Needed for Wednesday Envelope Stuffing for Welcome Walk

We are in need of 3 - 4 volunteers to help with stuffing our first Wednesday Envelopes for the Welcome Walk. We need help on Tuesday, August 13th from 9:00 - 11:00 AM or when all envelopes have been stuffed. If you have a high schooler that needs hours, this would be perfect. If you can help, please contact Shannon Soria at srsoria@fcps.edu.

   


5. Summer Office Hours

Until August 7th, our Virginia Run office will be open during the summer from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Monday - Friday. Please call the school office at 703-988-8900 if you need to unenroll and/or register a student for the 2024-25 school year. To schedule an appointment to unenroll or register please email Betty Bancroft at  ekbancroft@fcps.edu.

Beginning August 8th, office hours will be 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM.

 


6. Summer Reading Book Bingo

Let’s keep reading all summer!  Complete our fun VRES Summer Reading Bingo Board and return it to Mrs. Siwert in the library the first week of school.  Everyone who turns in a Bingo Board will be able to choose an awesome prize!  Bingo Boards are being sent home in this week’s Wednesday folders.  Go here to print another copy in English or Spanish!  Happy Reading!

2024 Summer Reading Book Bingo in English

2024 Summer Reading Book Bingo in Spanish

 


7. Virginia Run Elementary School Bookmobile

Teachers and parents know how important it is for students to keep reading over the summer months. Need books to read? Be on the look out for the  VRES Bookmobile!

On Wednesdays this summer, VRES staff will be in the Virginia Run  neighborhoods with free books for students!  (See schedule below.)  All students and families are welcome to visit us in every neighborhood! Books are free and yours to keep!

Our last event will be July 31.

Meadows of Chantilly Clubhouse - 10 AM - 12 PM

Meadows of Chantilly Clubhouse—4200 Airline Pkwy, Chantilly, VA 20151

 


8.“Popsicles on the Playground” Back-to-School Social

The PTA will be hosting a “Popsicles on the Playground” Back-to-School Social on Thursday, August 15 on the blacktop from 2:00 - 3:30 PM. Students can hang out with friends, meet new ones, and enjoy a popsicle sponsored by the PTA.  You can also enter into a raffle to win a FREE birthday party from Bach to Rock!  We hope to see you there!

 


9. PTA Meeting Dates for 2024-2025

PTA Meeting Dates for the 2024-2025 school year. Meetings start at 7:00 PM.

9/10- Meet and Greet in the Virginia Run Lobby

10/8- General Meeting

11/12 – General Meeting

2/11 – General Meeting

3/11 – General Meeting

4/8 – General Meeting

5/12- General Meeting

 


10. Elementary School Grading and Reporting

FCPS is committed to being a responsive, caring, and inclusive culture where all feel valued, supported, and hopeful. Research tells us that a sense of hope and a sense of belonging are important to student learning. As we look toward the 2024-25 school year, we remain committed to fostering a responsive, caring, and inclusive culture where all feel valued, supported, and hopeful. 

Student progress is evaluated every quarter.  At the elementary level, the effort and academics are reported separately so the parents know the effort of the student as well as understanding of specific skills. Individualized comments are an important part of parent communication on the report card.

The progress report will:

  • Provide parents with comprehensive information about how their child is learning.

  • Align with the Program of Studies (POS) curriculum students are learning.

  • Provide teachers with resources to communicate a more exact and consistent assessment.

  • Provide parents with comprehensive information about how their child is learning.

  • Incorporate research-based best practices in student grading and reporting.

  • Report Life, Work, and Citizenship skills separately from academic achievement.

To view a copy of our FCPS progress report, please click on the link below:

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/elementary-school

 


11.Kindergarten and New Student Registration

Calling All New Vikings!

Vikings

Virginia law requires that all children who will be 5 years old on or before September 30, 2024, must be enrolled in kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year.  If you do not wish your child to attend school until the following year, you must notify the school in writing. 

If you have a child who will attend Virginia Run Elementary next year, please contact Betty Bancroft to register. This will allow accurate numbers for staffing and classes next year!

Register your child by:

For more information on registration requirements please visit https://www.fcps.edu/registration/kindergarten-registration

General kindergarten information can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/kindergarten

Please spread the word to your neighbors who have children attending Virginia Run ES.

 


12. Support Your Child’s Success in SIS ParentVUE

Signing up for a SIS ParentVUE account helps you to support your child’s academic success. Caregivers can view important information in ParentVUE such as attendance, grades, progress reports, and assessment scores. 

Once you have activated a ParentVUE account for an FCPS student, you will keep the same account until the student graduates. Information about students in the same family can be accessed through the same ParentVUE account. A SIS ParentVUE app is available for Apple and Android devices. 

Need help creating a SIS ParentVUE account? This video explains the steps. Find out more. To create a new account, please contact our school registrar, Afkham Hosseini at ahosseini@fcps.edu for an activation letter. 

If you already have an account, be sure your contact information is up-to-date. Parents/guardians can update their phone numbers or email addresses in the Parent/Guardian section. View more information

 


13. Back to School Festival

The Mount Olive Baptist Church is holding a Back to School Festival on Saturday, August 10, 2024 from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. There will be food trucks, games, live DJ, carnival rides, bounce house, free backpack with supplies, and more. 

Mount Olive Baptist Church
6600 Old Centreville Road
Centreville, VA 20121

BTS Festival

14. Asha-Jyothi 5K Run/Walk

This coming school year, Virginia Run will partner with Asha-Jyothi to support Virginia Run students! Asha-Jyothi 5K Run/Walk is a fun-filled family event with foot tapping music, delicious food and a friendly course. It is a volunteer based non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of the underprivileged by providing access to education and health care. Asha-Jyothi partners with schools by donating 100% of all registration money from each school back to the school for its STEM needs. 

Last year the Asha-Jyothi foundation granted Deer Park Elementary School over $100,000 to recreate their STEAM Lab into Bucky's Learning Lab. Please join us in supporting this wonderful organization and our Virginia Run students.

Race Date: Sunday, September 15 Location: 4250 Fairfax Corner Avenue; Fairfax, VA 22030 Race Time: Fun Run starts at 8:00 AM and 5K starts at 8:30 AM Price: $30 / Coupon Code "AJ4Schools" for $10 off the 5K

Register Here - Fairfax 5K, hope to see you there!

 


15. Important Upcoming Dates

7/31: Kindergarten & Grades 1-6 New Student Tours & Playdates

8/15: Virginia Run Welcome Walk, 9 AM-12 PM

8/15: Virginia Run Open House, 2 PM - 3 PM

8/15: Stone Open House, 3 PM - 4 PM

8/15: Westfield Open House, 5 PM - 7:30 PM 

8/19: First day of school

9/10: Virginia Run Back to School Night

 


16. Frequently Visited Links and Important Virginia Run Contacts