Bonnie Brae ES- Family Newsletter

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Principal

Hello, Scottie families!  

We hope you have been having a wonderful summer, with opportunities to relax and spend time with family and friends. We have been gearing up for the start of another great year at Bonnie Brae, and can't wait to see everyone next Friday, August 16, for our Open House and Bonnie Brae Back-to-School BBQ Bash! 

Beginning next week, homeroom teachers will be reaching out to inform families of their child's teacher for the year prior to Open House.  Please see below for details on other pertinent beginning of the year information.  

See you all next week, and have a great weekend!

 

Morgan Birge, Principal

Natalie Vershaw, Assistant Principal

Melissa Johnson, Assistant Principal


Family.  Relationships.  Success.


week at a glance

  • August 16 - Open House & Supply Drop-Off
    • 9-10 AM - PreK, ECCB, PAC, & Kindergarten
    • 11-12:15 PM - Grades 1-6 & EAC
  • August 16 - Bonnie Brae Back-to-School BBQ Bash, 12:15-1 PM

Back to School Events

Positivity Project and Home

Positivity Project for Families

Families can find resources to help continue the discussion of character strengths at home by visiting the Positivity Project for Families webpage.


Scottie Feature

A few amazing highlights that happened this summer...


Learning in Progress Sign

We are ready to welcome everyone back for a wonderful new school year filled with learning!


Morgan and John

There has been a lot of progress with our renovation! Students and families will notice a lot of changes.


updates

first day of school image

First Day of School

Monday, August 19, is the first day of school. See the complete school year calendar.  FCPS parents, students, and staff members are invited to share their favorite pictures or videos from the first day of school on social media using the hashtag #FirstDayFairfax. We will share some of the photos on FCPS Facebook and Instagram


calendar reminder

Labor Day

Friday, August 30, and Monday, September 2, are Labor Day holidays for all FCPS employees and students. Virginia legislation requires that schools opening prior to Labor Day must be closed the Friday immediately preceding Labor Day. We hope everyone takes the long weekend to celebrate a strong start to the school year and enjoy time with family and friends. See the complete school year calendar.


Parent Toolkit

Parent Toolkit

There are some items families need to complete at the beginning of the school year.  Visit our Parent Toolkit webpage to access links to complete them. Items with an asterisk (*) are time sensitive and require parent action.


Kiss and Ride Sign Up

As we welcome students back to Bonnie Brae ES, we want to ensure the safe arrival and departure of each child. Bonnie Brae ES has an established area called the Kiss & Ride (at our side parking lot), which is designed as a safe place for adults in private vehicles to load and unload children. With the cooperation of all drivers, we will be able to provide an efficient and safe transfer of children.

If you are interested in using Kiss and Ride to drop off or pick up your child, please complete the Kiss and Ride form. Returning and new Kiss and Riders will receive new tags prior to students returning.


Kindergarten Parent Coffee

We would like to invite kindergarten parents to our “Tears and Cheers” coffee and donut gathering with the administrators, from 8:30-9:15 AM on the first day of school, Monday, August 19. This is a great way to start the year! While there will not be a formal presentation, parents will have an opportunity to meet our administrators and other kindergarten families. We look forward to seeing many of you at 8:30 AM on Monday, August 19 in our Bonnie Brae cafeteria!    


Summer Reading Choice Board

Summer Reading Choice Board

Let's continue reading this summer!  Students are invited to read and complete 15 blocks on our Bonnie Brae Summer Reading Choice Board.  Bring the choice board back to school by August 23, 2024 for a celebration of summer reading treat!


New Student Registration for the 2024-2025 School Year

To plan for staffing to support your child, we request that you begin the registration process as soon as possible.

Online Kindergarten and new student registration is available.

Contact person: Jenny Rios Godoy

Eligibility: A child who will be age 5 on or before September 30, 2024. (Children born after September 30, 2019 are ineligible to attend kindergarten for the upcoming school year.)


Support Your Child's Success - SIS ParentVUE

Access your student’s attendance records, grades, and assignments at any time with SIS ParentVUE. Parents/caregivers should receive an activation code when they register their child. Contact the school registrar Jenny Rios Godoy, if you need a code. 

Once you have activated a SIS 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 SIS ParentVUE account. Access SIS ParentVUE using an app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android devices. 

Need help creating an account? This video walks through the steps. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE

To be sure you receive important information from your schools, update your phone numbers and/or email addresses in the Parent/Guardian section of SIS ParentVUE.


Update Immunizations and Records

Immunizations are required for all students to attend school in Virginia. This is an important part of protecting them from certain diseases and keeping them healthy. Please log in to SIS ParentVUE to see what immunizations your child has recorded. 

Please check with your healthcare provider to make sure your child is up-to-date on the immunizations required by the state of Virginia as soon as possible. If your child needs a vaccine, please make an appointment with your healthcare provider, visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for a list of child immunization clinics, or access other local services.

Remember to request your child’s immunization record and bring that to the school’s front office or submit the record via SIS ParentVUE as soon as possible. Find more information


early release Mondays' QR Code

Early Release Mondays

As a reminder, FCPS elementary schools will have limited early release Mondays during the upcoming school year. The goal is to provide elementary teachers with additional time to meet new professional development requirements for the Virginia Literacy Act.

You can help us with planning for the seven early release Mondays. Please watch your email for a short survey from us asking if your child will leave at the early release time on these days or remain at school until the standard dismissal time. Your response will help us in planning activities for students who will need to stay at school until regular dismissal time.

We realize there are many details for us to finalize before our first early release Monday in mid-September. Thank you for your patience, we strive to create a positive and successful experience for students, families, and teachers. 

Early release Mondays for our school include:

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

To help plan for our school’s childcare needs during the early release Mondays, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/LpwRhtomocauubX67 for each of your children who are enrolled at Bonnie Brae Elementary. The form covers the first two early release Mondays, scheduled for September 23, 2024 and October 28, 2024. If you have multiple children, you will need to submit multiple forms. Staff will confirm the after school supervision plan for each student.

Learn more about Early-Release Mondays.


Bookmark the School Year Calendar

Be sure to bookmark the FCPS school year calendar to keep track of school holidays, breaks, and observances:

  • Days marked with a blue “H” are student holidays. Schools are closed on these days.
  • Days marked with an orange “O” are religious and cultural observance days (or evenings if only half marked). There is school on these days, but certain events that cannot be made up may not be scheduled on these days. 
  • Days marked in pink are holidays for students, but working days for teachers and staff.

Note: Some holidays and observances, such as Eid al-Fitr, may shift and the calendar may be adjusted.


Opt-Out Information and Booklets

The 2024-25 Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights and Opt-Out Forms flyer is now online Families can find explanations of rights as well as forms that may be used to exercise opt-out choices on the Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights and Opt-Out Forms FCPS webpage.


food

Food and Nutrition Programs

Dietary Accommodations Information

The Office of Food and Nutrition Services now has a standardized process for dietary accommodations to ensure the provision of safe and healthy food for students. Available forms include Medical Dietary Accommodation, Dietary Accommodation Discontinuation, and Milk Substitution.  Each form only needs to be filled out once while students are enrolled at FCPS.  Visit the Dietary Accommodations page to learn more and to access the forms.

Free and Reduced Price Lunch Information


Student Accident Insurance Program

Fairfax County Public Schools does not provide medical insurance for accidents that occur at school. Parents can purchase “at school” accident insurance or “24 hour” accident insurance (12 months a year). This is a low-cost insurance program for families to defray medical or dental expenses that results from an accident involving their child. More information can be found on the FCPS public site at Voluntary Student Insurance.


INOVA Back to School Pediatric Health Fairs

Inova Cares Clinic (ICC) will provide children ages 5+ with free school entrance physicals and immunizations at summer health fairs for children on Medicaid or who are uninsured. The clinics will take place 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on the following dates:

  • Saturday, August 17, at ICC for Children - Falls Church

Appointments are required. No walk-ins will be allowed. Call 703-698-2550 for an appointment.


Free Workshops for Families

Parents and caregivers can access free webinars, confidential consultations, a lending library, and resources to help adults support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities. Learn more about the Family Resource Center (FRC).

In September, the FRC will host webinars for families on supporting siblings of children with disabilities, helping students organize their school work, working with children who like to push boundaries, and teen development and well-being. Sign up for the FRC newsletter for their latest offerings or visit their webinar website.


 Varsity Tutors Provides On-Demand Support at No Cost

FCPS is partnering with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors’ services at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests. Learn more about online tutoring with Varsity Tutors.


upcoming events

subscribe to our calendar

Stay up to date on all things BBES! Subscribe to our School Calendar.

View the 2024-2025 FCPS School Calendar

  • August 19 - First Day of School
    • Parents, all grades, may walk their child to the classroom door if they wish, but they should not enter the classroom. 
    • An announcement will be made at 8:30 AM reminding all parents that they will need to exit the building so that we can get the school day (and year!) started.
    • At 8:30 AM, parents of kindergarten students can head to the cafeteria for our "Tears and Cheers" coffee and donut gathering.
  • August 28 - Back to School Night (PAC, K-3rd), 6-7:30 PM
  • August 30 & September 2 - Labor Day Weekend Holidays (no school)
  • September 4 - Back to School Night (4th-6th and All EAC), 6-7:30 PM
  • September 23 - Three Hour Early Release Monday
  • September 26 - Fall Picture Day 

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