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To read this newsletter in other languages, please visit our website.
Para leer este boletín en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.
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School Hours: 9:15 AM - 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday
School building opens for students at 9:00 AM
Office: 703-988-8900
Attendance: 703-988-8989
August 13, 2024
IN THIS ISSUE
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Welcome Back Message with Important Dates
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Welcome Walk
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Open House/Supply Pick-up/Drop Off
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Popsicles on the Playground Back-to-School Social
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Back to School Night
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Bus Transportation
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Kiss ‘n Ride and Walkers
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Attention Kindergarten Parents
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Wednesday Envelope
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Breakfast/Lunch
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Free and Reduced Application
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Limited Early Release Mondays for 2024-25 School Year
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Parent Digital Consent
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Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
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PTA Meeting Dates
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Support Your Child’s Success in SIS ParentVUE
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FCPS Strategic Plan
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Elementary School Grading and Reporting
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Kindergarten and New Student Registration
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Family Life Education
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Distribution of Literature
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Asha-Jyothi 5K Run/Walk
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Important Upcoming Dates
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Frequently Visited Links and Important Virginia Run Contacts
1. 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
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
2. Welcome Walk
We are excited to host our Welcome Walk on Thursday, August 15 from 9:00 AM - 12 PM. Your child will meet their teacher for the new school year when the teacher drops by your home for a brief “door visit” to introduce themselves and welcome your family.
If you are not home during the Welcome Walk, the teachers will leave a door hanger that contains the teacher assignment and room number. Please call the school by 4:00 PM on Tuesday, August 13th if you will not be home and do not want the hanger left on your door.
3. Open House/Supply Pickup/Drop Off
Students can bring their school supplies and visit their classrooms for the first time on Thursday, August 15 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM. All pre-ordered school supplies will be in the classrooms for those families who ordered them in the spring. If you did not pre-order supplies, supply lists are available on the school website and in the front office. If you did not receive your child’s “First Day Packet” during the Welcome Walk, these packets will be available during the Open House Visit. If you do not receive the packet that day, it will be sent home with your child the first day of school.
During 2:00 - 3:00 PM on August 15, you will also be able to drop off medication at the school clinic, sign up for a SIS ParentVUE account, and put money on your child’s lunch account.
4. 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!
5. Back to School Night
Back to School Night will be held on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. Since we do have families with children in multiple grade levels, we are offering 2 sessions with a transition in between to give families time to get to the next teacher. Session times are below:
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
6. Bus Transportation
You will receive the schedule of bus routes from your child’s teacher during the Welcome Walk. Please note that some bus routes may have changed since last year. Review the route and number with your child so they board the correct bus. Please report to the bus stop five minutes before the listed time.
Students are required to board and depart the bus assigned to the student to prevent overcrowding on buses. Any changes require permission from the transportation office. Transportation can be reached at 703-249-7000. Please be patient with any changes or delays in the transportation schedule as some needed adjustments are made during the first week of school. (Kindergarten parents: If transported, kindergarten students must be met at the bus stop each afternoon by a parent, parent designee, or a responsible middle school or older sibling, and asked for by name at the bus door.)
Due to overcrowding issues, we do not allow students to go home on the bus with other students for a play date. We understand sometimes an emergency case may arise where childcare plans result in your child having to get off at a different bus stop other than the one closest to your home. In this case, please notify the office immediately. We need this information as soon as possible in order to assure correct transportation information.
Virginia Run does not make any bus transportation decisions. For all questions relating to the bus routes, stops, or times, please contact transportation at 703-249-7000.
7. Kiss ‘n Ride and Walkers
Car riders must use the Kiss N’ Ride area in front of the school. For safety reasons, the side driveway (bus lane) is restricted to bus traffic in the morning and afternoon. Parents are not permitted to use the bus lane. Dropping your child off in the parking lots presents a safety hazard for students, staff, and vehicles. While in the Kiss N’ Ride Line, the students must exit the vehicle on the right-hand side. For safety reasons and to keep the line flowing, we ask that parents do not exit their vehicle to help their child out of the car while in the Kiss N’ Ride line.
Staff members will be on hand to assist, in the mornings from 9:00 AM until 9:15 AM. Children should be in their classroom by 9:15 AM. Please remember our tardy bell rings at 9:15 AM. Students arriving at school after 9:15 AM should be accompanied into the office by a parent or guardian.
Thank you, in advance, for treating our staff members monitoring Kiss N’ Ride with respect. Kiss N’ Ride is offered as a courtesy to our parents and these staff members make it possible to offer this service. Thank you for working collaboratively with us to keep students and staff safe.
8. Attention Kindergarten Parents
According to Transportation Services, the bus driver will return your kindergartener to their school if your child is not met at the door of the school bus by a parent, a guardian/caregiver, or a sibling who is middle school age or older and asked for by name.
9. Wednesday Envelope
Please read over the contents of the envelope carefully. Inside you will find valuable information and forms which need to be returned to school. The Wednesday Envelope is our communication link with you. The Wednesday Envelope is a bright yellow envelope that students will take home every Wednesday. In the envelope you will find fliers, schoolwork samples and other school communications. Parents are asked to remove and read the contents, sign the front of the envelope, and help students remember to return it to school the next day.
10. Breakfast/Lunch
Breakfast is served at VRES. Students will be able to pick up a “Grab and Go” breakfast for $1.75. Students on free or reduced meals receive breakfast for free. The price for a school lunch will be $3.25 including milk. Milk may be purchased separately and costs $.60.
You may deposit money (Cash or Check) into your child’s lunch account during the open house visit on August 15th, or by sending cash or check made payable to Virginia Run Food Service on the first day of school in an envelope with your child’s name and teacher name. Money can be added to the account at any time during the year. You may also pay for your child’s breakfast/lunch with credit/debit card or electronic check online only at www.myschoolbucks.com.
11. Free and Reduced Application
Qualifying families can apply for free and reduced prices. Please use the link below to apply online.
https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/food-and-nutrition-programs/free-and-reduced-price-meals
12. 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.
13. Parent Digital Consent
Forms are available in the Parent Digital Consent (PDC) starting in the 2024-2025 school year. Parents should log in using their ParentVue username and password.
Available forms include:
- Digital Resources Consent (This form is used to agree (consent) or disagree (refusal) for your student(s) to use the FCPS-approved online tools listed on the school website as part of the instructional program.)
- School Counseling Opt-Out
- SEL Screener Opt-Out
- Denial of Access to Military Recruiters
- Family Life Education Opt-Out
- SOL Retest Permission
- Hazel Health
- Objection to Release of Information to Outside Organizations
- Objection to Release of Directory Information to the Public
14. Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Students and staff greatly appreciate the support we receive from the PTA. All parents are encouraged to join the PTA and help make the 2024-2025 school year successful for all students.
PTA Board for 2024-2025:
President: Christina Minogue
Treasurer: Matthew Reklau
Secretary: Laura McAndrews
VP of Fundraising: Amanda Prindle
VP of Education: Kimberly Wilson
VP of Social: Cara Priester
To stay informed regarding all upcoming PTA activities, visit the PTA website at https://vrespta.ptboard.com/.
If you would like to reach the Board, please email VirginiaRunPTA@gmail.com.
15. 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
16. 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, Betty Bancroft at ekbancroft@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.
17. FCPS Strategic Plan
FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan continues to guide FCPS with a focus on excellence, equity, and opportunity for each and every student. See 2023-30 Strategic Plan webpage.
- Successful completion of Algebra I by eighth grade is one of the measures for Goal 3 (academic growth and excellence) of the strategic plan.
- Students reading on grade level by the end of third grade is another measure of our progress in fostering academic growth and excellence for all students. This measure is supported through FCPS’ Equitable Access to Literacy (EAL) Plan.
See the EAL Plan webpage.
18. 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:
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Provide parents with comprehensive information about how their child is learning.
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Align with the Program of Studies (POS) curriculum students are learning.
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Provide teachers with resources to communicate a more exact and consistent assessment.
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Provide parents with comprehensive information about how their child is learning.
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Incorporate research-based best practices in student grading and reporting.
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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
19. Kindergarten and New Student Registration
Calling All New 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.
20. Family Life Education
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) offers a comprehensive Family Life Education (FLE) program. FLE instruction begins in kindergarten and continues through grade 12. FLE includes topics in human growth and development and social and emotional health. FLE instruction helps students gain knowledge and skills needed to make healthy, responsible, and life-enhancing decisions related to relationships and their physical, emotional, and social health. Parents and guardians are partners in their child’s learning. FLE instruction supports the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.
Parents and guardians can review FLE materials. Parents/guardians can access FLE lessons in Schoology using their SIS username and password. Due to copyright permissions, we are unable to stream all media titles online. Lessons and media are available for review at your child’s school. Lessons only are also available at the City of Fairfax Regional Library (this location does not have media).
To foster respect for family choices, parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. A student who is opted out will receive alternative health instruction. To opt your child out of all or part of the FLE program for this school year, please complete the opt-out form. Return the completed form to your child’s school before FLE instruction begins. The opt-out form is available online. You do not need to return the form to the school if you wish for your child to take part in FLE instruction.
FLE program descriptions and opt-out forms are available on the FCPS website.
21. Distribution of Literature and Fliers
To protect our children from becoming little advertisers and mail carriers, FCPS has clearly described the situation under which children may carry announcements home to parents. (Regulation 1367.1) Students may only carry fliers consistent with the mission of the school: education and the welfare of children. All nonprofit organizations are eligible to submit fliers in accordance with the guidelines below. Charitable solicitations, partisan political organizations, and commercial or profit-making enterprises are excluded with the exception of school-business partnerships and events. Students may not carry advertisements. Non-profit organizations such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts may only use the backpack system at designated times during the year. The fliers must be representative of something appropriate to the children and not violate any rules of decency, political campaigning, or marketing. These designated times are set by the school principal.
At Virginia Run Elementary, the four dates that Wednesday envelopes may be used for carrying announcements from non-profit organizations are:
September 11th
January 8th
March 5th
May 8th
**All announcements/fliers must carry the following disclaimer:
These materials are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, or this school.
All announcements/fliers must be approved by the administration in advance, allowing at least 3 days turn-around time. Upon receiving approval, the organization is responsible for supplying the copies to the school by the Monday preceding the designated envelope. PTA materials and announcements must also be approved in advance, but are not restricted to, the four dates listed. No materials carried by children may promote improper behavior or political opinion.
22. 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!
23. Important Upcoming Dates
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
8/30 & 9/2: Labor Day Break - Student Holiday
9/10: Virginia Run Back to School Night
9/23: Early Release Monday- Virginia Run will release students at 1:00 PM
10/3: Rosh Hashanah- Student Holiday
10/4: Teacher Workday- Student Holiday
10/14: Staff Development Day- Student Holiday
10/28: Early Release Monday- Virginia Run will release students at 1:00 PM
10/31: End of Quarter 1 - 2 Hour Student Release at 2:00 PM
11/1: Diwali- Student Holiday
11/4: School Planning Day- Student Holiday
11/5: Teacher Workday- Student Holiday
11/11: Veterans Day- Student Holiday
11/25: Early Release Monday- Virginia Run will release students at 1:00 PM
11/27-11/29: Thanksgiving Break- Student Holiday
12/23-1/3: Winter Break- Student Holiday
1/20: Martin Luther King, Jr’s Birthday- Student Holiday
1/28: End of Quarter 2
1/29: Teacher Workday- Student Holiday
2/17: Washington’s Birthday and President’s Day- Student Holiday
2/24: Early Release Monday- Virginia Run will release students at 1:00 PM
3/17: Early Release Monday- Virginia Run will release students at 1:00 PM
3/28: End of Quarter 3
3/31: Eid-al-Fitr- Student Holiday
4/1: Teacher Workday- Student Holiday
4/14-4/18: Spring Break- Student Holiday
4/28: Early Release Monday- Virginia Run will release students at 1:00 PM
5/19: Early Release Monday- Virginia Run will release students at 1:00 PM
5/26: Memorial Day- Student Holiday
6/11: Last Day of School- 2 Hour Student Release at 2:00 PM
View the calendar online here: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/2024-2025-standard-school-year-calendar.pdf
24. Frequently Visited Links and Important Virginia Run Contacts
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