Plan Forward - Dates to Mark on Your Calendar
August 19: First Day of School - Bell Schedule 8:50 a.m. - 3:35 p.m.
August 23: PTA Welcome Back Picnic! - Come for Dinner, Dessert & Fun - 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Supervision Required - Informal Gathering to Mingle
August 26: First PTA Meeting - Special Officer Election and "Get to Know Volunteer Opportunities" on August 26th, 9 a.m.
August 28: Back-to-School Night (Parents/Caregivers Only)
Grades K-3: 5 - 6:00 p.m.; Grades 4 - 6: 6:15 - 7:15 p.m.
August 30 and Sept. 2: School Holidays
2024-25 FCPS School Calendar
Administration Summer Updates
Dear Parents,
We thoroughly enjoyed seeing many of our families on Thursday for the Open House. On Monday, please note that students may enter the building at 8:40 a.m. If you are dropping off at Kiss and Ride, we do accept students in the cafeteria at 8:30 a.m. The cafeteria door #8 will be open to those students only. Walkers should wait outside until 8:40 a.m. when we open the front doors for the buses riders as well.
Note the bus information below embedded in the link below with the various QR codes. Lunch information and updating ParentVue is also included which is essential for all parents.
We also want to inform you that the new Parent Digital Consent site is live! Student consent forms previously available on ParentVue have been moved to the Parent Digital Consent System (PDC). Families can log into the PDC using their ParentVue credentials to complete consent forms assigned to their child. If you have a new ParentVue account, you must wait 24 hours after it is created to use the PDC.
Forms available include:
- School Counseling Opt-out
- Digital Resources Consent
- SEL Screener Opt-Out
- Family Life Education Opt-out
- SOL Retest Permission
- Objection to Release of Directory Information to the Public
- Objection to Release of Information to Outside Organizations
To help plan for our school’s childcare needs during the early release Mondays, please complete this form for each of your children who are enrolled at Kent Gardens Elementary. All parents MUST complete the form for safety purposes. Please see the blurb below for additional information.
For safety purposes, we have included a form for parents to complete to ensure that we understand your child's transportation for both arrival and dismissal. Please do begin the school year with the usual mode of transportation to ensure routines are being established.
Finally, note the sign up below for band, strings and chorus. We have a vibrant and wonderful music program at Kent Gardens! Students will meet the teachers and try out instruments - we look forward to having all of our fourth graders participate in strings and fifth and sixth graders may choose band or strings and can also choose to participate in chorus.
See you all tomorrow morning!
Warmly,
Holly McGuigan Tia Hawkins Sarah Talley
Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal
 Band and Strings Sign Up for 2024-25 School Year - 4th, 5th and 6th Grade Students
We are excited about another fabulous year of band and strings! We will introduce students to the instruments during the first weeks of school. Most students play an instrument in grades 4 - 6.
Strings is offered to students in grades 4 - 6. As 4th grade is the initial entry, we typically have over 95% participation. Mr. David Funderburk dwfunderburk@fcps.edu and Ms. Tzu-Ching Tai, tetai@fcps.edu are amazing instructors and available with questions. They will be introducing the various string instruments – viola, violin, cello, and bass to the 4th graders. Playing a string instrument is a wonderful start to beginning or continuing a musical experience! Note that we do differentiate! Sign up here!
Band is offered to students in grades five and six. Students who participated in strings in the fourth grade either stay with the strings instruction or explore a new instrument in band. Our amazing, experienced FCPS band instructors, Mr. Brad Zimmerman, an amazing, experienced FCPS band instructor, bszimmerman@fcps.edu, and Ms. Allison Parrell, akparrell@fcps.edu will introduce the various wind, brass, and percussion instruments in the next few weeks. Here is the link to sign up now. You are welcome to reach out to the instructors or the school administration team with questions. .
Chorus 2024-25 Sign-up for Rising 5th and 6th Graders
Are you interested in joining the chorus? Please sign up in the google form here. Chorus class will be held once a week. Some requirements to join:
- Students should attend 2 after school (evening) concert performances (dates TBD). Possible additional performances may arise.
- Attend weekly before school rehearsals regularly.
If you have questions please contact Ms. Kaylie Paik, hpaik@fcps.edu (6th grade chorus) or Ms. Angela Lee, ajlee@fcps.edu (5th grade chorus)
#kgpride #BeTheGold #StrongerTogether #YouBelong
Our vision for the 2024-25 school year will incorporate 'kintsugi' practice. Collectively, we will 'BeTheGold' - being resilient and supportive.
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KG Important Apps and Links
Click on the image below to go to the website with the links and QR codes or clidk this link to support the QR codes below for parents. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the KG Important Apps and Links. These links include lunch information through MySchoolBucks, Here Come the Bus App, Digital Consent Form, Schoology, etc.
Parent Reminders for the 2024-25 School Year
Sign Up for 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 [add contact info] if you need a code.
Need help creating an account? This video walks through the steps. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE.
Update Your Contact Information - 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.
Early Release Mondays - Mark Your Calendars and Plan Forward - Complete the Survey
*New* Monday Early Release Schedule To help plan for our school’s childcare needs during the early release Mondays, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/8WwWE8cVHpd7ft3j6 for each of your children who are enrolled at Kent Gardens. Note that the early release is 12:35 p.m. on the following days: September 23, October 28, November 25, February 24, March 17, April 28, and May 19. This time will be utilized for teacher plan time to support students and complete required teacher professional development connected to the new Virginia Literacy Act. There are new reading and math standards and other initiatives. Additional information can be found on the FCPS Early Release Mondays webpage. If you have immediate questions, please email ESPlanning@fcps.edu.
Free and Reduced-Priced Meals
The application for free and reduced-priced meals is now available for the 2024-25 school year. Students who were approved for free and reduced-price lunch last year are eligible for the first 30 days of school this year (or until a new application is processed). Families should re-apply as soon as possible, so eligible students continue to receive meals at no cost.
Dining Room Assistant - Join the KG Team!
We are looking for assistance in the cafeteria until the end of the year and in 2024-25 - if you know someone or would like to work as a dining room assistant, please contact Holly McGuigan. The timeframe is about 3.5 hours per day and involves assisting students during lunch time as well as supervising student clean-up, keeps order, and dismisses students to their teachers. We are looking for an individual who is friendly, energetic, and assertive in maintaining expectations of cafeteria behavior, and loves working with children.
 PTA News
Join the PTA now!
We are looking forward to having a strong year and supporting the school. Get connected, access great resources, affect change, be a role model and, most importantly, benefit your child. How? By joining the PTA!
Why Join the Kent Gardens Parent Teacher Association (PTA)?
By getting involved at Kent Gardens, you can help make our school a better place! Our PTA plays important roles in curriculum-based and after-school programs, staff support, and social events — all vital to our school’s success. The PTA is a great place to connect with other parents, volunteer your time for a noble cause, and make positive changes at Kent Gardens. In light of recent Fairfax County budget cuts to education, our PTA’s voice is more important than ever, and your participation is critical!
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Kent Gardens “One & Done”
Fundraiser — Our 2024 Goal: Raise $45,000 by September 30th
“One & Done” is the main fundraiser at Kent Gardens and it’s just like it sounds… You make one contribution and you’re done for the year! When you contribute to “One & Done,” you help Kent Gardens Elementary remain an exciting, vibrant, and thriving school. This year, we donated wonderful new cafeteria tables as well as many other areas in the school.
Over the past few years, an average of 35% of Kent Gardens families have contributed. Please help us achieve at least 50% family participation!
The suggested contribution is $175 per family but any amount is greatly appreciated. Select one of the existing payment options on the right or click on the large green ‘Give’ button to enter your own donation amount. When you use PayPal you will be able to pay directly by Credit Card*. Donate Now!
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