August 28 Family Newsletter
Thank you to all of the families who came out to our Back to School Nights this week. It was great to see so many families at Union Mill connecting with our staff and one another.
As we approach our first 3-hour early release on Monday, September 23rd, we expect students to follow their regular routes home. To ensure student safety, please complete this form to confirm your plans for each student. During this time, our instructional staff will be involved in professional development, so it’s crucial we have an accurate count of families needing supervision to plan accordingly.
As a reminder, this Friday, August 30th and Monday, September 2nd is a holiday for students and staff for Labor Day weekend.
Upcoming Dates
Friday, August 30th - Labor Day Break (Holiday)
Monday, September 2nd - Labor Day Break (Holiday)
Monday, September 23rd - Early Release 12:30 pm Dismissal
Thursday, September 26th - Union Mill Fun Run
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October 3rd - Rosh Hashanah (student holiday)
October 4th - Teacher Workday (student holiday)
October 9th - Principal's Coffee
October 28th - 3 Hour Early Release
November 12th - Family Math and Science Night
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2024 - 2025 FCPS School Year Calendar
The 2024 - 2025 FCPS School Year Calendar can be accessed here. We encourage families to review the calendar when considering trips or preplanned absences.
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🗓️ Calendar Reminder: Labor Day
Friday, August 30, and Monday, September 2, are holidays for all FCPS employees and students in honor of Labor Day. Virginia legislation requires that schools opening before Labor Day must be closed the Friday immediately preceding Labor Day.
We hope everyone uses 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 and employee calendar.
Communication and Collaboration in Action
This year many of our schoolwide goals are connected to Communication and Collaboration which are attributes of FCPS Portrait of a Graduate. Our staff has been promoting student discourse and we will be highlighting examples throughout the year. Below is an example of 5th graders engaging in conversations with one another regarding topics they chose for persuasive writing.
Questions families can ask at home to support communication and collaboration.
- How did you help someone in your group today?
- Were there moments when your group struggled? How did you handle that?
- What ideas did you share today? What were some ways you shared your ideas?
- How did you listen to other points of view? What did you learn from them?
Message from PE
In Physical Education, we are working on cooperative activities where students are challenged to be creative and critical thinkers, communicators, collaborators, and inclusive teammates. The students have been rising to the challenges and working hard. We are looking forward to a great year of movement!
Community Flier Distribution
This semester’s nonprofit Community Flier distribution will take place on Friday, September 20th. To submit a flier for approval, it must be received in the office by Friday, September 6th and include the following disclaimer – “This event [or activity] is sponsored by [name of organization] and is operated independently of the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, and Union Mill Elementary School.”
Once the flier is approved, please deliver 35 sets of 30 copies each (plus a few extras for front office staff) by close of business on September 13th. Fliers will go home with students on Friday, September 20th.
Parent Volunteer Opportunity
UMES is looking for parent volunteers who would be willing to donate their time labeling our new language arts curriculum materials. The labels are already printed, so you would just need to stick them on the books. Please email Wendy Hare, one of our reading specialists if you would like to help wrhare@fcps.edu.
Early Release Mondays
The Centreville Pyramid, which includes Union Mill Elementary, will have the following three-hour early release days. On these days, students will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m.
- September 23
- October 28
- December 9
- February 24
- March 17
- April 28
- May 19
To help us plan for childcare needs during our early release Mondays, please fill out this form for each of your children enrolled at Union Mill Elementary. This form will cover the first two early release Mondays, scheduled for September 23, 2024, and October 28, 2024. If you have multiple children, please submit a separate form for each one. We’ll follow up with you to confirm the after-school supervision plan for your child. Thank you for your help in making these days smooth and enjoyable for everyone!
Additional information can be found on the FCPS Early Release Mondays webpage. If you have immediate questions, please email ESPlanning@fcps.edu.
*Students requiring adult supervision due to hardship will be overseen by instructional assistants, school monitors, school staff, central office personnel, and/or volunteers. Your child will not be with their teacher due to required professional development. Time will be allocated for students to complete STMath, Lexia, MyOn, independent reading, and other similar supervised tasks.
Union Mill PTA
 Membership
PTA Memberships are only good for one year. Members get PTA information first, discounts and benefits at PTA-sponsored events, and are the first to know about volunteer opportunities at the school!
Why Join?
Membership is only $15/year for a family and $7.50/year for an individual or staff member and shows you value our school community - students, staff and your fellow parents and caregivers. It’s a small investment - you spend more than that on Starbucks or gas every week! Show your love and support of Union Mill and click here to join today.
Save the Date - Union Mill Fun Run 2024
The Union Mill Fun Run 2024 will be Thursday, September 26 this year! All Union Mill students may participate in the Fun Run and receive a free prize for registering. The PTA will purchase a shirt for each and every student and staff member regardless of participation in the fundraising portion of the Fun Run. Look for more information later this month.
Business Sponsorship Opportunities for 2024:
The UMES PTA is offering Fun Run business sponsorships - the primary perk is your logo (or name) on every Fun Run shirt, that's over 1,000 shirts! We have also built in a few other perks for sponsorship. You can view options online at the UMES PTA store: https://umespta.givebacks.com/store
Questions? Email Juliet Prillaman at waysandmeans@unionmillpta.org.
PTA Meetings
Our first PTA meeting will take place in September. Be sure to join as a 2024-2025 member so you receive alerts on meetings dates for September and the rest of the year and links/information to join! Our first meeting will highlight volunteer opportunities, review our draft annual budget, and give you a chance to meet our PTA Board members and our administrators, plus fellow parents and caregivers!
Office Hours
Monday - Friday - 8:00 am - 4:15 pm
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