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Dear Stone Families,
We had a wonderful first week of school at Stone. We learned about the Kids at Hope Pledge. We learned about lunch and bell schedules. We spent time getting to know each other and building community. We look forward to this upcoming week as we distribute chromebooks and dive into the learning with student rights and responsibilities, writing assignments, etc.
We’re excited to share valuable resources from Common Sense to help our middle schoolers excel in tech skills and digital citizenship. Check out the Family Engagement Toolkit at this link for tips and family tech planners, and don’t forget to enroll for free resources and support at this link. By working together at home and school, we can provide the support and resources our students need to thrive in the digital world and set them up for long-term success.
Let’s have a great week Panthers,
Sonya Williams
Principal
Students at Stone M.S. will be taking the iReady Reading Assessment in the coming weeks. Your child will need wired earbuds or headphones for this assessment as well as other assessments and assignments throughout the year. As listed on the school supply list, please ensure your child has these by Thursday, August 29th. Details and products are below.
Thank you for your help in preparing your child.
Earbuds or Head phones must be :
- wired
- have a 3.5 mm connector jack
Products from local stores that meet these requirements:
Walmart: earbuds - https://www.walmart.com/ip/ONN-EARBUDS-BLACK/416099849?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1102&from=/search
Walmart: headphones - https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-On-Ear-Headphones-Black-New/950779601?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1102&from=/search
REMINDERS FROM THE MAIN OFFICE
Early Dismissal Reminders
- Parents, due to buses arriving for dismissal around 1:45 p.m, we are unable to release students for early dismissals after 1:45 p.m. unless you have previously sent in a note with your student.
Students who bring a note to the office will be given a pass to give to their teacher at their dismissal time and will be in the office awaiting your arrival.
- Students who are picked up early will not be released to any adult that is not listed on the Emergency Care form. If you send someone who is not on the Emergency Care form to pick up your student, you will be required to email the main office with a copy of your picture ID along with a note stating that the person you send has permission to pick up your student. That person must also have a copy of their government issued photo ID in order to pick up your child.
Visitors to Stone MS
All Stone Middle School visitors must have a government issued photo ID when visiting the building and when picking up students.
Chromebooks will be distributed to students during their social studies classes on Tuesday, August 27, and Wednesday, August 28. Students will log in using their FCPS username and password from last year. If they have forgotten their login information, we will assist them during check-out. There are also resources to assist them using their Chromebook posted in the All Student Schoology course.
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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.
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📵 Phones Down, Engagement Up: FCPS Cell Phone Policy Keeping cell phones off during the school day helps students focus and learn. It also boosts positive social behavior. Review FCPS’ cell phone expectations by grade level with your child and help keep our classrooms free of distractions! If you need to reach your child during the school day, please call our main office at 703-631-5500.
Student Services Update
Dear Caregivers,
We are excited to share that from September 10-13, our counseling team will be visiting classrooms through Social Studies courses to introduce students to the comprehensive counseling program we are offering this school year. During these sessions, we will gather important information from students to help us tailor our programming to meet their needs effectively.
This initiative is part of our ongoing commitment to support the academic, social, and emotional well-being of all students. We look forward to working together to make this school year a successful and fulfilling experience for everyone.
Kind regards,
Katie Marrefi – School Counselor for Students with Last Names A-G
Armando Garcia -- School Counselor for Students with Last Names H-O
Marissa Luper -- School Counselor for Students with Last Names P-Z
Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights
Fairfax County Public Schools wants all parents and caregivers to understand its policies regarding surveys, records, curriculum, privacy, and related rights.
In its Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights and Opt-Out Forms (Annual Notice), FCPS provides explanations of the rights listed above as well as forms that may be used to exercise opt-out choices. Two versions of the Annual Notice are available: a grades K-8 version and a grades 9-12 version. Parents/caregivers with children at different grade levels should read each applicable version of the Annual Notice, because the notices and opt-out rights vary depending on the student’s grade level.
Get more information and view the 2024-25 Opt-Out Booklets
Transportation Patience and Safety
Thank you for your patience as we all get used to new routines this school year. We appreciate our families following Kiss and Ride procedures and being patient while waiting for your children’s buses.
If a student’s bus is delayed, parents may access the Bus Delay Notification System or use the Here Comes the Bus mobile app to receive the delayed bus report. Email messages will be sent to announce significant bus delays. Contact the Transportation Office at 703-249-7000 with any additional questions. For any concerns after 5:30 p.m., contact Safety and Security at 571-423-2000.
To make sure you receive email messages about bus delays, update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE
🔍 Lightspeed Parent Report on Child’s Device Activity
FCPS has tools to help parents know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided at no cost to families by Lightspeed, the school division’s internet content filtering service.
Parents may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. The report also offers parents the ability to sign up for free access to the Internet Use Parent Portal. Through the portal, parents may pause their child’s access to the internet on their FCPS device during non-school hours.
Learn more about Lightspeed Parent Reports
Emergency Contact and Student Health Update
Parents, Do we have the most current information for you and your student? The Online Verification Update (OVU) packet allows parents to review and update phone numbers, emergency contacts, and health information (such as health conditions and immunizations) for students in grades PS/HS and kindergarten through 12th grade. The enrolling parent will be able to access OVU through their SIS ParentVUE account.
How to access the OVU packet?
- Open the SIS ParentVUE Account Access page and enter your username and password.
- Select ‘Online Packets’ at the top right corner.
- The ‘Select a Packet to Begin’ page will display. Select the Online Verification/Update packet.
- There will be 7 sections you will need to review and/or update before submitting your packet.
- As you complete each area, use the Previous or Save And Continue buttons at the bottom to navigate between pages. Do not use the browser back and forward buttons.
- A green check mark means the page is complete.
- An orange exclamation mark means the page is in progress.
Before submitting the OVU packet, please review the information provided and make corrections if needed.
- Click on the Review button to open the Review/Submit page. Scroll down and carefully review the information you entered.
- Any areas highlighted in yellow, green, and/or red are changes you made since you first started the packet.
- If corrections are needed, click on the Edit button located above each area. Click Save and Return to exit the area and return to the review page.
- Once reviewing is complete, check the certification box and click on the green Submit button.
- To review the Status of your OVU packet, click on the Status page. Packet(s) pending school’s review will be listed under the Active tab.
Need additional information?
https://www.fcps.edu/family-resources/family-communication-resources/sis-parentvue-online-verification-and-update-packet
District News/In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- Everything You Can Do Through SIS ParentVUE
- Updating Immunizations and Records
- Transportation Patience and Safety
- Superintendent Reid Welcomes Everyone Back to School
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, sign up today.
Stone Quick Links
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