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Dear Stenwood Families,
We only had four days of school this week in the Hive, but we packed it in!
We loved seeing so many of you at Back to School Night last night. We saw many smiling faces as you came away from spending time with your child’s teachers and getting to know their classrooms. A huge thank you goes out to the teachers who have worked so hard to get their classrooms ready for your children, learned all about the new county-wide literacy curriculum, and shared all of that with you last night. Be on the lookout for a special ‘Hive Happenings- Literacy Edition’ with information on how you can support your child this year with the new Language Arts curriculum.
We had our first Hive Family Meetings today! We told you last week about Hive Families, the small groups of about 10 Kindergarten through 6th grade students who will meet together with a staff member once a month to build community. It was a little wild to have all 550+ of our Stingers buzzing around the Hive trying to find their new families. But it was worth it to set the tone for a great year of meeting together enabling all of our Stingers to be safe, supported, included, and empowered at Stenwood. Our next Hive Families Meetings will take place on Friday, September 13th. You can see Mrs. Riley with her Hive Family below. We will be sure to send more updates throughout the year. Mark your calendars (dates below) we don’t want anyone to miss school on that day so they can spend time with their Hive Family!
We also had our first fire drill of the year on Monday. We also had our first bus evacuation drill this morning. Our Stingers did a great job there with both drills. Schools are required by state law to practice emergency drills, including lockdown drills. We are also required to notify parents and guardians at least 24 hours before a school conducts a lockdown drill. The first lockdown drill of the school year will take place next week and you will receive notification ahead of time from us. Preschool and kindergarten students are exempt from practicing the first lockdown drill. Your child may come home and talk about their experience during a drill. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Please review these frequently asked questions to support your students before and after school lockdown drills.
Friday, August 30th, and Monday, September 2nd, are Labor Day holidays for all FCPS employees and students. 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 here for all holidays.We’ll see you all back in the Hive for another short week next week on Tuesday.
- Attendance - NEW
- Hive Family Dates - NEW
- Kiss N Ride Reminders - Reminder
- Parking Reminders - Reminder
- Parent Volunteer Survey - Reminder
- Medicaid Information - NEW
- School Meals and Free/Reduced Lunch Applications
- Emergency Care Information
- Activating your SIS ParentVue Account
- Parent Digital Consent System
- Cell Phones Off, Learning On - NEW
- Lightspeed Parent Reports - Reminder
- What is Schoology
- Stenwood is Hiring!
- Stenwood PTA
Sincerely,
Erica Riley, Principal
esriley@fcps.edu
Bryan Case, Assistant Principal
bgcase@fcps.edu
Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
The beginning of the school year is the best time to develop strong attendance habits! Students who attend school regularly are more likely to perform well in reading and math, develop strong social and emotional skills, and graduate from high school on time. Help prepare your child for future success. Visit FCPS’ Attendance webpage for tips and strategies. We want to see all of our Stingers in the Hive every day!
Hive Families Dates
These are the dates our families will be meeting this year. Meetings will be from 2:45 - 3:15 unless otherwise noted.
- September 13
- October 11
- November 26
- December 20
- January 17
- February 21
- March 28
- April 11
- May 23 **1:40 – 2:10
Kiss N’ Ride Reminders
Please remember that Kiss N’ Ride is offered as a courtesy to our parents, we ask that if you choose to use this, please follow these safety procedures (the first three have been the biggest issues so far this year):
- Approach the back circle of the school by turning onto Carnegie Drive from Cottage Street. Enter the back circle on Citadel Place by turning right from Carnegie. Exit the circle by turning right on Carnegie, then proceed to Bucknell Dr. and back to Cottage. This one-way pattern will help reduce traffic congestion, the map is below to help illustrate the pattern.
- Do not pass other cars that are loading or unloading.
- Be considerate to our neighbors who live in our Kiss N’ Ride area. When you are leaving the Kiss N’ Ride area, please remember that there are student pedestrians and the speed limit is 25 MPH.
- We have requested the FCPD to evaluate the need for a FCPD Crossing Guard at this intersection, however it was denied because it is our families creating the traffic and not external traffic. Please be cautious of our students as they cross.
- Pull forward as far as possible before loading or unloading and drivers should remain in their car.
- If your child is still in a car seat or child restraint, please practice with your child so they can begin to become independent in getting out of their seat.
- Load and unload from the passenger side of the car only.
- Do not park in the Kiss N’ Ride lane and leave your car unattended.
- Neighborhood parking is by permit only. Carnegie Drive is very narrow and difficult to maintain two lanes if cars are parked on both sides. If you have permit parking, please consider parking on Bucknell which is wider and walking.
- Exit the Kiss N’ Ride promptly after loading or unloading children.
- Look carefully for students who may be crossing the street.
- In the afternoon, do not park along Carnegie Drive and wait for your child. This adds to traffic congestion.
If you arrive to Kiss N’ Ride after 8:38, you will need to drive around to the front of the school, park, and sign your child in.
Parking Reminders
If you choose to park on Carnegie and walk up for arrival and/or dismissal, please know that the streets directly behind Stenwood are permit parking only. In addition, please be respectful of our neighbors. Please do not block driveways or crosswalks. During grade-level and schoolwide events, we do work with the Fairfax County Police Department to get permission for families to park in the neighborhood. When advertising events, we will communicate if the parking in the neighborhood has been coordinated. That exemption is not in place for arrival or dismissal.
Parent Volunteer Survey
If you are interested in volunteering throughout the year, please complete this survey. It includes opportunities to volunteer as a class parent, as well as in the library, cafeteria, and with the PTA.
Medicaid
Virginia's Medicaid and FAMIS programs (jointly called Cardinal Care) provide free, comprehensive health coverage to keep Virginia's families healthy and students learning. Children in a family of four with annual income up to $63,960 may qualify! See flier for more information.
School Meals and Free/ Reduced Lunch Applications
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Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast will be $1.75. Lunch will be $3.25, milk $0.60. Money can be added to your child(ren)’s accounts using www.myschoolbucks.com. You can also write a check to Stenwood Food Services and deliver it to our Food Services Manager at Open House. During the school year, you can find the menu for breakfast and lunch at https://linqconnect.com/public/menu/ESSF44 .
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Free and Reduced-Price Status
Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals will continue to receive these benefits through the end of September. A new application must be filled out each new school year and forms are available online now: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/food-and-nutrition-programs/free-and-reduced-price-meals. Applications are accepted at any time, but we encourage you to apply or renew your application before the end of September. Call (703) 813-4800 if you need help. This must be completed for eligible students to receive free meals.
Emergency Care Card Form
Emergency Care Card Forms are important in helping us contact you in case of an emergency. Parents can help by assuring that the school has the most up-to-date information.
Please update any information by using the ParentVue/Online Verification Update system. To read more about the OVU, visit the OVU page on the FCPS site. To access your ParentVue to update/verify, visit the ParentVue Login page.
Emergency Care updates are due the first day of school.
Activating Your SIS ParentVUE Account
The SIS (Student Information System) ParentVUE Account is an online tool parents can use to access information about their child’s attendance, report cards, discipline incidents, health information, and more. In ParentVUE, you can also view student progress reports/report cards and SOL scores.
Your secure SIS ParentVUE Account offers you the ability to use one username/password to login to both the SIS ParentVUE Account and Schoology.
Using the SIS ParentVUE account, parents will also be able to view school information, including teacher e-mail addresses, the FCPS calendar, and emergency contact information. Visit the FCPS website and use the search function and keywords “SIS Parent Overview” for more information.
Many of our Stenwood families have already activated your SIS ParentVUE account with the activation key. If you are unable to login to your account, you may need to reset your password on the SIS Parent Account login page (https://sisparent.fcps.edu):
- Select the “Forgot Password” button.
- Your username is the primary email address you have on file with us in our Student Information System.
- More information is available here.
Newly enrolled families should have received an activation key for your account. If you have not yet activated your account, please reach out to Michelle Burke (mpburke@fcps.edu) or Brian Spector (bmspector@fcps.edu).
Please take action now to ensure your account is active, so that you won’t miss a beat!
Parent Digital Consent System
New this year, families will use the Parent Digital Consent System to complete some forms that have used paper in the past. You will log in using your ParentVUE Account credentials, There, you will be able complete the Digital Resources Consent form for the school year, which is required for all students. You will also be able to find more information about opt-out forms and complete those forms for your student if you wish.
Cell Phones Off, Learning On
Thank you for helping to support the FCPS cell phone policy by waiting to call or text your child about non-urgent matters until the school day is over. This includes communicating with your child on wearable technology like a smart watch. In case of an emergency, it is always best to contact the school’s front office to reach your child during class time.
Visit the FCPS Cell Phone Policy webpage to read more about usage policies by grade level and to share your feedback on the current cell phone policy.
Lightspeed Parent Report on Child’s FCPS 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 their 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.
What Is Schoology?
Teachers can use Schoology to post their classroom materials online; to provide a safe forum for students to discuss their ideas and collaborate on projects; and to assign and collect homework electronically. |
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Parent Accounts
A Schoology Parent Account gives you access to:
- Your child’s upcoming assignments (note: Parents can not see FCPS Google Workspace items using their parent account)
- School, class, and group announcements.
Parent accounts will be available in mid-August. To access Schoology, parents will need to have an active SIS/ParentVUE account.
More information on how to login and use Schoology is available online.
Stenwood is Hiring!
We are looking to hire Classroom Monitors and Substitutes! If you are interested in any of these positions, please reach out if you have any questions or if you want more information. Here is a link to FCPS’ application portal.
Classroom Monitors: Monitors will work every day students attend throughout the 2024-25 school year, and will directly support classrooms by providing additional supervision to students during lunch or in the classroom. The pay is $17.88/hour. Teachers will provide directions/assignments for monitors and students to complete. Please apply here and email me at esriley@fcps.edu so we can schedule a time to talk more. Please share this opportunity with others who might be interested.
Stenwood Elementary PTA
We hope you join our amazing PTA! If you are interested in volunteering to be a class parent, volunteering in our cafeteria or library, OR just looking to stay connected with the great work of our PTA, you can fill out a survey that will be sent out once class placements have been communicated.
More information about the PTA is available on their website.
Principal Riley's Hive Family!
Stay Connected
Here are a few ways to stay connected with all the happenings at Stenwood ES
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Facebook
facebook.com/StenwoodElementary
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Instagram
@stenwoodelementary
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Website
stenwoodes.fcps.edu
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PTA Facebook
facebook.com/StenwoodElementaryPTA
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