From the School Administration
Dear Belvedere Family:
We had a wonderful week at Belvedere, and our teachers and students are settling into the new school year. They have been busy building classroom communities, establishing routines, and diving into their first IB PYP Units of Inquiry. It's been exciting to see the learning and engagement in every classroom!
We are looking forward to welcoming you to Back to School Night on Thursday September 19th, from 6 to 8 PM. This event is for parents and caregivers to visit classrooms and learn more about our IB PYP program. While the evening is designed for adults, we understand if your child needs to attend with you. In that case, there will be a quiet activity for them to work on in the back of the classroom.
We also want to thank our amazing PTA for helping kick off the year on a high note! We had a fantastic turnout at our first PTA meeting on Wednesday and are looking forward to even more participation at the next meeting on October 2nd.
Lastly, mark your calendars for a fun evening with our PTA's Family Movie Night on Thursday, September 12th. We'll be watching Inside Out, and we hope to see you there!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead.
Sincerely,
Cecilia Vanderhye, Principal
Tara Boone, Assistant Principal
Kelly Cabezas, Assistant Principal
Calendar Reminder: Early-Release Mondays
The first 3 hour early-release Monday is on September 16th. Students will be dismissed at 1:05 pm. If you require childcare past 1:05 pm and have not completed the Childcare Needs form, please reach out to our office as soon as possible so that we can accommodate your needs.
Please note, early childhood programs (PAC, ECCB, PreK, ECIP) will not be participating in early release Mondays - and will have their normal schedule.
Save the Date! Back to School Night!
Belvedere will be hosting our annual Back to School Night on Thursday, September 19th from 6-8 pm.
Come and see your child's classroom, meet their teachers, and learn more about the IB PYP program.
Information shared at Back to School Night is for parents and caregivers. If your child needs to attend, they will be provided a quiet activity in the back of the classroom.
Movie Night: Inside Out, Sept. 12
The first PTA Movie Night of the year will be held from 6-7:45 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12. We will be featuring the 2015 Disney film “Inside Out.” (PG). Run-time 1 hour, 35 mins. “After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.” The event (including popcorn!) is FREE and light concessions, including candy and chips, will be sold. You are welcome to bring dinner to enjoy during the movie. Location: BES cafeteria. We need a few volunteers to help with this event. Email bespta.va@gmail.com if you can help make popcorn or sell snacks that will benefit future PTA activities.
Picture Day
Fall Picture Day is here! It will be next Friday, September 13th. Students should have order forms available in their Friday folders. Physical forms and form of payment will go directly to the photographers on Picture Day.
Late Day Learners
The new session of Late Day Learners is coming up! Please see which clubs are available and register your student at https://www.belvederepta.org/clubs. Registration will open THIS FRIDAY (September 6th) and close on Friday, September 19th. The first session will start on September 24th so get your registration in early!
Mural Party
Please join us on the evening of September 17th from 6-7 pm for our Mural Party. Meet the artists who created our mural while you enjoy a snack from the food truck.
Family Life Education Instructional Program Information
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.
Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms are available in Parent Digital Consent. Paper opt-out forms are available from your child’s school. Students receiving special education services and accessing modified curriculum will receive a printed opt-out form for modified FLE lessons.
Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Elementary (K-6). FLE grade level-specific lessons and media that FCPS has streaming rights for are available for parents online in Schoology. Parents/guardians login to Schoology using the same username and password as their Student Information System (SIS) Parent account. Grade level-specific lessons are also available at the City of Fairfax Regional Library (this location does not have media). Grade level-specific lessons and media that is not streamed online are available for review at your child’s school library. Due to copyright permissions, we are unable to stream all media online.
Program questions may be addressed at your child’s school or by contacting Instructional Services at 571-423-4550 or by email to fle@fcps.edu.
From the Advanced Academics Resource Teacher
Belvedere will host an Advanced Academics Information Session on Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 6:00 PM. Please join us to learn about the continuum of services available through the Advanced Academics Program. Information is also found in the FCPS AAP Fall Newsletter attached.
September 11 National Day of Service
With the upcoming 23rd anniversary of September 11, FCPS acknowledges the loss of life, the heroism of our first responders, and the resilience of our country. The September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, also called Patriot Day, is a chance to reflect and act in service to others to honor those who were injured or killed in the terrorist attacks.
All FCPS students are encouraged to participate in service learning as it supports Portrait of a Graduate (POG) attributes and social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. Middle and high school students can learn more about service learning by logging into their Naviance account to access x2VOL.
Science Olympiad
Attention BES 3rd-5th Grade Families! The Science Olympiad team will meet once a week, beginning September 12th.
The club will engage in research and experiments using a variety of materials in preparation for the Science Olympiad Competition. Bus transportation home will be provided.
Science Olympiad Competition will take place on one of the following Saturdays - October 26, November 2, November 9, OR November 16
If interested, please complete the attached form and return it to your child's teacher.
Health Flyer For Parents
When students miss too many days of school, they fall behind and struggle to keep up with their classmates. Whatever the reason for the absence, the result for the student is the same — learning time is lost. Children and adolescents will get sick at times and may need to stay at home, but we want to work with you to help minimize the number of days your student misses school.
Read this flyer for more details.
FCPS CARES Program
The FCPS CARES Program allows parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees who go above and beyond to help others and show they care about their students, colleagues, and the community. We invite you to submit a story below to acknowledge the great work of an FCPS employee or group of employees who should receive FCPS CARES recognition.
Please take note of the following before submitting an FCPS CARES:
- A notification email, with the submission text included, will be sent to the recipient(s) and copied to the recipient's supervisor(s).
- All submissions will be posted to our FCPS CARES webpage and shared via other FCPS news outlets.
- Submissions containing personal or sensitive information may be edited to protect individuals' privacy.
- Feel free to compose your submission using a text editor such as Microsoft Word, and then paste it into the text box provided.
For questions, please email employeeawards@fcps.edu.
Read more and Submit an FCPS CARES today!
2024 Student Rights and Responsibilities
FCPS’ Student Rights and Responsibilities document (SR&R) explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment. Read Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid’s letter to families regarding the SR&R.
Parents/caregivers should talk to their child(ren) about expectations for this school year. Also, please log in to SIS ParentVUE and sign to acknowledge your review of the SR&R, or sign and return the signature sheet to your child’s school by Monday, September 30.
You can submit questions online regarding the SR&R.
Everything You Can Do Through SIS ParentVUE
Want to easily access back-to-school forms and checklists? Log in to your SIS ParentVUE account to find forms and make updates.
Update Contact Information
Be among the first to know about weather closings, bus delays, and other critical communications from your school and FCPS by providing your cell phone number and email in SIS ParentVUE. To update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, click the “Online Packets” tab in the upper right of the screen, then click the “Online Verification/Update” icon.
Parents/caregivers who do not have a SIS ParentVUE account should print and complete the Emergency Care Information Form (PDF) and submit it to their child’s school.
Complete Permission Forms
Families can now easily give permission for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. This online tool can be accessed using your SIS ParentVUE account. Parents can easily opt their child in or out of resources including online educational tools, school counseling services, and tutoring services. They can also change how student information is managed.
Visit the Parent Digital Consent webpage to access the system. Watch this video to see how to use the tool.
Submit Absences
Parents can submit daylong absences through SIS ParentVUE. Log in and click “Report Absence.” Note: Partial day absences and changes of transportation should still be reported directly to the school front office.
Don’t Have a SIS ParentVUE Account Yet?Contact your school for an activation code and follow the directions on the SIS ParentVUE Account webpage.
🎤 Community Conversations with Superintendent Dr. Reid
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid invites you to share your questions or concerns regarding Fairfax County Public Schools. Your voice matters! Community Conversations will be held this Fall 6:30-7:30 p.m. on:
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Monday, September 9, at Holmes Middle School
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Monday, September 23, at Newington Forest Elementary
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Monday, September 30, at Mount Vernon Woods Elementary
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Monday, October 14, at Fairhill Elementary
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Monday, October 21, at Virginia Run Elementary
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Wednesday, October 30, at Herndon Middle
Click the date above to register. Registration is not required but helps with planning. Additional registration links will be shared in next week’s This Week at FCPS. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided. Events are open to all. Find out about other opportunities to connect with Dr. Reid.
Updated Laptop Policy for Students in Grades 3-5: Taking Laptops Home
Based on feedback from last year, we are adjusting our device policy for students in Grades 3-5. Moving forward, families will have the option to opt-in for their child to bring home a school-issued laptop.
Key Points:
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Opt-In Process: If your child needs to bring their laptop home regularly, please complete this opt-in form or let your child's teacher know that you'd like for them to bring their school-issued device home on a daily basis.
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Default Option: If you do not opt-in, your child’s laptop will stay at school unless a specific assignment requires it to be taken home. The teacher will give families notification when laptops are being sent home with your child.
This change aims to protect our devices while ensuring that all students have equitable access to the technology they need. We will also provide MiFi devices for families who need internet access at home. Please reach out to Mr. Downing (kwdowning@fcps.edu) or your child's teacher if you have any questions.
🔍 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.
🍎 Make Every Day Count! The Importance of Attendance
As you plan upcoming trips and other family events, please remember the importance of sending your child to school every day. Review the FCPS School Year Calendar and try to plan any time away during breaks from school.
Children who show up for school regularly develop fundamental reading and math skills while building a habit of good attendance that will carry them into college and careers. Research shows that children who were chronically absent (missing 18 days or more) in kindergarten and first grade were far less likely to read proficiently at the end of third grade.
Learn how families can help form good attendance habits.
✨ The 2023-30 Strategic Plan — Goal 1: Strong Start, Pre-K-12
The 2023-30 strategic plan sets five main goals to create positive change in FCPS. These goals show where we should focus our attention and will help us align our efforts.
Each goal has an equity commitment — the promise we make to every student to support them in attaining these goals. Each goal also has several measures that allow us to track our progress.
The first goal in the strategic plan focuses on each and every student having a strong start in FCPS. Whether they're joining us in preschool or in high school, we want our students to be set up for success.See how Goal 1 is being put into practice.
🩹 Immunization Requirements
Please check with your health care provider as soon as possible to make sure your child is up to date on the immunizations required by the state of Virginia. Starting Monday, September 30, students who have not provided proof of immunization will not be allowed to attend school.
You may check your child’s immunization compliance and submit their immunization record in SIS ParentVUE. Records may also be delivered to your school’s front office.
Alternative immunization documents (below) may also be provided to your school’s front office, but they may not be uploaded in ParentVUE:
- A health care provider’s written statement specifying all administered immunizations.
- A health care provider’s written statement of a permanent or temporary medical exemption.
- A notarized Religious Exemption form objecting to the administration of immunizations due to conflicts with their religious tenets or practices.
Find more information on immunizations.
Belvedere is on Instagram
Welcome back, Belvedere families! 🎉 New school year, new Instagram account! 📸 We’re thrilled to share all the incredible moments ahead. Stay tuned and follow along!
https://www.instagram.com/belvedereelem/
Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FRM)
Learn more about the criteria and process to apply for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch.
Food and Nutrition Services Career Opportunities
FCPS Food and Nutrition Services is hiring. Please learn more about opportunities by clicking here.
Support PTA’s work: Become a Member
Our PTA supports Belvedere in many ways, including organizing major school events, enrichment and outreach activities; offering teacher grants and providing funding for field trips, library books and technology in the classroom. The PTA works to build a strong school community outside the classroom through fun events like teacher appreciation events, international night, read-a-thon and much more.
To become a member or make a direct donation, please go to https://www.belvederepta.org/membership and choose your membership type (Staff $5 or Parent $10) and/or Direct Donation to make a one-time or recurring donation.
Visit belvederepta.org for more information about our PTA or to make a donation.
Questions or concerns? Email bespta.va@gmail.com.
Have a few hours to share? PTA has volunteer needs
The PTA has volunteer needs around events and activities such as the upcoming movie night, teacher appreciation events, 5th grade promotion, the Election Day bake + wrapping paper sale, Bingo nights, VIP & me, International Night and more. Some require a few hours a week as a year-round coordinator and some just a few hours for a single event.
Please contact the PTA at bespta.va@gmail.com if you are interested in any of these opportunities and we will share details.
Upcoming Dates
- Thursday, September 12 - Movie Night
- Friday, September 13 - Picture Day
- Monday, September 17th - Mural Party
- Thursday, September 19 - Back to School Night (6-8 pm)
Keep in Touch
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