Administration Notes
Dear Parents,
We had a busy week at school. Students are truly settling in and getting used to the structures and routines.
Please note that the first Three Hour Early Release is upcoming on 9/23. We have reached out to all families and will continue to contact families who have NOT responded. Look for personal emails or we will be contacting the enrolling parent directly by phone. We must have information on dismissal for every child. It is for your child's safety. If you have questions, feel free to contact the office with updated information by emailing Sonia Shi or by calling.
The dates for the Three Hour Early Release are as follows: 9/23, 10/28, 12/9 (change from 11/25), 2/24, 3/17, 4/28 and 5/19. Note the change in the November 25th date - it is now December 9th.
Please do note that immunization records must be up to date for all children and we do require evidence of the records by 9/30. Without these records, students will NOT be able to attend school. See the blurb below for additional information.
Thanks as always for your support!
Warmly,
Holly McGuigan Tia Hawkins Sarah Talley
Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal
Plan Forward - Dates to Mark on Your Calendar
September 11: Advanced Academic Program Overview meeting with Ms. Bulford, our Adv Academic Resource Teacher. Learn about the AAP continuum. 9 a.m. Cafeteria
September 18: Advanced Academic Program meeting with Ms. Bulford - come learn about the referral process to support your child. 9 a.m. Cafeteria
September 23: Three Hour Early Release - Emails remitted to enrolling parents who have not responded or were undecided on dismissal.
September 26: Author Visit Joanna Ho for Kinder - Third Grade
September 27: First PTA Meeting 9 a.m. Cafeteria
September 27: Wear Red, White and Blue Day! Blue Star Welcome!!
September 30: All Students Immunization Records Up to Date and Submitted to School ~ Required for School Attendance
2024-25 FCPS School Calendar
Immunization Updates - 9/30 Deadline
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 to Annie Joseph. Please contact Ms. Joseph with questions.
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.
Positivity Project - Our Character Strength of the Week
Kent Gardens will focus on the character strength of Open-Mindedness. This means being willing to consider new ideas and try new things. It involves looking at situations from all sides and not jumping to conclusions.
Open-mindedness is about seeking out and fairly weighing evidence, even if it goes against our own opinions or goals. Open-minded people listen to different viewpoints, including those that are less popular. They are often good listeners and provide balanced advice, which makes them great friends and confidants. This strength helps individuals form meaningful and lasting relationships.
To practice and encourage the character strength of open-mindedness at home, please visit the Positivity Project’s mobile-friendly P2 for Families. There, you will watch a video clip together and discuss a quote and three questions related to open-mindedness.
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Author Visit - Joanna Ho!!
 We are SO excited to welcome author Joanna Ho to KGES on 9/26 for students in grades K-3! Students can order books for Ms. Ho to personalize. Child’s Play is discounting the books by 20% and she will personalize them when she is here. Orders MUST BE RECEIVED by MONDAY, September 16! Use this order form and return to Mrs. Hershey in the library!
A Note from our Parent Liaison - Shelley Lowinger
Our school year is off to a fabulous start. Our classrooms are full of happy and enthusiastic children. Throughout the school year, I will be sharing with you some important resources for your family. I hope you will find this information helpful.
We hope you will explore all the resources available to you at FCPS and the many ways you can stay involved and connected. We encourage you to review this website for parents and caregivers to learn more about the different services and communications offered at FCPS. I hope you enjoy this terrific resource for enriching your child’s educational journey. The Family Academy is another useful tool which offers classes, webinars, workshops and programs to help support your child’s needs and learning at home.
I am looking forward to celebrating a year full of growth, curiosity and exploration together. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or need further assistance. You can reach me via email at rlowinger@fcps.edu.
Blue Star Welcome Week! 9/23 - 9/27
Blue Star Welcome Week is an opportunity for our community to welcome our military-connected families and show them our appreciation for their service and sacrifices. Please help us welcome our military families during Blue Star Welcome Week, September 23 - September 27, 2024, and throughout the year!
Kent Gardens will celebrate by wearing red, white and blue on September 27th! We will also share notecards for all of our military families on Friday 9/27. We look forward to your support!
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Volunteers Needed - Library
The Kent Gardens Library is a magical place where students' imaginations bring whole new worlds to life, but it's hard to guide young minds to new (and old!) books without the help of adult volunteers who help shelve returned books and keep the library in tip-top (and alphabetical) order! You don't need to be a Ph.D to volunteer, just knowing your ABCs and 123s and 800.002s will make you a literary rockstar at KGES! Interested in volunteering? Email Ms. Nabaki!
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PTA Highlights
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Join the PTA for SY 24-25
PTA membership for the school year costs $20 and is about more than monthly meetings and the odd event here and there. The PTA supports schools and that means staff, teachers, students and their families in ways that go beyond what any one group would be capable of on their own. Make joining the PTA at Kent Gardens a priority. We can't be the PTA we are without parents and other caring adults like YOU!
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Our Next PTA Meeting: Friday 9/27 @9am
At our FIRST PTA meeting of the year, we approved the new board, accepted the PTA summer audit, and heard from Principal McGuigan about a need to think creatively about funding the yearbook!
Our Board for the 24-24 School Year is:
President – Jenny Gregory President Elect – open Treasurer – Hilary Mossberg Financial Secretary – Cozie Sawyer Secretary – Bethany Nguyen VP Communications – Adrienne Denk VP Enrichment – Kelly Pidgeon VP Special Programs/Room Parent Coordinator – Rebecca Neumann VP Events & Fundraising – open Past President – Andrea Hager
We currently have open positions! Do you feel called to take a leadership role? Consider serving as:
President Elect VP of Events
Contact Jenny Gregory, PTA President for more information!
We look forward to seeing you at the PTA meeting on Friday 9/27 at 9am!
After School Academies - Sign Up Opens 9/10!
 Your KGES PTA is so excited to offer the Afterschool Academies for the Fall 2024! Registration opens Tuesday 9/10 at 9am and will close through Tuesday 9/17 at 1159pm, but don't wait around! Popular classes will fill up fast!
This fall, we're thrilled to see classes with Ms. Altman, Mr. Avery, Mr. Biggs, Mr. Blake, Ms. Deemer, Ms. Elpant, Ms. Klader, Ms. Fernandez and Ms. Nabaki. Our teachers are AMAZING so register early to avoid being waitlisted!
Update Regarding After School Academies
Kent Gardens PTA prides itself on making the safety and well-being of our students our number one priority. For several years, we have partnered with Baroody Camps to provide after-school enrichment opportunities for our students.
However, as you may have seen in the news, or learned about from the district-wide email, an employee of an outside organization that partners with Baroody was arrested for the unauthorized filming of students at two Fairfax County schools. While Kent Gardens was not one of those schools, and this suspect has never been involved in any program at Kent Gardens, this unfortunate event has highlighted the need for reviewing our safety protocols.
In response to this incident, our PTA, in collaboration with Baroody, is taking immediate steps to reinforce safety measures:
DESIGNATED ADULT-ONLY RESTROOMS: All adult after school providers will be instructed by Baroody to use the teachers’ lounge restroom while on campus.
BUDDY SYSTEM REMINDER: Providers will be reminded of the current mandatory buddy system that is in place for all students attending after-school enrichment programs who need to use the restroom.
ON-SITE COORDINATOR: Kent Gardens PTA ensures that Baroody places an on-site coordinator on campus during after-school enrichment programs, enhancing campus safety. The on-site coordinator checks attendance rosters, waits with students during late pickup, and is responsible for reporting to Baroody any behavior or other incidents that arise during after-school enrichment.
As always, we encourage you to remain vigilant and report any concerns or suspicious behavior immediately to the after-school enrichment on-site coordinator. You and your student(s) can identify the on-site coordinator by the orange Baroody lanyard the on-site coordinator will be wearing while on-site.
Baroody is also ensuring they are in compliance with FCPS practices and is committed to keeping communication channels open to address any issues or questions you may have. You can read the full statement from Baroody here.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation as we work together to ensure a safe and secure environment for all Kent Gardens students to enjoy after-school enrichment activities this school year. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the PTA.
Sincerely,
Kent Gardens PTA Board
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad will be gearing up for another successful year with Mr. Shivnen! Grades 3-4 and 5-6th will compete against other schools in Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO). Sign up quickly as Parent Meetings will start soon! Fifth and sixth grades meeting will be held on Friday, Sept 13th at 8am, Room 116. Consider signing up to be a Parent Science Olympiad Chair! If interested, email Mr. Shivnen.
Register for Grades 3-4 ($100)
Register for Grades 5-6 ($150)
Math Counts Sign Up
3rd Grade: Math Club will include 3rd graders again this year! This is an investment in our future MC2 teams. The 3rd grade MC2 will meet once a week at Kent Gardens 7:45 – 8:35 AM. Students will attend one of two sessions on Wednesday or Thursday. The program will run from September 18th through April 10th. Instruction will be provided by long-time MC2 coach Jeff Shivnen. 3rd grade Math Club will use Virginia Math League and MATH COUNTS Competition level resources. Students who are interested in extending their math appreciation are invited to sign up. Cost: $295 for the year. Register your 3rd grader for Math Competition Club!
4th-6th Grade: Calling all Mathletes! Does your student have a strong interest in math? Math Competition Club may be for you! This is for 4th-6th Graders who are eager to learn advanced math concepts and apply them to compete against other schools and students. Classes will begin in September and the program wraps up in March (exact dates will be sent out). We will have a hybrid program, with one class in person from 4-5pm, and the second class online from 445-545pm. Intermediate Class will be held on Monday/Wednesday and Advanced Class will be held on Tuesday/Thursday. See our website for more information! Program price is $850 for the year. Register 4th-6th graders for MC2!
Register for Chess Club
Want to have fun and learn new strategic skills? Join Chess Club! Any Kent Gardens student in 2nd through 6th grade may sign up. Chess Club will meet on Wednesdays from 3:45pm to 5:15pm in the cafeteria at Kent Gardens Elementary. The Fall session will start in September and continue through January, exact dates will be announced soon. $185 for the session. The club will run Sept 18th through January 22nd. Deadline to register is Friday Sept 13th, or until full.
Register for Chess Club!
Girls On The Run! Looking for Coaches!
Registration for Girls on the Run is now open through Sept. 17 at gotrnova.org. We only have enough coaches to field one team and could use at least one more adult coach who can volunteer either M/W or Tu/Th between 3:45-5 p.m. The kids of parent volunteers are guaranteed a spot in the program and coaches' kids get a registration discount. Please contact Danielle Newman if you're interested in volunteering.
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