Dear Island Creek Families,
Monday is our first 3-Hour Early Release at 12:20. Normal dismissal procedures will occur at 12:20 and again at 3:20 for those students staying after. Lunch and instructional schedules will be adjusted for that day. Students requiring after school supervision should bring a snack and will be monitored by staff and participate in a schedule of events including tech time, recess, specials classes, and independent reading.
Our Crocs are excitedly preparing for next week's 3rd Annual Croc Rock-N-Run on Friday, September 20! We invite families to register here to join your Croc where you will also find the day's schedule. Thank you to our amazing and supportive Island Creek PTA for purchasing t-shirts for every Croc student and staff member (will be distributed the day of the race). Next week we will also have our first Spirit Week!
On Tuesday at 7pm, the Island Creek PTA will hold the first PTA Meeting of the year in the Library. All our welcome!
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Your Proud Administration Team,
Jen Fallert, Principal
Karen Baxter, Assistant Principal
Denise Cash-Pinckney, Assistant Principal
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 The Croc Rock-N-Run fundraiser kicked off on Friday, September 6, and it's already a hit! So far, 189 enthusiastic students have jumped in to help us reach our fundraising goals. But with over 600 students at Island Creek, we need your help to keep the excitement alive and get even more kids registered. Let's aim to have at least 75% of our students on board!
We've already raised an impressive $13,353, which is 24% of our school-wide goal! Thanks to your efforts, students have earned popsicles at the Croc Rock-N-Run on Friday, September 20. But the fun doesn’t stop there! If we hit $15,000, we'll celebrate with a school-wide Pajama Day where students can bring their favorite stuffed animal for a cozy day of learning.
We've teamed up with the ICES PTA to ensure every dollar you raise makes our school an even better place. Your contributions will help beautify our campus with a new mural, blacktop art, and more. Plus, we'll upgrade the news studio equipment and purchase exciting new STEM curriculum items for everyone to enjoy.
Our goal is simple: if each student raises just $35, we'll be well on our way. And if everyone can pitch in $75, we'll smash our final goal! Every bit helps, whether you can give a little or a lot. The more we raise, the more we can give back to our excellent Island Creek teachers, staff, and students!
Parents, you’re invited to join the fun too! Come cheer on your kiddos with homemade signs, cheer pom poms, or anything else to make this event unforgettable—just no noise makers, please! Pre-registration is required, so sign up to be part of the action. You can also volunteer to help with parent check-in, water stations, set-up, break-down, or course support. Ask your student to share their classroom goals and what they are most excited about!
Let’s spread the word! Share this fundraiser and your child’s donation page link with family and friends. Fundraising is open through September 22, so there’s still plenty of time to make a significant impact.
Got questions? Reach out to the ICES PTA. Let's make this the best Croc Rock-N-Run yet
Advanced Academics News
New to County Full-Time Referrals
Are you new to FCPS? Are you interested in referring your child in grades 3-8 for Full-Time Advanced Academics services? Full-Time referrals for the fall screening cycle are due Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Full-Time referrals for all other students are due no later than Sunday, December 15, 2024. Please visit the FCPS AAP site for helpful information regarding the continuum of services and the referral process. For more information about all of the AAP services we offer, please visit your child’s Schoology course and look in the Advanced Academics Folder for the AAP Fall Newsletter. Use your ParentVUE login credentials to access Schoology. If you have any questions, please contact our Advanced Academics Resource Teacher (AART), Emily Mextorf, at eamextrorf@fcps.edu.
Elementary Parent/Guardian Information Meeting
A parent information meeting focusing on the AAP levels of service and the Full-Time referral process will be held virtually on Wednesday, October 9 at 9:00 in the Cafeteria. Our AART, Ms. Emily Mextorf, and Assistant Principal, Ms. Cash-Pinckney, will provide information about levels of service and answer questions about the advanced academic continuum of services and the Full-Time screening process. You can access the virtual meeting on September 30th by clicking this link. This meeting slides will be shared with families for those unable to attend. If you have any questions, please contact our AART, Emily Mextorf, at eamextrorf@fcps.edu.
We’re thrilled to welcome Mr. Korrow to our art department! Mr. Korrow will be at Island Creek Monday through Thursday and has been getting to know our “creative crocs.” He and Mrs. Rozycki have been establishing art room routines and emphasizing safety. Students in grades 1-6 have created custom nametags, learning bubble and block letters and various techniques like fades and patterns. Our kindergartners are also excited to dive into art, coloring human shapes to express their unique qualities.
We’re also introducing the Square 1 Art fundraiser at Island Creek this year. This program allows families to purchase items featuring their child’s artwork, such as coffee mugs, towels, and stickers. Projects are already underway in each grade, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit our art department, helping us buy new supplies and support events like a possible “Glow Show” art gallery. We aim to have items delivered before the holidays, though we can’t guarantee exact dates. More details will be sent home soo
 As we get deeper into our curriculum, a gentle reminder to please ask your child(ren) to not wear their best clothing on art class days. All classes will eventually paint and work with clay so, it’s best to be prepared.
***Art room help needed*** There is always excitement buzzing around the art rooms and we could really use your help with preparation of class supplies, the hanging up and taking down of artwork and occasionally mounting artwork. If you are interested, please reach out as soon as possible to: Mrs. Allison Rozycki – amrozycki@fcps.edu
Please ask your child to talk about what they are creating during their art time or if there is famous artwork that they have seen in class that has inspired them. We also love to hear about special adventures our students have outside of school to museums and other places they have seen interesting art. Making connections are important and help stir that inner creativity!
3rd Graders from Ms. Adkin’s class creating “cupcakes” for their special Square 1 art and name tags created in Mr. Korrow’s classes.
📵 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 571-642-6300.
Grades K-6
- Phones must be silenced and in backpacks for the duration of the school day. Cell phones may be used on campus before and after school only.
- Smart watches that serve a dual purpose may be worn, but the phone features (texting, Internet viewing, and calls) are to be off when phone use is prohibited.
- Students are prohibited from using phones, tablets, and other mobile devices in restrooms and locker rooms, unless there is a medical necessity or emergency.
- With the approval of the principal or their designee, teachers may allow usage of cell phones for instructional activities where they are the most appropriate tool; however, one-to-one FCPS devices should meet most needs.
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 will be included in your child’s back-to-school/orientation packets and are available online for Elementary (K-6), Middle School (7-8), and High School (9-12). Please fill in the opt-out form and return it to your child’s school prior to Family Life Education instruction.
Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Elementary (K-6) , Middle School (7-8) , and High School (9-12). 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 by contacting Ms. Karen Baxter (kpbaxter@fcps.edu), Assistant Principal, or Instructional Services at 571-423-4550 or fle@fcps.edu.
Whether students miss school because of illness or any other reason, missing school leads to learning loss.
Help your child succeed by encouraging them to attend as many days as possible, but do make sure your child stays home if they are sick. Visit FCPS’ website for information on when to keep your child at home.
If your child has a chronic illness, make sure to notify their teacher so that support can be provided if needed. Also, keep an open line of communication with your school's public health staff.
Read about how families can help form good attendance habits. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!
It's important to set limits, but sometimes when we try to set them, our kids don't follow them or it takes a tremendous amount of energy to enforce them.
In this webinar, you'll learn:
- How to set effective limits to reduce the likelihood of resistance
- How to deal with dramatic reactions that do occur -- in a way that boosts your influence and your child's resilience
Join Rachel Bailey, parenting expert and coach for this important webinar.
September 20, 2024, 10-11:30 a.m.
Register online
❤️Monday, September 16: 3-Hour early release for school-age students (please complete this form)
❤️Monday, September 16-Friday, September 20 (Croc Rock-N-Run Spirit Week)
- Monday, 9/16: Team Jersey Day!
- Tuesday, 9/17: Workout Clothes!
- Wednesday, 9/18: Brightest Colors!
- Thursday, 9/19: Dance to School!
- Friday, 9/20: Croc Rock-N-Run!
❤️Tuesday, September 17: PTA Meeting (7:00, Library)
❤️Friday, September 20: 3rd Annual Croc Rock-n-Run
❤️Thursday, October 3: Rosh Hashanah (No school for students and staff)
❤️Friday, October 4: Teacher Workday (No school for students)
❤️Wednesday, October 9: Advanced Academics Family Information Session (9:00-10:00; in-person or virtual link; slides will be shared)
❤️Thursday, October 17: SEL Fair for Families (5-6:30)
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