Three Hour Early Release
Please note that the first Three Hour Early Release is tomorrow 9/23 at 12:35 p.m. Please DO talk with your child regarding their dismissal plans to ensure that we are all on the same page. At this time, SACC, Redeemer, and Brooksfield are the after school vendors that are unable to support the early release. All other vendors (Karate, Tea Center, ELA, Old Firehouse, Westgate) are able to support and students will be released as usual at the early dismissal time of 12:35 p.m.
We will provide childcare/supervision for those students that need to remain at school. All students who are planning on staying on campus until the regular 3:35 p.m. dismissal will begin with a snack - please ensure your child(ren) have a snack.
The majority of our students will release at 12:35 p.m. The dismissal will mirror our current dismissal if you are planning on picking up your child. All students will have a lunch period but it will begin earlier in the morning. Our 3:35 p.m. dismissal will also mirror the earlier dismissal but will be much smaller and it is likely that some buses will be combined.
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. We will use the current spreadsheet from 9/23 and parents should notify us with changes for 10/28.
A Peak Inside the Classrooms!
Administration Notes
Dear Parents,
This week was busy - we had a successful practice lockdown as well as an afternoon fire drill.
We are prepared for our first 3 hour early release. Please DO talk to your child about their dismissal plans. Also, IF your child is staying until 3:35 p.m., please ensure that they have a snack - our lunches start early in the morning due to the 12:35 pm. release. Note that the playground will be closed from 12:35 - 3:45 p.m. as we will be providing outside time for the students who remain in our supervision/care. Thanks in advance for your support!
We are thrilled to host 4 French student interns in November of this school year. We are looking for 4 host families for these students for the month of November. The students may not be fully fluent and will need transportation to/from school for the month of November. If interested, please complete this google form which includes additional information.
Note that Friday, September 27, we are supporting Blue Star Welcome Week - it is a spirit day - wear Red, White and Blue!
Thanks as always for your support!
Warmly,
Holly McGuigan Tia Hawkins Sarah Talley
Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal
Music and PE ~ Fun Times!
Plan Forward - Dates to Mark on Your Calendar
September 23: Three Hour Early Release
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
October 4: Teacher Planning Day - Student Holiday
October 11: Student Picture Day! Pre-order Online Images will be available two-three weeks after picture day. Questions email underclass@vosphoto.com
October 30: Fall Class Celebration - Coordinated by Homeroom teachers
2024-25 FCPS School Calendar
Spirit Day - 9/27 - Wear Red, White and Blue!
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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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. Find more information on immunizations.
Our Character Strength of the Week - Perspective
Next week, our school will focus on the character strength of Perspective. This means understanding and appreciating different points of view. Perspective, often seen as wisdom, goes beyond intelligence. People with this strength are valued for their advice because they see the big picture and understand complex issues.
Those with perspective can get to the heart of difficult matters and bring clarity. They are honest, ethical, and good at seeing what truly matters. This helps them stay calm and learn from mistakes. By reflecting on their own feelings and thoughts, they can empathize with others and offer strong listening and questioning skills. They help their groups navigate challenges and find opportunities for success.
To practice and encourage the character strength of perspective at home, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families. There, you can watch a video, read a quote, and discuss three questions together.
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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!
Introducing Family Buddy Program
Are you a new family that just moved to the Kent Gardens Elementary School? Are you new to KGES and seeking to connect with others in our school community? Do you have questions about school or would like to meet other KGES families? Or, are you a current Kent Gardens family and are interested in hosting a new family in town? Good news! We have just the program for you! form
To welcome new families to our school and help them get acclimated more quickly, we are thrilled to announce our new Family Buddy Program. This program partners new families with returning families to be a useful resource with school information and a new connection to the community. Our Family Buddy Program is an effort to build community and help welcome new families to Kent Gardens. It matches existing school families with new families to ensure a smooth transition to school.
Who can be a Buddy Family? A Buddy Family is any KGES family enrolled in the 2024-2025 school year and willing to be a resource for questions that a new family may have throughout the school year.
If you are a new family and interested in participating in our Family Buddy Program or are a returning family wanting to help, please complete this form by September 27th and we will partner families by early October. Please note: by participating in this program, you are giving permission to share your contact information with the new or returning Buddy Family. Depending on participation, effort will be made to match families up with same grade level or age of KGES students. Questions about our Family Buddy Program? Contact Shelley Lowinger, our Family Liaison at rlowinger@fcps.edu.
Equity Team in Action #kgpride #WeAllBelong
Social-Emotional Learning Screener
FCPS is committed to supporting the mental wellness of all students. The Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener helps our students share their perspectives on how their schools and communities support them and help them develop the skills they need to succeed.
The screener is offered to all students in grades 3 through 12 in the fall and spring. It addresses skills such as achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions. Students also share how successful their school and community are at making them feel valued, included, and supported. Screener data is used to plan programming for the division, schools, and individual students.
After each screening, results will be available in the Documents tab of SIS ParentVUE and mailed to families who don’t have a ParentVUE account. For more information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage.
Families who wish to opt their child out may do so by completing the opt-out form in the Annual Notice packet or SIS ParentVUE. For more information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage or contact our front office.
Please note that the SEL Screener is not the same as the anonymous Fairfax County Youth Survey, which will take place later this fall.
TJHSST - Investigative Science Opportunity Grades 5 - 8
We are TJ Investigative Science Outreach, a student-led organization at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. We will be hosting our 12th annual invitational science fair on April 5th, 2025. Students in grades 5, 6, 7 and 8 are free to participate.
Participants who sign up will complete a research project of their choice and present at the fair in-person on April 5th, 2025. TJ students help the elementary and middle school students prepare for this fair by holding multiple sessions to teach them important skills in STEM like brainstorming, collecting data, presenting, writing an experiment summary, using statistics, creating an experimental diagram, etc.
Join us for our first interest/brainstorming session on October 11th, 2024 at 6:00 pm. We will be holding this session both in-person at TJHSST and virtually through zoom. During this session we will go over the goals and guidelines of this fair and introduce students to a multitude of project ideas. All interested students should sign up using the form at the link.
Second Grade Cognitive Ability Testing Notification
The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) will be administered the mornings of October 15, 16 and 17. The CogAT measures students’ reasoning abilities in verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal areas. Note that his assessment is not a test that requires any preparation, as it is designed to assess a child’s natural thinking and problem-solving skills. Please ensure your child is well-rested and arrives on time to school.
Family Literacy Program
The Family Literacy Program is part of the Office for ESOL Services in Fairfax County Public Schools. It is designed to empower and connect English Learner (EL) families to their community and with their children’s school. Adult learners acquire basic English language skills while learning how to understand, participate, and support in their children’s education in Fairfax County Public Schools. Access more information at this link!
PTA Highlights
Join the PTA for SY 24-25
We are so close on One & Done!! Please donate now! The competition is on! Check out the competition below and support your child's homeroom class!
In addition, to donating to One & Done - we need you and your voice to count - please join the PTA!
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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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!
One and Done Competition !
A HUGE thank you to all of our families who have generously donated to this year's One & Done campaign! We are currently at more than $39,000, inching close to our goal of $45,000! There's still time to DONATE.
The homeroom class in each grade with the highest participation will win a popsicle party and lunch for their teacher! Here are the current leaders:
K: Schuetz & Gilani
1st: Allen, Le Moigne & Monell
2nd: Krafchick, Joisten & Vance
3rd: Hinton, Johnson & Smouse
4th: Boles, Esparcel, Firebaugh & Hinton
5th: Alame, Biggs, Caron & Dente
6th: Lim, Kyaw, Hansrote & Peeters
As you can see, there are some close contests - and your donation could take your child's class over the top. While our donation site will remain open, the class competition closes on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH. Click here to donate today!
In addition, we've got a special prize for the 6th grade. Principal McGuigan has agreed to be duct taped to the wall by the winning class! (Exact time and place to be announced)
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Ways to Make a Difference This Year!
Join a Committee
Be on the lookout for an upcoming SignUp Genius with dates for events and programs for this year! Please consider signing up as a Chair/Co-Chair or Committee Member! Remember - we cannot offer the great events and programs without our volunteer support! Look for sign-ups at the next PTA meeting.
KGES Food Bus Food Rescue Program Volunteers Needed
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Do you have a half-hour to spare on Friday afternoons to deliver food to SHARE of McLean Food Pantry at McLean Baptist Church? Interested in getting involved in this program? Please sign up HERE and/or email beccadw@gmail.com or lanavu@gmail.com with questions. Service hours available for middle/high school students! Thank you for your ongoing support. We could not do this amazing program without you.
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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!
Teacher and Staff Love Wednesdays
The KGES Wellness Committee has shared that teachers and staff LOVE when there is coffee/tea available for them in the lounge...and they REALLY love treats! Help us shower our teachers and staff with love every Wednesday this year by bringing in coffee/tea, snacks, bags of mini candies, or whatever goodies you think might help sweeten their day. You can also help stack the staff lounge with paper plates/cups/napkins...etc. Please choose a slot to volunteer and drop off in the Staff Lounge by 8am on Wednesdays to show some love and support for our fabulous teachers and staff.
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