KG News 9.29.2024

Three Hour Early Release Update

Thanks for the successful three hour early release.  We truly appreciate your support. It definitely helped our teachers complete the professional development (30 hours of coursework) required by the Virginia Department of Education. Ultimately, it will strengthen our classroom instruction in the new framework for literacy, impacting reading and writing lessons your children receive.

As we plan forward, we are happy to share that SACC will provide coverage for our next early release date of October 28th. We will remit a separate email to our SACC families to confirm their plans.  Otherwise, we will assume that your child(ren) will depart the same way as it occurred on 9/23.  If you have a change, please indicate by using this google form. Thanks in advance. 

The dates for the Three Hour Early Release are as follows: 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.  

Rainy Days Still Bring Smiles! 

Administration Notes

Dear Parents, 

The PTA announced today that we met the One and Done Goal!  A HUGE thanks to all of you who donated.  Class winner will be announced this week and the taping to the wall date to be announced! 

We had a great week and enjoyed ending our week by celebrating our military and wearing red, white and blue for the Blue Star Welcome Week!  We also shared cards for our families made by our students.  

This next week, we have Bike/Walk/Roll to school and also have Thursday off as a holiday for Rosh Hashanah and Friday will be a teacher planning day - students do not attend. 

We do need current families to support the Family Buddy Program.  See the blurb below and sign up!         

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 30:  All Students Immunization Records Up to Date and Submitted to School ~ Required for School Attendance

October 2:  Bike/Walk/Roll to School

October 3: Rosh Hashanah Holiday for Staff and Students

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. Volunteers needed and receive a $25 credit from our vendor for their support! Sign up for a shift! Volunteers are requested to stay for the duration of the slot. Questions email underclass@vosphoto.com

October 14: Holiday - No School for Students

October 21 - 25:  School Book Fair

October 25:  Next PTA Meeting 8:45 a.m.

October 30: Fall Class Celebration - Room Parents/Homeroom Teachers

November 7: Parent Engagement Night - 6 pm.  Come learn about the new Reading Platform ~ Benchmark, the FCPS Math focus as well as Portrait of a Graduate (POG) Presentations of Learning.  (Parents Only ~) (We will host Math/STEAM Night and Literacy Night later in 2025.)

2024-25 FCPS School Calendar

Red, White and Blue + Hat Spirit Day!

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 - Forgiveness This week, our school community will focus on the character strength of Forgiveness. Forgiveness means letting go of anger toward those who have done wrong and accepting that people make mistakes. When we forgive, we can move past being hurt and make peace with what happened. Forgiveness heals and strengthens our relationships. It doesn’t erase what happened, but it helps us let go of the hurt and move forward. Seeking forgiveness shows that a person values relationships and understands the impact of their actions. It shows humility, accountability, and a willingness to make amends. By seeking forgiveness, a person shows they care about resolving conflicts and restoring trust. It also shows emotional maturity and a commitment to personal growth. To practice and encourage forgiveness at home, please visit the Positivity Project’s mobile-friendly P2 for Families. There, you can watch a video, read a quote, and discuss three questions together.

Author Visit - Joanna Ho!!

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! 

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. We are in need of a existing families who are interested in being a Buddy Family to a new family.  Please complete the form by October 2nd 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.

Blue Star Cards for Our Military Families and Spirit Wear! 

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 this 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 Resource Center - Webinars

In October, the Family Resource Center (FRC) will host webinars for families on:

• Supporting siblings of children with disabilities.
• Helping students organize their schoolwork.
• Benchmark Advance, the new K-6 language arts curriculum.
• Ways to engage with your children in mathematics.
• Transitions from school to work and adult life for students with disabilities. 

Sign up for the FRC newsletter to learn about their latest offerings or visit their webinar webpage.

PTA Highlights Join the PTA for SY 24-25 We met our goal for the One & Done!!  A HUGE thanks to all!! 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!

Next PTA Meeting: Friday 10/25 @ 8:45 am 

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!

Thanks for attending the meeting on September 27th! 

One and Done Competition GOAL Met!  A HUGE thank you to all of our families who have generously donated to this year's One & Done campaign! We have met the goal!  Thanks to all who donated!!!  You can still DONATE. The homeroom class in each grade with the highest participation will win a popsicle party and lunch for their teacher! Stay tuned for the winner! 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 Principal McGuigan has agreed to be duct taped to the wall by the winning class! (Exact time and place to be announced)

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

Science Olympiad

Grades 3-4 is completely FULL! 

Grades 5-6 have just a few spots remaining! Don't get relegated to the waitlist, join now! Register for Grades 5-6 ($150)

We can't wait to celebrate our students' successes!

Math Counts Sign Up

3rd Grade has started, but you can still join! 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 will be starting soon. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn from an incredible teacher how to apply advanced math concept while competing against other schools AND having fun! MC2 is for 4th-6th Graders. Classes run from the fall into March (exact dates will be sent out). We offer a hybrid program, with one class in person from 4-5pm, and the second class online from 445-545pm. The 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!

Extra Spots Opened for Chess Club! Don't Wait on the Waitlist! Join Now!

1717 Melbourne Drive, McLean, VA 22101 |  Phone: 703.394.5600  

 Attendance: 703.394.5656 or KentGardensES.Attendance@fcps.edu

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