Belvedere News and Announcements - September 27, 2024

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 09/27/2024 04:00 PM EDT

From the School Administration

Dear Belvedere Families,

As many of you know, our physical education teachers, Mr. Bowles and Ms. Novak, have launched a four-week bike unit. Each morning, the excitement is palpable as students arrive eager to ride. Watching them practice their biking skills in the front parking lot has brought smiles to everyone's faces, and we are thrilled to have this fun and valuable unit at Belvedere again this year!

Next week will mark Mr. Downing’s- school-based technology specialist- last week with us at Belvedere, and we will deeply miss him. While we go through the process of selecting a replacement for Mr. Downing, we are lucky to have David Greene, who has prior experience in this role, serve as substitute.

If you visited our school this week, you may have noticed a beautiful addition on our entrance wall. There is a new mural filled with roses and other flowers. Created by Task Tarea in memory of Rosa, this vibrant and heartfelt piece reminds us daily of our community’s strength and unity. We are grateful for this stunning addition to our school and look forward to a formal dedication in Rosa's memory.

Thank you for your continued support!

Wishing everyone a peaceful and restful weekend.

Sincerely,

Cecilia Vanderhye, Principal

Tara Boone, Assistant Principal

Kelly Cabezas, Assistant Principal 

Pre-School

From Our School Counselors

Career Day is coming up on November 15th. We are seeking parents, family members, or neighbors of students from any grade level who are interesting in sharing about their careers. Please read this flyer for more details about the event and how to sign up. 

Safeway Immunization Clinics for All FCPS Students

 Free Immunizations for All FCPS Students

Safeway Pharmacy will be providing immunizations for all FCPS students at no cost! Parents or guardians may schedule an appointment and provide consent for their student(s). The immunization clinics are being held at Frost Middle School, 4101 Pickett Rd. Fairfax, VA 22032, on: 

  • Tuesday, October 8, 3 to 7 p.m.

  • Saturday, October 12, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Students under the age of 19, with a scheduled appointment and parental consent, must be accompanied by their parent, guardian, or another adult over the age of 19. 

Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are highly encouraged to avoid wait times. A parent or guardian must accompany walk-in students under the age of 19 in order to provide consent.   

Learn more about immunization resources and registering in other languages for the Safeway clinic.

Make Sure Your Children Are Up-to-Date on Immunizations

Please make sure your child has all of their necessary immunizations. Remember, all students are required to be immunized against certain diseases to attend school in Virginia. This is an important part of keeping children healthy!

Starting Monday, September 30, students who have not provided proof of immunization will not be allowed to attend school. You can check your child’s immunization compliance and submit immunization information by accessing SIS ParentVUE. 

Please check with your family's health care provider to make sure your child is up to date on required immunizations for the 2024-25 school year. If your child needs a vaccine to complete their records, make an appointment with your healthcare provider, visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for a list of child immunization clinics, or access other local services. Be wise and immunize!

Elementary School Immunization Clinics to Be Held on Early Release Days

The Fairfax County Health Department will provide immunizations for elementary students on early release Mondays. All school-required immunizations will be free of charge at Health Department clinics by appointment only. 

Schedule your appointment today by calling 703-246-7100. 

Clinics will be held Monday, October 21, and Monday, November 18, 2-7 p.m., at the Joseph Willard Health Center, Mount Vernon District Office, and Springfield District Office. Learn more about these clinics.

SEL Screener Upcoming

One of the ways FCPS supports the mental wellness of all students is the SEL Screener.

Students in grades 3-5 will take the fall SEL Screener on October 16th. Through the screener, the student provides information on their skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions. 

The SEL Screener also helps students evaluate their school community’s efforts to make them feel valued, included, and supported. Screener data is used to create the learning, experiences, and environments students need to be successful.

Please view the FCPS SEL  this website for more information : Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener | Fairfax County Public Schools (fcps.edu) or reach out to Paige Simpson, Screener lead for BES with any questions or concerns : Pesimpson1@fcps.edu

Justice Pyramid Night

Justice High School will be hosting our annual “Youth Night” for our Justice Pyramid at our Home Varsity Football Game on Friday, October 25th @ 7:00 PM vs Edison High School. All staff, families, and students are invited from our feeder schools! We are looking forward to an awesome night with our community.

 

We have some fun activities being planned by our activities office and SGA: Tunnel Run with the team, Pregame Trick or Treat, Pyramid Chorus National Anthem and more!

PyramidTrick or Treat

🗓️ Attendance Tip: Scheduling Family Trips or Events

Good attendance is an important life skill that will help students succeed in school and beyond.

When planning trips or family events, refer to the FCPS calendar and try to use weekends and school holidays. Every day of learning is a day toward success. Keep in mind that absences add up quickly. Students absent 10% of the school year (or just two days per month) are considered chronically absent.

When possible, schedule appointments for your child outside of school hours. If your child needs to miss school because of an illness or another reason, you must report the absence. 

Watch this video with tips on understanding our school calendar and visit our Attendance webpage for additional information. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!

✔️ Parent/Caregiver Checklist: Have You Completed These Important Forms?

We understand that the multiple school forms caregivers receive during the first weeks of school can feel overwhelming, but each one helps set your child up for a successful school year! If you do not have a SIS ParentVUE account, please contact your child’s school for an activation code and follow the directions on the SIS ParentVUE Account webpage. 

🩹 Immunization Requirements 

Please check with your healthcare 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 healthcare provider’s written statement specifying all administered immunizations.
  • A healthcare 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 religious tenets or practices.

Find more information on immunizations. 

📋 Permission Forms

Families can easily grant permission for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. Parents can 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. 

Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R)

The SR&R document explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses. Parents using SIS ParentVUE will be prompted to sign the document when logging in to that platform. A printable version of the document with a signature sheet is available on the SR&R webpage. This form should be signed and returned by Monday, September 30.

Strategic Plan

 

✨ The 2023-30 Strategic Plan — Goal 3: Academic Growth and Excellence

FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan sets five main goals to create positive change in the division. These goals show where we should focus our attention and will help us align our efforts. 

Our third goal is for all students to achieve academic growth and excellence. We want our students to have the academic skills to be successful. For example, making sure they are readers by third grade and taking courses that challenge them throughout their education will help prepare them for lifelong success. See how Goal 3 is being put into practice.

🎤 Our Schools, Our Future: Register Today for a Community Conversation! 

Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid will host a series of Community Conversations this fall. She invites you to share your thoughts and ask questions. Click the dates below to register for any of the following conversations:

Events will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Childcare and language interpretation services will be provided.

Gun Safety and Safe Gun Storage

Providing students and staff with a safe educational environment remains our priority. Sadly, gun violence continues to impact schools and communities across our nation.

In FCPS, lessons on gun safety are built into our curriculum. It is critical that parents and guardians talk to their children about the importance of gun safety and safe gun storage in their homes, and in any home they may visit. 

The FCPS website has gun safety resources as well as detailed information about safety and security practices at schools. See Dr. Reid’s recent letter to the community for more resources. 

Safely Store Firearms and Medications

The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board has a limited supply of free locking medication boxes and trigger locks that fit a wide variety of firearms. Visit the Lock and Talk website to learn more.

PTA Updates Banner

 

Grab your Costumes! Bingo-ween is Oct. 10

We will host the first of TWO Bingo events this school year on Thursday, Oct. 10 from 6-7:30 p.m. This fall Bingo event will feature candy, prizes and, in the spirit of the season, COSTUMES. All proceeds support the fifth grade class’s end-of-year festivities and a class gift. Fifth graders will receive a sign-up sheet for volunteer opportunities soon. Want to help with the Fifth Grade Parent Committee? Email bespta.va@gmail.com to get on the list. Can you donate concessions or volunteer to help? Sign-up today! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090449A4A722A64-51762098-bingoween#/

All Are Welcome on Oct. 9

The next PTA meeting will be on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 6:30 pm. We will discuss fall activities including the Election Day bake event, teacher support activities and Volunteer Night @ Total Wine. All subsequent PTA meetings will take place on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 pm. This meeting will be held both online and in person in the BES cafeteria. Spanish translation is available for all meetings as part of the virtual format, so please join us via Zoom if you require interpretation. Children are welcome to join, and there will be space for them in the room to snack, use electronics, read and/or color. All staff and BES families are welcome to join these meetings and volunteer. You must be a PTA member to vote on any financial decisions during meetings. 

Are You Member #97? 

The Belvedere PTA only needs 14 more people to join the organization to reach this year’s goal of 110 members! Why join? The PTA supports all Belvedere families and staff in many ways, including organizing major school events, offering enrichment and outreach activities; giving teacher grants and providing funding for field trips, library books and technology in the classroom. PTA works to build a strong school community outside the classroom through fun events like teacher appreciation celebrations, international night, read-a-thon and much more. Our dues help support these activities, as well as the National PTA mission to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

To become a member or make a direct donation to support our work, 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.

DABS Has Arrived!

Please find the link below for the sign-up genius. Let us know if you have questions!!

https://shorturl.at/abV5f

Visit belvederepta.org for more information about our PTA. 

Questions or concerns? Email bespta.va@gmail.com.

Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FRM)

Learn more about the criteria and process to apply for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch.

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!

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/

Disability

 

Disability History and Awareness Month

In Virginia during October, Disability History and Awareness activities provide an opportunity to create greater public awareness for individuals with disabilities, with the goal of full inclusion in our community.

National Bullying Prevention Month

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. To help develop a common understanding of Bullying, below is the FCPS definition. 

Bullying in Students Rights and Responsibilities is defined as: “Any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim; and is repeated over time or causes severe emotional trauma. “Bullying” includes cyberbullying. “Bullying” does not include ordinary teasing, horseplay, argument, or peer conflict.”

For more information on how FCPS handles a bullying situation please visit the FCPS Bullying Prevention and Intervention webpage. Our goal is to ensure all students feel safe and welcome at school. If you have questions and/or concerns about something that is going on at school, please contact the front office so that they can support you and most importantly your student. 

Walk and Roll to School Day

FCPS will participate in International Walk and Roll to School Day on Wednesday, October 9, in an effort to promote physical activity and reduce traffic congestion and pollution near schools.Students and employees are encouraged to bike or walk to school and work where safe to do so. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school, and to work with their school and PTA or PTO to assemble bike trains or walking groups for the event. Schools are encouraged to register online with Walk and Bike to School. Get more information about Walk to School Day.

Upcoming Dates

  • October is National School Principals Month! Make sure to send your appreciation to our incredible FCPS principals!
  • Rosh Hashanah
    • Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Wednesday, October 2. That day is an evening-only observance day. Important events will not be held after school.
  • Wednesday, October 2 - National Custodian Appreciation Day
  • Thursday, October 3, is a holiday for all FCPS staff. Schools and offices will be closed.
  • Friday, October 4, is a teacher workday and there will be no school for students.
  • Sunday, October 6 - National Coaches Day
  • Wednesday, October 9 - Walk and Roll to School Day

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