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Volume 3, Issue 10; October 3, 2024
Centre Ridge All-Stars
Parents and caregivers who invest in their child’s education join school activities, participate in events, unite with the school community, and involve themselves in their child's learning journey.
Together, we can build a strong foundation for our students!
Dear CRES Community,
Dr. Hertzberg, Ms. Baugh, Ms. Sutton, Ms. Helmer, and Ms. Ford
Every Day Counts at CRES!
At Centre Ridge Elementary, we believe that every single day matters when it comes to your child’s success. To ensure transparency and celebrate our progress, we will be sharing weekly attendance data in our newsletter. By highlighting this important information, we aim to keep our families informed and energized about our collective efforts to reduce absenteeism.
When students attend school consistently, they have more opportunities to learn, engage with peers, and develop the skills required to succeed.
As you can see below, our attendance data dropped significantly across all grade levels from the week before. As part of our analysis, we noted that many students were absent on our early release Monday. This missed learning adds up and explains why our school was federally identified last year for chronic absenteeism. Thanks to our targeted efforts, we successfully reduced chronic absenteeism from nearly 26% to 8.9% by the end of the school year, and we need your continued support to maintain this progress!
We thank you for prioritizing your child's education and for partnering with us each day. Together, let’s make every day count!
Percent of Students Present 9/20 and 9/27
Safeway Immunization Clinics for All FCPS Students
Safeway Pharmacy will be providing immunizations at Frost Middle School for all FCPS students at no cost on:
- Tuesday, October 8th, 3-7 pm
- Saturday, October 12th, 9 am-5 pm
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 to provide consent. Learn more about immunization resources and registering in other languages for the Safeway clinic.
Elementary School Clinics
The Fairfax County Health Department will provide immunizations for FCPS elementary students on limited early release Mondays at their district offices. All school-required immunizations will be offered at no cost. Call 703-246-7100 to make your appointment.
🗓️ 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 the FCPS school year calendar and visit the Attendance webpage for additional information. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!
📚 Social Studies Basal Resources Review
FCPS is adopting Social Studies Basal Resources for the 2025-26 school year. Basal resources are the primary resources used to support instruction in a given subject. Public review of the instructional materials under consideration — which is part of the process for selecting new resources — is underway. Visit the Community Review webpage for more information on how to view the materials online or in person.
All community feedback will be shared with School Board members before they vote to select materials in spring 2025. FCPS adopts basal resources by the process outlined in Regulation 3004.
🎤 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 take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Childcare and language interpretation services will be provided.
✨ The 2023-30 Strategic Plan — Goal 4: Equitable Access to Opportunities
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.
The fourth goal ensures all students have the same access to opportunities, no matter what school they attend. This includes academics and other programs that inspire and engage students and allow them to explore their passions and talents. See how Goal 4 is being put into practice.
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 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.
Ronnie Ram's Homerun Highlights!
We love highlighting learning experiences that support the acquisition of Portrait of a Graduate attributes and skills across our classrooms!
At CRES, all teachers #collaborate to support learning across subjects!
Even though 5th grade is departmentalized--meaning students have a designated science teacher--every teacher plays a role in reinforcing science knowledge. Whether integrating scientific thinking in math, reading about scientific concepts in language arts, or exploring real-world applications in social studies, our fifth grade team ensures that science is connected across disciplines!
For more information on Portrait of a Graduate, ask your child how they are a communicator, collaborator, critical and creative thinker, goal-directed and resilient individual, or ethical and global citizen. Or, click here!
Please click on our main hashtags, #CRESSchoolofDreams and #CRESAllStars, for more awesome highlights from Centre Ridge!
We will continue to expand our social media presence this year!
Twitter and InstagRAM
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DedicatED: For Parents and Teachers
Reaching All Learners Through Enrichment, Extension, and Innovation
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Deeper learning inspires critical thinking, creativity, and a love of learning! It encourages students to engage fully with content, make connections, and apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
At Centre Ridge, we ensure that all students have access to rigorous learning experiences through specials like Creatology, the study of creativity, which encourages design thinking underscored by STEAM. In our upper grades, AVID, an approach to teaching and learning, equips students with durable skills for academic success. In addition to these opportunities and approaches, we enrich and extend learning by utilizing advanced academic methods and strategies with all students. This includes Project Based Learning, which allows our students to delve more deeply into real world topics.
We also consider the significant impact innovation has on student outcomes. Using technology in innovative and creative ways allows our students to explore new concepts, collaborate effectively, and think critically, all while enhancing their skills for the future. By embracing a variety of tools, including iPads in our upper grades, we empower students to take ownership of their learning!
In the coming months, we will showcase how we continue to evolve as innovators in education. We are proud to announce that we have recently been selected as an ISTE Lighthouse School, reflecting our commitment to cutting-edge practices and technology integration!
As a Lighthouse School, we will be part of a network of schools that are leading the way in supporting a culture of innovation in Fairfax County Public Schools. We will have access to resources and support from ISTE, other Lighthouse Schools, as well dedicated FCPS staff to support and partner alongside us. We are so excited for this opportunity and just can't hide our CRES pride! Go Rams!
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Family Literacy Program: Learn English!
Who: For parents with children in FCPS or with children from 3-5 years old.
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 am-12 pm (You can join anytime!)
Where: At Centre Ridge Elementary!
For more information, please contact Mary Pierri, our Family Liaison, at (703) 227-2600.
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October is "Disability History and Awareness Month."
In Virginia, Disability History and Awareness month provides an opportunity to create greater public awareness for individuals with disabilities, with the goal of full inclusion in our community.
The Disability History Museum hosts a library of virtual artifacts, education curricula, and museum exhibits. These programs are designed to foster research and study about the historical experiences of people with disabilities and their communities.
Please Mark Your Calendars!
Great news! Centre Ridge Elementary School's events are now easily added to your own personal calendar. To find out how to download our calendar feed, please go here.
Thursday, October 3rd: Rosh Hashanah; no school
Friday, October 4th: Teacher Workday; no school
Tuesday, October 8th: AAP Information Night, 5 pm, library; Please use this link to RSVP.
Wednesday, October 9th: Walk & Roll to School Day
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.
Tuesday October 15th- Thursday, October 31st:
CogAT Testing Schedule
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Grade 2
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October 15th-October 17th
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Grades 3-6
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October 22nd-October 24th
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Make-up Testing (all grade levels)
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October 28th-31st
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Friday, October 25th: Book Character Day! Dress as your favorite children's book character. Please refrain from wearing masks and maintain school appropriate attire.
See the complete 2024-2025 school year calendar.
FCPS Cares Program
Recognizing employees who go above and beyond
FCPS Cares is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize those who go above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story so we can all acknowledge the outstanding work of FCPS, and more specifically, Centre Ridge employees.
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Ram Reflection
To provide feedback directly to Dr. Hertzberg, please use the QR code, or click on this link. Thank you, in advance, for sharing your thinking!
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