From the School Administration
Dear Belvedere Families,
We hope you had a wonderful, yet short week! Below is a reminder of the events we have coming up next week:
• Wednesday, October 9 - PTA meeting from 6:30-7:30pm. It is a great opportunity to connect and discuss important updates for our school community. This meeting will include information about Belvedere as a Title I school.
• Thursday, October 10 - Bingo Night from 6pm-8pm. Get ready for a fun evening of games and prizes! We hope to see you and your families there.
During the month of October and beginning of November, classroom teachers will be holding Student-Led Conferences. Our goal is for every child to have a family member or significant adult with whom to share about their learning journey to date. Additionally, teachers will share important information with parents. If you have not yet scheduled a time for the conference, please reach out to your child’s teacher to do so. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Thank you for your continued support. We are so fortunate to be part of such a diverse and cohesive community.
Wishing everyone a peaceful and restful weekend.
Sincerely,
Cecilia Vanderhye, Principal
Tara Boone, Assistant Principal
Kelly Cabezas, Assistant Principal
FLE Parent Information Night
On Wednesday October 9, from 6:00-6:30, we will host an FLE Parent Information Night in the cafeteria. During this information session, parents can log on to schoology to view FLE lessons. Parents will also have a chance to ask any questions about the content.
Meet the Family Resource Center
The FCPS Family Resource Center (FRC) offers a welcoming and engaging environment for families/caregivers, educators, and community members. Visit us at the Dunn Loring Center for Family Services, 2334 Gallows Road, Entrance 1, Room 105. Contact us at 703-204-3941 frc@fcps.edu.
We provide access to information and resources to support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities. Those services include free consultations and resources, free webinars and workshops, a free lending library, and we maintain the FCPS tutor list. Contact us to get the list of FCPS employees who are available to tutor.
The Family Resource Center offers free, confidential in-person, videoconference, and phone consultations for families and FCPS staff. We can brainstorm strategies and possible solutions to help you address your concerns by drawing upon resources and support from FCPS, as well as community, state, and national centers. Contact us to set up an appointment.
The Family Resource Center Lending Library contains more than 10,000 books, eBooks, DVDs, and CDs on topics related to parenting and educating all children. We can send any materials to your child’s school or FCPS office.
📚 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.
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.
FREE Circus Tickets!
Formed Families Forward is pleased to offer FREE tickets to Circus Vasquez. The performance is Sunday, October 6 at 4 PM at 8025 Galleria Drive, Tysons, VA 22102.
For over 50 years, Circus Vazquez has wowed audiences worldwide, becoming the #1 circus in the US in the last decade. Their world-class performers have brought joy and wonder to countless people, creating unforgettable memories. LEARN MORE and REQUEST TICKETS HERE.
Fairfax County’s Annual Hispanic Heritage celebration is on Saturday, October 5th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.at the Culmore Community Library (6101 Knollwood Dr., Falls Church, VA 22041). This FREE, family-friendly event promises a unique experience for all ages and backgrounds. With cultural performances and entertainment, an artisan market featuring handmade goods from local vendors, children’s activities such as face painting, crafts, and games that will keep them entertained for hours on end, plus delicious cultural foods to tantalize your taste buds – there’s something here for everyone! Fairfax Fiesta celebrates not only Hispanic culture but also diversity in our community. The festive atmosphere of this free family-friendly gathering makes it ideal for creating lasting memories with friends or loved ones while learning about different cultures around the world right here in Fairfax County!
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:
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Tuesday, October 8, 3 to 7 p.m.
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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!
 
🗓️ 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!
✨ 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.
Bingo-ween is next week
Join us Thursday, Oct. 10 from 6-7:30 p.m. for our fall Bingo event in the BES cafeteria. In the spirit of the season, COSTUMES are welcome. All proceeds support the fifth grade class’s end-of-year festivities and a class gift. We still need chip and drink donations as well as help with selling concessions and cleaning up after all of the numbers have been called. Sign-up today! Donations can be dropped in the front office anytime from now until 5pm on Oct. 10. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090449A4A722A64-51762098-bingoween#/
Add to calendar: PTA Meeting 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. 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, play games, 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.
DABs: An opportunity to give back to BES
The Dad at Belvedere program gives an opportunity for male caregivers – fathers and father-figures – to be a part of the entire BES school day! DABs are on campus from 8:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., helping with kiss-and-ride, assisting in the classroom, playing on the playground and eating lunch with students. Learn more and sign up today:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B49AEAF22A7F85-51536574-dabs#/
Are you Member #103?
The Belvedere PTA only needs 7 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 so 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 Virginia state and 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.
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 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
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October is National School Principals Month! Make sure to send your appreciation to our incredible FCPS principals!
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Sunday, October 6 - National Coaches Day
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Wednesday, October 9 - Walk and Roll to School Day
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Friday, October 11 - Yom Kippur
- Friday, October 11, will be an evening-only observance day for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. There is school that day, but important events will not occur after school. See the complete school year calendar.
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Saturday, October 12 - Ombuds Day
- Office of the Ombuds staff engage with families, students, and staff to offer resources, assist in settling conflicts, and raise concerns to improve the experience of each and every member of the FCPS community. They work as an independent confidential resource to help get answers to questions, resolve concerns, and hear complaints regarding FCPS matters.
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The ombuds is available to:
- Share strategies for parents to improve communication with, and between, school and home.
- Help resolve disagreements between parents and schools or disagreements involving employees in the workplace.
- Provide ideas to foster parent participation in Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan meetings.
Ombuds staff do not change or make decisions, policies, or regulations; take sides; or provide legal advice.
Anyone with concerns, questions, or complaints to share with the Office of the Ombuds may call 571-423-4014, email ombuds@fcps.edu, or visit their webpage, where you may Submit a Question.
Keep in Touch
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