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Message from Mrs. Fallert
Dear Island Creek Families,
What a wonderful week of learning and growing with our Crocs! As a bonus, with the beautiful weather, our Crocs were able to go outside for recess this week!
Thank you to the Kindergarten families who attended this morning's Kindergarten Family Friday Breakfast Bash as it was great seeing families getting to know each other while eating a delicious breakfast! We invite our 1st Grade families to join us next Friday at the 1st Grade Family Friday Breakfast Bash and please RSVP here.
Next week will be another amazing week!
- Monday, Indigenous Peoples' Day (no school for students)
- Monday, UPDATED SURVEY form due for 3-hour Early Relase on 10-21
- Digital Citizenship Spirit Week (October 15-18)
- Island Creek's Social Emotional Learning Fair (Thursday, October 17, 5:00-6:30)
- 3rd Annual Share the Warmth Clothing Drive (October 15-31)
As a reminder, Monday is a school holiday for students in recognition of Indigenous Peoples' Day.
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All our best,
Jen Fallert, Principal
Karen Baxter, Assistant Principal
Denise Cash-Pinckney, Assistant Principal
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 Monday, October 14, is a student holiday and staff development day for Indigenous Peoples' Day. On the second Monday of October and the month of November, people all over the United States celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Native American Heritage Month. Students deserve meaningful, sustained opportunities to learn about the diverse perspectives, experiences, and contributions of Indigenous people (globally) year-round, and these celebrations are an opportunity to honor these important stories. See the complete school year calendar.
We invite Island Creek families to join us on Thursday, October 17 between 5:00-6:30 for our Social Emotional Learning Fair! We will have interactive activities, information, mindfulness, and more! We will also have a Food Truck!
We’re excited to announce that Island Creek will be celebrating Digital Citizenship Week from October 15-18! This week is dedicated to helping our students navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. Throughout the week, students will engage in activities and discussions about digital ethics, online safety, and the importance of maintaining a positive digital footprint.
We encourage you to talk with your child about their online experiences and reinforce the lessons learned at school. Together, we can help our students become responsible digital citizens! We will be celebrating with a Spirit Week which we will focus on a different area of digital citizenship. Below you will find digital citizenship resources provided by FCPS to support child at home. Additionally, you will find resources provided by Fairfax County Government.
FCPS Resources
Digital Citizenship: Families
Choosing Digital Apps, Games, and Services Wisely
Fairfax County Government Resources
Find Free WiFi: Need internet access? Check out our list of public hotspots.
Borrow a Computer: Short on devices? Borrow a computer for your family's needs.
Take Free Tech Classes: Improve your skills with our free technology workshops.
Digital Parenting Webinar Recordings: Check out our previous parenting workshops.
Please complete this UPDATED SURVEY before October 14 to indicate how your child will be going home for our next early release Monday on 10/21/24. *If you have multiple children, please complete a form for each student.
 We are thrilled to announce our 3rd Annual Share the Warmth Winter Clothing Drive! We will collect donations of new or lovingly used winter clothing for children, ages 4-12. We kindly request that all lovingly used clothing be washed before donating. Mrs. Fallert will bring all donated clothing to a Title 1 school in Fairfax County which will host a November “shopping night” for families free of charge.
Did you know that Island Creek has a Principals' Student Advisory Council (PSAC) comprised of 5th and 6th Grade students who meet with Ms. Fallert twice a month to share their perspective on how to make Island Creek an even better school? The PSAC supports service learning by undertaking our annual Share the Warmth Clothing Drive. This week they made posters advertising the clothing drive and in the coming weeks, they will help fold and sort the donated clothes!
We are hard at work in the music room at Island Creek. Here is a quick rundown of what we are doing in each grade:
Kindergarten- practicing the concept of fast and slow; preparing the concept of loud and soft
1st Grade- practicing the concepts of fast and slow, loud and soft, high and low, rhythm vs. beat/ preparing to perform with rhythms with quarter notes and eighth notes
2nd Grade- practicing quarter and eighth notes and bitonic music (the solfege sounds “sol” and “mi”); preparing music with quarter rest and the solfege sound “la”
3rd Grade- practicing quarter, eighth note, rest, and half note and tetratonic music (do, mi, sol, la); preparing music with the solfege sound “re”
4th Grade- practicing quarter, eighth note, rest, half note, whole note, and tetratonic music (do, mi, sol, la); preparing music with the solfege sound “re” and music with sixteenth notes
5th Grade- practicing quarter, eighth note, rest, half note, whole note, sixteenth note, and pentatonic music (do, re, mi, sol, la), preparing music in the extended pentatonic scale and eighth note/sixteenth note patterns
6th Grade- practicing 5th grade- practicing quarter, eighth note, rest, half note, whole note, sixteenth note, eighth/sixteenth note patterns, and pentatonic music; preparing more eighth/sixteenth patterns and more notes in the extended pentatonic scale.
As teachers who follow the pedagogy of the great Hungarian music teacher and musician Zoltan Kodaly, Mrs. Arslan and Mrs. Laird teach these concepts through a robust body of American and international folk songs. While the children learn and memorize simple songs through our activities and games, they also internalize the concepts listed above and explore them with increasing rigor each lesson.
In addition to our music class fun, Chorus is in full swing! We have about 60 singers in our 5th and 6th grade Chorus and we are hard at work preparing for the following events:
Star Spangled Banner performance at Hayfield Secondary Homecoming Game- October 25
Star Spangled Banner performance at FCPS School Board Meeting- December 5
Winter Concerts- December 17
We have also selected several students to be members of our honors chorus! These students will participate in the Virginia Organization of Kodaly Educators Choral Festival in January and the 6th Grade All-County Choral festival in March. Congratulations to David H., Kaelee C., Alina S., Ramona E., Zoe M., Hailey L., Fifi MO., Malala J, Jaelyn M, and Amira H.
1st Grade Families, we look forward to welcoming you the Family Friday Breakfast Bash next Friday, 10/18 from 7:45-8:20. Please RSVP here.
- 1st Grade Family Friday Breakfast Bash: Friday, October 18; RSVP here
- 2nd Grade Family Friday Breakfast Bash: Friday, October 25; RSVP here
- 3rd & 4th Grades Family Friday Breakfast Bash: Friday, November 15; RSVP here
- 5th & 6th Grades Family Friday Breakfast Bash: Friday, November 22; RSVP here
We hope to see your family at one of these events!
Please completed the updated survey linked here (one survey form for each child) before Ocotober 11.
 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.
On Thursday, October 31, Island Creek will have our 2nd Annual Book Character Day! Students are invited to find a great book and dress up like their favorite character. Book Character Day is a fun, voluntary activity for both students and staff that promotes a love of reading, specifically favorite book characters. We are looking forward to seeing which characters inspire our students!
Dressing up is optional. If students choose to do so, please adhere to the following so that our students have a safe and productive day.
- Costumes should not be scary nor have words, graphics, or toy weapons that are inappropriate for school
- No costume face masks
- No painted faces
Whether your child is wearing a costume or not, please remind them to bring their favorite book.
We invite families to join us at our Coffee and Conversations! No worries if you are unable to attend as session information will be made available on our website. Our next Coffee and Conversations is on Friday, November 14 at 8:40 and we will share information about FCPS' new Benchmark Advanced basal literacy program.
More information to come! Please be sure to sign in your SIS ParentVUE account to complete this important survey.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is eligible for federal Impact Aid grants due to the federal presence in our area. The grants from these programs will become part of FCPS' general operating budget. They are critical to ensuring that students receive an excellent education. FCPS anticipates receiving approximately $3,000,000 in Impact Aid funds.
FCPS uses the survey for Federal Impact Aid to identify federally connected students. On October 18th, the survey will be made available to FCPS families. The survey is available online through ParentVue. Families without ParentVUE can request a paper copy of the survey from their child's school. FCPS staff will process the information with the utmost confidentiality.
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.
FCPS is partnering with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors’ services at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests. Learn more about online tutoring with Varsity Tutors.
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October is a Busy Month for PTA Events!
Mark your calendars and join us for a month full of fun and community-building. From spirit nights to STEAM & Treat, there's something for everyone
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Croc Flock: iCode Burke
Students will get to play games like Minecraft, Roblox, and more at their decked-out gaming stations! The Croc Flock takes place from 6 - 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, for a fun-filled evening. Registration is $30 and includes pizza and a drink. Drop-off event – Perfect for parents who need a little break!
Register here.
Call for Volunteers
Help us celebrate reaching our Croc Rock-N-Run goal of $25,000, by serving popcorn and enjoy tunes during lunch on Friday, October 18. We need volunteers to distribute popcorn to students.
Teacher Appreciation: Candy Apple Bar
We are planning ahead for the Monday, October 21 early release. Sign up to donate items to surprise and delight our faculty and staff with a candy apple bar.
STEAM & Treat
Get ready for the ICES PTA Treat & Toss from 6 - 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 25—and we need your help!
We're looking for volunteers to host a trunk.
If we don't get enough volunteers, we might have to cancel, so let's make it happen!
The theme this year is STEAM—think science, tech, and music! 🎶
Pre-registration is required.Please register parents and kids by Wednesday, October 23.
We're also accepting candy and non-candy donations! Drop them off at the Island Creek Elementary main office (Attn: PTA) or add a donation for candy when you register.
We’ll so be collecting items for the Island Creeks STEAM team during the event. This is a rain or shine event.
Sign up for Pickleball Night – Friday, November 15
Your ticket includes professional instructors, from 6 – 9 p.m., who will teach you how to play pickleball, time for open play, and an opportunity to participate in a tournament to win a prize!
Each $25 ticket includes one adult and one child and a popcorn snack.
You can bring your own pickleball paddle or borrow one from us!
Three Wishes Bookshop will be onsite.
Become a PTA Member This Year!
You can now purchase a PTA membership (or family bundle!) for the 2024-2025 school year. We currently have 115 members! Sign up here
Upcoming Dates
❤️Monday, October 14: Indigenous People's Day (No school for students); Staff Developement Day
❤️October 15-18: Digital Citizenship Spirit Week
❤️October 15-31: Share the Warmth Winter Clothing Drive!
❤️Thursday, October 17: SEL Fair for Families (5-6:30)
❤️Friday, October 18: 1st Grade Family Friday Breakfast Bash, 7:45-8:20; RSVP here
❤️Monday, October 21: 3-Hour early release at 12:20 for school-age students;please complete survey
❤️Friday, October 25: 2nd Grade Family Friday Breakfast Bash, 7:45-8:20; RSVP here
❤️Thursday, October 31: Book Character Day; 2-Hour early release for students (1:20)
❤️Friday, November 1: Diwali and All Saints Day (No school for students and staff)
❤️Monday, November 4: School Planning (no school for students)
❤️Tuesday, November 5: Teacher Workday (no school for students)
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