|
English | Español | አማርኛ | 中文 | 한국어 | Tiếng Việt | العربية | فارسی | اردو
Yearbooks are on sale now for $24! Be sure to go to yearbookforever.com to order your yearbook today.
 |
|
Students participated team building activities today in our first Team Activity Day. |
Greetings Irving Families!
It is hard to believe that we are just a couple of weeks away from the end of the 1st Quarter! We are wrapping up the regular season of cross country tomorrow at Poe Middle School and we are finishing up our first rotation of Enrichment activities. Today, we celebrated being a part of a community by having students participate in Team Day Activities. Students were able to meet their full team and collaborate in fun games and activities. We are excited to continue team building throughout the school year in a variety of team challenges and activities.
On Fridays, we have seen an increase in the number of students walking over to the Plaza (Trader Joe's Shopping Center). Recently, we have received concerns from local businesses regarding negative behaviors at the Plaza. If you choose to give your child permission to walk to the Plaza after school, please remind them that everyone in our community needs to be able to enjoy the restaurants and businesses in our area. I know our students are capable of behaving in a manner that is respectful and provides opportunities for others to enjoy shared spaces.
We will continue to speak with students about appropriate behavior and representing themselves in a positive manner both in school and out in our community in our announcements and lessons. We will also remind students that our ROCK expectations - being Respectful, Owning their behavior, Communicating when they see something or need something, and being Kind - are important traits both in and out of school. I look forward to partnering with our students, community leaders, and parents/guardians to find ways for our students to enjoy the Plaza in a safe and appropriate manner.
Take Care
Cindy Conley
Applications Open October 21, for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Middle school students who have an aptitude and passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) are encouraged to apply for admission to the Class of 2029 at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST).
The application will be available on the TJHSST Admissions Office webpage starting Monday, October 21, at 4 p.m. Applications must be started by 4 p.m. Wednesday, November 13, with a deadline to submit the application by Friday, November 15, at 4 p.m. Visit the TJHSST registration page for more information.
Food for Neighbors
We had a great turn out for volunteers and donations for our Red Bag Collection on September 14!
Food for Neighbors is an organization committed to helping local teens struggling with hunger. The food donated goes straight to students and families in Springfield and neighboring communities. With your support, we can reach even more students in need. Participation is as simple as filling a Food For Neighbors Red Bag once every other month and putting it on your porch on our pick up days. We provide the bags, a desired food list, and pick-up date reminder texts. Our next collection day is November 9th. If you would like to donate food, please register as a Red Bag Donor here. If you would like to volunteer as a driver to pick up food or to help sort the food once it is delivered to Irving on our collection days, please sign up here.
If your student needs extra food for the weekend (soup/pasta, crackers, granola bars, oatmeal, fruit snack or milk/juice), please email Meg Gollinger at magollinger@fcps.edu.
Veterans Day Observance
Irving Middle School would like to celebrate Veterans Day by decorating our halls with posters of veterans who are close relatives to our students. We ask that families in our Irving community create posters of a veteran they want to honor and recognize the sacrifices they have made for our country. We ask that you turn in these posters to our student services office by November 1st so that we have time to hang them up before Veterans Day. Please use this template to share information. If you need a printed copy, please stop by Student Services.t this placeholder text.
Library News
Books and students are always coming and going here in the library! 7th grade students should be finishing up with their first-quarter fiction books soon and returning them to the library. Students may always check to see what they have on loan and when the items are due by logging into the library’s Destiny catalog.
Each week our students are weighing in on important issues in our library “Irving Says” polls. This week’s question asked students:
“Would you rather be a POLYGLOT or be fully AMBIDEXTROUS?”
Seventy-one percent of our students responded that they’d rather be able to speak many languages than to be fully ambidextrous. However, the baseball pitchers and volleyball “setter” position players among the student body usually couldn’t pass up the dream of not having a weak side and cast their vote for the latter option
After weeks of posting these questions, a student asked me this week, “Why do all of your questions have big words that I don’t know?” With a big smile I replied, “That’s the point! So that you can learn new words.” As stated before, old-fashioned, hard-back dictionaries are close by so that students can define any new words that help them make their decision. We plan to follow up to reinforce the words we’ve used throughout the quarter and invite students during break time to play a Kahoot to see how well they remember the ‘big words” they’ve learned.
Please encourage your student to return books on time. We are trying to stamp the due date in the back of all books now. It is especially important for books in long series, such as some anime titles, to be returned in a timely manner. When some volumes are missing, other students cannot enjoy reading through the series.
We enjoy working with your students in the library!
Ms. Monk & Mr. Brizek
____________________________________________________________________________________
After School Information
The After School Program runs 4 days a week unless noted. Monday through Thursday, our clubs and activities will run in two activity blocks (2:25 pm to 3:25 pm and 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm). The club schedule will vary by day and week, the most up-to-date schedule will be posted in the “After School” section in the student portal.
In order to sign up for a club, students must sign up using the Weekly Signup located in the After School Program folder located in the Schoology All Students Course and the After School section of the student portal.
Students may participate in as many clubs as they want. We encourage them to try something new as part of the After School Program! Use the following link to register your student. After School Registration Form
ALL athletic activities and clubs require athletic footwear to participate, locker rooms are not accessible during the After School Program.
Coming Soon:
Lego Masters, will start Monday, October 21, both blocks
Mallet Madness Mondays, will start Monday, October 21, for band-percussion students, during the 1st block
Future Makers (formerly known as Makerspace) interest meeting Wednesday, October 23, during the 1st block
Chess Academy, will start Wednesday, November 6, 1st block
Community and Leadership Workshop, will start Wednesday, November 6, 1st block
Super Sleuths, will start Friday, November 8, during FAB Fridays
Canceled for next week:
History Club
No After School or late buses on Thursday, October 31, 2-hour early release
FAB Fridays ends at 3:30pm. There are no late buses on Fridays and the Weekly Sign-up is required.
View the schedule on our website, the current schedule is available on your student’s Schoology and their Student Portal.
** When picking up students from After School programs, please use the front loop - students will come out the main entrance.**
 |
|
Reflections Nationwide Arts Contest Reflections is a nationwide PTA arts contest that encourages students to explore and express themselves creatively. This year’s theme is “Accepting Imperfection.” Students can submit original work in visual arts, photography, literature, music composition, dance choreography, or film production by November 15, 2024. For more information, contact our Reflections Chair, Megan Dross, at meganmalia@yahoo.com or visit: https://irvingms.givebacks.com/w/reflections. |
Parent Education Sessions Thank you to our amazing school counselors, Ms. Kiefaber and Ms. Nelson, The FCPS Family Resource Center, and everyone who joined us for last night's Parent Education Session! We hope you found it informative and helpful. If you have suggestions for future sessions, please email us at: irvingmspta@gmail.com.
Direct Donation Campaign - Help Fund the Fun at Irving! Our direct donor fundraising campaign is in full swing! Please consider donating to help fund our student and family events, staff appreciation activities, a new water bottle refill station and much more. Donations are tax-deductible, and 100% of your contribution directly benefits Washington Irving Middle School. To learn more and donate, visit: https://irvingms.givebacks.com/w/donate. Thank you to everyone who has already contributed!
Spirit Wear Update Spirit Wear orders will be delivered to students at school the week of October 21. Thank you for supporting the PTA and our school with your Spirit Wear orders! We'll have another opportunity to order Spirit Wear in the spring.
Taco Bamba Springfield Spirit Day – All Day on Tuesday, October 22 Mention the unique code "IRVING" or “Washington Irving Middle School” when ordering in-store to ensure credit for our school. When ordering online, enter the code "IRVING" in the coupon code area at checkout. 20% of sales will be donated to the PTA.
Papa John’s Spirit Days – Every Thursday Enjoy 40% off all menu prices at Springfield Papa John’s (Rolling Road) every Thursday from 11 AM to 10 PM! Use promo code IMS4010 when you order online, and 10% of sales will be donated to the PTA.
Save the Date! November 12 - PTA General Membership Meeting at 6:30 p.m. (In-person & on Zoom) November 15 - Family Fun Night from 6-8 p.m.
PTA Membership It’s not too late to become a PTA member! Dues are $10 per parent/guardian, $9 for additional family members, and $5 for staff/faculty. Signing up is easy—simply copy and paste this link into your browser: https://irvingms.memberhub.com/store/
For questions, contact us at irvingmspta@gmail.com.
Our Schools, Our Future: Register Today for a Community Conversation!
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid is hosting a series of Community Conversations this fall. She invites you to share your thoughts and ask questions. Click on a date below to register:
Events take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Childcare and language interpretation services will be provided.
In Case You Missed It
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics and others:
- FCPS Family Orientation
- Community Conversations
- Immunization Clinics
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
|
