Churchill Chatter School Newsletter - Monday, October 21, 2024

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Churchill Chatter - Issue 5, October 21, 2024


Dear Churchill Road families,

October is off to a great start. Students had a beautiful day for our first-ever Fall Field Day – thank you so much to all who helped with this fun event.  Our Book Fair is in full swing this week.  We hope to see many of you at Wednesday evening’s late night from 5-8 p.m. The SGA will be selling pizza, water and light desserts in the cafeteria, so you don’t have to think about cooking.

Our next three-hour early release Monday is October 28. Students will be dismissed at 12:20 p.m.  Thank you to everyone who has filled out the form letting us know your child’s after-school plans.  If you have not yet filled out the form, please look for an eNotify message today with the link.

Our second round of grade-level community conversations kicks off the week of October 28.  Dates for the grade level coffees are listed below.

Thursday, October 31 is our Fall Parade, beginning at 9 a.m. Parent are cordially invited; details will follow in an email later this week.  Just a reminder that October 31 is also the end of the quarter, and students will be dismissed two hours early at 1:20 p.m. Friday, November 1, the school is closed for the Diwali and All Saints Day observances, and Monday and Tuesday, November 4-5 are student holidays.

We are looking forward to a fun and busy end to the first quarter.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Pierson-Barr


In This Week's Issue

  • Impact Aid Survey Open Now
  • Upcoming Grade Level Community Conversations
  • Book Fair Poster Winners Announced
  • FCPS Award Nominations for Outstanding Employees
  • Lost and Found in Front Lobby through October 25
  • Character Strengths Focus - Creativity
  • Upcoming Schedule Changes - 3-Hour Early Relase on 10/28, 2-Hour Early Release on 10/31 and Holiday on November 1 (Diwali and All Saints Day)
  • Upcoming Events

The Federal Impact Aid Survey
Now Available to Complete Online! 

The Federal Impact Aid Survey is available in ParentVUE starting today - Monday, October 21.  Please complete one form for each child in your household – even if there is no military/federal connection!

** Note: only the enrolling parent can fill out the Impact Aid Survey form. 

Step 1: CLICK HERE to be taken to SIS ParentVUE. If you don’t have a SIS ParentVUE account, contact your child’s school for an activation letter. 

Step 2: After you’ve logged into your ParentVUE Account, look for the ‘Online Packets’ link at the top of the page. Click ‘Online Packets’.

Step 3: Next, click the ‘Federal Impact Aid Survey’ button on the bottom of the page. This will take you to the Impact Aid Survey for you to complete.

If you have multiple children in Fairfax County Public Schools, please fill out a form for each child.

You will know you have completed all of the forms when you get to the final page and see a green check next to each of their names.


convos

Save the Date for Upcoming Community Conversations

Calling all CRS Parents... Please join Principal Pierson-Barr and other Churchill Road staff members for your student's Grade-Level Parent Conversation!  We will be hosting our second round of grade-level specific events over the coming weeks to share information  and answer any questions you may have.

Dates for each grade-level are as follows: 

  • Kindergarten: wednesday, October 30, 2024
  • 1st Grade: Monday, October 28, 2024
  • 2nd Grade: Wednesday, November 6, 2024
  • 3rd Grade: Thursday, November 7, 2024
  • 4th Grade: Wednesday, November 13, 2024
  • 5th Grade: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
  • 6th Grade: Monday, November 18, 2024

Look for a sign-up form to be sent to each grade level via eNotify prior to the event. While registration is not required to attend, we ask that you kindly RSVP ahead of your grade-level event so we have a general idea of attendance.

We look forward to seeing you!


Book Fair Poster Contest Winners!

poster winners

2024 Book Fair Poster Contest Winners!

One of the favorite events of the year is upon us again with the Book Fair happening from October 21 - October 25.  Look for information in the teacher's agenda with specifics about browsing and buying times with their class.  Also, please join us in shopping at the night event on Wednesday, October 23rd from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.  Come hungry as the SGA will also be selling pizza, water, and light desserts in the cafeteria!

A very special congratulations to our Book Fair Poster Contest winners:  Bella F.-S. (K)Stella P. (1st); Somya G. (2nd); LuLu K. (3rd); Penny W. (4th);  Grayson S. (5th); and Cameron K. (6th).  Thank you to all the students who submitted posters -- the judges had a hard time choosing the winners!

Congratulations also to our participant winners who each received a gift certificate to be used at the book fair: Kayan O. (K); Rachel K (1st); Calvin G. (2nd); Andrew B. (3rd); Sahana S. (4th); Evelyn L. (5th); Radha B. and Elena Z. (6th-tie).


award

Outstanding Employee Nominations

Is there a Churchill teacher, staff member, or administrator that you would like to recognize? We are accepting Nominations for Outstanding Employees from now through October 30. To learn more or to nominate someone, click the link below:

https://churchillroades.fcps.edu/nominations

If you have any questions, please email Samantha Amatucci, School Counselor (sramatucci@fcps.edu) or Ashley Scott, Librarian, (akscott@fcps.edu). 


Last Call for Lost and Found

Missing a sweatshirt, lunchbox or jacket?  Lost and Found will be available in the Churchill front lobby through Friday, October 25 for perusal.  Any items not claimed by COB on October 25 will be donated.


Pru Brings Joy to Churchill Road!

pru visit

Churchill Road is delighted to welcome back our beloved visiting dog, Pru, to the classroom! Pru, a gentle three-year-old Newfoundland/Poodle mix, visits us alongside her handler, Kristin Pillay, a dedicated clinical social worker and therapist based in D.C. Kristin and Pru volunteer their time once a month, bringing comfort and joy to our students. Kristin is a strong advocate for the calming benefits of petting animals as a stress-relief tool, and we are deeply grateful for her generosity. We absolutely adore Pru and look forward to their visits!


bobcats

Character Strengths Focus

The next character strength our school community is focusing on is Creativity.

Creativity means you like to find new ways to think about and do things.

To practice and encourage the character strengths with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions about these character strengths.


FCPS News

  • 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.  


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, Churchill Road employees.


calendar

Quarter End, Early Release, Diwali/Dia de los Muertos and All Saints Day, Student Holidays

Thursday, October 31, is the last day of the first quarter, and a two-hour early release for students. Friday, November 1, is a holiday this year for Diwali and Dia de los Muertos and All Saints Day. All schools and offices will be closed. Schools are closed for students on Monday, November 4, for a school planning day, and Tuesday, November 5, for a teacher workday. See the complete school year calendar.


Important Dates

  • Monday - Friday, October 21-25 - Book Fair
  • Tuesday, October 22 - School Picture Makeups
  • Wednesday, October 23 - Book Fair Late Night, 5-8 PM
  • Monday, October 28 - 3 Hour Limited Early Release @ 12:20 PM
  • Thursday, October 31 - Fall Parade @ 9 AM
  • Thursday, October 31 - 2-Hour Early Release @ 1:20 PM (End of Quarter)
  • Friday, November 1 - School Closed (Diwali and All Saints Day)
  • Monday, November 4 - No School (School Planning Day)
  • Tuesday, November 5 - No School (Teacher Workday)
  • Monday, November 11 - No School -Veteran's Day
  • Friday, November 15 - International Night, 5-7 PM
  • Friday, November 22 - CRS Thanksgiving Luncheon
  • Wednesday-Friday, November 27-29 - Thanksgiving Holiday (school closed)