Falcon Flyer: October 24th, 2024

October 24th, 2024


Flint Hill Updates


Good Afternoon Flint Hill Families,

This week students and teachers were enjoying the nice weather and learning in classrooms, courtyards and fields! Mrs. Chang met with kindergarten students to plant tulip bulbs to prepare for the arrival of monarch butterflies in the spring as part of the Journey North program. Ms. Garner and Ms. Coffey brought PE classes outside to the fields to enjoy the nice weather for outdoor activities.

We are looking forward to a great evening for Pumpkin Bingo! Registration will begin at 4:45 pm and the first games will begin at 5:00 pm on Friday, October 25th. As always, there will be limited parking, so please plan ahead for your arrival.

Thank you to all of the volunteers, staff, student, family and PTA support that helped to get FHES in the Town of Vienna Halloween Parade! FHES was represented well by a great crowd of costumed students and families on the Toy Story themed float! See the excitement here (starting at minute 58).

Next week will also the next 3 hour early release day for Flint Hill on Monday, October 28th. All families received a confirmation letter for your dismissal selections for this day. Last minute changes are not encouraged as we are carefully planning to ensure all students are dismissed correctly. If any changes are necessary, please notify the FHES main office.

Also, please be aware that on Thursday, October 31st, FCPS schools will dismiss 2 hours early. On 10/31 all students will be dismissed to their regular afternoon transportation. November 1st is also a school holiday for all FCPS students and staff. Schools will again be closed for students on Monday, November 4th and Tuesday, November 5th for teacher work days and election day. We look forward to beginning the 2nd quarter with students on Wednesday, November 6th!

As we prepare for more learning across the remainder of the school year, please be sure your morning routines help students arrive to school on time! School doors open at 8:35 am and the late bell at 8:50 am. When students arrive at school on time and are in their seats ready to learn they are set up for a successful day. 

Kindly,

 

Mr. Montaquila, Principal

Mr. Baker, Assistant Principal


Spirit Day: Grade Level Colors! Friday, October 25th!

FHES Spirit Day

Show your Falcon pride on Friday, October 25th!

Wear your new FHES Spirit Wear or anything in your grade level color!

Kindergarten: Green

1st: Orange

2nd: Purple

3rd: Dark Blue

4th: Light Blue

5th: Red

6th: Gold


Outstanding Employee Award Nominations

It’s that time of year again to celebrate the wonderful staff of Flint Hill!  Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards!  To submit a nomination for a Flint Hill Outstanding Employee in one of the categories below, please complete the nomination through this form.

 

You may nominate one employee at our school or multiple employees (one individual may only nominate one employee per category.)

All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category. The google form link has more information regarding the criteria for each of these awards and the eligibility requirements are below.

 

Outstanding Teacher: Eligibility: Has at least three years of experience as a teacher (in any school/school district); librarians are included in this category.

Outstanding New Teacher: Eligibility: Has up to three years of experience as a teacher (in any school/school district); librarians are included in this category.

Outstanding Principal: Eligibility: Has at least three years of experience as a building principal (in any school/school district).

Outstanding New Principal: Eligibility: Has up to three years of experience as a building principal (in any school/school district).

Outstanding Leader: Eligibility: At least one year of experience in current position as a Schedule-C or School-Based Administrator scale employee (that is not the building principal): Common positions in this category: Assistant and Associate Principals, Director of Student Activities, Director of Student Services.

Outstanding Professional Employee: Eligibility: At least one year of experience in current position as a Schedule-B employee or other non-instructional employee in a school that supports school leadership.  Common positions in this category: School-Based Technology Specialist, Technology Support Specialist, Assessment Coach, Career Center Specialist, Instructional Coach, Psychologist, Social Worker, School Counselor, Safety and Security Specialist, Resource Teachers that serve in an administrative role in a school.

Outstanding Operational Employee: Eligibility: At least one year of experience in current position as Schedule-A or Classroom Instructional Support Scale employee. Common positions in this category: Administrative and Office Staff, Safety and Security Assistant, Custodial Staff, Food Service Staff, IA, PHA, PHTA, All Parent Liaisons (regardless of how they are paid).    

The deadline to submit a nomination is November 13th


Reflections 2024-2025 - Due 11/15/24

FHES Reflections

The Reflections program provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts which boost
student confidence and success in the arts and in life.

Explore the arts and express yourself! This year's theme is “Accepting Imperfection”. Use it as inspiration for your creative submissions to this year’s Reflections program.

Submissions open September 9th! Deadline for entries is November 15th

Students participate in the appropriate division for their grade:
Primary (Pre-K - Grade 2), Intermediate (Grades 3-5), Middle
School (Grades 6-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Special Artist
(All grades welcome).

Our school will participate all categories this year:

  • Photography
  • Literature
  • Visual Arts
  • Music Composition
  • Dance Choreography
  • Film Production

Learn more: National PTA Reflections

Interested in judging? Email reflections.fhes@gmail.com


PTA Meeting Recap - Check-out our FHES Staff Updates on Video!

FHES PTA

Couldn't Make Last Night's PTA Meeting? See you what Missed!

We had an awesome group of FHES teachers and Principal Montaquila present at last night's PTA Meeting. Please take a minute to watch the recording our PTA meeting so you can see the updates provided by FHES' IT Instructor, Ms. Stout, the 1st Grade Team, Mrs. Wolters and Mrs. Thurston, and members of our amazing FHES SPED team, Mrs. McCool and Mrs. Reiners. Principal Montaquila also provided an update and recap. Refer to the below recording times to catch each presentation. The PTA Board gives a heartfelt thanks for these staff members giving their extra time to speak at our PTA meeting and sharing how the PTA is positively making an impact in the FHES community.

Video is available here. Password is Falcons2024!

The PTA's meeting presentation is available at the below link.

  • Jump to minute 1:30 for Ms. Stout 
  • Jump to minute 7:30 for Mrs. Wolters & Mrs. Thurston in 1st Grade
  • Jump to minute 17:10 for Mrs. McCool and Mrs. Reiners in Special Education
  • Jump to minute 55:30 for Principal Montaquila's Updates

Thank you to all who came (in person and virtually) to our PTA Meeting. The community involvement is what makes the PTA so special and we appreciate those who showed up. Attendance at PTA Meetings is not required, but our FHES staff and administration appreciate the audience!


Impact Aid Survey in ParentVUE

pencil

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. In October, 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.


Yearbook Snap

Yearbook Snap

For the last couple of years, we have asked the community to upload photos to add to our Yearbook. We received LOTS of submissions! While we can’t use every photo in the yearbook, we would love to offer the opportunity for our families to submit photos again.  Our yearbook theme this year is “You Belong Here”.

Please upload images to our Yearbook Snap. Access Code: flinthill24 In order to collect photos, we ask that they are either camera images or cell phone photos without the Live feature attached. If you upload photos and the ending is .HEIC instead of .JPG we are unable to use them in the yearbook.  We look forward to seeing everyone’s photo in the yearbook this year.

Remember to Pre-Order your Yearbook! You wouldn’t want to miss out.


The 2024-25 Yearbook Sale is Open!

Make sure to order before it’s too late! Purchase at https://yearbookforever.com/#

Yearbook

Veterans Celebration Photo Submissions

Please upload an image by November 4th for use in our Veterans' Day Celebration on November 14th. We ask that photographs be of immediate family members to the FHES student only:  Parents, Guardians, Grandparents, Siblings or Uncles/Aunts only.

 

*If you have sent in an image last year, we still have it! :) Thank you! 

 

https://forms.gle/5qj9Vw4G7K9w3mDr6

Veterans' Day Photos

JMHS WINGS Program - Opportunities for HS Students Needed

All Madison seniors participate in the Mad WINGS program, a 30-hour volunteer career shadowing / community service opportunity at a senior’s choice of business or service organization in May of their senior year. This year, the Senior WINGS Experience dates are May 12 - May 28, 2025. JMHS is seeking additional organizations to sponsor one or more seniors for their WINGS Experience. As parents, we know you have many contacts in the local community with businesses and organizations. More information can be found on the Madison website.

Please consider giving students an opportunity to career shadow at your business/community service organization and forward to anyone who may be interested in supporting. Sign up by completing this form by Thursday, October 31st.


Digital Citizenship Resource for Parents

THORN

Last week, we wrapped up Digital Citizenship Week! as we reflect on our discussions of helping kids navigate our 24/7 digital world, we wanted to provide a resource to families that will help support you with hard discussions about online safety.

Thorn is a helpful tool for parents to guide conversations with their child ages 7-17. The interactive discussion guides are especially helpful - be sure to click on a conversation and then keep scrolling down to interactive where the conversation is modeled.  Even sign up for text messages to help with more social media guidance for those hard conversations.


Calendar Reminders

  • October 25th - Pumpkin Bingo!
  • October 28th - 3 Hour Early Release
  • October 31st - Quarter 1 End - 2-hour early release
  • November 1st - Diwali/All Saints Day/Día de los Muertos - School Holiday
  • November 4th - School Planning Day/Student Holiday
  • November 5th - Teacher Workday/Election Day/Student Holiday
  • November 11th - Veterans Day - School Closed

When a Student Should Stay Home From School

Telephone

Whether students miss school because of illness or any other reason, missing school leads to learning loss.

Help your child succeed by encouraging them to attend as many days as possible, but do make sure your child stays home if they are sick. Visit FCPS’ website for information on when to keep your child at home.

If your child has a chronic illness, make sure to notify their teacher so that support can be provided if needed. Also, keep an open line of communication with your school's public health staff.

Read about how families can help form good attendance habits. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!


FHES Family Handbook

FHES Logo

Good communication between home and school is vital to a successful school experience for each child. Questions relating to your child should be directed to the classroom teacher. All teachers have voice mail and an e-mail address. The school has a web page that links directly to each teacher’s e-mail.

Each year, FCPS produces a Handbook for its FCPS families. It contains valuable information you may need throughout the year, including calendars, services, and special programs, the instructional program, and information about starting school. Flint Hill Elementary has produced a handbook that includes some additional notes that are important for our school community.

Flint Hill Elementary Family Handbook


How to Receive FCPS Messages in Other Languages

You may wish to read FCPS messages in a language other than English. There are several ways you can receive or view our communications in a different language.

FCPS This Week is distributed in other languages to parents/guardians who have filled out the Home Language Survey form and selected a language supported by FCPS as their preferred language for communication. Home Language Survey forms are available in the following languages: Amharic | Arabic (العربية) | Chinese (中文) | Farsi (فارسی) | Korean (한국어) | Spanish (español) | Urdu (اردو) | Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt).

Learn more about other communications that are translated. 


Paperless Opt-Outs Available!

As a part of our ongoing efforts to streamline paper processes, parents can now select a number of opt-out’s electronically via ParentVUE.  Once you have signed into your ParentVUE account, simply select the “Student Info” tab and click on “Edit Information.” You will find opt-out’s listed there.  Parents that do not yet have a ParentVUE account will still be able to use paper forms for notification. If you need to set up your ParentVUE account, you can create one online via the FCPS ParentVUE Registration page.