From the School Administration
Dear Belvedere Families,
What amazing fall weather we have had these last two weeks! We hope you have had time to enjoy time outdoors. Tomorrow is Belvedere’s first Outdoor Club family outing of this school year. Ms. Auerbach, environmental education teacher, will be leading two groups, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, for a visit to Huntley Meadows Park. There are still spots for families to join these trips. If you are interested in going to the park, buses to the park will leave at 9 in the morning and at 12:45 in the afternoon. You are also welcome to drive to the park and meet the group there. Please feel free to contact Mrs. Auerbach at asauerbach1@fcps.edu.
On Tuesday next week, we will have Trunk or Treat from 6pm until 7pm. There will also be a low sensory available from 5:30 pm until 6 pm. This event promises to be great fun with students and staff in costume. We look forward to seeing you then.
Sincerely,
Cecilia Vanderhye, Principal
Tara Boone, Assistant Principal
Kelly Cabezas, Assistant Principal
Storybook Character Parade
On Thursday, October 31, we invite students to dress up as their favorite storybook character for our annual Storybook Character Parade. The students will parade around the school starting at 9:45 am. Families are invited to come stand in the lobby and line the front hallways to watch the parade. We hope to see you then!
Belvedere Outdoor Club
Join Outdoor Club for the first trip of the 2024-2025 school year on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at Huntley Meadows Park! Outdoor Club meets on select Saturdays to explore local parks with students and their families. Bus transportation is available from Belvedere and Barcroft View apartments. For this trip only, we will have a morning and afternoon trip to provide more bus space because parking is very limited. Details and registration information were sent home in Friday folders (also available here). Registration is first come, first serve, no later than Thursday, October 24, 2024.This year’s remaining Outdoor Club trips are tentatively scheduled for 11/23, 1/25, 3/22, and 5/3. Please contact our Environmental Educator, Andrea Auerbach (asauerbach1@fcps.edu) with questions.
Outdoor Workday - Volunteers Needed
Help us refresh our outdoor learning spaces on Friday, November 1, 10am-12pm or Saturday, November 2, 10am-12pm (stay for any amount of time). Tasks may include removing invasive plants from the back meadow, cleaning up/weeding gardens, planting, building garden beds, and moving mulch. Students are welcome with an adult. Sign up now! Questions? Contact Andrea Auerbach at asauerbach1@fcps.edu.
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.
Safeway Immunization Clinics for All FCPS Students
Safeway Pharmacy will host immunization clinics for any FCPS student age 18 or younger at Frost Middle School on Monday, October 28, and Tuesday, October 29, from 3 to 7 p.m.
Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are highly encouraged to avoid wait times. A parent or guardian must accompany walk-in students age 18 or younger to provide consent. Learn more about immunization resources and registering in other languages for the Safeway clinic.
Students age 19 and older may access free immunizations at their middle/high school immunization clinic, the Fairfax County Health Department or through other community resources.
Elementary School Clinics
The Fairfax County Health Department will provide immunizations for FCPS elementary students on limited early release Mondays at their district offices. All school-required immunizations will be offered at no cost. Call 703-246-7100 to make your appointment.
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!
 
 Need a cookie? We’ve got that
Sign up for the Election Day Bake + Wrapping Paper Fundraiser on Tuesday, Nov. 5. We have tons of opportunities open from 6 a.m.-8 p.m., and you can also donate (or purchase) baked goods or wrapping paper. Details:https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E054AA9A822A4FC1-51192210-election
Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FRM)
Learn more about the criteria and process to apply for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch.
If you need assistance with the Free and Reduced-Meal application, please visit Belvedere's Family Liaison, Mrs. Plazas in the Parent Center or you may call her office at (703) 916-6824
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.
Benchmark
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Newsletters: Elementary School Language Arts Grading Updates
Our teachers have been hard at work teaching with the new Language Arts curriculum, and we are excited to help all of our students become strong readers and writers! This year we also have new assessments, which is how we check if your student needs extra help with reading and writing, and new Standards of Learning (SOLs).
Because of these changes, we are now teaching all of the Language Arts skills your child needs to know (and checking if they need extra help) throughout the whole school year, instead of different skills each quarter. While these skills will be new to your child in the beginning of the year, the goal is for your child to grow strong in all of their new skills by the end of the year.
This means that when you get your child’s progress report next month, it might look different. Your child’s teacher will give you more information on the new progress reports and how we’re making sure your child is getting any extra help they might need. You can also find more information on FCPS’ Grading and Reporting webpage.
We will also have new ways for you to help your child practice their reading and writing skills at home. These resources are coming soon!
Impact Aid
Newsletters:
- Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets (in the upper right corner after logging in). Please complete it as soon as possible.
For any families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE, schools will provide paper forms starting Wednesday, November 13. Paper forms should be returned by Wednesday, December 4.
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important. Information from this survey resulted in more than $4 million in funding last year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
For more information, please watch this video on Impact Aid and visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page.
Need to Register for ParentVUE?
Learn how to activate your SIS ParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey.
Technical support for using ParentVUE or completing the survey online is available by submitting a Parent Support Request ticket. Select SISParent in the Application dropdown menu and type Federal Impact Aid Survey under Issue Description. Or, call the Parent Technology Help Desk at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS).
Community Conversations
Social Media:
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🎤 Join Superintendent Reid at a Community Conversation. Ask questions and share your thoughts: October 30, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Herndon Middle SchoolRegister to attend: https://bit.ly/472s5Oa
Newsletters:
- 🎤 Our Schools, Our Future: Register Today for a Community Conversation!
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid invites you to share your thoughts and ask questions at the final community conversation this fall. It will be held Wednesday, October 30, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Herndon Middle School. Click the date to register. Childcare and language interpretation services will be provided.
District News/In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)
If you prefer to have an abbreviated way to share district news, consider sharing the language below in your newsletter. Please edit the list of topics to best fit the needs of your community.
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FCPS NewsIn case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics and others:
- Federal Impact Aid Survey
- Football Players Tackle Literacy
- Tips to Keep Children Safe
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
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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October 31: Quarter End, Early Dismissal and Student Holiday
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Thursday, October 31, is the last day of the first quarter, and a two-hour early release for students.
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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.
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