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Dear Mantua Families,
What a fantastic week it's been at Mantua!
Our Run for Rocky was a huge success, thanks to the incredible efforts of Emily Chesnes, the PTA, and all our dedicated volunteers. The funds raised will directly benefit our classrooms and enhance student learning. We’re incredibly grateful for your support!
And don't forget about our Book Fair today, Saturday, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Come enjoy books, food trucks, and more in our school library.
As we wrap up the first quarter, we're excited to celebrate with our annual Spirit Parade on Thursday, October 31st. Students are encouraged to dress as their favorite book character or in their grade-level theme. Students are welcome to wear costumes (no masks or toy weapons, please) or show their Mantua spirit with our school colors. Families are welcome to join us for the fun!
Please note that Friday, November 1st, is a holiday in observance of Diwali, Día de los Muertos, and All Saints' Day. Schools and offices will be closed. Additionally, Monday, November 4th, is a school planning day, and Tuesday, November 5th, is a teacher workday. See the complete school year calendar.
We hope you all have a fabulous fall weekend!
Take good care,
Ms. Shannon, Mr. Deixler, and Mrs. Vaughan
Save the Dates!
October 24-31: Mantua Book Fair
October 26: Mantua Book Fair Saturday Event, 10 AM -2 PM
October 29: FLE Parent Preview Night, 5:30-6:15 PM
October 31: Mantua Spirit Parade, 9:45 AM
October 31: End of the Quarter, two-hour early release for students, 2:05 PM
November 1: Diwali and All Saint’s Day/Dia de los Muertos, staff and student holiday
November 4: School Planning Day, student holiday
November 5: Election Day, teacher workday, and student holiday
November 8: Veteran’s Day breakfast and Hero Victory Cheer
November 11: Veteran’s Day, student holiday
November 13: Author Visit for 6th-grade students
November 21: Thanksgiving lunch for students and families
November 27-29: Thanksgiving, student holiday, offices closed
Be sure to bookmark the FCPS School Calendar to keep track of school holidays, breaks, and observances.
FCPS Outstanding Employee Nominations
Nominations are now open for the FCPS 2024 Outstanding Employee Awards! You can submit a nomination for a Mantua ES Employee in one of The categories below:
- Outstanding Teacher
- Outstanding New Teacher
- Outstanding Leader (Assistant Principal)
- Outstanding Professional Employee (School Counselor, School-Based Technology Specialist, Social Worker, School Psychologist, Technology Support Specialist)
- Outstanding Operational Employee (Office Staff, Instructional Assistant, Custodial Staff, Food Service Staff, Parent Liaison)
A preliminary nomination only requires a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the category's criteria.
How do I nominate someone? Please click here: Nominate a Mantua ES Employee.
The deadline to submit a nomination is November 15th. If you have any questions, please contact the Awards Liaison, Susan Song, at sssong@fcps.edu.
Veterans Day Celebrations
With November approaching, our Mantua school community would like to celebrate our veterans and thank them for their sacrifices for our country. We would like to honor your family’s veteran(s) in our veteran slideshow, which will be played in our front lobby throughout November. Please submit a digital photograph to Jane Dunfee (pjdunfee@fcps.edu) with the following information:
- Name and Picture of your Veteran
- Rank
- Branch of the military in which they served/are serving
- Wars, Conflicts, or Places they served
In addition, we are holding a breakfast for our veterans and their families on Friday, November 8th, at 8:45 to 9:45 in the cafeteria. (5th-grade chorus members may have one family member attend at 9:20 to watch them sing, or you may watch from an alternate location via the Zoom link found below.) After the breakfast concludes, we would like to honor all service members with a victory cheer from our classrooms at 9:40 so that our students can recognize and cheer on our attendees.
Please indicate if your veteran and their family members can attend by RSVPing through this link.
Zoom Link to join us virtually!
Feature Friday
Sending out a huge thank you to our Spirit Squad for a fantastic first Feature Friday. Staff were recognized with a sign outside of their classroom, pictures posted on Mantua's Instagram, and a Google form solicited positive notes from staff and the community to share with them. This week's featured staff were our Preschool team: Katie Yates, Diana Grace, Eman Moharram, and Nora Omar, and Kindergarten staff—Andrea Britton and Alexis Macedo. Our next Feature Friday will be the week of November 8.
The Positivity Project
This upcoming week, our school community will focus on the Other People Mindset of Knowing That My Words and Actions Affect Others, which means having an awareness that everything that we say and do can affect others — and our relationships with them.
Whether we speak, email, text, or post, our words and actions can have a positive or negative effect. The words and actions we choose can lift others up or bring them down, and they also impact us. When we all think carefully about our words and actions and show respect and care for those around us, we create a happier and healthier community.
To practice and encourage this Other People Mindset at home, please visit The Positivity Project’s mobile-friendly P2 for Families (available in English and Spanish), where you will watch a video together and discuss a quote and three questions. Below are links to this week’s P2 for Families lessons. Click on the grade level that best meets your child’s needs.
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, we 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.
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.
OFFICE OF THE OMBUDS
Office of the Ombuds staff engage with families, students, and staff to offer resources, assist in settling conflicts, and raise concerns to improve the experience of each and every member of the FCPS community. They work as an independent confidential resource to help get answers to questions, resolve concerns, and hear complaints regarding FCPS matters.
The ombuds is available to:
- Share strategies for parents to improve communication with, and between, school and home.
- Help resolve disagreements between parents and schools or disagreements involving employees in the workplace.
- Provide ideas to foster parent participation in Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan meetings.
Ombuds staff do not change or make decisions, policies, or regulations; take sides; or provide legal advice.
Anyone with concerns, questions, or complaints to share with the Office of the Ombuds may call 571-423-4014, email ombuds@fcps.edu, or visit their webpage, where you may Submit a Question.
Quick Contacts & Links
Linda Shannon, Principal LCSshannon@fcps.edu
Rich Deixler, Assistant Principal RADeixler@fcps.edu
Colleen Vaughan, Assistant Principal CAVaughan@fcps.edu
Susan Palomino, Administrative/Finance Assistant SLPalomino@fcps.edu
Mergie Kakouris, Student Information Assistant, MBKakouris@fcps.edu
Jane Dunfee, SBTS, Testing Coordinator, pjdunfee@fcps.edu
Fadwa Finaish, Office Assistant, FFinaish@fcps.edu
Judy Toy, Office Assistant, JPToy@fcps.edu
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