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Dear Stenwood Families,
Today wraps up the 1st quarter of the school year! Our Stingers have grown so much since the first day of school! And this week, our hive was buzzing!
Yesterday, our 4th graders taught us so many things about different American Indian Tribes with their Problem Based Learning Projects. Our 3rd graders wowed their families on Zoom sharing their animal creations. And our preschool students practiced their social and communication skills by trick-or-treating around our building. Today, our kindergarten families participated in pumpkin centers. This was a great connection to the Unit 1 Literacy unit and their field trip to the pumpkin farm! They even made pumpkin play-doh!
We also had a few field trips this week, the second half of our 6th graders enjoyed their trip to the Asian Art Museum and our 5th graders visited the Spy Museum.
Today we celebrated hitting our first school-wide goal by having a school-wide dance party! PTA continues to make progress with the Help the Hive campaign! Mrs. Riley and Mr. Case are ready next week for their stunt as we have also reached our second school-wide goal! Though today is the last day of the campaign, the PTA will gladly continue to accept donations into next week.
We have also welcomed three new staff members over the last two weeks!
Welcome to:
Lara Shuey, our new special education teacher. She is an experienced teacher and will be working primarily with students on their reading goals.
Adriana Rota, our new family liaison. She previously worked for Fairfax supporting registration centers.
Eva May, our new instructional assistant. She is a parent of a kindergartner and former member of the military.
As a reminder, we have many upcoming days that have impacts on our school calendar:
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Friday, November 1st - no school; Diwali & All Saints Day
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Monday and Tuesday, November 4th and 5th - Student holidays; end of the quarter. You should have already received information about conferences from your child’s teacher.
Lastly, we want to take a moment to recognize that November is National Family Engagement Month. We recognize that families are our Stingers’ first and most important teachers. And we want that important teaching to continue into the school as well!
We include in our weekly emails the recognitions of holidays and honoring of heritage months. But we also want to make it clear that we are extending the invitation to all of you, our families, to be a part of teaching about those traditions in the classroom!
We had several parents come in to talk to their child’s classes about Diwali this week and students loved it. If you know that there is a holiday or heritage month coming up that has particular meaning to you, your students, and your family, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher to offer to share about it with the class. These are opportunities to share about your family's celebrations and importance of traditions.
We hope everyone has a fantastic long weekend. We look forward to seeing all of our Stingers back in the Hive on Wednesday, November 6th.
Below you will find additional information about:
- Veterans Day - Wall of Heroes - NEW
- Before School/After School Supervision Reminder - NEW
- Thanksgiving Lunch Volunteers - Reminder
- Advanced Academic Program (AAP) Full-Time Services Referral Deadline - Reminder
- Federal Impact Aid Form - Reminder
- Stenwood Community Book Club - Reminder
- Retake & Make Up Picture Day! - Reminder
- Diwali - NEW
- All Saints Day - NEW
- Native American Heritage Month - NEW
- National Family Engagement Month - NEW
- School Meals and Free/Reduced Lunch Applications - Reminder
- Stenwood is Hiring!
- Stenwood PTA
Sincerely,
Erica Riley, Principal
esriley@fcps.edu
Bryan Case, Assistant Principal
bgcase@fcps.edu
Veterans Day - Wall of Heroes
If you have a family member who has served, or is currently serving our country in the armed forces and would like them to be honored on our “Wall of Heroes” please fill out the paper that your child brought home this week. We will hang this in the hallway to celebrate our Veterans for Veterans Day. We have extras in the office if you need another one. Please send it back in by November 6th.
Before School/After School Supervision Reminder
Students should not arrive at school before 8:20 a.m., and no later than 8:35 a.m. Our staff is on morning duty from 8:20-8:38 a.m. There will be no supervision prior to 8:20 a.m.
Walkers must walk home at the end of the school day. Students may not stay on the playground at the end of the day without parental supervision and/or checking in at home first. If students stay, parental supervision is expected to ensure safety and monitor behavior.
As a reminder from last year - during the school day, students are not permitted to climb the fence, crawl under the fence, or go behind the fence. The students do follow these expectations during the school day. If you have different expectations when you are supervising, please be responsible for your child’s behavior.
2024 Thanksgiving Lunch Volunteers
Stenwood’s Annual Thanksgiving Lunch will take place on Thursday, November 21st. Family sign-ups are now closed after being in the Hive Happenings for the last few weeks..
If you would like to volunteer, please sign up using this link. Volunteers will be helping with visitor check-in and meal serving. Do not sign up during your child’s lunch block. Please also do not plan to have younger siblings with you if you are volunteering.
Advanced Academic Program (AAP) Full-Time Services Referral Deadline
The Full-Time Services Referral deadline is December 15th, though Mrs. Hartman would love families who are planning to refer to turn them in December 9th - 13th if not before to ensure she has enough time to review that all required parts have been submitted before winter break begins.
You can find the Referral Form and Parent/Guardian Questionnaire here:
https://www.fcps.edu/academics/advanced-academic-programs-aap/forms-advanced-academic-program-aap
Referrals and optional materials are due no later than December 15th. Mrs. Hartman prefers to receive materials December 9th-13th or earlier to allow her ample time to review the materials and notify parents of any additional information needed or errors found.
- You may email Full-Time referrals and optional materials directly to Kaleigh Hartman at kkhartman@fcps.edu in one email. Hard copies are also accepted.
- You will receive a confirmation email within 1-2 business days.
Federal Impact Aid Form
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid for each child. Submitting this form is important because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
Help FCPS secure funding by helping us identify:
- Military families.
- Federally connected families.
- Families living on a military base.
Please complete one form for each child in your household. Remember that only the enrolling parent can fill out the Impact Aid Survey form.
For families without access to ParentVUE, a paper copy of the form will be sent home with your student starting November 12th. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.
To access the form, please login to SIS ParentVUE, select Online Packets in the top right hand corner, and then click the ‘Federal Impact Aid Survey’ button on the bottom of the page.
If you have multiple children in Fairfax County Public Schools, please make sure to fill out a form for each of your children. You will know you have completed all of the forms when you see a green check next to each of their names on the final screen.
We appreciate you completing the form by December 9th, 2024.
Stenwood Community Book Club
Our next book club meeting discussing The Anxious Generation by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt is November 7th at 3:30 pm, in person at Stenwood. If you haven’t already joined the email list, please fill out this form to express your interest and feedback and we will provide you with more details directly. The book club is facilitated by Catherine Wideman, Kindergarten Teacher and Tammy Berick, School Counselor. It is open to all parents, guardians and family members who want to join.
Retake & Make Up Picture Day!
Wednesday November 6th, 2023
 Victor O’Neill Studios is coming back for portrait makeups/retakes!
On Wednesday November 6th, students who were absent for the original session, new/transfer students, and those who were unsatisfied with their original portrait will have the opportunity to make them up.
Students who previously purchased a photo package and would like to retake their photo MUST return their original photo package to the photographer in order to receive a new package.
No purchase is necessary to retake photos. The new portrait will replace their original yearbook portrait and then be available for purchase.
Anyone who has not ordered can still do so using this link. Use your student ID when prompted for the online code.
Feel free to contact Victor O’Neill Studios with any questions or concerns:
underclass@vosphoto.com | (703) 532-0013
Diwali
 We wish a fun Diwali to all celebrating! Diwali is a festival of lights and one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs & some Buddhists. The festival represents the symbolic victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.
All Saints Day
This week we recognize those in our community observing All Saints Day and Día de los Muertos. For Catholics, All Saints Day (November 1) celebrates all those who are with God in Heaven, known and unknown. All Souls Day (November 2), known in Mexico and Latin America as Día de los Muertos, is a day of remembrance and prayer for all those who have died, especially for the souls who may be in purgatory. These special days are celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans, and some Protestants throughout the world.
Native American Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native Americans. It is also a time to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges they have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.
Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.
National Family Engagement Month
This month reminds us that families are children's first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers. Strong family support is vital to student well-being and success.
FCPS has many resources designed to increase engagement and partnerships with families while fostering academic success and social-emotional growth.
Additionally, every school has a family liaison who will welcome and orient families, and help them understand the school's culture, policies, procedures, and practices. They can help connect families to resources in the community. Family liaisons might also assist a family in transitioning to a new school and encourage family-school partnerships to help ensure their student's success and healthy development.
If you have questions or would like more information, ask your school office to connect you with our new family liaison, Adriana Rota, or visit FCPS’ website for a list of region representatives.
School Meals and Free/ Reduced Lunch Applications
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Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast will be $1.75. Lunch will be $3.25, milk $0.60. Money can be added to your child(ren)’s accounts using www.myschoolbucks.com. You can also write a check to Stenwood Food Services and deliver it to our Food Services Manager at Open House. During the school year, you can find the menu for breakfast and lunch at https://linqconnect.com/public/menu/ESSF44 .
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Free and Reduced-Price Status
Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals will continue to receive these benefits through the end of September. A new application must be filled out each new school year and forms are available online now: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/food-and-nutrition-programs/free-and-reduced-price-meals. Applications are accepted at any time, but we encourage you to apply or renew your application before the end of September. Call (703) 813-4800 if you need help. This must be completed for eligible students to receive free meals.
Stenwood is Hiring!
We are looking to hire Classroom Monitors and Substitutes! If you are interested in any of these positions, please reach out if you have any questions or if you want more information. Here is a link to FCPS’ application portal.
Classroom Monitors: Monitors will work every day students attend throughout the 2024-25 school year, and will directly support classrooms by providing additional supervision to students during lunch or in the classroom. The pay is $17.88/hour. Teachers will provide directions/assignments for monitors and students to complete. Please apply here and email me at esriley@fcps.edu so we can schedule a time to talk more. Please share this opportunity with others who might be interested.
Stenwood Elementary PTA
We hope you join our amazing PTA! If you are interested in volunteering to be a class parent, volunteering in our cafeteria or library, OR just looking to stay connected with the great work of our PTA, you can fill out a survey that will be sent out once class placements have been communicated.
More information about the PTA is available on their website.
6th Grade Field Trip to the National Museum of Asian Art!
(Higdon/Wilson)
4th Grade Family Invite!
Museum Exhibits
5th Grade Field Trip to the Spy Museum!
Stay Connected
Here are a few ways to stay connected with all the happenings at Stenwood ES
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Facebook
facebook.com/StenwoodElementary
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Instagram
@stenwoodelementary
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Website
stenwoodes.fcps.edu
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PTA Facebook
facebook.com/StenwoodElementaryPTA
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