Veterans Day Celebration
We look forward to celebrating Veterans Day on November 8th. We have planned a small event in the cafeteria for our veterans or current military families with your children. Here is the google form to indicate your interest as well as capture information if you wish to speak to your child's homeroom class. Thanks in advance!
Festive Fall Festival
We had a wonderful day on Thursday- a HUGE thanks to all of the parents and teachers who helped volunteer and plan fun activities and food for the students.
Administration Notes
Dear Parents,
Thanks for supporting our Fall Festivities! It was a great day - we appreciate your support. As we are ending the first quarter, we have included information with respect to our language arts in the blurb below. Note that ParentVue will soon upload all of the fall testing which will include iReady and the primary VALLS testing. The testing data will be uploaded fully by mid November. Check in with your teachers or administrators if you have questions.
We have included all upcoming calendar dates for the month of November. We are very appreciative of the support from the PTA and parents as we enter the second quarter. We look forward to seeing you at the Parent Engagement Night on November 7th. We will record it and will share the link after the event if you are unable to attend. It will be an informative meeting regarding language arts, math and Portrait of a Graduate.
Reminders for ALL visitors/parents/guardians whether you are picking up your child(ren), volunteering or otherwise, for security, we ask that you carry a valid drivers license or some sort of identification to verify. It is a safety request that we must enforce. Thanks in advance for supporting!
Thanks as always for your support!
Warmly,
Holly McGuigan Tia Hawkins Sarah Talley
Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal
Treats for Troops
We are collecting candy to send to the troops! Bring your unopened candy to the box or office between November 6th and 8th or to the office on November 4th and 5th (There are professional workdays for teachers - no students). We will donate the weekend of the 9th of November!
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Plan Forward - Dates to Mark on Your Calendar
November 4 and 5: Teacher Workdays (Parent Conferences)
November 4 - 8: Donate Halloween Candy
November 7: Parent Engagement Night - 6- 7 p.m.
November 7: Deadline to Donate a Winter Coat - See Below
November 8: Veterans Day Celebration - Inviting ALL veterans to celebrate with your children -please complete this google form.
November 11: Veterans Day Holiday - No School
November 12 - 15: National French Week - French Interns are joining us in November! We look forward to working with them!
November 18 - Cider & Bread Help deliver cider and breads to our teachers and staff! Sign-up coming soon!
November 21 - Pie-Palooza Pies are due to the Teacher's lounge by 9:30am on 11/21. Sign up using this link
November 27 - 29: Thanksgiving Holiday
December 2 - Deadline for Yearbook Cover - Enter now! Read below!
December 3: Family Life Education (FLE) - Virtual 5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Zoom link to be remitted)
December 7: Heritage Night - More information to come!
December 9: Three Hour Early Release - Changes only - google form to follow.
December 9: Chorus Concert - 5th and 6th Grade 5 p.m.
2024-25 FCPS School Calendar
Impact Aid Form - Forms Due Date 11/8!
We have a few families left that need to complete the electronic Federal Impact Aid Survey form. It is accessible through your ParentVUE account. We hope the following instructions will help you resolve any possible issues.
- If you see Online Registration, please delete it or click “Remind me later”. You don’t have to do it as the student is registered already.
- If you see Online Verification packet, click it to access the Impact Aid form. If you have any changes to make, you can update through the online verification. Then Save and Continue until you see the Impact Aid form.
Any further issues, please reply to Sonia Shi, refer to the email below or contact the Parent Tech Help line at 833-921-3277. We must have 100% completion for our school. If you need an activation code to create a ParentVUE account, please contact our registrar Annie Joseph .
Teacher Teams Represented!
They planned and collaborated - some teams represented emotions (can you tell which ones??) as well as many book characters!
Do You Know A Kent Gardens Teacher/Staff Member Who Is OUTSTANDING?
Please consider submitting a nomination for a Kent Gardens Elementary Outstanding Employee, by completing this Google form. You may nominate an employee in any of the following categories: Outstanding Teacher Outstanding New Teacher Outstanding Principal Outstanding Leader Outstanding Support Employee Outstanding Hourly Employee
Details about each category can be found on the nomination form. All nominations must be entered by Wednesday, November 13th!
Focus on Bravery
This week, our school community will focus on the character strength of Bravery. Bravery means you act with mental, moral, or physical strength, even when you know things are difficult or scary.
Bravery refers to voluntary (not coerced) action in the face of a dangerous circumstance. This strength involves judgment; the brave person must have an understanding of the risks and consequences involved in acting. Bravery isn’t simply fearlessness but instead the overcoming of fear.
Overcoming fears is critically important in individual development, as it allows the person to do more and become more. A person can be brave every single day. For example, some people with social anxiety are brave just by leaving their houses and talking with people. On a physical level, bravery allows us to overcome fears, such as swimming or playing a sport. And, on a moral level, doing what we know to be right, despite the risks, gives us the sense that we are acting on behalf of a larger purpose.
To practice and encourage the character strength of bravery 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.
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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!
Yearbook Cover Contest!!
We are excited about the 24-25 yearbook and are offering the students the opportunity to create the cover for this school year. Our theme is: #BeTheGold. The reference for this theme ties in with 'kintsugi' - whereby liquid gold is used to repair broken pottery; thus, nothing is truly broken and builds resilience and strength.
- Theme: #BeTheGold
- Include 'Kent Gardens Elementary 2024-25 in the design
- Use 8.5 x 11 or 9x12 paper in a portrait orientation
- Check your spelling!!!
- Deadline - Monday, December 2nd!
Turn in finished work to the office. Reminder - we choose on cover for each grade level for the back cover and one for the front cover. Remember #kgpride can be emphasized as well with the #BeTheGold! Thanks in advance for the creativity!!!
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News from Shelley Lowinger - Parent Liaison
Free COVID-19 Tests - With cold and flu season picking up, families can order free at-home COVID-19 tests. You can use this LINK for more information and to order tests.
November is Family Engagement in Education Month - I want to share with you some rewarding activities you can do with your families to encourage quality family time:
Read a book, magazine or newspaper with your child; Listen to and discuss different types of music with your child; Take time to participate in an activity at your child’s school; Join KGES PTA and join all our family fun activities; As a family, learn more about recycling efforts and pledge to reduce, reuse and recycle; Teach your child a new skill or introduce them to a new hobby; Praise your child for their effort, rather than their abilities; Pick a home improvement project and work together on it; Talk to your child about why we honor those who courageously serve our country; Flip through old family photos and tell stories about your family’s history
November is Military Family Month - Women Giving Back is opening their doors to military families to shop for women’s and children’s clothing at no cost. Customers must have Military ID to shop. Questions Event timing is November 8 - 10:00 – 1:00 p.m. at 20 Export Drive, Sterling, VA
Winter Break Camps - It’s never too early to start thinking about camp, winter camp that is! Fairfax County Park Authority offers a wide variety of winter camps for children. To check out offerings and register, click HERE.
Support the Winter Coat Drive!
Support our winter coat drive and give the gift of warmth to others in need. Please donate new and gently used coats. They can be placed in the box near the front office between now and Thursday, November 7th at 4 p.m. It's a short window for donating - thanks for your support!
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Other Donation Opportunities
Help KGES support Pieces of Illumination, a local high school student-run organization, and provide puzzles for seniors and kids with autism.
You can donate new or lightly used jigsaw puzzles, Legos, or board games by dropping them off in the blue box near the front office between Wednesday 11/6 and Wednesday 11/20.
Third Grade Pumpkin Characters & Art Class Fun
PTA News
PTA membership for the school year costs $20 and is about more than monthly meetings and the odd event here and there. The PTA supports schools and that means staff, teachers, students and their families in ways that go beyond what any one group would be capable of on their own. Make joining the PTA at Kent Gardens a priority. We can't be the PTA we are without parents and other caring adults like YOU!
We are still searching for a President Elect to join our PTA board. Contact Jenny Gregory, PTA President for more information
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Ways to Make a Difference This Year! - New Volunteer Opportunities This Year
Volunteer Opportunities
Heritage Night Planning Committee
11/18 Cider & Bread Help deliver cider and breads to our teachers and staff! Sign-up coming soon!
11/21 Pie-Palooza On Thursday, November 21, staff names will be announced throughout the day to come choose a holiday pie donated by KGES families. Homemade AND store bought pies are welcome! Pies are due to the Teacher's lounge by 930am on 11/21. Sign up using this link!
KGES Movie Night Who doesn't love a good movie? Volunteers are needed to organize a KGES movie night for the entire school community to enjoy together! Interested in helping with either of these new roles? Contact kgptapresident@gmail.com if interested!
Teacher and Staff Love Wednesdays The KGES Wellness Committee has shared that teachers and staff LOVE when there is coffee/tea available for them in the lounge...and they REALLY love treats! Help us shower our teachers and staff with love every Wednesday this year by bringing in coffee/tea, snacks, bags of mini candies, or whatever goodies you think might help sweeten their day. You can also help stack the staff lounge with paper plates/cups/napkins...etc. Please choose a slot to volunteer and drop off in the Staff Lounge by 8am on Wednesdays to show some love and support for our fabulous teachers and staff.
KGES Food Bus Food Rescue Program Volunteers Needed Do you have a half-hour to spare on Friday afternoons to deliver food to SHARE of McLean Food Pantry at McLean Baptist Church? Interested in getting involved in this program? Please sign up HERE and/or email beccadw@gmail.com or lanavu@gmail.com with questions. Service hours available for middle/high school students! Thank you for your ongoing support. We could not do this amazing program without you!
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Square 1 Art - Deadline Coming! Nov. 15
A Square 1 Art personalized catalog featuring your child's masterpiece is coming home THIS WEEK! Square 1 Art makes for amazing holiday gifts with your child's creative use of vibrant colors printed on high-quality items like pot holders, tea towels, coffee mugs, and more! The deadline to order is November 15!
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