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No School on Monday, November 11 in honor of Veterans Day. |
 Dear Veterans Day Speakers,
We would like to express our sincere gratitude for sharing your knowledge, wisdom, and time with us today. This was the first time Keene Mill has put on such an interactive event, and with your help, it was a huge success! Thank you for your time and service. We hope to see you again at a future Keene Mill event.
Linda Peace
Proud Principal
Our band, chorus, and strings students prepared patriotic music that all of the students enjoyed during the morning news. You can watch the video here.
 Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey
A big 🎉THANK YOU🎉 to all families who have already filled out and submitted their form through ParentVue!!
Keene Mill currently has 22% submitted!
We are missing 603 surveys.
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.
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.
📈 Fall Student Testing Results
Screening Assessment Reports Available in SIS ParentVUE
Each fall, FCPS students take part in screening assessments for reading and mathematics to identify strengths and areas for support. Score reports for families are posted in ParentVUE in the “Documents” section, generally about one month after testing has been completed.
- iReady reports in grades 1-8 and Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System (VALLSS) reports in grades 1-3 are available in ParentVUE now.
- VALLSS and Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP) reports for kindergarteners will be available by Friday, November 15, and for pre-K students by Friday, December 6.
Visit FCPS’ website for additional information about student tests at each grade level, including what each test is for and when each test takes place. Caregivers may follow up with their children’s teachers for more information about how they use test results to support student success.
Family Life Education
Students in grades K-6 participate in Family Life Education (FLE) instruction through their classroom teacher. Students in Grades 4-6 receive instruction in a human growth and development unit and an emotional and social health unit. For more information about the FCPS Family Life Education program, please see the detailed grade-level program descriptions at: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary/family-life-education
In addition, grade level-specific curriculum lessons are available for review.
- Online in Schoology - includes lessons and media titles that FCPS has streaming rights for. Any additional media or book titles that are not streamed are available at your child’s school library. Parents/guardians login to Schoology using the same username and password as their Student Information System (SIS) Parent account. (Parent/Guardian Access to FLE Materials in Schoology)
Parents/guardians who do not wish to have their child participate in FLE instruction may choose to opt their child out of any or all of the lessons. If you would like to opt your child out of one or more lessons, contact Mrs. Colter @ egcolter@fcps.edu. If you have already indicated your desire to opt your child out of FLE lessons by using the link in Parent Vue, you do not need to contact anyone. Should you opt your child out and then later decide you want your child included in FLE instruction, you must notify Mrs. Colter, Assistant Principal, in writing before instruction begins.
You are invited to learn more about the Family Life Education media and lessons and to talk with school staff about the program. The meeting will be held on Thursday, November 21 at 6:30 p.m. virtually. A link will be sent in a future communication.
Advanced Academic News
Full-Time referrals for students are due no later than Sunday, December 15, 2024. Please visit the FCPS AAP site for helpful information regarding the referral process. For your convenience, here are the links for the Full-Time (Level IV) Referral Form and Parent/Guardian Questionnaire.
All documents should be emailed to Mrs. Brandt at JBrandt@fcps.edu no later than December 15th. For more information about all of the AAP services we offer, please visit your child’s Schoology course and look in the Advanced Academics Folder for the AAP September Newsletter. Use your ParentVUE login credentials to access Schoology. If you have any questions, please contact our Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, Julia Brandt, at JBrandt@fcps.edu.
📍 Boundary Review Community Meetings Start This Month
As a reminder, FCPS has started the process of reviewing school boundaries across the division. This important work will help the district better support student population growth, changes in school capacity, and evolving community needs. Community input is vital to this process. With that in mind, FCPS, in partnership with Thru Consulting, will be hosting a series of community meetings in each of FCPS’ six regions. Participants are encouraged to share their thoughts, ask questions, and learn more about the boundary review process.
Please visit FCPS’ website for meeting dates, locations, and other information. Sign up for the School Boundary Review newsletter for updates.
IEP Palooza and Community Resource Fair
Parents/caregivers, school staff, and students over the age of 14 are invited to attend an interactive event celebrating the individualized education program (IEP) process. The IEP Palooza and Community Resource Fair will take place on Saturday, November 16, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., at Jackson Middle School.
The event is sponsored by Fairfax County Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA). Activities include simulated IEP meetings, break-out sessions on the various parts of an IEP, and a resource fair to learn more about community supports. Register in advance.
Services for Hearing-Impaired and Visually-Impaired Students
Students with sensory disabilities require specialized services and support to access instruction that is typically presented visually and auditorily (by means of hearing). FCPS provides educational services to students who are deaf, hearing-impaired, or visually impaired. They are supported in various settings, including at their school or through itinerant specialists who travel to different schools to work with students, rather than being based in a single school. Learn more about Services for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Services for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired.
Visit the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) website for Resources for Serving Students with Sensory Disabilities.
PTA News
 PTA GENERAL MEETING WEDNESDAY EVENING FEATURES SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS
The November PTA general meeting has been moved to WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13. The meeting is virtual and begins at 6:30 PM. A link to the meeting is posted on the KMES PTA website: keenemillpta.ptboard.com and was also sent in last week’s PTA November Newsletter.
The PTA welcomes two FCPS school board members to join us for this meeting: Sandy Anderson (Springfield) and Rachna Sizemore Heizer (Braddock). They will discuss various school board items, including how the school board operates, curriculum, funding, and the boundary study. Please join us for this informative conversation!
 PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT: INCOURAGE MARTIAL ARTS ON NOV. 15
The Keene Mill PTA has arranged a Parents’ Night Out at InCourage Martial Arts on Friday, Nov. 15 from 6:30-8:30 PM. The theme of the night is Thanksgiving-Palooza and there will be pizza and games galore!
The evening is for children ages 4-12 and cost is $25. All participants must register through bit.ly/burkeevents
 REMINDER ABOUT PYRAMID CHALLENGE FUN RUN ON NOV. 16
The West Springfield Pyramid Challenge is Saturday, Nov. 16. Keene Mill students who have registered for the annual event should arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of their race to check in and receive their t-shirt and runner number. Please check the race schedule for your student’s race time.
NOTICE: Participants who live in the area surrounding Keene Mill and Irving Middle School are highly encouraged to walk to the event to reduce traffic congestion. Thank you!
Mark Your Calendar
Monday, November 11-Veterans Day-NO SCHOOL
Wednesdsay, November 13-General PTA Meeting with School Board Members @6:30 pm, virtual
Thursday, November 14-First Quarter Progress Reports Home in Thursday folders
Saturday, November 16-Pyramid Challenge, Irving Middle School
Monday, November 18-3-hour Early Release Monday
Thursday, November 21-FLE Parent Information Meeting @6:30 pm, virtual
Wednesday-Friday, November 27-29-Thanksgiving Break-NO SCHOOL
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