 In This Message:
- Principals' Message
- PTA News and Announcements
- Outstanding Employee School Winners
- Upcoming Photo Make Up Day
- Walk in My Shoes
- Floris Recess Bin Donations
- Giving Tree Charity
- Boundary Review
- Advanced Academics Information
- Upcoming Parent Session
- District News/ In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)
- Upcoming Dates
Principals' Message
Dear Floris Families,
We want to thank all of our families who attended the Thanksgiving Day Lunch today! It was a special day, filled with positive energy and so much joy. Our students, staff, and families had the chance to come together, enjoy delicious food, and celebrate the wonderful community we’ve built.
It was incredible to hear the laughter, see the smiles, and watch our kids connecting with their friends. Your presence and continued engagement in our school make such a difference, and we are grateful for the love and support you bring to our school family.
Thank you again for making this event such a success!
Enjoy the weekend, and we look forward to more moments like these in the future!
Thank you,
Joshua DeSmyter, Principal
Robert Gibbs, Assistant Principal
PTA News and Announcements
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended the Floris Spirit Ball last Friday. The children had an unforgettable time, and we hope the parents enjoyed the opportunity to connect with fellow community members.
The PTA is deeply grateful for the support and enthusiasm of all the parents and guardians who have participated in events this year. Your involvement not only helps create lasting memories for your students but also has a meaningful impact on their educational experience.
First Lego League Winners!
Congratulations to the Floris 5th graders who won the regional First Lego League Division 1 championship at Chantilly High School this past weekend!
The all-girls team of Aditi K, Aadhira S, Anoushka G, Daniella T, Meera S & Shreeya P won 2 awards: Robot Performance Award ( 2nd place) and the Champions Award ( 1st place). The team "Rainbow Radishes" is headed to the FLL States Tournament at James Madison University on Dec 7th!
Way to go!
VASO Division B registration is open
Floris students in 6th grade are invited to register for the 2024 Virginia Science Olympiad (VASO) Division B, which holds multiple Spring tournaments typically in mid-February or early-March. FIND MORE INFORMATION HERE.
Reflections:
The deadline for entries is Friday, December 6. Read more information here
🌟Floris Outstanding Employee Winners 🌟
Thank you so much for all of the thoughtful nominations for our fabulous staff! All of the nomination write ups were put together for a selection committee, which met on Monday morning. The Outstanding Employees from Floris, moving on to compete against other school winners for the Westfield Pyramid, are:
- Outstanding Teacher: Sydney Lynch (1st Grade Teacher)
- Outstanding New Teacher: Jennie Tieff (4th Grade Teacher)
- Outstanding Professional Employee: Willa McGrath (School-Based Technology Specialist)
- Outstanding Operational Employee: Aparajita Mehra (Kindergarten Assistant)
- Outstanding Leader: Robert Gibbs (Assistant Principal)
- Outstanding Principal: Joshua DeSmyter
Every staff member that was nominated received all of the kind words, so that they could feel the love, and we are incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive community. Thank you!
Upcoming Photo Make Up Day on December 4th
You may have noticed in our upcoming dates that our school photographers are coming back on December 4th. This photo day is for students who were absent, new to the school, or who were not happy with their original package (students are required to return their original package to the photographer). No purchase is necessary!
Walk in My Shoes Program: Volunteers Needed!
Floris is once again partnering with “Walk in My Shoes” to bring a special event to all 4th, 5th and 6th graders in December. Students will participate in hands on learning activities designed to teach students to be respectful and inclusive of all children, especially those with medical, developmental, or learning challenges. In order for the program to be successful, we need parent volunteers. Even if your student is not yet in 4th grade, we need you! Training to run an activity and the related conversation will be provided prior to the event. It is a lot of fun and easy to do, so please email Sarah de Kramer at shdekramer@fcps.edu if you can volunteer. The schedule is as follows, please let us know if you would like to help on a day or two!!
4th grade – Dec. 6th, 11:00-12:50
5th grade – Dec. 4th, 12:30-2:15
6th grade – Dec. 6th, 9:00-10:35
Please Fill Our Floris Recess Bin!!
Floris has a new recess bin for storage of playground equipment. The equipment is shared by our students and is available during the school day. It will be secured during non-school hours. The problem is….we lack the equipment to share. Thank you to those who have already donated things. We could really use some more donations of second-hand equipment that can be safely used by our students. We are collecting second-hand equipment to help fill our bin. The following items (in usable condition) will be accepted:
- Soft or soft-shelled soccer balls
- Nerf footballs
- Frisbees or Frisbee rings
- Basketballs
- Jump ropes
- Playground or kick balls
- Velcro catching mitts and balls
We will be accepting donations in our main lobby and you are welcome to send the equipment to school with your child to be donated. So, please visit those attic spaces and corners of your garage that may contain recess equipment just waiting to be used.
Thank you for considering making a donation to our Floris recess bin.
Floris’ Annual Giving Tree – To Benefit Local Families
As we move towards the holiday season, we are reminded that there are families in need in our community, especially during breaks from school such as winter break. Floris will once again offer the opportunity to support these families through our Giving Tree. It is super simple, just sign up to purchase a Target or Walmart gift card and deliver or send to school.
👉Sign Up Here! 👈
We ask that all gift cards be mailed or dropped off in the office by Dec. 13th. The school address for mailing cards is:
2708 Centreville Road
Herndon, 20171
attn: Sarah de Kramer.
If you are or know of a family in need, please email shdekramer@fcps.edu. We truly are ONE FLORIS and for that our staff is so grateful!
📍 Boundary Review Community Meeting
Community meetings regarding FCPS’ comprehensive boundary review will take place in each of the division's six regions. You are encouraged to attend the meeting in our region, which will take place on Monday, December 2, 6:30-8 p.m., at Westfield High School Cafeteria.
Please register in advance by clicking on the date. Language interpretation will be available.
If you are unable to attend on this date, view the full list of meetings on the Comprehensive School Boundary Review webpage.
Advanced Academic Services Information
Thank you to the families who attended Monday's information session on full-time services screening. For those that were unable to attend, please find the presentation linked, here on our Floris webpage.
Upcoming Screening Information for Full-Time AAP Services
If you are interested in referring your child for Full-Time AAP services for the 25-26 School Year (Grades 2-6 only), please submit the required Full-Time AAP Referral Form and optional Parent/Guardian Questionnaire to Amy Albanese abalbanese@fcps.edu (Grades 3,5) or Katie Pickett kmpickett@fcps.edu (grades 2, 4, 6) by no later than December 15, 2024.
Parent Session With the Clinical Team:
Book discussion and tips for managing technology use at home
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You are invited to join us from 12:00-1:00 tomorrow, Friday November 22nd in room 165 to review recent research on the impact of social media and other technology use on developing minds and to discuss strategies for limiting use. Reading the book is recommended but not required to join this discussion (we have a few copies available to borrow).
Willa McGrath, FCPS technology specialist, will be joining us to provide some practical recommendations on how to protect students from harmful online exposure. Please RSVP to Maggie Seneca, maseneca1@fcps.edu.
Update!! A virtual session will be offered TONIGHT at 7:00pm. Please email Maggie Seneca to get the link for the virtual meeting.
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District News/In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)
FCPS News:
- In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics and others:
- Veterans Day Recognitions
- Resources on IEPs, Financial Aid, Literacy, Community Leadership
- Teacher Hiring Event
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
Dates for the 2024-2025 School Year
November 27-29: Holiday, Thanksgiving
December 4: Picture Makeup Day
December 9: 3-hour early release
December 23- January 3: Holiday, Winter Break
January 14: Club and Candid Photos
January 20: Holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Inauguration Day
January 28: End of 2nd Quarter
January 29: Student Holiday, Teacher Workday
January 31: PTA Movie Night
February 12: Spelling Bee
February 17: Holiday, Presidents' Day
Find the 2024-2025 School Year Calendar: https://www.fcps.edu/calendars/standard-school-year-calendar
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