From the School Administration
Dear Belvedere Families,
Today, our fourth and fifth grade students had an incredible Career Day! We deeply appreciate all the parents who generously volunteered their time. The students were excited and inspired as they explored potential career options! A special thank you goes to Ms. Ballard and Ms. Simpson, our dedicated school counselors, for their hard work in organizing this event. Their commitment and effort provided an invaluable experience that encouraged our students to dream big and consider various career paths.
Additionally, yesterday, Ms. Walsh, our Advanced Academics Teacher, hosted a helpful parent coffee and evening session focused on the Advanced Academics continuum and the referral process for full-time services. Parents who attended had the opportunity to ask questions and left with valuable information to better support their students. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Ms. Walsh.
Finally, our next 3-Hour Early Release will be Monday, November 18, 2024. Last month, you filled out a survey to indicate how your child will go home for an early release. If you are planning on changing transportation from the previous early release (October 21), please email the office at belvedereoffice@fcps.edu to change how your child will be dismissed at 1:05 pm this day.
Thank you for your continued support! It makes a meaningful difference in our school community. We look forward to seeing you next week for Nature Night!
We wish you a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Cecilia Vanderhye, Principal
Tara Boone, Assistant Principal
Kelly Cabezas, Assistant Principal
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, November 18, 6:30-8 p.m., at Glasgow Middle 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.
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, schools 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.
Need to Register for ParentVUE?
Learn how to activate your SIS ParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey.
Technical support for using ParentVUE or completing the survey online is available by submitting a Parent Support Request ticket. Select SISParent in the Application dropdown menu and type Federal Impact Aid Survey under Issue Description. Or, call the Parent Technology Help Desk at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS).
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.
Belvedere's Read-A-Thon is Underway...Join Us!
Belvedere's 2024 Read-a-Thon fundraiser kicked off this Tuesday, Nov. 12 and runs through Tuesday, Nov. 26. You should have received information in your student's Friday folder as well as an email from 99Pledges, our fundraising platform. CLICK HERE to see our page, and search your student's name to see their individual page to track reading minutes and to donate. Please share with your networks! Anyone can donate any amount to encourage your student to read and to support our wonderful school! All students are invited to participate, whether or not the secure donations, and can enjoy these awesome prizes:
- The class with the most minutes in the school gets a pizza party.
- Every class that hits 3,000 minutes gets to bring a stuffed animal to school.
- Every class that hits 5,000 minutes gets to wear pajamas to school one day.
- If we hit our school goal of $20,000, Mrs. Vanderhye has agreed to give extra recess one day!
Questions? Please reach out to Read-a-Thon coordinator Laura Nunneker at lauradiserio@gmail.com. Let's show our Bulldogs how rewarding reading can be!
Get Reading! Read-A-Thon Has Begun
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Read-a-Thon kicked off this week and the BES community is well on its way to the donation target of $20,000. Students DO NOT have to collect pledges to participate -- reading the most important goal.
This fundraiser will benefit PTA’s work to pay for school field trips and classroom supplies, while also encouraging good reading habits.
People can donate a flat amount ($1, $20, $50, $100 etc.) or pledge an amount based on the number of minutes read by -- or to -- a student. Details: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/belvederes
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Read-a-Thon coordinator Laura Nunneker at lauradiserio@gmail.com.
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Spirit Wear Sale Closes Monday
The Belvedere Spirit Wear shop is open for orders until Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. Go to https://belvedere24.itemorder.com/shop/home/ to order Bulldog t-shirts, sweatshirts and more – for students and adults. Orders take 3-4 weeks to process so order now for the holidays.
Save the Dates: December Events
Dec. 1-18: Purse raffle! Buy tickets ($10/each to win a designer purse – a great holiday gift idea. Details to come!
Dec. 4: PTA Community Meeting at BES and online.
Dec. 14: Fun Run. Come cheer on BES students as they run on the field at school. BES spirit wear and wrapping paper will also be on sale.
Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FRM)
Learn more about the criteria and process to apply for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch.
If you need assistance with the Free and Reduced-Meal application, please visit Belvedere's Family Liaison, Mrs. Plazas in the Parent Center or you may call her office at (703) 916-6824
FCPS CARES Program
The FCPS CARES Program allows parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees who go above and beyond to help others and show they care about their students, colleagues, and the community. We invite you to submit a story below to acknowledge the great work of an FCPS employee or group of employees who should receive FCPS CARES recognition.
Please take note of the following before submitting an FCPS CARES:
- A notification email, with the submission text included, will be sent to the recipient(s) and copied to the recipient's supervisor(s).
- All submissions will be posted to our FCPS CARES webpage and shared via other FCPS news outlets.
- Submissions containing personal or sensitive information may be edited to protect individuals' privacy.
- Feel free to compose your submission using a text editor such as Microsoft Word, and then paste it into the text box provided.
For questions, please email employeeawards@fcps.edu.
Read more and Submit an FCPS CARES today!
Belvedere is on Instagram
Welcome back, Belvedere families! 🎉 New school year, new Instagram account! 📸 We’re thrilled to share all the incredible moments ahead. Stay tuned and follow along!
https://www.instagram.com/belvedereelem/
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 Career Development Month
By enrolling in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) course or program, students learn the technical applications of many occupations while preparing for higher education or entry-level employment. A core program of CTE courses is offered in every middle and high school. Based on the needs of the populations served, each school determines optional courses to be offered. Learn more about Academies and Specialized Programs.
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 your family liaison or visit FCPS’ website for a list of region representatives.
Upcoming Dates
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November 18-22: American Education Week
For American Education Week we celebrate ALL who work in our Belvedere community: our bus drivers, cafeteria workers, counselors, support staff, teachers, leadership and more! Learn more from the National Education Association. Want to recognize someone from our school who goes above and beyond? Submit a nomination to FCPS Cares.
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