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Dear Island Creek Families,
Thank you to the families who joined us on Thursday for Thanksgiving Lunch and/or Math Night. It's always wonderful to have our Croc families in the building!
There will not be a newsletter next week due to the shortened school week for the Thanksgiving holiday. We look forward to welcoming our Crocs to school on Monday and Tuesday beforeThanksgiving vacation and then for a full week on Monday, December 2.
Book Fair: The Book Fair is Coming! December 4-11!
We hope your Thanksgiving is filled with lasting memories, family and friends, and delicious food. Thank you for entrusting your amazing children with us as we truly have THE BEST families, students and staff at Island Creek!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Jen Fallert, Principal
Karen Baxter, Assistant Principal
Denise Cash-Pinckney, Assistant Principal
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Thank you for attending Thursday evening's Math Night! We love our Croc Mathematicians!
  
Due to popular demand, the Square 1 Art fundraiser has been extended until November 30, 2024 benefitting the Island Creek art department! So, if you missed out, there is one last chance. We are VERY appreciative for all of the support that we have received so far and are looking forward to giving our students some amazing experiences!
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Excitement is building, as Book Fair time is nearly here! Our Fall Book Fair will be open from December 4 – December 11, 2024.
Students will be able to preview the Book Fair and shop during the school day. We also encourage families to come shop during our Family Shopping events – a great time to shop for the holidays! Friday, 12/6 5:00 – 7:30PM
Saturday, 12/3 10:00AM - 12:00 PM
Monday, 12/9 5:00 – 7:30PM
Wednesday, 12/11 3:30PM - 5:30 PM Last Chance Shopping
Book Fair Volunteers Needed
Volunteers are gratefully appreciated and needed to make Book Fair both fun and successful. Daytime, evening, and Saturday shifts are available. Please sign up to join us here!
Books for All – Sponsor a Free Book
We aim to ensure that ALL Island Creek students experience the joy of getting to choose a new book. Please contact Ms. Keaney or your child's counselor or teacher if your child is in need of a free book certificate. Free books will also be won in raffles and contests by many other students on each day of Book Fair, so student privacy will be protected. The Island PTA is helping to raise funds for the goal of reaching every student who may not be able to afford a free book. A $15 donation will allow an Island Creek student to choose their own next favorite book. To spread the book joy and sponsor a book, please donate here or scan the QR code.
Calling all Dog Man SupaFans!
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Our Book Fair coincides with an exciting time for our library’s most popular fictional character, Dog Man! December 3 is the release of the 13th book in the series, Dog Man: Big Jim Begins. To celebrate this exciting new release, our DogMan SupaFans at Island Creek are encouraged to pre-order the book to be invited to participate in a special unboxing and DogMan SupaFan celebration and reading party in the library on December 3, getting their hands on the new book on its very first day available! Order forms were sent home in Thursday folders this week. The Island Creek library will be able to earn 25% of the sales price of all DogMan pre-orders. Although the new book may be purchased for less than sticker price at retailers such as Amazon, we appreciate your support of the library by purchasing Dog Man: Big Jim Begins through our book fair!
Grownups are welcome to sign up as DogMan SupaFan unboxing celebration volunteers on our Book Fair Volunteer signup.
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During the Academic Matters segment of the November 9 School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid discussed student attendance and engagement. Attendance and absenteeism rates are one measure for Goal 2 of our 2023-30 Strategic Plan.
Chronic absenteeism — which is defined as a student missing 10% or more of school for any reason — is a concern across Virginia school districts. Although FCPS continues to outperform the state average in attendance rates, we are tracking chronic absenteeism closely.
Data shows that:
- Missing just 10% of school — just two days a month — negatively affects a student’s academic performance.
- Only 17% of students who were chronically absent in both kindergarten and first grade were reading proficiently in third grade, compared to 64% of those with good attendance.
- Students who fail to read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely than students who achieve proficiency to drop out of high school.
- By sixth grade, chronic absenteeism becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
Attendance is critical for academic success!
Visit FCPS’ website for more attendance resources.
 
In December, our Preschool, Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade students will welcome Santa's Ride presented by the Fairfax County Police Department Motor Squad! The purpose of this event is to collect new toys, books, and games for children who are sick in local area hospitals. With your assistance we can make a significant donation to INOVA Children's Hospital Child Life Unit year after year.
A Toy Collection Box is outside the main office at Island Creek. There is also a QR code to donate through the 501(c)(3) charity Making Everything Good. A copy of the INOVA Child Life “wish list” that can be used as a guide: https://a.co/d1d2srn. They have also asked for diaper donations this year. Currently, their population are majority infants and teenagers.
In the second quarter, students in all grades have continued to learn more rhythmic and melodic concepts through the practice of singing folksongs and playing music games. The literacy concepts we have covered are:
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6th Grade:
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Rhythms up to sixteenth and eighth note patterns, la pentatonic scale
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5th Grade:
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Rhythms up to sixteenth note patterns, la pentatonic scale
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4th Grade:
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Rhythms up to whole note patterns, do pentatonic scale
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3rd Grade:
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Rhythms up to half note patterns, do pentatonic scale
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2nd Grade:
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Rhythms up to quarter rest patterns, the melody notes sol and mi
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1st Grade:
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Rhythms up to quarter and eighth note patterns, the concept of high and low
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Kindergarten:
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Fast and slow, loud and soft, the concept of steady beat
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A great way to practice our literacy skills is by playing instruments. Students in grades K-2 have been playing songs with the musical concepts above on unpitched percussion instruments. Students in grades 3-5 will be applying these skills to recorder study in November and December, and students in grade 6 will be applying their musicianship skills to the Orff instruments.
Highlights from the quarter include first grade rhythm compositions with fruits, 6th grade playing a competitive rhythm game called King of the Mountain, and many classes enjoying their hard-earned Music Class Game Day.
The end of November also brings one of our favorite music class games “Shoo Turkey!” “Shoo Turkey” is a circle game shared by musicologist and singer Bessie Jones, a resident of the Georgia Sea Isles and an ambassador of the Gullah culture.
The team at Victor O’Neill Studios would like to thank your school for a great picture day!
We are reaching out to inform you that student images are now online. If your school provided emails to the VOS team, please let parents know to be on the lookout for an email from Victor O'Neill Studios. If they do not see it in their inbox, check the spam/junk folder. Please share the information below with your parents:
Any student who has not had a chance to order, it’s not too late!
Please visit: vosphoto.com/underclass
use your student ID when prompted for the online code.
For questions regarding school pictures please email: underclass@vosphoto.com
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📅 Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2024
More information coming soon!
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Reminder: Window for Full-time AAP Referrals Closes on December 15, 2024
Parents/guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time advanced academic programs may submit the Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Full-Time Referral Form and optional materials to Ms. Emily Mextorf at eamextorf@fcps.edu no later than December 15, 2024.
The window for families to submit a referral for full-time AAP services is the first day of school through December 15, annually. All forms may be found on the AAP forms page. No late referrals for Full-Time AAP services will be accepted.
Submitting a referral form for full-time AAP will initiate a process that begins at the local school and is then completed at the central office level. Our school will put together a portfolio that includes multiple data which are considered holistically. At the central office level, a committee of six trained professionals from various schools and roles will review the portfolio materials to determine eligibility for full-time placement. Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April.
For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs website. Feel free to reach out to Ms. Mextorf, Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, with any questions at eamextorf@fcps.edu
FCPS is working with K12 Insight to host a community forum for families, staff members, and students to provide feedback on the school division’s cell phone policies and practices, and the Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) document. FCPS is looking for more student participants (grades 3-12) to help ensure diverse perspectives from our community.
The community forum will be held on Tuesday, December 10, 6:30-8 p.m., at the Willow Oaks Administrative Center. If your student is interested in providing feedback, please visit the Cell Phone Policy Forum registration page to learn more. Families must register their child by Monday, November 25.
One of the ways FCPS supports the mental wellness of all students is through the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener. In October, students in grades 3-12 took this screener, which gives information about their skills such as achieving goals, handling emotions, building relationships with adults and peers, and making good choices.
The screener also helps students evaluate their school community’s efforts to make them feel valued, included, and supported. Screener data is used to create learning, experiences, and environments for students to succeed.
In early December, families will be able to view student SEL Screener results in SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent by mail.
Learn more about the screener on the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage. For help understanding your child’s results or ideas to support them at home, review the Family Guide or contact us.
Register for ParentVUELearn how to activate your ParentVUE account, so you can easily access your child’s results and other helpful information.
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather-related closing decisions are made.
FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and arrange for childcare if needed.
Keep Your Child Warm During Outdoor Activities
We will monitor the weather for low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories which may prevent children from being outside. Make sure your child is dressed appropriately with a warm coat and other cold-weather clothing, so they can comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. See the National Weather Service’s tips on staying safe during cold weather.
If you need assistance supplying your child with cold-weather clothing, please call Fairfax County's Coordinated Services Planning at 703-222-0880. Their multilingual staff can assist with any challenges you are facing, including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and health ca
Boundary Review Community Meetings
Community meetings regarding FCPS' divisionwide boundary review will take place in each of the division's six regions. We encourage you to attend the meeting in your region, but you may attend another if it is more convenient. Please click on a date to register:
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Monday, December 2, 6:30-8 p.m., at Westfield High School Cafeteria.
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Tuesday, December 3, 6:30-8 p.m., at Lake Braddock Secondary School Cafeteria.
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Monday, December 9, 6:30-8 p.m., at Mount Vernon High School Cafeteria.
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Thursday, December 12, 6:45-8:15 p.m., at Annandale High School Cafeteria.
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Wednesday, December 18, 6:30-8 p.m., at Madison High School Cafeteria
Upcoming Dates
❤️Wednesday, November 27-29: Thanksgiving Break (No school for students and staff)
❤️Wednesday, December 4-Wednesday, December 11: Book Fair
❤️Wednesday, December 11: Fall Picture Retakes
❤️December 15: AAP Full-Time Referrals due
❤️December 23-January 3: Winter Break
❤️Monday, January 6, 2025: Welcome Back to School, Crocs!
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