Dear Haycock Families,
It was wonderful to see many of you at the Skate Night on Saturday evening. Many thanks to our PTA and the parent volunteers for organizing this wonderful family event and annual tradition for our school community.
We are looking forward to many special things over the next two weeks leading up to winter break. See below for our SCA spirit days.
A few important reminders:
- Join us for the Chorus and Strings Concerts on Thursday evening, December 12. Stop by the library before or after the concerts to check out our Book Fair while you're at Haycock.
- Congratulations to our students chosen for All County Chorus- Justine L, Chloe W, Alessandra V, Gunnar A, Guilianna D, Tess P, Jesse, Emmanuelle P, Charlotte F, and Leo W. 🎶
With appreciation for your partnership,
Liz Beaty, Principal embeaty@fcps.edu
Heather Boyd, AP HABoyd@fcps.edu
Krystal Styles, AP krstyles@fcps.edu
Upcoming Important Dates
December 10-13 and 16- Haycock Book Fair in the Library
Thursday, December 12- Strings/Chorus Winter Concert and Family Evening Book Fair event (5:30-8:30)
Sunday, December 15- AAP Full Time Services Referral Deadline
December 16-20- SCA Winter Spirit Week
December 23 to January 3- Winter Break- no school
Wednesday, January 8- Club/Group pictures for the yearbook
Monday, January 13- Virtual PTA Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 15- Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night at Longfellow MS 6:00-8:00 PM (see information below)
FCPS 2024-25 School Year Calendar
Haycock Book Fair- Starts this week on 12/10
Haycock’s Book Fair arrives this week!
Sales will be 12/10-12/13 & 12/16 during the school day and during Family Night on Thursday 12/12 from 5:30pm-8:30pm.
Sign up hereto volunteer with set up, pack up, sales, restocks or general help.
To make shopping easy and safe, we’re offering digital eWallets as one payment option so that students won’t need to bring money to school.
Feel free to contact Ms. Sklar with any questions or suggestions.
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 AAP Full-Time Referral Form to our AART, Siobhan O'Hair at sfohair@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. Forms for Full-Time and part-time referrals are available 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. Parents may request a copy of the portfolio that was submitted after they have been turned in for central selection by emailing Siobhan O'Hair at sfohair@fcps.edu
Referrals for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP are screened at the local school. If you miss this deadline, your student can still be screened for Subject-Specific AAP or Part-Time AAP for the remainder of the year and submit a referral for Full-Time AAP next fall.
For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs website.
Consistent Attendance is Super Important
Being in school every day is so important and has long lasting positive impacts for students. Here are some of those predictive correlations:
- Starting in Kindergarten, missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read. That is just a day or two days every few weeks.
- By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of the three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
- Students who are frequently absent in Kindergarten do less well in first grade.
- Absences add up in elementary school. Research shows that missing 18 days in a school year or 2 days every month can result in lower test scores and possible retention in later grades.
Of course, when a student is sick, they should be kept home. If you're not sure whether to send your child to school or not, check this resource.
Here are some ideas for parents to support good school attendance.
If a student is absent 18 or more days during the school year, they are labeled as chronically absent by the Virginia Department of Education. They do not consider whether the absences are excused or unexcused.
We want to work with you to support regular attendance for all our students. More information on the supports we are putting into place coming!
 2024-25 Yearbook Cover Finalists
Congratulations to Emma Gu (Grade 4) and Khloe Lim (Grade 6) who designed the cover of this year's yearbook. Our yearbook theme this year is Shaping a Better World which was a student chosen theme.
Many thanks and congratulations to the almost 100 students who submitted entries for the yearbook covers. We were amazed and inspired by all our Haycock artists. You will see many student entries throughout this year's yearbook in addition to the ones chosen for the covers.
December is Inclusive Schools Month
Please see the latest edition of the Special Education and 504 Newsletter for information, resources, and updates.
⏰ Update on Potential Changes to Middle School Start Times
At Tuesday’s School Board work session, staff from Prismatic Services, Inc., presented options for adjusting start times at FCPS middle schools. As a reminder, Prismatic is charged with developing an action plan to help the School Board reach its goal of starting middle school at or after 8 a.m.
The presentation includes five options for adjusting middle school start times based on the consultant’s analysis from community forums, surveys, and interviews with staff, parents, associations, and other groups. The School Board will provide next steps to the superintendent.
Watch a video of the work session. Visit the Middle School Start Times webpagefor more information on the project.
 Longfellow Middle School is excited to invite you to our Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
This event will provide valuable information about Longfellow Middle School and the transition to middle school. Families will have the opportunity to hear from core and elective teachers as they highlight their engaging classes. Students and staff will also be available to answer any questions.
If inclement weather occurs, the event will be rescheduled for Thursday, January 23, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
We look forward to welcoming you to Longfellow!
📚 Bundle Up With Books Over Break
Fairfax County Public Library’s (FCPL) winter reading adventure has begun and will continue through Friday, January 31, 2025. Visit your local FCPL library branch or visit their website to register and get a sneak peek at the prizes being offered.
Check out their Winter Reading Events webpage to learn about laser tag, movie nights, crafting sessions, Noon-Year Eve celebrations, and book discussions.
⛄ Get Outdoors for Winter Fun!
The Fairfax County Park Authority has rounded up its seasonal fun into a handy list of events happening across the county.
Learn more about the Winter Wonderland and the Holiday Train at Burke Lake Park, Holiday on the Farm at Frying Pan Farm Park, and many more fun events.
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.
Haycock Outstanding Employee Award Nominees and Winners 🏅🏆
We are thrilled to announce Haycock Elementary School's Outstanding Employee Award representatives for the 2024-2025 school year! You make us proud!
Outstanding Teacher
- Rachel O’Leary - 6th Grade Teacher
Outstanding New Teacher
- Karolina Medina - 2nd Grade Teacher
Outstanding School-Based Professional Employee
-Teresa Padgett - School Counselor
Outstanding School-Based Operational Employee
- Yujin Choi - Student Information Assistant
Outstanding Leader
- Heather Boyd - Assistant Principal
Outstanding Principal Leader
- Liz Beaty - Principal
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