From the School Administration
Dear Belvedere Families,
What a week it has been!
This week, the PTA hosted their monthly meeting, and we were thrilled to hear that they raised over $20,000 from the Read-a-Thon. Thank you so much to everyone who participated and supported this effort!
On Thursday, the Preschool team hosted a Family Feast. It was heartwarming to see families come together, share delicious food, and enjoy quality time as a community.
As we approach winter break, just two weeks away, we want to remind everyone to send children to school prepared for the colder weather. Coats and outerwear are essential. If your child needs a coat, please reach out to us—we are here to help ensure every student is warm and ready for the season.
Lastly, attendance is vital, especially in the weeks leading up to a long break. Every day counts toward their learning and growth.
We hope you have a safe and wonderful weekend!
Warm regards,
Cecilia Vanderhye, Principal
Tara Boone, Assistant Principal
Kelly Cabezas, Assistant Principal
🍎 Make Every Day Count! The Importance of Attendance
As you plan upcoming trips and other family events, please remember the importance of sending your child to school every day. Review the FCPS School Year Calendar and try to plan any time away during breaks from school.
Children who show up for school regularly develop fundamental reading and math skills while building a habit of good attendance that will carry them into college and careers. Research shows that children who were chronically absent (missing 18 days or more) in kindergarten and first grade were far less likely to read proficiently at the end of third grade.
Learn how families can help form good attendance habits.
🤒 When a Student Should Stay Home From School
Whether students miss school because of illness or any other reason, missing school leads to learning loss.
Help your child succeed by encouraging them to attend as many days as possible, but do make sure your child stays home if they are sick. Visit our website for information on when to keep your child at home.
If your child has a chronic illness, make sure to notify their teacher so that assistance can be provided if needed. Keep an open line of communication with your school's public health staff.
Read about how families can help form good attendance habits. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!
Join us for our upcoming monthly Parent Coffee on December 13!
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 AAP Full-Time Referral Form to Jaclyn Walsh at jwalsh@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 Jaclyn Walsh at jwalsh@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.
⏰ 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 webpage for more information on the project.
🍲 Food Assistance and Resource Guide
Food insecurity impacts more than 96,000 Fairfax County residents. There are many resources available to support those who need food assistance. Learn how to help these families and the many resources available to support those who need food assistance on Fairfax County’s website or view the county’s Human Services Resource Guide.
📚 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.
Free Birthday Cakes for Youth
Cake4Kids is a nonprofit that delivers free, custom homemade or any other celebratory sweets to at-risk and underserved youth in the Northern Virginia area.
Contact Mrs. Plazas for more information.
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 Tuesday, December 10.
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:
- Family Academy Orientation
- Literacy Resources
- Winter Programs and Activities
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
A Chance to Win a Timeless Handbag (And Support PTA)
Looking for the ultimate holiday gift or a little luxury for yourself? Support Belvedere PTA and enter for a chance to win a stunning Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM handbag! This timeless piece is perfect for making someone’s season extra special or treating yourself to a well-deserved indulgence.
Tickets: $10/each, 3 for $20 or 8 for $50
⏳ Sales End: December 18, 2024, at 5:59 PM
📅 Drawing Date: December 18, 2024, at 6:00 PM
Where to Buy Tickets: Online. If you want to pay with cash or a check, click "Contact Organizer," or reach out to any of the PTA Board Members, and we'll take care of you.
This holiday season, give the gift of luxury while giving back to your community. This would also be a great gift for your child’s teacher as an end-of-year thank you! All proceeds benefit Belvedere PTA initiatives, including classroom support for teachers and upcoming community events like the Fun Run and Family Culture Night.
The holidays are right around the corner! Purchase yours today and make this a season to remember.
Questions? Contact us at fundraiser.bespta@gmail.com.
We did it! Read-a-Thon Beats its Big Goal
The PTA’s annual Read-a-Thon exceeded its target of $20,000 thanks to your support! And great news: the entire school earned a day of extra recess. We are so appreciative of everyone's participation and contributions – and incredible commitment to reading. The money we have raised will be instrumental in providing field trip opportunities, fulfilling teacher grant requests and developing more events to connect our school community. Congratulations to all our Bulldogs – and keep reading!
Grab your sneaks! BES Fun Run is Dec. 14
Bring your Belvedere Bulldogs to the return of the Fun Run. We will gather at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the school to do some stretching, running and hot chocolate drinking! We are looking for volunteers to help donate and/or serve hot chocolate, hand out lap counters, guide the runners and clean-up. Sign up here. The PTA will also be selling wrapping paper, hand bag raffle tickets and spirit wear and we will also be collecting gift cards for BES community members in need this holiday season.
Volunteer Opportunities: A Few Hours Can Help
We are looking for volunteers to help with leading these upcoming activities. Dont want to go it alone? Any of these volunteer needs can be shared.
Restaurant Night Coordinator: Connect with local restaurants and food trucks to create Restaurant Nights for the BES community every other month. Time commitment: 2-3 hours every other month until June 2025.
VIP & Me: Volunteer to set up continental breakfast and help plan two morning family-student events on Jan. 22 + 23. Time commitment: Less than 4 hours total, including event time (before school).
Movie Night Coordinator: Work with PTA leaders to coordinate our next Movie Night in late February. Time commitment: Less than 6 hours total, including day-of Movie Night needs.
School Directory Coordinator: Explore this opportunity to create a much-requested school resource. Time commitment: A few hours a month during the school year. Interested in any of these opportunities or other PTA volunteer needs? Send a note to bespta.va@gmail.com.
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/
Upcoming Dates
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Friday, December 8 - Bodhi Day
Bodhi Day, Friday, December 8, is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni), experienced enlightenment, also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali.
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Winter Break (Student Holiday)
As a reminder, winter break will be held Monday, December 23, to Friday, January 3. To help make sure you and your children have a restful break, we have asked that no homework be assigned during this time. Teachers may assign long-range assignments in the weeks ahead of the break, allowing students to practice time management skills, but no assignments will be due immediately following the break. We look forward to welcoming students back in the new year.
Classes resume on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. See the complete school year calendar.
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Wednesday, December 25 - Christmas
🎄 A very Merry Christmas to those in our community who celebrate! Christmas is an annual holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the person who stands at the heart of the Christian tradition. It is celebrated in many unique ways across the U.S. and the world, most commonly by the joyous giving of gifts. Learn more about Christmas.
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Wednesday, December 25 - Chanukah
Chanukah, an 8-day Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple and the miracle of a small quantity of oil that lit the Temple’s menorah for 8 days. This year, Chanukah begins at sundown on Wednesday, December 25. See the complete school year calendar.
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