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Hello MUES Families,
It has truly been a wonderful several weeks at MUES! From our first House meeting to dress up days to 6th grade field trips to bread baking to a canned food drive to cookie and cupcake decorating to flapping pancakes, we have certainly done a lot! Today, our students and staff celebrated the winter holiday season with our annual "Holiday Winter Sing Along!" A big thank you to Ms. Scott, Mr. Schatz, and many other members of our Specialists team for spearheading this annual tradition we love so much!
I would like to take this opportunity to extend a BIG THANK YOU to our amazing McNair PTA Board and members; as well as so many McNair families who generously donated baked goods, food, drinks, treats, and gift cards so that we could celebrate our school staff over the past ten days. We certainly felt appreciated; and cannot thank you enough for your generosity!
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Yesterday, we also took the time to congratulate Mr. Manny on his upcoming retirement! Although he is not officially retiring until December 31st, today marked his last day with our students and staff. Thank you for your 30+ years of service with FCPS. We are forever grateful for all of the support you have offered the McNair community for the past several years. We cannot thank you enough! You will be missed! Once a Mustang, Always a Mustang! |
Lastly, as a friendly reminder, winter break will be celebrated from Monday, December 23rd through Friday, January 3rd. During the time, school will be closed. The main office will also be closed. We will reopen on Monday, January 6th at 8:00 AM.
As we prepare to close out 2024, I would like to thank each and every member of the Mustang community for the ongoing support they offer our students and staff everyday. McNair Upper is a very special place, which I am truly humbled to be part of.
Whether you are traveling or staying local this winter break, I wish you and your family a joyous holiday season. Here's to an amazing 2025 for our entire Mustang family!
My Best,
Mrs. Goddin, Your Proud Principal
Please join me in congratulating the following staff members for being nominated for an FCPS Honors Award! We are appreciative for the incredible work they do each and everyday to support the McNair Upper ES community! We could not be more proud of all of you! Congratulations!
- Outstanding School-Based Leader of the Year: Mr. Cliff Credle, Assistant Principal
- Outstanding First Year Teacher of the Year: Ms. Alexis Thompson, 3rd Grade Teacher
- Outstanding Teacher of the Year:
- Ms. Josette Kearney, 6th Grade AAP Teacher
- Ms. Teresa Kelley, 5th Grade Teacher
- Ms. Jessica Michaels, 5th Grade Teacher
- Mr. John Thomas, 5th Grade AAP Teacher and McNair Upper ES winner for this award
- Outstanding Principal of the Year: Ms. Melissa Goddin
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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. Christmas is celebrated on Wednesday, December 25th.
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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 25th.
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Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa, a 7-day celebration that was first celebrated in 1966, is a holiday to acknowledge and celebrate African-American culture. Kwanzaa begins on Thursday, December 26th. 7 candles in a kinara symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa. The seven principles are:
- Umoja (Unity)
- Kujichagulia (Self-determination)
- Ujima (Collective work and responsibility)
- Ujamaa (Cooperative economics)
- Nia (Purpose)
- Kuumba (Creativity)
- Imani (Faith)
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Message for 3rd Grade Students & Families
This month, McNair Upper is focused on giving to our community. Third grade has been tasked with collecting canned goods!
🥫 Now through January 10, students are invited to bring in non perishable canned or boxed goods, which will be donated to a local food pantry.
🥫The Stallions, Broncos, Colts and Blazers will compete to see which house has the most students who donate! Once your student brings in an item to donate, they will add to our donation tracker in the front lobby.
🥫 We will count up the donations on January 10th and announce the house winner!
Reminder: Our canned food drive runs through January 10th! Please remind your Mustang to drop off their donation in the front lobby and complete a paper for our donation tracker!
Message for 4th-6th Grade Students & Families
On December 10, students will participate in King Arthur Baking Company’s Bake for Good program. They will 🥖LEARN the math and science of bread baking and will 🥖receive a BAKING KIT!
Students, with family support, should use their kit to bake a loaf of bread to share as a family, and a loaf of bread (or rolls) to give to a neighbor, friend, or someone in need.
We will track which house (Stallions, Broncos, Colts and Blazers) has the most students report that they baked and practiced generosity by sharing it with others. Students have until January 10th to bake and give!
As we navigate the months ahead, many families are experiencing anxiety and uncertainty due to the recent Presidential Election and ongoing discussions surrounding immigration policies.
In 2022, the School Board adopted the Trust Policy, reaffirming its commitment to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all students and their families. This policy aligns FCPS with Fairfax County’s Public Trust and Confidentiality Policy ensuring that students and families can access school division benefits and services without fear that their information will be disclosed to federal immigration officials.
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MIND Research is hosting family math week January 13 - January 17, 2025. During that time, students are encouraged to log onto the FCPS Family Math website to engage in math activities with their families at home that include stories with mathematical concepts connected to a variety of different math games from around the world. All activities are available in English and Spanish.
To learn more about Family Math Nights, check out this video. We hope that all schools will help spread the word and work collaboratively to help us reach our goal of logging on for three million minutes as an FCPS community.
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Our school's Lost & Found is overflowing with coats, jackets, and other items. Beginning this Friday, Ms. Bradner, School Counselor, will be sitting up a table outside of door #1 at MUES during morning arrival for parents/guardians to come and sift through these items to see if one belongs to their child in the event they are missing something. This table will be set-up every Friday leading up to winter break. Any items not collected on or by Friday, December 20th will be donated to a local shelter. |
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Weather during this part of our school year can be very unpredictable even though the winter season hasn't officially begun. Our Mustangs continue to have outdoor recess during the winter months; unless it is raining or the temperature with the wind chill factor considered is below freezing.
Because we continue to take our Mustangs outside for recess, it is very important that they come dressed for colder temperatures. We ask for your partnership to ensure that your Mustang remembers to wear a winter coat, gloves, a hat, a scarf, and appropriate closed-toe shoes to school daily.
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Watch this video to see how FCPS makes weather closing decisions.
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 among the first to hear about weather delays and closings! Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE. Emails and text messages are sent to parents and caregivers based on the addresses and cell phone numbers entered on this platform.
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We would love the help of our McNair families to stock both of our school's teacher workrooms with snacks, treats, and drinks for our hard working staff members to enjoy while they plan engaging lessons and activities for our Mustangs.
If you are able to do so, please consider donating something. Please click on the following link to sign-up for your donation:
Fall Snacks Sign-Up Form
Donations can be dropped off to the designated school's main office each school day between the hours of 8:00 AM-4:00 PM.
Thank you in advance for your support!
Mrs. Goddin & Mrs. Watson
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Please Join PTA!
Registration Link for PTA membership: https://mcnairespta.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true
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Congratulations to all of the Participants of PTA Reflections!
We are pleased to announce that we had another successful year with many submissions across the categories and divisions. The students did an amazing job with their art and interpretation skills!!
Our sincere thanks to the distinguished judges for reviewing the work of our young talents! Our judges this year were:
- Ms. Coe - Art Teacher
- Ms. Scott - Music Teacher
- Ms. Rose - Music Teacher
- Ms. Luea - AAP Teacher
Link for the winners names: https://mcnairespta.givebacks.com/w/reflections
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Registration for the American Computer Science League is Open Now!
Exciting news from McNair PTA!
We're inviting students from grades 3 to 6 to join the American Computer Science League (ACSL) competition. It's all about diving into fun programming and computational challenges. Whether you're a coding newbie or a pro, it's a fantastic opportunity to boost your skills, make new friends, and explore the world of computer science.
Registration Link for ACSL: https://forms.gle/hW4Y6gGzxJwP5ZRf8
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Pre-registration closes on Thursday, January 9, 2025.
The early pre-registration fee through Tuesday, January 7, 2025 is $40.00 per chess player.
The late pre-registration fee for Wednesday, January 8, 2028 and Thursday, January 9, 2025 is $45.00.
On-site registrations will close at 8:30 am on Saturday, January 11. The on-site registration fee is $50.00.
No Email/Phone Registrations allowed.
NOTE: If you need a bye for the later rounds - please notify us prior to the beginning of round 2.
Doors open at 8:00 am for on-site registrations. On-site registration closes at 8:30 am. The first round starts at 9:00 am.
Three (3) sections:
K-3 G/30,d5 (5 rounds)
K-5 G/45,d5 (4 rounds)
K-8 G/45,d5 (4 rounds)
Participants must have a USCF ID - to register: https://secure2.uschess.org/webstore/member.php
Pre-registrations (updated periodically): Pre-registrations
NOTE: REMINDER: Cancellations are subject to a $5.00 / player handling fee.
NOTE: Participants should use the back / cafeteria doors - the front doors will not be open.
NOTE: Our chess tournaments are subject to Fairfax County Public School policies. In case of inclement weather - please check www.fcps.edu.
Registration Link for the Chess Tournament:
https://tinyurl.com/3b7w4z4s
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Harris Teeter Together In Education- Fundraiser
Harris Teeter’s Together In Education program gives schools a chance to earn funds when you link your VIC card and shop Harris Teeter brands. A percentage of your purchase is donated to the school that your VIC card is linked to. There are NO LIMITS to how much a school can earn.
Instruction for Families:
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Option 1: Please use the annual sign up form for the TIE program from Harris Teeter using the following link: McNair Harris Teeter
- Note: You need to re-register every year for this program.
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Option 2: You can also sign up in-person at the counter using our school code: 5090
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Volunteers Needed!
We need 3 Volunteers to join our Financial Committee.
We need volunteers to be Event Coordinators for the following Events:
- Movie Night
- Bingo Night
- Running Event (fun run or color run)
- International Night/Cultural Fair
- Student Talent Show
- Kids vs. Adults Sports Tournament
- 6th Grade Promotion Ceremony
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What Does an Event Coordinator Do?
Event Coordinators act as the main organizer and point of contact for their chosen event; lead a team of volunteers, brainstorm ideas, and make sure everything runs smoothly on the day of the event.
We're also looking for friendly Coaches and volunteers to host events like Science Olympiad Division B, ACSL, Odyssey of the Mind and Reflections. We'd love for you to join us!
Please click on the link to join the volunteer group:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/JZ4KRYb4mYh5N2Qt6NJOKu
Thank you for all your support! Wish you a happy holiday. May you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year ahead!
Warm Regards,
Sayanti Dasgupta,
VP Communications McNair ES PTA
- December 23rd-January 3rd: Winter Vacation; school closed
- January 6th: School Reopens- we will welcome our Mustangs back to school at 8:35 AM
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