Good afternoon families!!
Wow it has been cold! Driving through the neighborhood, you would have thought that it snowed a day or two ago, not almost two weeks ago! The amount of snow still out there is amazing!
I wanted to give a quick SHOUT OUT to my amazing custodial staff. They did an incredible job getting our school ready to go after the snow. The school was ready to go on Wednesday, but unfortunately, the roads and sidewalks around Northern Virginia were not. Every morning, I still see Ms. Susana wheeling a cart of sand and salt around to cover any place where snow melt may have re-frozen. All of them (Dany, Susana, Gloria, and Angel) have worked diligently to keep our school grounds safe for the students! For that, I sincerely thank them.
Next week, schools are closed on Monday, including the office. Next week is the just about the end of the 2nd quarter. There will be two days the following week, before a teacher workday to complete grades, and then the 3rd quarter starts on Thursday, January 30th. The last day of the quarter is NOT an early release day.
With cold weather and potential precipitation in the coming weeks, keep an eye on the FCPS website about delays and closings. If you haven't already, sign up for the FCPS alerts on the FCPS website. That will keep you immediately informed if anything happens.
Have a great weekend. Stay WARM!
Sincerely,
Mark Bibbee
Principal
Cherry Run ES
January 20 - Student Holiday - No Students - School is CLOSED
January 28 - Last Day of 2nd Quarter - Regular dismissal!
January 29 - Teacher Workday - No Students - School is OPEN
February 10 - 3 Hour Early Closing - Students dismissed at 1:05
February 17 - Student Holiday - No Students - School is CLOSED
It is not too late to register for the spelling bee!
Spelling Bee Myths
- You must be a good speller to participate.
- All spellers are welcome! It's about playing the game and what you can learn from it. Yes there will be a winner, but it's also fun to just play the game.
- You must attend the club to participate in the bee
- While highly encouraged to attend club, we understand you all have busy schedules.
- You have to study or it's not worth it.
- Yes, studying will help and there is a fun Word Club App to help, BUT if you only study at club, you are still welcome.
Sign up Here: https://forms.gle/KNEEH7phNptdNKYaA
📵 Phones Down, Engagement Up: FCPS Cell Phone Policy Keeping cell phones off during the school day helps students focus and learn. It also boosts positive social behavior. Review FCPS’ cell phone expectations by grade level with your child and help keep our classrooms free of distractions! If you need to reach your child during the school day, please call our main office at 703-923-2800 and we will get a message to your child.
FCPS has created the following sites as literacy resources for families:
Literacy Resources for Families
Family-Facing Curriculum
Each site provides resources for families to support their students at home. The first site is a link to resources, definitions of words/acronyms, and other general supports for students. The second site is a link to the FCPS program of studies, pacing guides, and quarter expectations.
FCPS - SEH-23
How Cold is Too Cold to Allow Students to Play Outdoors??
Deciding when students may play outdoors remains the responsibility of the principal, based on his or her professional judgement after considering the information provided on the fact sheet. Principals should communicate with their community that it is the intention of the school to hold recess during cold spells and that parents should have their children prepared to play outdoors (jackets, gloves, and hats).
Based on the guidance provided in the regulation, Cherry Run has adopted the following "Cold Weather Policy" for students:
When temperatures drop below 50 degrees we do not allow students who are not wearing leg coverings (e.g. pants/sweats, etc.) and a warm jacket/sweatshirt/hoodie to go outside. Long-sleeve tee-shirts do not count. Students without appropriate covering will be brought to the office or library where they can read until their class returns.
Please remember to have your students dress appropriately for recess and PE! While outside recess is at the teacher’s discretion, and we ask that they use good judgment, teachers are able to take students outside for up to 15 minutes when the temperatures reach ZERO!!
We are aware that sunshine, cloud cover, wind, etc. impact the 'relative' temperature, but having a clear guideline helps with planning for parents/students and gives teachers an objective measure in making determinations.
- Limited Early Release Mondays for Elementary Schools: Steering Committee Update
As a reminder, FCPS elementary schools will have limited early release Mondays during the upcoming school year. The goal is to provide elementary teachers with additional time to meet new professional development requirements for the Virginia Literacy Act.
You can help us with planning for the seven early release Mondays. Please watch your email for a short survey from us asking if your child will leave at the early release time on these days or remain at school until the standard dismissal time. Your response will help us in planning activities for students who will need to stay at school until regular dismissal time.
We realize there are many details for us to finalize before our first early release Monday in mid-September. Thank you for your patience, we strive to create a positive and successful experience for students, families, and teachers.
Early release Mondays for our school include:
- February 10
- March 10
- April 21
- May 12
Learn more about Early-Release Mondays.
Want to know if your child's bus is on schedule or where the bus is? Here Comes the Bus® is an easy-to-use website and app that enables parents to see the location of their child’s school bus — almost in real time — on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.
Parents can track multiple buses if their children don’t all ride the same bus; know exactly when children arrive at school or the bus stop; and receive customized text and/or email notifications about bus locations, schedule changes, or delays.
To get started, download the app from the Apple iOS or Android app store. Check out the Here Comes the Bus and Frequently Asked Questions webpages for more information.
Already using the Here Comes the Bus app? Send your feedback to HCTB@fcps.edu.
Note: eNotify text messaging will continue to be used for reporting bus delays and bus incidents.
- 🚍 Here Comes the Bus (Ahí Viene el Autobús)
¿Quiere saber si el autobús de su hijo llegará a tiempo o dónde está? Here Comes the Bus® es un sitio web y una aplicación fáciles de usar que permiten que los padres vean la ubicación del autobús escolar de sus hijos -casi en tiempo real- en un smartphone, una tableta o un ordenador personal.
Los padres pueden ver la ubicación de varios autobuses en caso de que sus hijos no viajen todos en el mismo autobús; saber exactamente cuándo llegan los niños a la escuela o a la parada de autobús; y recibir notificaciones personalizadas por mensaje de texto y/o correo electrónico sobre la ubicación de los autobuses, los cambios de horario o los retrasos.
Para comenzar, baje la aplicación de la tienda de aplicaciones de Apple iOS o Android. Consulte las páginas web Here Comes The Bus y Preguntas Frecuentes para obtener más información.
¿Ya utiliza la aplicación Here Comes the Bus? Envíen sus comentarios a HCTB@fcps.edu.
Aviso: La mensajería de texto eNotify seguirá utilizándose para informar de retrasos e incidencias en los autobuses.
- 🙋 Student Attendance and Engagement
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!
Missing School Over the Holidays
Looking ahead to the holiday season, if missing school is unavoidable, please speak with your child’s teachers in advance to create a plan for making up missed work. However, a homework packet cannot make up for the interaction and learning that happens in the classroom.
Visit FCPS’ website for more attendance resources.
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- 📑 Varsity Tutors Provides On-Demand Support at No Cost
FCPS is partnering with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors’ services at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests. Learn more about online tutoring with Varsity Tutors.
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