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Dear Cardinal Families,
This is a friendly reminder regarding our student dismissal procedures at the end of the school day. We understand that many of you wait for our walkers, and we appreciate your support in ensuring a smooth and safe dismissal process.
It's crucial to remember that you are only permitted to take your own child(ren) home from school. While we understand the desire to help out other families, including relatives, taking a student who is not your child can create significant confusion and even panic when their parent arrives and they are not there. Even if you are related to the child, we must follow our established procedures for everyone's safety and well-being.
To ensure a safe and organized dismissal for all students, please adhere to the following:
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Only take your own child(ren) home at dismissal. Do not take other children, even if they are family members, unless you have been specifically authorized to do so by the school administration and the child's parent/guardian.
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If you have a change in your child's dismissal plans for any reason, please notify the main office before dismissal time. This allows us to communicate the change effectively and ensure your child is dismissed appropriately. This includes if another family member or friend will be picking up your child. We need written permission from you for anyone other than you to pick up your child.
Thank you for your understanding and partnership in keeping our students safe.
As a reminder, our next 3 hour early release day is on Monday, February 24th. Confirmation emails with details of your after-school care choice for your child were sent earlier this week. If you have any questions, please contact the main office at 703-255-5600.
Warmly,
Allison Hoak, Principal
Jon Kemmerer, Assistant Principal
🚙Reminder: Kiss & Ride Safety and Efficiency
We want to remind everyone about the importance of safe and efficient traffic flow during Kiss & Ride drop-off and pick-up times. We've noticed that some parents are parking and crossing the bus lanes, which unfortunately slows down the entire Kiss & Ride line and creates a safety concern for our students.
To ensure the safety of all our children and keep the line moving smoothly, we will be holding parents and students who wish to cross the bus lane until the Kiss & Ride line has slowed down and it is safe to cross. We understand that everyone is eager to get their children to and from school, but a smooth and safe process benefits everyone.
We strongly encourage you to utilize the Kiss & Ride lane. This allows for a quick and easy pick-up without having to leave your car, significantly reducing congestion and improving safety. We discourage parents from parking to pick up their children, as this causes significant disruption to the flow of traffic and creates safety concerns. The only parents who should be parking are those with children in car seats, as these children require assistance getting in and out of their vehicles.
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📕🔢Support Children's Learning at Home
Are you looking for ways to support your child's development of Core Skills: Relate, Regulate, Think, Think- Math, Communicate, and Move? If so, check out this blog for family-friendly resources available on the ECE Resource Hub! These brand new Take-Home Strategies were developed by UVA-CASTL in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education.
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🍴Student Fasting Meal Kits for February 28 - March 28
Thanks to a new program from the Virginia Department of Education, students who are fasting during the school day between February 28 and March 28 can now take school meal kits home at the end of the day. Families will need to fill out a weekly Fasting Meals Request Form for their child or children to receive school meal kits. A separate form must be filled out for each week and each student. To receive meal kits for Friday, February 28, and the week of March 3, please submit the first request form by Monday, February 24. Visit the FNS webpage for more information, including weekly request forms and deadlines.
🤧 Protect Yourself and Your Community From the Flu
Fairfax County is experiencing very high levels of influenza (flu) illness. The Fairfax County Health Department reports that visits to emergency departments and urgent care centers for flu-like illness have increased, especially among children, and multiple flu outbreaks have occurred in our community and school settings. Read a letter from the health department.
The health department suggests taking the following steps to reduce the spread of flu and other germs:
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Cover coughs and sneezes. If you must be around others while ill, wearing a mask can help reduce spread.
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Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers when soap and water are not available (with supervision for younger children).
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Clean frequently touched surfaces.
According to the health department, to help prevent or reduce the spread of illness it is important for individuals who are sick to stay home and away from others until symptoms improve and until they have been free of fever for at least 24 hours. Visit this Attendance webpage for guidance on when your child should go to school.
🔬Join Us for CPES STEAM Night
When: February 19, 2025
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Where: CPES Cafeteria, Gym, Art Room, Library, Some Classrooms
Join us for a fun family event! Interactive and informative activities from Blue Origin, Ozobots, Legos, Toobers and Zots, Marshall and Madison High School Robotics Teams, and MORE!!! *All students must be accompanied by an adult for this event.
🎨Calling All Artists!
Help our CPES Get2Green Team create a giant coloring book! We're collecting coloring pages featuring endangered species. Students can draw and color a picture of an endangered animal, then bring their artwork to school. On the back, please write the animal's name, an interesting fact about it, and your own name. All coloring pages should be turned in to the main office by February 28, 2025.
💻 Try Online Registration! It’s easy as 1, 2, 3…
Parents/caregivers may register their children online for kindergarten through 12th grade. Learn how to begin the online registration process. When registering, you will need to create or log in to an existing SIS ParentVUE account.
- Determine eligibility.
- Identify your local school.
- Gather documents.
- Fill out forms.
- Schedule an appointment with the registrar.
Kindergarten Orientation will be announced at a later date. If you have any questions reach out to Nicole Madariaga at njmadariaga@fcps.edu or 703-255-5600.
Pyramid Information
GCM STEM Stars is hosting Marshall’s first ever STEM night on February 28th from 6-8 pm at George C. Marshall HS. There will be activities such as learning about the Science fairs created by our juniors and seniors in physics and biology, seeing our STEM IA’s, and doing activities that relate to some of our IB classes such as environmental science, biology, chemistry and more. It will be a lot of fun and a good experience for students to get an introduction to High School science, we hope that you can attend. RSVP here!
FCPS Information
💰Breaking Down the Budget: Investing in Our Classrooms
Did you know that more than 85% of FCPS’ budget stays in our classrooms? Currently, 92.5% of FCPS staff are school-based, more than neighboring school districts. We are in the middle of FCPS’ annual budget process, which includes opportunities for you to give feedback. Learn more about the proposed FCPS FY 2026 Proposed Budget and see the budget timeline.
🧲 Learn About Science, Technology, and Arts Magnet Schools
Three FCPS elementary magnet schools — Hunters Woods, Bailey’s Primary, and Bailey’s Upper — provide enhanced learning programs in science, technology, and performing arts.
Registration for the 2025-26 elementary magnet lottery is open Tuesday, March 4, through Friday, April 4. Learn more about the programs on the Elementary Magnet Schools page and information on the magnet lottery on our Registration page.
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