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Dear Island Creek Families,
February flew by! It was great to have a full week with our students and wonderful to see so many of you at last night's Authors and Artists event. Thank you for celebrating our students' hard work!
- Yearbook Cover Photos are due Friday, March 7
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Monday, March 10 is Island Creek's next 3-Hour Early Release Day for school-age students at 12:20 pm. We will follow parent/guardian repsonses from the Early Release on Monday, February 10. If you need to change your child’s plans, please call the school office at 571-642-6300.
Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for entrusting your children with us!
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All our best,
Jen Fallert, Principal
Karen Baxter, Assistant Principal
Denise Cash-Pinckney, Assistant Principal
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Help us reach our goal of 5% or less this year!
Regular attendance is a significant factor in a student’s success:
- Chronic absenteeism (missing 10% of the school year) correlates to low academic achievement;
- Absenteeism is a powerful predictor of dropout rates;
- Absenteeism has been linked to poor outcomes later in life.
To ensure transparency and celebrate our progress, we will be sharing weekly attendance data and updates in our newsletter. By highlighting this important information, we aim to keep our families informed and energized about our collective efforts to encourage regular school attendance
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We are excited to announce that Victor O'Neill Studios will be at Island Creek Elementary on Friday, March 14 for Spring Picture Day and Class photos.
We're thrilled to announce our annual Yearbook Cover Contest! Two students will have their designs featured on the front and back covers of the yearbook.
Here's how to enter:
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Format: Designs must be on 8.5x11 inch paper (vertical/portrait orientation)
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Required Elements: Include the following:
- Island Creek Elementary
- 2024-2025
- You Belong Here
- First and last name written in pencil (on the back)
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Quality: Excellent craftsmanship!
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Design Tips: Bright colors and clear lines tend to look best.
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Important: All words must be spelled correctly. Creativity is encouraged!
Deadline: Please submit your yearbook cover designs to the Front Office by Friday, March 7, 2025
The Spring Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener will be administered to students in grades 3-6 during the week of March 17-21. Students use the SEL Screener twice a year to share their perspectives on how well their school and community help them develop skills they need to succeed. The screener works by asking questions or presenting statements that students can think about and respond to. More information is available about the SEL Screener by accessing this link: https://www.fcps.edu/student-tests-and-assessments/student-assessment-details/social-emotional-screener
If you have any questions please reach out to our SEL Screener Lead, Nikki Bohnert, at anbohnert@fcps.edu.
Island Creek has a food sharing program in our cafeteria to reduce waste and food insecurity. The Share Table is where students may place unwanted and unopened food or drink from cafeteria meals (no food from home should be placed on the Share Table). Any student may take food or drink from the Share Table at no cost.
Encourage your children to only take what they need and to take part in food sharing. Together we can do great things!
During the third quarter in PE classes, students in Kindergarten, First, Second, and Third grade are learning a dance routine specific to their grade level. Students have been engaging in different dance warmups and practicing rhythm jump roping. Students in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grades are working to create their dance routines in small groups and will have performance days to showcase their group dance. We will be creating dance mash-up videos for all grades and are hoping to showcase everyone’s routines!
We will also start our striking stations in a few weeks! All students will learn about striking skills by using a variety of striking implements. We will have golf putting, golf chipping, hockey passing, hockey shooting, tennis hitting, baseball swinging, and badminton striking stations. During this unit, we are excited to also have our archery station! The students will be able to safely experience the sport of archery. We are looking forward to the fourth quarter and our fitness, foot skills, and outdoor recreational activities units!
 
Ramadan is from sundown February 28th to sundown March 29th. If your Island Creek student is observing Ramadan, please fill out this Ramadan Participation Questionnaire so we can coordinate on both a prayer schedule and a lunch alternative for them, if needed.
It was inspiring to see so many students and families at Authors and Artists Night last night! The event featured a truly amazing collection of student writing and artwork, and we were thrilled with the turnout.
A heartfelt thank you to our fantastic art teachers, Ms. Rozycki and Mr. Korrow, who curated and hosted an AMAZING Glow Show in the Theater.
Please use this Authors and Artists Feedback Form to tell us what you thought about Authors and Artists. Thank you for your support!
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is gearing up to honor and celebrate its military-connected youth in April, the Month of the Military Child and on Purple Up! Day!
Due to schools being out for spring break, Virginia will celebrate Purple Up! Day on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Purple Up! Day is a special day for communities to come together and wear purple as a visible gesture of support for our military-connected youth and their families. The color purple symbolizes the combined colors of all branches of the military.
FCPS Purple Up! t-shirts are available for purchase until Friday, March 7, 2025, through Custom Ink.
The shirts highlight our gratitude and appreciation for our over 13,500 military-connected students and their families. #PurpleUpFCPS!
For more information and/or to connect with FCPS resources, email us at militaryfamilies@fcps.edu.
Monday, March 10 is Island Creek's next 3-Hour Early Release Day for school-age students at 12:20 pm. We will follow parent/guardian repsonses from the Early Release on Monday, February 10. If you need to change your child’s plans, please call the school office at 571-642-6300.
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Parents of rising kindergartners please contact Ms. Bickerstaff, Island Creek Registrar, to schedule an appointment to register your rising kindergartner for the fall of 2025!
Spread the news with neighbors and friends who may also have a kindergartener ready to begin their journey at Island Creek!
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There’s an easy five-step process for parents wanting to register their child for kindergarten:
1. Determine eligibility: Children must be age 5 or older by September 30.
2. Identify your local school.
3. Gather documents.
4. Fill out forms.
5. An in-person appointment is still necessary. Please schedule with Ms. Bickerstaff.
Read more about the registration process.
Rising Kindergarten Student Intention 2025-26 Please complete this form if you have a rising kindergartner and plan on attending Island Creek Elementary School. We are not using this data for evaluative purposes nor for placement purposes but merely to collect information for the beginning of the school year. All students come in at various levels academically and socially. We are excited for our 2025-26 kindergarten students!
Tuesday, April 1, 2025: 9:30-11:00 (sign-in at 9:15)
We are excited to welcome our newest Crocs to Island Creek Elementary School for the 2025-2026 school year!
This event is intended for the rising kindergarten student and their parents/guardians. Last year we tried something new and it was a success, so will be repeating this year! Rising kindergarten students and their parents/guardians will be placed in tour groups and visit eight different locations at Island Creek to see our amazing school and meet our fantastic staff. At 11:00 we will have Popsicles on the Playground and the opportunity for students to board a school bus.
Due to limited space, we ask that only rising Kindergarten students and their parents/guardians attend.
For your planning purposes and reference, please see the Spring 2025 Standards Of Learning (SOL) Testing Dates. When possible, please avoid scheduling appointments and/or activities that would prevent your child from arriving at school on time on the days your child(ren) are participating in an SOL Assessment.
Registration will be available soon for summer camps offered by Fairfax County Public Schools for all students. Career and Technical Education (CTE) camps and Institute for the Arts (IFTA) camps will be held in July at Lake Braddock Secondary School from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bus transportation will be available from select FCPS middle and high schools. Registration begins for these programs on Monday, March 10, and ends Friday, June 6.
Tech Adventure Camp (TAC) is a week-long exploratory camp designed to allow current K-5 students to explore activities in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math), culinary arts, health, trades, and business and marketing areas. Watch this video about CTE camps.
E-IFTA is a weekly arts camp for students in grades 2-5 who love to sing, dance, act, perform, make, and create. Students take part in four daily classes related to dance, music, theater, and visual art. They work with FCPS fine arts teachers who create fun and engaging classes.
For more information, see the Summer Learning page
The FCPS Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Advertised Budget invests in academic growth and excellence for each and every student, which is one of the priorities of the FCPS Strategic Plan.
Across FCPS, teachers, staff, parents, and even older students are invested in helping our youngest learners grow their love of reading from a strong foundation.
The goal is for students to move from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” by the end of the third grade. Reading on grade level is connected to other Strategic Plan goals, including completing advanced coursework and graduating on time.
Last fall, FCPS introduced a new reading curriculum that aligns with evidence-based literacy instruction. Between fall and winter, reading screener results show more than a 4% increase in the number of students in kindergarten to third grade approaching or meeting expectations. Similarly, 3.4% more third graders demonstrate strong foundations of reading and 8.4% more third graders are mastering grade-level standards.
Discover how an elementary school employs a science-based approach, including phonics, to supercharge students' reading.
Learn more about the FCPS FY 2026 Advertised Budget. View the Budget Development Calendar to stay up to date.
Families, educators, and community members are invited to the 2025 FCPS Family Summit: Beyond Labels: Nurturing a Culture of Belonging. Fairfax County Public Schools will be hosting the free, in-person event in collaboration with valued community partners. The summit will be held Saturday, March 15, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at South Lakes High School.
This event will feature:
- Opening Session: Julie Causton and Kristie Pretti-Frontczak — best-selling authors, motivational speakers, and advocates for inclusion — will share practical tools and evidence-based strategies to empower and assist all families, with a special emphasis on parents of students with individual education programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans.
- Breakout Sessions: Learn more about special education and global topics that benefit all families.
- Student Showcase: FCPS students will share their efforts in fostering inclusivity through posters, essays, videos, songs, art, and other mediums.
- Exhibitor Hall: Discover valuable resources and services in the community to support families.
- Networking Opportunities: Connect with other families, staff, and community partners.
Childcare will be provided. Special education staff will be available to care for children with high support needs. You may sign up for childcare during the registration process.
Learn more about this event and register today! Contact FamilySummit@fcps.edu for more information.
Upcoming Dates
❤️Friday, February 28 (Sundown)- Saturday, March 29: Ramadan
❤️Frinday, March 7: Yearbook Cover Contest photos due
❤️Monday, March 10: 3-Hour Early Release (12:20)
❤️Friday, March 14: Spring Pictures and Class Photos
❤️Wednesday, March 19: 5th Grade IRW (Integrated Reading and Writing) SOL
❤️Monday, March 31: Eid al-Fitr (No school for students and staff)
❤️Tuesday, April 1: Teacher Workday (No school for students); Kindergarten Orientation (9:30-11:00)
❤️Wednesday, April 9: Purple Up! Day
❤️Monday, April 14-Friday, April 18: Spring Break (No school for students and staff)
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