FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

Cherry Run

From the Principal's Desk:

Good afternoon families!! 

I start this bulletin with a message from the Fairfax County Police Department with regards to our students and parents.  "Recently, we have noticed a significant number of children riding bicycles to school and not wearing helmets.  We have given multiple warnings and there has been little change. Additionally, we have noticed many parents exiting the K&R line while on their cell phones.  This is unsafe, particularly with the number of students exiting the school grounds and walking home.  Citations for this are $125 and police will begin issuing them for offenders."

PLEASE make sure that your child(ren) are wearing helmets while riding to and from school.  The statistics on traumatic brain injuries from crashes is overwhelming (and even one is too many).  Also, please stay off your phone while on school grounds.  Looking down for even a second puts every child in danger.

If you have not already done so, please make sure to fill out the Google Link (or QR code) for the 3-hr early closing on Monday, March 10th.  The safety of our students is our biggest priority and that helps account for the whereabouts of each of them!  Thank you in advance!!

We are seeking families with interest in participating in our 2nd annual International Day!  Information can be found below.  Last year's initial fair was an AMAZING experience and we hope for lots of participation to make this one equally exceptional!  If you have questions, information for the committee can be found on the flyer below.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Sincerely,

Mark Bibbee

Principal

Cherry Run ES


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Important Dates:

March 10 - 3 Hour Early Closing - Students dismissed at 1:05

March 31 - Student Holiday - No Students - School is CLOSED

April 1 - Teacher Workday - No Students - School is OPEN

April 4 - International Day - 5:00 - 7:30 - Cafeteria

April 9 - Purple Up! - Day of the Military Celebration - 4:30-5:30 - Blacktop

April 14-18 - SPRING BREAK - No Students - School is CLOSED


March 10th - 3 hr Early Release Info

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Our next early release is Monday, March 10th. Please use the QR code above, or this link: https://forms.gle/hUPnj3qgTGyR7i6T8 to share intentions for that afternoon.  I sincerely appreciate your time, each month, filling out these forms so that we can account for all of our students and their safety!!   


International Day

Culture

Kindergarten Orientation

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Walk up registration for Orientation is welcome! 

To speed up the check in process, please use this link: https://forms.gle/MczTWV69PSk3mFXRA to let us know the names of those who will be attending the orientation.  

(This form is to allow for a quicker sign in process.  Labels will be preprinted for those who fill it out ahead of time and you won’t have to wait in a long line to sign in at the computer.  **IDs are required no matter what.)


Early Childhood Programs

  • Give Your Kids a Strong Start: Apply for Early Childhood Education Programs 

FCPS Pre-K and Early Head Start programs provide a high-quality early learning experience for qualifying children with economic and educational risk factors ages 6 weeks to 4 years living in Fairfax County. 

Pre-K prioritizes 4-year-old applicants but also accepts applications for children 3 years old by September 30. Early Head Start is located at three elementary schools — Clearview, Crestwood, and Dogwood — and accepts applications from expectant mothers and for children 6 weeks to 2 years old.

Families are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, however, space is limited and provided based on need, not “first come, first serve.” Applications are accepted online, by email, by postal mail, or in person at our office at 7423 Camp Alger Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia 22042.  

If you have a question about the application process or status, please call 703-208-7900 (English) or 703-208-7901 (Spanish).

  • Ayude a sus hijos a tener un gran comienzo: Presente su solicitud para los programas de educación de la primera infancia Los programas de prekínder y Early Head Start de FCPS ofrecen una experiencia de aprendizaje temprano de alta calidad para niños con factores de riesgo económico y educativo que reúnan los requisitos y que tengan entre 6 semanas y 4 años y vivan en el condado de Fairfax. 

El programa de prekínder da prioridad a los niños de 4 años, pero también acepta solicitudes de niños de 3 años cumplidos antes del 30 de septiembre.

El programa Early Head Start se encuentra en tres escuelas primarias —Clearview, Crestwood, y Dogwood— y acepta solicitudes de mujeres embarazadas y para niños de 6 semanas hasta 2 años.

Se anima a las familias a presentar sus solicitudes lo antes posible; sin embargo, el espacio es limitado y se ofrecen en función de la necesidad y no «por orden de llegada». 

Se aceptan solicitudes por línea, correo electrónico, correo postal o en persona en nuestra oficina ubicada en 7423 Camp Alger Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia 22042.  

Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre el proceso o el estado de la solicitud, llame al 703-208-7900 (inglés) o al 703-208-7901 (español).


SOL Testing Schedule

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SOL testing will be taking place in the month of May this year for students in grades 3-6. The SOL assessments are content assessments that measure a student's growth in Reading, Mathematics, and Science (5th grade only). These tests will be conducted during the dates listed in the table above. Please mark your calendar - it is important that your child attend school on the dates designated for them to test. Please ensure your child gets plenty of rest the night prior.


Kindergarten Registration OPEN!

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  • 🐻 It’s Kindergarten Registration Time!

Attending kindergarten provides children with an opportunity to learn and practice the essential social, emotional, problem-solving, and self-regulation skills they will use throughout their lives. Fairfax County public schools typically conduct kindergarten registration events, including orientation, between January and April. Eligible children can also be registered throughout the summer, but registering your child early helps us prepare and ensure we have the teachers and resources needed on the first day of school. 

Families should prepare for registration by gathering documents and completing forms on the FCPS kindergarten registration webpage. FCPS offers support and resources for all families to help with registration and the transition to kindergarten. For support in other languages, visit the kindergarten registration webpage.

✨ A strong start is Goal 1 of the 2023-30 Strategic Plan

** You can also reach out to Ms. Yasmin Naldo, our school registrar!

  • ¡Es el Momento de Inscribirse para el Kindergarten!

Asistir al kindergarten ofrece a los niños la oportunidad de aprender y practicar las habilidades sociales, emocionales, de resolución de problemas y de autorregulación esenciales que usarán durante toda su vida. Las escuelas públicas del Condado de Fairfax normalmente llevan a cabo eventos de inscripción para kindergarten-incluyendo orientación-en la primavera durante Lunes o Abril. Los niños elegibles también pueden inscribirse durante el verano, pero inscribir a su hijo temprano ayuda a las escuelas a prepararse y asegurarse de que tengan a mano los maestros y recursos que necesitan el primer día de clases. 

Después de determinar a qué escuela asistirá su hijo, las familias deben prepararse para la inscripción reuniendo documentos y completando formularios, los detalles se pueden encontrar en la página web de inscripción de kindergarten de FCPS. FCPS ofrece apoyo y recursos para todas las familias para ayudar con la inscripción y la transición al kindergarten. Para apoyo en otros idiomas, visite la página web de inscripción de kindergarten.


2025-2026 Placement Feedback

Student Placements for 2025-2026

While it is still early to be thinking ahead to next year, we want to give you an opportunity to provide information about class placements for the 2025-26 school-year ahead of time.  The staff at Cherry Run works hard to place students in an optimal learning situation each year.  If you would like to share some information that would help us make those decisions, please send your comments via email to me: mebibbee@fcps.edu, by May 15.  Please do not list teacher names.   Rather, describe the learning environment in which your child learns best. These emails will be for my eyes only, so please feel free to share anything about your child you'd like me to know.  Thank you.


Limited Early Release Mondays

  • 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:

  • March 10
  • April 21
  • May 12

Learn more about Early-Release Mondays


Bus Late? Here Comes the Bus!

 

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  • 🚍 Here Comes the Bus

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

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  • 🙋 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.


Tutoring Information

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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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School Hours

School Hours