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Dear Island Creek Families,
This week staff and students shared our heartfelt appreciation for our incredible Administrative Professionals! We celebrated them this week, and their dedication to our front office is truly invaluable. Thank you to Ms. Black, Ms. Bickerstaff, Ms. Jewett, and Ms. Texidor!
Our Crocs had a fun Eco Spirit Week, and it's wonderful seeing them thrive in our outdoor learning space!
While there aren't official study guides for the Virginia SOLs, there are sites where you and your child (Grades 3-6) can log in to view content and practice.
Jefferson Lab
VDOE Test Practice and Test Tools
VDOE Released Tests
Practice using Desmos Calculator Grades 4-5 and Grades 6-8
Varsity Tutors
SOL Pass
Xtra Math
STMath
Have a wonderful weekend!
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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! We are almost there!
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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 Last Chance: Buy your Yearbook Today!
If you would like to purchase a yearbook, please use this link: https://www.buytheyearbook.com/en/bty/findmyschool, our school ID code is: 727747.
 
Did you know that during our daily Morning News Show, the student anchors recite the Crocs Creed character traits? The Crocs Creed poster shown below is in every classroom and displayed throughout the school. Additionally, we have the Crocs Creed character traits as stair stickers on the stairs in the main lobby.
Croc Stars: Safe and Self-Aware
Congratulations to our Croc Stars who demonstrated the Crocs Creed character traits of being Safe and Self-Aware!
  
We are incredibly grateful to our generous sponsors, Wegmans, Manchester Bagel, and Fort Belvoir Spouses Club for their support during Month of the Military Child. Your contributions help us celebrate and honor our military families, making sure they feel recognized and appreciated. Thank you for making a difference in our community!
Help Make Faculty & Staff Appreciation Week Wicked Fun! Sign Up to Donate
The Island Creek PTA is brewing up something Wicked for Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week, happening May 5–9, 2025 — and we need your help to make the magic happen!
Each day, we’ll be treating our incredible faculty and staff to themed snacks, sweet surprises, and festive fun inspired by the Broadway hit Wicked. From a “Defying Gravity” breakfast to a POPular snack bar and an Emerald City send-off, it’s a week designed to show how much we appreciate all they do.
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Want to join the magic?
We’re looking for donations of snacks, drinks, décor, and more to bring this Wicked-ly fun week to life!
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Click here to view the Sign-Up Form
Whether you contribute a box of treats, help decorate, or supply drinks for one of the events, your support helps us sprinkle a little extra joy and gratitude across the week.
Thank you for helping us celebrate the people who make such a difference every day.
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Together, we’ll make this week feel straight out of the Emerald City! |
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With appreciation,
ICES PTA Faculty & Staff Appreciation Week Organizers
We are celebrating and encouraging students to include a safe route to school as part of a healthy and active lifestyle. Students who ride their bikes can park their bikes during the school day in the gym. Please bring your bike to the back of the school and into the gym, at Entrance #6. Students who attend SACC or childcare or are not within walking distance are welcome to participate with parent approval/ supervision.
If you ride your bike to school:
- All students must wear a helmet. Fairfax County law requires anyone under 15 to wear a helmet.
- Check their equipment: Air, Brakes, and Chains.
- Obey all traffic laws.
- See and be seen
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Go with the flow of traffic, and stay on the right side of the road.
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Be predictable, and stay alert.
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If riding on a sidewalk, students should yield to pedestrians and walk their bikes if the sidewalk is crowded with walkers.
- Beware of cars coming out of driveways if you ride on the sidewalk.
- Students crossing in crosswalks should dismount and walk their bikes across the street.
Please use the following link to discuss Bicycle Safety with your child.
http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/bicyclesaferjourney/
This spring, Island Creek Staff will begin creating tentative class groupings for the upcoming school year. Classroom assignments will be finalized in mid-August.
When making these placements, we carefully consider many factors, including:
- Individual student information
- Teacher input
- Social relationships
- A blend of children with diverse needs, personalities, and learning interests in every class.
Due to the numerous factors involved in creating balanced classroom placements, including teacher staffing, we are unable to honor requests for specific teachers.
If you have information you believe is important for us to consider regarding your child’s placement for next year, please complete this form by Friday, May 9.
If you do not have any specific information you would like us to consider, there is no need to complete the form.
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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!
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.
Reviewing for SOL Tests
While there aren't official study guides for the Virginia SOLs, there are sites where you and your child (Grades 3-6) can log in to view content and practice.
Jefferson Lab
VDOE Test Practice and Test Tools
VDOE Released Tests
Practice using Desmos Calculator Grades 4-5 and Grades 6-8
Varsity Tutors
SOL Pass
Xtra Math
STMath
Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener during the month of March, providing information on their SEL skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions. The screener also asks students how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
Individual student SEL Screener results are now available to families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent via postal mail.
For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or reach out to our school staff with any questions.
Monday, May 12 is Island Creek's next and last 3-Hour Early Release Day for school-age students at 12:20 pm. We will follow parent/guardian responses from the Early Release on Monday, April 21. If you need to change your child’s plans, please call the school office at 571-642-6300.
Spring has brought a creative flourish to the Island Creek ES Art Department. Prior to Spring Break, we were honored to have over 50 student artworks showcased at the 2025 Hayfield Pyramid Art Show. As we approach the end of the school year, Mrs. Rozycki and Mr. Korrow’s classrooms remain vibrant hubs of artistic activity. Students are engaged in a wide array of projects, including hand-building and glazing ceramics, developing observation skills through Virginia landscape paintings, creating pop-art self-portraits, weaving, and more. Everyone is having a blast!
Measles cases continue to rise in the US. About 1 in 5 people who get measles end up in the hospital. Measles can cause severe complications like a lung infection (pneumonia), brain inflammation (encephalitis), and possibly death, even with medical care. Symptoms of measles typically include:
- High fever (may spike up to 104°F)
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red, watery eyes
- A rash that appears around 3-5 days after other symptoms begin. The rash typically starts on the face and spreads down the body.
The best way to protect a child from measles is by getting two doses of the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.
If you are unsure of your child's vaccination status or your personal vaccination status, talk to your health care provider. If your child needs an immunization, make an appointment with your health care provider, visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for a list of child immunization clinics, or view other Immunization Resources.
The Fairfax County Health Department and Fairfax County Public Schools School Health Services invite parents/caregivers of FCPS students to participate in a survey on satisfaction with school health room services. The survey takes about five minutes to complete and will be open until Monday, May 5.
School health rooms (clinics) are managed by public health nurses and school health aides. Those staff provide care for students who become sick or injured during the school day, who require medications during the school day, and/or who have a chronic health condition that requires management during the school day.
Additionally, the school health room staff:
- Provide health education, communicable disease prevention, and health screenings.
- Work with schools to help address the root causes of population health disparities so that all students have equitable access to educational and health opportunities.
- Ensure that students have care for minor injuries and illnesses, and chronic health conditions, thus helping to minimize health barriers to learning.
Survey results will provide a basis for quality improvement of school health room services as well as inform future planning for schools.
Attend the FCPS Summer Extravaganza on Saturday, May 10, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., at Woodson High School and get a jump on summer learning and fun! At this free event, participants can engage in educational and enrichment activities designed to inspire curiosity and growth.
An FCPS Student Program Marketplace will feature student-made goods for sale. Proceeds will support the students’ programs.
Learn about summer programs and resources available from community and business partners. Enjoy face painting, touring a fire truck, student performances, and much more! Visit the Summer Extravaganza webpage.
FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan Goal 3: Academic Growth and Excellence places a focus on successful completion of Algebra 1 by eighth grade. To increase access to Algebra 1 for middle school students, the school division has decided to streamline the criteria for taking Algebra 1 Honors in seventh grade.
With the simplified criteria, Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test (IAAT) scores are no longer a prerequisite when selecting either Mathematics 7 Honors or Algebra 1 Honors. Although it is not a requirement for advanced math, families may still use the test scores to help decide which level of mathematics their child signs up for.
Families of students who took the IAAT this winter will receive their score report by the end of this month. Students who were scheduled for the IAAT but did not get to complete the test will have the chance to opt-in for a makeup test at the end of the year. Parents/caregivers will receive information about this makeup testing opportunity.
Additional information and copies of upcoming family communication can be found on the IAAT webpage.
Exciting news! SoCo Summer Strings is returning this summer! The camp will be hosted at South County Middle School from July 7-18, 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM (weekdays only). Camp is open to all rising 5th-9th grade students with at least one year of experience on the violin, viola, cello, or bass. Students will participate in two large ensemble rehearsals, an instrument-specific technique class, and a sectional each day.
You can find more information and register for camp at www.schsorchestra.org/soco-summer-strings. Register early to save money and reserve your student’s spot!
Upcoming Dates
❤️Wednesday, May 7: Bike to School Day; Grades 3 and 4: Reading SOL
❤️Thursday, May 8: Grades 5 and 6: Reading SOL
❤️Monday, May 12: 3-Hour Early Release (12:20)
❤️Wednesday, May 14: Grade 5: Science SOL
❤️Wednesday, May 21: Grades 3 and 4: Math SOL
❤️Wednesday, May 21-Friday, May 30: Read-A-Thon
❤️Thursday, May 22: Grades 5 and 6: Math SOL
❤️Thursday, May 22: STEAM Night!
❤️Monday, May 26: Memorial Day (No school for students and staff)
❤️Friday, May 30: Field Day (rain date: Friday, June 6)
❤️Wednesday, June 4: Last Day for Early Childhood Classbased Program
❤️Tuesday, June 10: Last Day for Preschool Autism Class Program
❤️Wednesday, June 11: Sixth Grade Promotion Ceremony (9:00, Cafeteria); Last Day of the 2024-2025 School Year for school-age students
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