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Dear Mantua families,
Our Mantua community sang and danced our way through ice crystals, snowmen, and reindeer “for the first time in forever”! We were thrilled to welcome back our Mantua drama club for this exceptional performance of Frozen, Kids! These students have dedicated the last few months to perfecting their performances, and their hard work paid off! We’ve shared some pictures with you. We would like to give a massive shout-out to the PTA, our drama director, and the many PTA volunteers who dedicated so much time and energy to these students and this performance.
We also want to share some exciting news! The students at Mantua are participating in a Monthlong Behavior Challenge that started on Monday. Here is how it works:
Each grade level will choose a WEEKLY GOAL (ie. 6th grade might aim for 100 “caught ya” tickets)
- Tickets will be given to students who are demonstrating SAFE hallway behaviors: walking at all times, staying with a buddy or in a straight line, having voice levels at a 0-1, and keeping their hands and body to self.
- Students will write their name and grade on the ticket and place it in the grade-level bin outside the cafeteria.
- Tickets will be counted each week by the Behavior Team.
- If the grade level reaches their goal, the entire grade level team wins a treat.
- Additionally, each week two names will be drawn from every grade level, and administrators will call families to celebrate their child’s success.
Please encourage your student to take extra care in the hallway this month!
Have a wonderful week!
Take good care,
Ms. Shannon, Mrs. Vaughan, and Mr. Webster
Important Upcoming Dates
May 1: 5th and 6th grade Band Spring Concert, 7 PM
May 2: School Lunch Hero Day
May 3: Mantua Talent Show, 5 PM
May 10: Raccoon Run 5k/Fun Run
May 15: 4th, 5th, and 6th grade Strings Spring concert, 5:45 and 7 PM
May 16: Mantua PTA Spring Dance (all students welcome with parents)
May 26: Memorial Day, Staff and Student holiday, offices closed
June 6: Grad Walk 3 PM, Mantua Alumni preparing for graduation will walk the halls!
June 9: Mantua 6th Grade Promotion Ceremony, Woodson High School, details to follow.
Feature Friday
Feature Friday is our way of spotlighting Mantua's incredible staff regularly! Each week, we recognize a group of staff members. Check them out on Mantua ES Instagram.
Our 4/28 featured staff are Principal Shannon, our PE teachers Ms. Bruining and Mr. Collins, and our Cafeteria Staff (Youn Chung, Mei Lin, Thu Nguyen, and Kimberly Liam).
Please take a moment to share a positive message for the teams using the Google form, which is open until 5/3/25.
Thank you for helping us to make Feature Friday a fun and engaging way to celebrate our school community and for your continued enthusiasm and support of our staff!
SOL Test Dates
| Grade 3 |
May 7 Reading |
May 21 Math |
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| Grade 4 |
May 8 Reading |
May 20 Math |
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| Grade 5 |
May 1 Reading |
May 15 Science |
May 22 Math |
| Grade 6 |
May 6 Reading |
May 13 Math |
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Family Input for Student Placement 2025-26
We value and consider your insight into your child’s learning needs. Taken together with teacher input and student services, your feedback will be included in the class placement process. We respectfully ask that you refrain from citing a specific teacher by name. The information you provide will be shared with your child's current teacher and grade-level team as they work on the placement process and will be provided to next year's teacher to best support the transition.
If you're providing input for multiple children, please fill out one form for each child.
Submissions are due May 9, 2025. They must be on time to be considered, as our staff will use this input as they form student groups the following week. All input must be made through this Family Input Form to be included in the placement process.
The Positivity Project
This week, our school community will focus on the character strength of Purpose. Purpose means having beliefs about the meaning of life and feeling that your life has a purpose. It’s about wanting to be part of something bigger than yourself.
People with a sense of purpose believe they are here for a reason. That reason can be different for everyone — it might be inventing something new, bringing joy through art or music, or raising kind and responsible children.
Having a clear purpose helps people stay strong and courageous, even in difficult times. It also encourages them to act with kindness and love, even when it’s hard. When people feel connected to something greater, their lives have more meaning and fulfillment.
To practice and encourage the character strength of purpose at home, please visit The Positivity Project’s mobile-friendly P2 for Families (available in English and Spanish), where you will watch a video together and discuss a quote and three questions. Below are links to this week’s P2 for Families lessons. Click on the grade level that best meets your child’s needs.
The Mantua Spring Dance
The Mantua Spring Dance will return on Friday, May 16, 6:00-8:30 PM in the Mantua Gym! This will be a fun-filled, Tropical Glow-themed evening of music, dancing, pizza/refreshments/Kona Ice (for purchase), and socializing for our students and their families.
There is no charge to attend, and pizza, other concessions, and the Kona Ice Truck will be available for purchase on-site.
The event is open to all students in grades Preschool through 6th grade and their families.
Raccoon Run
Please support the Mantua Kids Care Club and Life With Cancer by coming out for the 25th annual Raccoon Run! Race Day is May 10, with the 1-mile fun run kicking off at 8:00 AM, followed by the 5K at 8:30 AM. As always, all proceeds will go to Life With Cancer, and there will be prizes! Register here https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Fairfax/RaccoonRun5K1M or visit www.raccoonrun.wordpress.com for more details. Feel free to reach out to Allison Stellatos at raccoonrunally@gmail.com with any questions.
If running isn’t your thing, but you want to help out, we need LOTS of volunteers to make this a success!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4DAAAC29A5F85-racoon
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
People with ancestral roots in Asia and the islands of the Pacific have been integral to the story of America. In 1992, May was designated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month to celebrate their heritage and contributions. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.
Jewish American Heritage Month
May is a national month of recognition of the history of Jewish contributions to American culture, acknowledging the diverse achievements of the Jewish community in the U.S. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.
Developing a Strong Academic Foundation, Curiosity, and Joy for Learning
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.
A strong start for every student is Goal 1 of the Strategic Plan. Pre-K classrooms are making a difference in our community. In this video, we explore the importance of bringing children under the age of five together, regardless of abilities.
Learn more about the FCPS FY 2026 Advertised Budget. View the Budget Development Calendar to stay up to date and learn about opportunities to provide feedback to Fairfax County and FCPS.
Share Your Input on the County Budget
The Fairfax County government presented its Fiscal Year 2026 Advertised Budget Plan to the Board of Supervisors on February 18. The community is invited to share feedback through an online survey, email, phone calls, or by attending Budget Town Hall meetings.
Social and Emotional Learning Screener: Parent Reports
Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener during the month of March, providing information on their SEL skills such as 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 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 SEL Screener Results Family Guide or reach out to our school staff with any questions.
Increasing Access to Middle School Algebra 1
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.
Pre-K Program Accepting Applications for Fall
The FCPS PreK Program serves 3 and 4-year-old students with a high-quality, full-day preschool program with no cost to families at 78 Fairfax County elementary schools.
Students may qualify with a variety of economic or educational risk factors. Learn more about the Pre-K and Early Head Start Program by watching this video (English) or video (Spanish).
Spaces fill quickly, so complete an application online now or call 703-208-7900 (English) or 703-208-7901 (Spanish) for more information.
Quick Contacts & Links
Linda Shannon, Principal LCSshannon@fcps.edu
Colleen Vaughan, Assistant Principal CAVaughan@fcps.edu
Chris Webster, Interim Assistant Principal cwebster@fcps.edu
Susan Palomino, Administrative/Finance Assistant SLPalomino@fcps.edu
Mergie Kakouris, Student Information Assistant, MBKakouris@fcps.edu
Jane Dunfee, SBTS, Testing Coordinator, pjdunfee@fcps.edu
Fadwa Finaish, Office Assistant, FFinaish@fcps.edu
Judy Toy, Office Assistant, JPToy@fcps.edu
Luis Uribe Gamboa, Family Liaison, lauribegambo@fcps.edu
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