Gator Bytes: News and General Information for Kings Glen ES
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A Message from Principal Ritter
Dear Kings Glen Families,
It has been an excitement-filled first week back! Our teachers and staff welcomed our students back by creating community building lessons and activities to develop positive and welcoming environments across the school. Our students demonstrated their joy and curiosity while learning and spending time together. It’s hard to believe Back-To-School Night was just a week ago - thank you to all of the families who attended! It is with your partnership we will collectively make this year one full of memory making, growth, and achievement.
As we look ahead to next week, a few reminders:
- Monday, August 25th was the due date for completing the opt-in/opt-out form for our first Early Release which will occur on Wednesday on September 10.
- There is no school on Friday, August 29 and Monday, September 1 for the Labor Day Holiday.
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Back to School Tips
As we get back into the school year, here are a few tips to help your family get back into the school routine:
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Re-establish Routines: Start getting back on a regular sleep schedule now. A well-rested child is better prepared to learn and engage.
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Create a "Launchpad": Set up a designated spot near the door for backpacks, lunchboxes, and school supplies. This can make those busy mornings a lot smoother.
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Read Together: Take some time each day to read with your child. It's a great way to bond and get their minds ready for the school year. Friendly reminder, each night your child will be bringing home their large white Literary Envelope – the Literacy Notebook along with the text your child is reading. Assignments for the literacy notebook are given on Monday and are due the following Monday.
Speaking of reading together...
The upcoming Benchmark Unit 1 in Language Arts is about life science. Students in K-5 will be learning about plants, animals, and nature. Sixth grade students will learn about the natural balance of nature.
Connect with your child’s learning at school with these fun questions and hands-on activities at home:
- Question: What are some ways we can take care of nature and living things?
- Activity: Pick an animal and act out how it moves or survives in its habitat — see if family members can guess!
At the end of the unit, your child will take their unit magazine home. The magazine includes an activity calendar with fun ways to help students build on what they’re learning at each grade level. You can also find information on how to support your child’s reading at home on the Benchmark Families website.
Ensuring Student Safety: Register for Volunteer FCPS
At Kings Glen our volunteers are a vital part of our school community. We deeply value the time and care they give to our students.
Recent updates to our volunteer process focus on one primary goal: keeping students safe.
These updates — such as checks against the sex offender registry and, in some cases, criminal background checks — are safety measures that will help us maintain a secure and supportive learning environment for every student in our care.
We encourage all our parents and community members interested in supporting our students by volunteering at school to visit Volunteer FCPS click “Learn More,” and then “Sign Up.” After you create a profile, you will view an orientation video and complete a volunteer application. Please note that you will need to log into your volunteer account to check the status of your application and take care of any tasks needed to be completed by you.
Volunteer FCPS ensures a safe, consistent, and welcoming environment at all of our schools. All volunteers must be registered in Volunteer FCPS. This includes individuals who volunteer to chaperone on field trips, work at book fairs, support Kings Jesters, library, and assist throughout the school. Volunteers who work unsupervised with students will also be required to undergo a background check (Level 3).
As a reminder, all volunteers — and visitors to a school — are required to sign in by scanning their ID at our visitor kiosk. Visit the Volunteer FCPS Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more.
Welcome to Band and Strings!
We are excited for a new year for students to participate in either Band or Strings! Demonstrations were held last week for both Band and Strings.
4th Grade students are eligible to enroll in Strings classes, while 5th and 6th Graders are eligible to enroll in either Band or Strings. Unfortunately, students cannot sign up for more than one instrument. Please reach out to Ms. Sharkey (Strings) or Ms. VanValkenburg (Band) if you need forms or additional information.
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Enroll in Chorus
Forms due Monday, September 2nd
We would like to invite 5th and 6th grade students to join the Kings Glen Chorus. Our Chorus will meet during the school day for 30 minutes once a week. There is no cost to join. During our rehearsal time each week, we will work on developing our listening and singing skills, singing a variety of music, and promoting teamwork through the choral arts. Our goal is to continue the tradition of choral excellence established at Kings Glen and throughout Fairfax County.
Student enrollment forms went home with 5th and 6th grade students today. Please complete and return the form no later than Monday, September 2nd if you would like your 5th or 6th grader to participate.
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Pixel Can Art Food Drive
What: We are collecting 14-16 oz sized cans of vegetables and beans. Cans that “lock together” when stacked are best for the project.
When: Collection of cans starts NOW until September 30th.
Where: Drop of your cans and other dry food goods in the boxes by the front office.
Why: We will donate the food to ECHO in Springfield. Before it is donated, students will create a pixel can art sculpture to be displayed for the school.
School Supplies for Students in Need
We are in search of brand-new school supplies for students in need for the school year. We are asking the community for donations. You can view a list of needed supplies by viewing the Kings Glen school supply lists here.
If you have new school supplies to donate, please drop them off or send to school with your child and place in the collection box located by the main office. Thanks for your support!
Everything You Need to Do Through SIS ParentVUE
Don’t forget your back-to-school forms and checklists! Make sure you have a SIS ParentVUE account for your family and log in to find important forms and updates.
If you do not have a ParentVUE account, contact our front office for an activation code and follow the directions on the SIS ParentVUE Account webpage.
☑️ Update Contact Information: Be among the first to know about weather closings, bus delays, and other critical communications from your school and FCPS by providing your cell phone number and email in SIS ParentVUE. To update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, click the “Online Packets” tab in the upper right of the screen, then click the “Online Verification/Update” icon.
Parents/caregivers who do not have a ParentVUE account should contact our school for an activation code to create an account, or print and complete the Emergency Care Information Form and submit it to our front office.
☑️ Submit Absences: Parents/caregivers can submit daylong absences through SIS ParentVUE. Log in to the platform and click “Report Absence.” Partial day absences and changes of transportation should still be reported directly to our front office.
☑️ Review and Submit Immunization Forms: Parents/caregivers can check their child’s immunization compliance and submit immunization records in SIS ParentVUE. Records may also be delivered to our front office.
If needed, families may also provide other immunization documentation including a health care provider’s written statement of a permanent or temporary medical exemption or a notarized Religious Exemption Form.
Please visit the FCPS How to Submit Immunization Documentation webpage for step-by-step instructions on how to submit each of these items.
Help Your Child Navigate the Lunch Line
Help your child get through the lunch line quickly and have more time to eat:
- Teach your child their student ID number to receive meals at school.
- Sign up for and add money to MySchoolBucks to purchase meals at school.
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Apply for free and reduced-price meals. Students who were approved for free and reduced-price meals last year are eligible for the first 30 days of school this year (or until a new application is processed). Families should submit a new application as soon as possible, so eligible students continue to receive meals at no cost.
If your child has any food allergies, learn how to submit accommodations for dietary restrictions and allergens.
Access menus for breakfast, lunch, and other school meals, as well as allergen and nutrition information..
Parent Information Line Available in 8 Languages
Parents/caregivers who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese may call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS. View the list of phone numbers.
FCPS Cares
FCPS Cares is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story so we can all acknowledge the good work of our Kings Glen staff members.
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KP/KG PTA News |
Join the PTA. We hope all members of the KP/KG community will consider joining the PTA this school year. Being a PTA member has numerous benefits -- it's a great way to meet new friends and become more involved in your child's school and community. Join on our website!
Our first meeting, where we will be approving our budget, is coming up on September 10th at Kings Park at 5:00 pm right before Back to School Night.
Our next Spirit Night is coming up on September 10th! InCourage is offering a Back to School Night Event from 4:45 pm to 7:30 pm. Sign your student up, drop them off at InCourage, then join us for our PTA meeting at 5 pm and Kings Park’s Back to School Night at 5:30 pm! All proceeds come back to the PTA!
Our popular PTA Ice Cream Social and Community Resource Fair will be held at Kings Glen on September 12th at 6:30 pm. Start the new school year with a cold treat and discover information on after school activities and community resources.
Keep in Touch with the PTA. A great way to keep in touch with the PTA is to subscribe to our emails and/or join our Facebook group. An updated PTA events calendar can also be found here. We will be starting our monthly newsletter in September, which is a great resource to find out more about the PTA. Reach out to board@kpkgpta.org if you have any questions.
Volunteer with the PTA. Volunteering is certainly not a requirement of joining the PTA, but we are always looking for more help! We are looking for some volunteer leads for various positions throughout the year. Check out our openings here. Alternatively, fill out the form on this page to let us know how you can help!
Information on after school activities will be coming out soon. Please subscribe to our mailing list for updates.
Aug. 29-Sept. 1: Labor Day Holiday (Schools Closed)
Sept. 2: Chorus Forms Due (5th/6th Grades Only)
Sept. 9: Special Election Voting Day (No School)
Sept. 10: Kings Park Back-to-School Night
Sept. 10: PTA Meeting at Kings Park (5:00 p.m.)
Sept. 10: PTA Spirit Night at InCourage Martial Arts (See Above)
Sept. 10: 3-Hour Early Release Wednesday (Dismissal at 12:25 p.m.)
Sept. 11: PTA Booster Fundraiser Kickoff
Sept. 12: PTA Ice Cream Social/Community Resource Fair (6:30 p.m.)
Sept. 23: Rosh Hashanah Holiday (Schools Closed)
Sept. 30: Pixel Art Canned Food Drive Deadline
Oct. 2: Yom Kippur Holiday (Schools Closed)
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