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Bailey’s Upper Families,
Thank you so much for joining us for Back to School Night on Tuesday night! We truly appreciated your time and presence.
We made a few changes to the format this year, and we hope it made the experience more enjoyable and meaningful for everyone. We loved seeing families exploring the building together — hopefully your child had the chance to show you around, share their work, and give you a glimpse of the joy and excitement we feel at school every day.
If you missed BTSN you can reach out directly to your child’s teacher to have them share any information that was shared. They will be scheduling parent/teacher conferences soon so please make sure you connect with them.
Your partnership and support mean so much to us as we work together to make this a wonderful year for every student.
Bailey’s Upper Admin Team
💙Ms. Dowling
🧡Ms. Wayland
🐯Ms. Wiley
📂 This week’s Thursday Folder includes:
- Bailey’s PTA Reflections Entry Submission Form (English and Spanish)
- Trunk or Treat Candy Donations Needed-October 30, 2025 (English and Spanish)
- Student Dental Screening Opt-Out Form (English and Spanish)
Please take a few minutes to review these items with your student so you stay up-to-date with all the exciting things happening in our school community!
Join us October 6th–10th for a week full of fun and school spirit! 🎉
✨ Here’s the lineup:
- 👕 Monday – Pajama Day
- 🧦 Tuesday – Mismatch Day
- 📸 Wednesday – Dress to Impress for Picture Day!
- 👯 Thursday – Twin Day
- 🏫 Friday – Show your pride with School Colors (Orange/Blue) or College Gear
Let’s show our spirit all week long! 💙🧡
📅 Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2025
📸 Pictures Available: Approximately two weeks after photo day
🛒 Pre-order Online: https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001272888
📧 Questions about Ordering? Email us at underclass@vosphoto.com
📢 Our beautiful international event has been postponed in order to provide an opportunity for more of our wonderful community members to participate.
We can’t wait to celebrate together—please stay tuned for the new date coming soon!
SEL Screener All Grades - Week of October 14th
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) believes in supporting social and emotional learning (SEL) for all students. In FCPS, students use a tool called the SEL Screener to think about their own SEL skills and experiences at school. Bailey’s Upper Elementary School students will be participating in the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener in the Fall and Spring.
Assessment Date:
- 3rd grade - Wednesday, October 15th
- 4th Grade - Tuesday, October 14th
- 5th Grade - Tuesday, October 14th
Abilities Test for Some Students
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) uses the online Naglieri General Ability Tests (NGAT) to learn more about students’ reasoning skills in different areas. If your child does not currently have an abilities test file, you will be receiving a letter in next week’s Thursday folder with information. The test is given on 3 separate dates for approximately 1 hour.
Assessment Dates:
- October 28th, 30th and November 6th.
If you have any questions regarding past, current, or upcoming assessments, please contact Nicole Cassidy or Hugo Duran, our School Testing Coordinators at 703-503-2700
Each week we highlight anywhere from 1-4 staff members for our Staff Star of the Week Program. With this recognition, our staff is featured in our weekly staff newsletter and receives either a $5 Starbucks gift card, $5 Target gift card, or $5 Amazon gift card.
If you are interested in donating $5 Starbucks gift cards, $5 Target gift cards, or $5 Amazon gift cards to our school to help us continue our Staff Star of the Week Program, please drop them off in the main office.
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Wednesday, October 8th- Student Picture Day
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Monday, October 13th- No School (Indigenous Peoples’ Day)
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Wednesday, October 15th- 3-Hour Early Release (Dismissal starts at 12:25 p.m.)
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Monday, October 20th- No School (Diwali)
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Wednesday, October 22nd- PTA Meeting in Person 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Bailey’s Primary Cafeteria
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Monday, October 27th- Spooktacular Story Time (Virtual)
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Thursday, October 30th- Trunk or Treat 5:00-6:30 at Bailey’s Primary
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Friday, October 31st- 2 Hour Early Release (Dismissal starts at 1:25 p.m.)
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Monday, November 3rd- No School- Student Holiday
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Tuesday, November 4th- No School- Student Holiday
⏰ Take the School Start Times SurveyFCPS is continuing to explore options for adjusting school start times, with the primary goal of beginning the middle school day at 8 a.m. or later. In order to minimize any costs associated with this change, elementary and high school start times would need to shift as well.
Providing feedback opportunities for the community is a critical part of this effort. Since 2024, FCPS’ consultant has hosted five community forums and administered two surveys. A new School Start Times Survey is open and includes two options that are designed to support student well-being, align with research, balance transportation logistics, and minimize costs.
Staff, parents and caregivers, students, and community members may provide input on the two options by taking the survey. The survey deadline has been extended to Monday, October 6. Find more information on adjusting school start times on the FCPS website.
📍 Comprehensive Boundary Review UpdateFCPS will begin holding October community boundary review meetings on Monday, October 13. The new draft map, Scenario 4, will be shared with the community for feedback at those meetings. It will also be uploaded to the Boundary Explorer Tool shortly before October 13. Community members will then be able to provide feedback in the tool at their convenience.
As a reminder, the community provided feedback on draft scenarios 1-3 in the spring. Scenario 4 continues to build upon the first three scenarios. It is informed by the Superintendent's Boundary Review Advisory Committee, which reviewed community feedback received in the spring to help develop priorities that the consultant used to create Scenario 4.
Visit FCPS’ Comprehensive Boundary Review webpage for more information.
🙋 Every Day Is a Stepping Stone to Success
Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child later in life. It’s a good habit to build now to help them graduate from college on time and routinely report to work on time once they have a career.
Please take a look at the FCPS Calendar. Try to schedule any trips or family events on weekends and school holidays. Every day of learning is a day toward success. Keep in mind that absences add up quickly. Students who are absent 10% of the school year (or just two days per month) are considered “chronically absent.”
When possible, schedule appointments for your child outside of school hours. If your child needs to miss school because of an illness or appointment, you must report the absence to our school. Call the attendance line at 703-503-2727 or email our attendance email at baileysupperelem.attendance@fcps.edu
Visit FCPS’ Attendance webpage for resources on attendance.
📚 Finishing Up Uncovering Characters in Language Arts 📚Benchmark Unit 2 in Language Arts is coming to a close! Over the last several weeks, our students have learned, read, and written about different characters in stories and their own personal sense of character.
Connect with your child’s learning at school with these fun questions and hands-on activities at home:
- Question: How does the way you act change the way you think about yourself?
- Activity: Draw a new cover for a favorite book featuring the main character in a key moment.
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.
Why Are Bonds Needed to Fund FCPS Construction Projects?
The building and renovation of schools are not financed through the FCPS’ operating funds, but through bonds. Similar to an individual or a family obtaining a mortgage on a residence to spread the cost of home buying over several years, bonds spread the cost of major capital improvements over a number of years. This ensures that current and future residents and users share in the payment.
This approach is good for our taxes, too. If capital construction were financed out of current tax revenues on a pay-as-you-go basis, projects would need to be paid for in a much shorter time frame, likely reducing other county services or necessitating tax increases. Fortunately, the county’s bonded debt is not likely to be a contributing factor to any increase in local taxes.
A bond referendum to benefit FCPS will be on the ballot this Election Day, Tuesday, November 4. It represents an investment by the community into the facilities everyone uses — whether for school or to gather as a community.
Read more about the FCPS 2025 Bond Referendum. Learn more about registering to vote. Make a voting plan and vote on Tuesday, November 4.
🎤 Save the Date: Community Conversations with Superintendent Dr. Reid
Your voice matters, and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid wants to hear from you! At FCPS, parents are partners, working with us to set our students up for long-term success at school and in life.
A series of Community Conversations are being held across the school division to discuss current challenges and future opportunities. These events are also a chance for you to share your thoughts and ask questions. Events are planned for the following dates from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.:
Child care and interpretation services will be provided. Events are open to all.
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