Forestville Focus

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Calendar Reminders

November 17 - November 21: Bookfair November 19: PTA Sponsored Ice Cream Social and Book Fair Night (6:00 - 8:00 p.m.) November 20: Thanksgiving Luncheon (Revised Lunch Schedule listed below) November 26-28: Thanksgiving Holiday - School is Closed December 1: PTA Meeting (7:00 p.m. Cafeteria) December 4: Winter Concert (6:00 p.m. Gym) December 10: Early Release Wednesday - Dismissal at 1:00 p.m. December 22 - January 2: Winter Break (School and Office is closed)

A Note of Thanks from Mrs. Brooker & Mrs. Carlson

Dear Forestville Community,

As November quickly draws to a close, we want to express our gratitude for your unwavering support and commitment to the success of our Forestville students and staff. We are fortunate to belong to such a generous and caring community that entrusts us with delivering high-quality education. While we feel this appreciation daily, it is especially important to share our thanks with you at this time of year. 

We are thankful for the support we have received as we opened a new school year and launched our focus on caring, collaborating and communicating. Our staff is thankful for the largest number of exceptional Forestville staff recognitions in recent memory, totaling 42! Our students are thankful that they have the chance to come together in school-wide events such as School-wide Morning Meeting, Veterans Day and our Thanksgiving Lunch on Thursday. Even more of their thankful thoughts are now adorning our front lobby and pictured above.

We wish you all a safe, joyful and healthy Thanksgiving break next week with family and friends. We are grateful to have this time away and look forward to hearing about the memories you made when your children return to school on Monday, December 1.

With Gratitude,

Sarah Brooker
Principal

Afton Carlson
Assistant Principal

TONIGHT - Ice Cream Social and Book Fair

Forestville students have been enjoying their preview days of the PTA sponsored Book Fair this week. Make plans to join us TONIGHT for an evening of shopping and ice cream at our PTA Ice Cream Social and Book Fair Night from 6-8 p.m. 

Book Fair will also be open during Thanksgiving Lunches on Thursday for purchases and during class times on Friday. 

We thank you in advance for your support of our annual Book Fair! The quality and variety of books are outstanding and they make great gifts for the holidays! We would also like to especially thank our AMAZING Parent Volunteers for the hours of work you have put into set up and staffing our Book Fair! See you tonight!

🍂Revised Thanksgiving Lunch Schedule - Thursday, November 20

Forestville is excited to celebrate our annual Thanksgiving Lunch on Thursday, November 20. Families are invited to attend at their child's lunch time listed below:

10:45 - 11:15 Kindergarten

11:15 - 11:45 2nd Grade

11:45 - 12:15 3rd Grade

12:15 - 12:45 1st Grade  

12:45 - 1:15 4th Grade 

1:15 - 1:45 6th Grade 

1:45 - 2:15 5th Grade

Families can preorder a Turkey Lunch following the information in the flyer.

Cardinal Cafeteria Expectations & Invitation

Forestville invites all families to remind our students about our new and improved Cafeteria Expectations as you visit the cafeteria this week. Our two cafeteria hostesses have been hard at work helping support a safe and enjoyable lunch period for our students. Our Cardinals love the lunch period and the freedom it allows after a morning of hard work. At times, they need reminders about how to enjoy the environment safely. We are glad to have these expectations posted throughout our space and look forward to reviewing with students on a more regular basis. 

As a reminder, all families are invited to visit the cafeteria during their child's assigned lunch time. Parents/guardians must check in with their ID at the front office before heading to the cafeteria. Our students love to show off their friends to their loved ones, especially our youngest Cardinals!

Class Representatives Take the Lead

Forestville was excited to hold our first student council meeting this week with our class representatives from 5th and 6th grades. These students met with staff sponsors Mrs. Pearson and Mrs. Noel to plan for an upcoming Spirit Week and Inclusive Schools Week. We have so many student leaders at Forestville and look forward to growing these opportunities for more students over the year ahead! Way to go Cardinals!

Leaves are Falling and Acorns are Dropping...

Forestville Kindergarteners know that means it is time for a Squirrel Scavenger Hunt! Yep, our Kindergarten students took their learning outside this week as they went to observe the squirrels around the property. They students squealed with excitement as they saw them running through the property and hanging out in our woods. They studied their behavior and jotted their notes on their data sheets! Science is most definitely all around us!

🎉 Save the Date! 🎉 Cooper MS Core and Elective Curriculum Night

• Who: Rising 7th and 8th-grade Students and Guardians zoned to attend Cooper MS 🧑‍🎓
• What: Cooper MS Core and Elective Curriculum Night 🍎📚
• Where: Cooper Middle School 🏫
• When: Tuesday, January 27th from 5:30-7:30 PM 📅
• (Snow Date: February 3rd) ❄️
• Why: Discover all the exciting Core Classes and Elective Options for next year! ✨

Can't attend? No problem! Materials will be available to review online starting the following day on the Cooper MS website. 💻

Stay Connected with Forestville!

Want to see what learning, laughter, and life at Forestville really look like? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for a front-row seat to the amazing moments happening in our classrooms and around our school. From special events and student highlights to spirit days and everyday fun—you won’t want to miss a thing!

📸 Facebook: ForestvilleFCPS
📸 Instagram: @forestvillefcps

Tuesday Folder

Forestville uses Schoology for all Tuesday Folder contents. All flyers are posted to Schoology Course: Forestville All Parents and contents are listed below.

• Thanksgiving Donation Flyer
• Bookfair Information
• Community Fliers Disclaimer

✅ Please Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey

FCPS is asking all families to complete a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets, which is in the upper right corner of the screen after logging in. Please complete the survey as soon as possible.

Our school will provide paper forms to families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE. For more information, please visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page or watch this video about why Impact Aid matters.  

Register for ParentVUE

Learn how to activate your SIS ParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey and have access to other helpful information about your child’s education at FCPS.

November Is National Family Engagement Month

Family Engagement Month is a time to remember that parents and caregivers are children’s first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers. 

The FCPS Family Academy supports the continued success and well-being of each and every student within the FCPS community. The Academy offers a variety of positive and engaging learning opportunities and meaningful connections to transform the FCPS experience into a welcoming environment for all families.

FCPS Family Café Series: Support Your Child’s Growth and LearningThe FCPS Family Academy announces the launch of a monthly series called the FCPS Family Café. These fun and helpful sessions are designed to keep families informed and involved in their child’s education. At Family Café, parents are key partners in helping children succeed. Click on a topic below to register to attend. 

• The Connected Family: Navigating the Digital World TogetherThursday, November 13, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at Herndon Middle School

• Introduction to Career Pathways for StudentsTuesday, November 18, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at Key Middle School

✨ FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan Pillar B: Vibrant Home, School, and Community Partnerships, reminds us to empower families through trusting partnerships that sustain a safe, inclusive culture for learning. 

🩹 Immunization Events for FCPS Students

FCPS, in partnership with Inspire Health Alliance, will provide school-required immunizations and optional flu shots to all FCPS students at no cost. Additional dates will be made available throughout the school year. 

Participation is voluntary. Additional Immunization Resources are available online. Parents or guardians may schedule an appointment for their student.️ 

Volunteer Registration Update

Due to the overwhelming response from our community, FCPS is temporarily pausing fingerprint requirements for most Level 3 volunteers. 

If you are scheduled for an upcoming fingerprinting appointment, please cancel your appointment unless you are a mentor, host parent, or non-parent volunteer having frequent, direct, and unsupervised contact with students, which will still require fingerprinting. FCPS will be charged if individuals miss a fingerprinting appointment without canceling in advance.

Those who have already been fingerprinted will be processed to be eligible for all Level 3 opportunities. ​​​​​​​

Field trip chaperone opportunities will now be classified as Level 2 (not requiring a background check). 

To ensure continuous safety, all new volunteers are required to sign a Volunteer Certification Statement. This statement is a legal attestation confirming you have no history of violent felonies, physical/sexual crimes against children, or crimes of moral turpitude.

Want to volunteer? Visit Volunteer FCPS to find and sign up for volunteer opportunities. Contact Volunteers@fcps.edu with any questions. 

Apply Anytime for Free and Reduced-Price Meals

Families are encouraged to apply for free and reduced-price meals at any time during the school year. 

If your income changes — for example, due to a furlough, layoff, or job loss — you may become newly eligible. Once approved, your benefits stay active for the rest of the school year and for the first 30 days of the next school year.

Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals or attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school receive free breakfast and lunch every school day. It’s a great way to make your food budget go further and save time from packing meals. Learn more about FCPS Food and Nutrition. 

Impact of Federal Shutdown on Local Community

Fairfax County is home to around 80,000 federal employees and thousands of federal contractors. Its Federal Workforce Resource Hub is intended to help navigate current and future issues for residents, government employees, active military/veterans, contractors, nonprofits, and businesses who may be affected by actions, changes, or disruptions to federal services or employment. 

Find more community resources available to families.

Tutoring Resources for Families

Some families may be looking for additional resources to help support their child’s academic success. The FCPS Family Resource Center (FRC) maintains a list of FCPS employees who hold a valid Virginia teaching credential and who are available to hire as tutors. This list is a resource offered by the FRC, but families are responsible for contacting and working directly with the tutors. This list is not approved by FCPS and is only meant to be a resource to families.

FCPS also partners 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.

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 that will help them graduate on time and help them with time management. Parents and families can play a big role in helping kick-start good attendance habits.

Please take a look at the FCPS Calendar. Try to schedule any trips or family events on weekends and school holidays. 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. Visit our Attendance webpage for more information. 

FCPS News

In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:

• Celebrating Student Awards
• The Future of AI at FCPS

Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.  

The Forestville PTA is hosting a Thanksgiving Donation Drive to support 68 families in need at Dranesville Elementary School this holiday season! We are collecting donations on Monday, November 25th, from 1 PM–3 PM. Please use the QR code in the graphic to sign up or find a full list of needed items and see how you can help make a difference!

🎉 Join us for our Annual Thanksgiving Day Family Luncheon!

We invite all families to come eat lunch with their child on Thursday, November 20th, and visit the Book Fair in the Library! Please remember to pre-order your $5 lunch and scan the QR code in the graphic for more details. We can't wait to celebrate with our amazing Forestville community!

1085 Utterback Store Road | Great Falls, VA 22066 | 703.404.6000 
Attendance: submit online or call 703.404.6098 | Web | Twitter
Administration: Sarah Brooker | Afton Carlson