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☎️ Parent Information Phone Lines Available in Eight 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.
Upcoming Events
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Thursday, Nov 20 - Thanksgiving Luncheon for students and their families (see info below)
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Friday, Nov 21 - Picture re-take day (see info below)
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Wednesday, Nov 26-28 - NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Holiday)
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Friday, Dec 4 - PTA Monthly Meeting & Movie Night
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Friday, Dec 12 - Career Day (gr 3-6), 9:00-am-12:00pm
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Wednesday, Dec 17 - Winter Music Concert, 6:30pm
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Monday, Dec 22- Friday, Jan 2 - NO SCHOOL (Winter Break)
Be sure to bookmark the FCPS school year calendar to keep track of school holidays, breaks, and observances.
FOOD INSECURITY...
Are you and your family suffering from food insecurity? Franconia ES can help. Use this link to share your contact information and our Family Liaison will reach out to you to discuss your needs.
OTHER RESOURCES:
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.
Thanksgiving Luncheon 2025
🦃 You're Invited to Thanksgiving Lunch with Your Child 🍎
Dear Families,
We are excited to invite you to join your child for our Thanksgiving Luncheon on Thursday, November 20!
This is a special opportunity to share a meal and celebrate the season of thanks with your student. Families will meet students at their classroom to attend lunch at their designated time.
Adult Lunch: $5.00
Children (12 and under) Lunch: $3.25
Note: If your child receives free/reduced lunch, they will still receive this pricing. However, all guests must pay full price for their lunches.
Payment: Payment for lunches should be added to your student's MySchoolBucks Meal Account or paid with exact cash on the day of the event.
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Attending without Purchasing Lunch: You may still attend lunch with your child even if you choose not to purchase a Thanksgiving Lunch meal.
**If you plan to attend more than one lunch (for multiple children) and eat multiple meals, you will need to purchase additional meals.
Thanksgiving Lunch Schedule
Please note the arrival and seating times for each grade level below.
RSVP
To ensure we have an accurate count for meals, please complete the FES Thanksgiving Lunch - Google Form (https://forms.gle/rnWangQ9NmnukP467) to indicate which lunch(es) you plan to attend and how many meals you need.
Volunteer Opportunities
We need more volunteers to help serve and clean-up during lunches.
SIGN UP HERE!
We look forward to celebrating with you!
Sincerely,
Franconia Elementary School
📷Picture Re-Take Day
Friday, November 21
Our photo studio, Victor O'Neill Studios, will be back to conduct picture re-takes between 9am-12pm.
Re-takes is for any of the following students:
- Missed the original picture day on October 3
- New to Franconia since October 3
- Need to re-take because dissatisfied with first picture
- Original picture packet needs to be given to photographer, so please send it in with your child on November 21
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Student pictures taken on October 3 are online:
- Families should have received an E-proof via email.
- Please remember to check your spam.
- If you still need to order pictures for your child, use this LINK
Questions? Please contact Victor O'Neill at underclass@vosphoto.com
Smile and say cheese!
📃Federal Impact Aid Survey
Please log into your ParentVue account and complete the survey
FCPS is asking all families to fill out 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 it as soon as possible. We will provide paper forms to families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE starting Wednesday, November 12.
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important. This year, FCPS expects to receive approximately $4 million in Impact Aid funding. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
For more information, visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page.
Marie Stewart
Student Information Assistant
Edison Academy
5801 Franconia Rd, Alexandria, 22310, Room H-128
Gingerbread House Workshop
Thursday, Dec 13
9:00-10:30 or 10:30-12:00
Our talented culinary students will assist you in creating a truly unique
house for display during the holiday season. The workshop includes all
the ingredients to decorate a beautiful gingerbread house.
Hot cocoa and cookies will be available after your decorating experience.
- $45 and a minimum of 4 canned goods per house (Koinonia Food
Pantry)
- Maximum of two people per registration (participants 13 and under must have an adult chaperone)
- Registration and money payment is required by December 1 (limited to 24 paid participants)
- Please register for this event with this link:
https://goo.gl/forms/QgPPJ7Blwbnt8oZ42
***In case of inclement weather and cancelled event, take home kits
will be available for pick up before noon on the 17 and 18.
Reminder: Change in Dismissal Procedures at Franconia ES
To make a temporary change to your child’s dismissal, please use the Change in Dismissal Form on the Franconia ES website. You’ll need to include:
- Your child’s name, grade, and teacher
- The new dismissal plan (e.g., early pickup with specific pickup time, Kiss and Ride, or bus number)
🕑 Submit all dismissal changes by 2:00 PM.
If your child is riding a bus home with another student:
- The parent of the child with the change must fill out the form.
- The receiving parent must email the office at franconiaelem.attendance@fcps.edu as soon as possible to allow time for a bus pass to be issued and teacher(s) to be notified.
🔒 For safety:
- Parents cannot submit a dismissal change for another parent’s child.
- All early pickups must be before 3:00 PM.
Thank you for helping us keep our dismissal process safe and efficient!
ATTENTION all aspiring students in gr 4-6
SAVE THE DATES!
Auditions: After students sign up to audition, they will receive a packet with monologues to practice and forms that needs to be returned in order to audition. Ms. Lucius will divide all auditionees into two groups and will notify families which group their child is in:
11/19 3:45-5:00: Group 1 auditions
11/20 3:45-5:00: Group 2 auditions
11/24 3:45-5:00: CALL BACKS!
11/26 Cast list emailed to all who auditioned and will be posted on ALL SCHOOL Schoology page
12/2 @ 7pm: Mandatory Cast and Crew Family Zoom Meeting
12/4 3:45-5:45: Descendants Cast and Crew Meet the “Family” / Read Through
SHOWTIME: April 28 and 29 at 6:30
Counselor Corner
Character Trait of the Month
In October, we highlighted the character trait of Kindness - being friendly, considerate, and willing to help others.
The character trait for November is Gratitude - being thankful and showing appreciation for others.
📖 LIBRARY NEWS
READING CHALLENGES
Book Bingo Challenges, monthly
November Book Bingo
Click here for the Kindergarten and 1st Grade bingo board.
Click here for the bingo board for all grades.
Million Word Challenge, lasts all year
Click here to find more information and the paper form.
Click here to submit your student’s books online with this form.
CONTACT:
Please contact the librarian, Debby Vandersande, any time at dmvandersand@fcps.edu.
⚽Register NOW for LMVSC (Lee Mt. Vernon Sports Club) Athletics!
Play with classmates and neighborhood friends. Financial aid available.
Register at www.lmvsc.org or by clicking HERE
- Questions? Call us at 703-863-4255
LMVSC WINTER BASKETBALL
- 8 Games Total (6 Regular + 2 End of Season Tournament Games)
- $10 Down Deferred Payment Program
- November 14 - Deadline to Register
LACROSSE TOURNAMENT TEAM
- For 3rd and 4th Grade Boys and Girls
- Compete in the LAX Fall Brawl
TRAVEL SOCCER
- November Evaluations
- For Winter and Spring 2026 Travel Soccer Season
- Player Focused Program
Outstanding Employee Awards 2025
Franconia Elementary School is fortunate to have many outstanding teachers and staff. Fairfax County Public Schools recognizes outstanding school staff members in several categories.
We are seeking nominations from the community for these awards. Please use the form linked below to nominate teachers and/or staff for awards. Please note there are some qualifications for these awards, so not all staff members may be eligible.
CLICK HERE to submit your nominations or use QR code below.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Bradley Johnson, the School Awards Liaison (and strings teacher), bmjohnson1@fcps.edu.
Please note, if you need help with preparing a nomination (translation services or writing assistance), I am happy to help!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE AWARDS HERE
🍔 PTA NEWS: Spirit Night at Hangry Burger
Wednesday, October 19 | 4:00–8:00 PM Join us for a night off from cooking while supporting Franconia Elementary!
A portion of all sales during Spirit Night at Hangry Burger will be donated to the PTA to fund student programs and community events.
Dine in or carry out, be sure to mention the Franconia Elementary PTA so your order is credited to the school.
You can order ahead for pickup, but you must order direct from the restaurant; avoid the third-party apps for it to count!
We hope to see many Franconia families there showing their Penguin Pride!
November
17-21: American Education Week
For American Education Week we celebrate ALL who work in our Franconia community: our bus drivers, cafeteria workers, counselors, support staff, teachers, leadership and more! Learn more from the National Education Association. Want to recognize someone from our school who goes above and beyond? Submit a nomination to FCPS Cares.
27: American Thanksgiving
The holiday associated with Pilgrims and Native Americans has come to symbolize intercultural peace, America’s opportunity for newcomers, and the sanctity of home and family. President Roosevelt issued a proclamation in 1942 designating the fourth Thursday in November (which is not always the last Thursday) as Thanksgiving Day.
National Career Development Month
By enrolling in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) course or program, students learn the technical applications of many occupations while preparing for higher education or entry-level employment. A core program of CTE courses is offered in every middle and high school. Based on the needs of the populations served, each school determines optional courses to be offered. Learn more about Academies and Specialized Programs.
National Family Engagement Month (11/19 - Family Engagement Day)
This month reminds us that families are children's first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers. Strong family support is vital to student well-being and success.
FCPS has many resources designed to increase engagement and partnerships with families while fostering academic success and social-emotional growth.
Additionally, every school has a family liaison who will welcome and orient families, and help them understand the school's culture, policies, procedures, and practices. They can help connect families to resources in the community. Family liaisons might also assist a family in transitioning to a new school and encourage family-school partnerships to help ensure their student's success and healthy development.
If you have questions or would like more information, ask your school office to connect you with your family liaison or visit FCPS’ website for a list of region representatives.
Native American Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native Americans. It is also a time to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges they have faced, both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.
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