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Note from the Administration
Dear NSES families,
It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we are so excited to welcome the community to join our students for this year's Thanksgiving Luncheon. We are also extending a very special invitation to our military families so that we can honor their service with a small token of our appreciation. North Springfield ES was recently awarded its 3rd annual Purple Star designation for our commitment to serving military families who sacrifice so much to serve all of us.
We are also pleased to welcome families to our new Family Resource Center following next Tuesday's Parent Coffee. Our parent liaisons will be present to assist families with accessing and previewing the FLE curriculum for each grade level. The Parent Resource Center will be open daily for any family that needs assistance from our family liaisons. Please stay tuned for upcoming events and programs for our community members.
This newsletter features a variety of resources and opportunities to foster a love of learning and maximize student success. This year, NSES is implementing the 'Zones of Regulation' program (for kindergarten to 5th grade students and staff) to build a common vocabulary around emotional regulation and self-monitoring. Please read on to learn more about this program and for ideas on how to reinforce or use this program at home.
We hope you are all enjoying the crisp autumn weather and please reach out to us with any questions, comments, or feedback!
Sincerely,
Fatima Smith, Principal
Kevin Sami, Assistant Principal
Important Dates:
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Nov 20 Thanksgiving Luncheon and Military Appreciation
Nov 25 Parent Coffee - FLE Preview (9:30-10:15)
Nov 26 - 28 No School - Thanksgiving Break
Dec 9 Special Election (Regular School Day)
Dec 10 3 Hour Early Release
Dec 22 - Jan 2, 2026 No School - Winter Break
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Our Thanksgiving Luncheon is almost here! Families are invited to join us on Thursday, November 20th for a special lunch meal. Additionally, we are extending a special invitation to our military-connected families so that we can honor those who serve or have served. We are excited to host our community and look forward to sharing this special meal with our students and families!
Lunch costs are $5.00 for guests and $3.25 for students. We encourage families to pre-pay to help ensure a smooth and efficient experience in the lunch line. If you plan on attending, please pre-pay with cash to the front office. Upon payment, guests will be given a ticket that will allow them to move through the lunch line.
Families can add funds to student lunch accounts through My School Bucks (or send in exact change cash) prior to the 20th. Tickets will be distributed for those who pre-paid on the 20th. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the door; however, we would appreciate families to pre-pay if possible.
 At North Springfield Elementary School, we use a framework called The Zones of Regulation for all students in Kindergarten to 5th grade. This program helps children understand that emotions come in different “zones,” each with its own energy level and feeling state (i.e. Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red). At home, you can support your child by:
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Labeling feelings together. Help your child name what they’re feeling (“It sounds like you’re in the Yellow Zone right now—feeling frustrated.”).
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Modeling calm strategies. Show how you take deep breaths, count to five, or take a short break when you feel upset.
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Creating a “Calm Corner.” A quiet spot with comforting items—like a stuffed animal, coloring supplies, or soft music—can help children reset.
- Reading stories that connect to emotions.
- In Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale, Clark’s excitement sometimes puts him in the Yellow or Red Zone, and he learns ways to calm down and stay in the Green Zone so he can be a kind friend.
- In Ravi’s Roar by Tom Percival, Ravi feels small and frustrated—he moves into the Red Zone when his anger takes over, but he learns how to express his feelings and return to calm.
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Celebrating self-awareness. Praise your child for noticing and naming their feelings or choosing a healthy coping strategy.
Remember, all feelings are normal—what matters is learning what to do with them. When children understand their Zones and practice strategies with caring adults, they build strong emotional skills that last a lifetime.
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid. Returning this form is important because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year. The grants from these programs will become part of FCPS' general operating budget and are critical to ensuring that all children in FCPS receive an excellent education. This year, families will have access to the Federal Impact Aid Survey in electronic format via ParentVUE. All parents with a ParentVUE account will be able to complete the survey online using their computer at home. Step by step directions for filling out the online form can be found here. For families unable to complete the survey on-line, a paper form will be available.
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OPEN TO ALL 4TH & 5TH GRADERS
STARTING DECEMBER 1st, 2025
WHAT IS MATH OLYMPIAD?
Math Olympiad is an opportunity to students to “engage in creative problem-solving activities which develop a child’s ability to reason, be logical, be resourceful, and occasionally be ingenious.” Team
members will be asked to attend weekly meetings, where they will receive mathematical coaching and complete the Math Olympiad contests. There are a total of 5 Math Olympiad contests, which are comprised of 5 questions each. Students will have 30 minutes to complete each contest.
WHO SHOULD JOIN MATH OLYMPIAD?
Math Olympiad is open to any 4 and 5 grader who enjoys mathematical problem solving. Together, we will work on honing our creative problem-solving skills and the contests are meant to be both challenging and rewarding. Any child who likes mathematics and is excited about problem solving is welcome to join the team.
INTERESTED FAMILIES SHOULD COMPLETE AND RETURN THE FOLLOWING FORM TO MR. JURASITS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE:
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Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.
Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms are available in Parent Digital Consent. Paper opt-out forms are available from your child’s school. Students receiving special education services and accessing modified curriculum will receive a printed opt-out form for modified FLE lessons.
Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Elementary (K-6) , Middle School (7-8) , and High School (9-12). FLE grade level-specific lessons and media that FCPS has streaming rights for are available for parents online in Schoology. Parents/guardians login to Schoology using the same username and password as their Student Information System (SIS) Parent account. Grade level-specific lessons are also available at the City of Fairfax Regional Library (this location does not have media). Grade level-specific lessons and media that is not streamed online are available for review at your child’s school library. Due to copyright permissions, we are unable to stream all media online.
Program questions may be addressed at your child’s school or by contacting Instructional Services at 571-423-4550 or by email to fle@fcps.edu.
Whether students miss school because of illness or any other reason, missing school leads to learning loss.
Help your student succeed by encouraging them to miss as few days as possible. However, do make sure your student stays home if they are sick. So when should your child stay home? Visit the FCPS website for helpful ideas regarding absences and how to work with your child and our school.
If your child has a chronic illness, make sure to notify our school and your child’s teacher so that assistance can be provided if needed. Keep an open line of communication with our public health nurse. Call the school as soon as you know your child will be absent and tell school staff why and for how long.
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FCPS phone lines are available in nine different languages. An FCPS employee will respond to your call in your preferred language within 24 hours, Monday through Friday.
Call the phone line with any question about your child’s education or FCPS and someone will help connect you to resources or arrange for you to speak to the appropriate school employee. Learn more about family information phone lines and phone numbers.
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Inspire Health Alliance, in partnership with FCPS, is providing school-required immunizations and optional flu shots for all FCPS students at no out-of-pocket cost. Families will need to provide insurance information if applicable, but students without insurance may still participate. Upcoming immunization clinics will be held at:
Willow Oaks Administrative Office 8270 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, Fairfax, 3:00-6:30pm:
• Tuesday, November 18
• Wednesday, November 19
• Thursday, November 20
To schedule an appointment or for more information, visit the FCPS Inspire Health Alliance Student Immunization Events webpage
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.
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Do you know a North Springfield ES or FCPS employee who does ordinary things in support of students or the community at large? If so, then click here to share your appreciation! |
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