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Dear Island Creek Families,
As the excitement builds with our upcoming Winter Break, we want to emphasize the importance of every student attending school and engaging in learning right up until the final bell rings. These last week before break is filled with valuable instruction and fun activities.
To celebrate the season and our hard work, next week is our SCA Spirit Week! Please encourage your student to participate in the daily themes. We will be capping off the week with our cozy favorite: Pajama Day on Friday!
Wednesday, December 17 is a 3-hour Early Release for school-age students at 12:20. Dismissal time and transportation arrangements will follow the same schedule as November's Early Release. If you have a change, please contact the office (571-642-6300) no later than 4:00 PM on Tuesday, December 16.
Have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy the chilly weather with a good book!
Warmly,
Jen Fallert, Principal
Karen Baxter, Assistant Principal
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Every Day Counts at Island Creek!
Help us reach our goal of 4% or less this year!
Attendance is a vital life skill that will benefit 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.
To ensure transparency and celebrate our progress, we will be sharing weekly attendance data in our newsletter. By highlighting this important information, we aim to keep our families informed and energized about our collective efforts to encourage regular school attendance
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Early Release (12:20) for school-age students on Wednesday, 12/17
Wednesday, December 17, is a 3-Hour Early Release Wednesday at 12:20 for school-age students.
Dismissal time and transportation will follow the same arrangements as the November's Early Release Day
If you have any questions, please contact the office (571-642-6300) no later than 4:00 PM on Tuesday.
Preschool Students will follow their regular Wednesday schedule.
Reminder: Window for Full-time AAP Referrals Closes on December 15, 2025
Parents/guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time advanced academic programs may submit the Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Full-Time Referral Form and optional materials to Principal Jen Fallert at jrfallert@fcps.edu no later than December 15, 2025.
The window for families to submit a referral for full-time AAP services is the first day of school through December 15, annually. All forms may be found on the AAP forms page. No late referrals for Full-Time AAP services will be accepted.
Submitting a referral form for full-time AAP will initiate a process that begins at Island Creek and is then completed at the central office level. Island Creek will put together a portfolio that includes multiple data points that are considered holistically. At the central office level, a committee of six trained professionals from various schools and roles will review the portfolio materials to determine eligibility for full-time placement. Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April.
Slides from the Family Information Session may be accessed here.
For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs website.
⛄Monday, December 15: School-wide Snowflake Day
⛄Tuesday, December 16: Festive Sweater Day! (wear a sparkly, colorful, festive, or silly sweater)
⛄Wednesday, December 17: Whiteout Blizzard Day! (wear white)
⛄Thursday, December 18: Bookmark Craft Day
⛄Friday, December 19: Snuggle Up and Ready Day! (wear pajamas)
As the weather gets colder, Mrs. Laird and Mrs. Arslan break out the instruments for some hot jamming! For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, all students in grades 3-6 are playing recorder at Island Creek! Our grade 3 students have begun playing recorder for the first time, and are becoming experts on the notes A, C, and D (mi, sol, and la in solfege). Our students in grades 4-6 have been able to work at their own pace through the recorder curriculum, and have had weekly or bi-weekly check-ins with their music teacher to assess their progress. It's great to see how far our students have come in just a few weeks of playing! Students in grades K-2 are practicing the concepts of steady beat, rhythm, quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests on the classroom rhythm instruments. In January, we will shift to the Orff Instruments- child sized xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels which are played with mallets.
Island Creek musicians are gearing up for the Winter Music Concert, featuring band, chorus and strings on Tuesday, December 16 at 6:30 PM. All families are welcome to attend
As a reminder, winter break will be held from Monday, December 22, to Friday, January 2.
To help make sure you and your children have a restful break, we have asked that no homework be assigned during this time. Teachers may assign long-term assignments in the weeks ahead of the break, allowing students to practice time management skills, but no assignments will be due immediately following the break.
Classes resume on Monday, January 5, 2026. See the complete school year calendar.
Winter Reading Adventure
Fairfax County Public Library’s (FCPL) winter reading adventure has begun and will continue through Saturday, January 31, 2026. Visit your local FCPL branch or their Winter Reading Adventure website to register and get a sneak peek at the prizes.
Check out their Winter Reading Events webpage to learn about gingerbread house making, crafting sessions, New Year’s Eve celebrations, and book discussions.
Winter Break Literacy Adventures
Engaging in literacy activities over winter break helps students maintain the reading, writing, and speaking skills they built during the first half of the school year. Even a little daily practice, such as these 10 fun family activities, helps ensure they return to school confident and ready to continue growing in literacy. Enjoy these literacy adventures as a family!
Food Assistance and Resource Guide
Food insecurity impacts more than 96,000 Fairfax County residents. Learn how to help and discover the many resources available to support those who need food assistance or shelter. You may also view the county’s Human Services Resource Guide.
 Family Cafe: The Connected Family: Navigating the Digital World Together
Technology connects us like never before, but it’s important to know how to stay safe while using it. This family workshop provides hands-on learning about internet safety to inform families of:
- Today’s popular social sites and apps used by students
- Effective strategies to engage youth in discussions regarding internet safety
- 7 primary topics to discuss with youth that will remain important from kindergarten through adulthood
Join FCPS Intervention and Prevention Services to learn how your family can build healthy and secure, and positive habits online together. This content is appropriate for parents and caregivers of all grade levels. Interpreters and childcare will be available.
The workshop will be offered on the following dates:
January 12, 2026, 6:30 - 8 p.m., Lake Braddock High School
January 22, 2026, 6:30 - 8 p.m., West Potomac High School - Library, 6500 Quander Road Alexandria, VA 22307
March 12, 2026, 6:30-8:00pm, Lorton Community Center 9520 Richmond Highway, Lorton, VA 22079
April 29, 2026, 6:30-8:00pm, Mason District Government Center 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003
Register here for all dates and locations. Questions? Please contact Amy Garcia, Family Liaison, ajgarcia@fcps.edu call/text 571-595-7015 or by Talking Points message.
Sibshops and SibTeens
January 29, 9:00-noon at the Jim Scott Community Center, 301 Vaden Dr. Fairfax, VA
The Sibshops workshops are for children in grades 2-6 enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools who have siblings with support needs to meet other siblings in a relaxed setting. Celebrate the many contributions made by brothers and sisters of children with special needs, share sibling experiences, and receive peer support. Play games and have fun.
Register here
SibTeens is a community-building group for Middle School siblings of children with support needs in grades 6-9 enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools. We have fun activities, both recreational and art-based, as well as discussion activities. It’s a unique opportunity for students to share about their lives and support each other while normalizing their life experiences.
Register here
Please contact FCPSSibshops@FCPS.edu for follow up questions about either program.
Mind in the Making: Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs
Come to this virtual workshop and learn about the Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. You'll discover why these skills matter, how they help your child grow, and fun ways to build them at home. These are proven strategies based on research about how kids learn and develop. Tuesdays, 10:00am-Noon, January 27-March 24 on Zoom. Register here
❤️Monday, December 15: AAP Full-Time Referrals due to Principal Jen Fallert at jrfallert@fcps.edu
❤️Monday, December 15 - Friday, December 19: SCA Spirit Week!
❤️Tuesday, December 16: 6th Grade Band, Strings, and Chorus Winter Concert (6:30)
❤️Wednesday, December 17: 3-Hour Early Release at 12:20 for school-age students
❤️December 22-January 2: Winter Break
❤️Monday, January 5: Welcome Back to School Croc Students and Staff!
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