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Hello Stenwood Families,
As we shared earlier this week, we are delighted to announce that Stenwood is considered a Distinguished School under Virginia’s new School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF). This rating, based on data from last school year, shows that our school is meeting or exceeding each of expectations set by the state around student performance. We are so grateful for our amazing teachers, students, and community that have supported us in earning this designation. Click here for more information about the new School Performance and Support Framework and accreditation process.
 We also celebrated our CARES Winners for the month. This month’s focus was on Empathy. We are very proud of the winners from each class. In January, we will be celebrating students who model Self-Control.
Next week is filled with lots of exciting activities, including our next Hive Families meeting. We will be gathering as Hives next Wednesday at 9 a.m. The SCA is also having a Spirit Day next Friday - the theme is PJ Day!
Looking ahead, winter break will be held from Monday, December 22nd, to Friday, January 2nd. To help make sure you and your children have a restful break, we have asked that no homework be assigned during this time.
Below you will find information about the following items:
- Cold Weather Reminders - NEW
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Glow Party Extravaganzas! Volunteers Needed - NEW
- Advanced Academics Full-time Service Referral Deadline Approaching - Final Reminder
- Family Academic Partnership Workshop Series - Updated
- Original, Makeup, & Retake Pictures Are Now Online! - Updated
- Impact Aid Survey - Reminder
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Holidays and Observations Drawing Contest - Reminder
- Information about Stenwood’s Preschool Site - NEW
- School Meals and Free/Reduced Lunch Applications - Reminder
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Stenwood PTA - Reminder
Sincerely,
Erica Riley, Principal
esriley@fcps.edu
Bryan Case, Assistant Principal
bgcase@fcps.edu
Cold Weather Reminders
Dressing for cold weather, through layering and covering exposed skin, are strongly encouraged for students to minimize the risk of cold weather illness. Please provide your child with appropriate winter clothing before going to school. If you need assistance in providing coats or other winter layers, please contact Mrs. Berick, tsberick@fcps.edu.
FCPS Guidance and what Stenwood will follow is if there is an Extreme Cold or Wind Chill Warning or Watch there will be no outdoor activities. If there is an Extreme Cold or Wind Chill Advisory outdoor activities will be limited to 15 minutes.
They Earned It - Now it's Time to Glow!
Thanks to your incredible support during Help the Hive, we crushed our school-wide fundraising goal—and now it’s finally time to celebrate in style!
💃 Next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, all gym classes will transform into Glow Party Extravaganzas—complete with music, movement, and glowing good vibes!
🙌 Glow Volunteers Needed!
Want to join the fun and help make the magic happen? We’re looking for volunteers to assist during Glow Gym classes. Just 30 minutes of your time can make a big difference!
To sign up or learn more, contact Raya Shibilski at vicepresident@stenwoodpta.org.
✨ Dress to Shine!
Remind your student to wear bright or neon colors to light up the gym and glow their heart out! Let’s make this glow-up unforgettable! 🌟
Advanced Academics Full-time Service Referral Deadline Approaching
Parents and guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services for the 2026 - 2027 school year must submit the AAP Full-Time Referral Form to Erica Riley, esriley@fcps.edu, Michelle Burke, mpburke@fcps.edu, and your child’s classroom teacher no later than December 15th, 2025. You will receive confirmation once it has been reviewed for completion of all required parts. You may also complete the optional, but recommended Parent Guardian Questionnaire. Parents are also welcome to submit 2 pages of work samples from home.
- 2 pages maximum
- Single-sided, 8 ½ x 11 pages
- No 3-D, video, or audio samples
- To ensure readability by committee members, it is not advisable to copy more than one page of work on a single work sample page
- Copies or originals are accepted, but please note they will not be returned
- Parents are encouraged to write a short caption explaining the sample on the sample.
- Electronic work samples in the following formats will be accepted: PDF and image files (e.g. jpg)
Each year, families can submit a referral for full-time AAP services any time from the first day of school through December 15th. No late referrals for full-time AAP services will be accepted.
Once a referral is received, our school will compile information related to the student. Then, a committee of six trained professionals from across the county will review materials to determine eligibility for full-time AAP services.
Next Steps for Parents
Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. Parents may request a copy of their child’s materials after March 2nd, 2026, by emailing Kaleigh Hartman, kkhartman@fcps.edu.
At the elementary level, referrals for subject-specific and part-time AAP are screened by our school. If you miss the full-time referral deadline, your student can still be screened for subject-specific or part-time AAP services for the remainder of the year. At the middle school level, honors courses are open to all students.
For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs webpage.
If you would like to view either of our information sessions, you can find them here:
- AAP Continuum of Services
- Full-Time AAP Screening & Identification
- Geared for parents of 2nd-6th graders interested in referring their child for full-time AAP services.
- Recording
- Passcode: !i$qt4Am4t
Family Academic Partnership Workshop Series
Thank you to those of you who were able to attend Mrs. Workman’s K-2 Session this week on Reading at Home. We heard from several families how helpful it was. If you were not able to attend, you can view the recording.
https://myfcpsk12.zoom.us/rec/share/ge6141p7RIfoykKxX_if5DZaS0ZIuqd5IcR6oCNAHnHpLHPaL2xt_vnnJGJ3VD4.WygMdHibeL0Ypkgn?startTime=1765288893000
Passcode: u^9pqt0Qyn
We will continue to host Family Academic Partnership Workshops throughout the year. Teachers will include information in their newsletters.
What is a Family Academic Partnership Workshop? This is a quick mini-workshop focusing on how you can support your child with grade-level literacy and math content. When possible, we will tie these workshops to Family Invite Events for a one-stop opportunity. These 15-minute workshops are designed to give you quick knowledge and activities you can use immediately with your children at home to support the learning they are doing here at school. If your family invite is on Zoom, we will be sending a separate Zoom link for immediately prior to the scheduled family invite.
Original, Makeup, & Retake Images from Stenwood Elementary School Are Now Online!
 Order yours today at vosphoto.com/underclass!
Use your student ID when prompted for the online code.
For questions regarding school pictures please email: underclass@vosphoto.com
✅ 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.
Holidays and Observations Drawing Contest
Our Equity Team is hosting an ongoing drawing contest to celebrate all the holidays and observations throughout the year.
Submission Details: For the first half of the year, we will collect submissions on the 1st of each month for holidays occurring the following month. For instance, since Lunar New Year is in February in 2026, drawings for it would be due by January 1st (but the 5th since we are on Winter Break). You're welcome to turn in your artwork early—just drop it in the box in the office!
What Happens Next? The winning drawing will be featured in our newsletter and on our social media. All other submissions will be proudly displayed in our hallways for everyone to enjoy!
Missing a Holiday? If your family celebrates a holiday or observance that isn't on our list, please feel free to include it!
Ready to Draw? You can pick up a template paper for the contest in your classroom or the office, and it is posted on our website for easy access. We can’t wait to see the incredible artwork from our Stenwood artists!
Information about Stenwood’s Preschool Site
FCPS participates in Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5). VQB5 is Virginia’s system for measuring and supporting quality in early childhood programs so children enter kindergarten ready to learn. VQB5 builds on health and safety standards by measuring the quality of teacher-child interactions and the use of curriculum. Refer to “VQB5 for Families English/Spanish” for more information.
School Meals and Free/ Reduced Lunch Applications
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Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast will be $1.75. Lunch will be $3.25, milk $1.00. Money can be added to your child(ren)’s accounts using www.myschoolbucks.com. You can also write a check to Stenwood Food Services and deliver it to our Food Services Manager at Open House. During the school year, you can find the menu for breakfast and lunch at https://linqconnect.com/public/menu/ESSF44 (these menus do not appear to be available yet).
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 Free and Reduced-Price Status
Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals will continue to receive these benefits through the end of September. A new application must be filled out each new school year and forms are available online now: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/food-and-nutrition-programs/free-and-reduced-price-meals. Applications are accepted at any time, but we encourage you to apply or renew your application before the end of September. Call (703) 813-4800 if you need help. This must be completed for eligible students to receive free meals.
Stenwood Elementary PTA
We hope you join our amazing PTA! stenwoodpta.membershiptoolkit.com
6th Grade Field Trip to the National Gallery of Art!
Stay Connected
Here are a few ways to stay connected with all the happenings at Stenwood ES
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Facebook
facebook.com/StenwoodElementary
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Instagram
@stenwoodelementary
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Website
stenwoodes.fcps.edu
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PTA Facebook
facebook.com/StenwoodElementaryPTA
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