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From the Principals’ Desk
This week, our building was full of music and Eagle pride. Our band and strings students did a fantastic job performing in their winter concerts. We are so proud of their hard work, teamwork, and perseverance as they prepared for these performances. A big thank you to our music teachers for their dedication and to our families for coming out to support our student musicians.
As we move through this very cold season, please make sure your students come to school with a warm coat, gloves, and any winter gear they may need. We go outside for recess as long as conditions are safe, and we want every child to stay warm and comfortable.
Our Lost & Found is overflowing with coats, sweatshirts, and sweaters. We will be donating all unclaimed items on December 19th. Please encourage your child to look through the Lost & Found and pick up anything that belongs to them before donations are made.
We are grateful for the many ways our community supports our Eagles—whether it’s cheering them on at events, reading together at home, or helping them arrive ready to learn each day. Together, we create the experiences that help our students grow in confidence and joy.
With appreciation,
April Martin, Proud Principal, & Kassandra Flading, Assistant Principal
✨ Literacy Spotlight
What’s happened in Sixth Grade Reading this week?
FCPS Goal 3: Academic Growth and Excellence: Benchmark
Sixth Grade Unit 3 Essential Question:
Why might societies form different types of government?
Sixth Graders are exploring how different societies organize their governments and the principles that guide them. Through their texts and discussions, they are learning that the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizens can vary widely depending on the type of government they live under. Students are also examining how individuals have expectations for how their government and community should function, while societies hold expectations for how people behave. By comparing different countries and cultures, students are developing a deeper understanding of how government systems shape daily life and what it means to be a responsible member of a community.
➕ Math Spotlight
What’s happened in First Grade Math this week?
FCPS Goal 3: Academic Growth and Excellence: Student Centered Engagement
First Grade Unit 5 Focus for This Week:
The focus of this unit is to revisit and expand upon counting and grouping strategies, by extending the focus to work with numbers through a minimum 80 (grouping and counting 10s and 1s). Students are working with money more formally as a tool to practice grouping and skip counting. Money is a tool that can be used for skip counting by 1s, 5s, and 10s. Students can group and count objects by 2s to count by 2s to 30.
🏡 Benchmark Advanced
Unit 4 is Starting
📚 Seeing Different Perspectives in Language Arts 📚
Benchmark Unit 4 in Language Arts is about points of view. Students in K-5 will be learning about why and how people create stories, and how to understand different perspectives. Grade six students will learn how a person’s life shapes their point of view.
Connect with your child’s learning at school with these fun questions and hands-on activities at home:
- Question: Have you ever disagreed with a friend? How did you see things differently?
- Activity: Make up a silly scenario with your child, like a dinosaur walking down the street or an ice cream thunderstorm. Put on a short play where you and your child each play the role of each other. How does your child think you would react to the silly scenario and why? How would you react if you were your child?
At the end of the unit, your child will take their unit magazine home. The magazine includes an activity calendar with fun ways to help students build on what they’re learning at each grade level. You can also find information on how to support your child’s reading at home on the Benchmark Families website.
🏡 Community Corner
Lots of winter characters made a special stop at SEES on Tuesday, December 9, as part of Santa’s Ride, a yearly tradition coordinated through local law enforcement and community partners. Our students and staff had a wonderful time welcoming Santa and enjoying the excitement of the day.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we also collected a large number of new toys, books, and games for children receiving care at INOVA Children’s Hospital. The donations will help bring joy and comfort to so many children this holiday season.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this such a fun and meaningful event for our students and for children in need.
Dates & Reminders
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December 17: Three Hour Early Release. Students will be dismissed at 1:05 p.m. unless we have already received notification from their families that they should stay until 4:05 p.m.
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December 18: Coffee & Conversation for Parents/Guardians. 9:30 a.m., SEES Cafeteria. Topic: Multilingual Strategies and Supports.
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December 22 - January 2: Winter Break. School is closed for students and staff.
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January 19: Holiday - Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday. School is closed for staff and students.
- Click here to see the full 2025-2026 FCPS calendar.
Staying Safe - Arrival, Dismissal and Transportation
In collaboration with the Fairfax County Police Department, we are sending out the following guidelines and reminders. Please remember that our school is situated in a neighborhood, and drivers must adhere to the traffic rules and regulations in place. Thank you for helping us to keep our students safe, reduce traffic congestion around our school, and be respectful of our neighborhood!
Families choosing to travel to SEES by car MUST use our Kiss & Ride Line.
- Students cannot be dropped-off/picked-up on the street in front of or behind the school.
- Students cannot be let out of the car in the middle of the street.
- Drivers cannot double-park, especially on Meriwether Lane.
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Do not block driveways at any time. Parking is not allowed within 10 feet of driveways.
- Do not park next to the yellow curb in the bus loop directly in front of SEES. These areas are reserved as bus-loading/unloading zones.
- See the section below for details on using Kiss & Ride at SEES.
Walkers
- All walkers use Door #7.
- Door #7 is only staffed until 9:20 am for arrivals. If you arrive after that time, please escort your child to Door #1 at the front of the school.
- All Kindergarteners must be met and walked home with a family member who is 16 years of age or older. All other walkers should walk home immediately after leaving the building.
- Children who leave school as ‘’walkers’’ are considered to be walking directly home and are not supervised once they exit the building. Children may not leave as a ‘walker’ to then meet a parent at a car parked in our neighborhood.
Kiss & Ride
- Students using Kiss & Ride are dismissed to our cafeteria where they are supervised until called out to their car.
- Our Kiss & Ride line operates from Deepford Street (behind SEES) – turn into our side parking lot and follow the car line/instructions. Kiss & Ride is staffed until 9:20 am in the mornings and begins to shut down around 4:15 pm in the afternoon.
- Drivers remain in the car at all times. Please do not pass other cars in the Kiss & Ride line at any time unless directed by a staff member. Your SEES Kiss & Ride Car Tag must be displayed on your rearview mirror. Please pull forward as directed by staff. Students will be called by number when parents arrive in the Kiss & Ride line to pick them up.
- Children enter and exit on the right (passenger) side of the vehicle.
- If you arrive by car after school starts, please park in a designated parking spot and bring your student to our main entrance (Door #1) and sign them in at the front office. Do not drop them off at our main entrance as this is our bus loop.
Bus Riders
- Families should be at the bus stop at least 5 minutes prior to the listed pick-up time. PreK and Kindergarten riders must be met by an authorized guardian.
- Transportation can be reached directly at 703-446-2150.
- Daily bus delays are listed at www.busdelay.fcps.edu.
- Families can sign up for the FCPS Here Comes the Bus App to receive real-time bus location information. Search ‘’Here Comes the Bus’’ at FCPS.edu for details.
Same Day Dismissal Changes
Same day dismissal changes, including planned early pick-ups of students, must be communicated to the front office in writing prior to 3:30 pm (an email to SpringfieldEstatesElem.Attendance@fcps.edu is preferred).
- A note to the classroom teacher is also appreciated BUT, as classroom teachers may not have an opportunity to check their email before the end of the day, all dismissal changes MUST be communicated to the front office.
- If your child is being picked up during their Specials time (music, PE, art, etc.), please allow additional time for them to return to their classroom to pack up their belongings.
If your child attends SACC, be sure to also let the SACC staff know of a dismissal change as SACC operates separately from FCPS.
Great News About SEES!
As shared earlier this week, we are excited that Springfield Estates Elementary School has been recognized as Distinguished 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 expectations set by the state around student performance.
This new framework places a greater emphasis on standardized test results, alongside student growth, graduation, and readiness measures that vary by school level.
One thing has not changed: our students are learning and growing, and our teachers and staff continue to do exceptional work every day. This recognition reflects the strength of our entire school community. Our strong performance stands out and is something to celebrate.
We will continue building on this success. Our team is committed to keeping high expectations for learning, supporting each student’s unique strengths, and creating a school environment where every child feels welcomed, challenged, and cared for. We are also grateful for the support we receive from families. Your involvement makes a difference, and it plays an important role in helping our students succeed.
Thank you for being such an important part of our community. Together, we will continue helping every student at Springfield Estates Elementary School thrive.
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