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Dear Franklin Sherman ES Parents/Guardians,
I wish you all a season filled with warmth, rest, and the company of those you love most. May your New Year be bright, healthy, and full of new possibilities.
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Sincerely,
Farris Thomas
Principal
Franklin Sherman ES
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January 5 Return to School
January 9 Multi-Language Learner Family Discussion
January 14 Longfellow MS Curriculum Night
January 19 Martin Luther King Holiday
January 28 End of Quarter 2 Early Release 2 Hours
January 29-30 Student Holidays
FCPS Calendar: 2025-26
Franklin Sherman Calendar
Please complete this survey for Principal Thomas, currently 22 families have commented.
School Survey for Principal Thomas
I use this survey to gather input from the community prior to my evaluation survey that you receive from the county in February/March. Your responses help guide my leadership moves in the new year.
You are invited to a discussion of test, reading, and writing supports with your MLL (ESOL) and Reading teachers (Mrs. Zoorba and Mrs. Borders) on January 9th, 2025, at the library. We will begin at 9:30.
Email our Multi-Language Learner Teacher, Nadeen Zoorba, at nmzoorba@fcps.edu to confirm attendance.
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!
Winter Break Literacy Adventures Calendar
The PTA is accepting commitments for Host Tables for World CultureFest, which will be held on Friday, February 6th!
Those who would like to Host a Table to represent their country or culture should use the link to secure their spot.
Reserve a Table to Host at Culture Fest
Due to capacity constraints, we are limiting World CultureFest to 16 Host Tables — so if you want to have a Host Table, please sign up now! We can facilitate introductions for those wishing to represent the same culture.
Is your child interested in joining a Science Olympiad team at Franklin Sherman? If so, please fill out this form so that we can determine if there is enough interest for a team.
Science Olympiad Interest Form Link
The program would be open to 3rd-5th graders, and would meet after school once a week from 4:15-5:15 p.m. Meetings would start by the first week of February with a competition on April 18th or 25th. A registration fee would be required for all participants.
FCPS Math Week is coming! A full week of family time with stories, games, and math activities in English and Spanish for families with students in K-6.
#stmath #mathweek
FCPS CARES
Want a quick way to recognize an employee or team at Franklin Sherman? Share an FCPS CARES! Families, colleagues, and students are all invited to submit. The FCPS CARES is automatically sent to the recipient(s) and their supervisor, and is posted on fcps.edu. Additionally, each month one school in our region wins a staff celebration party from HR. Celebrate our wonderful staff today!
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Virginia Quality Birth to Five (VQB5)
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.
Attendance Matters
Reporting Student Absences
We are committed to partnering with families to promote positive attendance habits. Any day that your child is unable to attend school, parents should report the absence. By reporting absences, families are partnering with our staff so that everyone can make sure students are supported and have access to resources.
Full-day absences can be reported in SIS ParentVUE. Parents can also report absences by calling our school attendance line at [phone number] or emailing [attendance email address]. School staff will call parents if students are absent, and our school has not been notified in advance.
Parents can monitor their child’s attendance records in SIS ParentVUE.
When Your Child Is Sick
It is also important to keep your child home when they are sick. The Can My Child Go to School? webpage provides helpful recommendations on when to keep your child home.
FCPS News
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- FCPS Showcases Success
- Be Among the First to Hear About School Delays/Closings
- Winter Resources for Families
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
Wait Until 8th Pledge
The Wait Until 8th Pledge is a growing national movement empowering parents to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until the end of 8th grade. Our PTA recently launched this campaign at Franklin Sherman, and so far 72 families have chosen to delay giving their children a smartphone until high school. Please check out the Wait Until 8th resources, this podcast, or borrow The Anxious Generation from the front office if you want to learn more about the benefits of delaying smartphone use. Or click here to sign the pledge today!
Winter Activity Registrations are Live!
The PTA is proud to offer several winter classes for students before and after school. Please remember that you must be a PTA member to register. If you have not yet joined, you can do so here.
Art Club - Grades K-4 on Thursdays from 4:05 - 5:05 pm Register
Chess - All Grades - Wednesdays before school, 8:15 - 9:15 am Register
Karate - Grades K-2 on Tuesdays from 4:10-5:10 pm Register
Karate - Grades 3-6 on Thursdays from 4:10-5:10 pm Register
Sports Spectacular - All grades on Wednesdays from 4:10-5:10 pm Register
Lunch with a Panda
We are thrilled to invite you to "Lunch with a Panda."
Submit this Reservation Form to let us know about your visit.
Important Details:
- This form creates a reservation for 1 parent at a time (if both parents wish to visit for lunch the form must be submitted twice)
- There are at most 3 reservations available per grade per day
- Reservations will only become available 1 week in advance
- If a date does not appear in the list of choices it is either because there are no more reservations available for that day, or the school calendar/schedule of events does not allow us to have lunchtime visitors
Prepare for Winter Weather
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather closing decisions are made at FCPS.
FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible, including email, text, social media, the new FCPS mobile app, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and arrange emergency child care if needed.
Keep Your Child Warm During Outdoor Activities
We will monitor the weather for low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories that may prevent children from being outside. Make sure your child is dressed appropriately with a warm coat and other cold-weather clothing, so they can comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. View the National Weather Service’s tips on staying safe during cold weather.
If you need assistance getting cold-weather clothing for your family, please call Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) at 703-222-0880. Their multilingual staff can assist with any challenges you are facing, including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and health.
Invitation from Longfellow MS
Longfellow Middle School will be hosting a Curriculum Night for rising 7th grade families (current 6th grade students) at Longfellow MS on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 p.m.
This evening session aims to provide parents with information that will help their incoming 7th grade student with the transition to middle school. Families will have the opportunity to explore elective course offerings and hear from a variety of Longfellow staff about the courses and programs offered to 7th grade students. Students and staff will also be available to answer questions.
If inclement weather occurs, the event will be rescheduled for Wednesday, January 21, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
We look forward to welcoming you to Longfellow!
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