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Hello Stenwood Families,
We have had a wonderful first week of 2026! With the start of the new year, you may have made new resolutions or intentions. Here at Stenwood, teachers spent much of the week "resetting" by reviewing our school-wide and classroom expectations to set students up for success for the remainder of the year.
There are two-and-a-half weeks left in the second quarter, which is always a busy time! This week included two parent invites paired with two Family Academic Partnership Workshops and a field trip—and next week looks just as busy.
We are excited to announce that we have hired a new Family Liaison; please join us in welcoming Barbara Gusinsky! Barbara is a Stenwood parent, a member of our community, and a native Spanish speaker. She will be in the office on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:00 to 3:00. When you stop by the office, please make sure to introduce yourself!
 Below you will find information about the following items:
- Family Academic Partnership Workshop Series - K-2 Literacy Session - Updated
- Community Peers Preschool Program - NEW
- Coming Soon - New Visitor Management System- Raptor Safe - NEW
- Bell Schedule Reminders for Walkers/Kiss N Ride - NEW
- Early Pick Up Reminders - NEW
- School Lunch - NEW
- Benchmark: Seeing Different Perspectives in Language Arts - NEW
- Original, Makeup, & Retake Pictures Are Now Online! - Reminder
- Dual Language Immersion - NEW
- National Mentoring Month - NEW
- Three Kings Day - NEW
- Orthodox Christmas - NEW
- FCPS Budget - Stay Informed
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Holidays and Observations Drawing Contest - Reminder
- 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
Family Academic Partnership Workshop Series - K-2 Literacy Session
Thank you to those of you who were able to attend Mrs. Workman’s 5th grade session on Reading at Home yesterday and Ms. Claypool’s 2nd grade on Math at Home today. We heard from several families how helpful it was. If you were not able to attend, you can view the recording.
5th grade: https://myfcpsk12.zoom.us/rec/share/FK3O_fTalz56lNQGZXi_EqVx04Ftv3S8HXc5GfJG1t516cSj1qA1QSlSbmhWcxyx.x7ne_oY20ALZs0dy
Passcode: $Rya.YCt1+
2nd grade:
https://myfcpsk12.zoom.us/rec/share/ggCoKLN0m6XxZpGPfwWYerEVP1FD3SGfW69wREs7Rtz855thMFEOpcUaaAhbxjf_.eyu0URRvWpESxlr_
Passcode: S5L*^izV7i
You can also access the materials for all of the Family Academic Partnership Workshops in your Schoology Account.
We will continue to host Family Academic Partnership Workshops throughout the year. Teachers will include information in their newsletters.
Community Peers Preschool Program
Stenwood has a community peers preschool program. This program provides opportunities for our students to participate in integration activities with typically developing peers. The program is designed to teach preschoolers with delays and without delays in the same classroom. It can provide young children with a more stimulating environment, teach skills for coping with different situations, and provide the opportunity to learn appropriate social skills.
Our program will invite a limited number of community preschoolers (2 per class), who are ages 3.5 (by September 30th) to 5 years, to participate in our daily preschool activities.
The children from the community will have the opportunity to make new friends and share experiences with current early childhood special education students. Our students will, in turn, benefit from being with community peers who can model appropriate language, motor, and social skills.
All children learn through their play. Intellectual growth occurs in a social context, influenced strongly by the quality of social interactions. The goal of this program is to encourage active learning and promote social interaction and acceptance through shared experiences between the community children and our preschoolers with special needs. Bus transportation cannot be provided for the community peers. Feel free to contact us for further explanation of our program.
If you are interested in having your child considered for this opportunity, please complete the Community Peers Preschool Program Interest and Information Form by Friday, February 27th. Stenwood will host a playdate for interested students in late March/early April. If you know of anyone who may be interested and does not receive the Stenwood Hive Happenings, feel free to forward them this information.
Coming Soon - New Visitor Management System - Raptor Safe
 FCPS will soon be rolling out Raptor Safe, our new visitor management system. This will be the standard way to sign in at all FCPS schools.
The new system allows you to preregister via the Raptor Safe app, saving you valuable time when checking in for school visits or events! We strongly encourage all family members to download the app and complete their registration today, it will only take a couple of minutes to complete the process!
We will continue to use our current Visitor Management System until we let you know that we have made the official transition.
Registration Options:
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Via the App: Search "Raptor Safe" in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You can also visit raptortech.com/raptorsafe-app/ for direct links.
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In Person: If you are unable to register ahead of time, you can still complete the process at the school kiosk. Please ensure you have a valid photo ID with you to check in.
Bell Schedule Reminders
We have been noticing an uptick of late drop-offs at Kiss N Ride in the morning. All students need to be dropped off by 8:38 to be in class on time by the late bell at 8:40. Kiss N Ride closes at 8:38. Students will be marked tardy if they are not dropped off before 8:38. If you see the patrols heading to class - you are late. Kiss N Ride opens at 8:20. If students arrive after 8:38 they will be marked as tardy by the front office.
Early Pick Up Reminders
If a child must leave early for a medical or dental appointment, parents are requested to send an email in advance to StenwoodElem.Attendance@fcps.edu and the classroom teacher and must sign the child out in the office at the appropriate time. To protect instructional time, students will not be called to the office until a parent arrives at school to pick them up. Please allow sufficient time for your child to get to the office in order for you to arrive on time to your scheduled appointment.
School Lunch Reminders
Our amazing kitchen manager has noticed lots of students who have negative balances on their account, please make sure you are checking the account balance on www.myschoolbucks.com. You can also write a check to Stenwood Food Services and deliver it to our Food Services Manager and send it in. All students will be served lunch and breakfast regardless of a negative balance. Students with a negative balance are unable to purchase extra items.
If your family is experiencing financial hardship and need support, please reach out to our counselors, Tammy Berick tsberick@fcps.edu, Anna Keomalavong, amkeomalavon@fcps.edu, our Social Worker Kara Enright, kmenright@fcps.edu, or our Family Liaison Barbara Gusinsky bgusinsky@fcps.edu. There is information for applying for Free/Reduced Lunch below.
📚 Seeing Different Perspectives
in Language Arts 📚
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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.
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
Apply for Your Child to Learn in Two Languages
FCPS’ 2026-27 Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program lottery opens on Monday, January 12th. The program offers students in kindergarten and first grade the opportunity to learn in English and another language — French, German, Japanese, Korean, or Spanish — for half of each instructional day.
The online, countywide lottery is open to Fairfax County residents. Families must have a SIS ParentVUE account. Students not currently enrolled in FCPS should register at their base school before applying for the immersion program.
Families applying for first grade must do so by Thursday, February 12th, at 4 p.m. Those applying for kindergarten must do so by Monday, March 2nd, at 4 p.m.
Informational meetings will begin in January. View dates and details on the FCPS calendar. If you have questions, please contact Brigid Williams at 571-423-4600.
National Mentoring Month
Imagine a world where young people feel empowered, encouraged, and understood. Mentors can make that world a reality by helping young people find and follow their passions, excel in school, and thrive wherever they are. Learn more about Mentoring Month.
Research has shown that young people with at least one trusted mentor are less likely to skip school, less likely to use illegal drugs or drink alcohol, and more prepared to enter college or the workforce. Yet one in three children lack a mentor.
All it takes is one person to serve as a trusted adult to help change a young person’s path in life. Mentors provide attention, support, and enrichment, and help connect their mentees to resources that may help them on their journey in life.
The FCPS MentorWorks program matches mentors with students in schools near where they live or work. They meet for at least 30 minutes a week. Learn more about how to become a mentor for an FCPS student. Contact Martha Macdonald, mentoring specialist, for additional information at mmacdonald@fcps.edu.
Happy Three Kings Day
Happy Three Kings Day to those in our community who celebrate! Also known as the Epiphany, Three Kings Day commemorates the Biblical story of the three kings who followed the star of Bethlehem to bring gifts to the newborn Jesus.
Orthodox Christmas
Merry Christmas wishes to our Orthodox families who celebrate! Many Orthodox Christians in the United States celebrate Christmas Day by the Julian calendar, which works out to be on January 7th in the Gregorian calendar.
Follow Our Budget Process
Encourage your neighbors, friends, and community members to follow the FCPS budget process and look for opportunities to share your ideas about funding public education. Key decision dates and engagement opportunities are coming up in the next few weeks:
- The Fairfax County delegation to the General Assembly will hold a public hearing regarding the upcoming 2026 session on Saturday, January 10th, at 9 a.m. in the Board Auditorium at the Fairfax County Government Center.
Fairfax County residents can sign up in advance to speak at the hearing online or contact the Department of Clerk Services at 703-324-3151, TTY 711, by Thursday, January 8th, at noon.
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Thursday, January 22nd, Dr. Reid will present the proposed budget to the School Board.
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!
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
5th Grade Field Trip to Planet World!
Surprise Staff Pajama Day!
2nd Grade Family Invite!
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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