Gator Bytes: News and General Information for Kings Glen ES
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A Message from Principal Ritter
Dear Kings Glen Families -
It’s been a busy week at Kings Glen, with more excitement to come! We are looking forward to connecting with students and families at Bingo and Books this evening at Kings Park Elementary School. On Friday, March 6th, we are excited to welcome students and their families to our second annual STEAM Night. Please read below for more information. We cannot wait to see you all there!
And, we are very excited to present our upcoming Kings Jesters Musical, 'Newsies Jr.'! Show dates are March 24-26. See below for more details on purchasing tickets for this popular annual event at Kings Glen!
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STEAM Night at Kings Glen!!
Friday, March 6, 6-7:30 p.m.
Get ready to ignite your curiosity at our upcoming STEAM Night on Friday, March 6th from 6-7:30pm! We have everything from hands-on robotics and hovercraft to the fascinating discovery of owl pellet dissection, math estimation challenges, a showcase of our incredible student projects, and more! While you explore the stations, don't forget to stop by the STEAM Book Fair in the library to find your next favorite read and support our school.
To make this night a success, we are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help us with the initial setup as well as running the various activity stations throughout the evening—no expert knowledge is required. Thank you! Please reach out to Lisa Rode with any questions.
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Celebrate STEAM Night this Friday, March 6th with a "Dress for Your Future Career" Spirit Day during the school day!
Discovery Fair: A STEAM-Powered Book Fair at STEAM Night!
Get ready – the Scholastic Discovery Fair is coming to Kings Glen! This special one-day STEAM-powered Book Fair is a great opportunity to grow your home library and get your child excited about science, technology, art, nature, and more with new books and hands-on kits to keep them engaged.
You can shop with your child at the Discovery Fair on Friday night as one of the activities available during STEAM Night. If you are unable to attend STEAM Night with your child, there will be a one-time opportunity to shop during the school day on Monday, March 9 during recess. To avoid carrying cash to school, you can create a Scholastic eWallet for them. All funds on an eWallet must be spent at the Discovery Fair, or unspent funds can become an eGift Card that your child can spend during our regular Spring Book Fair in April. You can also shop our Discovery Fair online starting Monday, March 9. All sales will help us grow our collection of STEAM-related books in the Kings Glen Library.
Spirit Week for Math Week and Pi Day
March 9-13
March 9: Mathlete Monday - wear anything with numbers on it
March 10: Two Times the Fun Tuesday - Twin day or tu-tus
March 11: Wacky Wednesday – Math is crazy fun - mismatched clothes or crazy hair
March 12: Throwback Thursday – The Pi symbol has been around a long time. Dress like someone from a long time ago!
March 13: Pi Day! – Dress like your favorite mathematician or scientist!
Daylight Saving Time ~ Sunday, March 8th
Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 8 at 2 a.m. Remember to "Spring Forward" by moving your clocks ahead one hour! While we look forward to more evening sunlight, the shift can impact student routines and morning safety.
To help your child (and yourself!) adjust to the "lost" hour and the extra evening light and ensure a safe and refreshed start to the week, consider these steps:
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Incremental Adjustments: Start shifting bedtimes 10–15 minutes earlier each night leading up to Sunday.
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Manage the Light: Use blackout curtains or heavy shades to keep bedrooms dark during the brighter evenings.
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Morning Sun: Seek out natural light as soon as you wake up to help reset the internal "body clock."
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Limit Screens: Turn off electronics 60 minutes before bed.
Let’s embrace the longer days ahead by staying safe and well-rested!
Upcoming Testing for 5th Grade
Our 5th grade students will take the Integrated Reading and Writing assessment (IRW) on Tuesday, March 17th. Please make sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep and comes to school on time.
Kings Jesters 'Newsies, Jr.' Tickets On Sale Now!
Show Dates March 24th, 25th and 26th
The Kings Jesters will be performing Newsies, Jr. on Tuesday March 24th, Wednesday March 25th and Thursday, March 26th! Tickets are $7 each, and can be purchased via MySchoolBucks (Kings Glen students only), cash, or check payable to Kings Glen ES. If paying by cash/check, please place in envelope with your student's name and teacher. Seating is limited, so be sure to get your tickets soon!
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Spring Picture Day and 6th Grade Panoramic Picture at Kings Glen
Monday, March 23rd
Due to the need for rescheduling our Spring Pictures from this past Monday's snow day, Victor O'Neill Studios will be taking Spring Pictures/Class Pictures and the 6th Grade Panoramic Picture on Monday, March 23rd.
WE NEED 2-3 PARENT VOLUNTEERS! To help make Spring Picture Day run smoothly, we need 2-3 parent volunteers who will receive a voucher to apply towards the cost of purchasing pictures. If you would like to assist, please email KGNotes@fpcs.edu with your availability.
You will be able to view and order your child’s photos in their online gallery approximately ten days after picture day. If you have any questions leading up to picture day, please reach out to Victor O’Neill Studios by emailing underclass@vosphoto.com .
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Preorder Your 2025-26 Yearbook!!
Deadline to Preorder is Monday, April 13th
The 2025-26 Yearbook sales are open now and the price is $17. Secure your copy by placing your preorder through one of the following options:
Email KGNotes@fcps.edu with questions. Thank you!
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Future Planning for Elementary and Middle School Students in Special Education
Wednesday, March 4, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Luther Jackson MS
For families, caregivers, and educators of students receiving special education services. Join Career and Transition Services (CTS) to learn about planning for life in and after high school! Click here to register for the event.
Positivity Project at Kings Glen
Kings Glen is partnering with The Positivity Project (P2) to empower students to build positive relationships and become their best selves. During our classroom Morning Meetings, short videos, class discussions and activities focus on one of the 24 character strengths that are the foundation of Positive Psychology. Gators explore their strengths and how to have positive relationships. P2 also offers short lessons for families at home.
Week of March 2-6: Love of Learning
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National School Social Work Week
March 2-8
March 2-8 is National School Social Work Week. Social workers in FCPS help to prevent social, emotional, and behavioral factors from affecting a student's ability to perform at their best. Their primary goal is to remove barriers that prevent a student from fulfilling their academic potential. Social workers are assigned to every school and center in the school system. Most social workers serve one to two sites. Ms. Joy is the social worker at Kings Glen, and is at Kings Glen each Monday and Wednesday. Learn more about the role of social workers in FCPS.
Community Conversations: Share Your Thoughts With Dr. Reid
As a listening leader, connecting with community members across our school division is critical to FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid. Her Community Conversations are opportunities for you to share your thoughts and ask questions. Events will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) as follows:
Child care and interpretation services will be provided. Events are open to all. Visit the superintendent’s engagement page for the most up-to-date information.
New Raptor Visitor Management System
We are excited to announce that our school is now using the new Raptor Visitor Management System (VMS). This upgrade is part of our school’s and FCPS’ ongoing commitment to enhancing school safety and streamlining the process for visitors at our school. The VMS ensures that no visitor is on the sex offender registry.
For most visitors, the user experience will be the same when you check in at the front office. But now there is also an app, which can make check-ins even faster at school. Visitors who choose to download the RaptorSafe App and create a Raptor Passport can pre-verify their information before they get to school. The app will give you a QR code you can use when you check in at school.
If you have questions or need assistance with the new system, please contact our front office at (703) 239-4000 or via KGNotes@fcps.edu. Thank you for your partnership in keeping our schools safe!
Purple Up FCPS
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is gearing up to honor and celebrate its military-connected youth in April, the Month of the Military Child, and on Purple Up! Day!
Purple Up! Day ~ Wednesday, April 15th
This year, Virginia will celebrate Purple Up! Day on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Purple Up! Day is a special day for communities to come together and wear purple as a visible gesture of support for our military-connected youth and their families. Purple symbolizes the combined colors of all branches of the military.
Did you know, Kings Glen has been as recognized with their Purple Star Designation since 2022, and this year was the recipient of the Purple Star 2nd Award?
FCPS Purple Up! T-shirts and other items are available for purchase now through Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in our Custom Ink online store. These items highlight our gratitude and appreciation for our 14,500 military-connected students and their families. #PurpleUpFCPS! For more information and/or to connect with FCPS resources, email us at militaryfamilies@fcps.edu.
Winter Family Score Reports for Screening/ Growth Assessments
Family score reports for elementary winter screening and growth assessments will be centrally distributed to families through SIS ParentVUE (PVUE) Documents. Families in grades PreK-6 will receive up to three (3) reports based on the assessments their student took this winter. Students in Grades 3-6 will receive: iReady Reading and MAP Math for most students, plus VALLSS for identified students.
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KP/KG PTA News |
The PTA is excited to present a brand new event this year! Book Bingo will be held during Read Across America week on March 4th from 5:30-8 pm at Kings Park in the cafeteria. At this free event, every student who attends will leave with a free book and everyone will have a chance to win fun reading themed door prizes! Please note: In accordance with fire codes, entrance will be limited once capacity is reached.
Want to help show our staff how much they are appreciated? We need people to help plan and organize a week full of fun treats for Staff Appreciation Week from May 3-8, 2026. Planning begins now, so join our 2026 Staff Appreciation Week Committee today! Please reach out to Bethany at events@kpkgpta.org if you have any questions.
The PTA is busy putting together afterschool activities for the spring and information will be coming soon! In order to make these classes possible, parent volunteers are required for every class. We are looking for someone to serve as our After School Volunteer Coordinator for the spring session. This person will make sure each after school class has a parent volunteer in attendance every week and can be done from home on your own time. Please see our website for more information and reach out to Jen Argenta at president@kpkgpta.org if you are interested or have any questions.
Mar. 2-8: National School Social Workers Week
Mar. 4: PTA Book Bingo Night (See Above)
Mar. 4: Future Planning for Elementary and Middle School Students in Special Education (6:30-8:30 p.m. at Luther Jackson MS; See Above)
Mar. 6: STEAM Night at Kings Glen (See Above)
Mar. 9-13: Math Spirit Week (See Above)
Mar. 17: 5th Grade Integrated Reading and Writing assessment (IRW)
Mar. 18: 3-Hour Early Release Wednesday (Students Dismiss at 12:25 p.m.)
Mar. 20: Eid al-Fitr Holiday (Schools Closed)
Mar. 23: Spring Picture/6th Grade Panoramic Picture Day (See Above)
Mar. 24-26: Kings Jesters 'Newsies, Jr.' Musical Performance Nights
Mar. 27: End of 3rd Quarter (Students Dismissed at 1:25 p.m.)
Mar. 30-Apr. 3: Spring Break (School Closed)
Apr. 6: Teacher Workday (No School for Students)
Apr. 10: School Planning Day (No School for Students)
Apr. 15: Purple Up! Day for Month of the Military Child (See Above)
Apr. 22: 3-Hour Early Release Wednesday (Students Dismiss at 12:25 p.m.)
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