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Hello Stenwood Families,
Well it looks like our snow lovers had one more win up their sleeves Monday this week. These Spring temperatures today and into the weekend make it seem like we’ve broken through. But there’s another weather event that our Winter Weather lovers are sure to be keeping an eye on. We will see if next week brings about a five day week!
This week we continued our PTA Science Labs. The labs that should have taken place on Monday are re-scheduled for a few weeks away. Fingers crossed!
Today, we had a wonderful Hive Family day where we learned from one another and talked about how all of our brains are different. You can ask your child what they enjoyed about our readaloud, Together A Forest. You can also ask them about how they like to learn and what makes them happy and what they learned from Hive Family members about how they learn and what makes them happy too.
We also had many Stingers showcasing their favorite iconic characters for books, TV, and films on Iconic Character Day. Enjoy more pictures below.
Below you will find information about the following items:
- Stingers are Readers Week 2026 - NEXT WEEK
- Purple Up! - Reminder
- New Visitor Management System- Raptor Safe - Reminder
- Ramadan Accommodations - Reminder
- Fasting Meal Kits - Reminder
- Community Conversations: Share Your Thoughts With Dr. Reid - NEW
- School Breakfast Week - NEW
- Pre-K and Early Head Start Programs - NEW
- Yearbook Ordering - Reminder
- Benchmark: Halfway Through Exploring Technology and Society in Language Arts - NEW
- Summer Learning and Fun for Students - Reminder
- Community Peers Preschool Program - Final Reminder
- Original, Makeup, & Retake Pictures Are Now Online! - Reminder
- Dual Language Immersion - Final Reminder
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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
Stingers are Readers Week 2026
March 3rd - March 6th
Join us next week while we show our love for reading by participating in book-themed spirit days!
Monday, March 2nd: Books Brighten Our World - Wear Bright Colors or Tie-Dye!
Tuesday, March 3rd: Hats Off to Reading - Wear Your Favorite Hat!
Wednesday, March 4th: Wordy Wednesday - Wear a Shirt We Have to Read!
Thursday, March 5th: Curl Up With a Good Book - Wear Your Favorite Pajamas! (school appropriate)
Friday, March 6th: Stingers Are Readers - Wear Your Favorite Stenwood Spirit Wear!
Purple Up!
April is the Month of the Military Child, and FCPS will be celebrating Purple Up! Day on Wednesday, April 15th, 2026. This is a special day for us to come together and wear purple as a visible gesture of support for our military-connected youth. In our store, the following items are available:
T-shirt
Hoodie
Pajama pants
Key chain
Yard sign
The online store will be open Monday, February 16th, 2026, through Monday, March 9th, 2026.
https://www.customink.com/s/fcps-purple-up-spirit-wear-store
New Visitor Management System - Raptor Safe
 Raptor Safe is 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!
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.
Ramadan Accommodations
During Ramadan, families are encouraged to contact Mr. Case, bgcase@fcps.edu regarding accommodations, including but not limited to those around lunch, prayer/meditation and silent reflection spaces and times, and instruction.
Fasting Meal Kits
From February 18th to March 19th, 2026, FCPS allows students fasting during the school day to request take-home meal kits. These kits include a complete school breakfast and lunch to be eaten after the school day ends.
Important Meal Kit Information:
- Kits are charged based on a student’s meal status (Free, Reduced, or Paid).
- Students may claim one breakfast and one lunch kit per day.
- Students who eat a meal at school during the day are not eligible for a take-home kit on the same day.
- Kits are distributed at the end of the school day. Students must pick up their own kits; adults are not permitted to collect them.
Parents or guardians must submit a weekly request form via the FCPS FNS website by the deadlines:
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March 2nd, 2026 for the week of March 9th, 2026
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March 9th, 2026 for the week of March 16th, 2026
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 to 7:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) on:
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Tuesday, March 3rd, at Waples Mill Elementary School.
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Tuesday, March 17th, from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., at Glen Forest Elementary School.
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Monday, March 23rd, at Ravensworth Elementary School.
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Monday, April 13th, at Belle View Elementary School.
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Monday, April 20th, at Westgate Elementary School.
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Wednesday, April 22nd, at Crestwood Elementary School.
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.
School Breakfast Week
Celebrating the Power of School Breakfast
Multiple studies show that school breakfast is important in supporting overall student health by improving students’ diets and combating food insecurity. Also, students who eat school breakfast consume more fruit and fiber than their peers.
This National School Breakfast Week, FCPS Food and Nutrition Services reminds families that they are dedicated to providing flavorful, healthy, sustainable, and student-focused meals. New menu items have been launched this year based on student feedback.
Would you like to know what’s for breakfast? View Nutrition Services’ printable menus.
Pre-K and Early Head Start Programs
FCPS Pre-K and Early Head Start programs provide a high-quality early learning experience for qualifying children with economic and educational risk factors, ages 6 weeks to 4 years, living in Fairfax County.
- Pre-K prioritizes 4-year-old applicants but also accepts applications for children who will be 3 years old by September 30 of the same year.
- Early Head Start is located at three elementary schools — Clearview, Crestwood, and Dogwood — and accepts applications from pregnancy to 2 years old.
Families are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Space is limited and provided based on need, not on a first-come, first-served basis.
Applications are accepted online, by email, by mail, or in person at the program office at 7423 Camp Alger Avenue, Falls Church, Virginia 22042.
If you have a question about the application process or status, please call 703-208-7900 (English) or 703-208-7901 (Spanish).
Yearbook Ordering
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Help your child remember the moments that made this school year special by ordering your copy of the Stenwood Elementary School Yearbook NOW at http://www.yearbookforever.com! The yearbook will feature memories that you and your child will want to look back on for years to come.
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 The company has a set amount they will print, so once they hit the limit, they will not print any additional yearbooks. The cutoff date to buy one is March 6th, 2026, if they are not sold out before then.
📚 Halfway Through Exploring Technology and Society in Language Arts 📚
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We are halfway through Benchmark Unit 5 in Language Arts! Across grade levels, students have explored why we use technology, how we take responsibility when making advances in technology, and where ideas for inventions come from. |
 Connect with your child’s learning at school with these fun questions and hands-on activities at home:
- Question: What’s the most interesting fact you learned from this unit so far? Why is it interesting to you?
- Activity: Ask your child to draw a picture of how they would improve a common piece of technology (cell phone, car, etc.)
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.
Prepare for Summer Learning
and Fun for Students
Registration is open or will be available soon for summer camps and learning opportunities offered by Fairfax County Public Schools for all students.
Career and Technical Education and Institute for the Arts Camps
Career and Technical Education camps and Institute for the Arts camps will be held in July at Robinson Secondary School from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bus transportation will be available from select FCPS middle and high schools. Tuition assistance is available to FCPS families eligible for free or reduced meals.
Tech Adventure Camp (TAC) is a week-long exploratory camp that allows current K-5 students to explore STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math), culinary, health, trades, and business and marketing areas. Watch this video about CTE camps. Registration is open through Friday, June 5th.
Elementary Institute for the Arts (E-IFTA) is a weekly fine and performing arts camp for students in grades K-5 who love to sing, dance, act, perform, make, and create. Students attend four daily classes in dance, music, theater, and visual arts and work with experienced educators who create engaging, fun classes.
New this year: Students in the above camps can also register for aftercare, which is available from 2 to 5 p.m.
Community Peers Preschool Program -
FINAL REMINDER
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.
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 - FINAL REMINDER
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, the deadline has now passed. 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.
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: We will collect submissions on the 1st of each month for holidays occurring the following month. For instance, since Purple Up Day! is April 15, drawings for it would be due by March 1st. 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
Holidays and Observations Drawing Contest!
Ramadan
Lunar New Year
Iconic Character Day!
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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