In this Paw Print:
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School News:
- Principal's Message 🗣️
- Where in the School is Ms. Andujar!?🔍
- New Visitor Management System ✅
- Fire vs. Ice Basketball Game 🏀🔥🧊
- SEL Week 2026 🙂
- Spring Picture Day - Volunteers STILL Needed! 📸
- Yearbook Photo Submissions 📷
- Prayer & Fasting for Ramadan ✨
- Ramadan Student Fasting Meal Kits 🍽️
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PTA News:
- Online Auction: Call for Community Donations! 💰
- Mario Kart Coin Race - THANK YOU!!! 🪙
- Join the PTA! ❤️
Dear Poplar Tree Families,
Our four day week was full of lots of fun! We're excited to see almost all of the snow melting and sure hope next week we are able to have a five day school week!!
We loved watching our students bring in their coins and bills for our Super Mario Coin Race! We can't wait to find out the house that gets to watch our staff members compete to be the Ultimate Mario Kart Champion!
Enjoy your weekend!
Sue Andujar, Principal
Amy Alley, Assistant Principal
Where in the school is Ms. Andujar!?
This week's video features Ms. Andujar visiting Spanish class learning OUTSIDE - sprinkled in with some technical difficulties along the way! 🌞
Visitor Management System✅
FCPS is now using the new Raptor Visitor Management System (VMS). This upgrade is part of FCPS’ ongoing commitment to enhancing school safety and streamlining the process for school visitors. The VMS ensures that no visitor is on the sex offender registry.
The check-in experience is similar to your previous experience, so remember to bring your driver’s license or other form of government ID every time you visit.
We also have a new express check-in feature where you can choose to download the RaptorSafe App at https://raptortech.com/raptorsafe-app/ and create a Raptor Passport to pre-verify your information before you visit. The app will generate a unique QR code for faster check-in.
If you have questions or need assistance with the new system, ask our front office staff. Thank you for your partnership in keeping our schools safe!
Fire vs. Ice Basketball Game🏀
🔥SAVE THE DATE!🧊
Our annual 6th grade Fire vs. Ice Basketball game is scheduled for Friday, May 29 at Chantilly High School!
During this game, 6th grade students will play each other as well as staff members in basketball, our pep band will perform, and we will have a Spirit Squad cheering everyone on! This is a fun community event and a highlight for our 6th grade students especially!
- 🏀6th graders who want to play in the games, help announce, create decorations, or volunteer, please complete THIS FORM by Friday, March 13.
- 📣Any student from Kindergarten through 6th grade who wants to be on our Spirit Squad (led by Ms. Grieco), please complete THIS FORM by Friday, March 13.
Any questions regarding the Fire vs. Ice event, please email ptes6thgrade2526@gmail.com.
SEL Week 2026 🙂
SEL Week is an international celebration that highlights the importance of Social Emotional Skills and how these skills prepare students for the future-helping them learn to make responsible decisions, build positive relationship skills and learn to manage their emotions.
As your child’s first teacher you can support Social Emotional Learning at home in a variety of ways! Take a look at the ideas for each competency listed below. For more information and Social Emotional Learning in FCPS, check out THIS LINK.
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💪Self Awareness: Encourage Self- Awareness at home by having a conversation with your student about their strengths. Consider sharing some of your strengths now and when you were a student.
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🎯Self-Management: Encourage Self- Management at home by talking about a goal you set for yourself and how you achieved it. Model Self-Management through your words e.g. “I’m feeling a little frustrated so I’m going to stop and take a few deep breaths.”
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💗Social Awareness: Encourage Social Awareness at home by talking about empathy. Share a time that someone considered your thoughts or feelings or that you showed empathy for someone else with your student.
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🤝Relationship Skills: Show your student positive Relationship Skills at home by helping someone in need, checking in with someone to let them know you care, or talking about how you handled a conflict or disagreement.
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🧠Responsible Decision Making: Encourage Decision Making at home by talking about ways you have solved a problem. Have your student share a problem they are dealing with a help them think about next steps.
 Spring Picture Day 📸
Spring Picture Day is scheduled for March 6th, 2026.
To order your pictures click HERE.
Volunteers Needed!🤚
We STILL need volunteers to help with picture day! Please sign up to volunteer HERE.
Photos needed for the Poplar Tree Yearbook! 📷
Grown-ups, do you have photos from school events such as the Panther Prowl, Book Fair, First Day, Pajama Dance, field trips, class parties, or other memorable occasions? Do you have photos of students participating in after-school clubs or performances? Submit them to the Poplar Tree Yearbook for the chance for your photos to be featured. Please make sure to include information such as the name of the event and tag students pictured (if possible). The deadline for submitting photos is Sunday, March 1st.
Submit photos HERE!
A Note about Ramadan for our Poplar Tree Families
Ramadan, one of the holiest times on the Islamic calendar, begins on February 18 at sundown. If your child needs an alternative space for lunch or prayer during this time, we will accommodate them. Please complete THIS FORM and we will make arrangements. Please note that students will be required to bring a quiet activity during this.
Student Fasting Meal Kits 🍽️
From February 18 to March 19, 2026, a Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) waiver 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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February 16, 2026 for the week of February 23, 2026
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February 23, 2026 for the week of March 2, 2026
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March 2, 2026 for the week of March 9, 2026
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March 9, 2026 for the week of March 16, 2026
Forms must be submitted on time to receive meal kits for the following week.
Online Auction
Call for community donations!💰
The annual PTES PTA Auction will be held from April 24-May 1! If you or anyone you know has an item/service you'd like to donate to be auctioned off, please send an email to poplartreesilentauction@gmail.com. Previous donations have included artwork, vacation home rentals, household items, home repair services, and gift cards just to name a few!
Thank you for all your support to make the 2026 auction a success!
Mario Kart Coin Race!🪙
THANK YOU!!!
WOW! You showed up with your donations to the Coin Race Panthers! We will be announcing the grand total and the winning House on Monday on the Good Morning Poplar Tree news show! It certaintly was fun watching the kids suppot their own houses while sabotaging others! Way to go!
Join the PTA! ❤️
Please join the PTA to help support our school!!
If you haven't joined yet, please do so HERE!
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