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Dear Mantua families,
Family Engagement Night was an evening filled with energy and festivity! From Book Fair finds to family activities like Math Bingo, Lego-building and Music Sounds creation, we had activities for all to enjoy. Many thanks to our student ambassadors and student council students for acting as our event guides, and thank you to our wonderful PTA volunteers who assisted with the Book Fair and pizza purchases! It was truly a fantastic evening!
We are halfway through our Read-a-Thon and those reading minutes are growing! Recording your child’s minutes in 99pledges makes a big difference to class totals, so make sure you enter all of your child’s hard-won minutes. Remember that ANY reading counts. Find a good book and spend time reading together!
For the coming week:
- Read Across America Spirit Week, see details below
- Tuesday, March 3rd, is Class Photo Day! Please reach out to your child’s teacher for more details on this.
Enjoy your weekend!
Take good care,
Ms. Shannon, Mrs. Vaughan, Ms. Maurer
 
February 25 to March 4: Mantua Book Fair
February 28: Book Fair open 10am to 1pm
March 3: Photo Day, Classroom and Group Photos
March 8: Daylight Savings Time Begins
March 18: Limited Early Release Wednesday, Dismissal 1:05pm
March 19: Religious and Cultural Observance, Eid-a-Fitr
March 20: Student Holiday, Nowruz and Eid-a-Fitr
March 27: End of the Quarter, 2 hour early release
March 30-April 3: Student Holiday, Spring Break
April 6: Teacher Workday, Student Holiday
April 10: School Planning Day, Student Holiday
April 22: Limited Early Release Wednesday, Dismissal 1:05pm
Kindergarten Orientation, 2 to 3pm
Weekly Staff Spotlight
Staff Spotlight is our way to recognize Mantua's incredible staff! Each week, we recognize a group of staff members. Check them out on Mantua ES Instagram. This coming week's featured staff members are support staff members: Mr. Swift, Ms. Marmol, Ms. Donat, and Ms. Bontzos.
Please use the Spotlight Submission Form to share a positive message with them. We will share the messages with them at the end of next week.
Thank you for helping us make Staff Spotlight a fun and engaging way to celebrate our school community. We appreciate your enthusiasm and support!
Read Across America- Go for the Gold!
Spirit Week at Mantua
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Monday,March 2
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Opening Ceremonies: Read Around the World- Represent a country through colors, sports teams, or travel shirts
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Tuesday,March 3
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Picture Day- Dress to Impress
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Wednesday, March 4
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Warm Up Before the Big Competition- Dress in workout gear or sweats
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Thursday,March 5
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Mantua is a Team of Readers- Wear Mantua gear or red and white
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Friday, March 6
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Huddle Up with a Good Book- Wear your comfiest PJs to school
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Learn About Kindergarten at Mantua
We recognize that parents are their children’s first teachers. Resources on the School Readiness and Transition to Kindergarten webpage provide parents with ways to support their children to help ensure a smooth transition to kindergarten.
There’s also an easy-to-follow five-step process outlined for registering your child for kindergarten. Register your child today!
Mark your calendars for Kindergarten Orientation, April 22 from 2-3pm!
Contact our registrar, Mergie Kakouris, at 703-645-6300 with any questions.
National School Social Work Week
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. We are incredibly grateful for our Mantua school social worker, Austin Swift, and the impact he has had on our students and community. His easygoing demeanor and friendly smile is always a win with students and families! Learn more about the role of social workers in FCPS.
National Women’s History Month
Every year, March is designated Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history.Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS. Read more about Women’s History Month in National Geographic Kids.
New FCPS Visitor Management System at Mantua
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.
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. Thank you for your partnership in keeping our schools safe!
Fanquest
FanQuest is a time for students on our Unified team to shine on center court with tons of fans in the stands, cheering them on, and admiring their athleticism. The event will consist of a tailgate in the auxiliary gym and halls surrounding our gymnasium, a game against another school’s Unified basketball team, entertainment during the game, and an awards ceremony at the end. The tailgate is a great community-oriented event with a moon bounce, tailgate activities hosted by our school clubs, concessions, merchandise, and more! The night will consist of a Unified game of Special Olympic athletes and their same-aged peers playing alongside one another. During the game, there will be breaks for "TV time-outs", such as performances, crowd interaction, games, and fun chances to win prizes.
Special Olympics is still gaining momentum in high schools across America and is not recognized as an official school sport. Additionally, these sports are not funded by our school system, nor do we have boosters’ representatives the same way as other Varsity Sports do. Because of this, we, as coaches and teachers, are solely responsible for finding the funds to run this tournament.
We will be hosting several fundraising events for FanQuest this year, including a Spirit Event at HoneyGrow in Fair City Mall on March 4, 2026, from 10:30 AM-10:00 PM. All proceeds and donations raised for FanQuest will go towards supporting Woodson's Special Olympics Unified teams, Woodson's Adapted Curriculum Department, and Woodson Buddies Club.
Community Conversations: Share Your Thoughts With Dr. Reid
As a listening leader, connecting with community members across our school division is critical to Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid. Dr. Reid’s 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 3, at Waples Mill Elementary School.
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Tuesday, March 17, from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., at Glen Forest Elementary School.
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Monday, March 23, at Ravensworth Elementary School.
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Monday, April 13, at Belle View Elementary School.
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Monday, April 20, Westgate Elementary School.
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Wednesday, April 22, 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.
Celebrating the Power of School Breakfast
Multiple studies show that school breakfasts are important in supporting overall student health by improving students’ diets and combating food insecurity. 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? Nutrition Services has printable menus available.
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).
FCPS News
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- The FCPS Budget
- School Safety
- Community Conversations
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
Quick Contacts & Links
Linda Shannon, Principal LCShannon@fcps.edu
Colleen Vaughan, Assistant Principal CAVaughan@fcps.edu
Michele Maurer, Assistant Principal, Mkmaurer@fcps.edu
Susan Palomino, Administrative/Finance Assistant SLPalomino@fcps.edu
Mergie Kakouris, Student Information Assistant, MBKakouris@fcps.edu
Fadwa Finaish, Office Assistant, FFinaish@fcps.edu
Judy Toy, Office Assistant, JPToy@fcps.edu
Avril Donat, Office & Library Assistant Andonat@fcps.edu
Kathy Van Dyke, Advanced Academics Resource Teacher kkvandyke@fcps.edu
Maria Regina Incer, Family Liaison, mrincernunez@fcps.edu
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