2025-26 FCPS School Calendar

• April 10: PTA Skate Night, 7:30 pm, SkateQuest in Reston
• April 14: Family Science Night, 6:00 pm
• April 15: Purple Up Day!
• April 17: Spring Picture Day
• April 21: Student Holiday, Election Day
• April 22: CANCELED: 3-Hour Early Release 
• April 23: School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
• April 23: 29th Annual Career Day
• April 23: Full Time AAP Orientation Night, 6:00 pm
• April 30: HES Community Thrift Store, 6:00-7:30 pm

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5th grade lunch bunch with assistant principal, Kelly Cosgrove.

Message from Principal Vereb 

🐝 Principal Vereb's Weekly Reflections from the Hive

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of our school community. This week reflected the strong connections, thoughtful planning, and shared commitment that help our students grow each day.

• We began the week with a Teacher Workday and iPFIT Buy-Back Day, providing staff with dedicated time to reflect, plan, and strengthen instruction. I am proud to share that since December, our chronic absenteeism (CA) rate has decreased from 12.6% to as low as 6.8% this week. This progress reflects the strength of our collective effort—through consistent communication, strong partnerships with families, and intentional systems of support, we are making a meaningful difference for our students.
• We met with Northwest Federal Credit Union to deepen our partnership and expand opportunities that benefit our students and families.
• Our third graders enjoyed a hands-on learning experience at Frying Pan Park, bringing classroom learning to life.
• During our Community Meeting, students and staff focused on AVID strategies that support engagement, organization, and student ownership of learning.
• We met with Executive Board

On Friday, our team came together for a School Planning Day with a clear focus on preparing for upcoming SOL assessments. Our staff has developed a targeted review plan designed to ensure every student feels confident and prepared.

As we move forward:

• Students will participate in small-group review aligned to their individual needs
• Instruction will continue to focus on strong Tier I teaching alongside targeted support
• Progress will be monitored to ensure students are mastering key concepts

Our goal is simple and important: every student walks into their assessment feeling ready, supported, and capable. Additionally, we welcomed our rising Kindergarten families for Kindergarten Orientation and welcomed a third of the class for a fun-filled morning of learning and onboarding.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our Bees. Together, we are ensuring every child is prepared to finish the year strong.

In Your Service,

Dr. Monika Vereb

Principal

📸Snapshots from Principal Vereb

PTA Skate Night
Tonight! Friday, April 10

Lace up your skates and join us for a night of fun on the ice! Herndon Elementary’s Skate Night is happening on Friday, April 10 from 7:30-9:30 pm at SkateQuest in Reston.

Cost: $10 per skater (includes skate rental)

Bring your family and friends for an evening filled with music, laughter, and icy adventures—it’s the perfect way to kick off the weekend together!

We hope to see you on the ice!

Help Us Decorate for Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week!

Dear Herndon ES families and community,

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is May 4-8.  As most of you know, we are in the midst of a complete renovation so our theme this year is "Construction"! Each day we will have a different event and we would love your help with decorating the tables and the setting.

We need the following:

• New or gently used and very clean, small construction toys: children's trucks and children's construction tools, building blocks, Legos.  These will later be used in the classrooms.
• Construction themed paper products such as paper plates, cups, and  other construction themed party goods.
• Red, yellow, and black disposable table cloths to fit 6' rectangular tables.

Feel free to attach a sweet note of appreciation to our teachers and staff!  

You may drop them off at the main office or have shipped to Herndon Elementary, 630 Dranesville Road, Herndon, VA 20170.

Family Science Night is Coming to Herndon Elementary!
April 14

Join us for Family Science Night on April 14, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm, brought to you by the Children’s Science Center Lab. Activities include: Stacking Currency: Building Financial Literacy, Monster Math: Creating with Probability, Forensic Fun: Mystery Solved, among others. Students will be participating in these hands-on experiments, specially designed to provoke interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

Volunteers are needed from 5:15 – 7:45 pm to set up, assist students with activities, and clean up. We hope to see you there!

Spring Picture Day!
Friday, April 17

Spring picture day is April 17. Order forms from Strawbridge were sent home in your child's Thursday folder yesterday. Please check your child's backpack.

¡La semana que viene es el día de las fotografías de primavera! Viernes 17 de abril

El día de las fotografías de primavera es el próximo 17 de abril. Los formularios de pedido de Strawbridge se enviaron a casa en la carpeta del jueves de su hijo.

Statewide Election, April 21
No School for Students

There will be no school for students on Tuesday, April 21, for the Virginia statewide election. Student activities, athletic practices, and events may proceed as scheduled. 

FCPS will offer lunch and a snack at no cost to children aged 18 and under on Tuesday, April 21, at participating schools. The meals must be eaten on site, and enrichment activities will be available for the children. For more information, visit the FCPS Food and Nutrition Services webpage. 

See the complete school year calendar.

Early Release Wednesday
CANCELLED
April 22

Elementary schools only

Tuesday, April 21, is now a teacher workday and staff development day because of a recently announced special election that will impact all FCPS schools.

Herndon ES students will now have a traditional full day of instruction and be released at the regular dismissal time, 4:05 pm on April 22.

This adjustment allows our staff to still have dedicated time for planning, collaboration, and professional learning without reducing instructional time on other school days.Read Dr. Reid’s letter to elementary parents for more details.

29th Annual Career Day
April 23

Herndon ES 29th annual Career Day is coming on Thursday, April 23!  Our Bees are hard at work preparing for one of our students' favorite event!

Students can dress up in the attire of what they want to be when they grow up  or fwear a favorite college shirt or a shirt with a positive message to show their spirit for future endeavors! 

Start planning now and get ready for the fun!!

HES Spring Community Thrift Sale
April 30

Thanks to the overwhelming support and amazing turnout, we’re excited to do it again!

This time we’re hosting our first ever SPRING HES Community Thrift Store event and we need your help once again. Please join us by donating any new or gently used items.

Our event will be held on Thursday, April 30th from 6:00–7:30pm in our gym.

Proceeds will help support families at Herndon Elementary who are facing hardships as a result of an unexpected crisis.

Donations will be accepted AFTER Spring Break, from 4/13 – 4/27 in Room 9
(located in the 1st grade hallway)
between 4:25–5:20

DONATIONS DROP OFF

Any Big Ticket items for our RAFFLE!
Ex. Old gaming systems, name-brand items, sport jerseys, scooters, bikes etc.

WHAT YOU CAN DONATE

• Spring/Summer clothes, shoes, and accessories for all ages
• Toys, books, baby strollers, sport gear
• Household items such as lamps, frames, linens, blankets, dishes, small kitchen appliances, etc.

If you have any questions contact either:
Ana Coreas accoreas@fcps.edu
Gaby Young igyoung@fcps.edu

Get Involved with the HES PTA

Herndon Elementary School 

Our Amazon Wish List has recently been updated with current classroom and student needs, as we items to support our teacher break snack cart.

Please consider sharing the link with your families and school community. Donations directly support our students and help ensure classrooms remain well stocked with essential supplies throughout the year.

We are grateful for your partnership in supporting our school community.

Support Military Children on Purple Up! Day

To show our support for all our military-connected families, we are inviting all Fairfax County students, families, staff, and community members to “Purple Up!” on Wednesday, April 15, for military children.

Why purple? Purple symbolizes all branches of the military as a combination of Army green, Marine Corps red, and the blue of the Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force.

FCPS welcomes all of our new and returning military-connected families throughout the year. Whether your family is moving permanently to the school district or living here for a short time, our schools and support staff will welcome you and will assist with your transition into or out of our district. Watch this message from Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid about the Month of the Military Child. 

Visit our Military Families webpage and sign up to receive the Military Families newsletter. Follow our FCPS Military Families accounts on Facebook and Instagram for support and resources. If you have questions, please email our Family and School Partnerships team.

Military Families Field Day

Military Family Field Day will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from noon to 2 p.m. at Annandale High School’s football stadium (4700 Medford Dr, Annandale, VA 22003). Setup for the event will begin at 11 a.m., with teardown immediately following the event.

If you would like to sponsor an activity or food station, your organization is responsible for the materials, setup, teardown, volunteers, and supervision of your activity during the event.  Please sign up here to claim your spot by Friday, April 10, 2026.

For more information, please contact Katie Server, Family Partnerships Specialist, Military-Connected Youth & Families, at kaserver@fcps.edu.

District News
In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)

• • In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
  • Support Military Children
  • National Merit Finalists
  • School Board to Present Budget to Board of Supervisors
  Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.

Follow the Herndon Elementary renovation progress which is located on the FCPS website by clicking here.

Administration E-mail:

• Principal, Monika Vereb mgvereb1@fcps.edu 
• Assistant Principal, Elizabeth Baxter eabaxter@fcps.edu 
• Assistant Principal, Daphne Holliday daholliday@fcps.edu
• Assistant Principal, Kelly Cosgrove kmcosgrove@fcps.edu

📸(Left to Right): Mrs. Cosgrove, Dr. Vereb, Mrs. Holliday, and Mrs. Baxter

Do you know a Herndon Elementary staff member who goes above and beyond or turns the ordinary into something extraordinary? If so, click here to nominate them for FCPS Cares and help us share their story.

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630 Dranesville Rd. Herndon, VA 20170  | Main Office: 703-326-3100
Attendance: 703-326-3131 | Web | Twitter | Facebook