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Dear Mighty Red Bird Families,
What a wonderful start to the school year! Our Mighty Red Birds have arrived ready to learn, connect, and grow. Across the school, strong routines are being established, classroom communities are taking shape, and meaningful learning is already underway. It has been a joy to see students becoming comfortable in their classrooms and building relationships with their teachers and classmates.
Thank you to our families for your patience, flexibility, and cooperation during arrival and dismissal. Your partnership helps us begin and end each day safely and smoothly. We are off to a strong start, and we are excited for all that this year will bring. Together, we are building a strong foundation for an outstanding year!
Warm Regards,
Mrs. Long, Mrs. Agner, Mrs. Compton
Upcoming Dates 📅
🗓️ September 4 - 7- NO SCHOOL (Labor Day Holiday)
🗓️ September 16 - Back to School Night
- 5:50 - Doors Open
- 6:00 - 6:30 - PTA Meeting (Cafeteria)
- 6:35 - 7:10 - Session 1
- 7:15 - 8:00 - Session 2 (repeat of Session 1)
🗓️ September 30 - 3 Hour Early Release Wednesday
🌟Mrs. Long's Blueprint Byte
A special shoutout to our incredible PTA for helping bring our Blueprint for Student Success to life! By supporting our teachers through projects such as the AMAZING staff lounge renovation, funding classroom and school initiatives, sprinkles, and providing meals during Welcome Week, the PTA helps create the conditions for teachers to feel valued, supported, and ready to do their best work. The PTA also coordinates volunteers, hosts school community events, and organizes after-school clubs that enrich students’ experiences and strengthen our school community. When our teachers and school are supported, our students benefit directly. This partnership is critical to our success, and we invite all families to join the PTA and be part of the impact: Join the PTA!
Arrival and Dismissal
Cardinal Forest's Bell Schedule is 9:10 a.m. - 3:55 p.m..
Doors open at 8:55 a.m. and students arriving at or after 9:10 a.m. must report to the main office. Dismissal begins at 3:57 p.m.
Kiss & Ride families, please keep intersections clear and do not park in the surrounding neighborhood.
Please note: Dismissal changes must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. If you need to pick up your child early, you must arrive at the main office before 3:15 p.m.
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Bus riders: Enter and exit through Door 1 at the front of the building. During dismissal, buses are dismissed by bus number beginning at 3:58 p.m.
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Kiss & Ride: Families use the designated parking lot loop for arrival and dismissal. Afternoon pickup begins at 3:57 p.m.
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Walkers: Enter and exit through Door 1 at the front of the building. Walkers are dismissed at 4:00 p.m.
SEL Screener
SEL Screener Parent/Guardian Notification
The Fall Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener will be administered to students in grades 3 through 12 in October. Students use the SEL Screener twice a year to share their perspectives on how well their school and community help them develop skills they need to succeed. The screener works by asking questions or presenting statements that students can think about and respond to. This gives students a way to share how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
After each screening, results are available in the Documents tab of SIS ParentVUE and mailed to families without a ParentVUE account. For more information, including SEL Screener questions and opt-out information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage.
Cellphone Policy
Senate Bill 108 is a new Virginia law that went into effect on July 1. It requires that all schools in the state follow a “bell-to-bell” phone-free policy and prohibit cellphone possession and use for the entire school day. The updated FCPS Cellphone Policy.
Across all grade levels, cellphones, cellphone accessories, and all smart devices must be off and personally stored for the duration of the school day. Watches that serve a dual purpose (like a smartwatch) must be off and personally stored for the duration of the school day, too. Personal devices that connect to a cellphone or cellphone accessory or operate as a smart device must also follow the FCPS Cellphone Policy.
This policy does not apply to school-issued devices. However, school-issued devices must be used in accordance with FCPS Regulation 6410, Acceptable Use Policy, which allows the use of school-issued devices for educational purposes. More details are available on the FCPS Cellphone Policy webpage.
School Meals
Help Your Child Navigate the Lunch Line
Check out some tips to help your child get through the lunch line quickly and have more time to eat:
- Teach your child their student ID number to receive meals at school.
- Sign up for and add money to MySchoolBucks to purchase meals at school.
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Apply for free and reduced-price meals. Students who were approved for free and reduced-price meals last year are eligible for the first 30 days of school this year (or until a new application is processed). Families should submit a new application as soon as possible, so eligible students continue to receive meals at no cost.
Lightspeed Updates
You Can Manage Student Web Access at Home
At Cardinal Forest, we acknowledge that parents are our students' first and most important teachers. Parents now have greater control over their child’s FCPS-issued device outside of school hours through Lightspeed Parent Portal.
In addition to monitoring weekly internet activity, parents can now also customize web access at home on FCPS devices through Lightspeed using Schedules and Web Rules.
With Schedules, you can set tailored times to automatically pause or restrict internet access. This makes it easier to enforce rules around homework time, family dinners, weekends, or bedtime.
In Web Rules, you can create Custom Block Lists to block specific, individual websites they do not want your child accessing at home. This allows parents greater control over what is happening online, under their own roof.
These new custom controls take effect at home, outside of school hours, and when the device is off the FCPS network. They will not override standard district filtering policies during the instructional day.
Customize Your Lightspeed Settings
All parents should be receiving weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report emails. To set up these new features, click the “Log in or Register” button at the bottom of your weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report email.
Visit the FCPS Lightspeed Parent Portal Guide for more information. If you have additional questions, submit a Parent Technology Support Ticket.
Parents are encouraged to discuss internet boundaries with their children so that they can understand the reasoning behind any limits and the differences between access at home and at school. Get tips on talking to your children about technology safety.
Schoology
💻 Catch Up on Your Child’s Classwork in Schoology
Teachers use Schoology to post their classroom materials online; to provide a secure forum for students to discuss their ideas and collaborate on projects; and to assign and collect homework electronically. It helps students stay organized, and it keeps the class connected.
A Schoology Parent Account gives you access to:
- Your child’s classes.
- Your child’s upcoming assignments.
- School, class, and group announcements.
To access Schoology, parents will need to have an active SIS/ParentVUE account. Get more information on how to login and use Schoology.
Early Release Wednesdays for 2026-2027
FCPS will continue with limited early release Wednesdays for elementary schools during the 2026-27 school year. The number has been reduced from eight to four days.
Early release Wednesdays provide elementary teachers with a dedicated block of time to prepare lessons, participate in professional development and training, and collaborate with their peers. A well-supported and continuously improving teaching staff leads to better educational outcomes for students.
Please view the dates for our school’s early release Wednesdays below:
- September 30
- November 18
- January 13
- April 7
Visit the FCPS website for more information about early release Wednesdays.
Arrival and Dismissal - Be A Good Neighbor!
Please help us keep arrival and dismissal times safe and smooth for everyone. We ask families to be good neighbors and mindful of:
- Not blocking intersections or painted boxes during Kiss & Ride —this impacts visibility and also prohibits access for emergency vehicles.
- Crossing only in crosswalks and watching carefully for cars.
- Avoiding parking in residential areas, fire lanes, or private parking spaces.
- Refraining from making illegal U-turns.
- No pets are allowed on school property.
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