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09/04-09/07 Labor Day Break-Student Holiday (No School)
09/16 Fall Picture Day (8:45am, Gym)
09/17 Back to School Night (5:30-7:30pm) (Date Updated)
BTSN session information will be sent later
09/30 3-Hours Early Release -Dismissal time 12:20pm
 Welcome back! Our dedicated teachers spent this past week gearing up to welcome students back for an amazing new school year. Between attending school-wide staff meetings and engaging in professional learning opportunities, our teachers and staff spent countless hours collaborating, designing engaging lesson plans, and prepping their classrooms. Their hard work, energy, and preparation have laid a strong foundation for a smooth and successful year ahead!
 
Open House was an absolute joy welcoming our students and families to the 26-27 school year! The school was buzzing with energy as teachers greeted familiar faces, introduced themselves to new families, and showed off their freshly prepared classrooms. Thank you to everyone who joined us. Your enthusiasm and partnership make our school community truly special!
Donation: We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Lambda Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (and Ms. Tina Fisher!) for their generous donation of backpacks for our students. Thanks to their wonderful support, our students will be excited to get new backpacks this school year!
We will begin distributing student ID cards to all our students who ride the school bus or use FCPS transportation services.
ID cards should be worn or attached to your child’s backpack and brought to the bus each day. We will hold them during the day, then return them to students for their bus trip home.
Students who have student ID cards should begin tapping as they board and exit the bus. Only students who use FCPS transportation services will be provided with a student ID card at this time.
We ask for your patience! Bus drivers are checking in students and may need some extra time at each bus stop while they do this. The transportation team is working hard to minimize any potential delays.
Learn more about the bus navigation and student ID cards.
Are you working your way through back-to-school forms and checklists? Make sure you have a SIS ParentVUE account for your family and log in to find important forms and updates.
- Be among the first to know about weather closings, bus delays, and other critical communications from your school and FCPS by providing your cell phone number and email in ParentVUE. To update your contact information in ParentVUE, click the “Online Packets” tab in the upper right of the screen, then click the “Online Verification/Update” icon.
- Submit daylong absences by clicking “Report Absence.”
If you do not have a ParentVUE account, contact your child’s school for an activation code and follow the directions on the SIS ParentVUE Account webpage.
Families can now easily grant consent for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. This online tool can be accessed using your SIS ParentVUE account login. Parents can easily opt their child in or out of a variety of resources, including online educational tools, school counseling services, and more.
Visit the Parent Digital Consent webpage to access the system. Watch this video to see how to use the tool.
Opt In or Out to Student Devices Being Sent Home for Grades 1-6
New this year, families can opt out of having student laptops sent home with their student.
- If you do not want your student to bring their FCPS-issued device home, please toggle the Opt Out button to a check mark and confirm by pressing Save Selection.
- If you would like your student to bring their FCPS device home, no toggle action is needed. Confirm by pressing Save Selection.
Students whose families opt out will continue to have access to an FCPS-issued device during the school day. Please reach out to your student’s teacher to understand expectations for homework and any learning activities that may require access to technology outside of the school day.
Thank you for your patience as we all get used to new routines this school year. We appreciate our families following Kiss and Ride procedures and being patient while waiting for your child’s bus.
If your child’s bus is delayed, you may access the Bus Delay Notification System or use the Here Comes the Bus mobile app to receive the delayed bus report. Email messages will be sent to announce significant bus delays. Please contact the Transportation Office at 703-446-2050 with any additional questions. For concerns after 5:30 p.m., contact the FCPS Office of Safety and Security at 571-423-2000.
Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE to make sure you receive email messages about bus delays.
 The FCPS mobile app lets you follow updates from all your children's schools in one place! Simply open the app, tap the teal pull-down menu, then tap the gear icon and select every school you want to follow. See this video of how to follow your school.
Find out about more features of the app. Download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Check out some tips to help your child get through the lunch line quickly and have more time to eat:
Annandale Terrace is a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school. All students receive free breakfast and lunch—no application needed! However, we encourage families to complete the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application for:
- Additional benefits (like discounts for sports, clubs, etc.)
- Authorization to share eligibility with other programs
Applications are available at the school, online: https://www.fcps.edu/node/31049,or by phone: 703-813-4800 or 703-813-4844.
Limited early release days for elementary schools will shift to Wednesdays for the 2026-27 school year.
Three-hour early release days for our school will include:
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September 30
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November 18
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January 13
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April 7
K-5 students will be dismissed @12:20pm on 09/30 to allow educators time for planning & training. However, we understand there may be a childcare hardship due to the early release. To resolve these concerns, student supervision will be available for families who need it. Complete https://forms.gle/XaM775HqXsmFER5R8 as soon as possible for each of your children who are enrolled at ATES no matter you need a childcare or not. Questions? Please call the main office @ 703-658-5600.
 12 in-person free sessions of Dad's Parenting Group will be held on Tuesdays from 6:00-8:30pm from September 8th to November 24th, 2026. Call 703-324-7720 for the registration if you are interested.
 Registration is officially OPEN for the first session on September 21!
Campers will have exclusive access to workshops with professional graphic artists learning to plan, write, imagine, and design their own graphic novel elements. Each day camp will offer new skills and perspectives to learn.
🗓️ When: September 21, 2026 9:00 am - 3:30 pm*
📍 Where:
The Community Studio at John Calvin Presbyterian Church
6531 Columbia Pike
Annandale, VA 22003
👥 Who: Open to ages 8 –12
Learn More and Secure Your Child’s Spot Today!
Space is strictly limited to ensure high-quality, individualized attention for every camper.
*Before and after care available as needed.
Parents/caregivers who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese may call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS. View the list of phone numbers.
 Please visit www.campussurvivalkits.com/ates to shop ATES customized apparel. A portion of all sales benefits the Annandale Terrace PTA — support your school while you shop!
 The Fairfax County Public Schools HIPPY Program is a free home-based early literacy and parent education initiative. It helps parents of two-, three-, and four-year-olds become their child's first teacher by providing weekly instruction, activity packets, stories, and school-readiness tools. The HIPPY Program will start from September 30th,2026 - June 2nd, 2027 on Wednesdays from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm at Annandale Terrace Elementary School. If you are interested to sign up the weekly lessons, please contact Sara Parada, HIPPY Program Leader, at spparadacamp@fcps.edu or call 703-204-4350.
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
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- Everything You Need to Do in SIS ParentVUE
- Permission Forms for School Resources
- Follow Multiple Schools in the App
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
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