September 16 Family Newsletter

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 09/16/2026 05:02 PM EDT

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September 16 Family Newsletter

Dear Families, 

We are looking forward to our PTA Fun Run tomorrow. Thank you to the PTA and families for all of their support. Additional details can be found below. 

It's week four of school and our students are engaged throughout the school. Check out some of our second graders learning about Life Cycles of butterflies below! 

As a reminder, Monday, September 21st is Yom Kippur and there will be no school for students. 

🦋 Second Grade Science: Life Cycles in Action!

Second grade scientists are getting a close up look at the amazing world of life cycles! In Science with Mrs. Cavinee and throughout second grade, students are exploring how living things grow, change, survive, and interact with their habitats.

Our classrooms are buzzing with excitement as students observe Monarch butterflies right before their eyes! Soon, we’ll welcome Painted Lady larvae into our classrooms, giving students another incredible opportunity to observe the stages of a butterfly’s life cycle firsthand.

And the best part? When our butterflies emerge from their chrysalises, students will have the special experience of releasing them outside, where they can continue their life cycles in their natural habitat.

What an exciting way to bring science to life! 🦋🔬🌱

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Upcoming Dates  

Thursday, September 17th - PTA Fun Run 

Friday, September 18th - Community Flier Deadline for Approval

Monday, September 21st - Yom Kippur Holiday (No School)

Wednesday, September 23rd - First PTA Meeting 

Thursday, September 24th - AAP Continuum of Services Overview @ 5:45pm

Friday, September 25th - Community Flier Distribution

Monday, September 28th - Picture Day

FCPS 2026-2027 School Calendar 

Calendar Reminder: Yom Kippur (Holiday)

Monday, September 21, is a holiday, and schools and offices will be closed. See the complete school year calendar and employee calendar.

PTA Fun Run Details 

Schedule Reminder:

  • 9:00 - 10:00 - 3rd & 5th Grades
  • 10:10 - 11:10 - 1st Grade & Exceptional Runners
  • 11:20 - 12:20 - 4th & 6th Grades
  • 12:30 - 1:30 - Kindergarten & 2nd Grade

Spectators / Visitors

For families choosing to come in to spectate, we ask the following procedures to be followed:

  • Enter through the front of the building and sign in with a drivers’ license. Spectators will be given a visitor sticker to wear.
  • Go to the designated spectator area outside on the blacktop.
  • We are hopeful students can return to class to continue learning after the Fun Run.
    • If you choose to check out your child, let the office know and the child will be checked out after they return to class.
  • If you are not checking out your child, you may walk directly to your car after the event.

PTA Funds at Work 

Thank you for everyone's generosity to support our PTA. Some highlights of the PTA funds at work last year include. 

  • Extreme Science Assembly
  • Author Visits
  • Support for Math, Science and Family Heritage Night
  • Field Trip Cost Alleviation
  • Ice Cream Social
  • Bingo Night
  • Student Appreciation Week
  • New flooring / tile replacement
  • Teacher and Staff appreciation
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Picture Day is Coming!

📅 Date: Monday, September 28th

📸 Pictures Available: Approximately two weeks after photo day

🛒 Pre-order Online: https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001417012

📧 Questions about Ordering? Email us at underclass@vosphoto.com

Meet an Author and an Astronaut

Here’s a chance to meet an author and an astronaut too! Meet local author, Ann McCallum and her new book, "A Quilt of Stars, Astronaut Karen Nyberg Stitches a Dream".  All four events are free. Check out A Quilt of Stars Book Trailer that connect you to a various space photos from Karen Nyberg's personal collection with the original theme song. 

September 26: National Children’s Museum 10:00. Astronaut Karen Nyberg and I will kick off the launch of this book with an interactive program and story time.

October 3: Barnes & Noble Fairfax 11:00. Story time and book talk.

October 24: Scrawl Books 10:30. Story time and book talk.

October 30: National Air & Space Museum 10:30. Karen Nyberg will also be present for this program.

KAST (Kids Are Scientists, Too)

KAST (Kids Are Scientists, Too) is returning to UMES starting October 14! This after school club is led by local high school students who are passionate about STEM. Each session, kids will get to explore concepts like chemistry and physics through engaging, age-appropriate experiments they won't find in a typical classroom. It's the perfect way to spark a love of science early, build confidence asking questions, and have fun with friends. 

📅 When: Monthly - every 2nd Wednesday 

📍 Where: After school - Green Pod 

✍️ Sign up: KAST Parent Sign Up

FCPS CARES 

Caught someone being awesome? Don’t let the sparkle go unnoticed! 

 

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Whether a teacher saved the day, a staff member went the extra mile, or someone just brought pure joy to the workspace, please take a few minutes to recognize them with FCPS CARES! Families, colleagues, and students are all invited to submit. The FCPS CARES is automatically sent to the recipient(s), their supervisor, and is posted on fcps.edu. Additionally, each month one school in our region wins a staff celebration from HR- Hello breakfast!

This is one of the easiest ways to highlight hard work, celebrate success and give someone the giant cheer squad they deserve!

Advanced Academic Programs

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is committed to challenging all students through talent development and differentiated instruction. A continuum of Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services is available to students in Grades K-12 and is designed to match services to each student’s unique academic needs.

Identification for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP services occurs throughout the school year. Full-Time AAP services have two identification cycles:

  • Fall identification: Students in grades 3-7 who have enrolled in FCPS since January may be referred by October 15, 2026.
  • Spring identification: Any FCPS student in Grades 2-7 may be referred by December 15, 2026.

FCPS uses ability testing as one consideration in the holistic identification process for AAP services.

  • All students in Grade 2 take the Naglieri General Ability Test (NGAT).
  • Students in Grades 3-6 who do not have a multi-domain ability test score take the NGAT.
  • Students in Grades 3-6 may retake an ability test one time. Families may request the ability test retake by contacting Jaime Graham, School Testing Coordinator, at jagraham@fcps.edu by September 30.

Families are invited to attend two AAP information meetings, led by Melissa Paris-Hutchens, our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART):

  • AAP Continuum of Services: Thursday September 24th at 5:45 p.m. in room 115. Families will learn about the continuum of advanced academic services available to FCPS students.
  • Full-Time AAP Identification: Thursday November 5th at 5 p.m. in room 115. Families will learn about the referral and identification processes for Full-Time AAP services.

For more information, please contact Melissa Paris-Hutchens, AART, at maparis@fcps.edu or visit the FCPS Advanced Academic Programs website.

Community Flier Distribution

This semester’s nonprofit Community Flier Distribution will take place on Friday, September 25th.  To submit a flier for approval, it must be received in the main office by no later than Friday, September 18th and include the following disclaimer:

"This event [or activity] is sponsored by [name of the organization] and is operated independently of the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, and Union Mill Elementary School.”

Once the flier is approved, please deliver 31 sets of 30 copies each (plus a few extras for the front office) no later than 12:00pm on Wednesday, September 23rd.

Fliers will go home with students on Friday, September 25th .

Volunteering at Union Mill

If you are looking to volunteer for the 26-27 school year and have not already done so, complete your Volunteer FCPS registration this summer! This is required for all FCPS and Union Mill Volunteers. 

  • Register With Volunteer FCPS Volunteer FCPS allows individuals to search and register for volunteer opportunities. It helps ensure a safe, consistent, and welcoming environment here at Union Mill. All volunteers must:
  • Create a profile in Volunteer FCPS. 
  • Register for opportunities through Volunteer FCPS. 
  • Sign in and out of schools using the visitor kiosk.  

At the Volunteer FCPS site, you can complete a volunteer orientation. Visit the Volunteer FCPS Frequently Asked Questions for more information. 

Union Mill thanks you for your support!

Early Release Wednesdays for 2026-27 

FCPS will continue with limited early release Wednesdays for elementary schools during the 2026-27 school year, however 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 peers. A well-supported and continuously improving teaching staff leads to better educational outcomes for students. 

Find more information about early release Wednesdays, including the list of early release dates.

  • October 21

  • December 2

  • February 10

  • May 5

UMES PTA 

Sign Up for our Union Mill Fun Run!

It’s time to rally together for our Union Mill Fun Run fundraiser! Our goal is to raise $50,000 for reducing field trip costs, and funding both school-wide improvements and school-wide engagement activities for students, which will enhance our school’s resources and provide our students with an even better educational experience.

Great Wolf Lodge is helping us have more fun during our fundraiser! One lucky family from our school will win a Great Wolf Lodge night’s stay! Register on MyBooster.com to be eligible, and earn additional chances to win every time you share your donation page. Plus, all students earn wolf ears just for participating!

To make things even more exciting, if we raise $50,000, we will have a school wide PJ Day!

Here’s how you can help:
1. Sign up at MyBooster.com.
2. Share your student’s donation page with friends and family.
3. Donate if you’re able.

Every sign-up, share, and donation helps students earn points for prizes in the Reward Store. Visit MyBooster.com to see all the prizes you can choose from!

The Fun Run is tomorrow. Spectators are welcome but must sign-in at the front office to attend! We are also looking for volunteers to help hand out water during the Fun Run. Thank you for our support!

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First PTA Meeting – September 23rd

Join us in person for the first general membership PTA meeting of the school year. The PTA meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7PM. Most meetings are virtual and we hold a quarterly meeting in person. We will meet in the cafeteria and childcare will be provided by the CVHS Student Government Association (SGA). PTA meetings are open to everyone! You don’t need to be a member to attend, but you do need to be a member to vote in elections and on budget decisions.

At our September meeting we will cover:

  • Meet the PTA Board
  • Approving the PTA budget for the school year
  • Discussion of the recent technology policy changes made by the FCPS School Board and how they impact students. Speakers will be in attendance at the meeting to answer your questions!

Save These Dates 

September 17th - Fun Run

September 23rd - First PTA General Membership Meeting of the year!

  • Time: 7PM, attend in person, childcare provided by CVHS SGA
  • Meeting Topics: 
    • Approving the PTA Budget for the school year
    • Discussion of the recent technology policy changes made by FCPS School Board and the impact on students
    • Speakers will be in attendance to answer your questions

Stay Connected with the PTA 

We’ve got lots of ways for you to keep in touch with other families in our community and stay the most up to date on PTA sponsored events and programs!

  1. Care to email? We’re always available at pta@unionmillpta.org
  2. Want to browse the calendar, budget, or past meeting minutes? Hit up our website.
  3. Are you all about sliding into DMs? Follow us on Instagram.
  4. Is Facebook more your comfort zone? We identify as millenials…so same here. Like our page on Facebook to browse updates, community resources, and join our grade specific Facebook groups.

Union Mill Hours

Bell Schedule 

Doors open at 8:35 am. Students should be in class by 8:45 am.

Students are dismissed at 3:30 pm.

Office Hours 

Monday - Friday - 8:00 - 4:00 pm