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Dear Beech Tree Families,
As we approach the end of the first quarter, I want to remind families that Parent-Teacher Conferences are now underway. These meetings provide a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, celebrate their successes, and collaborate on goals for the months ahead. If you haven’t already done so, please reach out to your child’s teacher to schedule a time that works best for your family.
Early Release Reminder for Kindergarten-5th Grade Students Only
Our first Early Release for this school year is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22nd.
Please fill out the early release form for each of your children that attend Beech Tree by Friday, October 9th, to help finalize our plans. Please submit a response for each student for every Early Release Wednesday. This helps ensure that we have accurate dismissal information and that every student is safely accounted for. Preschool students are not released early on these days. They follow their regular schedule. All students in K-5th grade are sent home unless requests to remain in school are noted on the form below. Students who stay will be supervised by Instructional Assistants while teachers engage in professional development and planning.
The link to the form is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdaV9vDLZ4Qq4LHqTWaqOuzhBD2ZWtEfdmDHtPKM7IfjYYgcQ/viewform?utm_campaign+=
On Friday, we celebrated Custodial Appreciation Day. Maria, Armando, Ada, and Phan work tirelessly each day to keep our school sparkling clean and bright. Their hard work and dedication make our building a safe, welcoming place for all students, staff, and families. Thank you for all that you do!
Shake, Smile, and Magic!
We wrapped up our week with a fun celebration for our August and September Beaver Birthdays! Our birthday Beavers took special Polaroid pictures with Mrs. Clarke and Ms. Barry. The kids had us in stitches because they had no idea what a Polaroid camera was! Watching their faces light up as they shook the pictures and saw their photos appear like magic was hilarious. What a sweet and giggly way to end the week! Enjoy your weekend!
With appreciation,
Principal Clarke & Assistant Principal Barry
Superintendent Community Conversations
Save the Date: Community Conversations with Superintendent Reid
 Your voice matters, and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid wants to hear from you! At FCPS, parents are partners, working with us to set our students up for long-term success at school and in life.
A series of Community Conversations will be held across the school division. You are invited to share your thoughts with Dr. Reid and ask her questions. Events are planned for the following dates at 6:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted):
Registration links will be shared soon. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided. Events are one-hour long and open to all. Find out about other opportunities to connect with Dr. Reid.
Calendar Change: Eid al-Fitr
FCPS will mark the beginning of Eid al-Fitr with an evening-only observance day on Monday, March 8. There will be school on this day, but major school-sponsored events and activities (such as auditions or tryouts) will not take place.
Tuesday, March 9, will be a holiday for students and staff.
Wednesday, March 10, will be an observance day. There will be school on this day, but certain activities that cannot be made up (major tests, field trips, or mandatory events) will not take place on this day.
A new school year calendar has been published, which includes this change. Please note that holidays and observances on the calendar may shift due to anticipated lunar sightings.
Beech Tree Elementary School Picture Day is Coming! 📸
School Picture Day is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026
Pre-order Online: https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001416914
Images Available: Approximately two - three weeks after picture day
Ordering Questions?: www.vosphoto.com/contact-us
Understanding the FCPS Calendar
Help your child prepare for future success by encouraging them to develop positive attendance habits. Regular attendance supports learning and helps students stay on track for college, careers, and other opportunities after graduation.
Take a look at the FCPS calendar. Try your best to schedule any vacations or planned family events on weekends and school holidays. If the appointment needs to be during the school day, when possible, schedule it for the beginning or end of the day to minimize time missed.
If your child needs to miss school because of an illness or appointment, please report the absence to our school as early as possible. Find out how to report an absence on our homepage or call the front office (703) 531-2626.
If you or your family need any kind of support, please let us know. We are here for you! Visit the FCPS Attendance webpage for tips and strategies.
Safe Routes to School Parent and Caregiver Survey
As part of the Fairfax County School Board’s Annual School-Based Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Assessment, the FCPS Office of Safety and Security and Safe Routes to School program are inviting parents and caregivers to share their experiences traveling to and from school.
The Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Survey asks about walking and biking routes, traffic near schools, kiss and ride experiences, accessibility, and other safety concerns.
Your feedback will help FCPS identify common issues. Your responses will be kept confidential and shared with school administrators and the Office of Safety and Security. The five-minute survey is open through Thursday, October 15.
Be sure to identify the school related to your feedback and include specific locations where you have observed a safety issue. If you have students at different schools in FCPS, please complete a different survey for each school.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact SafeRoutestoSchool@fcps.edu.
FCPS Seeks Community Input on Middle School AAP Centers
FCPS is exploring a plan to offer Full-Time Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services at every middle school. Under the proposal, students who qualify could attend their neighborhood middle school and take advanced classes with other AAP students. The School Board has approved community engagement at Franklin, Hayfield, Holmes, Key, and Whitman middle schools, where programs could open for the 2027-28 school year. The proposal is still under consideration, and the School Board is expected to make a decision in December.
Each community meeting offers in-person and virtual participation. Upcoming meetings are scheduled for:
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Franklin Middle: Monday, October 5, at 6 p.m.
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Holmes Middle: Thursday, October 15, at 6 p.m.
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Whitman Middle: Thursday, October 22, at 6 p.m.
Current middle school students will remain at their assigned AAP centers through middle school. Learn more and find meeting sign-up forms on the Middle School AAP Centers page.
Growing Together: Talking About Social-Emotional Learning at Home
Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps children develop confidence, resilience, self-awareness, and other important skills that support their success in school and throughout life. Join a workshop for parents and caregivers to:
- Understand your child’s Fairfax County SEL Screener results.
- Use the results as a starting point for meaningful conversations at home.
- Support your child’s social and emotional development.
- Build confidence, resilience, and lifelong skills together.
Learn practical ways to talk with your child about their social and emotional well-being and support their continued growth at home. Events will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, at Skyview High School and Wednesday, October 21, at Kingstowne Regional Library. View additional dates on the FCPS Family Academy webpage.
Childcare will be available. Interpretation services are available upon request. For more information, contact the Family and School Partnerships office at 703-204-4300 or FamilyEngagement@fcps.edu.
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:
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Fall identification: Students in grades 3-7 who have enrolled in FCPS since January may be referred by October 15, 2026.
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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 Tests (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 Cathleen Barry, School Testing Coordinator, at cmbarry@fcps.edu by September 30.
Families are invited to attend two AAP information meetings, led by Nadya Abu-Rish, our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART):
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AAP Continuum of Services: Tuesday, September 29th at 6pm in the Beech Tree library. Families will learn about the continuum of advanced academic services available to FCPS students.
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Full-Time AAP Identification: Tuesday, October 27th at 6pm in the Beech Tree library. Families will learn about the referral and identification processes for Full-Time AAP services.
For more information, please contact Nadya Abu-Rish, AART, at nkaburish@fcps.edu or visit the FCPS Advanced Academic Programs website.
Dates for Early Release Wednesdays
Early Release Wednesdays Beech Tree will have a total of four early release days throughout the school year. Students will be dismissed at 1:00 p.m.
Early release Wednesdays for Beech Tree ES are:
- October 21
- December 2
- February 10
- May 5
👉 Afterschool Form for the 2026–2027 School Year
Beech Day=Lunch Visits
Beech Days (Open Days in YELLOW):
These are the days you can come to school and have lunch with your student:
- October: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28 29
- November: 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 30
- December: 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16 17, 18
- January: 4, 5, 6. 7. 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27
- February: 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
- March: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 29, 30, 31
- April: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Lunch Schedule
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11:30-12:00
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Kindergarten
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11:40-12:10
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Second Grade
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12:00-12:30
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Multi-Age
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12:15-12:45
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First Grade
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12:30-1:00
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Fifth Grade
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12:45-1:15
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Fourth Grade
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1:05-1:35
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Third Grade
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Unavailable Days Due to Wednesday Early Release (in RED):
These are the dates where Beech Days are unavailable because of early release closures:
- October 21
- December 2
- February 10
- May 5
There will be no Beaver Beech lunch days in May due to SOL testing, which may alter daily lunch schedules.
- Beech Days will return during the month of June.
We encourage family members to enjoy the same lunch as their child, whether it's a packed lunch or from the school cafeteria. To maintain the integrity of our meal program, we kindly request refraining from bringing fast food options.
On the day of your child's scheduled lunch, please arrive 5 minutes early to sign in at the office. Our staff will direct you to the cafeteria. As you depart, please remember to check out at the office. For those opting to purchase lunch from the cafeteria, adult pricing is $5.50 and the price for non-FCPS students under the age of 18 is $3.75, payable in cash. For more details on lunch options, please click here.
FCPS News
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- College Prep Resources
- Life in the Community Fair
- Calendar Update: Eid al-Fitr
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
Beech Tree School Information
Hours: 9:15 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (doors open at 9:05 a.m. for arrival)
Attendance Line: 703-531-2626
Attendance Email: BeechTreeElem.Attendance@fcps.edu
School Registrar: Sandra Merino (703) 531-2620
Family Liaison: Milkis Flores (703) 531-2601
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