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☎️ Parent Information Phone Lines Available in Eight Languages
Parents/Caregivers who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese may call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS. View the list of phone numbers.
Franconia Elementary encourages Bell-to-Bell attendance
School starts at 8:35am and dismisses at 3:30pm
Upcoming Events
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Mon, Oct 12: NO SCHOOL-Indigenous People's Holiday (also teacher work day)
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Monday, Oct 12: PTA Restaurant Night at Chipotle, 5:00-9:00pm
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Tuesday, Oct 13: Hispanic Heritage Latin Zumba celebration from 3:40-4:10pm
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Fri, Oct 16: Book Fair, 5:00-8:00pm
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Fri, Oct 16: PTA Fall Festival, 5:30-8:00pm
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Fri, Oct 30: 2hr early dismissal for end of 1st quarter (1:30pm)
Be sure to bookmark the FCPS school year calendar to keep track of school holidays, breaks, and observances.
Join the Hispanic Heritage Latin Zumba Celebration!
💃 Dance, Move & Celebrate Together! 🕺
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we invite our students and their families to get moving with a fun, high-energy Latin Zumba session with our Family Liaison, Ms. Cruz! Come enjoy vibrant Latin rhythms, learn easy-to-follow moves, and celebrate our rich community culture together.
Event Details
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📅 Date: Tuesday, October 13
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⏰ Time: 3:40 PM – 4:10 PM
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📍 Location: Gym
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👟 What to Bring: Wear comfortable clothing, sneakers, and bring a water bottle!
Parents & Families Welcome!
Jump in and dance right alongside your children, or cheer them on from the sidelines! No prior dance experience needed—just bring your energy and enthusiasm.
Note: this is not a drop-off event; all elementary-aged children must
be accompanied by an adult.
For any questions, please contact our Family Liaison, Ms. Cruz.
BUS EVACUATION DRILL
 Last Thursday morning, October 8, Franconia School successfully completed a routine bus evacuation drill today.
Our students did an outstanding job! They listened attentively to the safety instructions, practiced orderly exit procedures, and followed all driver and staff directions quickly and calmly.
Practicing these drills regularly helps ensure our students know exactly what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency, keeping safety our top priority. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to keep our school community safe!
LIBRARY CORNER
The Literati Book Fair is coming October 16-23!
Students will shop during the school day, and families are welcome to join during evening hours:
Friday, October 16, 4:00-8:00, during the Fall Festival
Thursday, October 22, 3:30-6:00
Volunteers for the Book Fair are needed! Visit www.signupkit.co/rCSR0 to sign-up!
Reading Challenges
Book Bingo is a monthly challenge. Each month there will be a bingo board just for kindergarten and grade 1, and another bingo board for all grades.
You can find the October Book Bingo boards here.
The Million Word Challenge lasts all year. Students and adults write down the book that students read, on paper or through this online form. The librarian will look up the word count and keep track of all the words!
Library Volunteers
The library always needs volunteers! The biggest need is help with shelving, but we are also looking for help with weekly notices and bulletin boards! Email the librarian, Debby Vandersande, at dmvandersand@fcps.edu if you want to help!
Franconia's 3-hour Early Dismissal Days
2026-2027 School Year
FCPS will continue with limited early release Wednesdays for elementary schools during the 2026-27 school year. The number of days has been reduced from eight to four.
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.
Students will be dismissed at 12:30pm on the below days.
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Wednesday, November 18
- Wednesday, January 13
- Wednesday, April 7
PTA CORNER
DO GOOD WITH CHIPOTLE, October 12 | 5:00 - 9:00 PM
Franconia PTA Fall Festival Friday, October 16 | Evening: Exact time TBD
Mark your calendars for one of our favorite community events of the year! The Franconia Fall Festival returns and while the exact details are still in the planning stages, we can share that we are exploring some new ideas (movies? costumes? we'll see where we land!), and considering keeping familiar favorites like carnival games (with prizes!), and the popular on site food trucks with treats for purchase.
We need your help to make this community event a success! Thanks so much to the couple of folks who stepped up to help plan. We need a few more to pull off an event of this scale. And there will be future asks for help the day of. If you can lend an hour (or two!), please reach out to president@franconiapta.org.
SAVE THE DATE!
Friday, November 20
More details to come
New ParentVUE Mobile App Is Here
The new ParentVUE mobile app is available in the Apple and Google App stores. This new app provides parents and caregivers with a more secure sign-in. Families must download the new app by December 2026 to ensure they have continued mobile access to their ParentVUE account. The previous app will be deactivated at the end of 2026.
In the new app, families can enroll in multi-factor authentication (MFA) for FCPS Single Sign-On. While enrollment is optional, we strongly recommend that everyone enable this security feature. Learn more about installing the new ParentVUE app. Parents needing assistance should submit a Parent Support Request.
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Tap On and Tap Off, It’s Easy!
Please help all our bus riders remember to tap on and tap off the school bus each day. FCPS currently has about 70% of students on buses following this process correctly, which is a great start! Learn more about student IDs and bus navigation.
Families wishing to see where their child’s bus is should continue to use the Here Comes the Bus app.
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Superintendent Community Conversations
Join us for a series of Community Conversations that will be held across the school division. Share your thoughts with Dr. Reid and ask her questions. Click on the date to register for any of the following events:
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Monday, October 19, at 6:30 p.m., at Spring Hill Elementary School
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Monday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m., at Beech Tree Elementary School
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Thursday, October 29, at 6:30 p.m., at North Springfield Elementary School
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Friday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m., at Powell Elementary School
Registration is not required, but it helps with planning.
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.
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.
FIRST GRADE
First Graders doing science outside.
Transportation Survey
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.
AAP Expansion
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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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.
Learn About Applied Behavior Analysis and Teaching New Skills at Home
All family members and caregivers are invited to attend monthly Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Family Training to learn how to support and teach students with autism and related disorders. No registration is needed.
Virtual trainings take place at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Join the session. Upcoming topics include:
- Autism and ABA Overview on Wednesday, October 14. (It is highly recommended that you attend this session before any future sessions.)
- Prioritizing Skills to Teach at Home on Wednesday, November 18.
- Toilet Training on Wednesday, December 9.
- Managing Challenging Behaviors at Home on Wednesday, January 13.
- Communication: a Foundation for Independence on Wednesday, February 10.
Visit the ABA webpage for a full list of classes. Need an interpreter? Contact Stephanie Watkins two weeks before the training at 571-423-4110 or sawatkins@fcps.edu.
Digital Literacy Resources for Families
As part of FCPS’ continued support for digital literacy, families can access lesson materials that introduce the concepts students will explore throughout the school year. These resources include student lessons and supporting materials organized by grade level. Resources will be shared on a quarterly basis through Schoology.
The All Parent/Guardian Course is available in Schoology through a parent or guardian account. Schoology and ParentVUE use the same login credentials. Families who need assistance can review How Do I Log in to and Access Schoology? or watch the brief walkthrough on the Schoology Snippets page.
Families can also learn more about FCPS guidance and practices on the Educational Technology in FCPS webpage.
OCTOBER
Disability History and Awareness Month
In Virginia during October, Disability History and Awareness activities provide an opportunity to create greater public awareness for individuals with disabilities, with the goal of full inclusion in our community.
8 - Ombuds Day
Office of the Ombuds staff engage with families, students, and staff to offer resources, assist in settling conflicts, and raise concerns to improve the experience of each and every member of the FCPS community. They work as an independent confidential resource to help get answers to questions, resolve concerns, and hear complaints regarding FCPS matters.
The Ombuds is available to:
- Share strategies for parents to improve communication with, and between, school and home.
- Help resolve disagreements between parents and schools or disagreements involving employees in the workplace.
- Provide ideas to foster parent participation in Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan meetings.
Ombuds staff do not change or make decisions, policies, or regulations; take sides; or provide legal advice.
Anyone with concerns, questions, or complaints to share with the Office of the Ombuds may call 571-423-4014, email ombuds@fcps.edu, or visit the Ombuds webpage to submit a question.
12-16 - National School Lunch Week |
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12 - *Indigenous Peoples’ Day / School Planning Day
It is a student holiday and school planning day for Indigenous Peoples' Day. See the complete school year calendar.
19-23 - National School Bus Safety Week
National School Bus Safety Week is an active and evolving public education program and an excellent way for parents, students, teachers, motorists, school bus operators, school administrators, and other interested parties - to join forces and address the importance of school bus safety. Resources to share.
Oct. 30 and Nov. 2-3 - *Quarter End Early Release / Teacher Workday / School Planning Day
Friday, October 30, is the last day of the first quarter, and a two-hour early release for students. Schools are closed for students on Monday, November 2, for a school planning day, and Tuesday, November 3, for a teacher workday. See the complete school year calendar.
Quick Links
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