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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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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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Mon, Oct 26: PTA after-school programs begin
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Fri, Oct 30: 2hr early dismissal for end of 1st quarter (1:30pm)
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Mon, Nov 2, and Tue, Nov 3: NO SCHOOL
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Wed, Nov 11: Veterans Day
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Mon, Nov 16: Picture Make-up Day
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Wed, Nov 18: 3-hour Early Dismissal Day
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Fri, Nov 20: Thanksgiving Lunch
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Wed, Nov 25 - Fri, Nov 27: Thanksgiving Break
Be sure to bookmark the FCPS school year calendar to keep track of school holidays, breaks, and observances.
PTA CORNER
FALL FEST IS FRIDAY! 🎃
Join us Friday, October 16 from 6–8:30 p.m. for a FREE evening of family fun at Franconia Elementary! Rain or shine, this event will go on!
Highlights include:
- 📚 Book Fair: 4–8 p.m.
- 🎟️ Games, prizes, face painting, photo booth & crafts: 6–8 p.m.
- 🎬 Outdoor Halloween Movie Marathon: 6:30–8:15 p.m. — bring a blanket to sit on
- 🌮 Food trucks: 6–8 p.m.
Everything except food truck purchases is free.
We still need volunteers to help make the night happen or we'll have to scale back. Sign up here.
Please note: This is NOT a drop-off event. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
AFTERSCHOOL CLUBS
We've locked down the offerings and schedule. We are simply dotting our i's and crossing our t's on the paperwork.
Registration will start Thursday, 10/15. Details and registration links will be posted on our website. Check back sometime tomorrow! Detailed information will also be sent out via our PTA email; subscribe here.
For now, here's the current list of offerrings and schedule. Reminder that individual dates, cost, and registration will vary by club.
Visitor Information
At Franconia, we pride ourselves in maintaining a welcoming and caring community. It is also important that we continue to encourage all our penguins to build their independence skills.
We ask that parents do not enter the building during arrival and, instead, allow their children to walk to their classroom on their own. There are many adults stationed throughout the hallways who can assist students, so please rest assured all our penguins will get to their classroom safely.
If parents need to speak with their child's teacher, they can make appointments via email or Talking Points.
If parents have business in the office, we ask they enter the building ONLY through the front at Door 1.
Thank you for your support for the Franconia Penguin Community!
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
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!
Kindergarten T-shirt
We have been having a fantastic time getting to know each of our new kindergarteners! Each year as a way to build classroom community, we like to order special t-shirts with each kindergartners’ name on the back with our whole class list of names. We wear these t-shirts on Fridays, during our field trips, and school spirit days. These special t-shirts enhance the kindergartners’ sense of pride in being Franconia students and they become great memories! The kids love matching each other, and get so excited each Friday to see their friends wearing the same shirt! If you would like to order a Kindergarten t-shirt for your child and/or family, follow this link to the School Store (make sure you are logged in to My School Bucks before clicking the link).
https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/stores/getstoremain
Once in the school store please click Kindergarten T-shirt
Parents are welcome to order t-shirts for themselves and other family members as well! You can add as many shirts as you would like to your cart to order. Each shirt is $9. Please order as soon as possible if you would like one, but please be aware that orders are due by Friday, October 23rd,. Please be aware we can not accept orders past this date and we will not be able to order more afterwards. Thank you for your support!
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Hispanic Heritage Latin Zumba
 A huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined us for our Latin Zumba event ! It was incredible to see our students, parents, and staff come together to learn the basics of salsa and merengue while filling the room with so much energy and joy.
Beyond learning some great new steps, this event was a wonderful celebration of our Hispanic community's rich culture, rhythm, and traditions. Thank you for bringing your enthusiasm, high energy, and community spirit to the dance floor!
Attention Penguin Performers (Grades 4–6)!
Audition sign-up sheets for Shrek, Jr. are now officially posted near the music ramp!
Important Dates to Know:
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Zoom Interest Meeting: Wednesday, November 4 @ 7:00 p.m.
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Auditions: November 12 & November 13
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Callbacks: November 16
Note: Anyone interested in auditioning SHOULD attend the Zoom Interest Meeting. Zoom links will be sent out closer to the meeting date via TalkingPoints and Wednesday Word. The calendar of rehearsals was sent via TalkingPoints.
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.
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.
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.
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.
12-16 - National School Lunch Week |
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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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