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Dear Mighty Red Bird Families,
We are thrilled and filled with immense pride to share some wonderful news with our school community. Cardinal Forest Elementary has officially been designated as a Distinguished School by the Virginia Department of Education! This highest honor is a direct reflection of the incredible hard work, dedication, and heart that our students, teachers, staff, and families bring to our school every single day.
This designation comes through the Virginia Department of Education’s School Performance and Support Framework, an evaluation system designed to measure how well schools foster student learning and support academic growth. By looking closely at student mastery, academic growth, and attendance, the framework helps ensure every child receives an exceptional education. Under this system, Cardinal Forest earned an overall score of 92.04 out of 100 points. Our students showed exceptional achievement in core subjects, earning a 96.41 Mastery Index in Reading and a 96.22 in Math, while 67.70% of our multilingual learners made significant language progress. On top of that, our families helped us maintain a strong 92.82% attendance rate, proving just how engaged and committed our young learners are.
To mark this incredible milestone and celebrate our scholars and staff, we invite all of our students to come to school on Thursday, October 30th dressed in their most "distinguished" outfits. Whether that means dressing up in a fancy suit, a favorite dress, a sharp cardigan, or whatever outfit makes your child feel confident and extraordinary, we cannot wait to see everyone shining bright.
We are so grateful for your partnership and support. This achievement belongs to our entire community through the shared efforts of our students, families, and staff working together. Congratulations!
Warm Regards,
Mrs. Long, Mrs. Agner, Mrs. Compton
Upcoming Dates 📅
October 15 - Full-Time AAP Identification Process Meeting: 5:30PM (library)
October 19 - 23 - CFES Bullying Prevention Spirit Week
October 23 - PTA Trunk or Treat: 5:00PM
October 30 - 2 hour Early Release, End of Quarter
October 30 - CFES Distinguished Day!
🍎 National School Lunch Week
Get your taste buds ready! Next week is National School Lunch Week!
Want to know what's on for breakfast or lunch? Printable menus from FCPS Food & Nutrition Services are available!
View the menus: https://bit.ly/FCPSmenus
🌟Mrs. Long's Blueprint Byte
Our first graders are having fun putting their number sense into action during Math Workshop! Working in pairs, students played the game "One More" to practice counting, adding, and building early math fluency with hands-on game boards and counters. It’s wonderful to see our young mathematicians collaborating, problem-solving, and making learning so much fun!
🧡 CFES Bullying Prevention Week
We are excited to celebrate CFES Bullying Prevention Spirit Week from October 19 to October 23! We invite all students and staff to participate in our daily dress-up themes as we highlight kindness, inclusion, and standing up against bullying together:
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Monday, October 19 – Put Bullying to Rest!
Kick off the week comfortably! Wear your favorite school-appropriate pajamas as we end bullying by putting it to rest!
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Tuesday, October 20 – Stand Out, Stand Together!
Wear crazy socks or mismatched clothes to show our differences make us special.
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Wednesday, October 21 – Unity Day!
Wear orange to show support for Bullying Prevention.
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Thursday, October 22 – Team Up Against Bullying!
Wear a jersey or gear from your favorite sports team.
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Friday, October 23 – We're All in This Together!
Show your Mighty Red Bird pride! Wear your school spirit wear or school colors to close out the week united as one community.
STEMFest
STEMFest, hosted by STEAMOLOGY, is a hands-on celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics designed especially for elementary and middle school students. Students will have opportunities to explore, experiment, build, discover, and engage with STEM through interactive activities. High school students can participate as volunteers, while organizations, vendors, and school clubs can showcase STEM-related activities and ideas.
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.
Transportation Survey
Share Your Feedback on Traveling to and From School
The FCPS Office of Safety and Security and Safe Routes to School program are asking families to share their experiences traveling to and from their child’s school. The feedback will help inform the Fairfax County School Board’s annual assessment of traffic and pedestrian safety near schools.
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.
Cardinal Forest Families: Explore SafeWalkr!
FCPS Safe Routes to School is excited to invite Cardinal Forest families to try SafeWalkr, a new interactive walking map tool developed by Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology students in collaboration with our team!
If you live within [school name’s] designated walking boundary, explore information about sidewalks, road crossings, and crossing guard locations to help plan your walk to school.
Go to the SafeWalkr tool, select Cardinal Forest Elementary School, and explore a route with your child. Review current conditions and consider your child’s abilities and supervision needs before walking. The tool does not change walking boundaries or transportation eligibility. Help us improve SafeWalkr by sharing your feedback during the pilot. Thank you for supporting safe, active trips to school!
Immunization Events
Immunization Events for FCPS Students
FCPS, in partnership with Inspire Health Alliance, will be providing school-required immunizations and optional flu shots for all FCPS students, ages 18 and under, with no out-of-pocket costs. Multiple events will take place at designated FCPS locations.
Additional dates will be made available throughout the school year. Parents or guardians may view upcoming events and schedule an appointment for their student. Participation is voluntary. Additional immunization resources are available.
Arrival and Dismissal - Be A Good Neighbor!
Please help us keep arrival and dismissal times safe and smooth for everyone. We ask families to be good neighbors and mindful of:
- Not blocking intersections or painted boxes during Kiss & Ride —this impacts visibility and also prohibits access for emergency vehicles.
- Crossing only in crosswalks and watching carefully for cars.
- Avoiding parking in residential areas, fire lanes, or private parking spaces.
- Refraining from making illegal U-turns.
- No pets are allowed on school property.
District News/In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
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- Safe Routes to School Survey
- Immunization Events
- Celebrating Our Principals
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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