Fairfax Villa Weekly Message 9/29/2023
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Important Upcoming Dates10/9: Student Holiday / Staff Development Day
10/12: Zoom PTA Meeting #3
10/18: AAP Full Time Screening Information Zoom Meeting
10/20: PTA Fall Festival
11/3: 2 Hour Student Early Release at 2pm
11/6: Student Holiday / School Planning Day
11/7: Student Holiday / Teacher Work Day
11/9: Zoom PTA Meeting #4
11/16: Thanksgiving Luncheon
11/17: PTA Glow Party
11/22 - 11/24: Student Holiday
12/6: FVES Book Fair & Math Game Night
12/16 - 1/1: Student Holiday / Winter Break
1/18: Zoom PTA Meeting #5
2/9: PTA Heritage Night
4/4: Zoom PTA Meeting #6
4/12: PTA Bingo Night
IN THIS ISSUE- SR&R Parent Signatures Due Today
- Support Our Staff Social Committee
- Dismissal Changes and Attendance Form
- STEM Fest
- AAP Parent Information Meetings
- Monday and Friday Fairfax Villa Clothing
- Technology Updates and Information For Families & ParentVue Accounts
- Science Olympiad Returns to Fairfax Villa
- Attendance Matters
- Important Fairfax Villa Contacts
- Be Informed; Stay Involved!
FCPS’ Student Rights and Responsibilities document (SR&R) explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment. In late June, the School Board approved changes to the SR&R for the 2023-24 school year. Updates include a revision of dress code expectations, bystander expectations for students witnessing harmful or unsafe behaviors, bullying, and substance abuse responses. Read Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid’s letter to families regarding the SR&R.
Parents/caregivers should talk to their child(ren) about expectations for this school year. Also, please log in to SIS ParentVUE and sign to acknowledge your review of the SR&R, or sign and return the signature sheet to Ms. Sobeski by Friday, September 29Ms. Conley-Baldwin’s 5th grade class is testing out hypotheses during science. Students worked in groups to learn about independent, dependent, and constant variables!
2.Support Our Staff Social CommitteeHello Villa Families!
Each year members of our FCPS employees come together and contribute money to form our Fairfax Villa school staff social committee. The purpose of this committee is to show our appreciation of different groups in our school. Our committee works hard to allocate funds to celebrate bus drivers, cafeteria workers, clinic staff, counselors, instructional assistants, and itinerants. Funds are used in a variety of ways to support staff meetings, trainings, and professional development. We also try to celebrate staff birthdays, weddings, baby showers, and more. They even plan special events to honor and support each other during difficult times. This year we are asking if any families would like to donate to these funds. We would also appreciate healthy, nonperishable snacks and drinks such as granola bars, seltzer waters, skinny pop,healthy chips, individualized trail mix bags, and fruit bars. If you would like to support our committee financially, it would be greatly appreciated. We accept Venmo (@fvessocial – last four digits 7183 if it asks) and check made out to Fairfax Villa Social Club. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our social committee president Kelly D’Alessandro at [email protected].
3.Dismissal Changes and Attendance FormSubmitting a student absence, reporting any transportation or dismissal changes has never been easier thanks to the online Dismissal Change and Attendance form! Please submit Dismissal Changes by 2:30pm to allow staff time to confirm the changes with the student.
Dismissal Reminders:
- Please submit dismissal changes no later than 2:30pm to allow staff time to confirm the changes with the student.
- We ask you to communicate with your student(s) about dismissal plans before their morning arrival.
After 2:30 pm, changes will not be accepted except in the case of an emergency. The end of the school day is a busy time. To ensure the safety of all students, please plan accordingly and limit these exceptions to emergencies ONLY.
Our fourth and first grade buddy classrooms are reading together!
4.STEM FestStudents are invited to participate in STEM FEST, Saturday, October 14, at South County High School
Participate in STEM FEST: Students in kindergarten through eighth grade can participate in robotics demonstrations, coding experiments, and other activities. High school students are invited to volunteer. Visit the STEAMOLOGY website for more information.
- Audience: K-8 Students and families
- Date/Time: Saturday, October 14, 2023; 11:30 am - 3:00 pm.
- Location: South County High School, 8501 Silverbrook Rd, Lorton, VA 22079
- Student Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdmXMZeJjjtlUwom7xowwo5Fa5hyoHgs3CwBf6s2puTCno5qg/viewform
Volunteer Information: Visit the STEAMOLOGY website
5.AAP Parent Information MeetingsCat Wilkins, Fairfax Villa’s Advanced Academics Resource Teacher (AART), will be sharing detailed information about the Full-Time AAP screening process in a virtual parent meeting on Wednesday, October 18, at 7:30 p.m. This meeting is intended for parents of 2nd-6th grade students who are interested in referring for Full-Time (level IV) services. The deadline for referrals for students new to Fairfax County (since January) is October 15. Please contact Mrs. Wilkins at [email protected] if you are a parent of a new student in grades 3-6 and are interested in referring for full-time services, as the deadline falls before the meeting. The deadline for all other referrals is December 15.
Here is the information for the Zoom meeting:
Join URL:
https://myfcpsk12.zoom.us/j/93001937918?pwd=SzZxaEJGMFVRSEFudFRJNmh0eHQwQT09&from=addon
Meeting ID:
930 0193 7918
Passcode:
861959
Mrs. Wilkins previously presented an overview of AAP services at a meeting on 9/27. If you would like to view the recording and slides (available in English and Spanish) from that meeting, please visit the “All Parents/Guardians” course on Schoology here. Please note that you will need to be logged in with your parent view.
6.Monday & Friday Fairfax Villa ClothingStudents and staff will be wearing the same clothing to kick off and end each week during the 2023-24 school year!
- On Mondays, we will be wearing our Positivity shirts to highlight our character strengths and virtues that we will be learning throughout the school year. The Boosterthon team distributed these green shirts during the fun run for the past 3 years. The shirts highlight our Villa dragon and Positivity logos on the front of the shirts.
- On Fridays, we will be showing off our favorite Fairfax Villa spirit wear. If your son or daughter has outgrown their Fairfax Villa spirit wear clothing, our PTA has some new ones.
- Preschoolers and kindergartners will receive new iPads in the first few weeks of school. Students in grades 1 and 2 will receive laptops that will stay at school. Students in grades 3-6 will receive laptops, cases, and chargers that will be taken home each day. Please ensure all students return to school the next day with fully charged laptops.
- Please complete your Digital Consent Form here.
Calling all budding scientists! We're planning to host two Science Olympiad teams for students in 3rd-6th grades to participate in the Division A and Division B competitions this year. The teams will meet after school on Wednesdays, beginning September 27. For more information, please email Dipta Krishnam at [email protected].
9.Attendance MattersJust a few missed days here and there, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time and put your child behind in school. This is as true in kindergarten as it is in high school.
CLICK HERE for a fun Morning Routine Checklist
- HOW CAN YOU HELP YOUR CHILD OR TEEN HAVE GOOD ATTENDANCE?
- Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day, make that the expectation.
- Help your child maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
- Try not to schedule dental and medical appointments during the school day.
- Don’t let your child stay home unless truly sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety.
- Find out if your child feels engaged by his classes and feels safe from bullies and other threats. Make sure he or she is not missing class because of behavioral issues and school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, work with your school.
- Stay on top of academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors if necessary. Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
- Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
- Encourage meaningful afterschool activities, including sports and clubs.
- Know the school’s attendance policy–incentives and penalties.
- Talk to teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior. These could be tied to something going on at school.
- Check on your child’s attendance to be sure absences are not piling up.
- Ask for help from school officials, afterschool programs, other parents or community agencies if you’re having trouble getting your child to school
- Looking ahead to the holiday season, if missing school is unavoidable, talk to your children’s teachers in advance to create a plan for making up missed work. But remember, a homework packet cannot make up for the interaction and learning that goes on in the classroom.
- Fairfax Villa Main Phone Line: 703-267-2800
- Fairfax Villa Attendance Phone Line: 703-267-2828
- Fairfax Villa Attendance Link
- Parent Handbook
- Technology Support for Families/Parent Help Desk: 1-833-921-3277
- Parent Information Phone Lines/Support for parents who do not speak English as their first language
- Parent and Student technology support: IT Support Portal
- FCPS Transportation Phone Line:703-446-2050
- Kerrissa Watson, Transportation Supervisor, 703-446-2050
- Dave Gerstner, Principal
- Shelia Sobeski, Assistant Principal
- Karen Wells, Administrative Assistant
- Julie Scoville, Office Staff
- Silvia Dossmann, Student Information Assistant
- Noor Hachwi, School Based Technology Specialist
- Ursula Freitag, Parent Liaison
- June Bloedorn, Social Worker
- Becky Huff, School Psychologist
- Virginia Kim, School Counselor
- 2023-2024 School Year
- Sign up for News You Choose
- Join the Fairfax Villa PTA
- Report Your Child’s Absence
- Visit the Fairfax Villa Website
- Substitute Teaching Opportunities
- Monitor your student's academics with a SIS Parent Account
- Recognize an FCPS Employee at FCPS Cares
- Mental Health Resources and Emergency Services Information
10900 Santa Clara Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 | Main Office: 703-267-2800
Attendance: 703-267-2828 | Web | Twitter