Falcon Press 11/13/24

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On Friday, 11/8, we were very excited to have families join us for our Annual Veterans Day celebration. 

Dear Forestdale Families,

We’re already two weeks into the second quarter, and it’s been a fantastic start! We’re grateful for your ongoing support and involvement in our school community, which makes such a positive impact on our students and staff.

This week, progress reports will be sent home in Thursday folders. We encourage you to review and discuss your child's progress with them and their teacher.

Important Reminders and Upcoming Events:

  • 3-Hour Early Release: Our next 3-hour early release will be on Monday, November 18, with dismissal at 12:35 PM. 

  • Thanksgiving Luncheon: Join us on Thursday, November 21, for our annual Thanksgiving Luncheon! We can’t wait to celebrate with you. More details below.

At Forestdale, we are dedicated to creating a safe, supportive, and engaging learning environment. Together, we can help each child reach their fullest potential!

Warm regards,

Ms. Nikki Steptoe-Coleman, Principal

Ms. Mary-Elizabeth Hagaman, Assistant Principal

Dr. LaDonna Tate, Assistant Principal

November

November 14                    Progress Reports go home in Thursday Folders

November 18                    3-Hour Early Release

November 21                    Thanksgiving Luncheon

November 27-29               Thanksgiving Break

December 

December 4                       AAP Night

December 23-January 3    Winter Break

Early Release Monday, 11/18

Our next 3-hour early release Monday is November 18th. Students that are leaving school will dismiss at 12:35pm. We will follow the same dismissal plans provided by parents/guardians for the early release on October 21. SACC will be open for students that attend afternoon SACC.

If you need to make a change to your dismissal plan, please email our Family Liaison, Ms. Claudia Torres at [email protected] by Friday, October 15th.

Forestdale is a Purple Star School!

Dear Forestdale Elementary,

It is with great pleasure that I inform you that the Virginia Council on the Educational Opportunity for Military Children voted on October 21, 2024, to approve Forestdale Elementary School as a recipient of the SY 2024-2025 Purple Star Award.  Your award designation is valid for a period of three school years beginning with this school year 2024-2025.

On behalf of your military connected and newest students please accept my sincerest appreciation to all involved in making your school a welcoming and supportive place, especially for our military connected students. 

Respectfully,

Dan Dunham

Forestdale Thanksgiving Luncheon

Join us for a special Family Thanksgiving Luncheon on Thursday, November 21! We invite families to come and celebrate with us.

To ensure we have enough room for everyone, we've made small adjustments to class lunch times. Click here to find your child's lunch time.

Lunch is free for all Forestdale students. Family members are welcome to join for $4.75 per ticket. You can add money to your student’s  MySchoolBucks  account or purchase a ticket on-site on the day of the luncheon (cash only).

To help our cafeteria team prepare enough food, we kindly ask that you RSVP in advance using this link or by scanning the QR code on the flyer below.

We look forward to building community and sharing this time of fellowship with you!

Outstanding Employee Award Nominations

Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards! 

To submit a nomination for a Forestdale Elementary Outstanding Employee in one of the categories below, please complete the nomination through this Google form link: Click here.  You may nominate one employee at our school or multiple employees (one individual may only nominate one employee per category.)

All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category. The google form link has more information regarding the criteria for each of these awards and the eligibility requirements are below. Falcon teams/individuals can work on a nomination packet together. Parents are welcome to make nominations in any category and staff will be available to help with the nomination criteria. 

Outstanding Teacher  

Eligibility: Has at least three years of experience as a teacher (in any school/school district); librarians are included in this category

Outstanding New Teacher 

Eligibility: Has up to three years of experience as a teacher (in any school/school district); librarians are included in this category

Outstanding Principal

Eligibility: Has at least three years of experience as a building principal (in any school/school district) 

Outstanding New Principal

Eligibility: Has up to three years of experience as a building principal (in any school/school district)                            

Outstanding Leader  

Eligibility: At least one year of experience in their current position as a Schedule-C or School-Based Administrator scale employee (that is not the building principal): 

Common positions in this category: Assistant and Associate Principals, Director of Student Activities, Director of Student Services

Outstanding Professional Employee  

Eligibility: At least one year experience in current position as a Schedule-B employee or other non-instructional employee in a school that supports school leadership 

Common positions in this category: School-Based Technology Specialist, Technology Support Specialist, Assessment Coach, Career Center Specialist, Instructional Coach, Psychologist, Social Worker, School Counselor, Safety and Security Specialist, Resource Teachers that serve in an administrative role in a school 

Outstanding Operational Employee 

Eligibility: At least one year of experience in current position as Schedule-A or Classroom Instructional Support Scale employee

Common positions in this category: Administrative and Office Staff, Safety and Security Assistant, Custodial Staff, Food Service Staff, IA, PHA, PHTA, All Parent Liaisons (regardless of how they are paid)  

 

The deadline to submit a nomination is November 15th, 2024.

If you have any questions, please contact Jeanne Igo at [email protected]

Student Birthday Celebrations

We want to make sure our Falcons feel valued on their birthday and practice safety. Please take noted of the Forestdale guidelines for birthday celebrations.

  • Preferably, non-edible treats should be shared with the classroom in celebration.
  • If choosing an edible treat, please coordinate with the classroom teacher.
  • All edible treats should be store bought and peanut free.
  • If treats are brough to lunch, the classroom teacher must be available to hand out to students (allergy safety).
  • Balloons should not be brought into school.
Complete Impact Aid Survey

FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets (in the upper right corner after logging in). Please complete it as soon as possible.

For any families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE, schools will provide paper forms starting Wednesday, November 13. Paper forms should be returned by Wednesday, December 4.

Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important. Information from this survey resulted in more than $4 million in funding last year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.

For more information, please watch this video on Impact Aid and visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page.

Need to Register for ParentVUE? 

Learn how to activate your SIS ParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey. 

Technical support for using ParentVUE or completing the survey online is available by submitting a Parent Support Request ticket. Select SISParent in the Application dropdown menu and type Federal Impact Aid Survey under Issue Description. Or, call the Parent Technology Help Desk at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS).

What's for Breakfast & Lunch

Breakfast Menu

Lunch Menu

Follow Forestdale on Social Media!

Follow us on social media for Forestdale adventures and announcements! 

Facebook                      Instagram

6530 Elder Avenue Springfield, Virginia 22150 | Office: 703-313-4300 
Attendance: 703-313-4343 | Health Room: 703-313-4310 
Web | Facebook | Instagram

Falcon Press October 14, 2024

GovDelivery1 month ago

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Principals Message

Dear Families,

As the weather begins to cool, it's important to ensure your child is prepared for the changing temperatures. Please remember to send them to school with warm layers, such as jackets, sweaters, or sweatshirts. To help us keep track of personal belongings, we ask that all items be clearly labeled with your child's name.

Enjoy your long weekend, we will see students on Tuesday, October 15th.

 

Your Principal Team

Nikki Steptoe-Coleman

LaDonna Tate

Mary-Elizabeth Hagaman

October

Monday, 10/14: Student Holiday/Staff Development Day

Friday, 10/18: Principal-Parent Coffee, Lunch Edition 12pm (Virtual)

Monday, 10/21: 3 Hour Early Release (Students Dismiss at 12:35pm)

Wednesday, 10/23: PTA Meeting @ 7pm

Friday, 10/25: PTA Trunk or Treat Event

Wednesday, 10/30: Family Math Night @ 6pm

Thursday, 10/31: Storybook Character Day

Thursday, 10/31: Student 2-Hour Early Release (Students Dismiss at 1:35pm)

November 

Friday, 11/1: Diwali Holiday (Schools & Offices Closed)

11/4-5: Student Holiday/Teacher Work Days/ Election

National Hispanic Heritage Month

If you haven't stopped by Forestdale recently you have missed our amazing display. We wanted to honor the contribution of those of Hispanic descent. Bonus, our students are able to look in mirrors daily and see the strength and resilience in themselves.

National School Lunch Week

Celebrating the Power of School Lunches

Multiple studies show that school lunches are important in supporting overall student health by improving students’ diets and combating food insecurity. Students who eat school lunches consume more fruit, vegetables, and fiber than their peers. 

This School Lunch Week, FCPS Food and Nutrition Services’ (FNS) reminds families that they are dedicated to providing flavorful, healthy, sustainable, and student-focused meals. New menu items have been launched this year based on student feedback. 

Want to know what’s for breakfast or lunch? Nutrition Services now has printable menus available. 

Principal Parent Coffee, 10/18

Our next Principal Parent Coffee is Friday, October 18th at 12pm. Join Principal Steptoe-Coleman for a virtual lunch chat about our Family-School Compact. This is our annual summary of guidance for how we plan to work together as a school community toward student achievement.

We will have Spanish interpretation available.

Click here to join meeting

Welcome New Family Liaison

On October 1st we welcomed our new family liaison to the Forestdale Community. See her message to community below, and you can meet her at the Parent Coffee next Friday.

Dear Families,

I would like to introduce myself; My name is Claudia Torres, and I am the new Family Liaison at Forestdale Elementary School. My goal is to provide the connection between school, families, students, and teachers. I’m so excited to be able to serve our community by helping parents to get the information and support that they may need to ensure their child’s success. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me via phone at (703) 313-4331 or by e-mail at [email protected]

“Together we can make a difference.”

Early Release Monday, 10/21

Our next 3-hour early release Monday is October 21st. Students that are leaving school will dismiss at 12:35pm. Thank you for your communications last month and letting us know if your child needed aftercare at school. We will follow your same plan for dismissal early or at 3:35pm, that families shared in September. SACC will be open for students that attend afternoon SACC.

If you need to make a change to your dismissal plan, please email our Family Liaison, Ms. Claudia Torres at [email protected] by Friday, October 18th.

Reporting School Absence

Parents and caregivers can report full-day absences for the current school day and the next four school days using ParentVUE. For absences that extend beyond this five-day window, parents and caregivers must report these directly to the school by calling the attendance line or using the attendance email. Parents and caregivers must also report late arrivals and early dismissals directly to the school, as partial-day absences cannot be recorded in ParentVUE. 

Sign-up for ParentVUE today, click HERE

Family Math Night

Join us on Wednesday, October 30th for Family Math Night. There will be fun and games all while learning math! We will see you at 6pm!

Forestdale Safety Corner

Follow these tips to help keep our school community safe:

  • Arrival/dismissal is a very busy time on our small campus, consider carpooling with a neighbor or sending your child on bus to reduce traffic.
  • If driving child to school, please use our Kiss and Ride line, it is a fast and efficient process.
  • If driving and walking your child to the door in the morning, please legally park along Elder Avenue. Our student walkers depend on you for safety.
Forestdale PTA Corner

Click "Forestdale PTA Corner" to go the NEW PTA website.

Becoming a PTA member helps shape school programs and raise funds to directly support our students and teachers.  Join us to help create a stronger, more vibrant school community!

Click the picture to join.

When: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Where: Kiss and Ride area

What: Join Forestdale PTA for a FREE Trunk or Treat event.  Costumes are welcomed---or come as you are!  Bring a bag or bucket and trick-or-treat in a familiar and safe environment.

WE NEED TRUNKS!!!

To make this event extra SPOOKTACULAR, we need trunks for our trick-or-treaters.  Click HERE to sign up.

Follow Forestdale on Social Media!

e Follow us on social media for Forestdale adventures and announcements! 

Facebook                      Instagram

6530 Elder Avenue Springfield, Virginia 22150 | Office: 703-313-4300 
Attendance: 703-313-4343 | Health Room: 703-313-4310 
Web | Twitter: @ForestdaleES

Location Update for Popsicles with Principal Today

GovDelivery3 months 2 weeks ago

Dear Forestdale Families,

We look forward to seeing you this evening for Popsicles with the Principal! Due to the heat advisory, the meet and greet with Mrs. Steptoe-Coleman will be in Forestdale's Cafeteria. 

 

                                    

We can't wait to see you there!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Steptoe-Coleman, Principal

Dr. LaDonna Tate, Assistant Principal

Follow Forestdale ES on Instagram: @forestdaleelementary and on Facebook @ForestdaleES

36 minutes 39 seconds ago
Forestdale Elementary School News and announcements
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