For Your Calendar We’re off to a great start, Forestdale Falcons! October 13 Columbus Day, No School We are pleased to report that the new school year is off to an amazing start! We are so proud of our little Falcons and the hard work they have put into the first month of school! October 14 Forestdale PTA Meeting, 7 p.m., school library Superintendent’s Region 3 Listening Tour, 7-9 p.m., Walt Whitman Middle School Transitioning to school can be a challenge for both parents and children as new routines may cause stress, anxiety and, well, excitement for the new year ahead. While transitioning may be a short, simple adjustment for many children, some may find that learning a new routine at school and at home difficult. Parents can help their children by planning ahead, establishing routines, setting realistic boundaries, and staying positive. Join FCPS Superintendent, Karen Garza, and Region 3 Assistant Superintendent, Debi Tyler, at this informative Education Town Hall meeting to learn about what is happening in FCPS and Region 3. Parents can also help with the transitioning process at school by establishing a routine regarding arrival and dismissal. Changing how a child comes to school and goes home often creates anxiety for students. They often think about this change at school instead of focusing on their learning. We also recommend that parents put their child on the bus daily. Why? It is still the safest way to travel to and from school and it reduces traffic and congestion at Kiss & Ride. October 15-17 & 20 Cognitive Abilities Test for Grade 2 Following school protocol when visiting the school is another thing parents can do to support their child. We encourage parents to come in for lunch when their schedules permit as lunch is a nice time to connect with your child at school. We also ask that parents contact the classroom teacher to schedule a time to volunteer. Drop in visits, even when you are just popping in to peek to see how your child is doing are disruptive to the learning environment. Our Falcons are very observant and their attention may be drawn away from the important instruction going on in the classroom. October 23 Responsive Classroom Parent Coffee, 8:00 a.m., school library October 24 Crazy Hair Day Thank you for your support! Celebrate being a Forestdale Falcon by wearing your craziest hair style. Merrell Dade, Principal October 25 Education Summit, 8 a.m. – noon, Edison High School Celebrate Red Ribbon Week, October 27-30 October 27-30 Red Ribbon Week October 31 Two Hour Early Release Day End of Quarter Book Character Day Students will be dismissed at 1:10 p.m. Forestdale will observe Red Ribbon Week from October 27 to October 30. The purpose of Red Ribbon Week is to remind children to maintain a healthy lifestyle by refraining from drugs or participating in other harmful activities. During this week, take some time to talk about the benefits of living a healthy life that is free from alcohol and drugs. 10/27 – Team up against drugs – Wear items representing your favorite team 10/28 – Don’t get mixed up in drugs – Wear mixed-matched clothing 10/29 – Turn your back on drugs – Wear your shirt backwards 10/30 – We are united against drugs – Wear red Preparing for Parent-Teacher Conferences We are half way through the quarter already! At the end of this month and into November, parents will be participating in parent-teacher conferences. This is a valuable time to connect with your child’s teacher and to learn about how he or she is progressing. To prepare for this conference, we recommend: Talk with your child before the conference. Ask what he/she thinks the teacher will say. Talk about any likes, dislikes, problems, and successes. Think about what you want to learn from the conference. Make a few notes. They help all of us stay focused! Ask the teacher to explain anything you don’t understand. We are in a profession of acronyms—EIT, SOLs, POS, IEP, DRA, MRA, BAS. No question is a foolish one. Be prepared to talk and listen. Tell the teacher what you see at home. Talk about your child’s interests. Tactfully talk about any concerns. Let us know about anything that might affect your child’s learning at school. Sometimes the smallest changes at home have an impact on your child at school. Follow up. Stay in touch. If you think of a question you didn’t ask, write a note to the teacher. Remember that the teacher is also anxious to please. Try to mention a bright spot in your child’s program. If there are issues, listen carefully to the concerns and ask probing questions. Sharing issues can be difficult for both teachers to convey and parents to hear. For more information on conferences, go to http://www.fcps.edu/otherlanguages/translations/PDF_FILES/publicatio ns/familyschoolpartner/prepconf/english.pdf If you have not scheduled a conference with your child’s teacher, now is the time to do so. We hope you find the end-of-the-quarter conferences informative and an important step to your child’s continued success in school! Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Continuum of Services Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) offers a continuum of Advanced Academic services for all students in grades K-8. Learning experiences are designed to develop higher-level thinking and problem solving skills through enrichment, acceleration, and extension of the Program of Studies (POS). Teachers, administrators, and the Advanced Academic resource teacher (AART) work together to provide the following levels of services: Forestdale Falcon Press Page 2 Page 2 Let’s Keep in Touch Forestdale School Office 703-313-4300 Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Attendance Line 703-313-4343 If your child is going to be absent, please let us know. Parents will receive notice of your child’s absence if we do not hear from you by 9:00 a.m. Health Room 703-313-4310 Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 3:10 p.m. Send an email to staff First name.last name@fcps.edu or go to Forestdale’s Staff Directory on the website. Take Home Thursday Look for homework and important papers on Thursdays. Forestdale is becoming a “paperless” school. Newsletters and important information are posted on the school website. Information about our project is attached to this newsletter and posted on the website. Forestdale Elementary School 703-313-4300 6530 Elder Avenue Springfield, Virginia 22150 www.fcps.edu/ForestdaleES/ Merrell Dade, Principal Pamela Cherry, Asst. Principal Ellen Mukai, Asst. Principal Cindy Morris, Admin. Assistant Janice Brooks, Registrar Critical and Creative Thinking Lessons, Grades K-6 (Level I) The first level is provided to all students in grades kindergarten through grade six and consists of model lessons that are designed to teach critical and creative thinking skills. The lessons are modeled in all classrooms by AARTs, and the thinking strategies are then used throughout the year by classroom teachers and other teachers who work with students. Student responses to these lessons are used as part of the identification process for Levels II-IV services. Parents may also practice these strategies during family conversations and activities. A description of the nine critical and creative thinking strategies can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/level1.shtml. Differentiated Lessons in Areas of Academic Strength, Grades K-6 (Level II) The AART collaborates with classroom teachers to provide additional challenges through lessons and resources that extend and enrich the POS. Level II services are provided in the classroom by the classroom teacher. Screening for this level of service is ongoing throughout the school year. The Young Scholars Model begins at this level and is designed to find and nurture advanced academic potential in students from historically underrepresented populations. Part-Time Advanced Academic Programs, Grades 3-6 (Level III) Students identified by a local school screening committee for part-time Advanced Academic services Level III are challenged through models and strategies designed to extend and enrich the POS in the four core subject areas. Screening for this level of service is ongoing throughout the school year. Forestdale uses a pull-out model to provide Level III services. Full-Time Advanced Academic Placement, Grades 3-8 (Level IV) Students found eligible for placement in full-time Advanced Academic Programs Level IV through a county-wide central selection process receive a highly challenging instructional program in the four core subject areas. Screening for this level of service occurs in the fall for students who are geographically new to FCPS and in the spring for all other students. The referral deadline is in October for students who are new to FCPS and February for spring screening. Additional information is available in the Parent Information Packet, published on the AAP website, http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap. Forestdale’s AART will hold a parent information session on the Level IV screening process on January 13 at 6 p.m. International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP): Selected Schools, Grades 6-10 The IBMYP is designed for students ages 11-16. The program helps students develop the knowledge, understanding, attitudes, and skills necessary to participate actively and responsibly in a changing world. The curriculum is supported by the fundamental concepts of intercultural awareness, holistic learning, and communication. Honors, Grades 7-8 Advanced and/or accelerated classes are available for students in grades 7- 8 through an open enrollment process. Students receive instruction that is differentiated for advanced learners in the four core subjects in one or more areas of academic strength or interest. Full honors (language arts, math, social studies, and science) is the academic equivalent of full-time AAP (Level IV). Forestdale Falcon Press Page 2 Page 3 AAP Parent Information Meeting A parent information meeting will be held in the library on Thursday, November 6 at 8:00 a.m. in the school library. The Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, Karin Coburn, will provide information about levels of service at Forestdale Page as Two well as explain and answer questions about the screening processes for part-time school based and Level IV services. The meeting is open to all K-6 parents. Fairfax Education Summit Join parents, students and community members on Saturday, October 25 from 8:00 a.m.to noon at Edison High School. This year’s topic is Mapping your Student’s Unique Journey: Explore the Many Choices in Fairfax County Public Schools. This unique opportunity will give parents an understanding of the vast array of FCPS services and offerings from kindergarten through grade twelve. Dr. Karen Garza, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, will be the keynote speaker and will share her insights on the Portrait of a Graduate and the role this exciting initiative will have in the strategic plan for Fairfax County Public Schools. Go to http://www.fcps.edu/news/summit.shtml for more information. Forestdale Falcon Press Page 2 Page 4