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Sangster ES News You Choose
Sangster students celebrate Principals Month with displays of kindness and gratitude!
Upcoming Events
October 29: TWO HOUR EARLY RELEASE
Character Day!
November 1 & 2: Student Holiday
November 9: Fall Picture Retakes Day
November 11: Veterans Day / Early Release Day / PTA Meeting
Celebrate on Character Day - October 29th!
To celebrate our school-wide love of reading and our curricular units on character, students are encouraged to dress up as a favorite character from a book on Friday, October 29th. Students should bring a copy of a book that includes the character they are representing. The book must be one that the child has either read or listened to an adult read. During the school day they will discuss the character they’ve chosen with their classmates, and they will describe how they are similar to and/or different from their book character.
Guidelines for Book Character Costumes:
- Characters must be school-appropriate and from elementary/age-appropriate books.
- Costumes may not involve blood or other horror type elements.
- No weapons or masks that cover the entire face.
- Costume must allow students to take care of personal needs, sit in desks, and participate in school and classroom activities throughout the day, including shoes for PE/ recess!!
Veterans Day Celebration Photos Wanted!
We will be collecting pictures of our military families for our virtual Veterans Day Celebration again this year. No later than Monday, November 1st, please send us photos of your military families, pictures of service members in uniform from your immediate family, and/or any images that include Sangster students and families with the American flag to Jennifer Redford at [email protected]. We plan to use these in a picture slideshow during our Veterans Day Celebration this year.
Outdoor Dining
Outdoor dining schedules have been modified due to yellow jackets visiting our students during lunchtime. We are working closely with FCPS Pest Control, and Sangster administration is monitoring the situation daily. Outdoor dining will be fully opened again soon as it is possible to safely do so!
Federal Impact Aid Forms
Impact Aid forms were sent home with students in Thursday folders on October 21st. For each school-aged child in your household, please complete, sign, date, and return the survey to your child's homeroom teacher. Return forms by November 5th if you have not already done so, even if your family is not affiliated with the military.
SR&R Reminder
Over the next several weeks, administrators will be meeting with students and classes to review SR&R policies and procedures.
FCPS’ updated Student Rights & Responsibility booklet is now available online and in the ParentVue section of the Student Information System (SIS). The SR&R booklet explains expectations for student behavior, and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment.
Each year, we ask parents to review, sign, and return the SR&R to their child’s school. There are two ways for parents to acknowledge that you have received the document:
- In ParentVue, you may now download and digitally sign the SR&R. Every parent/guardian with a ParentVUE account will see the SR&R upon login to ParentVUE until the SR&R acknowledgement has been completed. E-signing for one child will suffice for all siblings within the household. Your name in the digital signature box must match the parent/guardian’s first and last name in SIS exactly before the signature will be accepted.
- Download and sign the Parent Signature Sheet and please return the signed signature sheet to your child's teacher.
Signatures are due by October 29, 2021
FCPS Parent Resource Center
Free and Confidential Consultations
The Parent Resource Center offers free, confidential consultations by videoconference and phone for families and FCPS staff.
Our professionals have extensive knowledge, training, and experience. We can brainstorm strategies and possible solutions to help you address your concerns. We are able to draw upon resources and support from FCPS, as well as community, state, and national centers.
We can help families and educators of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities.
FCPS Parent Resource Center
Contact us at 703-204-3941 or [email protected].
For Our Military Families
Did you know military offers several different childcare options? They may not always be available in our area, but it's good to know just in case. They offer Family child care homes as an alternative to day care or the CDC. The family childcare, or FCC, programs operate with certified childcare professionals known as FCC providers. Providers offer care for infants and children up to age 12 in their homes, located on or off an installation. FCC providers typically offer a flexible schedule to support parents with a variety of care needs, including full-day, part-day and school-year care, summer camp and, in some cases, 24/7 and extended care.
Military One Source - Child Care Options
Is your family a Guard, Reserve or a Wounded Warrior Family? Have you heard of Our Military Kids? The provide mini grants to military-connected kids for the "fun things" and extra-curricular activities like soccer, music lessons and more.
Our Military Kids
Wellness Wednesdays &
Sangster Spirit Day Fridays
Happy and healthy students and staff continues to be a focus at Sangster. Now more than ever, it’s important that our students learn and practice skills and habits that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. As a school community we want our staff and students to have self-care strategies and routines that they can use throughout the school day and beyond! We are happy to announce two new spirit days that we encourage everyone to take part in. First, Wellness Wednesdays will give staff and students a chance to build both physical and mental wellness routines such as calm breathing and walking a few extra laps around the track at recess. Teachers will share new ideas and strategies with students along the way, and of course, athletic wear on Wednesdays is encouraged! Secondly, let’s show our Sangster pride every Friday by wearing Sangster Spirit Wear OR by our school colors – blue and yellow. Let’s take care of ourselves, each other, and our nest!
Updated Health Information
With the cold and flu season upon us, the likelihood your child may be sent home from the care room after presenting COVID-like symptoms will increase. We appreciate everyone doing their part by not sending students to school while sick. While we follow the necessary COVID mitigation strategies, we also want our students back in the classroom as soon as they are well. Starting yesterday, Monday, October 4, FCPS has revised our required protocols related to the return to school following a trip to the care room. The Return to School form that was previously used is no longer needed for students sent home from the care room. We will now follow the guidelines below.
Students may return to school when their symptoms have improved and they have not had a fever without fever-reducing medications for at least 24 hours, AND have at least one of the following:
Please note, if your child has been identified as a potential close contact or close contact to a positive case, your child will follow the guidance provided by the health department to be cleared to return to school, which is different from the process above.
Advanced Academic Program (AAP) Information Meeting
There will be a Sangster AAP Level IV Screening and Identification meeting held virtually on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 7:00pm. A link to the meeting will be provided closer to the meeting date. At the meeting, parents will learn how to refer students in grades 2-6 for the full-time Level IV Advanced Academic Program for the 2022-2023 school year and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Level IV referral forms are due by December 15, 2021. Referrals will not be accepted after the deadline.
Referral form: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/forms/AAPLevelIVReferralForm_1.pdf
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Biberaj, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART) at [email protected]
FCPS CARES is an opportunity for staff, parents, students, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others. Every month, a nominated employee from each region and Central Offices will be recognized as an FCPS CARES of the Month recipient. We’ll share their names in Employee News, and they will also have access to a new FCPS CARES banner for their profile photo in Outlook. Watch this video to learn more about FCPS CARES. We also encourage you to acknowledge a staff member who has gone above and beyond! We love our Sangster staff members, let's tell them how we feel!
Emergency Care and Health Information Forms –
Complete Updates in WeCare
It is important that Emergency Care Forms and Health Forms for your student are updated as soon as possible.
Both of these forms are required for all students for SY 2021-22 and are available for electronic submission by parents within the [email protected] module. Please find more information at the link below!
https://www.fcps.edu/resources/parent-communication-overview/wecareschool
Positivity Project
This year, Sangster will continue implementing the Positivity Project(P2). P2 is dedicated to empowering America’s youth to build strong relationships and to understand, appreciate, and exemplify the character strengths in us all. Every 1-2 weeks, students learn about a new character strength.
Positivity Project - Week of Oct 24, 2021
This week’s character strength is Creativity. You show this strength when you come up with new and original ways to think about and do things. Creative people can look at the world in original ways. They are open to new experiences, and have an imaginative and independent thought process. They generate lots of different ideas and can pursue them with energy and enthusiasm. Creativity is a process that takes courage.
The site P2 For Families is available for connecting P2 to your home and you can learn more about the site here. Many of the slides are password protected and the password is P2 (case-sensitive).
Next Week’s Character Strength: Perspective
News from the PTA
http://sangster.digitalpto.com/
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7420 Reservation Dr, Springfield, VA 22153 | Main Office: 703-644-8200
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