FCPS

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Correction - The winter SEL Screener will only be given to grades 3 through 6. It will not be given to younger students. Upcoming 3-6 SEL Screener

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) commits to supporting all students’ mental wellness and social and emotional learning (SEL). The School Board has approved a screener to review students’ skills and experiences in these areas. FCPS staff will use the screener to identify strengths and needs for students in grades 3-12. The screener provides information regarding students’ experiences and how staff can support their needs.

SEL skills include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The screener will review these skills, as well as students’ relationships, feelings of belonging, feelings about their school environment, and mood. These factors are critical to positive academic, social, and emotional success.

To review what the screener looks like by grade level, please go to the FCPS SEL Screener webpage. The SEL Screener window for Winter is March 1-24, 2023.

For more information, please connect with your child’s counselor:

Heather Lomelin, Counselor for Grades 3 and 5  [email protected]

Beau Buchanan, Counselor for Grades 4, and 6: [email protected]

Please respond no later than February 24th if you would like your child to be opted out of the SEL Screener, the Opt Out is good through the calendar year. Please note if you have already opted your child from taking the SEL Screener, you do not need to resubmit an opt out.

Heather Lomelin & Beau Buchanan
Chesterbrook School Counseling Team

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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In this edition:

• Upcoming Important Dates
• K-3 Winter SEL Screener
• Kindergarten registration for 2023-24 School Year

Upcoming Important Dates

Wednesday, January 25 - 2nd Quarter End; 1:35 Early Release

Thurs/Fri, January 26, 27-  Staff Workdays/ Student Holiday
Thursday, 1/26 -Chesterbrook Front office will be closed from 8-11AM; Please reach out in the afternoon if you need something.

Monday, January 30- McLean Pyramid Parent Information Night at McLean HS - FCPS Student Safety and Wellness Presentation: Difficult Conversations about Drugs and Alcohol

Monday, February 6 - 2nd Quarter Reports Cards Viewable in ParentVue

Wednesday, February 8 - School Groups/Club and Candid Photos

Thursday, February 9 - PTA Meeting Cafeteria 9:15AM

Friday, February 10 - CES has Heart Family Fun Night

Thursday, February 16 - Chesterbrook Spelling Bee 4:30PM

FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23

Upcoming K-3 SEL Screener

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) commits to supporting all students’ mental wellness and social and emotional learning (SEL). The School Board has approved a screener to review students’ skills and experiences in these areas. FCPS staff will use the screener to identify strengths and needs for students in grades K-12. The screener provides information regarding students’ experiences and how staff can support their needs.

SEL skills include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The screener will review these skills, as well as students’ relationships, feelings of belonging, feelings about their school environment, and mood. These factors are critical to positive academic, social, and emotional success.

To review what the screener looks like by grade level, please go to the FCPS SEL Screener webpage. The SEL Screener window for Winter is March 1-24, 2023.

For more information, please connect with your child’s counselor:

Heather Lomelin, Counselor for Grades 1, 3, and 5: [email protected]

Beau Buchanan, Counselor for Kinder, Grades 2, 4, and 6: [email protected]

Please respond no later than February 24h if you would like your child to be opted out of the SEL Screener, the Opt Out is good through the calendar year. Please note if you have already opted your child from taking the SEL Screener, you do not need to resubmit an opt out.

Heather Lomelin & Beau Buchanan
Chesterbrook School Counseling Team

Registration 2023-2024 School Year

The time of year has come where we begin to plan for next school year and our incoming  Kindergarten students!

Spread the word and save the date for an event our rising kindergarten families do not want to miss. Your students will enjoy many aspects of school during this special event. Kindergarten Orientation is planned for Friday, April 14th from 1 - 3PM. We welcome your registration documents prior to then. Please feel free to contact our registrar, Dave Troskey, or call our front office with questions. Tours of our school will happen during our event for all families in attendance.

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Principal's Message

We are looking forward to our Lunar New Year family fun night this Friday evening from 5:30 - 6:30. This January we welcomed many new families to our school and it would be a great opportunity to connect with each other at this event for our community.

I wanted to remind everyone of some items for drop off in the morning that will help keep things running smoothly:

• Drop off begins at 8:30 (please do not leave students unattended before this time)
• All vehicles need to drop off at kiss n ride (we are noticing an uptick in a number of cars trying to come early and drop off in the bus loop)
• No left turns into our kiss n ride or upon exit to Kirby road during heavy volume of drop off and pickup times. This ensures we keep a smooth flow of traffic and can keep the drop off/pick up moving. 
• Driving down a bit further and making a u-turn using the opening of the bus loop will provide a lot of space to look for oncoming vehicles and safely join the Kiss N Ride line.
• Rainy days are our most difficult time so please be patient. If needed we will allow a 5 minute grade period for tardies is weather hampers drop off.

Thank you for your support of these reminders. As mentioned before Chesterbrook will be the site for speed montoring cameras in the near furture. We do not yet have a date for installation but I understand that the project installations are beginning for this pilot.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Stacy Kirkpatrick

 

Upcoming Important Dates

Wednesday, January 18: 6th Grade Advanced Math IAAT Assessment

Friday, January 20: Lunar New Year, Family Fun Night 5:30 PM This new evening will showcase talents of our 6th graders along with festivities and then fun for all ages.

Wednesday, January 25th - End of 2nd Quarter - 2 hr early release at 1:35

Thurs/Fri, January 26, 27- Staff Workdays/ Student Holiday

Monday, January 30- McLean Pyramid Parent Information Night at McLean HS - FCPS Student Safety and Wellness Presentation: Difficult Conversations about Drugs and Alcohol

FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23

In This Edition:

• Community Survey
• Chesterbrook Musical Theatre Update
• Spelling Bee Qualifiers - CES Spelling Bee 2/16 4:30 PM
• Author Visits
• McLean Pyramid Parent Meeting - Safety & Wellness

Community Survey

As we move into the new year, the Equity Team would like to share a brief survey!

These questions will help our staff get a better idea of the individuals and families that create our Chesterbrook community, and how we can best recognize everyone.

Inclusive schools week was a great reminder that we all have different abilities and backgrounds, and that when we come together we are one commUNITY. These little reminders keep our focus on both equity and inclusion at the center of all the work that we do, and we appreciate your input!

Click here to complete the survey

Chesterbrook Theatre Full - No Longer Accepting Registrations

We are thrilled to have had an abundance of interest in the musical theatre afterschool program. This session is full and closed for registration. We wish we could take everyone but look forward to a wonderful show in the spring.

Spelling Bee February 16th

Congratulations to our students that qualified to compete in our 2023 Spelling Bee. In February, these top spellers from each grade level will compete for the title of Chesterbrook's 2023 Spelling Bee Champion and go onto the Fairfax County Bee in March.

Maximilian V Charles C Isabella H Alvin K Zoe F Soyi M Mingun K Austin Y Priscilla C Benjamin C Alexander T   Iliana M Nathan G Matthew S Jude L Shahnoor H Clayton M Zachary S Adelaide C Jacob K Yohan E Juliet C Ethan S Tyler B Julia P Samar S Connor G David M Henry L Darcey T Dylan B Alison S Nagyung K James L     Author Visits Scheduled

We are fortunate to be hosting two author visits in the coming months. Our first visit will be geared towards primary grades, and the other will be built for the upper grades. We are excited for each student to be able to share an authentic experience with an author. Please see below for more information on both presentations.

• Sue Fliess - Feb. 24th for grades K-2
• Ms. Fleiss will talk to students about being an author, ways to get story ideas, show us her new books, and answer questions. 

If you are interested in ordering, we're working with independent bookstore, Scrawl Books, to offer books for sale and signing. To order, please order books online by 2/17/23 at http://www.scrawlbooks.com/sue-fliess. During check-out, in the Calculate Shipping Cost dropdown, choose our school. In the order comments, include your child’s name, who you'd like Sue to sign the book(s) for, and the teacher's name. Sue will sign them and the school will distribute books to students when they come in. For every 10 books ordered, the school will receive a "bonus book" for the library or classroom.

• Stuart Gibbs - March 7th (virtual) for grades 3-6
• Mr. Gibbs is the author of the popular series, Spy School (one of the most heavily circulated books in our library), as well as many other titles! He will talk about his writing process and students will have time to ask him questions. 

Magnet School Application and Lottery Information

The Magnet Program registration window will be open from Wednesday March 1, through Wednesday, April 12, 2023.  No late applications are accepted.

To learn more about the programs and the registration process, families are encouraged to attend one of the Parent Informational Nights:

• Hunters Woods Elementary, February 13, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. - In-person
• Snow date: February 21, 2023, at 6:00 p.m.
• Bailey’s Upper, February 15, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. - Virtual only
• Bailey’s Primary, February 16, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. - In person
• Snow date: February 23, 2023, at 6:00 p.m.

Parents may access more information here.

Family Fun Night Lunar New Year, 1/20 5:30 PM

The Lunar New Year is a holiday that marks the first new moon of the lunisolar calendar, which is the calendar traditionally used in many east Asian countries including China, Vietnam, Singapore, and South Korea. In these and other Asian countries, it is one of the most important holidays of the year. The Lunar New Year is all about ushering in luck and prosperity with family.

Read more about Lunar New Year and its animal symbols in National Geographic Kids.

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Lunar New Year

In our efforts to be as inclusive as possible, we wanted to update the January family night event to the Lunar New Year celebration, which is celebrated by all Asian cultures. We look forward to seeing many families at this event where we we will enjoy student performances, play games and enjoy hands on crafts and delicious food.

Sixth grade students will be preforming and should arrive at 5:15. This time of drop off is updated from Mrs. Leung's previous time of arrival.

If you would like to bring an Asian dish to the family fun night, please sign up using this link.

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Principal's Message

Happy New Year! We hope that each of you had a memorable and relaxing holiday break.  It has been wonderful to welcome staff and students back. Just before the winter break, we sent out many important details that we don't want you to miss, so this newsletter contains many reminders.

This month we will celebrate the Chinese New Year with a new Family Fun Night Event showcasing our 6th graders. If you would like to sign up to share a dish for this community event, please click the link below. Family Fun night is for all ages and fun stations will be set up after a performance from our 6th grade students.

Don't miss the sign ups for our very first Chesterbrook Theatre group which will perform "A Night of Broadway" this spring. Fourth through sixth grade students are eligible to sign up. See more details below.

Welcome back! We are looking forward to 2023 with excitement.

Sincerely,

Stacy Kirkpatrick, Principal

Chinese New Year Family Fun Night Event:
Sign Up Genius to Share a Dish at the event.

Pencil Sales 

Student Ambassadors will be hosting our Pencil Sale on the following dates:

Jan 11 and 12; Jan 18 and 19; Jan 25; Feb 1 and 2

The sales run from 8:30-8:45 and are located in the Library pod (right by the Lost & Found). Our Student Ambassadors sell novelty erasers, pencils, bookmarks, pens, and other fun items. Prices range from $0.25 to $1.50. It is most appreciated if students bring loose change or small bills ($1 or $5 bills). 

Funds raise during Pencil Sales go to help purchase items that our students use- recently, our funds helped to support a new water bottle filling station right outside the 3rd Grade hallway.

It’s most appreciated if students can bring loose change, small bills ($1’s and $5’s).

Any questions, please contact Heather Lomelin, School Counselor, at [email protected].

Chesterbrook Gives Back

In December, our Ambassador Philanthropy Committee organized a drive to support holiday assistance to another FCPS school. The generosity of our Chesterbrook community was greatly appreciated by Woodburn Elementary School and allowed them to support 137 families this holiday season. Thank you for helping others.

Reminders Introducing Chesterbrook Theatre! Opportunity for 4th through 6th Grade Students

This year Chesterbrook Theatre is proud to present “A Night of Broadway” for the spring musical! This will be a musical revue that will have numbers from Matilda the Musical, Shrek, and so many more! During this process, kids will learn collaboration and team building skills, while also being able to express themselves in a musical and creative way.

Sign up soon to receive audition material!  Auditions will be held in January. We do have spacing limits in the show, so don't delay if your child wants to participate.

Please click here for more information.

Longfellow Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night 

Longfellow Middle School is excited to invite you to the Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night on Wednesday, January 11 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. This night will be full of information about Longfellow and the transition to middle school. Our core and elective teachers will highlight their exciting classes. There will be students and staff members to answer any questions you might have. The inclement weather date is Wednesday, January 18 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.

Chesterbrook is Selected as Pilot

Speed Cameras Target School Zone Safety On December 6, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to launch a pilot program that will have 10 speed monitoring devices (speed cameras) installed throughout the county. These cameras will be in nine school zones and one construction zone. Thanks to our county partners for helping to improve the safety of our students and staff. Chesterbrook will be part of this pilot.

Studies show that speed camera enforcement is effective in improving safety by reducing speeding, accidents, and injuries. Read more about the school zone speed camera pilot program.

COVID Diagnostic Testing in January

Mark your calendars! COVID diagnostic testing will be available for FCPS teachers, staff, and students at five locations across the county January 3-5 from 5 to 8 p.m. This testing is for those who are either experiencing COVID symptoms or have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID. Appointments are not required, but registration must be completed before testing. Visit the COVID Testing webpage for more information. 

Upcoming Important Dates

Tuesday, January 3:  1st Day Back for Staff and Students

Monday, January 9th:  Assembly - Magic in Me (All grade levels will participate in two PTA sponsored assemblies)

Wednesday, January 11th: Longfellow MS Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night at LMS

Thursday, January 12th: PTA Meeting (Cafeteria) 9:15AM

Monday, January 16th: Student/Staff Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr Birthday)

Friday, January 20: Chinese New Year, Family Fun Night 5:30 PM
This new evening will showcase talents of our 6th graders along with festivities and then fun for all ages.

Wednesday, January 25th - End of 2nd Quarter - 2 hr early release at 1:35

Thurs/Fri, January 26, 27- Staff Workdays/ Student Holiday

FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23

Do you see something familiar?  We would love to return these lost and found items.

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Holiday Wishes

Your Chesterbrook Elementary staff wish you and our students the merriest holiday season and wonderful winter break. It is a joy to work with your students each day in partnership with you.
We look forward to seeing you in 2023!

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Principal's Message

As we close out before winter break, I want to share my appreciation for our hard working staff. They care deeply about your the growth of our students and work hard to ensure their instructional and social emotional needs are met on a daily basis. I'm proud of the work I've seen in the classrooms to deepen the instructional practices as students have been collaborating, sharing and explaining their thinking across curricular areas. 

I want to extend my appreciation for all of our parent volunteers that have helped make this year a success thus far. At the top of this list is our lunch room weekly volunteers who are building relationships with our children and supporting their needs. Additionally our PTA has helped with many community events, family fun nights, class field trips and grade level parties, upcoming assemblies and has helped fundraise and written a grant to ensure our school is supported across many areas. We were thrilled to receive a $15,000 grant from the Mclean Community Foundation for a new electronic marquee that will modernize our communication on Kirby road. There are many individuals stepping up and I am appreciative of each of you for helping our school continue to do the best work for our students!

Our theme for this school year is "The Best is Yet to Come" and great things continue on the horizon at Chesterbrook Elementary. We want to introduce the inaugural year for The Chesterbrook Theatre. I am thrilled to have on board a passionate staff member, Ms. Cody Boehm, that approached me with this idea and with open arms we are going to host our first musical this spring. See below for more ideas if your fourth through sixth grade student is interested. I could not be more thrilled to have this opportunity for our students and look forward to watching them shine on stage.

We wish your family a wonderful break and celebration of the upcoming holidays and new year.

Sincerely,
Stacy Kirkpatrick

Introducing
Chesterbrook Theatre!

This year Chesterbrook Theatre is proud to present “A Night of Broadway” for the spring musical! This will be a musical revue that will have numbers from Matilda the Musical, Shrek, and so many more! During this process, kids will learn collaboration and team building skills, while also being able to express themselves in a musical and creative way.

Sign up soon to receive audition material!  Auditions will be held in January. We do have spacing limits in the show, so don't delay if your child wants to participate.

Please click here for more information.

Chesterbrook is Selected as Pilot

Safety of our students during arrival and dismissal has been a paramount topic for many years. Please note this new speed camera technology will be piloted on Kirby Road in our Chesterbrook ES school zone. We do not yet have a date of installation, but it is expected soon. We appreciate your support of safety measures.

Speed Cameras Target School Zone Safety On December 6, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to launch a pilot program that will have 10 speed monitoring devices (speed cameras) installed throughout the county. These cameras will be in nine school zones and one construction zone. Thanks to our county partners for helping to improve the safety of our students and staff.

Studies show that speed camera enforcement is effective in improving safety by reducing speeding, accidents, and injuries. Read more about the school zone speed camera pilot program.

Parent Coffee Info: SEL Screener 3rd - 6th Grades

December 1st, counselors held a parent coffee to share information on the SEL screener. As a follow up, the following resources are included to help parents interpret the screener results.

Connecting with Your Child | Family Guide - Talking about the SEL Screener

SEL Screener Parent Letters for Grades 3-6 will be mailed via USPS around January 1, 2023. Families will receive their student’s SEL Screener scores as students return from Winter Break. Please review our Family Guides for Understanding SEL Strengths to help understand the survey results for student SEL skills, relationships, school environment, and well-being.

Any questions, please reach out the Chesterbrook School Counselors:

Grades 3 and 5: Heather Lomelin, [email protected]

Grades 4 and 6: Beau Buchanan, [email protected]

Tips Supporting your Family During the Holidays 

Holidays can be fun but also bring about more stress. Caroline Miller from Child Mind Institute writes, “Why are holidays so fraught? Because expectations are heightened, and holidays can feel like a test of how happy and successful your family is.” Here are some tips to minimize holiday stress.

Chesterbrook Outstanding Employee Awards

Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for the Outstanding Employee Awards! Congratulations to all of our nominees and winners, who were honored at a recent staff meeting. Chesterbrook winners will progress to a "next round" for McLean pyramid. 

Congratulations to the following school-level winners!

Outstanding Principal: Stacy Kirkpatrick (Principal)

Outstanding Leader: Farris Thomas (Assistant Principal)

Outstanding Professional Employee: Heather Lomelin (Counselor)
Nominees: Kristi McGeehan (Special Ed Dept. Chair), Megan Brown (School Based Technology Specialist), Amy Vallath (Adv. Academic Resource Teacher), Maria Mahoney (Social Worker)

Outstanding Operational Employee: Holley Remer (Front Office Assistant)
Nominee: Dave Troskey (Student Information Assistant)

Outstanding New Teacher: Kendall Bryant (ESOL Teacher)
Nominees: Claire Garrett (Special Ed Teacher), Kelsie Glass (4th Grade Teacher), Sara Eichmeier (5th Grade Teacher)

Outstanding Teacher: Taylor Hutchins (2nd Grade Teacher)
Nominees: Marissa Gallo (Special Education Teacher), Cynthia Kohout (Special Education Teacher), Leanne Strubhar (1st Grade Teacher), Isabel Scrabis (5th Grade Teacher).

FCPS Devices Over Winter Break

To support a healthy media balance and to encourage students to spend time away from screens, FCPS devices in general will not be going home over winter break. If you have a need for your child to have their device with them over break, please copy and paste the following sentence and email it to your child’s teacher.  "My child, <insert name>, needs access to their school-assigned device over winter break. I will take responsibility for my child’s activities on the device and make sure they are following the FCPS SR&R guidance and acceptable use policy.  Thank you, <insert parent name>"

Longfellow Middle School

Longfellow Middle School is excited to invite you to the Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night on Wednesday, January 11 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. This night will be full of information about Longfellow and the transition to middle school. Our core and elective teachers will highlight their exciting classes. There will be students and staff members to answer any questions you might have. The inclement weather date is Wednesday, January 18 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.

COVID Diagnostic Testing in January

Mark your calendars! COVID diagnostic testing will be available for FCPS teachers, staff, and students at five locations across the county January 3-5 from 5 to 8 p.m. This testing is for those who are either experiencing COVID symptoms or have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID. Appointments are not required, but registration must be completed before testing. Visit the COVID Testing webpage for more information. 

Strategic Planning Community Forums Scheduled

Beginning January 30, FCPS will host a series of community forums as part of our Strategic Plan development process. The completed schedule and locations for the sessions are posted on FCPS' Strategic Planning webpage.

Upcoming Important Dates

Friday, December 16: Tacky Holiday Sweater Day; Students will be able to wear festive holiday hats; K, 2nd, 4th, 5th & 6th Winter Parties.

Tuesday, January 3:  1st Day Back for Staff and Students

Monday, January 9th:  Assembly - Magic in Me (All grade levels will participate in two PTA sponsored assemblies)

Thursday, January 12th: PTA Meeting (Cafeteria)

Monday, January 16th: Student/Staff Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr Birthday)

Tuesday, January 17:  PTA General Meeting

Friday, January 20: Chinese New Year, Family Fun Night 6PM
*New Event showcasing talents of our 6th graders along with festivities.  Stay tuned for more info in the new year!

Wednesday, January 25th - End of 2nd Quarter - 2 hr early release at 1:35

Thurs/Fri, January 26, 27- Staff Workdays/ Student Holiday

FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Turkey Trot 2022

Our students put in tremendous effort in our very first Turkey Trot last week. We have many photos that were taken during the event and wanted to share with you. Click here to look at a few of the great photos captured. PW chester.

Congatulations to our top runners below - Andres, Luke, Justin, Leilani, Mati, Wes, Rachel(not pictured), Emmett, Olivia, Ivy, Micah, Miaela, Own, Connor, Liam, Andrew, Alex, Will and Alexander. We are proud of all our students who put in their best efforts.

Chesterbrook Spelling Bee Registration Open   Chesterbrook Celebrates Inclusive Schools Week

Next week, we will celebrate our inclusive practices through various activities between staff and students We will celebrate what makes each of us special and the value each individual bring to our community. Tuesday we will have a spirit day to celebrate Unity across our houses of Chesterbrook. Five Houses, One School Family! Tuesday we will have a House Unity Color Day - wear your house colors!!!

Virtual Office Hours for AAP Level IV Referrals

Chesterbrook’s AART, Amy Vallath, is offering virtual office hours to provide support for parents finalizing their AAP Level IV Referrals. Come with questions and leave with answers. The AAP Level IV Referral deadline is Thursday, December 15. https://myfcpsk12.zoom.us/j/95286406261

• Monday, December 5 9:00-10:00 AM
• Wednesday, December 7 9:00-10:00 AM
• Monday, December 12 9:00-10:00 AM
• Wednesday, December 14 9:00-10:00 AM

FLE Instructional Materials Preview

Fourth through sixth grade FLE instruction is scheduled to take place the week of December 12th. Monday evening Mr. Levesque held a virtual parent coffee to review the program information and guide parents to the instructional resources in Schoology.  If you missed that meeting, you may click this link to view the presentation which includes directions to access materials on Schoology.

Additional information on the curricula, as well as Opt-Out forms are available on the Family Life Education (FLE) page. 

The public may review recommended changes to the Family Life Education (FLE) curriculum and share feedback through Thursday, December 1.   Please review the recommended changes on the FCPS website and complete the brief feedback form. Public feedback will be shared with the Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee and the School Board. 

Important Upcoming Dates *Note upcoming fun spirit days

Thurs, Dec 1st, 9:15AM - Parent Coffee, SEL Screener Information
3rd - 6th grade students completed the SEL Screener. Our counseling team will share information on SEL screener data: How to read the parent report and overview of social/emotional supports. Join in person or online (virtual link)

12/5 - 12/9 - Inclusive Schools Week

Tues, 12/6 - *House Unity Day - Show your spirit and wear your house color

Tues, Dec. 6- 5th and 6th Grade Winter Concerts: 6PM Strings, 6:45 Chorus and 7:15 Band

Wed, Dec 7- *Wellness Wednesday (celebrating each Wed.) - promoting wellness we encourage students and staff to wear workout clothes, pause for mindful breaks and get in a run, jog or walk during recess.

Tues, Dec 13 - Comfy, Cozy Day - Wear your PJs!

Wed Dec 14- *Wellness Wednesday

Dec. 15- Advanced Academics Level IV Referrals due - Please note this is a firm FCPS county deadline

Fri, Dec 16 - *Wacky, Tacky Sweater Day

Dec. 17- Jan. 2- Winter Holiday- no school

22-23 School Year Calendar 

Reminders Help our Chesterbrook Community Give Back during the Holiday Season

Our Giving Tree is now set up in the office for your donations!  Thank you for those that have dropped off donations already. Your support is greatly appreciated.

In this season of giving, CES has partnered with Woodburn Elementary School to become buddy schools. Chesterbrook will be collecting the items listed below to donate to families in need at Woodburn Elementary. Families will be able to attend an evening event and shop for gifts for their kids and family to help them in making the holiday season a little more special in a time of great need.

Donations may be dropped off at the front office from November 28 – December 9, 2022. Any donation is greatly appreciated!

Questions? Contact Ms. Mahoney, Chesterbrook School Social Worker, at [email protected].

Gift cards

• Target, Walmart or Dollar Tree in any amount

New unwrapped toys:

• Cars and racing cars
• Legos
• Dinosaurs
• Dolls
• Plush toys
• Craft sets
• Doodle Jamz Jelly Boards
• Doodle Jamz jelly Pics
• Board games that are easy to learn- like connect 4

For younger kids in the family, new unwrapped:

• Preschool toys
• baby toys

Other items needed, new and unwrapped:

• Winter hats
• Winter gloves

Lost and Found

The Lost and Found will be outside for the two weeks (12/5 - 12/16) before winter break from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.  Please come by if you are missing a coat/jacket/gloves/hats/water bottle/etc.  We do try to look to see if the article of clothing is labeled and can be returned.

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Principal's Message

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving break. It was wonderful to have so many parents on campus for our 1st Annual Turkey Trot before the break. For a do it yourself event, it was a tremendous success. Thank you to Mrs. Brown, our SBTS, for the awesome idea! Congratulations to our top runners for giving it their all and scoring the coveted medal.

In the season of giving, we will be supporting a sister school during this holiday season. If you are a family that is able, we would love to provide to many children who are in need this holiday season. Please read below about our donation drive for Woodburn Elementary School. 

Our 4th through 6th grade students will be participating in FLE Human Growth and Developement priot to winter break.  We will be sharing informaiton about the lessons this evening in our parent coffee.  Please join us at 6PM if you would like to learn more.  We will follow up with specifics for our upper grades families if you need assistance locating the lessons in schoology.

Sincerely,

Stacy Kirkpatrick

Help our Chesterbrook Community Give Back during the Holiday Season

In this season of giving, CES has partnered with Woodburn Elementary School to become buddy schools. Chesterbrook will be collecting the items listed below to donate to families in need at Woodburn Elementary. Families will be able to attend an evening event and shop for gifts for their kids and family to help them in making the holiday season a little more special in a time of great need.

Donations may be dropped off at the front office from November 28 – December 9, 2022. Any donation is greatly appreciated!

Questions? Contact Ms. Mahoney, Chesterbrook School Social Worker, at [email protected].

Gift cards

• Target, Walmart or Dollar Tree in any amount

New unwrapped toys:

• Cars and racing cars
• Legos
• Dinosaurs
• Dolls
• Plush toys
• Craft sets
• Doodle Jamz Jelly Boards
• Doodle Jamz jelly Pics
• Board games that are easy to learn- like connect 4

For younger kids in the family, new unwrapped:

• Preschool toys
• baby toys

Other items needed, new and unwrapped:

• Winter hats
• Winter gloves

Upcoming Dates

Monday, November 28th 6PM: FLE Information and Parent Preview Night 

Online Session (virtual link)

December 1st - Parent Coffee 9:15 AM - Reading the SEL Screener.
Our counseling team will share information on SEL screener data: How to read the parent report and overview of social/emotional supports.
Join in person or online (virtual link)

FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23 

Family Life Education Grades 4-6

Chesterbrook will be hosting a virtual Family Life Education (FLE) Parent Information Night on Monday, November 28th at 6p.m. via Zoom. FLE Human Growth and Development Lessons will be given during the week of December 12th. Parents will have the opportunity to talk with school staff about the program and learn how to preview FLE material in Schoology during the information night.  Use this link to access the zoom session.  

Additional information on the curricula, as well as  FLE Opt Out Forms are available on the Family Life Education (FLE) page on the FCPS website. Please contact Jay Levesque, [email protected], with any questions.  

Lost and Found

The Lost and Found will be outside for the two weeks (12/5 - 12/16) before Winter Break from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.  Please come by if you are missing a coat/jacket/gloves/hats/water bottle/etc.  We do try to look to see if the article of clothing is labeled and can be returned.

Check out these new library books listed below in the December Newsletter
 Part 1  and part 2

FCPS News

In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:

• FCPS Calendar Survey
• How to be involved in the Strategic Plan
• Post-Thanksgiving COVID Testing
• Recommended Changes to Family Life Education Curriculum 

Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, sign up today.

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Principal's Message

This fall we have navigated the return of illnesses to our community including flu as well as other childhood common colds. I want to share my thanks for keeping your children home when they are sick and testing for Covid as needed. It is evident when we have a couple of cases of flu reported on a Monday morning and it doesn't then trickle through the grade level that our community is on top of this. Your diligence to picking up sick children quickly and keeping them home when they are ill is keeping our community in good shape. As we expect to see continued illnesses throughout the year at times, I wanted to let our community know we are seeing lack of transmission due to your support. Let this trend continue!

We are thankful for your incredible support including financial donations, wipes for the cafeteria, volunteer work and the return of dining dollars this week. This Friday evening at 6pm we will also enjoy a brand new Family Night event which you don't want to miss. I look forward to seeing many families at Career Night.

We are postponing the SEL screener data Parent Coffee until December 1st. It was originally scheduled the end of this week. Please add the new date 12/1 to your calendar and join our counseling team to learn more about reading the parent report and supporting your child.

Sincerely,

Stacy Kirkpatrick

Student Ambassadors

5th and 6th grade ambassadors that missed Monday morning's meeting had time during lunch early this week to hear the same information and learn about our ambassador leadership committees. We will be kicking off four committees to help our students support our school community, these include Philanthrophy "Chesterbrook Cares,"  Eco /"Go Green" , Spirit and Historian Committees. We look forward to continuing to work with our oldest students to support their leadership endeavors.

Upcoming Dates

Friday, November 18th: Family Fun Night - CES Career Night 6-7PM; Activities, snacks, refreshments and a visit from the Mclean Police Department and Mclean Fire Department.

Monday, November 21st: Mix n Match Spirit Day

Tuesday, November 22nd:  Turkey Trot Fun Run (Scheduled time for grade levels tentative - see below); Students wear work out wear and running shoes; Parents invited to cheer on students during their designated Turkey Trot run time. Turkey Trot will take place during the first 15-25 minutes of this block:

• 4th & 5th Grade: 9:15-10:00
• 6th Grade: 12:05-12:50
• 2nd & 3rd Grade: 1:30-2:15
• Kinder & 1st Grade: 2:20-3:05

November 23rd - 25th: Thanksgiving Break Holiday

November 28th: FLE Information and Parent Preview Night 6PM virtual link

December 1st - New Date - Parent Coffee - Our counseling team will share information on SEL screener data: How to read the parent report and overview of social/emotional supports.

FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23 

Reflex and Frax - New Math Resource

We are excited to share that we have recently purchased Reflex and Frax Math programs to support teacher led instruction in math. These are adaptive programs that will help teachers meet students where they are, monitor progress, and help inform instructional next steps. Reflex Math will be accessible to our second through sixth grade students and Frax Math will be available to our third through sixth grade students. Teachers will be introducing these resources to students over the next few weeks. These are programs that students can also access at home as additional practice. 

Reflex Math is an adaptative and individualized program that aims to help students achieve mastery of math facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. By mastering these foundational skills and increasing their fact fluency, students can solve more complex math tasks with greater accuracy and efficiency. 

Frax Math is designed to help students develop a deeper understanding of fractions. The adaptative and personalized instruction helps students represent, interpret, compare, and reason with fractions to build a deeper conceptual understanding. This sets students up for success in operations with fractions and problem solving more complex math tasks with a variety of real number operations."

Kiss N Ride Safety

Parents picking up students in a car must go through the Kiss N Ride or park and walk to escort their child. If you park on the street to pick up your child you need to meet them at the flagpole or side grass area where the majority of parents are waiting in the afternoon. Students are not allowed to cross our bus lanes to get into your car while you are pulled over on Kirby road. It may save a minute to do so, but we increase risk to students. Your patience and cooperation is appreciated.

Portrait of a Graduate: We Need Your Help!  

 

As we continue to build our students’ understanding of Portrait of a Graduate skills, we are seeking volunteers to assist with helping students build real world connections.

If you are interested in volunteering in a variety of opportunities or have any ideas to share, please complete the attached Google Form. Those that complete the form will be contact for an information/training session and will be contacted for opportunities throughout the school year.  We appreciate your experiences & look forward to showing our students the importance of these skills – now & for the future! 

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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The links in our yearbook photo drop were not working,

so we are resending the links. 

YEARBOOK PHOTOS - We need your help!

Planning for the 2022-23 yearbook is underway, and we need your help!  In early December, we'll be looking for student and parent volunteers to help design and build the yearbook.  In the meantime, we're looking for photos!

If you chaperone a field trip, assist in a classroom with a special project or event, or attend any of the great Chesterbrook family activities, concerts and performances, don't forget to capture and share the memories. Volunteer responsibilities and enjoying / experiencing the events without looking through a lens should come first of course, but if you have an opportunity to take some photos and would be willing to share them for the yearbook, that would be fabulous!  

Please use the following links to upload your photos to the appropriate album. (Note that although passwords are not required to upload photos, the albums are stored on a password protected, unlisted site.)

(K) Kindergarten:  https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/nkDm5J/kindergarten

 

(1) First Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/fBPnBv/first

 

(2) Second Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/3QJpwv/second

 

(3) Third Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/M9t8nc/third

 

(4) Fourth Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/wf88pN/fourth

 

(5) Fifth Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/4zmvKd/fifth

 

(6) Sixth Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/nFs7GG/sixth

 

General:  https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/DSzvkw/general

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Principal's Message

We are quickly moving through November with exciting days ahead for our Chipmunks! Tomorrow morning we welcome our Veteran's Day speakers to join all of our classes. I am pleased to welcome many of our military parents and veteran's from Vinson Hall to meet with our students and share about their experiences in the military. To all of our current and veteran military families, thank you for your service!  Students will be off on Friday as teacher's will focus on instructional planning and our primary teachers will participate in professional development with our new updated to our Language Arts program. 

Grades are posted in SIS Parent Vue (as of today) and data reports were sent home to provide information on the assessments completed for our first through sixth grade students. Basic assessment data for iReady reading and math as well as the fluency and spelling assessment data was shared in this report.  FCPS sent an email notifying parents of a new letter that will provide more details on the reading and math domains that were assessed. This letter will be posted in Parent Vue later this month, but I'm not sure yet when that will be viewable. We will keep you updated. These letters will not be printed for the school, but if you cannot access it, we will be able to provide the letter to you.

This school year, we are consistently working on instructional practices that allow students opportunities to explore curriculum in a deeper context. Teachers are working to include Portrait of a Graduate skills with their daily learning targets to not only develop these skills, but also have our students explicitly identify when they are utilizing them. Parents, you can help too by volunteering to assist with out work around POG. More informaiton is included below along with a sign up form.

Additionally, we reaffirm our committment to the collective partnership with parents, which is critical to your child's success. As we closed first quarter and held conferences, these deeper conversations about your child(ren) build foundational support and a collective partnership to further our work to help each student work towards their best self! It has been wonderful to include parents in field trips, classroom events which have included the 5th grade Dig, 1st Grade International Day, 2nd grade Applesauce Day and now we will kick off our 1st Annual Turkey Trot! Join us on Tuesday, November 22nd during your child's Turkey Trot and recess block to cheer them on.  See details below!

Sincerely,

Stacy Kirkpatrick, Principal

Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, November 9th: 1st Quarter Grades Viewable in ParentVue

Thursday, November 10th: Veteran's Day Speakers in classrooms; PTA Meeting 9:15AM; Spirit Day - Wear Red, White and Blue

Friday, November 11th: Veterans Day; Student Holiday; Teacher Workday

Monday, November 14th:  Student Ambassador Meeting 7:45 - 8:30 AM - Email sent to ambassadors regarding upcoming ambassador leadership  committees.

Tuesday, November 15th: Fall Makeup School Pictures; Restaurant Night at Chipotle 4-8PM (See Brochure )

Friday, November 18th: Family Fun Night - CES Career Night 6-7PM

Monday, November 21st: Mix n Match Spirit Day

Tuesday, November 22nd:  Turkey Trot Fun Run (Scheduled time for grade levels tentative - see below)

November 23rd - 25th: Thanksgiving Break Holiday

FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23 

Portrait of a Graduate:
We Need Your Help!

As we continue to build our students’ understanding of Portrait of a Graduate skills, we are seeking volunteers to assist with helping students build real world connections.

If you are interested in volunteering in a variety of opportunities or have any ideas to share, please complete the attached Google Form. Those that complete the form will be contact for an information/training session and will be contacted for opportunities throughout the school year.  We appreciate your experiences & look forward to showing our students the importance of these skills – now & for the future! 

Tuesday, November 15th is makeup picture day

This photo day is for students who were absent, new to the school, or who were not happy with their original picture

Please feel free to direct Parent/ Guardian questions to Victor O’Neill, using the following email: [email protected]

Anyone who has not ordered can still do so using the link below :
https://vando.imagequix.com/g1000947402

Lunch Visits with Students

We are pleased to welcome back a prepandemic option. If parents would like to have lunch with your student at school on a special day, please contact your teacher so they can make adjustments and ensure spacing is available. Please reach out to your child's homeroom teacher if you would like to join us.

Thanksgiving lunch is planned far in advance for food orders and will not be open to parents this school year. We will look to bring that back next school year.

Get Ready!!! CES Turkey Trot 2022 is Coming!!!

We are excited to hold spirit days leading up to our Thanksgiving break!

Monday, November 21- Mix & Match day - wear your best mixed & matched outfits!

Tuesday, November 22 will be Turkey Trot Tuesday!

Students can wear their best work out attire and participate in an optional Turkey Trot! Students will be challenged to run the track at Chesterbrook. 4th through 6th graders will have 25 minutes to run as many laps as possible and Kindergarten through 3rd graders  will have 15 minutes to run as many laps as possible. Participation is optional for students. Parents are invited to cheer on their students during their Turkey Trot time! All parents attending will need to check into the front office and meet classes on the field.

Please see below for the grade level schedule. 

Tuesday 11/22 - Turkey Trot & Recess Schedule
Turkey Trot will take place during the first 15-25 minutes of this block:

• 4th & 5th Grade: 9:15-10:00
• 6th Grade: 12:05-12:50
• 2nd & 3rd Grade: 1:30-2:15
• Kinder & 1st Grade: 2:20-3:05

Last Chance! Please consider a nomination for  Chesterbrook Outstanding Employee Awards

To submit a nomination for an Chesterbrook Elementary School Outstanding Employee in one of the categories below, please complete the nomination through this Google form link.  

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.

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 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 11th.

If you have any questions, please contact Holley Remer at [email protected]

EVERY KID OUTDOORS National Park Pass for 4th Grade Students

The National Park Service is once again offering the Every Kid Outdoors program for 4th Graders and their families. 4th Graders can register for passes that will allow free entrance to any National Park throughout the US.  Each pass admits all children under 16 and up to 3 adults.  Passes expire August 31, 2023.

To obtain a pass through the Every Kid Outdoors program visit:
https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm

Detailed rules and information can be found at: 
https://everykidoutdoors.gov/rules.htm

PTA Information

November PTA Meeting
Thursday, November 10th, 9:15-10:15 am

Click HERE to see this months meeting agenda.
Google Meet joining info:  https://meet.google.com/bsq-dgya-wpy
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 515-523-3191 PIN: ‪694 500 732#

Summer Quest Survey for 2023!

The Chesterbrook PTA would love your input on determining the types of camps that our Chesterbrook families would like to see offered next year for a successful summer program that will be returning summer 2023 at Chesterbrook Elementary. Please take just a few minutes to complete the survey below (the answers are completely anonymous). Thank you and we appreciate your help and support! Survey Link

YEARBOOK PHOTOS - We need your help!

Planning for the 2022-23 yearbook is underway, and we need your help!  In early December, we'll be looking for student and parent volunteers to help design and build the yearbook.  In the meantime, we're looking for photos!

If you chaperone a field trip, assist in a classroom with a special project or event, or attend any of the great Chesterbrook family activities, concerts and performances, don't forget to capture and share the memories. Volunteer responsibilities and enjoying / experiencing the events without looking through a lens should come first of course, but if you have an opportunity to take some photos and would be willing to share them for the yearbook, that would be fabulous!  

Please use the following links to upload your photos to the appropriate album. (Note that although passwords are not required to upload photos, the albums are stored on a password protected, unlisted site.)

(K)Kindergarten:  https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/nkDm5J/kindergarten

(1) First Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/fBPnBv/first

(2) Second Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/3QJpwv/second

(3) Third Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/M9t8nc/third

(4) Fourth Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/wf88pN/fourth

(5) Fifth Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/4zmvKd/fifth

(6) Sixth Grade: https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/nFs7GG/sixth

General:  https://sarahgilbert.smugmug.com/upload/DSzvkw/general

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Please consider a nomination for  Chesterbrook Outstanding Employee Awards

Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for an Chesterbrook Elementary School Outstanding Employee in one of the categories below, please complete the nomination through this Google form link.  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.

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 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 11th.

If you have any questions, please contact Holley Remer at [email protected]

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Principals Message

I hope all of our Chesterbrook Chipmunks enjoyed their Halloween festivities despite the rain this evening. I want to encourage you to leave the candy at home or provide a small piece for a lunch treat. Please remember students should not share food/treats at school as we work to keep all of our students safe from severe allergic reactions. The PTA is also taking donations of candy for our Fun Fair should you wish to donate some of the goodies collected. Please  bring any candy donations by the front office. 

Your support of Chesterbrook through our Summer Quest camp programs allow us to have extra funding to put funds towards technology supports for our school. Over the past years we have purchased laptops, projectors for classrooms and online programs for instructional use. This year we have purchased BrainPop to suplement resources for teachers, Typing Club with add on vocabulary and spelling practice and are currently working on finalizing purchase of Reflex and Frax to strengthen math fluency skills. As mentioned at a parent coffee, instructional technology should complement and add onto the direct instruction from the classroom teacher. Programs are not meant to replace the teacher with direct instruction. Teachers monitor the use of technology and the minutes on any program should be limited to make the most efficient use of time and effective growth. Another upcoming purchase we are looking to make, is to update teacher preparation tools including an updated poster printer and cutting machines. The tools currently in use are aging out and materials are no long available for replacement. At our next PTA meeting, I will share some of these updates on these materials and other new opportunities we are looking forwarding to rolling out this school year. As our theme says, "The Best is Yet to Come" and we have some great things on the horizon for our students.

Sincerely,

Stacy Kirkpatrick, Principal

Advanced Academic Screening & Identification Full Time Level IV Services

If you missed the parent information session held on 10/26, the session slides and recording are below.

Slide Deck | Recording from Parent Info Zoom Session

Reminders Federal Impact Aid Survey

The signed forms are due no later than November 4th.For each school-aged child in your household who attend Chesterbrook ES, you must complete the form. Please complete, sign, date, and place in your child’s backpack to give to the homeroom teacher. If sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the box in section 3.  

Chesterbrook Honors Veteran's Day Call for Speakers

We can use a few more military speakers if you have time to volunteer for our classes. On November 10th, we will invite military personnel into Chesterbrook classrooms to speak. Please consider joining us in a day of sharing with our student, so they can learn more about the important services provided by our military men and women. If you would like to volunteer to speak, please complete this form to share your information and availability.

My Hero Project

Chesterbrook students and staff are invited to share who are our military heroes. This document is being provided to our students to create a display in our school. Please have your student turn in the "My Hero" document to Mrs. Lomelin in our front office by November 4th. 

CES Career Fair – PTA Sponsored Family Fun Night

DATE and Time Friday, Nov. 18th from 6PM - 7PM 

CES Families - Please join us for November’s Family Fun Night at the CES Career Fair on Friday, November 18th (6 – 7 pm)!  Activities, snacks, refreshments and a visit from the Mclean Police Department and Mclean Fire Department.

CES Parents – Do you have an interesting career to share – please volunteer to showcase it.  Do you know another community member with an interesting career – ask them to share, too!  We need YOU to make this event successful and educational for our students.

Volunteer Sign-up:  https://forms.gle/cvLRoWN69jyR1U9S7

Upcoming Dates

• Tueday, November 8th: Holiday, Elections Day
• Wednesday, November 9th: Grades viewable in ParentVue
• Thursday, November 10th: Veteran's Day Speakers *We can use a few more military speakers if you are interested. (see link above)
• Friday, November 11th: Veterans Day; Student Holiday; Teacher Workday
• Tuesday, November 15th: Fall Makeup School Pictures
• Friday, November 18th: Family Fun Night - CES Career Night
• November 23rd - 25th: Thanksgiving Break 
• FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23 

Chesterbrook Staff Freaky Friday 2022

Our staff went all out and students enjoyed voting for their favorite group.
1st Place: 6th Grade; 2nd Place: Office/Admin team; 3rd Place: Mrs. Lopez
Look at all these amazing costumes!

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Chesterbrook Honors Veteran's Day

This year we look forward to bringing back some traditions of honoring current and veteran military personnel. Men and Women that have served our country are invited to share their experiences with our students. On November 10th, we will invite military personnel into Chesterbrook classrooms to speak. Please consider joining us in a day of sharing with our students  so they can learn more about the important services provided by our military men and women. 
Please sign up here if you would like to participate as a classroom speaker. If you would like to speak, but cannot join us on 11/10, please complete the form and provide availability.

If you would like to volunteer to speak, please complete this form to share your information and availability.

My Hero Project

Chesterbrook students and staff are invited to share who are our military heroes. This document is being provided to our students to create a display in our school. Please have your student turn in the "My Hero" document to Mrs. Lomelin in our front office by November 4th. 

Parent Coffee Information

Thank you to Mrs. Jennings (Reading Specialist), Kendall Bryant (ESOL teacher) and Megan Brown (School Based Technology Specialist) for their presentations at our October parent coffee. Topics included shifts in reading instruction (Science of Reading), instructional technology and how parents can support at home. 

Access Slides for Presentation | Access Recording from our Zoom Session

Parent Information Meeting this evening - 6PM 
AAP Level IV Referral Process Meeting ~ Understanding the Full-Time Level IV Services Screening Process & AAP Services in Secondary Schools ~ Virtual Zoom Link

Full access to our library newsletters and links on schoology

CES School Pictures are online now!

Your student fall photos are now online and my be accessed through an email from Victor O'Neill Studios. If you do not see it in your inbox, check the spam/junk folder.

Any student who has not had a chance to order, it’s not too late!

Please visit: https://vando.imagequix.com/Y98FA93 

Use your student ID when prompted for the online code.

Questions: [email protected]

Reminders CES Bike & Walk to School Day Thursday 10/27

Join us this Thursday to celebrate National Bike/Walk to school day. We are participating a little later than the nationally recognized day when our local McLean police officers will be present to support our families participating.We encourage parents to walk or bike with their children. 

October 28th - Freaky Friday Costume Day

School appropriate costumes should be worn that fully allow studnets to participate in the school day, including PE and recess. Hats will be allowed, but may not fully cover the head and face. Please ensure that costumes:

• are appriate and follow dress guidelines in the SR&R.
• contain no blood, gore, signs or themes of violence.
• do not include play guns, swords, knives or weapons or any type.

Any Freaky Friday wear should allow a student to fully participate in the school day therefore NO inflatable costumes should be worn by students and all students should have on appropriate footwear. Show your school spirit and have fun!

CES Career Fair – PTA Sponsored Family Fun Night

DATE and Time Friday, Nov. 18th from 6PM - 7PM 

CES Families - Please join us for November’s Family Fun Night at the CES Career Fair on Friday, November 18th (6 – 7 pm)!  Activities, snacks, refreshments and a visit from the Mclean Police Department and Mclean Fire Department.

CES Parents – Do you have an interesting career to share – please volunteer to showcase it.  Do you know another community member with an interesting career – ask them to share, too!  We need YOU to make this event successful and educational for our students.

Volunteer Sign-up:  https://forms.gle/cvLRoWN69jyR1U9S7

Federal Impact Aid Survey

The signed forms are due no later than November 4th. For each school-aged child in your household who attend Chesterbrook ES, you must complete the form.

Please complete, sign, date, and place in your child’s backpack to give to the homeroom teacher. If sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the box in section 3.  

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Dear Chesterbrook Parents,

As we approach the end of October, we close out the first quarter with a two hour early release Friday, 10/28, at 1:35. Teachers have sent communication on parent/teacher conference opportunities and we welcome you to reach out if you have not signed up. We welcome your collaboration and insight so we can meet your child's individual needs.

This coming week we have a couple of opportunities for parents to join us in our Tuesday coffee at 9:15AM (in person & virtual) in the cafeteria and Wednesday evening (virtual) as we detailed information on the FCPS level IV referral process.

FCPS has now rolled out the full version of Talking Points which allows us to quickly and easily communicate with all families and in your home language if you prefer. The application communicates with our current parent data so we can reach all parents quickly and efficiently. This will allow our Chesterbrook teams as well as office to share reminders, bus updates and other important notes.  Teams and adminsitration will continue to use this News You Choose platform to send weekly newsletters.  Please read your team letters closely so you don't miss out on important information.

Wishing you all a wonderful week and I look forward to participating in our fun Freaky Friday.  What do you think the office staff will be?  We have a great surprise in store for our students!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Kirkpatrick

Upcoming Dates

• TOMORROW! Tuesday, October 25: Parent Coffee - Reading: Instructional Shifts and Supporting Academic Growth; Technology Information to help parents support learning. We will be in person with our virtual link - Virtual Zoom Link
• Wednesday, October 26: Parent Meeting AAP Level IV Referral Process Meeting ~ Understanding the Full-Time Level IV Services Screening Process & AAP Services in Secondary Schools ~ Virtual Zoom Link
• Friday, October 28: Freaky Friday Dress Up Day End of Quarter; 2 Hour Early Release at 1:35 p.m.
• Monday, October 31: No School (Teacher Workday)
• Tueday, November 8th: Holiday, Elections Day
• Wednesday, November 9th: Grades viewable in ParenVue
• Friday, November 11th: Veterans Day; Student Holiday; Teacher Workday
• Tuesday, November 15th: Fall Makeup School Pictures
• November 23rd - 25th: Thanksgiving Break 
• FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23 

CES Bike & Walk to School Day
Thursday 10/27

Join us this Thursday to celebrate National Bike/Walk to school day. We are participating a little later than the nationally recognized day when our local McLean police officers will be present to support our families participating.We encourage parents to walk or bike with their children. 

October 28th - Freaky Friday Costume Day

School appropriate costumes should be worn that fully allow studnets to participate in the school day, including PE and recess. Hats will be allowed, but may not fully cover the head and face.
Please ensure that costumes:

• are appriate and follow dress guidelines in the SR&R.
• contain no blood, gore, signs or themes of violence.
• do not include play guns, swords, knives or weapons or any type.

Any Freaky Friday wear should allow a student to fully participate in the school day therefore NO inflatable costumes should be worn by students and all students should have on appropriate footwear. Show your school spirit and have fun!

CES Career Fair – PTA Sponsored Family Fun Night

DATE and Time Friday, Nov. 18th from 6PM - 7PM 

CES Families - Please join us for November’s Family Fun Night at the CES Career Fair on Friday, November 18th (6 – 7 pm)!  Activities, snacks, refreshments and a visit from the Mclean Police Department and Mclean Fire Department.

CES Parents – Do you have an interesting career to share – please volunteer to showcase it.  Do you know another community member with an interesting career – ask them to share, too!  We need YOU to make this event successful and educational for our students.

Volunteer Sign-up:  https://forms.gle/cvLRoWN69jyR1U9S7.  

Federal Impact Aid Survey

All families are asked to complete the Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid for each child. Returning this form is important because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.

The signed forms are due no later than November 4th. For each school-aged child in your household who attend Chesterbrook ES, you must complete the form.

Please complete, sign, date, and place in your child’s backpack to give to the homeroom teacher. If sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the box in section 3.  

FCPS Strategic Plan Survey Grades 3-12

You may have heard that FCPS is launching Our Voices, Our Future, an effort to build our strategic plan. This plan will serve as a roadmap to guide our school division for the next five years. We encourage you to be a part of this journey!

In the coming weeks, we will invite the FCPS community to engage in building our shared future. Our students will be the first to lend their voices to this process by participating in an optional online survey. With students at the very heart of our work, we believe they should have an opportunity to be heard and provide feedback on what they feel is important.  

The optional survey is designed to protect your child’s privacy and is anonymous. It will take about 10-15 minutes to complete during school. Responses to the student survey will be analyzed and included in data reports from the external consulting team FCPS is contracting with to support development of the new Strategic Plan. While the survey is voluntary, we would like all students in Grades 3 to 12 to take part in it. If you would like  to review the survey or opt your child out of participating in it, please visit this webpage. The paper opt out form can be found here - additional languages are on the link to the webpage with more information. The deadline to submit an opt-out form is October 28.

I appreciate your considering this leadership opportunity for your child to help inform our plans for the future of FCPS. Together, all things are possible.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michelle C. Reid
Superintendent

Talking Points

We have previously provided this option for parents as we waited on the full version to roll out.  Quicker than expected, FCPS has recently adopted the full version of TalkingPoints, a two-way messaging app that allows parents and caregivers to communicate with teachers and schools. For more information, visit the FCPS TalkingPoints webpage.

The app translates messages, so teachers can input messages in English and parents can respond in their preferred language. TalkingPoints supports 125 languages, making it easier and faster for our FCPS families to connect with their schools. If you need to update your preferred correspondence language, contact the front office at 703-714-8200 and we will support any questions you may have as we all use this new tool.

FCPS Parent Resource Center

The FCPS Parent Resource Center offers a welcoming and engaging environment for families, educators, and community members. It provides access to information and resources to support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities.

Throughout the year it offers family and educator webinars. Upcoming sessions include: 

• Meet the Author Series - Paige Saves the Day, October 27, at 7 p.m.

To join the PRC email list and receive notices of upcoming webinars, sign up for their News You Choose newsletter. 

McLean High School News

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Book Fair Taco Tuesday - Tonight

Come by and choose from a great selection of affordable, thoughtful and enriching book selections for your kids. Meet up with other families and enjoy a Taco Tuesday and Book Fair Evening with friends.

• Tuesday, 10/18, 4:30pm - 6:30pm (Taco Night from 5pm - 7pm)

25% of all sales will directly benefit our library and technology center. 

Cash, Check, Credit cards and eWallet payment will be accepted. https://www.bookwormbmaps.com/eWallet/

Thank you to our Book Fair committee and Ms. Mann for the many hours they have dedicated to planning, setup and running our book fair. The students have enjoyed the event and diving into reading new books.

Student Opportunity: Q & A with Dr. Reid and the McLean, Marshall, and Langley pyramid students Student Opportunity: Q & A with Dr. Reid and the McLean, Marshall, and Langley pyramid students

On October 19th at 6:00 PM at the McLean Community Center (MCC) 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, VA, Dr. Reid will be answering the questions and concerns from STUDENTS.  

We encourage all students from Kindergarten through 12th Grade to bring their questions or simply come to meet and listen to our new FCPS Superintendent. The Superintendent oversees almost 200 schools and centers in a county serving approximately 180,000 students.  This event will be focused on questions and concerns from students attending elementary, middle, and high school students with the McLean, Langley, and Marshall Pyramids.  

The agenda: 

• Dr. Reid Introduction
• Dr. Reid Opening Remarks
• Open forum for questions from students

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter

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Principal's Message

We've enjoyed a great week of learning after leading the week with a staff professional development workday. Staff engaged in PD around cuturally responsive teaching practices that are aligned with the updated Virginia Department of Education evaluation standards. Student ambassadors also took part in a morning workshop Thursday to learn about how their skills as a leader can positvely impact their school community.

The PTA meet this week and welcomed parents in person as well as virtually. This platform seems to be working well for our parent coffee and PTA meetings to include as many families as possible. 

Our next parent coffee will be held on 10/25 at 9:15 AM. This is a change in date due to a conflict in my schedule.  I apologize for any inconvenience.  Information and our video will be shared with families.

I wanted to share a concern about our crosswalk safety on Kirby road over the past couple of weeks. It has been noticed that cars are driving fast on Kirby (not our families for the most part) and even speeding up to beat people in the crosswalk. This is concerning as we all work together to ensure the safety of our families. I am working to ensure the school zone lights are functional as students walk to and from school and also work with our McLean police to help enforce a safe speed where cars stop for pedestrians in our crosswalks. Thank you for being viligant while using the crosswalk and also while driving your children to and from school.

We have had many recent events including our book fair, grade level field trips and our kickball kickoff. These events would not be possible without our parent volunteers.  Additionally, we have truly appreciated our lunch volunteers that help us throughout the week. Please know how much your time and support of our students is valued. 

Looking forward to seeing all of you at Kickball Kickoff!

Sincerely,

Stacy Kirkpatrick

Upcoming Dates

• 10/12 - 17: Fall Bookfair
• Monday, October 24: No School (Diwali)
• NEW DATE - Tuesday, October 25: Parent Coffee - Reading: Instructional Shifts and Supporting Academic Growth; Technology Information to help parents support instructional learning
• Wednesday, October 26: Parent Meeting AAP Level IV Referral Process Meeting ~ Understanding the Full-Time Level IV Services Screening Process & AAP Services in Secondary Schools ~ Virtual Zoom Link
• Friday, October 28: Freaky Friday Dress Up Day
  End of Quarter; 2 Hour Early Release at 1:35 p.m.
• Monday, October 31: No School (Teacher Workday)

FCPS School Year Calendar for 2022-23 

October 13th - 18th, 2022

Come by and choose from a great selection of affordable, thoughtful and enriching book selections for your kids.  
 
Below is the schedule:

• Saturday, 10/15: 9am - noon (Books and Breakfast)

• Monday, 10/17, 8am - 8:25am and 4pm - 5pm 

• Tuesday 10/18 8am - 8:25am (Students need parent supervision before school hours and then wait with children in lobby or pod prior to opening bell)

• Tuesday, 10/18, 4:30pm - 6:30pm (Taco Night from 5pm - 7pm)

Kids can also shop the book fair on school days 8:30 am - 8:50 am. 

There are a ton of before & after school options for parents and caregivers (and kids!). Look for your child’s Wish List to come home. If you can’t make it to shop with your child, you can send them with cash or a check made payable to “Chesterbrook PTA”. Credit cards will also be accepted at the book fair. 

25% of all sales will directly benefit our library and technology center. 

Credit cards and eWallet payment will be accepted. https://www.bookwormbmaps.com/eWallet/

Watch for more details on all of the fun events planned during book fair week. Your support of our library and teacher classrooms is very much appreciated. 

5th and 6th Grade Student Ambassadors

Student ambassadors were sent an email to register or a workshop either this Thursday or next Wednesday. If students were not able to come this week, please have your ambassador register to attend next Wednesday, 10/19. Ambassador will be sent emails on their school gmail account to be given notice of events and opportunities.

Mrs. Lomelin shared an opportunity for our pencil sales team. If students would like to join in that opportunity, they needed to register by today, Friday 10/14.

My School Bucks Reimbursements

The past couple of weeks we have needed to clean up quite a few overpayments (paying twice for a field trip) on school items or payments of old items (last years grade level tshirt) that should have not been listed as current. If you received a reimbursement for payment it was most likely due to one of these issues. If you have questions regarding any MySchool Bucks items you can reach out to Mrs. Cindy Flores, our Administrative Assistant at 703-714-8200.

All buttons currently listed for field trips and tshirts are valid. Please note that we will cut off field trip and tshirt payments within a strict timeline to allow Ms. Flores to pay the vendor on time. Your help with timely payments is appreciated.

FCPS Parent Resource Center

The FCPS parent resource center provides free workshops, consultations and a lending library. There are a varity of resources available to all families to help your child(ren) succeed. View more information on resources and contact for the center by clicking this link.

Lightspeed: Parent Report on Child’s Device Activity

FCPS has tools to help parents and guardians know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided by Lightspeed, our internet content filtering service, at no cost to families. You may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. If you want more detailed information, sign up for the Internet Use Parent portal and log-in anytime to see more detail about your child’s browsing and “pause” access to the internet during non-school hours. To find out more and sign up for these services, please visit this link.

Outstanding Employee Awards

Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for an Chesterbrook Elementary School Outstanding Employee in one of the categories below, please complete the nomination through this Google form link.  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.

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 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 11th.

If you have any questions, please contact Holley Remer at [email protected]

Opportunity Outside CES:

1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101  |  Main Phone: 703.714.8200 
Attendance: 703.714.8282 | Web | Twitter