Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
Hello Scottie Families!
Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful winter break! We have enjoyed seeing our Scotties smiling faces and the joyful learning that has taken place this week. The spring-like weather has been nice, but please be sure to send your child with a jacket or coat in the coming days, as the forecast calls for more seasonable, colder temperatures and we want all students to be prepared to go outside during recess.
We want to share the bittersweet news that our School Based Technology Specialist (SBTS), Erica Demick, will be leaving Bonnie Brae for a promotion outside of FCPS at the end of next week. Mrs. Demick has been an incredible asset to all of us, and she will certainly be missed. While we are in the process of hiring a new SBTS, please join us in wishing Mrs. Demick well, as her last day at Bonnie Brae will be Thursday, January 12.
As always, we thank you for your partnership in your children's education. Have a great weekend, and go Scotties!!
Morgan Birge, Principal
Elaine Woo, Assistant Principal
Natalie Vershaw, Assistant Principal
Family. Relationships. Success.
A few amazing highlights that happened this week...
Mrs. Sloane and Mrs. Ferraro's Student Teachers from George Mason University (Ms. J and Ms. P) have taken ownership of this bulletin board in the PreK/2nd/3rd grade wing since beginning their journey back in August. We appreciate their dedication to not only the students in their classroom but also our school community. Amazing educators in the making!
Students in Mrs. Ferraro's class (2nd Grade) engaging in morning meeting and showing one another respect by exhibiting appropriate body language, eye contact, and turn-taking while carefully listening to one another.
Upcoming Events
-
January 7 – Orthodox Christmas
-
January 9-13 – Virtual Math Week
Positivity Project
Upcoming Weekly Focus: Prudence
Character Strength Features: You plan for the future and achieve your goals by making careful everyday choices.
Quote of the Week: “Discipline is what gives you freedom in life.” -Jocko Willink, Navy Seal
Virtual Math Week Coming Soon
Come together as a community for students in K-8 for 5 nights the week of January 9, 2023, with delightful math games and stories - all on your own time and from the comfort of your own home. All content will be available for free directly to all families in English and Spanish.
Through rich story-based mathematics experiences, math week offers families an opportunity to experience math, literacy, history, and geography in a positive way. The games and stories feature several countries including Lesotho, Madagascar, Ghana, and China.
All content will be available completely free on the website starting January 9, 2023. To access the games, families will be able to simply click on the day of the week and find their child's grade and language. View the website at anytime for explanations and videos.
Families can play for as little as 15 minutes or replay over and over lasting more than an hour on any given night. For families that want to reduce screen time, we will have physical print options for access to the content and games as well.
Use the games and stories on our website or dust off your favorite math game and play it as a family.
Any and ALL math experiences outside of a normal week count. Our goal is for FCPS to experience 1,000,000 minutes of math outside of the school day. Join us!
Bullying Prevention Parent Info Session
RSVP for January 17
FCPS is deeply committed to creating a safe and positive school environment where all students can learn. Through schoolwide positive behavior approaches and participation in K-12 health and guidance lessons, students are taught to behave respectfully and to resolve conflicts in positive ways.
The Bullying Prevention Presentation seeks to educate listeners on the following:
- FCPS definition of bullying
- Types of bullying
- Differences between bullying and other forms of inappropriate behavior
- How FCPS responds to allegations of bullying
- How parents and schools can work together to prevent bullying
Join us in-person at the Terra Centre ES Cafeteria or online (link to follow) on Tuesday, January 17 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM. To attend, please complete the Robinson Pyramid Bullying Presentation RSVP so we can prepare for the estimated number of attendees and send links to families who plan to attend online.
Robinson Pyramid Presentation: Preparing Families for Difficult Conversations about Alcohol and Drugs
FCPS is dedicated to providing parents and community members with the most accurate and up-to-date information on youth substance use, prevention, addiction, interventions and available supports. Please join us for the Robinson Pyramid Presentation on Thursday, February 2, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and our partners from the Fairfax County Police Department and Community Services Board as we discuss these topics as well as the ongoing opioid crisis. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of:
- Alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and opioid.
- List what you can do as a caregiver.
- How to identify and connect with community resources.
View the event flyer to learn more.
Dual Language Immersion Program Registration
Registration for the countywide lottery for Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs will open on Monday, January 23. Current pre-k students may apply for the kindergarten immersion program, and current kindergarten students may apply for the first grade immersion programs for the 2023-24 school year.
Programs are available in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Visit the DLI registration page for more information on where the programs are offered.
Parents who are interested in the DLI programs in FCPS are encouraged to attend an informational meeting at their school site. Meetings will begin on January 11. Details regarding access to virtual meetings will be available on the Dual Language Immersion registration page by the meeting date.
Get more information on DLI programs and registration.
Upcoming Webinars in January
The FCPS Parent Resource Center has a series of Webinars lined up for January. View the Newsletter here to learn more.
January Webinar Flyer
Featured Webinars:
-
Neurodiversity: What Do You Mean We are All Neurodiverse?
-
Social-Emotional Milestones in Early Childhood
-
Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting: Building Positive Classroom Communities through Social and Emotional Learning
BBES Parent Course on Schoology: New Update
A new flyer has been uploaded to our Parent Schoology Course.
New this week:
In order to access Schoology, you must be signed up for a Parent Vue account and can use those credentials to sign in. Don't have a Parent Vue account? Register today!
Renovation Update
As you are likely aware, Bonnie Brae is scheduled for renovation and expansion, beginning this spring. While we will not be losing any instructional spaces in the building this school year, prep work, to include moving temporary trailers, has begun outside the building. Over winter break a duplex trailer was placed on the blacktop, in anticipation of the exterior work that will begin sometime around spring break. We will continue to provide updates in the coming months to Bonnie Brae families as we receive them from FCPS Design and Construction. Please reach out to Mr. Birge, Ms. Woo, or Mrs. Vershaw with renovation related any questions.
Virtual Instruction Plan
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather-related closing decisions are made.
FCPS’ inclement weather procedures will remain the same as last year. The first five inclement weather days will be traditional “snow days” with no school activities. After those five days, we will use the flexibility provided by the Virginia General Assembly to have unscheduled virtual learning days, whenever possible, to maintain the continuity of learning. Virtual learning on these days will be synchronous/live instruction, following the inclement weather virtual learning day schedule (includes a two-hour delay).
FCPS’ website is generally the first mode of communication during emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be sure to plan ahead for the winter season. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date in [email protected], bookmark the FCPS website, plan for childcare, if appropriate, and know what items your child may need to take home before a weather event.
Bonnie Brae Elementary' s Virtual Instruction Plan
Bonnie Brae ES has prepared our school's virtual learning plan. Instructional schedules are now available. Check out the site to familiarize yourself with our Virtual Instruction Plan.
District News/In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- FCPS Building and Renovation Plans
- Upcoming Webinars for Parents/Caregivers
- Dual Language Immersion Program Registration
- Academy Open Houses
- Resources for Families of Students with Disabilities
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, sign up today.
PTO Meeting Reminder
Thursday, January 19 -
Join us on, Thursday, January 19th at 7 PM, for our monthly PTO Meeting (Zoom)!
The PTO Meetings for the 2022-2023 school year will continue to occur on the the third Thursday of each month at 7 PM.
Save the Date: Movie Night!
Join the PTO and BBES Community for a movie night at the school on Friday, January 20th! Bring blankets to sit on and get there early to get your spot and grab some concessions. We can't wait to see everyone there!
We need volunteers to make this event a success. Please let us know if you can help with set-up, concessions, or clean-up. Please reach out to [email protected].
Movie Time: 6:30pm
Please note that since this event is after school hours, all children will need to be accompanied by an adult.
Volunteers Needed for
Upcoming BBES PTO Events
We are planning two fun events for February and need parent volunteers to make each event successful. Please reach out to [email protected] to get more information about each event!
View the 2022-2023 FCPS School Calendar
-
January 7 – Orthodox Christmas
-
January 9-13 – Virtual Math Week
-
January 16 – MLK Day (No School)
-
January 17 – Bullying Prevention Presentation (Terra Centre ES/Virtual- RSVP Here)
-
January 19 @ 7:00 PM – PTO Meeting (Zoom)
-
January 20 @ 6:30 PM – PTO Movie Night
-
January 22 – Lunar New Year
-
January 24 @ 6:30 PM – BBES/OVES Strings Concert @ Oakview ES
-
January 25 – Second Quarters Ends, Early Release
-
January 26 – Staff Development Day (No School)
-
January 27 – Teacher Work Day (No School)
-
February 2 @ 6:00 - 8:00 PM – Preparing Families for Difficult Conversations about Alcohol and Drugs
-
February 7 – Lifetouch Club Photo Day
Stay up to date on all things BBES! Subscribe to our School Calendar.
Bonnie Brae Elementary
@BonnieBraeES
Bonnie Brae ES Website
Bonnie Brae PTO
Bonnie Brae PTO Website
5420 Sideburn Rd, Fairfax, VA 22032 | Main Office: 703.321.3900
Attendance: 703.321.3939 | Web | Twitter
