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Hello, Scottie families!
What a great first week of school! It has been a week full of joy, laughter, relationship building, and learning. Next week we will hold Back-to-School Night for our PAC and grades K-3 classes on Wednesday, August 30 (6-7:15 PM). Back-to-School Night for grades 4-6 parents will be held the following week, on September 6. Back to School Night is for adults and teachers. However, we understand that some parents may need to bring young children. While space is limited in our classrooms, if you do bring your child, please make sure they are supervised at all times, as we are not able to provide childcare.
There is no school next Friday, September 1, in observance of Labor Day break. School resumes after Labor Day on Tuesday, September 5.
Have a great weekend with your friends and family!
Morgan Birge, Principal
Natalie Vershaw, Assistant Principal
Melissa Johnson, Assistant Principal
Family. Relationships. Success.
Next Week's Events
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August 30 @ 6:00-7:15 PM - Back to School Night (PAC, K-3rd grade)
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September 1 & September 4 - Labor Day Holidays (no school)
A few amazing highlights that happened this week...
Parking & Recess
With the placement of the trailers out on "Scottland Yard," we plan to utilize a portion of our bus loop as a dedicated blacktop space during recess. We will be blocking off a portion of the bus loop with cones and barriers. Please be mindful of the closed off areas of the bus loop during the school day. We will have 15 minute visitor parking near the entrance to the bus loop (see map below). We thank you for being mindful of our recess area during the school day!
Band, Strings, & Chorus Registration
Registration forms for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade strings, and 5th and 6th grade band and chorus went home in Tuesday folders this week! The deadline to register your child for Strings, Band, and/or Chorus is August 29th. If you need another form, please reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher. We hope your child can enjoy Fine Arts at Bonnie Brae!
SCA Information Session
There will be an information session for any 4th, 5th, or 6th grade students interested in SCA Cabinet and Leadership Team in Mrs. Oedemann’s room on Wednesday, August 30 at 8:30 AM. Students are encouraged to attend if they are interested, or with any questions!
Parent Toolkit
Please visit our Parent Toolkit webpage where some yearly action items for all parents to complete are housed. Items with an asterisk (*) are time sensitive and require parent action.
Picture Day: Fall Individual Photos
Fall Picture Day is on Tuesday, September 19. Students will attend picture day with their teachers. Flyers and order forms will be sent home via Tuesday Folders and the information will soon be available on our Bonnie Brae ES Website.
Parent/Guardian Consent For Digital Resources
Teachers will use a variety of digital resources to help students learn during the 2023-2024 school year. These digital resources have been checked and approved by Fairfax County Public Schools. Some of these digital resources require parent consent. Families, please provide your consent for your student to use these resources through the Parent Digital Consent System. Log in with the same username and password you use for ParentVue SIS.
Please see the FCPS Digital Resources - Parent Consent page for a full list of digital tools requiring family consent. Not every student will use all the tools listed on the FCPS page.
2023 Student Rights and Responsibilities
FCPS’ Student Rights and Responsibilities document (SR&R) explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment. In late June, the School Board approved changes to the SR&R for the 2023-24 school year. Updates include a revision of dress code expectations, bystander expectations for students witnessing harmful or unsafe behaviors, bullying, and substance abuse responses. Read Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid’s letter to families regarding the SR&R.
Parents/caregivers should talk to their child(ren) about expectations for this school year. Also, please log in to SIS ParentVUE and sign to acknowledge your review of the SR&R, or sign and return the signature sheet to your child’s school by Friday, September 29.
Safety Drills During the School Year
Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for FCPS. Each school has an emergency preparedness plan to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Schools are required by state law to practice emergency drills, including lockdown drills, each year. Schools are also required to notify parents and guardians at least 24 hours before a school conducts a lockdown drill. However, schools are not required to give the specific date and time of the drill in advance.
The first lockdown drill of the school year must take place within the first 20 days of school. Preschool and kindergarten students are exempt from practicing the first lockdown drill.
Your child may come home and talk about their experience during the drill. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Please review these frequently asked questions to support your students before and after school lockdown drills.
Remembering 9/11
Each year, the United States commemorates the tragic loss of life on September 11, 2001, and the acts of courage, compassion, and sacrifice that followed. The September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, also called Patriot Day and 9/11, is a chance to reflect and to act in service to others as a way of honoring those who were injured or killed in the terrorist attacks.
Volunteer Fairfax is a resource that can be used to find out about service-learning opportunities in the community. Service learning is a great way for students and families to engage with local nonprofits and volunteer. More information about volunteer opportunities on this day can be found on Volunteer Fairfax’s website.
Parent Information Phone Lines Available in Eight Languages
Parents/caregivers who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese may call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS. View the list of phone numbers.
From the Office of Student Safety & Wellness
Overdoses touch people and communities in many ways. International Overdose Awareness Day, August 31st, 2023, is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose and remember those who have died without stigma while also acknowledging the grief of their loved ones. Learn more about what to look for in regards to substance abuse and oversdoses while reading, "When a Nap Isn't a Nap".
Lightspeed Parent Report on Child’s Device Activity
FCPS has tools to help parents know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided at no cost to families by Lightspeed, the school division’s internet content filtering service.
Parents may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. The report also offers parents the ability to sign up for free access to the Internet Use Parent Portal. Through the portal, parents may pause their child’s access to the internet on their FCPS device during non-school hours.
Learn more about Lightspeed Parent Reports.
Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Services
Fairfax County Public Schools wants all parents to understand its policies regarding surveys, records, curriculum, privacy, and related rights.
In its Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights and Opt-Out Forms (Annual Notice), FCPS provides explanations of the rights listed above as well as forms that may be used to exercise opt-out choices. Two versions of the Annual Notice are available — a grades K-8 version and a grades 9-12 version. Parents with children at different grade levels should read each applicable version of the Annual Notice because the notices and opt-out rights vary depending on the student’s grade level.
Get more information and view the 2023-24 Opt-Out Booklets.
Message From Our BBES PTO
The Bonnie Brae PTO wants to welcome all of our Scotties back to school! We hope everyone is ready for the exciting events we have planned this year. Check out our events overview and mark your calendar!
We are always looking for awesome volunteers to help with events and planning! Make new friends, have some fun, and help make the magic happen! Just fill out the form and select the events and committees you're interested in joining and a PTO Board Member will contact you shortly.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].
After School Program - RunFit Kidz
RunFit Kidz fall registration opens on Friday, August 18. This running program is open to 1st-6th graders. Learn more about the program and register your student to save their spot on their website.
Disclaimer About After-School & Enrichment Opportunities
At times there are external opportunities that students may want to explore. When schools share these opportunities with families and students, please know:
Opportunities offered by organizations other than Fairfax County Public Schools are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, or a specific school. These opportunities may utilize technology tools that have not been assessed by the Fairfax County Public Schools Department of Information Technology. Students should gain permission from their parent or guardian before engaging in any non-FCPS enrichment opportunity and families should review the Terms of Service, User Agreements, and Privacy Policy for any technology platform that the enrichment opportunity may use before participating.
View the 2023-2024 FCPS School Calendar
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September 6 @ 6-7:15 PM - Back to School Night (4th-6th grade)
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September 19 - Fall Picture 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
