Belmont Eagles
September 2018
A Message from the Pricipal
Dear Belmont Families,
On behalf of the hard-working staff at Belmont Elementary School, I welcome you to the 2018-2019 school year!!! We had a great opening and we are settling into our routines and procedures. We are hoping once again to increase student achievement and ensure all our children achieve their highest potential. I am looking forward to building strong partnerships with all Belmont families to make this happen. Together, we will create a year of excellence and success for our children!! Thank you for trusting us with your children!! I look forward to engaging you in the learning process at our SOAR nights that will occur each month. Please attend our Back-to-School Nights on September 25, 2018 (K-2) and September 27, 2018 (3-5) to learn about your child’s learning experience and much more!! ~~~~Dr. G
Back to School Night (K-2)
Tuesday, Sep 25, 2018, 06:00 PM
Belmont Elementary School, Norwood Lane, Woodbridge, VA, USA
Back to Schoon Night (3-5)
Thursday, Sep 27, 2018, 06:00 PM
Belmont Elementary School, Norwood Lane, Woodbridge, VA, USA
From the Office
As a reminder, our start time and dismissal time have changed. Instruction now begins at 8:15 a.m. and dismissal begins at 2:55 p.m. Remember that we do not dismiss students from the office between 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. during bus dismissal. If you need to change your mode of transportation, please make sure that you call the office prior to 2:00 p.m.
Coffee with the Principal
Please come to our “Coffee and Conversation with the Principal” in the Parent Resource Center. This informal meeting with the principal will be held on the second Wednesday of each month at 9:00 a.m. The next Coffee and Conversation event is scheduled for October 10, 2018.
BoxTops
You can help our school by clipping BoxTops and sending them to the school with your student. There are two submission deadlines: November 1 and March 1.
We will have a competition between grades K-2 and 3-5.
The class with the most BoxTops will have a pizza party in April!
A Message from the Nurse
Welcome Back to School! We are committed to helping your student have a healthy and successful school year! A few reminders:
All school medications must be brought in by an adult. A doctor's order is required for medication administration by the school nurse. For the safety of our students, Please do not send medications in your child's backpack. You can get the forms for the doctor at clinic or front office. If your child has Severe allergies requiring an Epi Pen, please know that on field trips our school Epi pens do not go with the child.
- If your child has a new medical diagnosis, please update us.
- School emergency health forms were sent home the first week of school. Please make and effort to complete and return this important information.
- Vision and hearing screenings will be held on Oct 24th for the Kindergartners, Third graders, and new to the county students. If your child wears glasses please make sure they bring them
- Lastly, the season is changing please encourage your children to proper hand wash and to cough into arm to avoid spreading germs to others.
Please feel free to contact me if your have have any questions. Blessings, Nurse Stephanie Myers
Free and Reduced-Price Meals
Free and reduced price meals are available to students whose households qualify under federal standards. Reduced price is $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch.
You can apply for free or reduced price meals online. Complete and submit the application at www.pwcsnutrition.com. If you wish to complete a traditional paper application, you can obtain a copy from your child’s school office, or from the School Food and Nutrition Services Office (703.791.7319). You will be notified by US mail or e-mail of your child's status. Until you are notified, you must provide your child with meals or money for meals. If you submitted an online application, you can access your electronic eligibility letter by visiting www.schoollunchstatus.com and entering your confirmation number.
Your child’s application from last year is only good for that school year, plus the first few weeks of this school year through October 9, 2018.
Contact School Food and Nutrition Services at 703.791.7319 or 703.791.8142 with questions, or visit our website, www.pwcsnutrition.com, for more information.
Math Q & A
Q: It seems like my daughter isn’t’ bring taught math the same way I was. Why has it changed?
A: If you talk to people from different generations, you’ll probably find they were all taught math in different ways – and today’s generation is no exception. Your daughter is learning concepts rather than just memorizing facts. She’s also using different approaches like drawing pictures or acting out problems. And she’s being prepared for more advanced math. For example, if she can explain why 6 + 4 = 10, she’ll be able to talk herself thought solving 60 + 40 = 100.
Ask your child to teach you to solve problems she brings home. This reinforces what she’s learning and shows you more about today’s math. Also, try to attend math nights or send any questions you have to the teacher. The more comfortable you are with how your daughter is learning math, the more you’ll be able to support her.
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentGuideNum.html 😊 Mrs. Pratte Title 1 Mathematics Specialist
Family reading routines
Reading with your child each day helps him to grow as a reader. By adding a few minutes of reading here and there, each day will help your child become a better reader. Consider these suggestions for fitting more reading into your busy days.
Mealtime practice
Serve up a side of reading! During breakfast, keep the cereal box on the table. You can help your child read the name of the cereal, the slogan, and any riddles or activities. While you make dinner, invite him to read a familiar storybook aloud, or let him browse through a cookbook for words he recognizes (milk, pizza).
A reading surprise
Like a tooth fairy who leaves money, be a reading fairy who leaves reading material for your child. Tape comic strips to the bathroom mirror for him to read while he brushes his teeth. Place a poem on his pillow so he can enjoy it before bed. You can stash a few books or magazines near his seat in the car.
Stand up and write!
Writing on a vertical surface strengthens your child’s arm and wrist muscles and improves the coordination she needs for handwriting. It is fun, too! Try these tips.
Windows
Have your child use dry-erase markers to draw and color shapes on a window, turning it into “stained glass.” Be sure to take a photo of her work before she cleans the window!
Walls
Hang poster board on her bedroom wall, and let your child design a sign using crayons. She might write her name and draw a border of flowers, for example. Also, consider getting a small dry-erase board from the dollar store. Use it to play hangman or to leave messages for each other.
Grades 3 – 5
A love of reading
Reading is one of the best habits your child can develop. Children who read for pleasure tend to have higher test scores, bigger vocabularies, and better reading comprehension. Steer your child toward a lifetime of reading with these ideas.
Choose books wisely
Suggest that your child find books that will hold her interest. Have her read the back cover and the first few pages to see if the book grabs her. It often helps if she has something in common with a story’s main character. For instance, a child fascinated by machines may enjoy Roz the robot in “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown.
Make time for reading
Between homework, friends, and activities, it is not always easy to fit in reading. Try setting aside a time when the entire family reads (after dinner, before bed). Also, encourage your child to put books in the car so she can read during errands or while waiting in a dentist’s office.
Beginnings and Endings
The way your child starts and ends a writing assignment can make a big difference in his finished product. Help him create a good first—and last— impression with these suggestions.
Attention-grabbing introductions
A powerful beginning pulls the reader in. Your child might:
● Kick off with a question. “Did you ever wonder why camels have humps?”
● Use an interesting fact. “Camels have three eyelids and two rows of eyelashes per eye.”
● Set a scene. “A line of camels marches across the desert. The air is dry and hot, and there’s no water in sight.”
Memorable conclusions
The ending should wrap things up in a way the reader will remember. A good conclusion shows how all the information in a paper fits together. Here are some possibilities:
● Summarize the main points. “Its large hump, unusual eyes, and big feet make the camel the best form of transportation in the desert.”
● Echo the introduction. “A camel isn’t just interesting to look at. Its unique features help people travel in a hot, dry climate.”
● Close with instructions. “If you visit the desert, take a ride on a camel. His hump, eyes, and feet will get you where you need to go.”
Title I
PARENTAL RIGHT TO INFORMATION ABOUT TEACHERS:
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, most recently reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act, states that parents in Title I schools have the right to request certain information about their child’s teachers. The information that you have a right to request about your child’s teacher is:
a. Whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subjects the teacher is teaching.
b. Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing has been waived.
c. The baccalaureate degree major of certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree.
d. Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.
At Belmont Elementary, we are extremely proud of our teachers and paraprofessionals, and are happy to provide you with any of the information above pertaining to your child’s teacher(s). If you have such a request, please call the school at 703-494-4945 and ask for the information you are interested in.
Parental Notification of Assessment Opt Out Policies under The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015
According to the Virginia Department of Education, "All students in tested grade levels and courses are expected to participate in Virginia's assessment program, unless specifically exempted by state or federal law or by Board of Education regulations." On December 10, 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) was signed into law. Section 1112(e)(2) of ESSA states that parents of students in Title I schools have a right to know about state or division policies regarding student participation in any assessments mandated by ESSA, including any policy, procedure, or parental right to opt students out of such assessments. The Commonwealth of Virginia does not currently have an Opt Out policy for SOL assessments. However, Section 22.1-253.13:3.C of the Code of Virginia states that, “The Board of Education shall not include in its calculation of the passage rate of a Standards of Learning assessment for the purposes of state accountability any student whose parent has decided to not have his child take such Standards of Learning assessment, unless such exclusions would result in the school's not meeting any required state or federal participation rate.” Prince William County Public Schools regulations state that, if a parent or guardian decides to not have a student take a state or local assessment, then the person making the request should be informed about the academic consequences that decision could have on the student.
If you would like to receive more information about this topic, please contact the principal.
Belmont Elementary School
Website: https://belmontes.pwcs.edu/
Location: 751 Norwood Lane, Woodbridge, VA, USA
Phone: 703-494-4945
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/belmonteagles/