Happening at Hutchison
The Latest News: September 2, 2021
Message from Ms. Aiello
Hutchison Families:
We've had an incredible first two weeks of school. Our students are safe, they’re engaged in high leverage instructional tasks, and building positive relationships with peers.
We want to thank each of you for all of the wonderful support and grace from our families as our staff worked to get this school year off to a great start.
We will be sending additional information out to you as we adjust our Kiss & Ride procedures to ensure a safe and efficient dismissal process.
Best wishes for a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable Labor Day weekend.
Take care,
Sarah C. Aiello
Calendar & Upcoming Events
Student Holidays/No School--September 3 & 6
Lockdown Drill: Thursday, September 9th @ 9:15
Parent Coffee: Friday, September 10 @9:15 Virtual Link will be sent
Back to School Nights 6-8 PM (Virtual) More Information to Come
Pre-K- 2 September 28
Grade 3-6 September 30
Please see the 2021-22 School Year Calendar at this link: 2021-22 School Calendar
Health Room & Safety Updates
Greetings from your school health room!
Our goal is to ensure that your student enjoys a safe and healthy school year while balancing the COVID-19 pandemic mitigation strategies. To help us achieve our goal, please read the following information carefully:
To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at school, FCPS has developed the Health and Safety Guidance Document for 2021-22 | Fairfax County Public Schools (fcps.edu) for all school staff, parents/guardians, and students to follow. Please pay special attention to the following guidelines from this document:
- Have your student wear a properly fitted face mask when he/she comes to school unless your student is exempted from wearing face mask. See Types of Masks (fcps.edu) and How to Put On and Take Off a Face Covering-Student Procedures
- Encourage your student to wash hands often and always cover coughs and sneezes.
- You are required to complete the Daily Health Screening Questionnaire prior to sending your student to school each morning. The required screening must be completed for all school-aged children in the household. Any student demonstrating symptoms of illness should stay home to help “Stop the Spread” of COVID-19.
- Students demonstrating any of the following COVID-like symptoms will be sent home from school: Fever (100.4 or greater) - Chills – Cough – Shortness of breath – Loss of taste/smell – Sore throat – Fatigue – Muscle aches – Runny Nose/Congestion – Stomachache – Diarrhea – Nausea/Vomiting – Headaches. You will be notified to pick up student within one hour and a SICK STUDENT NOTIFICATION and RETURN to SCHOOL FORM will be sent home. In order to return to school, you must have the form completed by a health care provider and provide the completed form to the school.
- Students who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, may not return until:
o It has been at least ten (10) days since your student first had symptoms AND
o Your student has had no fever without anti-fever medicines (ex: Tylenol, Ibuprofen) for 24 hours AND
o Your student’s symptoms are getting better
- If someone in the household has been diagnosed with COVID-19, or the student is exposed, the student must remain home for 14 days after their last exposure to the household member.
If you have any questions regarding the above guidelines from FCPS, please contact your school administers.
Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in helping to make this a safe and healthy school year for all FCPS students. If you have any questions regarding the health room services, please feel free to contact either your School Health Aide, Nasia Ashkir, at 703-925-8310 or your school Public Health Nurse, Minjung Ellenburg, RN via mellenburg@fcps.edu.
Mitigating Strategies
FCPS and Hutchison are continuing to use the following layered prevention strategies to keep schools safe places for all students to learn: masks, vaccination, screening for sickness, cleaning and disinfecting, hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, ventilation and contact tracing and quarantining. The most up to date information from FCPS about the Return to School can be found here: https://www.fcps.edu/returntoschool including detailed answers to many FAQs.
For the 2021-22 school year, FCPS will not be using county metrics or transmission rates to adjust operating status. All decisions regarding closure of schools will be made at the direction of the county and state health officials and/or an Executive Order.
FCPS has plans in place to ensure continuity of learning in the event health authorities require a temporary closure to protect the health of students, staff, and the community. To access the Protocols for Potential Temporary COVID-19 Closure click here.
Testing Update: I-Ready
All students in grades 1-6 will participate in The iReady screening assessments for both Reading and Math. This testing will occur during the month of September. Your child's teacher will communicate the exact date of testing. More information regarding these assessments can be found: https://www.fcps.edu/node/36613. Please contact Mrs. Wendy West, at wjwest@fcps.edu. (School Testing Coordinator) if you have any questions or concerns.
More information regarding the various assessments throughout the year and dates will be coming in the next few weeks.
Bus Transportation
Many of our students will be riding the school bus. Bus stops and route information were sent to families via the ParentVue accounts on August 10. If you are not new to FCPS, but never activated your ParentVue account, please refer to this link for more information. All staff and students riding a bus will be required to wear a mask. For more information about bus transportation, including how to access the Bus Delay Notification System, visit the Transportation page. Remember to arrive at the bus stop a few minutes early in the morning. Please notify the office of morning and/or afternoon childcare arrangements as soon as possible.
Student Laptops
Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grades: Students will be assigned a device that stays in school. If devices are needed for schoolwork or projects, or in the event of an extended absence or temporary closure, devices will be sent home with students so they can continue to participate in their classwork.
Grades 3 - 6: Students will be issued an FCPS device for school use. Your child will take their device home with them each day, and should come to school each day with their device fully charged. We plan to distribute computers the second week of school after families have reviewed "Laptop Use Agreement" form.
Schoology
Students, families, and staff throughout FCPS and in our school community will use Schoology (pronounced /SKOO-luh-jee/) as our learning management system.
Here is what you need to know now:
Students use their regular FCPS login information to login. Student resources for Schoology:
https://www.fcps.edu/schoology/students Safety Drills During the School Year
Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for all of us. 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 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. Our first lockdown drill will be on September 9, 2021.
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. Here are some helpful tips for families to use to support their students before and after school lockdown drills.
Working together, we create a safe, secure environment for students to learn and grow in our schools.
Beginning Of Year Forms
Complete Emergency Care Card now Electronically in WeCare
In ParentVUE, on August 19th, you can access the weCare module to update emergency care information and health information. Each school year parents need to verify the information in weCare for each student. We are required to have this completed at the start of each school year to meet regulations. Forms are due by August 23, 2021.
ParentVUE Access for New Families: We will work with new families this week to ensure ParentVUE access. Contact Donna Espinales in our front office if you need assistance obtaining a ParentVUE account.
Other Beginning of the Year Forms
You may drop off or send in Tuesday folder all other forms, including opt-out forms, in the school office, submit electronically, or send via email to Donna Espinales: despinales@fcps.edu.
Registration for the 2021-22 School Year
Point of Contact: Donna Espinales
We are looking forward to the next school year. Classes begin on Monday, August 23rd.
If you need to register your child for school, kindergarten through Grade 6, Donna Espinales, Hutchison Elementary registrar, will assist you. The registration forms are available in the school office or on-line: https://www.fcps.edu/registration. Please complete the form and bring them to the office with your child’s original birth certificate and proof of residence. Please call Donna Espinales at 703-925-8300 with any questions.
Mental Health Resources: 24/7 Emergency Numbers
CrisisLink Regional Hotline 703-527-4077
CrisisText Text NEEDHELP to 85511
Dominion Hospital Emergency 703-538-2872
INOVA Emergency 703-289-7560
Mobile Crisis Unit 703-573-5679
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK 1-800-SUICIDE
Merrifield Center Emergency 703-573-5679 TTY dial 711
Life-Threatening 911
