Cedar Forest Chronicle
September 3, 2021
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Principal's Corner
What an amazing few weeks it has been! It has been so exciting to have our students back in the building, and seeing all that they have learned in our short time back in school. Thank you for your support in ensuring the safety of all our students and school community.
We have made a lot of progress with our dismissal and end of the day transportation. Here are a few reminders that can help:
- We are not able to dismiss students from the office at 3pm. If you need your child prior to dismissal, please pick them up before 3pm. We have 750 student in our building, and we want to ensure that everyone gets home safely.
- We are not able to take transportation changes over the phone. Please send a note or email in to your students teacher with any needed changes.
- We have over 100 students who use our car rider line in the afternoon. We begin to move the line at 3:25. Please help us by being attentive when the line is moving, have your number displayed in the dashboard on the drivers side, and please do not leave excessive space between you and the car in front of you.
- Bus transportation has improved significantly as we have had a few weeks to adjust to routines. Our buses leave Cedar Forest at approximately 3:50p.m. If they are delayed, we will send a communication to any impacted families.
Thank you as always for your support of our entire school community. If you have any questions or concerns at anytime, please do not hesitate to reach out to any member of our administrative team.
Warmly,
Allison Langridge
Upcoming Events for September
September 9 - Interims go home
September 10 - Attractions fundraiser ends
September 13 - School Board Meeting at 6:30p.m.
September 14 - PTO Meeting in the Library at 6:30p.m.
September 15 - Early Release at 12:30p.m.; Parent Teacher Conferences 1pm-4pm
Student Growth Assessment
Dear Families:
As the new school year begins with a welcome return to in-person learning, we are excited to see what academic skills our students retained from last year and identify what supports they need for success this year. It is important that teachers spend time collecting data so they can provide interventions to enrich student learning. Some data is collected through day-to-day informal assessments, and other data is obtained through more formal methods such as state and federal testing.
State legislation was passed in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly requiring students in grades 3-8 to take new “through-year” assessments. These assessments will measure growth in reading and math throughout the school year. More information on these assessments can be found at doe.virginia.gov/testing/test_administration/growth-assessment. Fall Growth Assessments will take place beginning the week of September 27, 2021. The assessments will help identify any unfinished learning from last year and set a benchmark for measuring growth for the current school year.
Once the testing window is closed, detailed reports on each student’s performance will be available to teachers and families. The report will show which academic standards were assessed and whether the student answered the test item correctly. Unlike the spring SOL tests, there will not be a passing or failing score on the Growth Assessment. More information will be forthcoming on how families can access these reports.
If you have any questions, please contact your student’s school testing coordinator.
Title 1
As a parent of a child whose school receives Title I funds, you have the right to know the professional qualifications of the classroom teachers instructing your child. These include:
· Whether the teacher meets the state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grades and subjects he or she teaches.
· Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or provisional status because of special circumstances.
· The teacher’s college major, whether the teacher has any advanced degrees, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree.
· Whether paraprofessionals provide services to your child and, if so, their qualifications.
If you would like to receive any of this information, please contact Crystal Foxx, in the division’s Office of Human Resources: either by phone at (540) 834-2500, or by email cfoxx@spotsylvania.k12.va.us.
ESSA Opt Out
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.
All students enrolled in Virginia public schools are expected to take the applicable state tests. The Virginia Board of Education Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia state:
“In kindergarten through eighth grade, where the administration of Virginia assessment program tests are required by the Board of Education, each student shall be expected to take the tests” and “each student in middle and secondary schools shall take all applicable end-of-course SOL tests following course instruction” (8VAC20-131-30). The Virginia regulations do not provide for what is sometimes referred to as an “opt out policy” for students regarding the Virginia assessments. If parents refuse to have their student participate in one or more of the required Virginia assessments, they should be aware that their student’s state assessment score report will reflect a score of “0” for any test that is refused.
If you have any questions or you would like to receive information about this topic, please feel free to contact me.
Service Animal
The purpose of this correspondence is to inform you that there will be a service animal on the school campus. In accordance with the Code of Virginia 51.5-44, subsection E, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) a service animal serves in the capacity of assisting a person with a disability with equal access to and participation in public settings.
To ensure the continued safety of all educational stakeholders and to maintain the instructional integrity to the educational setting at Cedar Forest Elementary, and to comply with all state and federal laws, the Office of Human Resources has verified the service animal’s vaccinations, certification for public access, and the handler’s certification to manage the service animal in a public entity.
While the service animal is present on the school campus, please adhere to the following:
· DO… observe the conduct and interaction between the person and the dog. If the dog is being attentive to his or her partner and functioning close to them, you are looking at the main characteristics of an Assistance/Service Dog.
· DO…allow the Service Animal to serve as a working partner without distraction.
· DO…speak to the person…not to the dog when greeting a Service Animal team.
· DO…understand that releasing the dog to greet you might distract the dog’s attentiveness to their partner.
· DO…ask if the dog with them is an Assistance/Service Dog. If they say yes…no further access questions are necessary.
· DON’T…distract the dog from their working position by calling, clapping, or offering food.
· DON’T…attempt to pet or touch a Service Animal.
· DON’T…be insulted if your request to pet the Service Animal is not granted.
· DON’T…automatically tell the person that there are no dogs allowed.
· DON’T…assume that the dog is not a Service Animal because the person doesn’t look disabled.
It is our desire to continue to provide positive, inclusive, and collaborative working environment for all employees in Spotsylvania County Public schools.
School Safety
Weis & Publix Partnership
House Program
Last week, we held our house kick-off event. Students participated in discussion about house character traits, and how we should wolf pride in our school.
This week, the Yellow House is in the lead! Take a moment to ask your student what house they are in, and how they show wolf pride at school!
Our Building is Open
Contact Information
Holly Boone, Assistant Principal
Email: alangridge@spotsylvania.k12.va.us
Website: https://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/CedarForest
Location: 3412 Massaponax Church Road, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Phone: (540) 834-4569
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Cedar-ForestElementary/589720827801019
Twitter: @CedarForestES