-Soaring Falcons-
Virtually Unstoppable! April Edition
Principal's Message
Dear Falmouth Falcon Families,
As we move into the last quarter of the year, it is a great time to share upcoming events.
Wednesday, April 7th:
Mr. Kennedy and I will be hosting a LIVE Townhall Meeting to answer questions about the upcoming return to school. All students will be moving to live instruction for 4-days per week beginning Tuesday, April 20th. In preparation for that change, students will not attend school on Thursday, April 15th; Friday, April 16th and Monday, April 19 will be asychronous days for students. The LIVE Townhall Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 7th at 6:30 p.m. We will also record the Townhall for those families who cannot attend. The recording will be published on our website by Friday, April 9th.
LIVE TOWNHALL MEETING CODE: meet.google.com/kbu-wdjn-vyz
You can also listen to the meeting by dialing 1-505-702-8349
and using the Pin#: 544 690 180
Friday, April 23rd:
On Friday, April 23rd, the FES Staff will be hosting our SECOND Family Trivia Night. Our FIRST Family Trivia Night was so popular and we had so much fun that we decided to do it again. Keep in mind that it is important that all interested families join us at 6:00 p.m. due to gameplay starting at 6:05 p.m. We will share more information as we get closer to the date.
FES SECOND Family Trivia Night Code: meet.google.com/hry-rvwf-hfq
Thursday, May 6th:
FES Staff in coordination with our PTO will be hosting a Papa John’s Staff Delivery Spirit Night. Be on the lookout for more information to come!
May 3rd through June 16th:
All 3rd-5th grade students are encouraged to participate in SOLs. Students who are attending face-to-face will complete SOLs within their Tuesday-Friday school day. Students who are completing instruction on-line will be requested to come into the building on 1-3 Mondays to complete SOLs. Transportation will be available for those students who will be taking SOLs on Mondays. We ask that families with 3rd-5th grade students participating in face-to-face instruction avoid planning appointments, etc. on Tuesdays through Fridays between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. during the testing window. Additionally, we ask that families with 3rd-5th grade students participating in online instruction avoid planning appointments, etc. on Mondays between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. during the testing window.
Thank you again for sharing your child(ren) with us each day!
Sincerely,
Dr. JP - Dr. Sallie Johnakin-Putnam
Principal
Important dates coming up
April 14 - Group B hybrid students attend in person
April 15 - Teacher Professional Day/No school for Students
April 16 - Teacher Professional Day/Asynchronous learning day for Students
April 20 - 4 day/In-person learning begins
Virginia Readers' Choice books list
Checking Out Library books
***SAVE THE DATE for School Pictures***
Wednesday, April 7th - ALL HYBRID A STUDENTS
Thursday, April 8th - ALL HYBRID B STUDENTS
Monday, April 12th - ALL VIRTUAL STUDENTS
Families can click here to visit the website for more information and to read about Lifetouch's Picture Day Safety Protocols.
Free Tax Services
If you made $80,000 or less in 2020 you can file your taxes for free through the Rappahannock United Way Free Tax Program!
Community Giveaway at Mt. Olive Baptist Church
The Jenkins Donelson Foundation will host a community giveaway for local families in need on Saturday, April 24th between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at Mt. Olive Baptist Church. Families can pick up everyday essentials, household goods, clothing, and more.
***News from the Clinic***
News from the Art Room
This year’s Fine Arts Festival is shifting to a virtual format with the opportunity for showcasing, exploring, and learning. Visit this site for links to each school's virtual art exhibit, performances, workshops, masterclasses, contests & activities. “Explore the Arts in SCPS” Google Site
Also, here's the link to last year's FES Art Show: Inside Out
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1W-TvraHgMmozzBfuCYNTev2Jbsjg04AC4RFhVOlFCdU/edit?usp=sharingPE News
We have to start out with our final Kids Heart Challenge update. Falmouth Elementary has broken all school records this year with raising money for the American Heart Association(AHA) and we want to thank every student as well as their families and friends for making this year an unprecedented success! Overall, our community has donated $11,460 which all goes to the AHA to help save lives! That is more than double the highest number which was set back in the early 2000’s! Also this year, 205 students registered for the Kids Heart Challenge and 99 of those collected donations. Any students that earned thank you prizes will have to wait a couple weeks for our final gift order form to get processed and then the merchandise will be mailed to FES. From there, we will get them to hybrid students right away and arrange for a pickup later for virtual students.
We want to thank all of the students who have been very responsible by logging on to our PE Google Meets. You can always find our live PE classes by hitting the PE button on your teacher’s canvas page or by using code ”kbrown” or “emerson”. Also, don’t forget to visit our canvas pages where we have additional PE and Health lessons available.
Mr. Brown and Mr. Emerson
PE Teachers
Library Learning
April is National Poetry Month. I think of poetry as creating art with words. Grade levels will get to listen to poetry in this round of lessons and some grades will also get a chance to create poetry. Some of the poetry we will be reading or writing are rhyming, haiku, acrostic, concrete and reverso poems. Some favorite classic children's poets are Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein. I always enjoy reading Hi, Koo! by Jon J. Muth to introduce students to haiku and Marilyn Singer has a couple collections of reverso poems. Those last two authors along with Wet Cement - A Mix of Concrete Poems by Bob Raczka have showed up in VA Reader's Choice lists in recent years.
April 29 is Poem In Your Pocket Day. At Falmouth we usually have students take part by having a poem they have written or one they have read and liked on the ready. When teachers or students see each other in the hallway or in class they will often ask each other to share their poem. This practice can carry over well into the virtual world as well. You can call, video chat, or Facetime a family member or friend and share a poem. Take part on April 29!
Switching gears, April also brings us to the end of VA Reader's Choice. We have read some of the books live during Google Meet lessons, but many have been on the Canvas library page. Students in grades K-2 should listen to those read-alouds located in the "This Week's Lessons" and "Archived Lessons" buttons before voting which is also located in "This Week's Lessons." Any students in grades 3-5 who have been reading and want to vote can send me a Canvas message that includes their vote for favorite title. All voting has to be complete by the end of May.
Keep on reading!
Mr. Ward
Counselors' Corner
Reading Specialists
Please click here for news from the Reading Specialists.
Here's some news on Lexia usage! Click here to view.
Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Brunson, Reading Specialists
FOCUS
Students were blooming the last few weeks while presenting their independent studies. The topics ranged from recycling, dolphins, reptiles, video games, Ancient Rome, Greece and many more topics! I know I learned a lot and I am sure they did too! Students in 3rd-5th grade will be springing into the season of Word Masters again! Our final contest will take place in mid April. Don’t let the students fool you...they have learned many new words and how to tackle analogies! Keep up the good work.
ITRT News
Hello again FES families,
Common Sense Media has a great website with extensive resources for parents/families, with best practices for learning at home, keeping kids supervised and engaged, safeguarding physical and mental wellness, and much more. The Wide Open Schools Parenting Resource Page by Common Sense Media includes useful and timely information on a variety of topics such as:
age-appropriate media and book lists
resources for learning at home and homework help
guidance for understanding news coverage and helping kids to process difficult information
movement games and wellness apps
how-to Spanish language resources
Mr. Dupont, ITRT
Online Tutoring Available
Live, one-on-one online tutoring, help with homework and papers, and test prep for grades K-12 at librarypoint.org/tutor. All core subjects--math, science, English, social studies and writing, including AP. Available after school and on weekends. Watch the video for a quick overview, or click the link above to get started.
Tutor.com provides on-demand tutoring, homework help, test preparation and writing assistance for students in grades K-Adult in over 60 subjects. No appointment is necessary! You can also use their drop-off reviews, practice quizzes, video lessons, and The Princeton Review SAT/ACT Essentials for self-study, 24/7.
Breakfasts and Lunches
Submission of this form will permanently stop breakfast/or lunch/or bagged meals from being provided. If you wish to make changes once you have opted out please contact 540-654-9040
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwewaBwrOs7UC0BlN08LD9ziIs3_moTGzppL3mPrupAtfd6g/viewform
Falmouth Elementary School
Email: beasleyks@staffordschools.net
Website: https://www.staffordschools.net/Domain/11
Location: 1000 Forbes St, Falmouth, VA 22045
Phone: (540) 373-7458
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FalmouthElementarySchool/
Twitter: @schoolfalmouth