Chris Yung Elementary
FULL STEAM AHEAD
September
Principal: Kathy Notyce
Assistant Principal: Ann Quattrone
Mission: Working collaboratively to achieve success.
Vision: A World Class school committed to excellence.
Principal's Message
Dear Chris Yung Families,
On behalf of the Chris Yung staff, I thank you for the wonderful first two weeks of school. It has been a joy to welcome nearly 99% of our STEAM Engines to school! I know the staff joins me in sharing how wonderful it is to see their smiling faces and the excitement in their eyes each day. I’ve been able to greet our virtual students as well and look forward to supporting them as well. The students are doing a great job learning the expectations in school and on the bus. During the past weeks, a lot of time was spent building safe and positive classroom communities and modeling daily routines.
Due to COVID, we face another year with challenges yet, there are many opportunities that we’ll embrace to ensure that our students are provided high quality instruction and means to support their social, emotional, and mental health needs. Accordingly, we will continue to build upon the strong mission and vision of our school. Ultimately, the location of your child’s learning will not determine their success. Instead, it will be determined by the effectiveness of the daily in person and virtual instruction they receive along with their availability for learning each day. I’m extremely proud of the staff for their commitment to build positive relationships with our children and ensuring their academic success. Finally, your involvement with our school is critical to your child’s success. Frequent communication with the teacher and staying abreast of what’s happening in the classroom is strongly encouraged. A reminder that grades will be posted in the HUB weekly, additionally, look for assignments and graded work to come home on Fridays.
Important Dates to Remember
Sept. 3: No School
Sept. 6: Labor Day, No School
Sept. 7: Rosh Hashanah Day, No School
Sept.16: Yom Kippur Day, No School
Sept. 21: International Peace Day
Advisory Council Meeting @ 6:30 & PTO Meeting @ 7:00
Oct. 5: Back to School Night: Kinder, First & Second Grades @ 6:30
Oct. 7: Back to School Night: Third, Fourth & Fifth Grades @ 6:30
Upcoming Assessments
The following Assessments will be administered starting next week to get a baseline for our students’ Reading and Math levels:
- PAL’s: All students K-3 will take the PAL’s assessment. This is a phonological state mandated assessment that will help us plan appropriate reading and writing for your child.
- Virginia Growth Assessment: The reading and math components of this assessment will be given to students in grades 3rd through 5th. The purpose of the tests is to establish baseline data for our students. There is no pass or fail score and it does not impact accreditation. We will receive a Student Detail by Question Report for each student and the information will be used to plan instruction, interventions, and acceleration groups that will support the diverse learning needs of our students.
The full implementation of the Virginia Standards and the Prince William County Curriculum will continue to ensure high levels of learning.
Back to School Nights: October 5th & 7th
You are invited to attend our “Back to School Nights” which are held on the following days at 6:30: October 5: Kindergarten through second grades and October 7: Third through fifth grades. All parents are highly encouraged to take advantage of these meetings to get an overview of the educational programs, grading system, expectations, etc. for the school year.
School Hours
School Hours are 9:15 to 4:00 Monday through Friday. Students may arrive on campus at 9:10. Please do not drop your child off before 9:10. A student is considered tardy if they arrive after 9:20. If your child arrives after 9:20, you must come into the office to sign them in. Students will be given a tardy pass to go to their classroom.
School Office Hours are 8:00-4:30 Monday through Friday. Please remember to send an email indicating why your child is absent to both Vicki Corder @ cordervs@pwcs.edu and Maria Marmol @ marmolmm@pwcs.edu.
Emergency Cards and Annual Acknowledgements and Consents Now Electronic
The New School Year Packet refers to the process at the beginning of the school year, where parents can review emergency cards and contact information for their students and complete any annual policy reviews and acknowledgements, including receipt of information about the Code of Behavior, legal responsibilities as a parent under Virginia Code §22 1-279.3, attendance, and release of student directory information.
In past years, our schools have sent home a “first day packet” with the Emergency Cards and required forms to be completed. This year, we will be providing the information virtually, via the New School Year Packet, now available in ParentVUE.
It is extremely important that all families complete the Return to Learn Packet prior as soon as possible. The information you provide will allow school staff to have the most up-to-date contact information and ensure the safety of your student this school year.
Prior to completing this packet, please review the Attendance and Code of Behaviors tabs. You will be asked to acknowledge you have read these policies and documents in the online New School Year Packet.
If you have not already submitted your packet, please do so by September 8.
Free Breakfast & Lunch for all Students
Grab & Go Breakfast is available for all students. They should enter Door 1 to go to the cafeteria and pick up a breakfast to eat in the classroom. Due to severe allergies in some classes, some students eat breakfast in the cafeteria. In such cases, students have an assigned table and seat.
Lunch: All students wear a mask into the cafeteria and keep it on until they are seated. After eating lunch, students put their mask back on for duration of their lunch time.
You can access The PWCS Menus here or sign up to receive the monthly menus emailed to you here.
Password Reset
Looking to reset your child's password? You can do it yourself! You can click on the "Password Reset" quick link on the Chris Yung webpage, in the MyPWCS mobile app or by going to Password Self-Service page.
STEAM Corner
We are continuing to move FULL STEAM AHEAD at Chris Yung for the 2021-2022 school year! For those of you new to Chris Yung, I am Kaitlin Chidester, the STEAM Coach here at Chris Yung. As a Virginia Tech Engineer turned teacher, my hope is to inspire our next generation of learners to creatively think about the world around them with an inquisitive eye.
STEAM will take place within your students’ classroom this year as we return to building and creating in a hands-on setting. I will be working to support our staff on the implementation of STEAM units that correlate with their curriculum, co-teaching lessons and supporting STEAM throughout the building.
Students will be asked to work through the engineering design process as they solve real-world problems. The engineering design process consists of ASKING a question, IMAGINING a solution, making a PLAN, CREATING a model, TESTING that model, and IMPROVING the solution. Our hope is that through this process students become future ready learners as they develop skills related to creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and citizenship. These skills are outlined by the state of Virginia as the Profile of a Virginia Graduate. You can learn more here: http://www.virginiaisforlearners.virginia.gov/media-library/ The graphic below best demonstrates the role of STEAM at Chris Yung. It is the engine that moves our learners forward, with the engineering design process as the wheels and the skills related to the Profile of a Virginia Graduate as an output.
We are looking forward to another wonderful year of STEAM at Chris Yung with more parent information sessions, whole school STEAM events and computer science education nights. Please reach out with questions or comments through dojo or email (chideskw@pwcs.edu).
Kaitlin Chidester
CYES STEAM Coach
Technology Corner
Nikki Jones
Instructional Technology Coach
Literacy Corner
Welcome back to school! We are so glad to have most of our students back in person with us 5 days a week reading and writing! We are revisiting reading stamina, and we encourage you to practice and support this at home as your students read daily. Ensure a comfortable, quiet, interruption free area for reading at home each day! We will be assessing all students in grades 1-3 on the PALS assessment during the month of September and Kindergarteners during October. This is the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening students take yearly where they are assessed on their understanding of how words and letters work as well as reading fluency and comprehension. This information will support us as we set up our classrooms and begin small group instruction! We are off to a great start and can’t wait to continue learning together!
Melissa Morgan
Reading Specialist
Nurse's Corner
Help prevent the spread of COVID-19:
- Wear a mask to protect yourself and others and stop the spread of COVID-19.
- Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from others who don’t live with you.
- -Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. The more people you are in contact with, the more likely you are to be exposed to COVID-19.
- Get a COVID-19 vaccine when it’s available to you.
- Clean your hands often, either with soap and water for 20 seconds or a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean frequently touched objects and surfaces daily. If someone is sick or has tested positive for COVID-19, disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
- Monitor your health daily. STAY AT HOME WHEN YOU ARE SICK.
Mrs. Vicki Shipley
School Nurse
Counselor's Corner
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. We are excited to continue our work on mindfulness this year and believe it will serve as a strong foundation for our CYES family. By incorporating mindfulness into our daily routines and classroom guidance lessons, we hope to improve students’ self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. In turn, we are hoping to foster a kind, caring, and calm community. Mindfulness can be especially beneficial in helping children cope, which is another reason we feel it’s so important. We will continue to encourage the practice of pausing for a mindful moment each morning, which is a wonderful, peaceful way to begin the day together. If you would like to implement mindfulness practice at home, please reach out to the counseling team for some family-friendly ideas.
Small Group Counseling
During the month of September, we will begin small groups that focus on social skills, coping skills and supporting new students. The purpose of small groups is to provide a safe environment for sharing, giving and receiving feedback, practicing new skills, and increasing awareness so that students can continue to be successful in school. Small groups typically meet once a week for 30 minutes for six to eight sessions during the school day at a time that is agreeable with the teacher. If you feel that your child could benefit from small group counseling, please contact the counseling team.
Classroom Meetings
Dr. McClurg, Ms. Poore and Ms. Brown regularly visit classrooms to conduct team meetings on various topics. This month, we are visiting classrooms to establish routines and reinforce expectations. This also gives our students an opportunity to become reacquainted with the counseling team and our role at CYES.
Stay in Touch
Ms. Poore (Grades 1, 2, 3): poorepb@pwcs.edu
Dr. McClurg (Grades 3, 4, 5): mcclurlm@pwcs.edu
If you or your child would like to request a meeting or individual counseling with Dr. McClurg, you may email or complete the online Counseling Request Form.
Dr. McClurg is also on Twitter! Follow me @CYEScounselor to stay up-to-date on all things related to CYES School Counseling.
Art Corner
Chris Yung students and staff are supporting “Peace One Day” on September 21. Students in grades 2nd through 5th are creating pinwheels with a message about what they can do to make peace in our school, community, and beyond. They will plant their pinwheels while outside at recess. Student experts volunteered to make pinwheels for our kindergarten and first graders.
Be on the look out for pictures, videos, etc. of this event. We look forward to having you join us next year as we celebrate this special day.
Ms. Faith Broome
Art Teacher
Advisory Council and PTO Meeting
The first PTO and Advisory Council meetings will take place on Tuesday, September 21. The Advisory Council meeting will be at 6:30 followed by the PTO meeting at 7:00. Elections for both organizations took place last Spring and the officers are as follows: Advisory Council: Mrs. Katy ter Weele (Chairperson), Mrs. Danielle Thomas (Vice Chairperson, and the Secretarial position is vacant. PTO: Mrs. Jill Guercio (President), Mr. Kevin Molloy (Vice President), Mrs. Maria Page (Secretary), and Mrs. Heather Timothy (Treasurer). All parents are invited to attend the meetings to become familiar with the goals and plans for the school year.
Mrs. ter Weele, Advisory Council Chairperson
Mrs. Guercio, PTO President
Together We Can!
We welcome your involvement and support as we embark upon a new school year. It is a privilege to be part of the Chris Yung community and have a hand in shaping the futures of our children! We have amazing children, parents and teachers so I’m excited about the awesome things that we will accomplish this year.
Please contact me if you have questions or feedback at 571.598.3500 or by email at notycekd@pwcs.edu.
Together We Can!
Chris Yung Elementary
Email: notycekd@pwcs.edu
Website: https://chrisyunges.pwcs.edu/
Location: 12612 Fog Light Way, Bristow, VA, USA
Phone: (571) 598-3500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyeselementaryschool
Twitter: @ChrisYungES