BEAM Update
September 14
A Message from Mr. Wright
Dear Fitzgerald Elementary Community,
We hope this letter finds you well and ready for another exciting academic year at Fannie W. Fitzgerald Elementary. As we embark on this journey together, we would like to emphasize the importance of your child's daily attendance at school.
Attending school daily is crucial for your child's academic success and overall development. We kindly request that you schedule appointments and other commitments around school breaks whenever possible, and make every effort to minimize absences. To assist you in planning, we encourage you to refer to the Prince William County Schools (PWCS) calendar, which provides a comprehensive overview of holidays and breaks throughout the year.
Our goal is for each student to attend every day or to miss no more than two days of school per month. Research has shown that missing more than 18 days of school in a year can significantly impact a student's academic performance. Regular attendance allows students to fully engage with the curriculum, participate in class discussions, collaborate with peers, and build a strong foundation of knowledge.
We would also like to highlight the purpose of coming to school. Beyond academic instruction, school provides a vital social environment where students learn important life skills, develop friendships, and engage in extracurricular activities. By attending school daily, students have the opportunity to immerse themselves fully in these experiences, fostering personal growth and a sense of belonging within the school community.
For students who struggle with chronic absenteeism, we will work closely with families to develop attendance goals and implement a plan of action to improve attendance. We believe that by partnering together, we can help these students overcome barriers and ensure they receive the support they need to succeed academically.
To promote a culture of attendance, we have organized a school spirit week September 18-22 and recognition assemblies and certificates throughout the year. These events will celebrate and recognize classes with an attendance rate of 90% or higher, as well as students who achieve perfect attendance. We encourage all students to participate and demonstrate their commitment to their education.
Lastly, we kindly request that if you need to pick up your child for early dismissal, please do so before 3:15 PM. After this time, our front office staff must focus on executing an efficient dismissal process for our 1,000 students. It becomes challenging when individuals arrive during dismissal to make changes to their child's transportation arrangements. By adhering to this request, you will greatly assist us in ensuring a smooth and orderly dismissal for all.
Thank you for partnering with us in your child's education. We value your support and commitment to their success. Together, we can create an environment where every student thrives and achieves their full potential. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our school administration.
Sincerely,
George Wright
Principal, Fitzgerald Elementary
Upcoming Events and Dates
Friday, September 15, 2023
No School-Rosh Hashanah
September 18-22
Attendance Spirit Week *See flyer below
Monday, September 25, 2023
No School-Yom Kippur
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Grades 3-5 Back to School Night- 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Grades K-2 Back to School Night- 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Monday, October 9, 2023
No School for students-Divisionwide Professional Learning Day
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 @5:30 pm
PTSO Meeting
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 @6:30 pm
Parent Advisory Meeting
Join via Zoom
Meeting ID: 896 2491 4000
Passcode: 210852
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
Fall Pictures
The calendar for the entire school year can be found here on the Division's website. Please coordinate any vacations and/or appointments around the school calendar.
Code of Behavior Assembly on September 5
7th Annual Title I Family Camp
Dear Families,
The Seventh Annual Title I Family Camp is right around the corner. The Title I program hopes you can attend this free event from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at Hampton Middle School, 14800 Darbydale Avenue, Woodbridge, VA 22193.
This will be a wonderful day of learning and sharing with other parents, school staff, and community partners!
Session topics will include:
· Reading, math, science, and social studies
· Gifted Education
· English language learners
· Career and technical education
· Mental health, managing behaviors
· Understanding vaping
· College readiness
· Community resource fair
Your children and potty-trained preschoolers are welcome to join the KidCamp and Pre-K Camp so they can learn and play while you attend sessions of your choice. This is not a “drop off” event; you must register for the FamilyCamp for your children to participate.
Please visit the Title I FamilyCamp webpage to register.
Complete the Back to School Packet for your family
Click on the Back to School picture below to ensure your scholar has up to date information!
Join the Fitzgerald PTSO- Click on the flyer to join and support our school!
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:
- Whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subjects the teacher is teaching.
- Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing has been waived.
- The baccalaureate degree major of certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree.
- Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.
At Fannie W. Fitzgerald 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 703.897.8241 and ask for the information you are interested in.
Según la ley de “Ningún Niño/a Se Quede Atrás” del 15 de Decembre del 2015, los padres de alumnos/as que asisten a las escuelas de Titulo I tienen derecho a solicitor información especifica de las maestras/os de sus hijos/as:
- Saber si la maestra/o de su hijo/a ha superado los requisitos establecidos por el Departamento de Educación para enseñar las materias que enseña.
- Saber si la maestra/o de su hijo/a está bajo licencia provisional o de emergencia o si las licencia para enseñar se le ha suspendido o ha cambiado.
- El grado de titulación de la maestra/o y las titulaciones adicionales a nivel académico o de discilpina que la maestra/o pueda tener.
- Si el alumno/a está recibiendo servicios de un paraprofessional y si es asi, de quien se trata y sus cualificaciones.
Aqui en la escuela Fannie W. Fitzgerald Elementary estamos muy orgullosos de nuestras maestras/os y de las asistentes y estamos deseosas de poder proveerles con la información que deseen de cualquiera de nuestras maestras/os. Si quisiera saber esta información, por favor llame al 703.897.8241 y le ayudaremos en lo que desee.
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.