Soaring Falcons
September Edition 2019
Falmouth Elementary
LEARN with passion
LEAD with confidence
LIVE with character
Email: fewebmaster@staffordschools.net
Website: https://www.staffordschools.net/fes
Location: 1000 Forbes St, Falmouth, VA 22405
Phone: (540) 373-7458
Twitter: @FESNVA
Principal's Greeting
Dear Families,
Welcome Back to a new school year! The staff of Falmouth Elementary is proud to serve both our students and the community through our dedication to education. We would like to welcome our new staff members, students, and families who are now proud to be called “Falmouth Falcons.” We are approaching a student body of 650 strong and are looking forward to a successful school year.
This year we will continue our focus on the mission to "Learn with passion. Lead with confidence. Live with character." We have an exceptional staff who will assist your child in achieving in various ways. The administration and staff of Falmouth Elementary School continue to be committed to providing a high-quality education resulting in academic achievement. We are committed to creating an environment where students feel they are active participants in their learning and are excited to take on new challenges daily.
We cannot take on this challenge alone, we need you, as parents, to be a part of our team and we know you will continue to support our efforts in assuring we are the BEST school in Stafford County!
Wishing you all the best,
Ms. Sallie Johnakin-Putnam
***Important Information***
Kindergarten Orientation:
Kindergarten Orientation will not be rescheduled; however, we will be posting all of the information which was intended to be shared on our website. Check the Kindergarten Grade Level link at https://www.staffordschools.net/domain/530 the week of September 9th to view the presentation. Additionally, a great deal of information has been shared through both the Kindergarten Handbook and Classroom Newsletters. Please keep in mind we will be providing the opportunity for individual conferences on Monday, October 14th. More information will be forthcoming regarding conferences.
Exciting Things are Coming!
Fall Picture Day
Early Release/Holidays
September 2 - No School
September 18 - Early Release (1:10pm)
Papa John's Fundraiser
***LIBRARY NEWS***
Welcome back to school and welcome to the library. Below is some background information about our library:
Grades K-1 can check out 1 book at a time and grades 2-5 can check out 2 books at a time.
Students come once a week for a 45 minute library lesson; however, students can also come during the morning or at times throughout the day to return and check out books at their teacher’s discretion.
Our online catalog, along with other useful links, can be found at the library’s webpage.
Lessons consist of read-alouds, information literacy activities, and various other activities that support the general education curriculum and reading.
Our makerspace is open in the mornings before the bell rings and is also used for certain library lessons.
Our school participates in The Virginia Reader’s Choice Reading Program. More information and this year’s titles can be found through the link at our website.
Your child can access The World Book Online Encyclopedia website at home (worldbookonline.com) by using “falmouth1” for the log-in and “falcons” for the password.
If you ever have a question or concern please feel free to contact me by calling school or sending an e-mail to wardjd@staffordschools.net. I hope everyone is having a great start to the year and is ready to read.
Mr. Ward
***MATH NEWS***
Geometry is all around us.
Most adults think math is only about numbers. Actually, it’s about so much more. One amazing area of math is geometry. It is the study of shapes. Shapes are found all around us in nature and our communities. Kindergarten classes began studying geometry in August. The students were introduced to basic shapes and properties. We will build on the geometric concepts through all of elementary school. Did you know that all squares are rectangles? Yes, all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares. Pretty tricky stuff for elementary school. Did you know that in geometry there is no shape called a diamond? In geometry, the shape you know as a diamond is just a square that is turned on its vertex (or corner). Do you know that squares have many different names? A square can be classified as: polygon, rectangle, parallelogram, a rhombus, a quadrilateral and a quadrangle. Knowing all the names for a square is a fifth grade standard. Geometric shapes can be found all around us. Take a shape walk to find out what your child knows. You might be surprised.
Ms. Smetts
***Art News***
Students & Staff are invited to wear dots, circles, and all things artsy on Monday, September 16 to celebrate International Dot Day!
All grade levels are working on projects inspired by Peter Reynolds’ bestselling book, The Dot. On Monday, September 16, we will join millions of students and artists around the world celebrating Dot Day. Watch for our Dot exhibit throughout the school, coming soon!
Check our Art Room webpage for links to The Dot read-alouds, The Dot Song by Emily Arrow, free Quivar app, and more!
Mrs. Clark
***PE NEWS***
Welcome back Falmouth Falcon Students and families to another school year! We want to extend a special welcome to all of our new students and families who are either new to the area or might be coming to us from Ferry Farm. Another special welcome is due to Mr. Brown who was recently hired to replace Miss Pfahler.
Our younger students, (K - 2nd) have spent the first 3 weeks working on personal space, body control, and locomotor skills. Soon we will spend some time working on throwing and catching and also explore all the things that we can do with a hula hoop.
Since the temperatures have been so high early on, we are starting the year with some fitness activities and fitness testing. This unit can be done inside when the heat index gets too high to go out. After Labor Day, we will jump (maybe kick?) into our soccer and football units.
All classes from 1st to 5th will begin Run for Fun when things cool down a little bit. We will then run once a week starting with 5 minutes and working our way up to 10 minutes. Our goal is for every student to show personal improvement.
We know that it is early in the year and it is warm outside, but we still want our students to be able to safely participate in class. That is why it is very important for students to wear sneakers or tennis shoes. Dress shoes, sandals, crocs, boots, or any type of footwear where your child’s foot is not covered is not safe. Please take note of the days your child has PE and make sure they are wearing safe shoes.
One more new thing besides an early start and Mr. Brown is that Field day will be in the fall, October 18th to be exact. For anyone that has volunteered in the past, we would love to have you help again if your schedule permits. More information will come out as the year progresses.
Mr. Emerson (Mr. E)
Mr. Brown
***Counselors' Corner***
Hello Falmouth Families,
As we begin another exciting school year of learning and growing, we hope your student/s have settled into their new classrooms and are off to a great start. As School Counselors, we are here to help students through the wonderful, and sometimes challenging, elementary school years.
Many of you know Falmouth is a terrific school, but that doesn’t mean that challenges and difficulties won’t pop up. Counselors are here to help students and families with those problematic situations.
The Professional School Counseling program at Falmouth is based on the American School Counseling Association Model and Stafford County Public Schools Standards. It includes a variety of components described below:
Classroom Guidance sessions will be conducted monthly. The guidance curriculum for each class will include a multitude of topics including: respect, responsibility, friendship, conflict resolution and bullying, to name a few.
Small Group Counseling will start in October. We will offer groups on a variety of topics including: social skills, friendship, study skills, changing families and anger. All groups are formed to meet the needs of the students. Any staff member or parent can refer a student who they feel could benefit from small group counseling. Written permission from parents / guardians will be needed for students to join any group.
Individual Counseling in the elementary school setting is on a short-term basis, meaning a student will be seen 4-6 times depending on the need and circumstances. If the student is experiencing a problem and wishes to speak to a School Counselor, they can fill out a self-referral form which is available in each classroom. In addition, administrators, teachers and parents can also refer students for counseling.
Please don’t hesitate to call Mrs. Brown or Mrs. Crane if you need any assistance, have a question or simply would like to stop in to say hello. We are truly delighted to have the opportunity to serve Falmouth students and families.
Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Crane
***Lost and Found***
*** Important Reminders from The Front Office ***
Student Dismissal
Reporting a Student's Absence
To assist the office staff, please be sure to call the office number to report your child's absence at (540) 373-7458 prior to 9:30am. If you would like to complete the Report An Absence form online, YOU MAY CLICK HERE
Lost and Found
Please take a moment to label all items including lunchboxes and jackets for your children. It will assist us in returning lost items to the proper students instead of filling our Lost and Found.