-Soaring Falcons-
October 2021 Edition
Principal's Message
Dear Falmouth Falcon Families,
October will be an exciting month at Falmouth Elementary! This month we will begin recognizing those students who go above and beyond exhibiting the characteristics of Fairness and Responsibility as a part of our Student of the Month Program; we will host our Fall Family Conferences; we will host our One School, One Book Reading Event; students and staff will take part in our first SPIRIT WEEK of the school year and students will be able to participate in the Scholastic Book Fair. All of these are signs of a return to traditional events. It is encouraging that we are able to provide opportunities to engage families in a variety of activities while continuing to adhere to the mitigation practices outlined by the school system.
I want to remind all families of the importance of the Fall Family Conference opportunity. Conferences provide an opportunity to discuss a student's progress in-depth. It is a great way to learn how to be more involved in your child's education, academic goals, and learn more about the strategies and support being used to help your child reach those goals. During the month of October, Falmouth Elementary School will begin the implementation of Response to Intervention. The goal of Response to Intervention is to support struggling students early on in the learning process and provide them with the support they need to be successful at the skill level. We have been busy training staff members on a variety of interventions and programs to utilize with students and will be implementing those strategies during the beginning of October. Those families with students who are going to be receiving those interventions will receive notification prior to interventions beginning.
Again, we are excited about the upcoming month and are so appreciative for all the support our families and community continue to show our educators!
Happy Fall All!
Dr. Burch (Formerly Dr. Johnakin-Putnam)
Virtual Principal's Coffee
Each month, Falmouth Elementary School will hold a VIRTUAL principal's coffee for our family community. Our goal is to take a half-hour to facilitate connections and conversations that help us work together to support Falmouth students in their learning and growth. There will be a theme each month to combine our efforts to help our students thrive at home and at school.
The theme for October is Title 1 Programing and Funding. Title 1 is a federal program that provides financial assistance to districts and schools with a significant percentage of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. Join me on Thursday, October 7th at 10:30 a.m. to learn more about Title 1.
*** Important Dates ***
October 7 - 10:30am. "Principal's Coffee" Virtual Meet with Families
October 11 - Professional day/No school for studentsOctober 14 - Hawaiian Day - Wear a Hawaiian Shirt
October 18-22 - Bookfair
October 20 - Unity Day - Wear Orange
October 20 - Literacy Night
October 21 - Salad Dressing Day - See Falmouth "Theme" Days above
October 25-29 - Spirit Week
November 2 - Election Day/No school
November 4 - Falmouth Rocks Day - Dress like a Rock Star
November 11 - Veterans' Day/No school
November 18 - Super Hero Day - Dress like a Super Hero
November 24, 25, 26 - Thanksgiving Break/No school
December 20-31 - Winter Break/No school
January 3 - Professional Day/No school for students
January 17 - MLK Jr. Day/No school
February 21 - Presidents' Day/No school
March 11 - Professional Day/No school for Students
March 14-18 - Spring Break/No school
April 18 - Holiday/No school
May 25 - Early Release - All grades/Last day of school
PE News
Library Learning
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming Oct. 18-22 and will be open during school all week. Your student can shop during their scheduled library class time. More information and the book fair flyer will go home the week before the fair. The link below will give you a sneak peek at some of the titles:
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/falmouthelementaryschool
Also, we have begun VA Reader’s Choice for this year which is our school’s big reading program. I will read all ten primary titles to classes in grades K-2 and then we vote for our favorite book when finished. Students do this across the state. Students in grades 3-5 choose to take part and can earn a vote and other incentives which we have gone over in class. More information on this year’s books are at:
https://www.vsra.org/virginia-readers-choice-program
Mr. Ward, Librarian
Math Specialist
As we start the beginning of a very different school year, it is more important than ever that parents and teachers partner together to have the best learning experience for their children. One way to partner with the teacher is signing up for the dreambox parent portal. You will receive information concerning your child’s progress. When you sign up, you will have access to the Family Insight Dashboard. The Family Insight Dashboard allows parents and guardians to monitor their student's learning trends, gaps and growth.
Click on the link below to read more about what you will have access to when you sign up for the parent portal.
https://support.dreambox.com/s/article/Understanding-the-Family-Insight-Dashboard
Here is the information to create a parent portal:
Spanish Dreambox family letter
If you have any questions, please contact:
Elaine Smetts at smettsew@staffordschools.net
Counselors' Corner
Reading Specialist
Art Room News
Kindergarten and First grade have been learning about the magic of the dot in preparation for International Dot Day on September 15th. We also looked at how we can use our basic shapes to make an awesome fish aquarium. We are closing out the month by launching into painting with the introduction of the magic of a paintbrush, colored construction paper and just a little bit of water. Students have overall had a fun-filled month with various explorations in the art room.
Second and Third grade has been working hard this month being City Planners as we have been exploring the different ways we can see a city. They learned about Piet Mondrian and his Broadway Boogie Woogie art which was a huge hit and are now working on designing their own city skylines.
Fourth and Fifth graders have been focused all month on an introduction to Pointillism. They have learned about a number of artists who are known for this type of art and have been working diligently to produce their own pointillism artwork.
Mrs. Holliday
ITRT News
Hello FES Families,
Google Meet is a popular and secure video-communication service application developed by Google. This is the platform we have been using for synchronous (live) learning sessions. Like other Google products, Meet is continually changing and improving based on user feedback. With this in mind, I wanted to share a few resources that I hope will help families continue to get more comfortable with this application. A list of previously shared technology support links for students and families, including login directions, can be accessed here.
Resources:
Mr. Dupont, FES ITRT
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