BOBCAT BULLETIN
Back to School
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear Families,
We have settled into the new school year and are off to a great start! As we welcome fall and look forward to the weeks ahead, I want to share some exciting things happening at Aldie Elementary.
This month we will recognize Patriot Day on Friday, September 9th with a special outdoor ceremony, weather permitting. Families are invited to join us at 7:30 am as we gather around the flagpole to honor local first responders. See below for more information.
We will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, 2022. This is a time to highlight and celebrate the history, culture and contributions of Hispanic Americans. The Wake Up Aldie show will include special segments reported by our students to celebrate Hispanic Americans. The show is linked on our website each day, and we invite families to enjoy the special segments during Hispanic Heritage Month.
As we settle into the new year, we are helping students reconnect and adjust to school routines with Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS). We begin each day with a 30-minute SEL lesson that helps students develop positive mindsets, manage emotions, set and achieve goals, and develop healthy relationships. We are reteaching school wide expectations and agreements through the PBIS program. All members of the Aldie Elementary community are learning what it means to be ready for learning, responsible for our actions and respectful citizens. Look for SEL highlights in the newsletter each month.
October is Digital Citizenship Awareness month and students continue to learn how to be safe when using digital tools and when navigating the Internet. Please take a moment to complete the Software Permission Click sent by email and linked on our website under Quick Links. Each student in grades K-5 must have parent permission to use software listed on the permission form. This is one more way we are working to keep kids safe at Aldie Elementary School!
Sincerely,
Tracy Stephens, Principal
FALL PICTURE DAY
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 is Fall Picture Day! All students will be photographed on picture day. Photos will be used for student records, LCPS student identification cards, and the school yearbook. Parents may purchase school photos using the order form sent via backpack or online. Click here for a printable Picture Order Form.
November 10, 2022 is picture make-up day for students who arabsent on picture day, or if retakes are requested.
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
Join us for Back to School Night on Thursday, September 8, 2022 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. This event is in person and is for parents and guardians only. The evening will begin with a short welcome from Principal Stephens about the new year. Meet the PTA President and Board members, and welcome back the amazing Aldie staff. We'll introduce new members of the Aldie Elementary instructional team and will welcome new families to the Aldie community. Parents will have the opportunity to visit classrooms during two 35 minute sessions. Back to School Night is an opportunity to learn about the curriculum, teacher expectations, report cards and grading, supporting your child's learning, and much more. Display tables and information booths will be set-up in the Grande Hall.
PATRIOT DAY
Each year Aldie Elementary School students, families and staff honor first responders in our community on Patriot Day. It has become tradition for the Aldie Volunteer Fire Fighters to be a part of this celebration and to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001. Families are invited to join us for a special outdoor ceremony on Friday, September 9, 2022, weather permitting. The ceremony will begin at 7:30 am as we gather around the flagpole to honor local first responders. Students will raise the flag, say the Pledge of Allegiance, and present a musical tribute to first responders. If you or a family member are a first responder (firefighter, law enforcement, paramedic, EMT, or other individual who responds to emergency situations), please join us and RSVP to Mrs. Stephens by September 8, 2022 so that we may recognize and honor your service.
REPORTING STUDENT ABSENCES
LCPS schools will be using ParentVUE as our primary tool for families to communicate student absences, tardies, and early dismissals to our school. You will find the Report Attendance option in both the mobile app and web version for all your children. Note that this function only reports attendance to the front office. Teachers will not see the notes submitted through this process.
Additionally, parents can opt-in or out of push notifications and emails for attendance. Click here for ParentVUE tutorials and video support.
SIGN UP FOR LUNCH VISITS
Lunch visits will begin September 12, 2022. We welcome parents and grandparents to join students for lunch at their regularly scheduled lunch time. Sign-up is required due to limited seating. We can accommodate up to three familes each lunch period. Click below to reserve a table. Check in at the school office upon arrival. Guests may purchase school lunch using your student's lunch account.
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE A TABLE
LUNCH SCHEDULE
K-2: 10:40 to 11:10
3-5: 11:10 to 11:40
DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OVERVIEW
VIRGINIA KINDERGARTEN READINESS PROGRAM (VKRP)
This assesses kindergarten students’ math and social/emotional readiness for kindergarten. The VKRP will be administered to kindergarten students AUG 29-SEP 23.
PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS LITERACY SCREENING (PALS)
The PALS asssment measures knowledge of important literacy fundamentals of students in grades K-3. PALS is used as a diagnostic tool to guide reading instruction. PALS will be administered to students in grades 1-3 SEP 6-SEP 30 and to kindergarten students OCT 3-OCT 28.
DEVELOPMENTAL READING ASSESSMENT (DRA-3)
The DRA is used to determine a student's instructional level in reading through use of leveled texts, running record and guided comprehension questions. Students and teachers use this assessment to form small groups and for student goal-setting. The DRA is administered to students at the end of kindergarten, in grades 1-2, and to some students in grades 3-5. The fall DRA will be administered SEP 12-OCT 14.
MEASURES OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS (MAP)
This fall, students in grades 1-5 wil take the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth test from NWEA. Students in grades 1-5 take the online MAP Growth assessment in Reading and Math three times each year to determine their instructional readiness and to provide a measure of their academic growth throughout the school year. Note, first grade students take MAP Growth for Math, only. Schools and teachers use MAP Growth data, aligned to Virginia Standards of Learning, to support differentiated instruction, meet your child’s individual learning needs, and inform course placement decisions along with other related data. Students will take the MAP Growth test again in the winter and spring. In ParentVUE, you can now see your child’s national percentile rank. For more information about the MAP Growth test, visit: NWEA.org/Parent-Toolkit or contact your child’s teacher. Contact the school Testing Coordinator if you have questions about the LCPS diagnostic assessment program. MAP testing will be completed AUG 29-SEP 23.
VIRGINIA GROWTH ASSESSMENT (VGA)
The Growth Assessments are computer adaptive tests, shorter than the Standards of Learning tests, that were developed in grades 3-8 reading and mathematics as a result of legislation passed in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly. The growth assessments consist of test items that measure the Standards of Learning, have been reviewed by Virginia teachers, tried out with Virginia students, and accepted for use on the growth assessments. Beginning 2022-2023 and beyond, legislation requires that the grades 3-8 reading and mathematics growth assessments be administered to students once in the fall and once in the winter (mid-year) during the school year. In addition to the growth assessments, the SOL tests for grade 3-8 reading and mathematics will continue to be administered. The VGA will be administered to students in grades 3-5 SEP 6-OCT 7.
SOFTWARE PERMISSION CLICK
Students at Aldie Elementary School will be using online tools to support their learning. A digital permission form is required for students to use several of these tools. Please review each of the titles, including the terms of service and privacy policies, and select whether you give permission for each.
Giving permission for your child to use a title means that some information about your child will be shared with the provider of that title for the purpose of creating the account.
In addition, by signing this form you acknowledge that these providers may collect additional information about your student through their use of the tool. For example, a math tool might collect data about your student’s math achievement. Though most services provide assurances that data is only used for educational purposes, Loudoun County Public Schools does not control the data that is being collected. For more information about how this provider uses student data, please refer to the terms of service and privacy policies provided above.
To help ensure student information is as safe as possible, teachers will take the following steps to protect students when using these online tools:
Usernames will be the same as their LCPS username whenever possible.
Accounts will be created with the least amount of personal information possible.
If possible, you will receive parent access to your student’s account (not all vendors provide this feature).
SEL PARENT RESOURCE
As part of our commitment to support children in our district with the research- and evidence-based benefits of social-emotional learning, we’ve chosen to use the Second Step® Elementary and Second Step® Middle School digital programs developed by Committee for Children. Social-emotional competencies such as self- management, social awareness, relationship skills, self-awareness, and responsible decision-making help students succeed in school and in life.
Families, caregivers, and educators all play an important role in helping children feel supported and confident in their ability to learn and grow. To ensure that you have the resources you need to understand what your child is learning at school and reinforce this learning at home, Committee for Children has partnered with our school district to extend an earlier pilot program that provides you with online access to the student curriculum and family engagement resources in the Second Step Elementary and Second Step Middle School digital programs. You will be able to access this content as an Authorized User on our district’s license for the 2022–2023 school year.
Family access allows you to view student curriculum and family engagement resources for the Second Step® Elementary and Second Step® Middle School digital programs via a unique and confidential Activation Key.
How do I activate access?
To access program materials, set up a Second Step account by visiting SecondStep.org and selecting Create Account on the right-hand side of the home page. Follow the prompts to enter an email address, password, and account details. If you have an existing account, you can use it to log in.
- When you log in to SecondStep.org, you’ll land on the My Dashboard page.
- Select the Family Access link in the right-hand panel.
- Paste your Activation Key (listed below) into the box and select the Activate button.
THE UNIQUE AND CONFIDENTIAL ACTIVATION KEY FOR ALDIE ES IS: FAM8DEAE9353
By activating access to Second Step content, you are agreeing to Committee for Children’s Terms of Use. Your page will refresh, and you’ll now have access to student curriculum and family engagement resources for the Second Step Elementary and Second Step Middle School digital programs. Please do not share this Activation Key or any resources you access from the My Dashboard page. Your access and this Activation Key, like any other password, is private and specific to our district’s license for the Second Step Elementary and Second Step Middle School digital programs. The Activation Key only enables use of this content by family members and caregivers within our district. In the event of unauthorized use or disclosure, the Activation Key may need to be replaced for all participating families in the district.
For additional support with account creation, family access activation, or technical issues, please visit the Second Step® Programs Family Support FAQs.
For questions about curriculum implementation, please reach out to your child’s teacher directly.
BUS STOP FINDER APP
Stopfinder is a secure app that parents and caregivers with accurate bus location and messages, updates and alerts in real-time. Stopfinder is the easy to use parent engagement app. Know where your child’s bus is and have the most accurate information about your child’s bus schedule in the palm of your hand. Set-up GeoAlert zones to know when your child's bus is arriving at the stop and the school. Learn more on the LCPS Stopfinder site and watch the demonstration video below.
ONLINE MEAL PAYMENT
Loudoun County Public Schools will replace MySchoolBucks with a new meal payment system, called TITAN Family Portal, for the 2022-23 school year. Similar to MySchoolBucks, this new meal payment system allows students to put money on an account to purchase school meals or other food items in our school cafeterias. Get started early and register before school starts on Thursday, August 25. It’s easy.
- Register: Register at family.titank12.com by clicking on “Sign up today!”
- Confirm Email: Confirm your email address by clicking on the email verification link sent to your email address.
- Sign In: Now you can sign in at family.titank12.com using your email and password.
Any balance left on a student’s cafeteria account from the old system will transfer to the new system automatically. Within this new meal payment system, you will be able to transfer funds between student accounts.
Allergy and food intolerance information will transfer to the new system. If there is any change to your student’s allergy and/or food intolerance information, you should enter it into ParentVue and contact Mrs. Payne.
If your student is not returning for the 2022-23 school year, please allocate the remaining funds balance on their meal payment account. You can donate or request a refund for their remaining balance by completing this form.
If you have any questions, please review our FAQs (FAQs in Spanish) or reach out to our School Nutrition Services office at CAFE@LCPS.org.
PTA NEWS
After School Activities
Sign-up is underway for fall after school activities! Sign up for Drama Club, Fitness Club, or Tennis. Click the buttons below to register. Information will also be sent in backpacks on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Space is limited and parents are encouraged to sign up soon!
Online Spirit Wear Store
Show your school spirit every Friday! Shop the PTA online spirit store where you'll find a variety of items for youth and adults. https://aldie2022.itemorder.com/. Orders are due by September 14, 2022.
Membership
Please support the PTA by becoming a member. Membership information is available below. Questions? Please contact the PTA by email at aldie.pta@gmail.com.