Welcome to the 2019-20 School Year
Everything YOU need to Know for 2019-2020
ParentVUE Resources
ParentVUE and StudentVUE provide access to student schedules, assignments, grades and more. Online pre-registration is also available for new or returning students.
The ParentVUE and StudentVUE mobile apps, which provide some, but not all content of the web version, are available for both Android and iOS devices. Downloadable documents are available on Mobile Apps page including a comparison of ParentVUE Web vs. Mobile App (ENG) (SPAN).
Use the links in the navigation area at the left (top on mobile) to log in. Use the buttons below to view other resources. If you haven't yet activated your account, download Quick Reference Guides to help you activate or log into your account. Read more… (En Español)
Kindergarten Orientation
When: Tuesday, August 20th
What time: 9:00 AM
Who should attend: Kindergarten Students and Parents
Where: FHR's gym
What to Bring: Immunization forms if not already in, medication with documentation if needed, school supplies, a change of clothing (clearly labeled and marked with your child's name)
Kindergarten Transportation Information
All Kindergarten students will receive 2 Kindergarten Identification Tags. Here are some key notes concerning the tags:
- One will be attached to your Kindergartener’s backpack to indicate the following information: whether the student walks, rides in a car, a daycare van, or is a passenger on the school bus.
- The remaining tag is for the parent/guardian to decide who will receive the student at the end of the day. This could be the parent/guardian, a babysitter, or a sibling escort.
- It is important that if a sibling will escort your Kindergartener home, they must keep a tag attached to their backpack for the school year.
Whoever picks up or escorts the child home at the end of the day must have a purple Kindergarten Identification Tag with the student’s ID number. Please do not remove the purple Kindergarten Identification Tag from your child’s backpack. If the tag is lost or you need additional tags, please contact the school.
Kindergarten students riding buses will be returned to the school if someone at the bus stop does not have a matching tag for the student.
Transportation Information
Open House 8/21
When: Wednesday, August 21st
What time: Anytime between 10:00 AM and 12 noon
Who should attend: Students in grades 1 to 5 and parents
Where: In your child's assigned homeroom class
What to Bring: Immunization forms if not already in, medication with documentation if needed, school supplies
Thursday, August 22nd
Friday AND Monday are HOLIDAYS
Thursday, September 5th
6:00 PM Session 2
7:00 PM PTA Meeting
Parents may attend either session.
New to PBIS for the 2019-2020 School Year
Quarterly Perfect Attendance Breakfasts
Perfect Attendance for the Year
No attendance award is worth sending a child to school sick. Very few children earn perfect attendance for a school year. When they do however, this is something our PBIS team wants to celebrate. During the 2018-2019 we had 3 students that earned perfect attendance for the school year.
I had perfect attendance!
Parents are always welcome to be a part of our PBIS team to help us with some of these tough decisions.
Health Needs/Concerns
If your child has a health concern, please call our Health Office Specialist, Robin Greene, at 571-252-2050.
Ms. Greene works under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN) assigned to FHR. The RN for our school is Kelly Thomas. Ms. Greene will contact Ms. Thomas if a Health Care Plan is needed for your child.
Ms. Greene will begin accepting medication in original containers with doctor’s orders on August 19th. Please call Ms. Greene if you have any questions.
PE and Recess
September is usually fairly warm and this is just a reminder that proper school attire is needed for students. Students should not wear see-through shirts or blouses, spaghetti strap blouses or shirts, short-shorts or short skirts, low-cut or revealing tops, midriff tops, flip flops, etc. to school. Please check that your child is dressing properly for school. Tennis shoes or sneakers are REQUIRED for PE classes.
The LCPS School Board Adopted Dress Code Policy may be found here - click on policy 8270 for more information.
Furtura
Eligible 4th and 5th grade students will be attending FUTURA on Mondays.
Futura students will travel by bus to Seldens Landing Elementary School.
More information on gifted services may be found here.
Shine Bright
Frances Hazel Reid PTA is the official Facebook page of our PTA.
Frances Hazel Reid Families is a closed Facebook Group that is not endorsed by or affiliated with the school.
Simply follow to join us in celebrating all the incredible things about our school.
Want to Tweet something to us? Use our handle or use #FHRES20 ~ we love to see tweets from our parents
The official account of our PTA's Twitter feed is https://twitter.com/FHRPTAravens
Welcome to the 2019 – 2020 school year! The FHR PTA is focused on partnering with our teachers, administrators, students and parents to help enable a fantastic year for all. Our vision is “Every Child, One Voice” and we are guided by the following four goals:
- Drive strong sense of one community
- Help to advance the educational foundation of FHR (STEAM related)
- Mission driven fundraising
- Build PTA membership greater than 250
We have a robust calendar filled with fun events for the year. Mark your calendars for our first fun family social – Friday, September 13th at 7:00 p.m. Freaky Friday Family Movie! For more information on our calendar of upcoming events and all PTA information throughout the year, please log onto our communication tool called FHR Communicator (PT Board) - https://fhr.ptboard.com/home This site will enable you to renew or join for the first time , keep tabs on our playground 2020 project and all events we host throughout the year.
Enjoy the last few weeks of summer.
Meet our PTA Board
Jennifer Ostyn, PTA President
Jennifer and her family have lived in River Creek for 11 years. Originally from Ohio, she met her husband George in Texas and the two have lived in numerous places over the past 20 years. Together they have 5 children, 3 that have graduated from FHR (Luke, Jane and Jay) and two current students (Lena 3rd and Tristan 1st.) This will be Jennifer's second year as President after serving three years as Corresponding Secretary for the FHR PTA and in general an active PTA member for years. Her first large assignment was taking on hosting Bingo in 2012 - a continued passion and favorite event. In her non-children time, you will find her in one of several places: playing on the tennis courts, jogging on the running path, at the airport headed to see a client, or here locally with a glass of vino in hand. Jennifer is committed to her FHR family and is looking forward to another great year - this will be her 12th and she has several more to go....
Jennifer White, Vice President ~ Educational Programs
Jennifer has lived in the Northern Virginia area for 30 years, 15 of those living in Leesburg. This will be Jennifer’s second year serving on the PTA board as Vice President of Educational Programs. Jennifer and her husband Justin have two kids, a son Jacob, 6th grade, and daughter, Emily, 2nd grade. She has volunteered at a variety of school/PTA events, helped teachers in the classroom, and has served many years as a room parent. In her free time, she enjoys shopping, attending her son’s travel baseball games, and watching her daughter cheer and dance. She is excited to once again work with a passionate team of PTA volunteers, families and school staff.
Christine Saltenberger, Vice President ~ Membership
Christine Saltenberger is a strong believer in public education. She is grateful that her family has the opportunity to attend a school that has an incredible group of parents, teachers and students that make up a community which is compassionate and kind. She is mother to Riley, 5th grade and Harper, 2nd grade. Over the past 4 years, Christine has been an active participant in the PTA. She has volunteered for many school events; book fair, teacher appreciation week and years passed, assisted in setting up Christmas wonderland. In addition to volunteering, she has chaperoned many wonderful field trips. Prior to her mom job, Christine was a Tax Accountant.
Ashley Glozer, Vice President ~ Social Programs
Ashley is in her 4th year on the PTA serving as the Vice President of Social Programs. Ashley, a current stay at home mom of 3, graduated from Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL. She worked as an Account Rep for a Public Relations company in Miami for a few years before returning to her hometown, Leesburg, in 2004 to become a Background Investigator. Ashley's children, Jaden, 5th grade, Dillon, 3rd grade and Hadley 2nd grade, look forward to many years at FHR.
Mandy Stitely, Secretary
Originally from the Pittsburgh, PA area, Mandy has lived in Northern Virginia for the past 20 years and works for a consultant company. Seven years ago, she moved from Arlington to Leesburg where she currently resides with her family: husband Scot of 9 years, Lillian (3rd grade), Logan (1st grade), and a one year old puppy (Australian Cattle Dog mix). This will be Mandy’s second year serving on the FHR PTA board. In her spare time, you’ll find her visiting local establishments, watching her kids play sports, reading, or Netflix binge-watching.
Kristi Marrone, Treasurer
Kristi has lived in Northern Virginia for 19 years, the past six of which have been in Leesburg. She is originally from Hannibal, MO. She and her husband Mike currently have two children at FHR, Juliet (3rd grade) and Ryan (Kindergarten) and two recent alums, Scarlett and Katelyn, who now attend Smarts Mill. She enjoys exercising, traveling, dining with friends and supporting her children in their many extracurricular activities. Kristi is an accountant and works at the SEC. This is her first year on the PTA Board. She is looking forward to serving the FHR community and meeting lots of new families!
FHR's School Administrative Wing of our PTA
Brenda Jochems, Principal
Originally from Jefferson, NC, Principal Jochems has lived in Metro DC since 1997. She relocated to Loudoun with her family in 2000 when her husband retired from the Marines. She has lived in Leesburg since 2004. Both of her children are LCPS graduates. When Principal Jochems is not at school, you can most likely find her walking in her neighborhood, or grocery shopping at Costco or Wegmans. Her husband, Jim, especially loves to chat with Ravens. The Jochems' want everyone to know that they do not mind when students or families want to say hello outside of school. Principal Jochems LOVES the FHR community of students, parents, staff, and business partnerships. She is looking forward to "Blasting Off into a Great Year!"
Katherina Johnson, Assistant Principal
Mrs Johnson was raised in Roanoke, VA and became a Northern Virginia girl when she went to college at George Mason and decided to stay. She moved to Loudoun in 2013 and lives in Broadlands with her husband, two daughters and puppy Tiger. She spent the first part of her career in Fairfax County schools as a special education teacher, central office administrator and assistant principal before landing in her home here at FHR. She loves the school, staff, students, parents and community and feels great joy coming to work every day. When not at school, you can find her having dance parties in her kitchen, watching superhero movies with her family and reading on her deck enjoying the quiet of outside. She can’t wait to Blast Off this year!
Matthew Cookus, Dean
This year marks Mr. Cookus’ 19th year with Loudoun County Public Schools. He taught fourth grade for 16 years at Banneker Elementary School and has served numerous times as a Summer School Principal with LCPS. Most recently, he has served as Dean of both Frances Hazel Reid Elementary and Dominion Trail Elementary Schools. When he is not at school, Mr. Cookus enjoys coaching youth soccer and attending WVU athletic events with his family. He resides in Martinsburg, WV with his wife and two children. He is thrilled to be returning to FHR and looks forward to an outstanding year with students, parents, and staff!
Staffing Updates for 2019-2020
Welcome, Pamela Anguis!
Ms. Anguis has extensive experience working with children and families. She has broad knowledge regarding community resources and is looking forward to supporting FHR Families as our Parent Liaison.
Ms. Anguis replaces Jessica Carreno who accepted a division level position.
Welcome, Morgan Nicol!
Ms. Nicol will be a new resource teacher.
"My name is Morgan Nicol and I am so excited to join the FHR team this year! I have previously been an assistant at Middleburg Community Charter School where I was in a kindergarten/first grade classroom. I love learning along side the students I work with and I am so excited to be working with the second grade team this year! When I'm not in school, I enjoy reading, exploring bookstores, hiking, and finding new delicious restaurants. I'm so excited for my first year at FHR!"
Ms. Nicol will be replacing Ms. Buckman who is relocating out of the area with her new husband. We wish Ms. Buckman all the best and hope that she will return to FHR one day!
Welcome, Jennifer Egan!
Ms. Egan will be a new first grade teacher.
"This summer my husband’s job relocated us to Leesburg from Cincinnati, OH, where I previously taught first grade for 5 years at Mercer Elementary School. I have 3 children: Max-sophomore at the University of Alabama, Kily-will be playing soccer this fall at North Central College and Finn- who is excited to start 7th grade at Smartʼs Mill. Our family is originally from Naperville, IL, a suburb of Chicago (where I taught 2nd grade). I am very excited to be teaching at Frances Hazel Reid. My favorite part of school is getting to know the students and community. I am looking forward to meeting many of you soon!"
Ms. Egan will be replacing Ms. Haislip who is leaving FHR to pursue a non-educational position with Potomac River Running. She may return to FHR in the future and we wish her all the best with her new endeavor. .
Welcome, Jennifer Gillis!
Welcome, Maria Mendoza-Sejas!
Ms. Mendoza-Sejas will be a new English Learner teacher.
"I am thrilled to join the FHR family this year! I am a native Peruvian. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Educational Psychology from the Catholic University of Peru and a Master’s degree in Bilingual Special Education from The George Washington University. I have taught English Language Learners in DC for seventeen years. I taught in a Dual language immersion program for six years before teaching at a Public Charter School for eleven years. I recently moved to Chantilly, Virginia with my 22 month-old son and joined Loudoun County Public Schools. When I am not teaching, I enjoy traveling, exercising, doing yoga, being outdoors and spending time with my family. Have a wonderful rest of your summer!"
Ms. Mendoza-Sejas will replace Ms. Loredo, who has moved to the high school level.
Team Members on the Move
Hannah Hill, English Language Teacher, is relocating to Tennessee with her husband. We wish the Hill family the very best and hope they will return to Loudon in the futre. Our very own Kelly Gottschalk, third grade teacher, is taking over the English Language teaching position vacated by Ms. Hill. Ms. Gottschalk is excited about her new role within FHR.
Mrs. Hoeffel is excited about moving from 1st grade to 2nd grade. Many of her students will be moving with her into a new classroom and new grade!
Kelly Rutherford is leaving FHR to pursue a government position very close to her home. She loves FHR but the commute was taking a toll on her family time. We will miss Ms. Rutherford and wish her all the best with her new position.
Welcome home, Julia Brittain Mott! Ms. Brittain, as our community knows her, married in the spring of 2017 and relocated to Charlotte, NC, with her husband. She is returning this summer and will join the third grade team as Ms. Mott. Ms. Mott is taking the position that Ms. Rutherford was going to fill since our fifth grade class was decreasing from six teachers to five teachers. Everyone is excited that Ms. Brittain is returning to FHR!
After serving elementary English learners for over 20 years, Sarah Loredo decided she wanted to try high school again. Ms. Loredo is going back to where she first started in LCPS, working at Loudoun County High School. Ms. Mendoza-Sejas will assume Ms. Loredo's position.
School Supply List for 2019-2020
The Educational Value of Reading Captions for YOUR Child
Did you know that children in Finland watch TV about as much as American children but have one of the highest reading levels in the world? Some say it is because almost all of the television programming the Finnish children watch is subtitled and the children must read the captions on the screen if they want to understand the programs. And they do!
As you may know, Frances Hazel Reid has the LCPS center program for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. We are committed to ensuring that these students have access to instructional materials. Numerous research studies have shown that closed captioning helps provide access, but did you know that research has also shown that the benefits of captioned television can extend to all students, and especially to those who have special needs?
Just by watching captioned TV, children who are learning to read are able to significantly improve their reading skills, people learning English can improve their language and vocabulary skills, and inexperienced readers can augment their reading abilities, and remember more of what they saw and heard. For children with learning disabilities, captioned television helps improve comprehension as well as increasing self-confidence.
We enable the closed captions on programs whenever possible in school, and ask that you, too, enable the captions on your television at home.
Most childrens' television programs and movies are closed captioned. You can simply turn on the captions by following the menu options on your remote control. Your children may resist the captions at first, but soon it will become second nature to have the words on the screen.
Book Clubs
It is important for students to read a variety of materials if they are to become successful readers. Surrounding children with books they enjoy reading helps them develop reading fluency and a love for reading. In order to help you purchase books at a reasonable cost for your child’s personal library, some teachers participate in book clubs. These clubs offer a selection of books at a reasonable cost. Participation in the club is optional; the school does not sponsor any of the book clubs and the book selections have not always been previewed. We are merely giving you the opportunity to purchase books at a reasonable cost.
The books selected by the book clubs are written by established authors of children’s literature. From time to time, however, students have purchased books that have contained language that parents found objectionable. Therefore, it is important you aid your child in the selection of his/her books. As you assist your child in the selection, please pay careful attention to the description of the books and the designated age or grade level given in the description.
If you have any questions about the books, please ask your child’s teacher.
Attendance 101 ~ We Need YOU!
One of the most important things your child can do to achieve academic success is also one of the most basic: attend school every day. In fact, research has shown that your child’s attendance record may be the biggest factor influencing his/her academic success.
We are completely aware that some appointments need to occur during the school day. When this happens, please have your child attend school before and/or after the appointment. This will not count as a day absent, which helps to achieve our annual attendance goal of 95%.
Whenever a student is absent from school, documentation is required to verify the reason for the absence. Parents/Guardians are required to notify the school as to the reason for the absence. This may be done through the school’s Absentee Phone-in line (571-252-2051). Any absence not confirmed by the parent/guardian will be considered unexcused. If the parent/guardian has not called the school to verify the absence, the school will make a reasonable effort to call the parent/guardian to verify the day’s absence. Upon the student’s return to school, a written explanation from a parent or guardian is required for each absence. The note should include: date(s) of the absence, reason for the absence, and signature of the parent/guardian.
Students are excused for personal illness, a death in the family, medical or dental appointments, court appearances, religious holidays, illness in the immediate family, or emergencies that require the student to be absent.
If a student is absent, whether excused or unexcused, for more than 10% of the total number of days membership, we will send a letter to the parents/guardians requiring a physician’s note for all further absences. A copy of the attendance letter sent to the parents/guardians will be placed in the student’s cumulative folder.
At the point at which a student accumulates 5 unexcused absences, a referral will be made to the Attendance Officer.
Occasional tardiness for valid reasons is not a serious offense; however, repeated or habitual tardiness encourages the formation of undesirable personal habits and disrupts the orderly instructional process of the school. When a student arrives tardy, parents must escort their child to the office and assist him/her in obtaining a tardy pass to class. This is required to ensure the safety and well-being of the student. In addition, the school may require the parent or guardian to provide justification to determine the reason for the student’s tardiness. If this does not occur and documentation is not provided by the parent, as to the reason for the tardy, the tardy may be considered unexcused. If a student is tardy more than 10 times, a letter will be sent to the parent as notification of the school’s concern for the student’s non-attendance, and a physician’s note may be required. If the pattern of tardiness does not improve, a referral will be made to the Attendance Officer.
Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School
Website: https://www.lcps.org/reid
Location: 800 North King Street, Leesburg, VA, USA
Phone: 571-252-2050
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Frances-Hazel-Reid-Elementary-School-558430854194441/
Twitter: @FHRRavens1