FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK
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From the Principal's Desk:Good afternoon families!!
This week's bulleting contains information about our early closing, kindness week, kindergarten registration, placement feedback, and new blocks with regards to our Family Engagement information, immunization, and dual immersion lottery!
On Monday (Feb. 10), we have our next 3 hour early closing. At this time, I only have 211 responses to our survey about student intentions for that day (and some are doubles as circumstances have changed). If you wouldn't mind, please take the time to use the QR code, or the link, and indicate where your student will be after our 1:05 dismissal. Student safety is a paramount concern for us and we want to be sure that we can account for every student on Monday! If your circumstances have changed, you can resubmit the form and I will use the most recent submission for determination (they are date and time stamped).
The following Monday (Feb. 17), we have our last student holiday until March 31st! That will mark the end of the 3rd quarter and be a 2 day break (one day is a holiday, one day is a teacher workday). The 4th quarter will then resume on April 2nd. Spring Break is late this year (April 14-18), and would be the next to last holiday of the school year. Memorial Day is the last holiday in May.
Please make sure that you stayed tuned to the news about weather impacting next week's schedule. There are chances of significant snowfall and that may impact our schedule with closings and delays. The FCPS website is the best source of information and you can sign up for FCPS alerts directly to your phone and email!
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Mark Bibbee
Principal
Cherry Run ES
Important Dates:February 10 - 3 Hour Early Closing - Students dismissed at 1:05
February 17 - Student Holiday - No Students - School is CLOSED
March 4 - PTA Monthly Meeting - 7:30 pm - Cafeteria & Online
March 10 - 3 Hour Early Closing - Students dismissed at 1:05
March 31 - Student Holiday - No Students - School is CLOSED
April 1 - Teacher Workday - No Students - School is OPEN
April 14-18 - SPRING BREAK - No Students - School is CLOSED
February 10 - 3 Hr Early Release
Thank you very much for taking the time to fill out the intention form! It is very helpful in scheduling activities and support for students that are staying at school and, more importantly, helps us accurately account for students and their safety! If the QR code is not working for you, the link is below.
LINK - https://forms.gle/kqANHRMBkXxpAG27A
SCA Kindness Week! Kindergarten Registration OPEN!Parents/Guardians!
Do you have a child who will be kindergarten age for the fall of 2025? If so, register now!! Please contact us at your earliest convenience and we can help you with the process! Staffing is based on our registration numbers, so the earlier you register, the more likely we are to gain additional staffing!
- 🧸 Kindergarten Registration: It’s as Easy as 1-2-3…
There’s an easy five-step process for parents wanting to register their child for kindergarten:
- Determine eligibility.
- Identify your local school.
- Gather documents.
- Fill out forms.
- Schedule an appointment.
After the appointment at the school, the student will be ready for orientation in May. Read more about the registration process. For additional information, please contact [name], our school registrar.
💻 Try Online Registration
Online registration for the 2025-26 school year is open. Parents/caregivers may register their children online for kindergarten through 12th grade. Learn how to begin the online registration process.
When registering, parents/caregivers will need to create or log in to an existing SIS ParentVUE account.
2025-2026 Placement FeedbackStudent Placements for 2025-2026
While it is still early to be thinking ahead to next year, we want to give you an opportunity to provide information about class placements for the 2025-26 school-year ahead of time. The staff at Cherry Run works hard to place students in an optimal learning situation each year. If you would like to share some information that would help us make those decisions, please send your comments via email to me: [email protected], by May 15. Please do not list teacher names. Rather, describe the learning environment in which your child learns best. These emails will be for my eyes only, so please feel free to share anything about your child you'd like me to know. Thank you.
Family Engagement MessageUnderstand Executive Function Milestones, Challenges, & Implement Effective Strategies at Home for Children in Upper Elementary (3-6)
February 7, 10-11:30 a.m.
Discover how to support your child’s executive function skills in our webinar series. We will present information on understanding your child’s developmental milestones, recognizing signs of executive dysfunction, and implementing effective strategies to support their learning at home and in school.
SibShops
February 22, 10 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
For children grades 2-6 enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools. An opportunity to meet other siblings in a relaxed setting. Celebrate the many contributions made by brothers and sisters of children with special needs. Share sibling experiences, while receiving peer support. Enjoy games and have fun!
Sibshops is located at Sully Community Center, 13800 Wall Road Herndon, Virginia
Fairfax Country Parks and Recreation
Summer Camps! Summer is fast approaching, and Fairfax County has hundreds of camps available. Take of read of the last ParkTakes brochure for camps that interest you.
FCPS Military Families
Moving soon? Cherry Run’s Family Liaison, Stacy Huisman, can help military families (all families) with a smooth school transition. Even if orders are only rumored, feel free to reach out to Ms. Huisman for ideas on how to prepare for your next move. She has two decades of experience, is a subject matter expert, and will keep all moves confidential. She’s here to help! Contact Stacy Huisman at [email protected]
Navigating Special Education Needs and Parental Rights for Military Families
Fairfax County Public Schools provides many supports and services to students with special needs and their families.
Partners In Promise - Protect the Rights Of Military children in Special Education and disability communities to ensure they receive equal access to an education. We develop data-informed solutions that equip parents, inform leaders and enable military students to thrive.
Dual Immersion Lottery- 🗺️ Dual Language Immersion Lottery Registration
Countywide lottery registration for the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program for first graders in the 2025-26 school year is open through Thursday, February 13, at 4 p.m. Current pre-K students may apply for the kindergarten immersion program through Thursday, March 6, at 4 p.m.
Dual Language Immersion is available in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.
Interested parents/caregivers may attend an informational meeting at the school site. Visit the Dual Language Immersion Program registration page for a list of meetings by language offered.
Get more details on the DLI Program webpage.
Immunization Reminder- Make Sure Your Children Are Up-to-Date on ImmunizationsPlease make sure your child has all of their necessary immunizations. Remember, all students are required to be immunized against certain diseases to attend school in Virginia. This is an important part of keeping children healthy!
Starting Monday, May 19, students who have not provided proof of immunization may not be allowed to attend school. You can check your child’s immunization status and submit updated immunization information by accessing SIS ParentVUE.
Please check with your healthcare provider to make sure your child is up to date on required immunizations for the 2024-25 school year. If your child needs an immunization, make an appointment with your healthcare provider, visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for a list of child immunization clinics, or view other Immunization Resources. Be wise and immunize!
CANDYGRAMS!! Cherry Run Cold Weather Policy
FCPS - SEH-23
How Cold is Too Cold to Allow Students to Play Outdoors??
Deciding when students may play outdoors remains the responsibility of the principal, based on his or her professional judgement after considering the information provided on the fact sheet. Principals should communicate with their community that it is the intention of the school to hold recess during cold spells and that parents should have their children prepared to play outdoors (jackets, gloves, and hats).
Based on the guidance provided in the regulation, Cherry Run has adopted the following "Cold Weather Policy" for students:
When temperatures drop below 50 degrees we do not allow students who are not wearing leg coverings (e.g. pants/sweats, etc.) and a warm jacket/sweatshirt/hoodie to go outside. Long-sleeve tee-shirts do not count. Students without appropriate covering will be brought to the office or library where they can read until their class returns.
Please remember to have your students dress appropriately for recess and PE! While outside recess is at the teacher’s discretion, and we ask that they use good judgment, teachers are able to take students outside for up to 15 minutes when the temperatures reach ZERO!!
We are aware that sunshine, cloud cover, wind, etc. impact the 'relative' temperature, but having a clear guideline helps with planning for parents/students and gives teachers an objective measure in making determinations.
Limited Early Release Mondays- Limited Early Release Mondays for Elementary Schools: Steering Committee Update
As a reminder, FCPS elementary schools will have limited early release Mondays during the upcoming school year. The goal is to provide elementary teachers with additional time to meet new professional development requirements for the Virginia Literacy Act.
You can help us with planning for the seven early release Mondays. Please watch your email for a short survey from us asking if your child will leave at the early release time on these days or remain at school until the standard dismissal time. Your response will help us in planning activities for students who will need to stay at school until regular dismissal time.
We realize there are many details for us to finalize before our first early release Monday in mid-September. Thank you for your patience, we strive to create a positive and successful experience for students, families, and teachers.
Early release Mondays for our school include:
- February 10
- March 10
- April 21
- May 12
Learn more about Early-Release Mondays.
Bus Late? Here Comes the Bus!- 🚍 Here Comes the Bus
Want to know if your child's bus is on schedule or where the bus is? Here Comes the Bus® is an easy-to-use website and app that enables parents to see the location of their child’s school bus — almost in real time — on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.
Parents can track multiple buses if their children don’t all ride the same bus; know exactly when children arrive at school or the bus stop; and receive customized text and/or email notifications about bus locations, schedule changes, or delays.
To get started, download the app from the Apple iOS or Android app store. Check out the Here Comes the Bus and Frequently Asked Questions webpages for more information.
Already using the Here Comes the Bus app? Send your feedback to [email protected].
Note: eNotify text messaging will continue to be used for reporting bus delays and bus incidents.
- 🚍 Here Comes the Bus (Ahí Viene el Autobús)
¿Quiere saber si el autobús de su hijo llegará a tiempo o dónde está? Here Comes the Bus® es un sitio web y una aplicación fáciles de usar que permiten que los padres vean la ubicación del autobús escolar de sus hijos -casi en tiempo real- en un smartphone, una tableta o un ordenador personal.
Los padres pueden ver la ubicación de varios autobuses en caso de que sus hijos no viajen todos en el mismo autobús; saber exactamente cuándo llegan los niños a la escuela o a la parada de autobús; y recibir notificaciones personalizadas por mensaje de texto y/o correo electrónico sobre la ubicación de los autobuses, los cambios de horario o los retrasos.
Para comenzar, baje la aplicación de la tienda de aplicaciones de Apple iOS o Android. Consulte las páginas web Here Comes The Bus y Preguntas Frecuentes para obtener más información.
¿Ya utiliza la aplicación Here Comes the Bus? Envíen sus comentarios a [email protected].
Aviso: La mensajería de texto eNotify seguirá utilizándose para informar de retrasos e incidencias en los autobuses.
Student Attendance
- 🙋 Student Attendance and Engagement
During the Academic Matters segment of the November 9 School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid discussed student attendance and engagement. Attendance and absenteeism rates are one measure for Goal 2 of our 2023-30 Strategic Plan.
Chronic absenteeism — which is defined as a student missing 10% or more of school for any reason — is a concern across Virginia school districts. Although FCPS continues to outperform the state average in attendance rates, we are tracking chronic absenteeism closely.
Data shows that:
- Missing just 10% of school — just two days a month — negatively affects a student’s academic performance.
- Only 17% of students who were chronically absent in both kindergarten and first grade were reading proficiently in third grade, compared to 64% of those with good attendance.
- Students who fail to read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely than students who achieve proficiency to drop out of high school.
- By sixth grade, chronic absenteeism becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
Attendance is critical for academic success!
Missing School Over the Holidays
Looking ahead to the holiday season, if missing school is unavoidable, please speak with your child’s teachers in advance to create a plan for making up missed work. However, a homework packet cannot make up for the interaction and learning that happens in the classroom.
Visit FCPS’ website for more attendance resources.
Tutoring Information- 📑 Varsity Tutors Provides On-Demand Support at No Cost
FCPS is partnering with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors’ services at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests. Learn more about online tutoring with Varsity Tutors.
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School Hours9732 Ironmaster Drive, Burke, Virginia, 22015 | Main Office: 703-923-2800
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