Aggregator | Lemon Road Elementary School

Lemon Road Community News 5.2.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

This week we take a moment to recognize educators as a part of Staff Appreciation Week. We are looking forward to celebrating all Lemon Road Staff for their dedication, hard work, and commitment to the school community. While the PTA has treats in store, I hope that you and your children can take some time to share your appreciation as well! Whether it is a handmade card, flowers, a gift, or gift card – hearing from parents and students goes a long way. A costless way to show you care is using FCPS Cares if you are looking for a quick way to bring a smile to someone’s face! If you need to drop something off at the school, be sure it is labeled with the staff member’s name. The office is open between 8:00 – 3:45 daily and we can get a gift to the staff member’s mailbox or classroom.

Last week, we met with parents of rising kindergartners. If you are interested in the presentation or recording, check out the Rising KG Info page on our school website. Please feel free to share it with neighbors that have an incoming kindergartener! We closed the week with our April Freaky Friday and loved seeing students and staff wear clothing from different decades – thank you for sharing photos! If you have any photos you would like us to consider for the memory book, please complete this link ASAP. We are accepting virtual school action photos, spirit day photos, or portraits of students that did not have Lifetouch take their photo only for the next few days.

If you haven’t yet, please share information about your child or preferences for next year using this google form. When doing so, refrain from naming a specific teacher and rather share what qualities would most benefit your child in a teacher or classroom environment. If a neighbor has moved in recently, be sure they have registered their child(ren) for school next year so we are properly staffed for the fall. Please pass this link to any family with a new student OR a child ready for Kindergarten!

Finally, two ongoing ways to support initiatives at Lemon Road (featured on the News Show last week) include Comfort Cases brought to us by a 5th grade student and dropping off dried out markers in front of the school to support our eco-defense squad.

Thank you for your ongoing collaboration as we close out this year, look ahead to summer, and plan for the fall! Looking forward to seeing you soon ~ Mrs. Castillo

Staff Appreciation Week

Staff/Teacher Appreciation week will run from May 3rd to May 7th! Please join us in celebrating and thanking the amazing team at Lemon Road during this week! Padlets launched yesterday and remain open throughout the week - please post any comments to your child’s classroom teachers, specialists, or the LRES administrative team! Please find the links below:

LRES Staff Appreciation:

https://padlet.com/ptacommunicationslres/eb03ifsehbdbko4t

LRES Specials Appreciation:

https://padlet.com/ptacommunicationslres/6axdmjksyfe382rn

LRES Kindergarten Teacher Appreciation:

https://padlet.com/ptacommunicationslres/kfmbjbl9vcf1egja

LRES First Grade Teacher Appreciation:

https://padlet.com/ptacommunicationslres/sbpefexezsi9hu33

LRES Second Grade Teacher Appreciation:

https://padlet.com/ptacommunicationslres/lwn18io5pta6j1p7

LRES Third Grade Teacher Appreciation:

https://padlet.com/ptacommunicationslres/gzl1d8tpq1geu6pj

LRES Fourth Grade Teacher Appreciation:

https://padlet.com/ptacommunicationslres/abufm1ri7bv4yvlz

LRES Fifth Grade Teacher Appreciation:

https://padlet.com/ptacommunicationslres/adakeheoja26ihhp

LRES Sixth Grade Teacher Appreciation:

https://padlet.com/ptacommunicationslres/hs28rs158bj0ui69

Also as part of our celebrations of the LRES staff, the PTA will be providing COVID-safe themed snack bars for the entire team on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and lunch for the entire team on Friday. Virtual staff will receive a “to go” snack bag and a gift card to purchase lunch. Thank you for your support of the PTA this year enabling us to provide these treats for our hardworking teachers! Thank you for your support!

Positivity Project: Leadership

Next week, we'll talk about leadership. For a 1-page character card overview, click here. And, for P2 for Families (password: P2), click here. Leadership means that you value each member of your group and inspire people to do their best. This can be both formal and informal. It is concerned with getting others to do what needs to be done while maintaining group morale to ensure readiness to act in the future. This character strength’s focus is on the personal qualities of leaders, rather than the practice of leadership. These qualities include the ability to understand others and inspire them toward a common goal, the capacity to mitigate conflict and mold consensus, and the desire to lead other people.

Last Week of School Events

The final week of school will be filled with exciting plans for our students. There will be voting in schools on June 8 and it has been designated as a synchronous virtual day for all students in FCPS. Attendance on June 8 is required and we will send additional information about the day a few weeks prior. Every grade level will plan an outdoor grade level party (weather-permitting) on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday where virtual students will be invited to join their class for a celebratory close of the year. Sixth graders will have a promotion ceremony and sixth grade party. Friday morning, we will host virtual awards ceremonies for K – 2 (9:30 – 10:10) and 3 – 6 (10:30 – 11:30).

May 5 - Bike to School Day

Welcome to May which is Bike Month. Bike Month has been celebrated since 1956 as a way to showcase the many benefits of bicycling and encourage more people to give biking a try. We are lucky that several of our neighborhoods are walking and biking friendly! Fairfax County has an extensive network of both paved and natural surface bike trails. You can access a map to all the trails in Fairfax county here.

Lemon Road will participate in Bike to School Day (or in your neighborhood) on Wednesday, May 5th. Plan your ride whether you ride to school, to a park or just within your neighborhood. As always, send us a photo of your child taking a bike ride or walk.

Science Olympiad Division A

We are proud to announce that three of our Division A teams, Lemon Road Olympians (3rd Graders), Lemon Road Liontists (4th Graders) and Lemon Road Lemonades (5th Graders), participated in Science Olympiad competition on April 10, 2021. Taking part in a Science Olympiad is an extraordinary task for students any year, but this virtual year brought new challenges for all participants. This year, we are proud to share that 43 LRES Lions didn’t just dare to take on this adventure, but came out victorious in the topics and events they chose to participate in. The team participated in 20 events and we were able to earn positions, in 17 of those 20 events.

The purpose of participating in the Science Olympiad is to develop and retain the love for science, show team work by working with a partner while building trust and confidence in one another, and while doing all this if they earn a position, we consider it an added bonus. We would also like to recognize the wonderful parents whose hard work, time and dedication are key elements in making participating in the Olympiad a huge success. They allowed us the luxury, with their patience, support and encouragement, to be able to navigate this new world of a virtual Olympiad with confidence and dedication and for that, and so much more, we are indebtedly thankful for. Many thanks for supporting the students, us and the Olympiad.

Mrs. Dickey-Dunn and Mrs. Latif

FCPS Summer Practice Books

Summer Practice Books will be mailed home to FCPS students to provide suggested activities for students to support continued learning. Families who have opted-out of paper mailings from the division will only receive digital copies of the Summer Practice Books. Books will be mailed home to families in early June to arrive before the last day of school, June 11, 2021. Families will receive email communication in May about upcoming book arrival. Digital versions of books will be emailed to the enrolling parent SIS account in PDF format the week of June 7, 2021.

Pre-Kindergarten students will receive one interdisciplinary Summer Practice Book.
Students enrolled in grades K-8 in 2020-21 will receive one Language Arts Practice Book and one Math Practice Book by course enrollment. These books will also include information and guidance about digital tools that can be accessed by students and families to support learning throughout the summer.
English Learners and Special Education students may receive additional or customized books.

More information can be accessed on the Summer Practice Books public webpage

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, May 3: Grade 3 & 4 Reading SOL Virtual Students; SCA Officers Meeting; Library Distribution at Lemon Road (4:00 – 5:30);

Tuesday, May 4: Grades 3 & 4 Reading SOL In-Person Students

Wednesday, May 5: Bike to School Day

Monday, May 10: Grade 5 & 6 Reading SOL Virtual Students; SCA Full Meeting; Library Bus Stop Distribution

Tuesday, May 11: Grades 5 & 6 Reading SOL In-Person Students

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 4.23.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

Happy Administrative Professionals week to our dedicated front office staff: Mary Anne Nealson, Dana Vaughn, and Emily Olsavsky! We are so grateful for each of them and the work they do to make sure everything runs smoothly at Lemon Road!

On Wednesday, we recognized our children of Military Families through Purple Up! Thank you to all of our military families for your service and for sharing your children with us.

As we prepare to return our in-person students to 4 days of instruction next week, I wanted to share a few reminders:

Students should now bring a beach towel or small blanket with them to school. Please label it with their full name. It will only be sent home for washing as needed. Students will use them as additional seating indoors and out to ensure comfortable social distancing.
All students need to have a water bottle with them daily. Please make sure it is a good size to accommodate them for at least 1/2 their school day so refills are not often needed.
In order to make 4-days of in-person instruction possible for all classes, we will need support for occasional lunch supervision – especially when we must remain indoors due to weather. Thank you to the parents who signed up AND some joined us today. If you haven’t already, please complete this very short google form so that we can call on you as needed for help with volunteering and lunch supervision.
All students need to have fully charged laptops and chargers brought to school on a daily basis.
Bus riders will be on a 4 day route beginning soon. Transportation is working as fast as they can to meet the needs of our students. Parents must check ParentVue to identify any changes to your child’s bus number, stop, or time.

Have a great weekend. We hope to see many of you tomorrow and encourage your children to keep reading! ~ Mrs. Castillo

Read-a-Thon Updates

Thank you for your participation and support with Read-a-Thon! We have exceeded our goal of $15,000 and will be bringing a dunk tank on site this spring and offer some of our students the opportunity to dunk a Principal or staff member. Hopefully your child enjoyed seeing some of our students Pie the Principal for reaching $10,000 on the news show this morning and wearing their pajamas today for reaching $5,000. Our Read-a-Thon will officially end this coming Monday, April 26. All readers should have their minutes entered into the platform by 9:00 AM on Monday in order to have them counted. Donations can still be accepted for up to 10 days after we end the Read-a-Thon and students will also have 10 days (until May 5) to purchase prizes from the prize store using the funds in their account (15% of what they raised). Any questions, reach out to the PTA at lemonroadpta@gmail.com.

Earth Day - Gardening Opportunity

During school this week, we discussed Earth Day in a variety of ways. If you are free tomorrow morning and want to contribute to our school grounds, consider joining us on Saturday with the Eco-Defense Squad’s Earth Day celebration. Sign up here.

Class Placement: Parent Input

Every year, Lemon Road staff collaborates in teams to create homeroom classes for the next school year. We always take into consideration many factors such as friendships, gender, academics and personalities. If you would like to share information about your child or preferences, please use this google form. Please refrain from naming a specific teacher and rather share what qualities would most benefit your child in a teacher or classroom environment. If you haven’t already, please click this link to let us know your child’s plans for the 2021 – 2022 school year and pass this link onto any family with a new student OR a child ready for Kindergarten! Thank you for your input!

Memory Book Student Photos

Did your child miss the opportunity to have their photo taken by Lifetouch? We want a photo of every Lemon Road Lion included in the Memory Book. If your child did not have their portrait taken, please submit a clear photo to include in our Memory Book. Recommendation to submit a photo of only one child at a time with a simple background. To submit a photo:

Navigate to our photo upload form
Write in your child’s name and your email address in the labeled boxes
Upload the photo
In the caption please include your student’s teacher. You may upload multiple photos for multiple students at the same time.

Pre-K and Early Head Start Applications

FCPS PreK and Early Head Start is now accepting applications for School Year 2021-22! Please watch this video to see if your 3 or 4 year old may qualify for PreK. To apply online: www.fcps.edu search: PreK Email: fcpsprekoffice@fcps.edu

For more information call our English Line: 703-208-7900

Positivity Project: Purpose

Next week, we will begin learning about purpose. For a 1-page character card overview, click here. And, for P2 for Families (password: P2), click here. People who possess a sense of purpose believe that they were put on earth for a reason. That reason can have all kinds of variety. It could be to create a unique invention, to bring joy through art or music, or to raise their children to become good people. These people have a true calling. Having a clear sense of purpose in life, and a belief that you’re connected to a larger meaning, gives individuals strength. It allows them to persevere and find courage in trying circumstances, or lead with kindness and love even when it’s not reciprocated. Those with a sense of purpose have more meaning in their life – and are more fulfilled.

May 5th: Bike to School Day

Lemon Road will participate in Bike to School Day (or in your neighborhood) on Wednesday, May 5th.day. Plan your ride whether you ride to school, to a park or just within your neighborhood. As always, send us a photo of your child taking a bike ride or walk.

Upcoming Important Dates

Saturday, April 24: Socially Distant Earth Day Family Gardening (10 – 11:30 AM)

Monday, April 26: Kindergarten Parent Orientation (9:30 AM); Grade 5 Science SOL Virtual Students; Library Distribution Matera St & Pimmit Drive (1:30 – 2:00) AND Nigh Rd. & Maynard Drive (2:30 – 3:00)

Thursday, April 29: Grade 5 Science SOL In-Person Students

Friday, April 30: Freaky Friday: Decades Day

Monday, May 3: Grade 3 & 4 Reading SOL Virtual Students; SCA Officers Meeting; Library Distribution at Lemon Road (4:00 – 5:30);

Tuesday, May 4: Grades 3 & 4 Reading SOL In-Person Students

Wednesday, May 5: Bike to School Day

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 4.16.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

Thank you for all your support with our PTA sponsored Read-a-Thon! This fundraiser has been a resounding success and a lot of fun for our students and staff. Keep up the momentum by encouraging your child to read, log their minutes, and seek support from your family and close friends! We have already surpassed the first goal of $5,000 and are nearly passing the $10,000 threshold!

To celebrate surpassing the first school-wide goal of $5,000, next Friday will be pajama day! I hope students at home and at school enjoy the day comfortably in their pjs. If the students raise $10,000 we will host a pie the Principal event (either streamed live or recorded) where staff or possibly students will be able to pie Mr. Birge and I in the face. Finally, if we get to $15,000 we are getting a dunk tank and will plan a celebration around being able to dunk the administrators and school staff volunteers in the tank.

Thank you for encouraging your child to join the evening read alouds. If your child would like to view a recording, have them log in to FCPS 24/7 (Blackboard) and select the 2020-21 Lemon Road Students course. On the left hand menu, look for the label “ESOL/Reading”. After you click on the ESOL/Reading menu option, you should see a folder icon with the title “Read-a-Thon Read Alouds”. Click on this folder and the recorded videos for each grade level will be inside.

As we prepare to return our in-person students to 4 days of instruction next week, I wanted to share a few updates/reminders:

Students should now bring a beach towel or small blanket with them to school. Please label it with their full name. It will only be sent home for washing as needed. Students will use them as additional seating indoors and out to ensure comfortable social distancing.
All students need to have a water bottle with them daily. Please make sure it is a good size to accommodate them for at least 1/2 their school day so refills are not often needed.
In order to make 4-days of in-person instruction possible for all classes, we will need support for occasional lunch supervision – especially when we must remain indoors due to weather. In communication with me and the PTA, parents mentioned their ability to support us with this in order to make a full return possible with short notice. Please complete this very short google form so that we can call on you only as needed for help with volunteering and lunch supervision.
All students need to have fully charged laptops and chargers brought to school on a daily basis.
Bus riders will be on a 4 day route beginning soon. Transportation is working as fast as they can to meet the needs of our students. Parents must check ParentVue to identify any changes to your child’s bus number, stop, or time.

We look forward to seeing your students at their Monday morning meeting and for enrichments tomorrow. The updated schedule is linked here for your convenience. Thank you for your support and communication. ~ Mrs. Castillo

Grades 3 - 6 SOL Information

All Virginia and FCPS schools will administer SOL tests this spring. Testing must take place in-person at Lemon Road, and all health and safety protocols will be followed. This year parents of students in grades 3-6 have the right to refuse SOL testing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. If parents choose to refuse testing, a score of “no Score” with a footnote that student did not take due to the pandemic will be recorded. Parent refusals do not count against Lemon Road’s state accreditation. Virtual only students whose parents refuse testing will receive an optional alternative assessment (created by the Virginia Department of Education). This optional alternative assessment is available only for fully virtual students. Here is the link to the FCPS website with more information on parent testing refusals.

Parents of any grades 3-6 students who have not had the opportunity to complete the Lemon Road testing survey can still do so here. Lemon Road is using this survey as a critical component to our planning for the SOL tests. Please reach out to our assistant principal (and school testing coordinator), Morgan Birge, at mbirge@fcps.edu with any questions.

Earth Day Celebration Events

Calling all lions! LRES will be celebrating Earth Day on Saturday, April 24th. Do you like to garden? Sign up for a socially-distanced gardening time in one of our gardens between 10:00-11:30 a.m. Sign-up form on BB announcements page. Or, do you need more flexibility in your day? Join the (See You) Later Litter Group as they pick up trash in our neighborhoods! Grab a bag, some gloves, and a smile, and take a 30 minute walk to clean up trash. Take a picture and send it in for our LRES Earth Day Celebration Collage!

Let’s Keep it Clean! - Your Eco Defense Squad

Additional CALM Enrichment

Ms. Norton will be hosting another special edition of CALM next Monday, April 19th, from 2:00-3:00pm for students in grades 3-6. Learn how to calm and connect the mind and body through a variety of movement, breathing, balancing and even drawing techniques. Please come to the session prepared in a space which allows for movement, with a towel, blanket or matt, pencil, paper and crayons. To join, go to Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and type “Norton” or CALM in the search.

Positivity Project Update

Next week, we'll discuss appreciation of beauty & excellence. For a 1-page character card overview, click here. And, for P2 for Families (password: P2), click here. Appreciation of beauty and excellence means you value the world's beauty and people's skills. You don't take things for granted. This is the ability to identify and enjoy that which is admirable in the world. There are three types of goodness in which positive psychology focuses: physical beauty (e.g. a sunset, song, or building); an exceptional skill or talent; and moral goodness (e.g. a character strength). Appreciation of beauty can generate awe; appreciation of a skill can generate admiration; and appreciation of moral goodness can generate moral elevation. All of these feelings (awe, admiration, and moral elevation) help us forget ourselves and find increased joy and meaning in the world.

SCA Talent Gallery

The Lemon Road Student Council would like to announce their latest project, the Talent Gallery! The Talent Gallery serves as an outlet for students and staff to share what they're proud of. For example, if a student wanted to share a song they wrote, they could submit it to the Gallery. Your child can also receive feedback from other students, which we find from the Talent Gallery Feedback Google Form. The S.C.A. team moderates all of the content presented, so it is always school-appropriate. By accessing this link, your child can find all of the information you need. If your child is interested, I believe they would appreciate your assistance.

Sincerely,

The Lemon Road Student Council Association

Kindergarten Orientation

Parents of rising kindergarteners are invited to join the Lemon Road kindergarten teachers for our annual kindergarten orientation on Monday, April 26th at 9:30 AM. As this is a virtual event, we are planning an in-person opportunity for our future kindergarteners to tour the building and meet school staff in August. Parents can enter the BBCU room by clicking this link. Please note, we have pushed our start time to 9:30 to allow our kindergarten team to support our current Monday Morning Meetings.

Be sure you have registered your child for Kindergarten! Completion will help us with placement information and ensure that we have proper staffing based on enrollment. To ensure that you receive future communications, we encourage you to self-enroll and subscribe to News You Choose and select Lemon Road. We look forward to seeing and meeting your child in 2021-2022. Please share the kindergarten orientation information with any neighbors who may have kindergarten aged children.

2021 - 2022 Class Placement Input

Every year, our staff collaborates regarding student placements for the next school year. This year, we had many factors that weighed into the decision making process. Please note that we continue to take into consideration many factors such as friendships, gender, academics and personalities. You may choose to provide input for the next school year, but please note that we cannot make guarantees but will take your information under consideration. The google form to provide input is here. If you haven’t already, please click this link to let us know your child’s plans for the 2021 – 2022 school year and pass this link onto any family with a new student OR a child ready for Kindergarten! Thank you for your input!

Upcoming Important Events

Monday, April 19: SCA Classroom Rep Meeting (9:40 AM); Library Distribution at Lemon Road (4:00 – 5:30); Level IV Parent Orientation (5:30 PM); Fifth Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 6th Graders (7 PM)

Tuesday, April 20: Third Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 4th Graders (7 PM)

Wednesday, April 21: PTA General Meeting (6:30 PM); First Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 2nd Graders (7 PM)

Friday, April 23: SPECIAL – Pajama Day to celebrate success with Read-a-Thon for all students & staff

Saturday, April 24: Socially Distant Earth Day Family Gardening (10 – 11:30 AM)

Monday, April 26: Kindergarten Parent Orientation (9:30 AM); Grade 5 Science SOL Virtual Students; Leadership Team Meeting (12 PM)

Thursday, April 29: Grade 5 Science SOL In-Person Students

Friday, April 30: Freaky Friday: Decades Day

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Message from Lemon Road

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Thank you for your partnership as we have continued our process for increasing in-person learning for Lemon Road students. As you know, leading with equity is a non-negotiable value Morgan and I hold in our roles. The past week and a half has brought about a new set of challenges and opportunities to decision-make with equity for all our lions.

We shared with parents of third graders yesterday that we will be offering 4-days of in-person learning to our current in-person third graders beginning next week (April 20). We now want to share that we will bring back all K – 6 in-person students 4-days per week beginning the following week (April 27). Additional information will be sent later this week to the impacted families.

Morgan and I have spent the past week navigating the logistics behind these changes. We appreciate parents who have volunteered to help with lunch coverage, disinfecting wipes, and other generous ideas – we will count on your support to make this transition a success for all our students.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and collaboration,

Ashley & Morgan

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 4.11.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

Thank you to all our parents and members of the PTA who joined us Friday for the Principals’ Coffee. Navigating this ever-changing year has been challenging, but your partnership has made it possible as we continue to do our best for your children. Here is a link to the recording from Friday. We are gearing up for end of year testing and celebratory activities to bring the 2020 – 2021 school year to a close. As we have shared, we continue to explore ways to increase our in-person instruction. If your child will be offerred additional in-person time, a member of our front office team will contact you.

Tomorrow begins our PTA sponsored Read-a-Thon. Please help us raise money for our school and classroom libraries by signing up your child and having them read! In the next two weeks, each grade level will have an evening event where the teachers from the previous grade will read books at 7 PM on BBCU. See the schedule below, join the events as a family, and get reading!

We are also focused on finding ways to celebrate the end of the year, plan for our summer programming, and look ahead to the fall when we expect to bring in all students 5 days per week for in-person instruction. Ways that you can help us plan include confirming that your child will return to Lemon Road, submitting optional feedback for class placement for next year, and letting me know if you feel your child would benefit from participating in our summer programs.

Kindergarten Orientation

Class Planning and Parent Input

Read-a-Thon Begins TOMORROW

The Lemon Road Read-a-Thon starts Monday, April 12! If you haven’t activated your reader’s account yet, please be sure to do so as soon as possible by clicking this link and following the simple instructions.

Along with raising funds to buy books for the school and classroom libraries, there will be individual, class, and school rewards for participation.

Prizes: For every dollar your student raises, they will receive 15% in their Read-a-Thon account to buy items from the prize store. Additionally, the PTA will offer a prize for the student per grade who reads the most minutes and the student per grade who raises the most money. The class that collectively reads the most minutes per grade will win a virtual lunch bunch with the participating specialist of their choice. Lastly, look for Mrs. Castillo and Mr. Birge to up the ante by offering to do something extra special and crazy if we can raise $5,000 and to take it over the top if we raise $10,000!

Nightly Read-Alouds: We don’t want to leave our wonderful teachers out so they are getting in on the fun too by hosting nightly read-alouds. We know how much all the students miss their teachers and to make this even more special, each grade will get one read-aloud with the teaching team from their PRIOR year. This means if your child is in first grade, the kindergarten teachers will read to them, the first-grade teachers will read to the second-grade students, and so on. Kindergarten students will be read to by our sixth-grade team. Read-alouds will take place at 7:00 PM and will be accessed through your student’s Monday morning meeting/grade-level special link on Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. See the full schedule below.

We hope EVERYONE participates in this great event and helps us raise money for this great cause. If you have any questions reach out to the PTA at lemonroadpta@gmail.com.

Thomas Jefferson STEM Conference

The Thomas Jefferson PTSA Diversity Committee is pleased to announce it will be hosting a virtual event on May 15, 2021, an online virtual conference featuring several area STEM education providers, including those that offer free and reduced fee services for low-income households. The purpose of this event is to inform the community of those services available for aspiring TJ candidates currently in Elementary and Middle School.

Some of the key providers at this event include:

Ø Black Student Fund

Ø Girls Who Math

Ø Junior Scholars

Ø Humanitas4All

Ø Huntington Learning Center

Ø Dr. Eddie Neal

Ø Cathy Colglazier

Ø And more…….

Event Details

When: May 15, 2021 08:00 AM – 4:00PM EST

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0ocOGspj0iGNbRRum6ZFebdy22lLcAVpLR

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Postivity Project: Fairness

Next week, we'll learn about fairness. For a 1-page character card overview, click here. And, for P2 for Families (password: P2), click here. Fairness means you believe that all people have value. You approach situations with an unbiased mindset and treat everyone with respect. Fairness combines both the head and the heart. It is the product of moral judgment – the process by which people determine what is morally right and what is morally wrong.

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, April 12: Library Distribution at Matera St. (1:30 – 2:00) and Nigh Rd. (2:30 – 3:00); PTA Read-a-Thon Begins; Kindergarten Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 1st Graders (7 PM)

Tuesday, April 13: Second Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 3rd Graders (7 PM)

Wednesday, April 14: Sixth Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to Kindergarten & Preschoolers (7 PM)

Thursday, April 15: Fourth Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 5th Graders (7 PM)

Friday, April 16: LRES Polo Day

Monday, April 19: Library Distribution at Lemon Road (4:00 – 5:30); Level IV Parent Orientation (5:30 PM); Fifth Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 6th Graders (7 PM)

Tuesday, April 20: Third Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 4th Graders (7 PM)

Wednesday, April 21: First Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 2nd Graders (7 PM)

Monday, April 26: Kindergarten Parent Orientation (9:30 AM)

Friday, April 30: Freaky Friday: Decades Day

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 4.6.21

GovDelivery 4 weeks 1 day ago

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Return to School Update

Yesterday, Dr. Braband shared more information regarding in-person learning, including the updated CDC guidance which will allow schools to transition from 6 feet to 3 feet social distancing during instruction between students, thereby possibly providing increased opportunities for in-person instruction.

We are committed to bringing back as many of our students in-person as our capacity allows, beginning with students identified by our school staff through the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) process. FCPS has trained our FCPS teachers and leaders in a process to be able to identify and provide students additional supports through the MTSS process. We have used this process to support students for many years to provide interventions and extensions for students.

You are welcome to view more information on the MTSS process in FCPS here.

As we confirm additional students in classrooms, we will also invite as many students as possible whose parents made a request for in-person instruction in February and March. We previously communicated with parents of children on a wait list that we would include them when space permitted. Based on a variety of factors, we cannot accommodate any additional in-person requests at this time. Once all our students identified through MTSS and as many students as possible from the wait-list are included, we will reach out to the parents of any students that can be included in-person 4 days per week.

We are not able to make classroom teacher, staffing, schedule, or building/room changes at this time. There is the continued requirement for students to eat breakfast, snack and lunch with 6-feet separation both indoors and outside. We also must continue to adhere to all of the CDC regulations and FCPS guidelines for furniture, cleaning, transportation, classroom setup and instructional schedules.

Please be patient as we work through the updated guidance to see if we are able to shift additional students to in-person or four-day instruction in the near future. Should our capacity guidance allow your child to return to school for two or four days each week, our school staff will reach out to you. Please know that we are working through these plans as quickly as possible and there are no actions you need to take at this time in order for your child to be considered. Thank you for your continued collaboration and support as we navigate this year together as a school community.

Principals' Coffee Friday 9 AM

Please join us Friday at 9 AM on this link for our monthly Principals’ Coffee. Our primary two topics will be about spring testing for all grades, but especially SOL plans for students in grades 3 – 6, and the Lemon Road PTA sponsored Read-a-Thon. As time permits, we can discuss updates regarding to changes to in-person instruction.

PTA Read-a-Thon

The Lemon Road PTA sponsored Read-a-Thon will begin next Monday, April 12, and run for 2 weeks. Join the coffee on Friday to hear more about special nightly read-alouds and what sort of prizes will be available for the students. All funds raised will be used to purchase books for the school library as well as classroom libraries. If you have not created your child’s account, please do so right away using this link.

FCPS Transportation Updates

As additional students are being brought into the schools, the FCPS transportation office will be making regular modifications to bus routes. Parents are asked to check ParentVue frequently to ensure that their child’s transportation information has not changed. These changes are centrally-determined and not communicated through the school. If you have not activated your ParentVue account, please reach out to Ms. Vaughn in the front office.

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 3.27.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

Thank you for all the school spirit we saw around the community this week! We love seeing our PTA yard signs and appreciate our in-person and virtual students dressing as their favorite book character for our March Freaky Friday. Our return to the school building has been smooth and we appreciate the support of everyone to make this happen.

We hope you take time for some well-deserved rest and relaxation! If you make plans to travel, please consider the following information:

The Virginia Department of Health urges all Virginians to avoid non-essential travel, especially if you are at higher risk of serious COVID-19 or if you will be visiting someone at higher risk of serious COVID-19. This recommendation applies to everyone, even if you have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have fully recovered from COVID-19.
FCPS does not currently have travel restrictions. Students are not required to quarantine or provide COVID 19 test results for either domestic or international travel. Parents may opt to keep their students at home for 14 days after they return from travel, however, it is not required.

Upon returning, any student, staff member or visitor demonstrating symptoms of illness is asked to stay home to help “Stop the Spread” of COVID-19.

During Spring Break, the Lemon Road office will be closed, but the school phone and front office email messages will be checked daily. If you have an urgent matter, please reach out to me directly by email (aocastillo@fcps.edu). Monday, 4/5, is a teacher workday and a holiday for students. There will be no Morning Meeting, enrichments, or assignments for students to complete. FCPS is committed to providing all students access to meals during this break from school. See the food distribution web page for more information.

Looking for a spring break project? Please have your child consider entering our Memory Book Cover Contest! We will be reviewing submissions after Spring Break for both covers and art work inside the book.

Have a great week! ~ Mrs. Castillo

Spring Library Distribution Dates

Ms. Burke is bringing back our library book distribution for the spring! Remember to have your children log in and place books they want to check out on hold. She will also have mystery bags available for any child that does not reserve books in advance. In-person and virtual students are encouraged to check out books

PTA Read-a-Thon

It's time for the Lemon Road Elementary School PTA Read-a-thon! Read-a-thon promises to be a fun, exciting journey that starts Monday, April 12th, 2021. It is our goal to get your children excited about reading. We know you have limited time but want the best education for your child. That’s why we hope everyone will activate their reader's account as soon as possible. This is where you can record and view your reader's progress. Please activate your reader’s account today by clicking on https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/MAhsUd and following the simple instructions.

Along with raising funds to buy books for the school and classroom libraries, there will be individual, class, grade, and school rewards for participation so we hope EVERYONE participates. If you have any questions reach out to the PTA at lemonroadpta@gmail.com.

Virtual Kindergarten Orientation

Do you have or know a rising Kindergartener? Students that turn five prior to September 30, 2021 are eligible to register for Kindergarten for the 2021-2022 school year. Registering early helps us ensure we have the right amount of kindergarten classes for the fall. Please use this link to begin the process. In order to get families acquainted with Lemon Road and meet our teachers, we are holding a Virtual Kindergarten Orientation on Monday, April 26 @ 9:00 AM You may join us by logging on to our BBCU link here. During our session you will learn more about the kindergarten program at Lemon Road and have the opportunity to ask questions regarding next school year. We plan to schedule an in-person opportunity for students and parents to see the school later this summer. We hope to see many new and returning families at our orientation!

Lemon Road Summer Programs

This summer, FCPS will offer summer programs in each elementary school. We will host programs for invited students in rising kindergarten through our current 6th graders. We will be sending summer school information for our S.O.A.R. program for rising 1st – 7th graders. Summer Olympians Aspire & Reach (S.O.A.R) will be held in the morning for three weeks during the summer from July 12 - July 30th. We will also offer a Bridge to K and Bridge to 1st and reach out to parents separately about that opportunity. S.O.A.R. is limited in seating and offered to students based on academic need in reading and math. All students will receive a summer workbook to work on skills over the summer regardless of participation in this program. If you believe your child may need this summer reteaching opportunity, please reach out to me directly (aocastillo@fcps.edu) to discuss your child’s summer needs.

Get Active and Outside

Want to get outside and stretch your legs? As everyone takes a breather to recharge their batteries over spring break this is a great time to head outside for walks, runs, fishing, reading, and other adventures. Take a look at some of the options in Fairfax County, VA state, and National Parks in our area! (Created by your Eco Defense Squad)

FCPS Laptop Slowing Down?

Remember to bring FCPS Laptops to LRES or any FCPS building FCPS laptops should be brought to an FCPS building (it does not have to be Lemon Road 2-3 times a month).

When you arrive at the FCPS building try to park close to the building
Turn the laptop on and let it connect to the FCPS wifi (named Fairfax)
Let the laptop sit for a few minutes to see if it will automatically restart. Some updates force that to happen. If after 3 or so minutes the laptop does not restart, log into the laptop and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Restart the laptop
Repeat letters C and D 2 - 3 more times

How do I actually properly restart or shutdown my computer?

Pressing and holding down the power button is not the proper way to shutdown (or restart) a Windows computer.

To restart or shutdown left click on the Start menu, left click on the power icon, left click on either restart or shutdown

Don’t let the batteries fully deplete. Batteries affect laptop performance. With laptops batteries draining the laptop tries to save itself and turns off things, wifi is one of those things. Remember to plug in when your laptop battery gets low and to plug in at night.

Clear the Chrome Cache

1. To clear BbCU Data:

In Chrome click on the 3 dots on the right hand side near the top-> choose settings->privacy and security->site settings->us.bbcollab.com arrow->clear data and reset permissions then restart the browser and retry the link

2. To clear Google Meet Data:

In Chrome click on the 3 dots on the right hand side near the top-> choose settings->->privacy and security->site settings->meet.google.com arrow->clear data and reset permissions then restart the browser and retry the link

3. To clear Chrome Cache:

With Google Chrome open, press Ctrl+Shift+Delete->click on advanced->change “Time Range” to All time->check the top 4 boxes->clear data

In-Person Student Attendance

Beginning on the Tuesday after Spring Break (04/06), any in-person students who are absent or sign in virtually on their scheduled days to be in the building will be marked as “Unverified” unless the teacher has been notified by a parent/guardian as to a reason why the student is at home. Once the parent contacts the school, the code can be changed. Parents must let the classroom teacher AND office know that their child will be absent or signing in virtually due to illness, an appointment, quarantine, etc. Due to the limited space for in-person students, we want to make sure that those who signed up to come into the building are attending in person. Otherwise, we want to be able to offer their in-person spot to another student on our wait list.

Upcoming Important Dates

March 29 – April 2: Spring Break

Monday, April 5: Teacher Workday; Library Distribution at Lemon Road (4 – 5:30 PM)

Wednesday, April 7: NNAT Testing for 1st Graders

Thursday, April 8: NNAT Testing for 1st Graders

Friday, April 9: Principals Coffee – SOL Testing Parent Overview & PTA Memberhub Presentation (9 AM)

Monday, April 12: Library Distribution at Matera St. (1:30 – 2:00) and Nigh Rd. (2:30 – 3:00); PTA Read-a-Thon Begins; Kindergarten Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 1st Graders

Tuesday, April 13: Second Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 3rd Graders

Wednesday, April 14: Sixth Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to Kindergarten & Preschoolers

Thursday, April 15: Fourth Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 5th Graders

Monday, April 19: Library Distribution at Lemon Road (4 – 5:30); Fifth Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 6th Graders

Tuesday, April 20: Third Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 4th Graders

Wednesday, April 21: First Grade Teachers Read-a-Thon evening to 2nd Graders

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 3.20.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

We hope everyone had a great week! It was another busy week at Lemon Road. We are so proud of our staff and students for their hard work! This week we continued to see our students engaged in learning both in the school building and at home. We really are seeing amazing things happening everywhere! We also love seeing the spirited yard signs! Thank you PTA for offering this for our students and families.

Spring break is just around the corner: Monday, 3/29 - Friday, 4/2. Also, Monday, 4/5, is a teacher workday and a holiday for students. There will be no Morning Meeting, enrichments, or assignments for students to complete. FCPS is committed to providing all students access to meals during this break from school. See the food distribution web page for more information. Additionally, the United States Department of Agriculture announced this week that no-cost breakfast and lunch meals for all students have been extended through September 30.

We look forward to having all students’ photos taken next week. In-person students will have their photo taken by Lifetouch on Tuesday or Thursday (even if parents do not wish to purchase photos). We ask parents of our virtual students to bring their child either Monday morning or Tuesday afterschool to have their photo taken in a socially-distant manner. Here is the link to the packages and sign-up.

Looking for a spring break project? Please have your child consider entering our Memory Book Cover Contest! See the photos below for where to drop their entries off before or after spring break.

Thank you for helping students adjust to the Monday enrichment schedule. The updated schedule is linked here for your convenience. This Monday, most of our 3rd – 6th graders will take an eCART assessment after their morning meeting, be sure they follow the directions of their teacher. While this assessment is not used for progress reports, it helps our teachers plan what content must be taught or reviewed as we begin to prepare for the end of year SOL tests.

A reminder that our in-person learners should bring their fully charged FCPS laptop to school each day. Personal devices can be used at home, but to ensure ease for your child’s internet access and settings, please have them bring their FCPS laptop with them in-person. If they are experiencing difficulty with their FCPS device, we can problem solve better with it on campus!

Stay safe and have a wonderful weekend! ~ Mrs. Castillo

PTA Read-A-Thon

Read-a-thons get your reader excited about reading and it gives friends and family the opportunity to encourage your child to read even more! Our Read-a-thon begins Monday April 12th, 2021. About one week before our Read-a-thon begins, the PTA will email parents instructions on how to activate your reader's personal page. This is where you will be able to view and record their progress. We've chosen Read-a-thon as a final fundraiser for the year because it will not take much of your time, gives your child a reason to read, and helps in the development of stronger reading skills. There will be individual, class, grade, and school rewards for participation so We hope EVERYONE participates. Thanks so much ~ The Lemon Road Elementary School PTA

Kiss & Ride Expectations

This week, we sent home bright colored kiss & ride numbers with each in-person family. Practice this number with your student and please be sure this sign is displayed in your windshield or passenger window during pick up each afternoon. This will help us move the kiss & ride line along more efficiently.

Please also follow these kiss & ride safety expectations:

Masks must be worn by all members in the car when you pull onto school grounds
Practice having your child exit and enter the vehicle independently from the passenger side to minimize wait time for others
Do not pass any cars in line
Drivers make the full loop around the back parking lot and do not make a U-turn through our cones
If your family requires additional time, please pull forward to the county vehicle parking spots to allow others to move quickly through the line

Advanced Academic Programs Screening for School-Based Services

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) offers a continuum of advanced academic services for all students in grades K-8. Learning experiences are designed to develop higher-level thinking through enrichment, acceleration, and extensions of the Program of Studies (POS). Teachers, administrators, and advanced academic resource teachers (AARTs) work together to provide the following levels of school-based services in each elementary school:

Critical and Creative Thinking Lessons, Grades K-6 (Level I)
Differentiated Lessons in Areas of Academic Strength, Grades K-6 (Level II)
Part-Time Advanced Academic Programs, Grades 3-6 (Level III)

Click here to learn more about Elementary School AAP levels of service. Screening for school-based Level II and III AAP services can happen at any time during the school year, but it is done schoolwide in the spring to determine services for the next school year. Parents or guardians may initiate screening for Level II and Level III services by submitting the AAP School-Based Services (Level II-III) Referral Form. Click here for the form. Please email completed forms to Avery Straw, AART at akstraw@fcps.edu if you would like your child to be considered for services for the 2021 – 2022 school year. Multiple criteria are used to screen students for all levels. Families who submit a referral will be notified in June with their student’s eligibility status for Level II-III services beginning in the fall. If you have any questions please contact Avery Straw at akstraw@fcps.edu.

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, March 22: Lifetouch Photos for Virtual Students & Staff (8 AM – 1 PM); Kindergarten and Make Up WIDA testing

Tuesday, March 23: Lifetouch Photos for In-Person Students & Staff; Photos for Virtual Students & Staff (3:30 – 5:00 PM); PTA Restaurant Night – Ledo’s Pizza

Wednesday, March 24: PTA Restaurant Night – Ledo’s Pizza

Thursday, March 25: Lifetouch Photos for In-Person Students & Staff

Friday, March 26: March Freaky Friday: Storybook Character Day; Early Release (Dismissal at 1:30 PM)

March 29 – April 2: Spring Break

Monday, April 5: Teacher Workday (Student Holiday)

Friday, April 9: Virtual Principals Coffee (9 AM)

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 3.12.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

I hope everyone has taken advantage of this beautiful spring weather! This week was exciting at Lemon Road as we welcomed some of our 1st and 2nd graders to in-person learning. We look forward to seeing our 3rd – 6th graders joining us in-person this week. We appreciate your continued support as we adapt to the concurrent learning model for all students. We are hopeful that this is a positive new beginning for all of us as we finish out the school year.

Great news – our playground is now open for our students during recess! We will continue to be vigilant with safety measures during play. Students will use hand sanitizer immediately before and after using equipment and will rotate through stations weekly for recess to ensure a reduced capacity on equipment at any time.

With students back on campus, no visitors or students learning from home are allowed on school property during school hours from 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM. The use of the playground and fields will be available after 4:00 PM. Thank you for your understanding as we make this transition.

Please remember tonight we spring forward in time. Make sure you change your clocks tomorrow morning so all students join us Monday for the 9 AM grade level morning meetings - see the updated Monday enrichment options for K - 6 students. Have a great rest of the weekend ~ Mrs. Castillo

In-Person Student Reminders

As we continue to welcome additional students to the building, we have created a Return to School handbook parents may find helpful. Parents can access it from our school webpage here.

All students must bring to school each day a laptop, laptop charger, and headphones. Please ensure that laptops are charged overnight so that they are ready for use each morning.

If your family or child has been exposed to COVID, please do not send them to in-person learning until you have been cleared by a medical professional and confirmed your return date with Ms. Monts at Lemon Road. If your child has been recommended to quarantine, they should continue to join virtual instruction daily and will not be marked absent.

Memory Book Photos & Cover

We are excited to welcome Lifetouch back to Lemon Road for socially-distant individual student and staff photos. Students attending school in-person will have their photo taken on either Tuesday, March 23 or Thursday, March 25 during the school day. We ask all parents of students remaining virtual to bring their child for a quick and socially-distant appointment on Monday, March 22 from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM or Tuesday, March 23 from 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM. Only parents of students remaining virtual should use this link to sign up for an appointment. Even if parents do not wish to purchase photos of your child, it is important to have their photo taken. FCPS uses these photos as a part of our electronic student records and information systems AND Lemon Road is creating a free memory book (similar to a yearbook) that all students will receive at the end of the year.

Parents of students with individual appointments will drive around the kiss & ride loop and drop their child off near door #7 at their scheduled time. Students must wear a mask and will wait outdoors until the photographer is ready. At their appointment time, students will enter the back door of the cafeteria, be seated with the photographer and instructed when to remove their mask. Following their photo, students will replace their mask then be guided out the front door of the school. Parents will drive and park in the front of the building and pick up their child at door #1. Please email Mrs. Nealson with questions related to Lifetouch photos.

Like previous years, Lemon Road is holding a student contest to design the cover of our Memory Book! Students of all ages may submit their original work and submissions will be featured throughout the book including the front and back cover. The deadline is Thursday, April 8 and information can be found here.

Positivity Project: Love of Learning

Next week, we will learn about love of learning. For a 1-page character card overview, click here. Love of learning means that you master new skills and topics on your own or in school. Those with a love of learning are intrinsically motivated and engaged in a topic regardless of achieving an external standard. They enjoy learning simply for the sake of learning. They don’t need a prize or a high grade as a reward. Their reward is the process of doing the work and improving. People who love learning experience positive feelings in the process of acquiring skills, building on existing knowledge, or learning something completely new. Over time, individuals with this strength may develop deep and wide knowledge. Their knowledge enables them to make significant contributions to others’ understanding.

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, March 15: Reduced Enrichment Schedule (Morning Meeting at 9; Enrichments 9:40 – 11:20)

Tuesday, March 16: 1st Day of In-Person Instruction for Grades 3 – 6 (T/W group)

Thursday, March 18: 1st Day of In-Person Instruction for Grades 3 – 6 (Th/F group)

Monday, March 22: Lifetouch Photos for Virtual Students & Staff (8 AM – 1 PM)

Tuesday, March 23: PTA Restaurant Night – Ledo’s Pizza; Lifetouch Photos for In-Person Students (scheduled during school day); Lifetouch Appointments for Virtual Students (3:30 – 5:00 PM)

Wednesday, March 24: PTA Restaurant Night – Ledo’s Pizza

Thursday, March 25: Lifetouch Photos for In-Person Students & Staff (scheduled during school day)

Friday, March 26: March Freaky Friday: Storybook Character Day; Early Release (Dismissal at 1:30 PM)

March 29 – April 2: Spring Break

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

LRES Special Bulletin 3.11.21

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Return to School Parent Handbook

As we continue to welcome additional students to the building, we have created a Return to School handbook parents may find helpful. Parents can access it from our school webpage here.

Lifetouch Photo Appointments

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 3.7.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

Our kindergarteners and preschool students enjoyed another sunny week of instruction. They have done a phenomenal job wearing their masks at all times, keeping a distance during work and play, and eating and playing outdoors. A big shout-out to ALL our kindergartners that have spent two weeks with a new teacher and new classmates! We look forward to welcoming our in-person first and second graders to the building this week!

Remember that Monday, March 8 is a student holiday and a planning day for teachers. All our staff will be engaging in the newest cultural proficiency module facilitated by our equity lead, Ms. Albright. These trainings include our teachers, staff front office, custodians, and food service employees. Because of this, our front office will be closed until 11 AM on Monday morning. Classes will resume on Tuesday, March 9. Teachers in grades will 3 – 6 have asynchronous planning days on March 11 and 12 to prepare for concurrent instruction. Students will have their morning meeting and synchronous specials those days with assignments to complete from their teacher.

We have paused the library distribution plans on Monday until Spring Break, but see the gorgeous new bulletin board on display by Ms. Burke. If your child needs books to read, please reach out to her directly. Thank you for your ongoing support! ~ Mrs. Castillo.

Lifetouch Photos & Memory Book

Later this month, Lifetouch is visiting Lemon Road to take pictures in a safe and socially-distant manner for our memory book and for individual purchase. Even if parents do not plan to purchase photos, we ask that all have a photo taken. Students coming in-person will have their photo taken during school, those remaining virtual will have the ability to make an appointment on a Monday or one evening during the week. Stay tuned for more information and a sign-up genius. We will also bring back the tradition of a cover contest with the team “Virtually Unstoppable” – all students are encouraged to enter, so they can begin brainstorming now!

Planning for 2021 - 2022

We continue to plan for next year. Please click this link to let us know your child’s plans for the 2021 – 2022 school year and pass this link onto any family with a new student OR a child ready for Kindergarten! Knowing our student body allows us to be better staffed for class sizes and hire the best teachers and staff for Lemon Road.

Our kindergarten orientation is planned for the morning of April 26, so mark your calendars!

Positivity Project: Social Intelligence

This week, we will discuss social intelligence. For a 1-page character card overview, click here. Social intelligence means that you are aware of other people’s thoughts and feelings. You understand why they do things. It refers to a person’s ability to understand and manage interpersonal relationships — and is distinct from a person’s IQ or “book smarts.” It includes an individual’s ability to understand, and act on, the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of other people. This type of intelligence can take place “in the moment” of face-to-face conversations but also appears during times of deliberate thinking. It involves emotional intelligence and self-awareness.

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, March 8: Staff Development Day (Student Holiday); PTA Restaurant Night Panera Break on West Broad St (4 – 8 PM)

Tuesday, March 9: 1st Day of In-Person Instruction for Grades 1 & 2 (T/W group)

Thursday, March 11: 1st Day of In-Person Instruction for Grades 1 & 2 (Th/F group); Grades 3 – 6 Asynchronous Planning Day #3

Friday, March 12: LRES Polo Day; Grades 3 – 6 Asynchronous Planning Day #4;

Monday, March 15: Reduced Enrichment Schedule (Morning Meeting at 9; Enrichments 9:40 – 11:20); Grades 3 – 6 Virtual or Video Open House for In-Person Students

Tuesday, March 16: 1st Day of In-Person Instruction for Grades 3 – 6 (T/W group)

Thursday, March 18: 1st Day of In-Person Instruction for Grades 3 – 6 (Th/F group)

Tuesday, March 23: PTA Restaurant Night – Ledo’s Pizza

Wednesday, March 24: PTA Restaurant Night – Ledo’s Pizza

Friday, March 26: Early Release (Dismissal at 1:30 PM)

March 29 – April 2: Spring Break

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 2.28.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

It was a joyous and eventful week! We celebrated our 100th day of school, welcomed our in-person kindergarteners to the building, set up our specialists’ classrooms, enjoyed the spring-like weather, and celebrated our February birthdays with our monthly spirit day! We are continually impressed by the conscientious effort and care our staff have taken to successfully navigate this ongoing transition to concurrent learning, so if you have a moment to recognize your child’s teachers, please do! Consider quickly writing a FCPS Cares nomination using this form. We know there will be a learning process for us all as we figure out how to be in two learning environments at the same time, but we are inspired by the dedication of our staff who are problem solving how best to do so. Regardless of how your child will be accessing their learning in the coming weeks, we are committed to supporting them the best we can.

As a reminder that next Friday is a 2 hour early release for students, both in person and virtually. All instruction will end at 1:30pm. The following Monday, March 8th is a Staff Development day and student holiday. There are no Morning Meetings, live instruction, or asynchronous assignments on Monday, March 8th.

FCPS is working hard to Stop the Spread of COVID-19. Please take a few moment to share this video related to safely returning to school with your entire family. You might wish to share this Social Story for Learning at Home or Returning to School with your child depending on your family’s choice earlier in the year.

Kindergarten – second grade parents of children returning in-person received information regarding the plans for returning their child to school. Families of students in grades 3 – 6 will be receiving information this week regarding plans for return, days of the week, and any schedule adjustments.

Have a wonderful Sunday ~ Mrs. Castillo

Lemon Road Yard Signs

The PTA is excited to share that Lemon Road yard signs are now available for purchase for $20. These signs are intended for Lemon Road students in our preschool program through grade 5 to show their Lemon Road pride. Money raised from the sale of the yard signs will be used to purchase a special graduating student yard sign as a gift from the PTA for each of our 6th-grade students. The signs for 6th-grade students will look different than the sign for the preschool-grade 5 students. All orders MUST be received and paid for by Friday, March 5. Instructions on how to pay and to place your order can be found on this Google Form. If you have any questions please reach out to Jen Edgerly at jennifer.edgerly@gmail.com.

In-Person Dismissal Procedures

Dismissal will look similar as it has in the past – but for families new to Lemon Road, here is what to expect. Lemon Road students will dismiss typically in one of four ways: walkers, bus riders, kiss & ride and Falls-Church McLean Children’s Center. Students will pack up a few minutes prior to 3:30 and students will be dismissed using our silent system. It is imperative that your child’s teacher knows how your child is going home each day.

Walkers will be dismissed at 3:30 and may head to the door in the direction of your home. If you have two or more children in the school, please have the older sibling walk to the door of the younger sibling and exit the building together. If a parent is accompanying their child, please wear a mask and wait outside of Door #1. Bus riders will be dismissed in waves beginning with the bus at the front of the line. All should exit the building at Door #1. In preparation for your child’s return, please review your child’s bus stop and route assignment in SIS ParentVue. Changes will continue to be made to accommodate increased students returning to school over the next month, so please check it frequently. Families using kiss & ride will pull into the parking lot, stay to the right of the building, and circle the back parking lot. Lions will be dismissed to a paw print outside Door #6 & #7 at 3:30 where they will look for their car with the help of our staff. Remember that everyone in the car should be wearing a mask. If your child attends Falls Church-McLean Children’s Center, they are dismissed with walkers and walk through the double doors on the other side of our kindergarten classroom.

Positivity Project - Enthusiasm

Thank you for modeling cheering others' success this week! I know parents, children, and school staff need to feel supported right now. Next week, we'll begin learning about enthusiasm. For a 1-page character card overview, click here. Enthusiasm means you approach life with excitement and energy. You energize people around you. It is the ability to bring life and excitement to different situations. It often leads to a higher level of involvement and engagement both for individuals and for groups. Those who demonstrate zest and enthusiasm bring an energy and level of intensity to individual and group work. These people are often identified as early leaders and innovators as a result of their outward excitement about a task or project. Look for these people to recruit new group members and generate ideas.

School Grounds Accessibility

With students returning to the building, no visitors or students learning from home are permitted on school property during school hours from 8:30 - 4 PM. The use of the playground and fields will be available after 4PM. Our school grounds will be used throughout the day for our recess breaks and other school activities. Children accessing the playground before or after school must be accompanied by an adult. Thank you for your understanding as we make this transition.

Lemon Road Luminosities

We are proud to announce that our Div. B team, Lemon Road Luminosities, participated in Science Olympiad competition on February 6, 2021. Taking part in a Science Olympiad is an extra ordinary task our children dare to undertake but this year because everything is virtual, we commend the kids willingness to participate. We were all treading in an unknown territory of a virtual Olympiad and we are extremely proud of the 11 students that not just dared to take on this adventure, but came out victorious in the events they participated in. The team participated in 10 events and we were able to earn medals, coming in 4th place, for three of those ten events. All students, whether they earned a medal or not, did extremely well securing some position in that division and putting their hard work and knowledge, of the topic they studied for to good use. The purpose of participating in the Science Olympiad is to develop and retain the love for science, show team work by working with a partner while building trust and confidence in one another.

We would also like to thank the parents whose hard work, time and dedication are key elements in making participating in the Olympiad a huge success. They allowed us the luxury, with their patience, support and encouragement, to be able to navigate this new world of a virtual Olympiad with confidence and dedication.Many thanks for supporting the students, us and the Olympiad ~ Mrs. Dickey-Dunn and Mrs. Latif

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, March 1: WIDA Testing (AM & PM); Library Book Distribution

Wednesday, March 3: Specialists Asynchronous Planning Day

Thursday, March 4: Grades 1 & 2 Asynchronous Planning Day

Friday, March 5: Grades 1 & 2 Asynchronous Planning Day #4; Early Release at 1:30 PM

Monday, March 8: Staff Development Day (No School for Students); PTA Restaurant Night Panera Break on West Broad St (4 – 8 PM)

Tuesday, March 9: 1st Day of In-Person Instruction for Grades 1 & 2 (T/W group)

Thursday, March 11: 1st Day of In-Person Instruction for Grades 1 & 2 (Th/F group); Grades 3 – 6 Asynchronous Planning Day

Friday, March 12: Grades 3 – 6 Asynchronous Planning Day

Tuesday, March 16: 1st Day of In-Person Instruction for Grades 3 – 6 (T/W group)

Thursday, March 18: 1st Day of In-Person Instruction for Grades 3 – 6 (Th/F group)

Tuesday, March 23: PTA Restaurant Night – Ledo’s Pizza

Wednesday, March 24: PTA Restaurant Night – Ledo’s Pizza

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 2.20.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

Thank you PTA and families who joined our Kahoot games last night! They were a lot of fun and it was great to see students and their parents in a casual environment. We are working with the PTA to investigate the behaviors concluding our upper grade event. Lemon Road School and PTA do not tolerate any racist, defamatory, or anti-sematic language, drawings, or behaviors. We appreciate how quickly our students responded to the messaging and those helping us with the investigation.

We are ready to bring back kindergartners who opted for in-person learning this week. We continue to upgrade our building and facilities to support safe practices and social distance on our grounds. Thank you to the families who have donated to support outdoor eating spaces – check out the additional picnic tables we have to allow for more safe and social mealtimes. Donations are still being accepted and will go towards additional shade structures, trash receptacles, and additional outdoor activities for play.

FCPS Food and Nutritional Services will be distributing reusable, metal water bottles to children and families who pick up meals on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 (while supplies last). The water bottles are intended to provide a refillable container for children to use when they return to in-person instruction. Each water bottle will come with a sticker to label the bottle for easy identification! We encourage all families to stop by and obtain one for their child! Meal kits can be picked up on Wednesday from 10 – 12:30 at Westgate Elementary or daily at bus stops found here.

Kindergarten families received information back in November regarding the plans for returning their child to school with updates from their child's teacher. Families of students in grades 1 – 6 will be receiving information in coming weeks regarding plans for return, days of the week, and any schedule adjustments.

As we are returning to the building, one supply we will need in every space for learning and play are disinfecting wipes. We typically request them on our beginning of year supply lists, but most families used those supplies at home. If you are able to send in or drop off disinfecting wipes to our main office, we will distribute them throughout the school. Thank you in advance!

Have a great rest of the weekend and don’t forget to help your child dress for the spirit day on Friday (see the graphic below) ~ Mrs. Castillo

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

While our bell schedule changed and we will remain 6-feet apart, many aspects of our arrival procedures will remain the same. Lemon Road students will arrive to school in one of three ways: walkers, bus riders, and kiss & ride. Our doors will officially open at 8:50 AM and dismissal will begin promptly at 3:30 PM. Please be sure you have communicated to your child’s teacher how they will go home each day.

Students that walk to school should wait on a paw print outside the front door (door #1) until a staff member opens the door. Parents or siblings accompanying a Lemon Road student may wait with them. Please ensure everyone in your group wears a properly fitted mask.

Buses will pull up in front of the school – arriving between 8:45 and 8:50. Staff will spread along the front sidewalk to ensure social distancing as students disembark the bus and enter the building. In preparation for your child’s return, please review your child’s bus stop and route assignment in SIS ParentVue. Changes will continue to be made to accommodate increased students returning to school over the next month, so please check it frequently.

Students arriving by car will ride with their grown-up through the main entrance, along the right side of the building, loop around the back parking lot, and pull up to the side entrance of the school building. Please pull all the way forward before your child opens the car door to allow for an efficient kiss & ride line. Staff will be waiting to greet your child and help them enter the building safely. Please practice helping your child from within the car so that they may safely disembark your car independently from the passenger side. Please be sure that everyone in the car has a properly fitting mask.

Breakfast will be served beginning at 8:45 outdoors most days (picnic tables near kiss & ride and near the front outdoor classroom). All students are welcome to enjoy free breakfast with their peers. If weather conditions are poor, students will be offered a breakfast as they enter the building and head to class.

While the Lemon Road culture is typically built on parental involvement in our school and classrooms, parents are only permitted in the building for scheduled appointments at this time. Please note unsupervised play on the playground before and/or after school is not permitted.

Monday Schedule Changes

Thank you for supporting your child with the bell schedule this week. A reminder that our Monday schedule has also been shifted by 30 minutes. Lemon Road students can access the same enrichments, but note the times below. A reminder that the 9 AM Morning Meeting is mandatory and attendance is taken for the day.

9:00 – 9:30 Grade Level Morning Meetings (students may begin logging in for networking at 8:45)

9:40 – 10:10 Enrichment/Intervention Block #1

10:15 – 10:45 Enrichment/Intervention Block #2

10:50 – 11:20 Enrichment/Intervention Block #3

11:30 – 12:00 Enrichment/Intervention Block #4

Asynchronous Planning Days

Thursday is the first of two asynchronous planning days for Lemon Road specialists. You may notice that your child’s specials will be pre-recorded OR an assignment/activity may be provided. This is to give our specialists time to prepare their classrooms, offices, and work spaces for students’ return. The rest of your child’s day will continue as scheduled.

Planning for 2021 - 2011

While we are planning for the return to school buildings, we are also planning for next year! Please click this link to let us know your child’s plans for the 2021 – 2022 school year and pass this link onto any family with a new student OR a child ready for Kindergarten! Our kindergarten orientation is planned for the morning of April 26, so mark your calendars.

P2: Cheering Others' Successes

This element means that when other people succeed, you are happy for them and cheer them on. Being happy for other people when they succeed isn’t always everyone’s initial reaction. Often, it’s easy to become jealous or envious of others’ victories – or even to experience schadenfreude, which is deriving pleasure from witnessing (or learning about) another person’s misfortune. Making a commitment towards cheering on other people’s successes can be a great way to improve our own health, happiness, and relationships.

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, February 22: 100th Day of School; Grades 3 & 4 Laptop Distribution; Grade 6 IAAT Test; Kindergarten In Person Orientation (9:30 – 11:00); Kindergarten Virtual Open Houses (2 PM); Grade 1 WIDA Testing; Book Bus & Library Distribution at Pimmit Dr & Matera St (2 – 2:30 PM) Lemon Road School (4 – 5:30 PM)

Tuesday, February 23: 1st Day of In-Person K (Tuesday/Wednesday)

Thursday, February 25: 1st Day of In-Person K Thursday/Friday; Specialists Asynchronous Planning Day

Friday, February 26: February Freaky Friday – Rainbow Day; Grade 3/4 Laptop Distribution

Monday, March 1: WIDA Testing (AM & PM); Book Bus & Library Distribution at Evans Ct & Leesburg Pike (2 – 2:30 PM) Lemon Road School (4 – 5:30 PM)

Wednesday, March 3: Specialists Asynchronous Planning Day

Thursday, March 4: Grades 1 & 2 Asynchronous Planning Day

Friday, March 5: Grades 1 & 2 Asynchronous Planning Day; 1:30 PM Early Release (in-person for preschool & kindergarten)

Monday, March 8: Staff Development Day (No School for Students)

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 2.14.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

Happy Valentines Day Lemon Road Families,

This week kicks off an important transition in the school year. First, please be sure your and your children’s calendars are marked for the bell schedule change. All students may begin logging into morning meetings at 8:45 AM for networking with a 9:00 AM start. Grade levels continue to have a mid-day lunch and activity break, but our lunch schedule is staggered to prepare for students sharing spaces on school grounds. We know that many of you waited patiently for this transition to occur, while equally as many of you will remain virtual for the remainder of the year. Regardless of your decision, Lemon Road staff are ready and committed to offering instruction in a wholly virtual or concurrent manner.

For those of you who have opted for in-person instruction, we want to assure you that we have the health and safety mitigation strategies in place that the CDC says will help to keep school transmission rates low. Part of a successful mitigation strategy is adhering to capacity restrictions to keep children and staff socially distanced and safe. As many of our classes have reached the capacity threshold, families who have requested a change in learning preference for their child have been added to a waitlist. We will let you know if an in-person space becomes available. To allow for a safe and more social lunch experience, Lemon Road classes will be eating outdoors to the greatest extent possible. In order to do this, we are seeking donations to purchase additional tables, tents/covers, and trash receptacles. If you or someone you know has the ability to make a contribution, please use this link. Thank you to those of you who have already contributed!

I hope each of you had a special Valentines Day with your children and families. The Lemon Road staff enjoyed the creative celebrations this week and loved reading all the beautiful posts including photos and drawings! The PTA wall is full of love for our special extended family. You can view the messages and even leave a new post here.

Below is the Return to School timeline, please note two different columns, the first one is the start date for the group, the third one identifies the two designated preparation days for those teachers. Classroom teacher preparation days will begin with a live Morning Meeting, have synchronous specials, but will then be asynchronous instruction for the rest of the school day with plans shared by your child’s teacher. Our specialists will also have two days of preparation. On those days, specials will be recorded or asynchronous for your child, but the classroom teacher will continue with synchronous instruction. We separated the planning days for our staff to provide some structure and continuity for your child throughout this transition.

Enjoy the holiday tomorrow ~ Mrs. Castillo

Planning for 2021 - 2022

While we are planning for the return to buildings, we are also planning for next year. Please click this link to let us know your child’s plans for the 2021 – 2022 school year and pass this link onto any family with a new student OR a child ready for Kindergarten! Our kindergarten orientation is planned for the morning of April 26, so mark your calendars!

Returning to School Buildings

Parents of students who have chosen in-person learning must fill out the "Parent Health Commitment Form" and return it to the school before beginning in-person learning. This form can either be (1) dropped off at school by clicking on link and printing OR (2) filled out in ParentVue electronically. Families can also review detailed information about the county-wide return to school buildings here.

Parent Health Commitment Form – Can be filled out in ParentVue This needs to be completed prior to your child starting in-person learning. Please see the translated versions

Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

PTA News Updates

The PTA will transition fully away from the current mail list to the MemberHub platform as the primary form of communication in February. If you want to continue to receive emails from the PTA, please register for the MemberHub site. To register for MemberHub, please visit this link: https://lemonroad.memberhub.com/join/3xt08d

To fully join the PTA and provide support to the school, staff, and students, please go to this link: https://lemonroad.memberhub.store/store, Your membership helps fund such things as bingo night, prizes for contests, lunches for teachers for the school supply distribution, teacher wish-list items, staff appreciation week, and winter gifts for the LRES staff.

For any questions please contact:

PTA Communications: ptacommunicationslres@gmail.com

Communications Chair Shilpee Arora: shilpee9@gmail.com

VP, Membership Karen Ram: krj_ram@yahoo.com

FCPS Laptop Slowing Down?

Remember that LRES laptops must be fully shutdown at least twice per week in order to push updates and keep them working optimally. Now that we are halfway through the year, consider bringing your child and the laptop to any FCPS parking lot, connect the laptop to FCPS WIFI, and restart it a few times. This will give it the midyear boost it may need!

En Pocas Palabras FCPS Podcast

The Office for ESOL Services and the Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement are pleased to offer En Pocas Palabras FCPS Podcast. En Pocas Palabras FCPS podcast brings families timely, important information related to school news.

Welcome to En Pocas Palabras FCPS Podcast from Fairfax County Public Schools. Listen to En Pocas Palabras FCPS in Spanish and English to hear timely, important information related to school news. FCPS cares about all families. The podcast is produced in conjunction with the Office for ESOL Services and the Office of Professional Learning and Family Engagement. The goal of every podcast is to help families access key resources and understand how to best support their children’s education. En Pocas Palabras FCPS will bring you something new to discover.

Bienvenidos a En Pocas Palabras FCPS, un Podcast en español e inglés, donde podrá encontrar las últimas noticias de las escuelas públicas del condado de Fairfax. En FCPS todas las familias son importantes. Producido por la Oficina de Servicios de Inglés como Segundo Idioma (ESOL) y la Oficina de Aprendizaje Profesional y Participación Familiar, este Podcast tiene como meta ayudar a las familias a tener acceso a recursos claves y apoyarlas en la educación de sus hijos.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Anchor.

Positivity Project: Humility

I hope you felt the “love” this week. Next week, we will discuss humility as a school. For a 1-page character card overview, click here. Humility means you do not seek the spotlight. You let your actions speak for themselves. Humble people have an accurate (not underestimated) sense of their abilities and achievements. They hold the capacity to acknowledge their mistakes and limitations, and are open to advice and new ideas. They do not show off their possessions or accomplishments. Humility and modesty are often characterized as synonymous with shy or meek. This is false. True humility is a sign of strength; it is a quiet confidence in who you are. It requires an honest self-reflection on your strengths and weaknesses, and self-control over ego, arrogance, and vanity. It encapsulates a person’s feelings, thoughts, and actions. It includes resistance to false modesty or the “humble brag.”

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, February 15: Presidents Day Holiday (no school)

Tuesday, February 16: New Bell Schedule (9:00 Morning Meetings; 3:30 End of Student Day)

Wednesday, February 17: Domino’s Pizza Night (Code DN3); LRES February PTA Meeting (6:30 PM)

Friday, February 19: PTA Kahoot Game Night Kindergarten – Grade 3 (6 PM); Grade 4 – 6 (7 PM); Password: 01234

Monday, February 22: Grades 3 & 4 Laptop Distribution; Kindergarten Th/F In-Person Orientation (9:30 – 11:00); Kindergarten Virtual Open Houses; Grade 1 WIDA Testing; PM Book Bus & Library Distribution at Lemon Road; 100th Day of School

Tuesday, February 23: Kindergarten T/W In-Person 1st Day

Thursday, February 25: Kindergarten Th/F In-Person 1st Day; Specialists Asynchronous Planning Day

Friday, February 26: Grades 3 & 4 Laptop Distribution

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 2.6.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

Good morning Lemon Road family! Thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday for our February Principals’ Coffee devoted to the Return to School plans. Here is a link to the recording. We will be posting the slide deck and recording to the school website soon as well. We will send the direct links when they are available. As you know, the School Board voted to move forward with the return plan and timeline below. Here are the slides shared on Tuesday at the School Board Meeting. Below is the Return to School timeline, please note two different columns, the first one is the start date for the group, the third one identifies the two designated preparation days for those teachers. Classroom teacher preparation days will begin with a live Morning Meeting, have synchronous specials, but will then be asynchronous instruction for the rest of the school day with plans shared by your child’s teacher. Our specialists will also have two days of preparation. On those days, specials will be recorded or asynchronous for your child, but the classroom teacher will continue with synchronous instruction. We separated the planning days for our staff to provide some structure and continuity for your child throughout this transition.

FCPS will be including clarification about Return to School in their newsletter this week, but as many parents have reached out to us with questions, we wanted to provide the information for you in advance. In preparation for students’ return, schools created staffing plans and schedules based on the number of students who selected in-person instruction earlier this school year. Students who selected in-person learning this summer or fall will transition to in-person learning two days each week. Your child’s schedule will be shared approximately two weeks prior to their return. Due to social distancing requirements and established schedules, schools may not be able to accommodate additional students who wish to change their selection from virtual to in-person instruction.

FCPS will implement a new bell schedule beginning February 16 due to social distancing and cleaning requirements on school buses. The bell schedule change will apply to both in-person and virtual schedules. Lemon Road’s new bell schedule is 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Your child’s teacher will be providing you with your child’s updated schedule late next week.

To allow for a safe and more social lunch experience, Lemon Road classes will be eating outdoors to the greatest extent possible. In order to do this, we are seeking donations to purchase additional tables, tents/covers, and trash receptacles. If you or someone you know has the ability to make a contribution, please use this link. Thank you!

Don’t forget our Monday schedule has resumed. All students are expected to join their Monday Morning Meeting by 8:30 (same link as the grade level specials) and then we hope everyone will participate in several enrichments between 9:10 – 11:30. Check out the schedule here. Remember, our enrichments are accessed by logging into our Lemon Road Students Blackboard page and searching either the course or the teacher’s name. Finally, don’t forget about our library distribution each Monday. We want physical books in the hands of every Lemon Road student. Take advantage of the bus stop closest to you or stop by Lemon Road between 4 – 5:30 PM and pick up books your child checked out OR create a bag using our window selection service. Thank you Ms. Burke, Ms. Knutsen, and Ms. Benson for making this a reality for our lions!

Thank you for your ongoing partnership ~ Mrs. Castillo

Mask Requirements & Updates

Masks are a simple barrier to help prevent your respiratory droplets from reaching others. As I shared last week, anyone on school property (inside and outside) must have an appropriate face covering. Studies show that masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth. CDC continues to study the effectiveness of different types of masks and updates the recommendations as new scientific evidence becomes available. FCPS does not support single layer gaiters or cloth face masks or face coverings with exhalation valves/vents. Whenever you are on school property, anyone over the age of two must have a mask, face covering, or gaiter with two or more layers. Please refer to the following resources for detailed information: Your Guide to Masks.

2021 - 2022 School Year

While we are planning for the Return to School, we are also planning for next year. Please click this link to let us know your child’s plans for the 2021 – 2022 school year and pass this link onto any family with a new student OR a child ready for Kindergarten! Our kindergarten orientation is planned for the morning of April 26, so mark your calendars!

Positivity Project: Love

Next week, we'll discuss the strength of love. For a 1-page character card overview, click here. Love means you value close relationships with others and being close to people. Love represents the way we think, feel, and behave towards the people with whom we have close relationships. When one person loves another person, that person: comforts and makes the other feel safe; sacrifices on the other’s behalf; supports the other during struggles; and places the other’s needs ahead of their own. If you love a person, that person makes you feel safe and secure. You can be yourself with that person.

Cultural Shares

Dear parents and friends of Lemon Road: We are celebrating our wonderfully diverse cultures during the month of February through our weekly grade level counseling lessons. You and or your child are invited to share your culture during our 30 minute grade level classroom guidance lesson. Some ideas to share include: special celebrations, customs, dress, age-appropriate cultural history, music, dance, arts, games, pictures, artifacts, maps, or flags. All presentations will be virtual via. Blackboard. We thank you in advance for supporting diversity at Lemon Road and look forward to learning about your wonderful culture. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Erica McKinney: ecmckinney@fcps.edu OR Taylor Butts: tsbutts@fcps.edu. Thank you for your support! Here is a link to the sign-up.

Health Commitment Forms

Parents of students returning to in-person classes must have submitted the health commitment form in advance of their return. You may complete the form in ParentVUE (directions below), email the Health Commitment Form to dlvaughn@fcps.edu, or drop off to the front office between 9 AM - 3 PM Monday through Friday. Again, we must have this completed form prior to your child’s return to school.

Health Commitment Form- English

Health Commitment Form- Arabic

Health Commitment Form- Chinese

Health Commitment Form- Farsi

Health Commitment Form- Spanish

Health Commitment Form- Urdu

Responding Electronically in ParentVUE:

All parents who have indicated their child will attend in-school instruction will have access to this information in PVUE. Parents/guardians may access the document in their preferred language and will receive reminders in PVUE until the form has been submitted. Go to My Account (top right) - Documents tab.
Student Information System (SIS) PVUE is an essential tool for parents/guardians to keep up with their student’s attendance, grade book assignments and grades, report cards, and more. If you have not yet created a PVUE account, please reach out to our Student Information Assistant (SIA)/Registrar, Dana Vaughn, dlvaughn@fcps.edu to be provided with an activation code.
Details on what can be found in PVUE and how to activate a new PVUE account using your activation code can be found at: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/student-information-system-sis-fcps/sis-parent-account-overview.

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, February 8: Kindergarten T/W In-Person Orientation (9:30 – 11:00); Grades 3 – 4 Library Distribution; Library Book Distribution (2 PM – 6 PM)

Friday, February 12: Polo & School Spirit Day (Virtual class photos will be taken)

Monday, February 15: Presidents Day Holiday

Tuesday, February 16: New Bell Schedule (9:00 Morning Meetings; 3:30 End of Student Day)

Wednesday, February 17: Domino’s Pizza Night (Code DN3); LRES February PTA Meeting (6:30 PM)

Tuesday, February 23: Kindergarten T/W In-Person 1st Day

Thursday, February 25: Kindergarten Th/F In-Person 1st Day; Specialists Asynchronous Planning Day

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Return to School - Principals' Coffee Friday

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Principals' Coffee Friday

Join Mrs. Castillo, Mr. Birge, and our PTA for our Return to School Principals' Coffee. We will meet through BBCU on Friday at 9 AM using this link. All parents/guardians are welcome and the session will be recorded for anyone that cannot attend live.

National School Counseling Week

Lemon Road loves our counselors - Ms. McKinney (kindergarten - third grade) and Ms. Butts (fourth - sixth grade) have supported our students and staff through quite a semester! If you or your child would like to email them a card or note of appreciation, you may reach out to them directly or consider submitting an FCPS Cares!

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Lemon Road Community News 1.31.21

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Message from Mrs. Castillo

Look at that beautiful snow! Winter is most certainly upon us as we start the 3rd quarter. The forecast for tomorrow is questionable, so please pay attention to any updates from FCPS regarding snow and our schedule.

Unless FCPS decides otherwise due to weather, Lemon Road plans for a synchronous virtual morning tomorrow. All students are expected to join their Monday Morning Meeting by 8:30 (same link as the grade level specials) and then we hope everyone will participate in several enrichments between 9:10 – 11:30. Check out the schedule here. Remember, our enrichments are accessed by logging into our Lemon Road Students Blackboard page and searching either the course or the teacher’s name. This video is available to provide additional directions accessing classes in Blackboard. Be sure your child checks their @fcpsschools.net email to see if they have any required sessions with their teachers. Between sledding runs in the afternoon, your child should log time on ST Math and Imagine Literacy as well as any assignments from their teacher! Finally, don’t forget about our library distribution each Monday. We want physical books in the hands of every Lemon Road student. Take advantage of the bus stop closest to you or stop by Lemon Road between 4 – 5:30 PM and pick up books your child checked out OR create a bag using our window selection service. Thank you Ms. Burke, Ms. Knutsen, and Ms. Benson for making this a reality for our lions!

We look forward to distributing laptops to our 3rd and 4th graders tomorrow if weather permits. Don’t forget to bring your old laptop to exchange with a brand new one! If the roads become hazardous, we will postpone distribution and reschedule for later this month. Any updates will be communicated to families as soon as possible.

A sincere thank you for the many sweet wishes for Principal Appreciation Week. Mr. Birge and I were truly inundated with poems, videos, photos, google slides, flowers, baskets of goodies, and creative class projects and we adored every single one. We are so grateful be a part of this amazing community.

The FCPS School Board meets on Tuesday to discuss Return to School. Mr. Birge and I welcome all parents to join us on Friday for our February Principals’ Coffee in BBCU at 9 AM where we will discuss updates and changes to the Return to School Plan as well as other new business. Have a question you want answered? Send me an email directly and I can add it to our conversation (aocastillo@fcps.edu).

In Partnership ~ Mrs. Castillo

Cultural Sharing Opportunities

SIS Parent View - Progress Reports

SIS ParentVUE is an essential tool for parents/guardians to keep up with their student’s attendance, progress report cards, and more. In order to view your child's progress report, you should use this option to download a pdf version of the progress report. After logging into ParentVue, go to My Account and check the "Go Paperless" option. Here are directions to download your child's progress report from the past quarter and to save for the next quarter.

Positivity Project: Integrity Week

Next week, we will learn about integrity. For a 1-page character card overview, click here. Integrity means you are honest and speak the truth. You present yourself genuinely and sincerely. Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching. People with integrity practice what they preach and maintain a consistent pattern of behavior aligned with their values. They have the courage not to follow the crowd if it means going against their beliefs. Integrity is closely aligned with the terms of honesty and authenticity. People with integrity tell the truth and have alignment in their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Upcoming Important Dates

Monday, February 1: Return of Enrichment/Intervention Programming 9:10 – 11:30; Laptop Distribution for 3rd and 4th Grade Students; Book Bus at Nigh Rd. & Maynard Dr. (2:00 – 2:30); Library Distribution (4:00 – 5:30)

Tuesday, February 2: FCPS School Board Meeting (Return to School Updates)

Wednesday, February 3: Winter Walk to School Day (Try this Scavenger Hunt with your family while you take a walk or ride your bike)

Friday, February 5: Principals’ Coffee (9 AM)

Monday, February 8: Grades 3 – 4 Laptop Distribution; Library Distribution at Lemon Road (2 PM – 6 PM)

Friday, February 12: Polo & School Spirit Day (Virtual Class Photos Taken)

Tuesday, February 16: Tentative Start of New Bell Schedule

Wednesday, February 17: Domino’s Pizza Night (Code DN3); LRES February PTA Meeting (6:30 PM)

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Sledding & Playground Usage

GovDelivery 3 months ago

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Happy Snow Day! It was so much fun seeing Lemon Road students and families sledding on the hill this afternoon. Please remember that when on school grounds, indoors, outdoors, and on the playground to wear a face cover or mask. We need everyone to do their part to reduce community spread. Enjoy the gorgeous snowy day and be safe!

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Internet Issues Resolving

GovDelivery 3 months 1 week ago

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Good afternoon families,

Most teachers and families are able to access either BBCU or Google Meet. If you are with your child, we recommend having them try and log in with their teacher in BBCU or google meet as directed. If they are unable to get in or if their teacher is not yet there, they can continue working on other assignments while they wait. Thank you for your patience ~ Ashley Castillo

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter

Learning Managment Systems Currently Down

GovDelivery 3 months 1 week ago

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Good afternoon,

It has been reported that Blackboard online systems are currently slow or not working, potentially due to internet outages in the DC area. Please have your student check their @fcpsschools.net email address for plans from their teacher. We will send an update through this system when we have an update.

Thank you ~ Ashley Castillo

7230 Idylwood Road, Falls Church, VA 22043 | Main Phone: 703.714.6400

Attendance: 703.714.6464 or email | Health Room: 703.714.6410 | Web | Twitter