English | Español | አማርኛ | 中文 | 한국어 | Tiếng Việt | العربية | فارسی | اردو

October Calender Reminders

Diwali -- Holiday NO SCHOOL

Monday, October 20, is a school holiday for Diwali. All schools and offices are closed. 

See the complete school year calendar.

⏰ Elementary Early Release Wednesday

Bush Hill ES will dismiss 3 hours early at 12:55 PM on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.

End Of The First Quarter -- FCPS Early Release

Bush Hill ES will dismiss 2 hours early at 1:55 PM on Friday, October 31st.  There will be NO Afternoon ECCB Preschool.

Family Liaison Corner

Upcoming Bush Hill Events and Resources

• Family Coffees (workshops open to all Bush Hill families) will be launching soon! Please provide feedback on topics and resources you are interested in learning more about by submitting this feedback form.
• Free and Reduced-Priced Meals (FRM) Program is available! To learn more and apply, please visit this website. Applications must be resubmitted each year to receive the benefit.

Upcoming FCPS Events

Boundary Review Community Meetings are coming soon! If interested in attending in-person or virtually, please click on the links below to register.

• Friday, October 24^th, from 6:30PM to 8PM at Lewis High School, (Edison and Lewis Pyramids) in person or virtual.

Inspire Health Alliance, in partnership with FCPS, will be providing school-required immunizations and optional flu shots for all FCPS students.

• Immunizations will be provided at no out-of-pocket cost to students or families.
• Registering families will be required to provide insurance information, if applicable, but students without insurance can participate.
•  To learn more and register, please visit this website.

Community Resources

Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services 

• Please find food resources in your area, using the emergency food access map found here.

Koinonia Foundation

• Provides food, clothing, and emergency assistance in the Alexandria-Springfield area. To learn more, please visit their website or call (703) 971-1991

Fairfax County Connector

• Transit Ridership Incentive Program (TRIP) provides 50% off fares for low-income residents ages 18 to 65. Learn more about theTRIP program and how to apply.

Academic Updates and Resources

• On Sunday, October 12, families with SIS ParentVUE access will automatically receive aweekly Lightspeed Student Online Activity Report, overviewing their child’s web activity on FCPS devices. Reports arrive every Sunday by email from Lightspeed and include a link to the Parent Portal, where you can view detailed browsing history and pause internet access during non-school hours. For more information visit, the Lightspeed Parent Report
• Varsity Tutors offers FREE tutoring services. To access Varsity Tutors, please login to the Clever dashboard and explore the different types of tutoring services offered. To view the student login guide please see here.
• One-on-one tutoring services are available. To access this year’s Family Resource Center tutoring list, please complete this interest form and learn more by visiting this website.

Upcoming FCPS Webinars

To learn more and register, please visit the registration website.

• Supporting Your Child with Dyslexia, October 15, 10-11:30 a.m.
• Reading Plans and Your Student, October 22, 10-11:30 a.m.

Bush Hill Tools and Resources

To learn more, please click on each resource below.

• Bush Hill Family Handbook
• Bush Hill Website
• TalkingPoints
• MySchoolBucks
• Here Comes The Bus
• Varsity Tutors
• Family Resource Center Tutor List
• Family Academy

Have questions or need support on any of the information above? Please contact Bush Hill’s Family Liaison, Kate Formeller, for further assistance. Thank you!

Phone: (703) 924-5600

Email: Kformeller@fcps.edu

Talking Points: Kate Formeller

Lightspeed

Lightspeed Student Online Activity Reports Are Coming to All Families

Beginning October 12, 2025, all parents and caregivers with Records Access in SIS will automatically receive a weekly Lightspeed email report summarizing their student’s online activity. These reports will be sent to the parent/caregiver email addresses on file in SIS. 

Please note we are rolling two distinct upgrades with this change:

1. After October 12, all parents and caregivers with Records Access will automatically receive the report, no additional signup required. Note: prior to this update only the enrolling parent could request access to these reports.
2. We are auto enrolling all parents/caregivers to receive a report. Note: prior to this update the enrolling parent had to sign up to request access to these reports.

The Lightspeed Student Online Activity Reports are designed to enable families to have meaningful conversations with their students about responsible technology use and digital citizenship. Families who prefer not to receive these weekly emails may easily opt-out by selecting the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the weekly email.

For more information and to help answer common questions, FCPS has added a new FAQ section to the Lightspeed Parent Report page on the FCPS website. 

Please share this information with your school tech support staff. Families may reach out with questions about the email address they have on file in SIS. SIAs should also be aware that only parents with Records Access in SIS will receive these communications. 

Advanced Academics Program

Bush Hill believes in developing the strengths and talents of all students. Every student needs to be challenged and engaged in exciting learning experiences.

Bush Hill’s AAP offers a continuum of advanced academic services to meet a broad range of student needs. We take a holistic approach that uses a variety of assessments to determine the level of service to match the child’s current needs.

Bush Hill will be hosting a Parent Information Session to share the:

Screening and Identification Process for Full-Time AAP Services

Date: October 15, 2025

Time: 6:30pm

Location: Virtual (Link will be sent vie eNotify on 10/15)

Full-Time AAP Screening Timeline 

• Fall: Students in grades 3-6 who are new to FCPS after February may be screened for placement beginning the second quarter of the current school year. 
• Referral Deadline: October 15, 2024

• Winter: Students in grades 2-6 may be screened for full-time services to begin in the fall of the following school year. All Full-Time referral forms and optional materials are due to the AART at Bush Hill ES. Decisions will be mailed home directly from the AAP Office in the spring. 
• Referral Deadline: December 15, 2024

Questions?  Please contact Jen Spollen (703) 924-5600  jlspollen@fcps.edu

Bush Hill AAP Page | FCPS AAP Website | FCPS Testing & Identification Timeline

Panther PTA

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday October 21, PTA General Body Meeting, 7:00 pm (virtual)
• Saturday October 25, Fall Festival (Bush Hill ES), 12:00-2:00pm

Fall Festival - Saturday, October 25

Our annual Fall Festival is Saturday October 25^th 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

We need your help to make the Fall Festival Fantastic! All ideas, talents, and energy are welcome! To join our Fall Festival planning committee, please email ptabushhillelementary@gmail.com. 

We are also seeking day of volunteers - use the link below to sign up. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4BA4AD2DA0FCC07-59198590-fall

Stay Connected

Follow us on Facebook: 

Want to stay in the loop on all PTA events, updates, and volunteer opportunities?

Be sure to follow us here: https://www.facebook.com/BushHillES/

Membership

Anyone—parents, guardians, and staff—can join the PTA to support the school community. Membership dues help fund programs, teacher grants, and student activities. Become a PTA Member Today! It's easy! Click here: Join_PTA 

Volunteers & Donations

We always need volunteers for events and committees. Volunteer form. 

We take donations via Givebacks.

Ideas, thoughts, questions – let us know!

Outstanding Employee Awards!

Nominate an Outstanding Bush Hill Employee

Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for a Bush Hill Elementary School Outstanding Employee in one of the categories, please complete the nomination through Google link for each category found below. You may nominate one or more employee(s) at Bush Hill.

All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrated exceptional work in the criteria for that category. The criteria for each of these awards and the eligibility requirements are in the google link.

To nominate an Outstanding Bush Hill Employee,  please click this link

Nomination Form for Outstanding Employee

*The deadline to submit a nomination is Monday, October 27, 2025, by end of school day*

If you have questions, please contact Lisa Dial at  ldial@fcps.edu

Amazon Wish List

We are reaching out to kindly ask for your support in helping us provide the best learning experience for our students. School supplies and art materials are essential tools that allow our children to explore, create, and succeed in the classroom. Any contributions you are able to make toward these supplies will make a meaningful difference. Please have all Amazon deliveries sent to your personal address and then drop off donations to the front office. We truly appreciate your generosity and continued partnership in supporting our students’ growth and success.

Below is the Bush Hill Elementary Amazon Wish List.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2ESZCMHT9NJ0N?#

From FCPS