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Dear Mantua families,
Tom the Turkey, displaying his colorful feathers, made his appearance in our entryway! Tom’s feathers share things for which our students are thankful, and he is bursting with wonderful thoughts and pictures! We caught one of our 5th grade classes using their critical thinking skills in a thoughtful way as they discussed the structure and ethics of the code of Hammurabi. These students showed deliberate and innovative thinking as they processed this piece of history!
In the spirit of this season of gratitude, we are mindful and grateful for our incredible staff, students and families that make Mantua such a special and welcoming place to belong! We hope that your holiday is a joyous one.
Upcoming events for your calendar:
- Please join your student for our Thanksgiving luncheon on November 24! Grade level schedules are below.
- Bring the whole family to our PTA presentation of “Suessical the Musical”, December 5th and 6th!
- November 26-28 are staff and student holidays, Thanksgiving. School will resume on December 1.
Take good care,
Ms. Shannon, Mrs. Vaughan, Ms. Maurer
November 24: Mantua Thanksgiving Luncheon
November 26-28: Thanksgiving holiday, schools and offices closed
December 5 and 6: PTA Drama performances of “Suessical the Musical”
December 10: Limited Early Release Wednesday
December 15: Referrals for full-time AAP services due
December 19: Last day of School before Winter Break
December 20-January 4: Schools Closed, Winter Break
January 5: School Resumes
National Special Education Day
National Special Education Day is recognized each year on December 2 and commemorates President Gerald Ford’s signing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975. We celebrate our teachers and staff who serve and support our students receiving special education services, as well as our families who are partners in the education and support of those students! We are so, so grateful for Linsay Mueller, our Spec Ed chair, as well as the many staff that support our students with special needs. These students are amazing and so is our staff who give so much to ensure that every child at Mantua flourishes and reaches their individual potential.
Learn more about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Mantua Food Drive
Kid’s Care Club will be collecting donations November 10 through December 12!
This food drive will help replenish our food supply in order to
distribute food for winter break and into the new year.
Mantua's fabulous parent liaison, Mrs. Incer, helps to facilitate
support for families within our community. Please reach out to Ms. Incer at mrincernunez@fcps.edu if you have any questions.
AAP referrals
FCPS offers a continuum of Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services to meet students’ academic needs. Families of students in grades 2 – 6 who wish to refer their student for full-time AAP services must submit a referral by December 15. We are unable to accept late referrals. Families should not wait to receive NGAT scores before making a referral. For information about how to refer a student for AAP services, please contact Mantua’s Advanced Academics Resource Teacher (AART), Kathy Van Dyke, by Talking Points or by email at kkvandyke@fcps.edu. Forms and information may also be found at the FCPS AAP web page.
Thanksgiving Luncheon
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Family members are welcome to join their student at the designated lunchtimes. Meals for non-Mantua parents and children are $5.00 each, payable through your child’s MySchoolBucks school lunch account. You are not required to purchase a meal in order to share the time with your child! Please plan to arrive a few minutes in advance of your child’s scheduled lunch time as we have many people to serve in a short amount of time. Your timeliness will help the process move more smoothly.
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Weekly Staff Spotlight
Staff Spotlight is our way to recognize Mantua's incredible staff! Each week, we recognize a group of staff members. Check them out on Mantua ES Instagram. This coming week's featured staff are members of our 6th grade team and our Spec Ed Services team: Brit Neely and Linsay Mueller, as well as support staff Will Speidel, Ruth Mendelson, Lisa Alden and Nicholas Peoples
Please use the Spotlight Submission Form to share a positive message with them. We will share the messages with them at the end of next week.
Thank you for helping us make Staff Spotlight a fun and engaging way to celebrate our school community. We appreciate your enthusiasm and support!
Finishing Up Uncovering Characters in Language Arts
Benchmark Unit 2 in Language Arts is coming to a close! Over the last several weeks, our students have learned, read, and written about different characters in stories and their own personal sense of character.
Connect with your child’s learning at school with these fun questions and hands-on activities at home:
- Question: How does the way you act change the way you think about yourself?
- Activity: Draw a new cover for a favorite book featuring the main character in a key moment.
At the end of the unit, your child will take their unit magazine home. The magazine includes an activity calendar with fun ways to help students build on what they’re learning at each grade level. You can also find information on how to support your child’s reading at home on the Benchmark Families website.
Action Required! Update Your Permission for Google Tools
Google recently made changes to how educational applications are managed and accessed on the Chrome web browser and Chromebooks. Many applications are moving from the Chrome Web Store to the Google Play Store.
To ensure your child can continue accessing all approved instructional tools, FCPS has updated its digital consent platform to include both the Chrome Web Store and the Google Play Store.
Please review and provide your consent through our easy-to-use Parent Digital Consent system for these two new options:
- Additional Google Services – Chrome Web Store
- Additional Google Services – Google Play Store
Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting safe and effective digital learning experiences for all students. For questions or support, please visit FCPS’ Family Technology Resources page or open a ticket with our Technical Support desk.
Manage Your Child’s Screen Time on FCPS Devices
FCPS offers the Lightspeed Parent Portal to help you manage screen time on your child's FCPS device at home. With a Parent Portal account, you can control your child’s access to YouTube and pause website browsing during after-school hours.Please note that parent controls are active only during after-school hours, defined as Monday through Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. (including student holidays) and all day Saturday and Sunday.
If you haven't signed up for the portal yet, use the link at the bottom of your weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report email. To learn more, please visit the Lightspeed Parent Portal page on the FCPS website.
Monitoring Support for Your Child in ParentVUE
All FCPS schools use an approach called Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to make sure every student gets the help they need to learn.
MTSS helps school teams deliver high-quality instruction for all students and provide extra time, support, and interventions as needed. Families are partners in this process. We will share information about your child’s individual learning, needs, and progress.
You may view your child's intervention plans and progress in SIS ParentVUE. Expect progress to be updated quarterly, with report card due dates.
Social and Emotional Learning Screener: Parent Reports
Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener last month, providing information on skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions. The screener also asks students how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
Individual student SEL Screener results will be available to families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE the week of November 17. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be shared by our school.
For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or reach out to school staff.
FCPS News
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- FCPS Budget
- Prepare for Winter Weather
- Community Meal Nights
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
Quick Contacts & Links
Linda Shannon, Principal LCShannon@fcps.edu
Colleen Vaughan, Assistant Principal CAVaughan@fcps.edu
Michele Maurer, Assistant Principal, Mkmaurer@fcps.edu
Susan Palomino, Administrative/Finance Assistant SLPalomino@fcps.edu
Mergie Kakouris, Student Information Assistant, MBKakouris@fcps.edu
Fadwa Finaish, Office Assistant, FFinaish@fcps.edu
Judy Toy, Office Assistant, JPToy@fcps.edu
Avril Donat, Office & Library Assistant Andonat@fcps.edu
Kathy Van Dyke, Advanced Academics Resource Teacher kkvandyke@fcps.edu
Maria Regina Incer, Family Liaison, mrincernunez@fcps.edu
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