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September 24, 2026

Save the Date for Fall Picture Day! October 1st, 2026 Pictures will be available to purchase approximately two weeks after photo day. You can pre-order a package online now at Victor O'Neill Studios Questions about ordering? underclass@vosphoto.com Re-takes will be November 10th

Fun Fit Fridays! October 2nd - December 4th We are excited to begin using our Deer Park track again for our morning community building each week. As part of our wellness initiative, we invite you and your child(ren) to Fun Fit Friday.  Students in all grade levels (PS-6) are welcome to participate, as well as parents and teachers! Fun Fit Friday will meet on Friday mornings from 8:10 - 8:30 AM beginning on Friday, October 2nd and run through Friday, December 4th. We will then resume in March.  If it is raining or the track surroundings are too muddy, then we will cancel for that Friday. There will be communication sent out the morning of by 7:45 a.m.  Hope to see you on the track!

Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day!

October 7th

Remember the thrill of riding a bike for the first time or walking or rolling to school on the first day? There’s a feeling of joy and independence—a sense of adventure—that doesn’t fade. Of course, there are many other benefits to walking, biking or rolling to school, too.

Healthier Habits

Active trips to school enable children to incorporate the regular physical activity they need each day while also forming healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Regular physical activity helps children build strong bones, muscles and joints, and it decreases the risk of obesity. In contrast, insufficient physical activity can contribute to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Join the fun by walking, biking or rolling to school on October 7th. Ms. Marco will be at the front door to greet students and tally up our participants!

Deer Park ES Highlights and Progress Report
2025-2026

Student Demographics and Attendance Chronic Absence Enrollment, down from 61 students in 2024-25 to 42 students in 2025-26. Attendance decline from 12.6% to 8.2%

Multilingual Learners Progress (MLs) WIDA Best Plan provided incentives and consistent instruction. ESOL Teachers met built into schedule (no interruption to Tier 1). Students knew goals, understood the WIDA test and were motivated Overall WIDA progress from 54.4% to 76.7% Students reaching English Proficiency: 6.1% to 19.3%

Math Intervention & SOL Scores HITs were a huge asset for math intervention. Additional Funding: Before-School Math Program 77% SOL Pass Rate (Participants) Math SOL Scores: 72% up to 77% Pass Advance Rate: 6% up to 12%

Reading SOL Scores Reading SOL scores increased by 3% 68% to 72% Pass Advance Rate was 13%

Discipline Referral Summary 144 Reported Discipline Incidents; 66 students received referrals. 38% in the Classroom 15% at Recess 8% in the Cafeteria 39% - other

Social-Emotional Well-Being (SEL)

92% Favorable scores for Supportive Relationships!

Advanced Academic Information

Twice Exceptional Students

Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to challenging all students through talent development and differentiated instruction. Twice-Exceptional (2e) learners are students who are both gifted and have learning challenges or disabilities. 

Families can learn more about 2e learners, how to support them, and how to partner with schools on the 2e webpage, which also includes a link to the Special Education Handbook.

More information is available on the FCPS website.

For questions, please contact Kim Verazin @ kmverazin@fcps.edu

AAP Parent Information Night
October 7th

Families are invited to attend the AAP information meeting on the AAP Continuum of Services and Full-Time AAP Identification led by Kimberly Verazin, our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART) on October 7^th at 5:00 p.m. in the Deer Park library. Families will learn about the continuum of advanced academic services available to FCPS students and the referral and identification processes for Full-Time AAP services.

For more information, visit the FCPS Advanced Academic Programs webpage.

Deadline to submit Full-Time AAP referral forms – December 15^th, 2026

Superintendent Community Conversations

Join us for a series of Community Conversations that will be held across the school division. Share your thoughts with Dr. Reid and ask her questions. Click on the date to register for any of the following events:

Monday, September 28, at 6:30 p.m., at Riverside Elementary School

Monday, October 19, at 6:30 p.m., at Spring Hill Elementary School

Monday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m., at Beech Tree Elementary School

Thursday, October 29, at 6:30 p.m., at North Springfield Elementary School

Friday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m., at Powell Elementary School

Registration is not required, but it helps with planning.

ParentVue Update

New ParentVUE Mobile App

A new ParentVUE mobile app is available in the Apple and Google app stores. This new app provides parents and caregivers with a more secure sign-in. The current “classic” app will remain active for about six months. Families must download the new app by December 2026 to ensure they have continued mobile access to their child’s school data.

In the new app, families can enroll in multi-factor authentication (MFA) for FCPS Single Sign-On. While enrollment is optional, we strongly recommend that everyone enable this security feature.

Learn more about installing the new ParentVue app here.  Parents needing assistance should submit a Parent Support Request.

Hopes and Dreams

During Back to School Night, we distributed a family Hopes and Dreams sheet. This is designed for parents to write their own hopes and dreams for their child. We welcome them to be written in your preferred home language. Students can receive more than one if multiple members of the family want to participate. Completed forms can be returned any time. They can be returned in an envelope to the Literacy Team, included in the Thursday folder, dropped off with the teacher or office. All forms will come to the Literacy team regardless of how they are turned in. If you were unable to attend or need additional copies, please email sjjennings@fcps.edu and the copies will be sent home for you.

Stephanie Jennings
Deer Park Elementary
Reading Specialist

Attendance Matters

Not Feeling Well? When Your Child Can Come to School

School is better when your child is here! But we do understand that some days, they may feel unwell. Learn more about which symptoms are ok at school (like sneezing or sniffles), and when your child should stay home (if they have a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, for example). 

If your child has a chronic illness, make sure to notify the school so that assistance can be provided if needed. Keep an open line of communication with your school public health nurse. Call the school as soon as you know your child will be absent and, if possible, let them know how long you think they will be out.

If you or your family need any kind of support, please reach out to our front office. We are here for you! Visit FCPS’ Attendance webpage for tips and strategies.

PTA News
www.deerparkespta.org

Movie Night - Tomorrow!
Friday, September 25th at 6:00 PM

NO Outside Food Allowed. Pre-order consessions at this link:
PTA Movie Night! with our new Zeffy system. Every dollar comes back to Deer Park - No fees taken.

Super Mario Galaxy Movie Admission is FREE ! Bring your pillows, blankets, stuffies and an adult chaperone! Pre-order concessions and whole pizza for movie night here our new Zeffy system. zeffy.deer-park-movie-night

After School Clubs

Registration is open for all Fall Clubs. Click the link for details. Clubs meet starting the week of October 6 from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Baroody Camps/Cooking Club:  https://bc-ffx-deerpark.jumbula.com/

Creative Kids Club/Art Club: peaceloveandpaint.com

Baroody Camps/Minecraft Club: https://bc-ffx-deerpark.jumbula.com/

Fun Run Registration

Fundraiser Kickoff - September 30th Event day - October 9th It’s time! You can sign up your student for our Deer Park Fun Run! Our goal is to raise $25,000 for providing hands-on, screenless classroom tools for interactive learning and subsidizing field trip transit costs so every single student can participate. Signing up is easy and comes with a fun prize for your student! Thank you for being a part of our Deer Park Elementary community and helping us make a difference for our students. We are grateful for your support! Follow our social pages for fun progress updates in the coming weeks. Sign up on MyBooster.com Need help signing up? View Video instructions here. Our school is working toward a BIG goal and Great Wolf Lodge wants to celebrate with us! Registered families will have the chance to earn some awesome rewards. Log in to mybooster.com today and share your student’s donation page with your whole pack. Just for receiving their first donation, students can earn their very own Wolf Ears! Key Dates to Remember: Fundraiser Kickoff in School - 9/30/2026 Event Day - 10/9/2026