August 28, 2020
Dear Terraset Families:
We are eagerly looking forward to welcoming students back virtually on Tuesday, Sept. 8th! The upcoming school year promises to be a wonderful time filled with exciting new learning opportunities for all students - truly a new adventure!
Our theme this year is: “Terraset Together: We see you. We welcome you. You belong here.” We continue to be committed to creating a safe place for students where they are encouraged to be themselves, take risks, try and fail, try again and succeed-in their learning and in their social emotional growth. As we navigate virtual learning, we will continue to pursue ways to create meaningful connections with each of our students and support their emotional and social needs. We commit to collaborating with parents and families to forge a partnership to support all children.
Virtual Welcome Back Events
We would like to invite you (students and caregivers) to our virtual welcome back events:
Virtual K Orientation – September 2 at 10am
Open House (Orientation) for Grades 1-6 - September 3 at 3pm
Links will be provided by your child’s teacher for these events. Virtual events will be recorded and shared for those unable to attend at the scheduled time.
2020-2021 School Day
Monday- all students log on at 9:20 am for class morning meetings. The rest of the day will be a combination of independent (asynchronous) student work time (activities provided by the teacher) and small groups of intervention and enrichment. Details coming soon from your child’s teacher.
Tuesday-Friday- 9:20 am - 4:05 pm. Screen breaks, lunch/recess, family choice/club time built into the day. Details coming soon from your child’s teacher.
Attendance
In Virginia, public school students, ages 5 -18, are required to attend school regularly. Teachers will take attendance during morning learning sessions and ensure that all students are counted. Parents can assist with this process by:
Ensuring students log in to classes on time and throughout the day.
Calling or emailing the school attendance line if students are unable to participate.
Communicating any concerns to the school, such as difficulty logging in or accessing classes.
Reporting any hardship, such as student illness, or concern that might prevent the student from participating regularly.
Returning phone calls or emails when notified that students did not participate that day.
Ensuring that students submit activity logs as directed.
If your child is unable to log in to online instruction with a teacher, the teacher will be recording the class and posting the video within Blackboard or Google Classroom, so it can be viewed later. Videos can also be viewed multiple times to help students retain new information, as needed.
We understand that not every student will be able to participate in online instruction at the scheduled time. Our schools will be flexible in recording attendance and absences. We do not want to punish a student for missing an online class due to the extenuating circumstances of virtual learning. We want to partner with our families to ensure the success of each child.
This year students’ first day is September 8, 2020. This year we will have seven teacher workdays and six early release days (including the last day of school). We encourage you to review these dates and place them on your family calendar for the upcoming school year: 2020-2021 School Year Calendar.
Food Distribution
FCPS will continue to provide “grab-and-go” meals during the upcoming school year. Our goal is to provide every FCPS student daily access to a healthy breakfast and lunch during this pandemic. Visit our Food Resources for Families page for more information.
Free and Reduced Meals
Parents who wish to apply for free or reduced lunch must complete a new application immediately. Even though we are not in the school building, please complete this form so that it is done in the event we are able to return to school in person. Students who received free or reduced lunch in 2019-2020 are eligible for the same service through September only, and may continue after September receiving this benefit only if a new application has been approved. Applications can be done online!
For more information about free and reduced-price meals and the online application form, please click here. Paper applications are also available at the school office.
Supplies
We know that many of you have already purchased supplies from the original grade level supply lists and/or from Sprout. We hope you will be able to utilize some of those items at home and/or when we are able to return to school. In the meantime, we will be providing “starter kits” for every student with some items that will be helpful to have during distance learning. These starter kits and Sprout orders will be available for pick up on Thursday, September 3. Please see details in the Curbside Pick Up section of this letter.
Other items (not included in the starter kit) that would be helpful are:
-Headphones
-Dry erase markers
-Pencil sharpener
-Scissors
Curbside Pick Up Day
Thursday, September 3 from 9:00 am-1:00 pm.
At this time, students/families can pick up:
Starter kits
Sprout orders
Terraset masks (from PTO order)
Tiger Strong t-shirts (from PTO order)
Yearbooks
Laptops
Please follow all signage as you enter the bus loop. We will have signs for those coming in cars as well as those who arrive walking.
Forms
Please look for the following FCPS forms that we will need for all students. You may fill them out electronically or wait until paper copies are sent home on Curbside Pick Up day. Forms can be through WeCare, scanned and emailed to TerrasetMainOffice@fcps.edu beginning Sept. 1, 2020, or placed in the drop-box next to the doorbell at Lower Door 1.
Opt out booklet
Upcoming Important Dates
Tuesday, September 1 Kindergarten Laptop Distribution (8-12 pm and 2-6 pm)
Wednesday, September 2 Gr. K Virtual Orientation- 10:00-11:00am
Thursday, September 3 Gr. 1-6 Virtual Open House/Orientation- 3pm
Session 1: 3:00-3:30
Session 2: 3:30-4:00 (**Note: Class sessions will be delivered twice so that families with multiple children can attend more than one session.
All sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend at these times. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you would like the recording.**)
Curbside Pick Up 9-1pm (Backpacks, Sprout supplies, Terraset masks, Yearbooks, Laptops)
September 4 and 7 Labor Day Holidays - (Student Holiday/No School. Main Office Closed.)
Tuesday, September 8 First Day of School
Monday, October 12 Professional Development Day (Student Holiday/No School)
Monday, November 2 Professional Development Day (Student Holiday/No School)
Tuesday, November 3 Teacher Workday (Student Holiday/No School)
Please keep up with all of our Tiger Pride excitement throughout the year:
Home page: http://www.fcps.edu/TerrasetES/index.html
Twitter: @TerrasetES
Facebook: Terraset Elementary School
PTO information/events: www.TerrasetPTO.org or https://www.terrasetpto.org/events/pto-meetings.
We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the Virtual Open House/Orientations on September 2 and 3! As always, please contact us at 703-390-5600 with any questions/concerns.
Kindly,
Lindsay Trout, Principal David Ickowski, Assistant Principal
