Dear Parents,

     Welcome back to our new and returning students to Belle View! The school year is off to a great start. We hope that you take advantage of the opportunities to volunteer in your child's classroom and get connected through the PTA. Research overwhelmingly supports the fact that parent involvement in the school results in better student performance. Come see and experience the learning and volunteering opportunities that Belle View has to offer!

     Thank you to all the families that attended Back to School Night. We hope that you had a chance to meet your child's teacher and see the classrooms. You will have another opportunity to meet your child's teacher on November 5th and 6th during Parent/Teacher Conferences. This is a great time for parents and teachers to communicate about the positive accomplishments and learning that are taking place for students.

    This year Belle View will continue with the Responsive Classroom approach. The Responsive Classroom approach is a widely used, research-backed approach to elementary education that increases academic achievement, decreases problem behaviors, improves social skills, and leads to more high-quality instruction.

     As a reminder, the safety of our students is of the utmost importance to us. Be alert and use your best driving practices around the school. Please allow our school buses to have the right-of-way in the parking lot so they can leave promptly. In the Kiss-N-Ride area, please form two lines in our parking lot and take turns merging at the end when you approach the drop-off/pick-up location. We would appreciate if drivers would not use their cell phones in this area. It is also recommended that children walk to school or the bus stop in pairs. It takes every adult to ensure that our children are safe.  We have also increased our school safety procedures by having all exterior doors locked at all times. This security measure is meant to provide added safety of our students, staff, and visitors.

     It is our hope that parents, grandparents, and siblings come and eat with a student. It is a special occasion for the whole class. Visitors typically purchase lunch from the cafeteria or bring a bag lunch from home. It is nice for students to see that grownups also eat nutritious lunches. We ask that you do not bring in soft drinks or "fast-food" lunches. The sale of soft drinks to students is prohibited in all Fairfax County Public Schools, from elementary through high school, during the day. The emphasis on nutritional eating is reflective in our health curriculum and in the selection of foods sold in the cafeteria. We ask that when you come to eat lunch with your child, you help us continue to model healthy, nutritious eating. It is your presence, more than anything, that makes the occasion special for your child.

Sincerely,

Thomas Kuntz,                                   Katie Pluntke,  

Principal                                            Assistant Principal   

• President-Sue Capper

• 1st Vice President (Fundraising)-Cindy Slone

• 2nd Vice President (Volunteer Coordinator)-Melissa Brunton

• Treasurer-Larisa Kirgan

• Corresponding Secretary-Cathy Guthrie

• Recording Secretary-Jessica McCarl and Laura Leftwich

bellviewpta@gmail.com 

Mark Your Calendars!

October 3    PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.

October 6    Day of Play 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

                   Playground and Blacktop 

October 8    Columbus Day Holiday - No School

October 12  AAP Parent Meeting                   

October 13  Mount Vernon Trail 5k Run

                   Mount Vernon Rec Center 

October 17  Chuck E. Cheese Night

October 18  Staff Breakfast (Grades 5&6) 

October 25  Chili Cook-Off  5:30-8:00 p.m. 

October 31  Walk for the Homeless

                   Storybook Character Day

Who's Who at Belle View 

Introducing...

Leslie Fry, School Counselor

      I am beyond excited to have joined the Bobcat team, officially.  I have been a substitute teacher at Belle View for the past four years and have gotten to know many of the students throughout the years.   

     I am a graduate of The George Washington University and hold a Master's Degree in School Counseling.  I graduated in 1999, but took some time off to be a "stay-at-home" mother for the past nine years.  Most recently, I was accepted to George Mason University to pursue my Board Certified Behavior Analyst credential.  It is a great deal of work, but I love learning, and look forward to the new skills I will aquire during this time. 

     I am happy to  share with you that I have been married to a Naval Officer for the past twenty-eight years, and have a fantastic nine year old daughter, along with a cat named Warren.

     I look forward to the school year working with the staff and teachers that I have grown to love. 

Staff and Teacher Breakfast

Thursday, October 18

(sponsored by 5th & 6th grades)

 Questions about these events can be directed to

Ali Theriot, our Breakfast Coordinator for the

2012-2013 school year.

ali.theriot@cox.net 

Giant and Safeway Rewards Programs are back, and easier and more beneficial for your school than ever. Remember you must sign up (or update) every year! 

There are three ways to sign up:

www.giant.com/aplus (click on designate schools and enter BVES code 02260).

www.escrip.com  (click on register now and enter BVES code 647-4005).

NsBrigham@hotmail.com  (send your last name, Giant and or Safeway bonus numbers to the program coordinator and she will register you as well.

These generous programs will give much needed funds to our school and do not cost ANY EXTRA MONEY.

Questions?  Please call Natasha Brigham at

(703) 888-3114.

Advanced Academic Programs (AAP)

Belle View Elementary  

CONTINUUM OF 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 extension of the Program of Studies(POS). Teachers, administrators, and advanced academic resource teachers (AARTs) work together to provide the following Levels of Service:

• Critical and Creative Thinking Lessons, Grades K-6 (Level I)

The first level is provided to all students in grades Kindergarten through Grade six and consists of model lessons that are designed to teach critical and creative thinking skills.  The lessons are modeled in all classrooms by AARTs and the thinking strategies are then used throughout the year by classroom teachers and other teachers who work with students. Student responses to these lessons are used as part of the identification process for levels II-IV. Parents may also practice these strategies during family conversations and activities. A description of the nine critical and creative thinking strategies can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/level1.shtml.

• Differentiated Lessons in Areas of Academic Strength, Grades K-6 (Level II)

The AART collaborates with classroom teachers to provide additional challenge through lessons and resources that extend and enrich the POS. Screening for this level of service is ongoing throughout the school year. The Young Scholars Model begins at this level and is designed to find and nurture advanced academic potential in students from historically underrepresented populations.

• Part-Time AAP, Grades 3-6 (Level III)

Students identified by a local school screening committee for part-time advanced academic services (Level III) are challenged through models and strategies designed to extend and enrich the POS in the four core subject areas. Screening for this level of service is ongoing throughout the school year.

• Full-Time Advanced Academic Placement, Grades 3-8 (Level IV)

Students found eligible for placement in a full-time AAP (Level IV) through a central selection process receive a highly challenging instructional program in the four core subject areas.  Screening for this level of service occurs in the fall for students who are new to FCPS and in the spring for all other students. The referral deadline is in October for students who are new to FCPS and the first week of February for spring screening. Additional information is available in the Parent Information Packet, published on the AAP website, http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap.

• International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP): Selected Schools, Grades 6-10 The IBMYP is designed for students ages 11-16. The program helps students develop the knowledge, understanding, attitudes, and skills necessary to participate actively and responsibly in a changing world. The curriculum is supported by the fundamental concepts of intercultural awareness, holistic learning, and communication.

• Honors, Grades 7-8  Advanced and/or accelerated classes are available for students in grades 7- 8 through an open enrollment process. Students receive instruction that is differentiated for advanced learners in the four core subjects in one or more areas of academic strength or interest.

SCREENING

Multiple criteria are reviewed to determine eligibility for all FCPS AAPs. The local school committee determines student eligibility for part-time school-based services. The countywide central selection committee determines eligibility for full-time AAP (Level IV) placement.

TESTING

Each fall all FCPS first grade students are administered the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT). Students in second through seventh grades who do not have an NNAT score may also be administered the NNAT. Each fall all FCPS second grade students are administered the Fairfax Abilities Test. Students in third through seventh grades who do not have an ability test score may also be administered the NNAT or Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). A second grade screening pool is established using the test results from first and second grade testing. Students in the second grade pool are automatically screened for full-time AAP (Level IV) placement. Parents or guardians may exercise a one-time retest option during the fall testing cycle.

REFERRALS for FULL-TIME ADVANCED ACADEMIC PLACEMENT LEVEL IV (Grades 2-7)

Parents or guardians of students not in the second grade screening pool may initiate the full-time AAP (Level IV) screening process by completing and submitting an AAP Level IV Referral Form to the local school principal no later than February 8, 2013. No late referrals will be accepted. Second graders not in the pool and all third through seventh graders are screened only by referral. Forms are available on the AAP website (http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/forms.shtml) and in the Parent Information Packet available at the local school.   (Please note: Parents or guardians of students who are in the 2nd grade pool will be notified by the school. Students who are not in the 2nd grade pool will not receive notification. The benchmark score used to create the 2nd grade pool will be published on the AAP website mid-January.)

              PARENT INFORMATION MEETING  

A parent information meeting will be held at Belle View on Oct. 12 at 9:00 a.m.in the school library.

Mrs. Tkacik, AART, will provide information about levels of service and examples at Belle View as well as explain and answer questions about the screening processes for part-time school based and Level IV services. The meeting is open to all K-6 parents.

Tdap Immunization is required for all 6th Grade students. Virginia law requires that all students entering sixth-grade (and all students new to FCPS entering grades seven through eleven) have a tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) booster immunization prior to entry into school, if at least five years have passed since the last vaccination.

Parents of current fifth-graders should review their children's immunization records to determine if the student needs to get the Tdap immunization. This vaccination may be listed as T, Td, DTaP, and /or Tdap.  

Parents should call their doctor or local health department if they have questions. The Tdap booster can be obtained from your child's physician. Immunizations required for school are also available at the Fairfax County Health Department at no charge. Documentation that your student has received this immunization should be brought to the school.