Hive Happenings Newsletter

Dear Stenwood Families,

We had a packed week in the Hive this week!

On Tuesday, our 2^nd graders took to the skies at the Udvar Hazy National Air and Space Museum as they searched high and low for different items around the museum. Also on Tuesday, our 6^th graders that will take flight off to Kilmer next year visited Kilmer for their orientation.

On Wednesday, we had many students looking their best for Spring Picture Day. We also honored our CARES Pizza winners for Empathy on Wednesday. And our Preschool students had a fun and engaging visit from the Fire Department, complete with a puppet show!

Thank you to our PTA for hosting “Ready, Tech, Go” last night, where parents and students engaged in conversations about safe technology and social media usage.

And finally today, our 1^st graders visited the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington, DC. It is also School Lunch Hero Day today. When we say school nutrition professionals are heroes, we mean it! Thank you to our amazing cafeteria staff, led by our Kitchen Manager, Sabine Schmid!

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Stenwood is a special community due in part to many wonderful reasons, and our teachers are a huge part of that! We cannot say enough how fortunate we are to have such the amazing teaching staff we do at Stenwood. Thank you teachers!

3^rd through 6^th grade families, remember that SOLs start next week. Please make sure your child is well-rested, eats a good breakfast, and is to school on-time on their assigned testing day. More information below.

Below you will find additional information about:

Bike to School Day - May 7^th - NEW
SOL Schedule - Reminder

Dismissal Schedule for the Last Day of School - NEW
Excellence at a Crossroads: FCPS Budget Update - NEW
Your Child's Mental Wellness Matters: Access Comprehensive Services - NEW
National School Nurse Day - May 7 - NEW
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month - NEW
Jewish American Heritage Month - NEW
FCPS Summer Extravaganza: Discover Exciting Summer Learning Activities and Ideas - Reminder
School Meals and Free/Reduced Lunch Applications - Reminder
Stenwood is Hiring! - Reminder
Stenwood PTA - Reminder

Sincerely,

Erica Riley, Principal
esriley@fcps.edu

Bryan Case, Assistant Principal
bgcase@fcps.edu

Bike to School Day

Bike Month has been celebrated since 1956 to showcase the many benefits of bicycling and encourage more people to give biking a try. Fairfax County has an extensive network of both paved and natural surface bike trails. You can access a map to all the trails in Fairfax county online.

Wednesday, May 7^th, is the official Bike to School Day. You can register as a school, family, or neighborhood. Plan your ride whether you ride to school, to a park, or just within your neighborhood. Register for Bike to School Day.

SOL Schedule

SOLs begin next week! The SOL assessments are content assessments that measure a student's growth in Reading, Mathematics, and Science (5^th grade only). These tests will be conducted during the dates listed in the table above.

Please mark your calendar - it is important that your child attend school on the dates designated for them to test. Please ensure your child gets plenty of rest the night prior and arrives at school on-time.

Dismissal Schedule for the Last Day of School

On the last day of school, Wednesday, June 11^th, school will be dismissed at 1:25pm. Attendance will be taken on the last day of school. If your child is going to be absent, please contact us at StenwoodElem.Attendance@fcps.edu in advance.

Excellence at a Crossroads:

FCPS Budget Update

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will begin finalizing the budget on Tuesday, May 6^th. The current advertised budget underfunds FCPS by $150 million.

Without new revenue, such as the meals tax (adding just $2-3 to an average dining bill for a family of four), FCPS will face significant cuts.

What Is at Risk? Go to fcps.edu/crossroads to see examples of where FCPS exceeds minimum state standards.