In This Week's ROAR

#1 Cookie Exchange- December 15

#2 December Happenings at KGES

#3 Heritage Night is Coming!

#4 PTA News
           Attend a PTA Meeting: January 23 at 845am
           Join the PTA
           Volunteer with the PTA
               Library Volunteers
               Food Bus Food Rescue Volunteers 
               November and December Volunteer Needs
                           Cookie Exchange Sign-Up Coming Soon!

#5 Support our School
               Community Conversations with Dr. Reid
               Mr. Avery's Tuesday Morning Basketball Conquerors-Register NOW
               Spirit Wear Makes Great Holiday Gifts!

Extra Credit: Community Events

#1 Cookies Needed for Cookie Exchange on 12/15

On 12/15, we're loading up the staff lounge with ALLLLL the cookies! This beloved winter tradition is one of many ways we shower our KG staff with (edible) love! Dust off your cookie cutters and butter up for the great cookie show-off at Kent Gardens ES! Our staff love homespun favorites, modern classics, and new-fangled TikTok-inspired cookie trends! Whatever you bring, it'll be a hit! Don't forget that we are always looking for GF and allergy-friendly additions to our cookie party! 

Sign up to bring cookies!

#2 December at KGES

The weather outside might be frightful, but the early winter season at Kent Gardens is delightful! Our calendar is filling up with lots of fun!

12/5  Dr. Reid's Community Conversations at Churchill Road ES
         Register to Attend

12/10 3-Hour Early Release

12/11 Chorus Concert

12/15-12/18 Parents in PE Days

12/15 Cookie Exchange

12/18 Winter Holiday Parties (watch for emails from your room parents

12/22 -1/2 Winter Break Holiday

#3 Heritage Night is Coming

Heritage Night is coming on February 7th, so get ready to grab a KG Passport and travel the world!

What better way to show your #KGPride than to join us for an evening celebrating the many cultures that make up our school?

Join us Saturday, February 7^th, from 5-7pm for an evening of food, learning, and fun.  The evening will be capped of with our Parade of Nations, where children can dress in traditional clothing that best represents their heritage.

Look for information coming soon on how to represent your culture in our World Café or Heritage Room.  All students are welcome to be a part of the parade, no signup is necessary.  

Please note, this is not a drop off event, but one for the WHOLE family to enjoy!

For more information, please email kgesheritagenight@gmail.com

#4 News from Your PTA

Attend a PTA Meeting

OUR NEXT PTA MEETING WILL BE: January 23 at 845am in the Cafeteria.

Join us to learn more about how you can help make 2026 an AMAZING year for Kent Gardens and hear important updates from Principal McGuigan!

Join the PTA

The PTA at KGES is SUPER BUSY! We do SO much...if you like the afterschool academies, chess club, Math Counts, Bingo Night, 5k, Bread and Cider, Christmas Cookie Exchange, Book Fairs, Heritage Night, Teacher Appreciation Week and just so, so, so MUCH MORE, that's because your KGES PTA has been working hard to bring enriching experiences to our community. When you join the PTA, you help support the work we do at our school AND the advocacy work that the PTA does at all levels of the government! Membership in the KGES PTA needs to be renewed every year Join the PTA NOW!  

Volunteer with the PTA

Volunteers are the glue that helps keep Kent Gardens going and, at the beginning of the school year, have we got some opportunities for YOU!

Library Volunteers

Food Bus Volunteers- KGES's Food Rescue Program

Do you have 30 minutes to spare on a Friday afternoon? Help us make a difference by delivering rescued food to the SHARE of McLean Food Pantry at McLean Baptist Church. The KG PTA proudly supports the Food Bus program, which encourages students to place unopened, packaged food and whole fruits in a designated fridge instead of throwing them away after lunch. Each week, we collect 15–25 pounds of fresh, healthy food—saved by our students—that parent volunteers deliver to SHARE for weekend distribution to local families in need. It’s a simple act with a big impact—and we need your help to keep it going!  Sign up HERE  or email Rebecca (beccadw@gmail.com) or Lana (lanavu@gmail.com) Middle and high school students can earn service hours too!

Support Our School

Community Conversations with Dr. Reid 12/5

On 12/5 from 6-8pm, FCPS Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid will host a Community Conversation at Churchill Road ES (7100 Churchill Rd, McLean, VA 22101). Your voice matters and Dr. Reid wants to hear from you as she engages the FCPS community in conversations across the division to discuss current challenges and future opportunities. These events are a chance for you to share your thoughts and ask questions about FCPS. Find out more!

Register to attend!

Morning Basketball with Mr. Avery for 3-6th grade!

3rd-6th graders, join Mr. Avery every Tuesday morning on the court and up your basketball game with Mr Avery’s Court Conquerors: Mastering the Game of Basketball! Players will learn advanced skills and fundamental training techniques for basketball.

Cost is $255
8-845am November 25th-January 27th (no sessions during school holidays)
Players must have at least mid level knowledge of basketball to join.

Register now! Spots are limited!

Mr. Avery is a former Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) coach and former coach at National Power Pail VI HS for a combined 14 years coaching experience. If you have any questions, or are wondering if your player would be a good fit for the sessions, email Mr. Avery.

Sprit Wear Makes Great Holiday Gifts!

Extra Credit: Community Events

Audition for MCC's Wizard of Oz

Attention young local actors! The McLean Community Center’s Alden Theatre will host auditions for the 2026 Youth Production of The Wizard of Oz! When Dorothy drops into the Land of Oz, only one thing is certain: she's got to find a way back to Kansas. A funny and fast-paced journey down the yellow brick road ensues, as Dorothy and her new friends travel to the fabled Emerald City to meet the Great Oz. When Oz demands a steep price for sending her home, a perilous new adventure begins. This imaginative adaptation captures the heart of L. Frank Baum's classic tale.

Actors must be residents of or go to school in the MCC tax district, and be between the ages of 10-16 on the date of the audition. Click here to register and for more information; we look forward to seeing you at the auditions on January 13 & 15, 2026!