Heritage Night ~ February 7
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 7th, 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.
Want to represent your culture in our World Café or Heritage Room or volunteer in another way? Sign up here.
Would you like to volunteer or donate to support the Heritage Night? Does a middle or high schooler need volunteer hours - sign up here!! 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
Plan Forward - Dates to Mark on your Calendar
February 2 Strings Concert (Snow Date) 5 - 6 p.m. Note we will need ALL students to bring their instrument to the practice rehearsal on 2/5.
February 3 - End of Quarter Adjusted Date
February 5 - Immersion Information Night (Snow Date) - Cafeteria 5 p.m.
February 7 - Heritage Night 5 - 7 p.m. (See the Sign Up Above - volunteers needed)
February 9 - Second Quarter Grades in ParentVue
February 16 - Presidents Day - School Closed
February 17 - Teacher Workday - No School for Students
February 18 - Three Hour Early Release - new link forthcoming
February 26 - STEAM and Literacy Night - Combined!! Save the Date!
February 27 - PTA Meeting
March 3 - Author Visit
March 5 - Student Spring Pictures
March 6 - 13 - Spring Book Fair
March 18 - Three Hour Early Release
March 20 - School Holiday
March 21 - FCPS - Special Education Family Conference @ Marshall HS
March 27 - Two Hour Early Release and End of Quarter
March 30 - April 3 - Spring Break and April 6 - Teacher Workday
2025-26 FCPS School Calendar
Strings Concert - Snow Date is Monday, Feb.2nd
The strings concert to February 2nd at 5 p.m. All students will need to bring their instruments to school on Monday to practice prior to the concert.
Shout Out to Our Custodians!!
It took five days to remove the heavy snow/ice from our sidewalks. That said, there will be icy areas. Please do be mindful of the residual snow/ice as the cold temperatures simply refreeze any and it becomes very icy and slippery. The custodians deserve some love! Please do share some LOVE with them! They worked tirelessly in the cold and windy temps!!
Administration Notes
Dear Parents,
As we look towards Monday and reopening of our school, I need to share important arrival and dismissal information. There is extremely limited on street parking on Lumsden and neighborhood roads. It would be wise to walk (being mindful of snow covered sidewalks in some areas) or to use kiss and ride.
First and foremost, please use Dean Drive or Van Fleet to go to Melbourne and enter Kent Gardens. Please DO NOT use Lumsden to turn into KG as we will have vehicles exit out of the school on that road. Buses will also exit on Lumsden. Lumsden currently has a very narrow clearance and would be challenging for both incoming and outgoing vehicles. Please coordinate and come safely! Please build in extra travel time - it will be very cold as well.
If your child is in strings, please note the snow date of Monday, February 2nd for the concert and rehearsal. The students will need to bring their instrument on that day to practice prior to the concert. Also note the Immersion Information Night is now on February 5th. Last but not least, we have listed a new date, February 4th for the Spelling Bee Vocabulary assessment for registered students. We will accept Yearbook Cover entries on Monday and Tuesday of this week. We have had some amazing entries!!
Note that it is also Counselor Appreciation week! Share some love - they do much to support our students! Also any love to our custodians would be appreciated - they worked non stop outside to clear our sidewalks etc. We are lucky to have such a devoted staff.
We look forward to seeing all but stress the need to follow the traffic pattern detailed above. Thanks for your continued partnership and support.
Warmly,
Holly McGuigan Tia Hawkins Sarah Talley
Principal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal
Immersion Information Night - February 5 (Snow Date)
FCPS offers DLI programs in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Online lottery application open on January 12 for rising kindergarten and first graders dependent upon the school. The online, countywide lottery is open to Fairfax County residents. Families must have a SIS ParentVUE account. Students not currently enrolled in FCPS should register at their base school before applying for the immersion program. Please contact Annie Joseph, if you need to create an account and live in our boundary. FCPS does not provide transportation for students who live outside the attendance area of the DLI school. A one-time fee of $100 must be paid upon acceptance of an out-of-boundary placement (see Notice 5922).
Program Sites and Informational Meetings - The dates for various schools are in this link. Click on the specific languages for the specific details. These schools offer county-wide DLI program enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year. Parents are encouraged to attend one of the informational meetings. Meetings will be held at the elementary school listed except for the virtual event on February 4th at 6 p.m. via Zoom.
Kent Gardens will have the immersion program interest session on the snow date, February 5 at 5 p.m. We will be joined by Beatrix Preusse from the World Languages office. Click the link for additional registration information.
Kent Gardens immersion program will continue to begin in first grade. We will continue to explore options to begin in kindergarten. On January 12, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. the registration system will open and parents may submit DLI program applications. On February 12, 2026 at 4 p.m. the registration system will close. On February 27, 2026 at 8:30 a.m., parents will be notified regarding 1st grade lottery registrations. All parents responses are due by March 13, 2026 at 4 p.m. Late applications will be accepted and students will be added to the bottom of the generated waitlist. If you have questions, please contact Brigid Williams at 571-423-4600.
Counselor Appreciation Week - February 2 - 6
Share some love to our fabulous counselors this week! They work tirelessly and offer so much support! ♥♥
Winter Resources for Families
A list of resources has been compiled for students and families in case they or someone they know needs assistance while schools are closed for winter weather. Please visit FCPS’ winter resources page for information on academic support, mental health support, and county resources related to food, clothing, housing, and other needs.
Student Experience Survey
Our school will participate in the FCPS Student Experience Survey. This survey will gather important feedback from students about their school experiences to help FCPS make meaningful improvements.
All students in grades 3-6 will take the survey, except those who have opted out, will receive a link to the survey in their FCPS email on February 23. Students should not take the survey until their homeroom administers the survey. Third grade - March 4th; Fourth Grade - February 24, Fifth Grade - March 2nd; Sixth Grade - February 25. Any student may take the survey at home, if they are unable to take the survey during the school day. You should have already received a communication with details on how to preview the survey and opt your child out, if you choose. The electronic opt-out form can also be accessed at this link.
We believe it's important to hear from our students about what we're doing well and where we can improve. This work also aligns with the equity commitments in FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan, which include a focus on amplifying student voice and experiences as we work toward meeting plan goals.
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