Gator Bytes: News and General Information for Kings Glen ES

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Dear Gators, We are excited to see our parents and guardians at Back-To-School Night tomorrow, Thursday September 3rd.  The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with presentations beginning at 5:45 p.m. Parents and guardians with children in 5th or 6th grade are encouraged to attend the combined presentations, with 5th grade in the cafeteria and 6th grade in the gym.  There will be a second session beginning at 6:45 p.m. in each homeroom for parents and guardians with more than one child at Kings Glen.  Specialists will be available prior to the first session as well as in-between sessions should you have any questions or should you wish to connect with any of them.  We are looking forward to a great evening! Dr. Ritter, Principal  •  Ms. Gibbs, Assistant Principal

Back to School Night Agenda

Thursday, September 3rd, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

• Doors Open (5:30 p.m.)
• Specialists available in lobby (5:30 p.m.)
• First presentation (5:45 p.m.)
  • 4th grade go to homerooms (5:45 p.m.)
  • 5th grade - cafeteria (5:45 p.m.)
  • 6th grade - gym (5:45 p.m.)
  • Parents and guardians visit classrooms (by 6:20 p.m.)
• Specialists once again available in lobby (6:30 p.m.)
• Second presentation (for families with more than one child) in homerooms - all grades (6:45 p.m.)
• End of Evening (7:30 p.m.)

Positivity Project at Kings Glen Kings Glen is partnering with The Positivity Project (P2) again this school year to empower students to build positive relationships and become their best selves. During our classroom Morning Meetings, short videos, class discussions and activities focus on one of the 24 character strengths that are the foundation of Positive Psychology. Gators explore their strengths and how to have positive relationships. P2 also offers short lessons for families at home. Week of Aug 31 - Sept 4:  Curiosity

Parent Digital Consent 

Remember to Complete Permission Forms for School Resources

Families can now easily grant consent for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. This online tool can be accessed using your SIS ParentVUE account login. Parents can easily opt their child in or out of a variety of resources, including online educational tools, school counseling services, and more.

Visit the Parent Digital Consent webpage to access the system. Watch this video to see how to use the tool. 

Welcome to Band and Strings! Deadline:  Thursday, September 3rd We are excited for a new year for students to participate in either Band or Strings!  Demonstrations were given for students and registration forms sent home on Thursday, August 23rd. 4th Grade students are eligible to participate in Strings. 5th and 6th grade students have the option to participate in either Band or Strings. Unfortunately, they may not sign up for both. Strings Registration Form  (grades 4-6) Band Registration Form  (grades 5-6 only) Forms are due tomorrow, September 3rd. Reach out to Ms. Sharkey (Strings Teacher) or Ms. VanValkenburg (Band Teacher) with questions.

Kings Glen Is a Green Flag Award Recipient! Kings Glen Elementary School was recently honored with a Green Flag award from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) through the Eco-Schools U.S. program for their Get2Green Team work during the 2025-2026 school year.  This award was earned by students and staff being committed to sustainability measures.  Some of these measures included engaging the local community, forming an action team, creating a plan, collecting data, taking solution-based actions, and measuring impact. This student-led program provides opportunities for youth leadership, raises environmental awareness, connects students to the natural world, and drives positive environmental change. Learn all about Eco-Schools in FCPS and find the full list of award recipients.

Pixel Can Art Food Drive Deadline October 2nd What: We are collecting 14-16 oz sized cans of vegetables and beans. Cans that “lock together” when stacked are best for the project. When: Collection of cans starts NOW until October 2nd. Where: Drop of your cans and other dry food goods in the boxes by the front office. Why: We will donate the food to ECHO in Springfield. Before it is donated, students will create a superhero themed pixel can art sculpture to be displayed for the school.

Student ID Cards for Kings Glen Bus Riders

We have distributed student ID cards to all students who ride a FCPS school bus and were enrolled in either Kings Park or Kings Glen prior to the beginning of July.  Students who ride the FCPS school bus and but were enrolled after July 1st will be receiving one as they become available. 

The cards are attached to lanyards and should remain inside your child’s backpack each day. Students will be reminded to place the lanyard in their backpack when they arrive at school and to put it on before boarding the bus at dismissal.

Students should tap their ID cards when boarding and exiting the bus. At this time, only students who use FCPS transportation services will receive an ID card.

We appreciate your patience! Bus drivers will begin checking in students, which may require additional time at each bus stop. The transportation team is working hard to minimize delays.

Learn more about the bus navigation system and student ID cards

Lake Braddock Pyramid Night

Thursday, September 10, 5-6:30pm

Lake Braddock will be hosting their annual Pyramid Night on Thursday, September 10th. The event includes fun games and activities like food trucks, music, an obstacle course, bounce houses, and a dunk tank from 5:00pm-6:30pm. The first home football game will follow the festival, and we hope you will be able to stay and participate. The festival is free to attend, and tickets for the Football game are available for purchase through eTix.

We are excited to share the opportunity for 10 students from Kings Glen will be selected to participate in the “Tunnel Run” to open the football game. If you are interested, in your child participating, please complete Lake Braddock Tunnel Run Interest Form (KGES)   by Thursday, September 3rd. For each of the 10 students randomly chosen will receive one free student and one free guardian ticket for the football game.

Volunteering at Kings Glen 

If you are looking to volunteer for the 2026-2027 school year and have not already done so, complete your Volunteer FCPS registration this summer. This helps ensure a safe, consistent, and welcoming environment here at Kings Park. We thank you for your support!  All volunteers must:

• Create a profile in Volunteer FCPS. 
• Complete a volunteer orientation and register for opportunities through Volunteer FCPS. 
• Sign in and out of schools using the visitor kiosk.  

Apply Today for Free and Reduced-Price Meals!

According to the Centers for Disease Control, eating breakfast at school is associated with better attendance rates, fewer missed school days, and better test scores. Studies show that students who eat both school breakfast and lunch tend to have healthier diets than those who don't participate in school meals. 

Families who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals can receive breakfast and lunch for their students at no cost or at a reduced cost. This includes more than one-third of FCPS students. Families must complete the Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FRM) application before the start of each school year. Approved applications may also qualify students for additional benefits. 

The application for FRM is now available for the 2026-27 school year. Students who were approved for FRM last year are eligible for the first 30 days of school this year (or until a new application is processed). Families should reapply as soon as possible so eligible students continue to receive meals at no cost.

Access the application and view criteria and up-to-date information on the FRM webpage. Families should reach out to their schools with questions or for assistance.

Lightspeed Updates: You Can Manage Student Web Access at Home

At Kings Glen, we acknowledge that parents are our students' first and most important teachers. Parents now have greater control over their child’s FCPS-issued device outside of school hours through Lightspeed Parent Portal.

In addition to monitoring weekly internet activity, parents can now also customize web access at home on FCPS devices through Lightspeed using Schedules and Web Rules.

With Schedules, you can set tailored times to automatically pause or restrict internet access. This makes it easier to enforce rules around homework time, family dinners, weekends, or bedtime.

In Web Rules, you can create Custom Block Lists to block specific, individual websites they do not want your child accessing at home. This allows parents greater control over what is happening online, under their own roof.

These new custom controls take effect at home, outside of school hours, and when the device is off the FCPS network. They will not override standard district filtering policies during the instructional day.

Customize Your Lightspeed Settings

All parents should be receiving weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report emails. To set up these new features, click the “Log in or Register” button at the bottom of your weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report email.

Visit the FCPS Lightspeed Parent Portal Guide for more information. If you have additional questions, submit a Parent Technology Support Ticket.

Parents are encouraged to discuss internet boundaries with their children so that they can understand the reasoning behind any limits and the differences between access at home and at school. Get tips on talking to your children about technology safety.

KP/KG PTA News

Join the PTA.  We hope all members of the KP/KG community will consider joining the PTA this school year. Membership is only good for one year, so make sure to join each school year!  Being a PTA member has numerous benefits --  it's a great way to meet new friends and become more involved in your child's school and community.  Join on our website! 

The Spirit Wear store is NOW OPEN! Place your order by September 13th to receive free shipping to the school. (Orders will be sent home with your student at the end of September) After September 13th, the spirit wear store will remain open, but orders will be shipped to your home for a fee. 

Papa John’s Spirit Nights are back! On the first and third Thursday of every month, use the code KPKG and 15% of sales will come back to the PTA!

The Booster Fun Run is the PTA's largest fundraiser of the school year and will take place on Friday, September 18.  Our school goal is to raise $55,000 for assemblies, field trips, non-tech items for student engagement, and school-wide enhancements. In addition, if 70% of students register at each school, Kings Park and Kings Glen staff will participate in an inflatable costume race! Register for free today at mybooster.com! Every student who registers will receive a prize! Also, new this year is the Rewards Store!  Instead of receiving prizes at set donation levels, students will earn points for each share or donation they receive and can pick their prizes at the end of the program!

Our first meeting, where we will be approving our budget, is coming up on September 17th at Kings Park at 5:00 pm right before Back to School Night in the cafeteria. Please join us and hear from the PTA Board and school administration to learn about all the exciting things planned for the year!

Save the Date! Our popular PTA Ice Cream Social and Community Resource Fair will be held at Kings Glen on September 25th.

Information on After School Activities will be coming soon! 

Keep in Touch with the PTA.  A great way to keep in touch with the PTA is to subscribe to our emails and/or join our Facebook group.  An updated PTA events calendar can also be found here.  Reach out to board@kpkgpta.org if you have any questions.

Sept 3:  Back to School Night (5:30-7:30 p.m.)

Sept. 3:  Deadline to Enroll in Band or Strings (See Above)

Sept 4-7:  Labor Day Holiday (School Closed)

Sept 10:  Lake Braddock Pyramid Night (See Above)

Sept 17:  PTA General Membership Meeting (5 p.m. at Kings Park ES)

Sept 18:  PTA Booster Fun Run (See Above)

Sept 21:  Yom Kippur (Schools Closed)

Sept 25:  PTA Ice Cream Social and Community Resource Fair (See Above)

Sept 30:  3-Hr. Early Release Wednesday (Students Dismiss at 12:25 p.m.)