Garden Day Canceled

2025-2026 Vol. 32

GARDEN DAY CANCELED

Dear Families:

It’s wonderful to have such great weather! We have so much to be thankful for at Fairhill, and it’s been great to see students and staff enjoying the sunshine throughout the day.

As you received in the earlier talking points message today, PTA Garden Day is canceled for this weekend. We appreciate your understanding and will share any updates about future opportunities.

We are looking forward to a strong stretch of full weeks ahead as we focus on our final push before end-of-year state testing. All of our indicators point to our students being well-prepared, and we truly believe they are going to knock it out of the park. We are excited for them to show all they have learned this year!

On that note, we encourage you to have your child spend some time practicing at home using the online resource www.solpass.org. Students should already know the password, but if not, please feel free to reach out and we will be happy to share it. Fairhill provides a membership for all students in grades 3–6.

Thank you for your continued support!

Ted and Maura

April

April 15th - Purple Up! Day Military Connection
April 17th - Story Book Parade 9:45 - 10:45 am Bus Loop
April 21st - Election Day (No School for Students)
April 22nd - Falls Church Pyramid Art Show 5 - 7 pm
April 23rd - 5th Grade Field Trip to Natural History Museum
April 24th - Career Fair 1:15 - 3:30 pm
April 30th - 6th Grade Field Trip to Art Museum
April 30th - 1st Grade Field Trip to Clemyjontri
April 30th - Spring Strings/Band Concert Evening

May

May 1st - Spring Strings/Band Concert Day
May 1st - Parents Night Out - Glow Dodgeball
May 4th - May 8th Staff Appreciation Week
May 7th - PTA Meeting 6:30 pm
May 7th - 4th Grade Field Trip to Baltimore Aquarium
May 11th - 3rd-6th Grade SOL Testing Reading
May 13th - Wednesday Early Release (3 hours)
- Dismissal 1:05 pm
May 18th - 3rd-6th Grade SOL Testing Math
- (including Grade 7 and Algebra)
May 21st - 5th Grade SOL Testing Science
May 25th - Memorial Day (No School)
May 26th - Teacher Workday (No School for Students)
May 27th - Eid al-Adha (No School)

April is the Month of the Military Child and Purple Up Day!

April is the Month of the Military Child, and at Fairhill, we are proud to celebrate the incredible strength, resilience, and spirit of our military-connected students.

Join us on Purple Up Day, April 15th, by wearing purple to show your support and appreciation. As a Purple Star School, this day is especially meaningful to our community. It is a chance for all of us to stand together and recognize the sacrifices our military families make, especially the children who walk our halls each day.

Let’s turn Fairhill purple and show our students just how much they are seen, valued, and celebrated!

It’s That Time of Year! Please Help Us Plan for Next School Year

As we begin planning for the upcoming school year, we ask all families of students in Kindergarten through 6^th grade to let Fairhill Elementary know about their child’s intentions for next year.

In the past, this information was collected using paper forms sent home in Tuesday folders. This year, we’re making the process easier and more convenient by moving to a digital format!

Please take a moment to complete our short Google Form to let us know whether your child will be returning to Fairhill Elementary for the next school year. Your response helps us with staffing, class placement, and overall planning to ensure a smooth and successful start for all students. If you have more than one child that attends Fairhill, please complete for each child.

https://forms.gle/QesM6JrsLR5du6LFA

We kindly ask that all families complete the form by Friday, May 1, 2026.

Thank you for your time and continued support!

Class Placement Input

We are beginning to plan for the 2026–27 school year and will be collecting parent input electronically. Class placements are an important part of both learning and building a strong school community. If there is information you would like us to consider as we determine placements, we invite you to take a few moments to respond to the questions below.

We recognize that a positive teacher-student match and a well-balanced classroom contribute to student success, and we carefully consider each child’s strengths and needs throughout this process. To ensure we are able to thoughtfully account for all factors, we ask that families do not request specific teachers. Teacher assignments may change due to the needs of the school, and requests for specific teachers are not considered as part of the placement process.

We have found it most helpful when families share relevant academic or behavioral information about their child that may support our decision-making. Completion of this form is optional; however, if you choose to participate, please submit your responses by May 29.

Thank you for your time and for partnering with us.

Use link here: https://forms.gle/WobJSdgm8QBoUNEE6

6^th Annual Fairhill Elementary Career Fair

Each spring, Fairhill hosts our annual career fair to help students explore different careers and learn about the world of work. It’s a fun, interactive event where adults from the community share what they do, talk about their professions, and answer students’ questions — helping spark curiosity and future ambition.

2026 Career Fair details: To inspire students, provide insight into the "World of Work," showcase the diverse talents of our community, and have lots of Career Day fun!

Theme: “The Possibilities Start Here” — a celebration of career exploration and future planning for students
Date & Time: Friday, April 24, 2026, 1:15 – 3:30 pm
Location: Fairhill Elementary Gymnasium
Setup: Tables and chairs will be provided. Electrical outlets are available.
What to Bring: We encourage you to wear your professional attire/uniform and bring interactive items (videos, equipment, literature, etc.) to engage our future workforce!

Detailed logistics regarding session times will be sent as the date approaches.

View: 2025 Career Day Info and PHOTOS - this will give you a good idea of the look and feel of our career day.

Contact: Mrs. Schwartz, Counselor, 703-208-8130, gwschwartz@fcps.edu

SOL Testing Spring 2026

Believe it or not, the Standards of Learning Assessments are just around the corner at Fairhill! Below is the schedule for testing. The SOL Assessments are in grades 3-6 and content area differs by grade level. Please plan for success by ensuring your child has a good night’s sleep the night before, a hearty breakfast the morning of, and arrives to school on time for the day of their scheduled test. Testing will begin promptly at 9:45 AM; if a student arrives after this time, they will take the test on an alternate date. If you have additional questions about the SOLs, please contact School Testing Coordinators Justin Goldberg (jmgoldberg@fcps.edu) and Maura Cotter (mkcotter@fcps.edu).

Monday, May 11: 3^rd - 6th Grade Reading

Monday, May 18: 3^rd – 6^th Grade Math (including Grade 7 and Algebra)

Thursday, May 21: 5^th Grade Science

Spring Concert Date and Times:

Evening Concert- Thursday, April 30

4^th Grade Arrival 5:00 pm, Concert starts 5:30 pm
5th/6th Grade Arrival 6:00 pm, Concert starts 6:30 pm

Daytime Concert - Friday, May 1

9:50-10:50 am

Spanish

News from PTA

GLOW DODGEBALL IS BACK!

Need Friday night plans for the kids? Send them to InCourage Fairfax on May 1st for a glowing good time!