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Welcome Back, Forestdale Families!
The first day of school is just around the corner on Monday, August 24th, and we are so excited to welcome everyone back! Soon, our teachers will return to campus, preparing their classrooms and creating a welcoming environment for your children.
We can't wait to see you at our upcoming welcome events:
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Community Bus Tour: Join us on Tuesday, August 18th
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Open House: We're excited to see you at Forestdale for our Open House on Friday, August 21st
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First PTA Meeting: Tuesday, September 8th
This year, our theme is "Soaring Beyond Limits: A Universe of Possibilities". We look forward to working together as a community to help every child build the skills they need to succeed.
You'll be hearing from your child's new teacher next week with more information about the start of the year. In the meantime, please check out the important information below regarding school meals, supplies, and more.
We are looking forward to another fantastic school year and can't wait to get started!
Together for OUR Students,
Nikki Steptoe-Coleman, Principal
Mary-Elizabeth Hagaman, Assistant Principal
Nikisha Gibson, Assistant Principal
FCPS Annual Calendar (Click Here)
August 17th: Class Assignments
Students’ individual classroom teacher assignments will be emailed directly to families on Monday, August 17th.
August 18th: Community Bus Tour
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When: Tuesday, August 18th, 3pm-4pm
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Who: Families and Students
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What: Join us on Tuesday, August 18th, between 3-4pm. We will make short visits to neighborhoods to say hello and get ready for the new school year. Come ready for popsicles. Meet us at:
- Hooes Road Park, 3:10-3:20pm
- Springfield Crossing Apartments Playground, 3:30-3:40pm
- Springfield Forest Park, 3:50-4pm
August 21st: Open House
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When: Friday, August 21st
- Open House, Preschool- 6th Grade, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
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Who: Families & Students
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What: Families and students are invited to meet their new teachers, drop off school supplies, and share important arrival and dismissal information.
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Information Fair: Stop by the Forestdale Cafeteria for important information from the clinic, transportation, PTA, and other community members.
September 23rd: Back to School Night
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When: Wednesday, September 23rd, 6pm-8:00pm
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Who: Families & Students
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What: Join us for our annual Back to School Night! It's a great opportunity to meet your child's teachers, learn about the curriculum, and find out how you can support their learning this year. We look forward to seeing you there!
October 9th: Back to School Block Party
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When: Friday, October 9th, 6-8pm
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Who: Families & Students
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What: Come celebrate a successful first month of school with us at our Back to School Block Party. This is a great chance to celebrate our first month of school and learn about what is coming up. We'll have food trucks on-site for you to purchase dinner, so bring your appetite!
The first day of school for our grades K-6 students and our students in the Preschool Autism Classroom (PAC) is Monday, August 24, 2026.
Our first day for our AM/PM Early Childhood Class-Based (ECCB) Preschool program and our PreK is Monday, August 31, 2026.
Our school hours are from 8:50 a.m. to 3:35 p.m., and every minute counts! Doors open daily at 8:40am
The doors will open at 8:40 a.m., and parents may walk their child to the classroom door on Monday, August 24th. Students will be walking to class independently with staff support beginning Tuesday, August 25th.
Students in grades PreK-6 should be in their classroom seats no later than 8:50 a.m. Our day begins by connecting with one another and building relationships among staff and students for productive learning.
Starting this school year, students must use FCPS-issued devices for school-related digital activities during the instructional day. This is in accordance with a new School Board requirement, approved on July 16, which states that students may not use personal electronic communication or computing devices, including personal laptops, tablets, smartwatches, smartphones, and similar devices.
To ensure a safe and successful start to the school year, please have your child follow their daily arrival and dismissal procedures on the very first day. Establishing this routine early helps them learn how to get to and from school safely.
Bus
When I know my child's route? Bus routes will be posted to SIS ParentVUE accounts. Children with specialized transportation will receive a call from transportation before school begins.
Student ID Cards: Students who ride the bus will receive a student identification (ID) card, which will be provided to students or their families within the first two weeks of school.
Students who ride the school bus will tap their student ID card when boarding and exiting the bus. This ensures that transportation team members can see which students are riding which school buses.
You can monitor your child's bus arrival. To know when your child's bus is approaching, get the Here Comes the Bus mobile app. It is a school bus tracking system that gives you real-time bus location and text or email notification. Click here for more information and the FCPS access code. Here Comes the Bus will be replaced with FCPS My Ride later this year.
Kindergarten and PreK, and ECCB Students:
Kindergarten students, riding the afternoon school bus will be returned to school unless a parent, guardian, caregiver, or an older sibling (middle school age or above) meets them at the bus door and verbally confirms their name.
Pre-K, PAC, & ECCB students, riding the afternoon school bus will be returned to school unless met by a parent, guardian, or caregiver, 18 years or older meets them at the bus door and verbally confirms their name.
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Walkers
Families walking their student to school can walk them to the crosswalk on Elder Avenue or to Door 1. Walkers will be dismissed from Door 2 at the end of the day.
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Kiss and Ride
- New families who are in need of a Kiss and Ride tag should come into the school office to get a tag. Tags are required for families whose students will be picked up every day from Kiss and Ride.
- Families using Kiss and Ride should enter through the 2nd entrance.
- Students will be let out of cars starting at 8:40 a.m. and will be dismissed to cars starting at 3:35 p.m.
- Families will be able to sign up for new tags at Open House.
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Changes to Your Child's Transportation
Teachers need to know how all students typically get to school. Should you need to make alternate arrangements one day (i.e. you will pick up your child instead of sending him on the bus), let the office and teacher know that morning so they are aware of the change. The best way to make a change during the school day is to call the office, 703-313-4300. Teachers are instructing and not checking email.
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For the safety of all students, please follow these procedures when on campus:
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Arrival and Dismissal: The main entrance will be roped off to prevent cars from entering the bus loop during arrival and dismissal. The second entrance is designated for Kiss and Ride only. If you wish to walk your child to the front door, please park legally in the surrounding neighborhood.
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Dismissal Time: Dismissal is at 3:35 PM. If your child is a walker, please be there to pick them up on time. We are unable to provide short-term childcare in the front office.
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Campus Access: For the security of our students, to be granted access to the building, or to pick up your child, you must present proper identification. We will not be able to release a child or allow entry without it.
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Family Lunch Visits:
To ensure school staff have time to teach and reinforce cafeteria routines and procedures, we will be delaying the visitation of family members during lunch until October 1.
Meals No Cost to Students:
Forestdale is participating in the Community Eligibility Provision for the 2026-2027 school year as implemented under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Therefore, ALL Forestdale students may receive breakfast and lunch each day at no cost this school year.
More information about the Community Eligibility Provision can be found on the FCPS web here.
Forestdale Lunch Menu
Students are required to enter their student ID in the cafeteria, please help your child learn their student ID.
Cafeteria Snack Options
As the school year progresses, our cafeteria will begin offering a variety of snack options, such as cookies and crackers, for purchase. These items will range in price from $1.00 to $1.25.
If you'd like your child to be able to purchase these snacks, you can add money to their cafeteria account in three easy ways:
MySchoolBucks is a user-friendly, secure, and free service that allows you to manage your child's account and check their balance at any time.
2. By Check
Please make checks payable to Forestdale Food Services. Include your local address and phone number, as well as your child's name and student number on the memo line. You can give the check to the teacher to give to the food service manager.
3. With Cash
You can give cash to the food service manager to deposit into your child's account, or your child can pay with cash on a daily basis.
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School supply lists for grades K-6 can be found on our school website here. Teachers of students in preschool will communicate with families directly regarding preparation for the school year.
Families needing support to purchase any of these school supplies should contact the Forestdale Clinical Team (Stephanie Felix and Sofia Echaide, school counselors; Erika Paz, school social worker; Ukindra Johnson, school psychologist) at ForestdaleClinicalTeam@fcps.edu.
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As summer winds down, we are looking forward to welcoming students back to our classrooms. Use the following list to help make sure your child is ready!
Update Your Contact Information
Be sure you receive important information! Update your phone number(s) and/or email address(es) by clicking “My Account” and reviewing the “Online Verification/Update.” On that form, you can also update immunization records, health information, and emergency contacts.
Important Apps to Download
Now would be a great time to download important FCPS apps and bookmark key pages to set you up for the school year. Below are our recommendations and their specific use.
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ParentVue - Access your student’s attendance records, grades, and assignments at any time with SIS ParentVUE. Contact our registrar at [email/phone number] if you need an activation code. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE. Also, download the new ParentVUE mobile app so you can access your child’s records easily from anywhere! Need help creating a SIS ParentVUE account? Find out more about SIS ParentVUE. Video instructions in English. Video instructions in Spanish.
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Here Comes the Bus- Know when your bus is approaching your stop! Here Comes the Bus® app is a school bus tracking app that provides real-time bus location. This helps parents and students get to the bus stop on time. Here Comes the Bus® utilizes our GPS data and is available on multiple devices. FCPS school district code 28982 and you will need your ParentVue app set up first.
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Talking Points - TalkingPoints is an easy and safe way families can communicate in their home languages with their child’s teachers for free. We will be using this platform to communicate with you about your child’s education and progress.
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