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Hello Stenwood Families,
Happy October!
As many of you have seen, our new digital marquee is up and running! This sign has been years of collaboration. Thank you to School Board Member Mr. Frisch’s office for helping to support the installation. The funds for this project came from the I-66 Expansion Project. For those of you who love the old sign…don’t worry, we kept it and are working with the PTA to have it installed in the Kiss N Ride loop!
Today we had our first family invite for the year; our 6th graders hosted their families and together created scaled models of the plants in our solar system out of Play-Doh. For those of you new to Stenwood, we have three family invite events at each grade level during the school year. For these events, we invite families to join in learning, participate in activities, or have the opportunity to hear our students present evidence of their learning and hard work.
We strongly encourage families to make sure they have the Raptor App and their account created to save time when signing into the building. As a reminder, without the Raptor App, you are required to have a valid ID to enter the building. We love that our family invites are very well attended! Because many visitors will be arriving at once for these family invites, please arrive a little early to allow time to sign-in. We typically allow families to start signing in 15 minutes prior to an event starting. We value these events as they are an opportunity for families to learn more about what your child is learning or celebrate the hard work they have done.
Today is also National Custodian Appreciation Day! We are so grateful for our amazing custodial team who work to keep our building clean and safe for us everyday!
Next Wednesday, October 7th is Walk and Roll to school day! We encourage students to bike or walk where it is safe to do so. Mrs. Udasco and Mrs. Opsahl will be welcoming our walkers and bike riders with a sticker. More details are below.
Please note below that there has been a calendar change for this school year. March 9th is now a holiday and March 10th will be a school day. See below for more information.
Below we have some additional information:
- Thanksgiving Lunch - NEW
- Safe Routes to School - Reminder
- Equity Committee looking for Parents - Reminder
- Holidays and Observations Drawing Contest - Reminder
- Parking Reminders - Reminder
- Raptor Visitor Management System - Reminder
- Advanced Academic Programs - Reminder
- Fall Picture Day 10/19 - NEW
- Walk and Roll to School Day - NEW
- Disability History and Awareness Month - NEW
- National Bullying Prevention Month - NEW
- FCPS: Calendar Change: Eid al-Fitr - NEW
- FCPS: Safe Routes to School Parent and Caregiver Survey - NEW
- FCPS: Learn About Applied Behavior Analysis and Teaching New Skills at Home - NEW
- FCPS: FCPS Seeks Community Input on Middle School AAP Centers - NEW
- FCPS: Superintendent Community Conversations - Updated Reminder
- Family Information Phone Lines - Reminder
- School Meals and Free/Reduced Lunch Applications
- Stenwood PTA
Erica Riley, Principal esriley@fcps.edu
Bryan Case, Assistant Principal bgcase@fcps.edu
Thanksgiving Lunch
It is time to start planning for Stenwood’s Annual Thanksgiving Lunch! On Thursday, November 19th, all students are invited to have their families come join them for a Thanksgiving Lunch.
Please RSVP by Friday, 10/23 using this link. You will find the schedule for all classes on the google form. Mrs. Schmid, our cafeteria manager, needs to place her food order.
If you would like to volunteer, please sign up using this link. Volunteers will be helping with visitor check-in and meal serving. Do not sign up during your child’s lunch block. Please also do not plan to have younger siblings with you if you are volunteering.
Safe Routes to School
We have spent a lot of the first month of school focusing on every student’s right to a safe school environment so that they can learn, as well as everyone’s responsibility to keep each other safe. We also want to make sure that all our students are able to safely come and go from school.
If your child regularly bikes or rides to school, we want you to be aware of a few Fairfax County laws:
- Helmets are required for all minors under 15 on bikes
- No person under 14 is permitted to drive any motorized skateboard, motorized scooter, or class three electric-powered bike unless under the immediate supervision of a person who is at least 18 years old.
At Stenwood, we also ask that riders dismount at Carnegie Dr and Citadel Pl and walk their bike or scooter across the blacktop up to the building. There are a lot of students and families outside on the blacktop and we need to be mindful and stay safe around the school at arrival and dismissal.
If you drive your child to school:
- Be especially alert in our school zone and neighborhood.
- Watch for multi-modal transportation users crossing the street or biking along the road.
- Yield at crosswalks and obey school bus signals.
- Avoid distractions, including mobile devices. Virginia is a Hands-Free state.
- Always follow posted speed limits.
This information and more can be found at the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety page from the Fairfax County Government.
Equity Team
Each year we invite parents to join our Stenwood Equity Team which is made up of staff from each grade level and content area. We have had 3-5 parents on our team for the last couple of years and we want to make sure new families have the opportunity to join! We meet at 8:10am once per month on Thursdays. During the meetings, we focus on ways to promote equitable teaching practices and affirm identities and backgrounds of our diverse community. It's important to have insight and perspectives representative of our community. If you are interested in joining us, please email Heather Ogun at hogun@fcps.edu.
Holidays and Observations Drawing Contest
Our Equity Team is hosting an ongoing drawing contest to celebrate all the holidays and observations throughout the year.
Submission Details: We will collect submissions on the 1st of each month for holidays occurring the following month. For instance, since Lunar New Year is in February in 2026, drawings for it would be due by January 1st (but the 4th since we are on Winter Break). You're welcome to turn in your artwork early—just drop it in the box in the office!
What Happens Next? The winning drawing will be featured in our newsletter and on our social media. All other submissions will be proudly displayed in our hallways for everyone to enjoy!
Missing a Holiday? If your family celebrates a holiday or observance that isn't on our list, please feel free to include it!
Ready to Draw? You can pick up a template paper for the contest in your classroom or the office, and it is posted on our website for easy access. We can’t wait to see the incredible artwork from our Stenwood artists!
Parking Reminders
If you choose to park on Carnegie and walk up for arrival and/or dismissal, please know that the streets directly behind Stenwood are permit parking only. In addition, please be respectful of our neighbors. Please do not block driveways or crosswalks. If you do have a permit, please do not park on the Stenwood side of the street as that hinders the flow of traffic. During grade-level and schoolwide events, we do work with the Fairfax County Police Department to get permission for families to park in the neighborhood. When advertising events, we will communicate if the parking in the neighborhood has been coordinated. That exemption is not in place for arrival or dismissal.
Sign Up for the Raptor App
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We encourage all families to download and register on the Raptor App. Raptor is the visitor management system FCPS adopted midyear last year. If you have already registered, you do not need to register again. Family members who are not registered on the app will need to present a valid ID each time they visit Stenwood. |
 To strengthen campus security, FCPS has disabled the "I Don’t Have An ID" option on all Raptor kiosks. All visitors without a valid ID must report directly to the front office staff. The system allows staff to manually enter visitor details once; however, visitors will not be permitted to enter the building on any subsequent visits without a valid ID.
THE SYSTEM CANNOT ACCEPT PHOTOS OR DIGITAL PICTURES OF IDENTIFICATION; A PHYSICAL, ORIGINAL ID IS REQUIRED.
If you need assistance registering for the Raptor App, please contact the front office at 703-208-7600.
Advanced Academic Programs
Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to challenging all students through talent development and differentiated instruction. A continuum of Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services is available to students in Grades K to 12 and is designed to match services to each student’s unique academic needs.
Identification for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP services occurs throughout the school year. Full-Time AAP services have two identification cycles:
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Fall identification: Students in grades 3 to 7 who have enrolled in FCPS since January may be referred by October 15th.
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Spring identification: Any FCPS student in Grades 2 to 7 may be referred by December 15th.
FCPS uses ability testing as one consideration in the holistic identification process for AAP services:
- All students in Grade 2 take the Naglieri General Ability Test (NGAT).
- Students in Grades 3 to 6 who do not have a multi-domain ability test score take the NGAT.
- Students in Grades 3 to 6 may retake an ability test one time. Families may request the ability test retake by contacting Bryan Case, school testing coordinator, at bgcase@fcps.edu by September 30th.
Families are invited to attend two AAP information meetings led by Kaleigh Hartman, our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART):
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AAP Continuum of Services: Here is the recording from this morning,
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Full-Time AAP Identification: Friday, October 9th at 8:45am in the cafeteria. Families will learn about the referral and identification processes for Full-Time AAP services.
Twice Exceptional Students
Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to challenging all students through talent development and differentiated instruction. Twice-Exceptional (2e) learners are students who are gifted and have learning challenges or disabilities.
Families can learn more about 2e learners, how to support them, and how to partner with schools on the 2e webpage, which also includes a link to the Special Education Handbook.
New information has been added under the heading Supporting 2e Learners in FCPS.
For more information, please contact Kaleigh Hartman, AART, at kkhartman@fcps.edu or visit the FCPS Advanced Academic Programs webpage.
Fall Picture Day!
School Picture Day is Coming Soon!
Date: Monday, October 19th, 2026
Pre-order Online: https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001417001
Images Available: Approximately two - three weeks after picture day
Ordering Questions?: www.vosphoto.com/contact-us
Walk and Roll to School Day
FCPS will participate in International Walk and Roll to School Day on Wednesday, October 7th, in an effort to promote physical activity and reduce traffic congestion and pollution near schools.Students and employees are encouraged to bike or walk to school and work where safe to do so. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school, and to work with their school and PTA or PTO to assemble bike trains or walking groups for the event. Schools are encouraged to register online with Walk and Bike to School. Get more information about Walk to School Day.
Disability History and Awareness Month
In Virginia during October, Disability History and Awareness activities provide an opportunity to create greater public awareness for individuals with disabilities, with the goal of full inclusion in our community.
National Bullying Prevention Month
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. To help develop a common understanding of Bullying, below is the FCPS definition.
Bullying in Students Rights and Responsibilities is defined as: “Any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim; and is repeated over time or causes severe emotional trauma. “Bullying” includes cyberbullying. “Bullying” does not include ordinary teasing, horseplay, argument, or peer conflict.”
For more information on how FCPS handles a bullying situation please visit the FCPS Bullying Prevention and Intervention webpage. Our goal is to ensure all students feel safe and welcome at school. If you have questions and/or concerns about something that is going on at school, please contact the front office so that they can support you and most importantly your student.
Calendar Change: Eid al-Fitr
FCPS will mark the beginning of Eid al-Fitr with an evening-only observance day on Monday, March 8th. There will be school on this day, but major school-sponsored events and activities (such as auditions or tryouts) will not take place.
Tuesday, March 9th, will be a holiday for students and staff.
Wednesday, March 10th, will be an observance day. There will be school on this day, but certain activities that cannot be made up (major tests, field trips, or mandatory events) will not take place.
A new school year calendar has been published, which includes this change. Please note that holidays and observances on the calendar may shift due to anticipated lunar sightings.
Safe Routes to School Parent and Caregiver Survey
As part of the Fairfax County School Board’s Annual School-Based Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Assessment, the FCPS Office of Safety and Security and Safe Routes to School program are inviting parents and caregivers to share their experiences traveling to and from school.
The Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Survey asks about walking and biking routes, traffic near schools, kiss and ride experiences, accessibility, and other safety concerns.
Your feedback will help FCPS identify common issues. Your responses will be kept confidential and shared with school administrators and the Office of Safety and Security. The five-minute survey is open through Thursday, October 15th.
Be sure to identify the school related to your feedback and include specific locations where you have observed a safety issue. If you have students at different schools in FCPS, please complete a different survey for each school.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact SafeRoutestoSchool@fcps.edu.
Learn About Applied Behavior Analysis and Teaching New Skills at Home
All family members and caregivers are invited to attend monthly Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Family Training to learn how to support and teach students with autism and related disorders. No registration is needed.
Virtual trainings take place | 
