October 5-9 - Book Fair October 7 - Book Fair Family Shop (5 PM - 7 PM) October 8 - Food Market (Primary) October 12 - NO SCHOOL - School Planning October 14 - Fall Picture Day October 17 - PTA BBQ Fundraiser October 21 - Early Release Wednesday (Dismissal at 1:05 PM) October 21 - Fall Festival (5 PM - 7 PM) October 30 - End of 1st Quarter (2 Hr. Early Release) November 2 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Workday  November 3 - NO SCHOOL - School Planning November 25-27 Thanksgiving Break!

A Message from Principal Peterson

Families are essential members of our school team. The care, insight, and support you bring help us create a strong community where every student can learn, grow, and feel safe. Thank you for partnering with us each day.  We are grateful for the success of Blue Star Welcome Week and for the ways our community came together to welcome and support our military-connected families. That spirit of connection matters throughout the year. From our Child Development Center through sixth grade, we all share a responsibility to work together to keep every child safe. Safety is our priority, and we value the partnership of families and staff in creating a caring, secure environment for all students.

I also want to thank our staff and families for their care, patience, and cooperation as we navigated recent schoolwide safety concerns. Your thoughtful communication and support for one another helped us stay focused on what matters most: the well-being of our students.  There are several ways to stay connected and communicate with us: Email your child’s teacher or the school. Use TalkingPoints to communicate with your child’s teacher. Connect with our Family Liaison, Mr. Earnest Miles, for help navigating school resources and building a connection with our community. Use our Family Contact Form to share a question or concern: https://forms.gle/aPUtJB7ebBXnf9B47 Follow school communications and check your child’s Schoology page to stay informed about learning, events, and reminders.

Your questions, ideas, and participation help strengthen our school. Whether you attend an event, share information about your child, communicate with a teacher, or offer feedback, you are helping us make waves together.  The strongest school communities are built through the care we show one another. I am grateful that our students are surrounded by families and staff who continue to show up, work together, and remind them that they belong. Thank you for being an important part of the Fort Belvoir Upper community. Together, we put kids first and help every student feel supported, connected, and safe.   #OneFort #OneMission #OneCommunity

PTA News

Please support and check out our AMAZING PTA this school year! There are plenty of volunteer opportunities for these fun events to come! : 

Popcorn Fridays: https://fortbelvoirpta.givebacks.com/shop/items/ed0d38505704

Popcorn Friday Volunteers: https://fortbelvoirpta.givebacks.com/shop/items/38c342bb74228f

All Volunteer Opportunities: https://fortbelvoirpta.givebacks.com/shop?category=30ef8bb2-d229-4bec-914b-565be00bdda4

Reflections Art Contest Chair: https://fortbelvoirpta.givebacks.com/shop/items/9dc35524d21564

Vice President: 

https://fortbelvoirpta.givebacks.com/shop/items/bde5b97567

Calendar Change

FCPS will mark the beginning of Eid al-Fitr with an evening-only observance day on Monday, March 8. 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 9, will be a holiday for students and staff. 

Wednesday, March 10, 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 on this day. 

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.

School Photos

School Photos When an order is placed online, the parent/guardian will receive a camera pass via email. This can either be printed or texted to the student and brought to picture day. The photographer will photograph the printed camera pass along with the student. If a student is not able to print their camera pass, that is not a problem. We will match up the student to their order manually in the production process. A parent may order from the flyer up until 24 hours after picture day. After 24 hours, the online ordering access may close. This will allow our imaging team to "Pull" all orders submitted and match them with the students photographed. When pictures are returned to school, all students that purchased pictures will receive their prepaid package. Any student that was photographed but did not order a package, will receive a "Proof" (PX) of their picture that was taken on picture day. All proof packages offer parents a second opportunity to order prints. All orders are subject to shipping and handling costs of up to $8.50 and will be shipped directly to home.

Transportation Survey

• 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 15. 

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.  

Advanced Academic Programs Updates

Full-Time AAP Services Identification Cycles

• Fall Identification: Students in grades 3–7 who have enrolled in FCPS since January may be referred by October 15, 2026.

• Spring Identification: Any FCPS student in grades 2–7 may be referred by December 15, 2026.

Contact Information

For questions or more information, please contact:

• Blythe Belenky, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART)

• Email: btbelenky@fcps.edu

Superintendent Community Conversations

Join Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid for a Community Conversation. Students, families, staff, and community members are invited to ask questions, share concerns, and discuss what matters most to them. Everyone is welcome! Click on the date to register for any of the following events:

• Monday, October 19, at 6:30 p.m., at Spring Hill Elementary School
• Monday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m., at Beech Tree Elementary School
• Thursday, October 29, at 6:30 p.m., at North Springfield Elementary School
• **DATE CHANGE** Tuesday, December 1, at 6:30 p.m., at Powell Elementary School 

Military Families Outdoors Community Day

Hosted by Blue Star Families & Wilderness Inquiry

Join us for a day of outdoor fun, canoeing, and hands-on learning with Canoemobile and NCR Blue Star Families!

Event Details: Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026

Time: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET

Location: Aquatic Resources Education Center, 1900 Anacostia Dr, Washington, DC 20019

Activities: Canoeing with the whole family, hands-on education stations, and paddling fun for all ages and abilities!

Cost: Free

About the Event: Military Families Outdoors supports the health and wellness of military service members and their families through accessible engagement with nature. Hosted by Blue Star Families and Wilderness Inquiry, this program provides military families with consistent, no-cost access to nature-based experiences that foster belonging and build community.

How to Register: Visit wildernessinquiry.org to sign up!

Family Needs Assessment and Resource Request

We want to make sure all families have access to the resources and support they need. Families may complete the Needs-Based Assistance Form at any time during the school year to request assistance available through the school.

Support may include school supplies, backpacks, food assistance, weekend backpack programs, food pantry referrals, family markets, and other available resources.

Any family may request assistance. Our goal is to provide support in an equitable, respectful, and accessible way to families who reach out.

Please complete the form here: Needs-Based Assistance Form

If you have questions or need help completing the form, please contact your school social worker.

Primary: Deatra Idlet-Battle dyidletbattl@fcps.edu

Upper: Katie Murphy kemurphy1@fcps.edu

Special Education Family Conference

Register now for the annual Special Education Family Conference: Connected Communities, Thriving Students. The free conference will take place on Saturday, November 14, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hayfield Secondary School.  Hosted by FCPS in collaboration with community partners, the conference highlights the power of partnerships in supporting student success. Families, educators, and community members are invited to connect, learn, and explore available special education services, supports, and resources.  The conference will feature an inspiring opening session, engaging breakout sessions, an exhibitor hall with local resources, and lunch for all participants. Register for the conference and visit the Special Education Family Conference webpage for more information. Email SpecialEdFamilyConf@fcps.edu with any questions.

15th Annual Culinary Challenge

Save the date for the 15th Annual Culinary Challenge!

This event is open to the public.

February 27, 2027

Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, VA

Visit the event page: https://www.realfoodforkids.org/programs/culinary-challenge/

Request this year's guidelines: https://forms.gle/GTQrc8Cndsckyt8X9

Connect with the Real Food for Kids Team: culinarychallenge@realfoodforkids.org

FCPS Ignite Partner Real Food for Kids hosts the spectacular co-curricular culinary event where middle andhigh school students develop original school meal recipes and launch their culinary careers. This is the AnnualCulinary Challenge, and participating students prepare their submissions for their ideal school meal over thecourse of the year and present to a panel of esteemed judges and the public! This event reinforces keylearning objectives in CTE coursework and encourages students to collaborate on problem solving, time andfinancial management, innovation, and presentation.

Student teams can compete in the Lunch or Showcase category. Only lunch teams present before the judges and showcase awards are determined by public vote. The winning lunch team for high and middle school categories will both take home a $500 certificate. High school lunch winner will be offered internship options in top tier DC area food and hospitality work. The Middle school lunch winner will take home a $500 certificate and a one-of-a-kind field trip opportunity in a Silver Diner kitchen.

The future of school food centers the student voice, and the Culinary Challenge is where those ideas can berealized. Past winning dishes have been adopted in cafeterias across the DMV, an FCPS team's submissioncould be next!

5970 Meeres Rd, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 |  Main Phone: 571.982.1300 
Attendance: 571.982.1350 or FBESAttendance(4-6)@fcps.edu 
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