page background

Lovettsville Connection

January 2024

LovettsvilleConnectionJanuary 2024

Dear Parents and Students,


Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful Winter Break with time to relax and enjoy time off with family and friends.


Although we were only here for three weeks in December it was filled with so many exciting activities such as our holiday spirit week, the PTO Staff Cookie Exchange, and our Holiday Sing Along. I hope you all found a special way to celebrate the holiday season.


Coming up this month we will have our 5th Grade Spelling Bee, our first PTO meeting in 2024 on January 19th, and the end of the second quarter. We never know what winter weather will bring and to be prepared we ask that you please make sure your early release information is up to date in the office in case of an early closure. If you have any changes to your contact information now is a great time to make sure the office has that information.


Thank you for a great first half of the school year! We all look forward to a great end to the 2nd quarter and a strong start for the 3rd quarter.


Respectfully,

Linda Textoris

Principal

Happy New Year from the Art Room!


Wow, what a year our LOV artists have had! I’m so amazed with all they have learned and accomplished. They are all so very talented and I can’t wait to see what they do in 2024!


Here is a quick update with what we are up to this month …


Kindergarten: We are having fun with penguins! Not only are we going to be learning about these amazing birds, but we are going to continue perfecting our cutting/gluing/coloring skills.


1st Grade: We are busy learning about walruses! So fun and oh so cute! 1st graders will also be learning about cool colors and the color wheel.


2nd Grade: 2nd graders are creating a very cool mixed media art project inspired by artist Charley Harper. This one will be a keeper!


3rd Grade: Our 3rd graders are starting their “Art Around the World” unit! We will “visit” many countries, learn about different cultures, and explore their impact on the art world. We will begin our unit with a special art project focusing on the Chinese New Year.


4th Grade: We are continuing our learning about the elements of art and focusing on Form. We will be starting with sculptures and learning about famous artist Giacometti.


5th Grade: 5th graders are finishing up their winter landscapes and beginning a fun art project inspired by artist Jen Stark and her famous “drip” paintings.


* We will be having a Fine Arts Fair in February! Students can enter home made art projects in several different categories. Please email me with any questions!


Sincerely,

Mrs. Rancourt

LOV Art Teacher

zoom_out_map

Hello Lovettsville Families ~


Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed a wonderful winter break! We look forward to visiting all of our students and welcoming them back for 2024!


Our classroom lessons during the month of January will be focused on learning and practicing conflict resolution skills. Building and maintaining friendships is a process, and there are generally bumps along the way. Learning conflict resolution skills are an important part of healthy friendship development.


During the month Kelso’s Choices will be introduced or reviewed. These are 9 problem solving strategies to be tried when students have a “small problem” (someone is bugging, bothering, or annoying you). We will be practicing the “correct” and “wrong” ways to use each skill through discussion and role playing. Students are encouraged to try 2 strategies when they have a “small problem” before coming to an adult for help. Students are ALWAYS encouraged to report “big problems” (unsafe and dangerous situations) to adults right away. These problem-solving strategies are lifelong social skills that can be used in many situations!


Middle School Transition

IMPORTANT DATES

January 10th & 24th: Band and Strings Tryouts 6:30-8:00pm (students must attend 1 session)

January 26th: 10:15-11:30AM 5th Grade Students visit HMS

February 6th: Rising 6th Grade Parent Orientation 7:00pm

February 23rd: Teacher Recommendations are sent to Rising 6th grade families

February 26th: Middle Schools can start to make course changes


We realize this is an exciting time, but can also bring some big feelings. Our classroom school counseling lessons will also cover preparing for middle school as we approach the end of the school year.


CONTACT INFORMATION

Katie Routzahn: Monday - Friday

Supporting K, 2nd, 4th

katherine.routzahn@lcps.org


Stephanie Kersten: Monday - Friday

Supporting 1st, 3rd, 5th

stephanie.kersten@lcps.org


540-751-2470


Our School Counseling Webpage: https://www.lcps.org/domain/29416



I hope everyone enjoyed their break and took time to read and relax.


Students in kindergarten and first grade listened to a variety of holiday stories and made connections with the stories they listened to. First and Second grades listened to a story about a reindeer and learned a few facts about real reindeer. We also discussed the genres of the stories we read. Students in 3-5 completed a holiday breakout and enjoyed hearing stories that went with our themed dress up days.


We will be working on digital citizenship skills after break as well as review the library rules and procedures.


Please remind your student that they can return library books any day. They do not need to keep them until it is their scheduled library day. If your child forgot their books on our scheduled day please bring them in the next day to return and get new books.


Don’t forget to turn in the winter reading challenge by January 12! Here is a copy in case it was misplaced.




Happy reading!

In PE, we will be learning about and playing Winter Olympic sports such as curling, figure skating, slalom skiing, luge, and bobsled. It will be tons of fun! Students will also learn about the history of the Olympics. We will also learn about gymnastics and basic tumbling skills.



Special Event News

“Souper” Bowl food drive is happening leading up to the NFL Super Bowl.

To help support the Western Loudoun Food Pantry, here at Lovettsville, students can bring in canned (or non-perishable) food items to donate. The fun part of it all is that the students get to put their donation into the bin (by the gym) of the team that they think will win the NFL Super Bowl.


Please contact Hugh.Brockway@lcps.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Spring Gifted Eligibility Cycle Opens January 2, 2024


The spring Gifted Eligibility window for parents to refer 4th or 5th grade students for evaluation is open between Tuesday, January 2 and Friday, January 26. Please remember, students who participated in the fall evaluation cycle are not eligible for evaluation again until fall 2024. LCPS policy is that students may be considered for gifted services once annually.


To learn more about the gifted eligibility process, what testing criteria is reviewed, and how the process unfolds, I encourage interested parents to review the following materials:

1. The Gifted Evaluation Process Explained - narrated by Wendy King, director of the LCPS Gifted Education Department

2. The LCPS Gifted Education website

3. Mrs. Bohn's Gifted Education/Lovettsville website

4. Permission to Evaluate forms


To request that your 4th or 5th grade student be evaluated during the spring gifted eligibility cycle, send a signed Permission to Evaluate form to me, Kristie Bohn, Lovettsville’s Gifted Resource Teacher by January 26th. Late forms can not be accepted. In addition, if you'd like to discuss whether the program may be a good fit for your child, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Reach me at kristina.bohn@lcps.org. If you have any additional questions please view this video presentation:

4th and 5th Grade


Third Grade - Universal Screening is Underway Across LCPS

All LCPS third-grade students are evaluated for gifted services in the spring. Talent development lessons were provided in December--a sneak-peek and relaxed practice for the four Portfolio lessons in January and February. All students across the county receive the same Portfolio lessons, which are designed to elicit higher-level creative, critical, and quantitative thinking. In addition to student Portfolios, MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) and CogAT (Cognitive Ability Test) scores are examined as part of the consideration process. A permission to evaluate form does not need to be filled out for 3rd grade students. All 3rd grade students are evaluated. If you have any additional questions please view this video presentation: 3rd Grade

Help your child(ren) make a New Year’s Resolution to take excellent care of their Chromebooks. A new year is the perfect time to start new routines for device usage at home. Please help your child establish a good routine for the following:


Shutting down their device properly

Hopefully most students are shutting down their devices after a day of learning. I know many students think closing the lid equals shutting down the device, which is not true. Shutting down means holding the power button until the screen goes black. This is very important because every time the Chromebooks start up, they do a self-check called a "Verified Boot." If it detects that the system has been tampered with or corrupted in any way, typically it will repair itself without any effort, taking the Chromebook back to an operating system that’s as good as new. When the Chromebooks are not properly shut down, they do not have the chance to automatically repair.


Charging their device each night

Find a safe location for device charging each night. Please keep pets and/or little siblings away from the charging cord as much as possible. Our number 1 problem is students who come to school with devices that are not fully charged. Also, please keep the chargers at home to reduce the risk of them being lost or stolen. A fully charged device will last the student an entire school day, so there is no need for chargers to be brought to school.


Bringing their device to school each day

After their devices are fully charged, students should get in the habit of putting their devices into their backpack or special carrying case. We only have enough loaner devices to use when student devices are out for repair.


I often feel like a broken record sending out the same information over and over! But these 3 things continue to be issues, mostly for students in grades 3-5. Please partner with us to help students be more responsible and create positive habits for Chromebook care. We have also seen an increase in damaged devices recently - nothing that is making the computer totally unusable, but enough that the device should be sent out for repair. If you see any damage on your child(ren)'s device, please let the teacher or Mrs. Zimmerman, our Digital Experience Specialist, know!

Attend ONE LCPS: United for Wellness Conference and Resource Fair

zoom_out_map

Learn strategies to support your student’s mental health, academic and social engagement and overall wellness at the United for Wellness Conference and Resource Fair, LCPS’ 6th annual mental health and wellness event, on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Riverside High School. This year’s conference reflects LCPS’ focus on supporting all areas of student health. The event will feature more than 40 student support specialists and community partners as they share tips and strategies for promoting mental health and wellness. Check out the schedule of speakers and register to attend sessions.


The conference will also feature a resource fair with local businesses and nonprofits offering services and guidance to support your family. And there will be food trucks, live music and so much more! We look forward to seeing you at the United for Wellness Conference and Resource Fair. Mark your calendars and plan to attend. You won’t want to miss it!

Asbestos Management Plan Notification

2023 All Rights Reserved - Loudoun County Public Schools
Allison Pendilhe
Allison is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters