Sycolin Creek Chronicle
March Edition
Principal's Corner
Dear Parents and Students,
It is hard to believe that we reached 100 days of school on February 15th! As the school year continues, the month of March promises to be a very busy and exciting time at Sycolin Creek Elementary School.
First, Read Across America Week will be celebrated from March 1st-March 8th. We are looking forward to reading together as a school in celebration of this wonderful event. A special Spirit Week has been created and the details can be found on the flyer linked below. Furthermore, we will also be celebrating Youth Art Month and Music in our Schools Month!
Registration for the 2024-25 school year will begin on March 1st for incoming kindergarten students, as well as students new to LCPS in grades 1-5. Students already enrolled in LCPS will NOT need to register again this fall. Once kindergarten registration day concludes, all future enrollments will take place in the main office or virtually with Ana Morrad, our School Registrar. Please continue to let friends and neighbors know to contact the school for registration information, paperwork and questions regarding our process.
I hope that your children are having a wonderful start to the second semester of the school year. I would also like to thank the many volunteers and the PTA who have helped to make this year a special one!
Thank you all for your support and we are looking forward to an amazing March.
Sincerely,
Derek Racino
Principal
Star Salamander Students for the Month of February in P.E.
PE Star Students for the month of February 2024
5th Grade - Elijah Park & Esmeralda Magdaleno Rivera
4th Grade - Gage Stannard & Juliet Trindle
3rd Grade - Maddox Mlotkowski & Tanishka Chadaram
2nd Grade - Weston Poole & Dakota Lowry
1st Grade - Ryan Wilt & Gwendolyn Shen
Kindergarten - Aaron Hyman & Arabella Rudden
Congratulations to our PE Classes for the Month of February, Mrs. Henretty's 3rd grade and Mrs. Wong's 5th grade class.
Music Notes
In January and February, all students got to see various instruments of the band and orchestra. Many thanks to the Music and Arts store for loaning us the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, trumpet, French horn, trombone, clarinet, flute, saxophone and oboe. Thank you to Brambleton Middle School for lending us a euphonium and tuba, and Simpson Middle School for the double bass! It was very exciting to see all the instruments up close and talk about how they make a sound and much more! We celebrated Black History Month by adding instruments and songs to The Snowy Day (First Grade) and To Be a Drum (Kindergarten) and studying the music of Louis Armstrong. Second grade has been focusing on reading and singing re and do, as well as so mi and la. Third, fourth and fifth grade have worked identifying instruments of the orchestra by sound and sight. First grade did a terrific job showing their parents what they have been doing in Music Class for their share night, First Grade is ‘Snow’ Much Fun!
March is Music In Our Schools Month! We are celebrating by inviting parents of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders to come visit their child’s music class. The schedule is available on the music website and a paper copy will be sent home March 1st. All students will receive a sticker with the logo for Music In Our Schools Month. Also, teachers and staff at Sycolin Creek will be given pins to wear with the logo.
This year, to celebrate Youth Arts Month and Music In Our Schools Month, we will invite students to use their imagination to create an artwork or song to show ways that they SEE Music and Art in education. Parents, we need your help! If you play a musical instrument, we would love it if you would come and play for your child’s class. It is always so inspiring for the students to get to hear and see the adults around them making music and sharing their musical experiences. More information will be coming home on Friday. We hope to see you at one of these special music events!
Our Rock Star Music Classes for February are:
Kindergarten – Ms. Whittaker; 1st Grade – All Classes; 2nd Grade – Mrs. Brosan; 3rd Grade – Mrs. Duis; 4th Grade – Mrs. Hermens; 5th Grade – Mrs. Wong
Congratulations to these classes for showing Rock Star behavior in the month of February!
Art News
We are busy as usual in the art room! We will start clay toward the end of this month. It usually takes several weeks to produce, fire, paint, and fire again, so look for the projects to come home during April, possibly even May. I know the kids are excited to start.
In the meantime we are working on showing depth in our work. The younger students are working on overlapping and students in 3-5 are doing one point perspective drawings.
Star Art Classes for February
Kindergarten - Mrs. Hose
First Grade - Ms. Bowns
Second Grade - Mrs. Brosan
Third Grade - Mrs. Duis
Fourth Grade - Mrs. Hermens
Fifth Grade - Mrs. Trainor
Thank you for supporting Sycolin Creeks Artists.
Dr. Bennett
SEARCH Updates
During the month of March, Kindergarten students will explore Cuisenaire Rods with visual-spatial activities as well as connecting the rods to math concepts. In first grade, students will use Izzi puzzles to complete visual-spatial challenges. Second grade students will explore pentominoes to complete puzzles, as well as enjoy a fun lesson on riddles. Third grade students will be finishing portfolio lessons as part of the gifted eligibility process.
Lost and Found Area
Attention Salamander Families -- the Lost & Found here at school is overflowing with coats, jackets, sweatshirts, water bottles, lunch boxes, etc. If your child is missing an item, and you believe it may have been lost at school, please stop by between 7:10 a.m.-3:40 p.m. to take a look. The Lost & Found is located in the hallway outside of the cafeteria. All unclaimed items leftover at the end of the year will be donated to charity, so please come take a look if your child is missing any items. Thank you!
WordMasters Top 3 Students per Grade
We would like to congratulate all of the students that participated in the second test of the WordMasters' program. The top three scoring students from each grade level are below. Congrats!
3rd Grade:
1) Gus Maslowski (Mrs. Snead)
2) Katelyn Seffens (Mrs. Snead) and Aidan Pradhan (Mrs. Henretty)
3) Brooklynn Chettiar (Mrs. Anderson)
4th Grade:
1) Olive Carscadden (Mrs. Forrester)
2) Noah Hanley (Mrs. Hermens) and Chaitra Tiparthy (Ms. Bowman)
3) Aadya Aimreddy (Mrs. Forrester)
5th Grade:
1. Allen Chang (Mrs. Nacin)
2. Emy Boyer (Mrs. Comins) and Vibhav Pinisetti (Mrs. Trainor)
3. Gavin Gichini (Mrs. Comins)
Kindergarten Registration and Pre-registration Information
Kindergarten Registration and Pre-registration Information
Kindergarten Registration and Pre-registration Information
February 1, 2024 - online pre-registration opens for ALL grades (https://www.lcps.org/StudentRegistration)
Parents will be able to submit their online pre-registration for the 2024-25 school year beginning on Thursday, February 1st, and upon completion will be instructed to contact the school to schedule their registration appointment. These appointments will begin on March 1, 2024, which is Kindergarten Registration Day. No elementary registrations or appointments will be “accepted” before March 1st. Students who are five years of age by September 30, 2024, are eligible for the kindergarten program in Loudoun County. Please contact our School Registrar, Ana Morrad (ana.morrad@lcps.org) with any questions and/or concerns.
Pre-registration is only for:
- Students that will be entering kindergarten-12th grade that are new to LCPS
- Current LCPS Pre-kindergarten students entering kindergarten
- Students who were formerly enrolled and may be returning to LCPS
NEW Program Option for Kindergarten students--Dual Language Immersion
The LCPS Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program provides both English speakers and native Spanish speaking students the opportunity to learn to read, write, and communicate effectively and develop bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural students while attaining high levels of academic achievement in a powerful learning environment. The program begins in kindergarten where students spend 50% of the day learning in Spanish (Math, Science and Spanish Language Arts) and 50% of the day learning in English (Social Studies, Math extension, and English Language Arts). This 50:50 model continues as students progress through grades K-5. Interest in the DLI Program is open to all kindergartners and is provided at preselected schools. Seats are limited; therefore, a lottery will be held for those who complete the DLI lottery registration form before the deadline. If selected, you would be responsible for your student’s transportation. The lottery registration form submission deadline is April 19. Any families expressing interest after this date will be placed on a waitlist. For more information, visit https://www.lcps.org/Page/247004.
MORE INFORMATION
Frequently Asked Questions
Registration Checklist for Parents - English Version
(Spanish)
Attendance Reminders
Sycolin Creek Elementary School
Email: derek.racino@lcps.org
Website: lcps.org/sycolincreek
Phone: (571) 252-2910
Twitter: @Sycolin_Creek