Sterling Jaguar Journal

Sterling families,

We are looking forward to starting the school year! Our staff has been hard at work preparing classrooms and investing in professional learning. We can't wait for your child to join us! If you haven't already, it's a great time to begin working with your child on their bedtime routine for school. Children at the elementary age need between 10-12 hours of sleep which is critical for all the thinking and moving they'll do during the school day. Ample sleep also keeps children healthy.

You can gradually bump up your child's bedtime by small intervals of time until you have them used to going to bed at their school bedtime. A structure to use in the evening to prepare for bed may also include laying out their backpack and selecting their clothing for the next day. This can make mornings less hectic. Children have the option of eating breakfast here at school free of charge as well. In our school, both breakfast and lunch are served at no charge to any student.

As you saw in our earlier messages, here are a few important dates for our Sterling families:

• Tuesday, August 20: Back to School Night (6-6:45 p.m. for ECSE, K-2; 7-7:45 p.m. for grades 3-5) ~ adult family members
• Wednesday, August 21: Open House 1-2 p.m. ~ Students and their families are invited to meet their teacher and drop off or receive school supplies
• Thursday, August 22: First Day of School!

With the first day of school being in one week, we would like to begin collecting dismissal procedures for each student. We ask that a family member complete this dismissal procedure form to ensure every child goes home the way their parent intends. Please complete this by August 21.

As you prepare your family calendar for traveling, please adhere to the school division calendar to ensure students are in school each day they are well.

Contact us in the main office with any needs you have, including backpacks and school supplies. We have amazing community partners who provide for us so we can provide for you! See you soon!

Sincerely,

Jennifer M. Short, Principal

If you have neighbors, friends, or family members who still need to enroll their child in school for this school year, please ask them to visit the main office. Additionally, the online pre-registration portal for kindergarten students and all new students is open! Once pre-registration has been submitted, the school will contact parents/guardians to schedule a registration appointment. Pre-registration is only for:

• Students, grades kindergarten to 12, who are new to LCPS,

• Current LCPS pre-kindergarten students entering kindergarten,

• Students who were formerly enrolled and may be returning to LCPS.

Below you will find the school supply list for next year. Please contact the main office if you need a backpack and supplies for your child.

The Mobile Clinic serves families in need of medical services. This may be especially helpful to families who are looking for these services to fulfill the requirements for a school physical for the start of the school year. The remaining dates are below.

Parents can help their child learn to navigate the internet safely. See some tips below that will help us keep our children safe online.

School Board Policy 8655 states, "Elementary school students are not permitted to use personal technology during the school day." This means all personal devices should be left at home or in the student's bookbag and turned off. They may not be accessed at all during the school day. Students are provided with a chromebook for all technology needs. If you have questions about this policy, please contact Mrs. Short at jennifer.meresshort@lcps.org or 571-434-4580.

Kindergarten Universal Dismissal Procedures for Loudoun County Public Schools help to ensure student safety during dismissal for our youngest students. On the first day of school, each kindergarten student will receive white ID tags that properly identify them as a kindergarten student. This information will include their morning and dismissal routine and student identification number. One ID tag will be affixed to the student’s backpack, and two additional tags will be placed in a sandwich bag inside each student's backpack. Please keep the white tag on your student's backpack. The two additional tags will be used for adults who are authorized to pick up the kindergarten student. Any adult picking up a kindergarten student from the bus or school (walkers/kiss and ride) must have a white tag that matches the student's tag to identify they are authorized to pick up the student. If the adult doesn’t have a matching tag, the student riding the bus will be returned to the school. For the first day of school, please bring a driver's license or identifying information with you to meet them at their bus stop or pick up your child. For the remainder of the year, you will use your white tag as proper identification. Thank you for your understanding as safety is our top priority for all students. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call Mr. Fletcher, our assistant principal, at 571-434-4580.

You may notice that our website looks different. Loudoun County used stakeholder feedback to upgrade the division and schools' websites, so you'll notice it looks different. Thank you for your patience! Some information that was previously shared on the website is now housed in Schoology which can be accessed through ParentVUE. You can reach out to Ms. Martinez or Mr. Hernandez in the main office for ParentVUE assistance.

Email: jennifer.meresshort@lcps.org
Website: https://www.lcps.org/sterlinges
Location: 200 West Church Road, Sterling, VA, USA
Phone: 571-434-4580
Twitter: @SterlingElem