The Fami-LEE Times

Kindergarten had a busy second quarter, full of fun and learning. Report cards will be available for viewing in ParentVUE on Monday, Feb. 3rd in the afternoon. Please remember that we are looking for mastery of these skills by the END of Kindergarten. Many of these standards have been introduced, but have not been fully taught and/or assessed at this point in the year. For this reason, it is common for most students to receive a 2 (progressing) until the fourth quarter. A 1 (Below Grade Level) indicates that the student is currently not on track to master that concept by the end of the year and should receive additional support. During the third quarter your child will continue to work on sight words, phonetically spelling words and writing a complete sentence. As the students are growing with their reading skills, extra practice reading at home is encouraged. In math we will work on grouping larger sets by 10’s and 1’s and part-part-whole relationships. We are looking forward to Valentine’s/friendship day. At the beginning of February, please look for a class list of names coming home from your teacher. In Science we will complete the sun and shadows unit as well as learn about several famous americans. As part of a health unit, we will have a visit from Mullen Orthodontics to teach about good oral hygiene. We are excited for the 100th day of school that will be coming in February. More information will follow.

What a great start to the third quarter! Your child has learned and grown so much. A few times a week encourage your child to practice reading, counting, adding, or doing a kind act to SOAR with 4! If you would like, please send in an extra box of valentines to share with someone who may need them at our Friendship party that will take place on Friday February 14th.

In February, second graders will be working on these concepts in…

SEL: continuing our Empathy unit in SEL,

Literacy: focus on fiction and nonfiction weather related texts in reading,

Writing: continue working on paragraph writing with a focus on topic sentences and editing/revising,

Math: practice using different strategies to add and subtract 2 digit numbers, identify and compare plane and solid figures, identify congruent shapes and lines of symmetry,

Science: exploring the forces of magnetism and gravity,

Social Studies: begin learning about famous Americans (George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, Helen Keller, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King, Jr.).

Third graders are excited to begin the second half of the school year! Students continue to make growth and have shown so much progress since the beginning of the year. We are proud of their hard work!

In reading and writing, students will continue learning about animals and their adaptations while finishing up research on a zoo animal they will see in the spring during our field trip to the National Zoo! Up next, we will read and write about how we can make a difference in our communities.

In math, we will continue our computation skills with problem solving with addition and subtraction, estimating, rounding, and exploring patterns.

We are looking forward to learning about ecosystems and Ancient Rome in science and social studies. February is going to be a great month in 3rd grade! Thank you for your support at home.

Here's what fourth grade is up to this month! Also, if you are interested in contributing to our students, please browse our Amazon Wishlist here.

• Reading - We are working on reading different genres to answer the question “How far can your talents take you?” where we will explore different forms of art.
• Writing - We are working on our Biography presentations. We will also be working on a variety of grammar skills.
• Math - We are learning about fraction number sense, and how to add and subtract fractions and decimals. We are continuing to learn problem-solving strategies.
• VA Studies - We will examine how a few Virginians helped shape the New Nation.
• Science - We will begin our unit on plants.

5th Grade News: January Highlights

It has been a busy month in 5th grade! Our students are gearing up for the transition to middle school with several important activities. They recently had their first lesson on course selection with Mr. Lesher. Don't forget, the instrument try-out night is on February 6th at Smart’s Mill Middle School. Additionally, we will be touring Smart’s Mill Middle School on our field trip on February 14th. Permission slips have been sent home in Thursday folders.

Our 5th graders have successfully wrapped up their reading unit on pioneers and life during the westward expansion. They delved into the challenges and adventures faced by early settlers, gaining a deeper understanding of this significant period in history. Additionally, students honed their nonfiction reading skills by focusing on text structure and identifying the central ideas of various texts.

In math, students are mastering the skills of converting fractions and decimals, as well as comparing and ordering them. These foundational skills are essential for their mathematical development and understanding. We are excited to announce our upcoming math project, the "Volume Zoo," which will be a collaborative effort between our math and art classes. For this project, we will be building animal models and need your help collecting materials. Please send in toilet paper and paper towel rolls, small boxes (tissue size and smaller), and coffee cans as you use them up. Your contributions can be dropped off in Mrs. Blair’s room and will help make this project a success!

Our social studies focus has been on the Southeast Region, where students are learning about the influential people and events that shaped the area. We encourage students to continue studying the capitals and states of both the Southeast and Northeast regions to enhance their geographical knowledge.

In science, we are diving into the concept of energy and transitioning into our new unit on force and motion. This week, we will concentrate on mass and weight and their effects on force.

The students had a blast at recess throwing snowballs at the 5th grade teachers! Mr. Martin is looking forward to connecting their snowball-throwing skills with his lessons on force, mass, and motion.

Leesburg Elementary is now accepting applications for our Preschool Reverse Inclusion class for the 2025-2026 school year. The program is five days a week, Monday through Friday 8:00am-2:00pm. Our program will educate both children with disabilities, whom we currently serve, and typically developing children from the Leesburg attendance area. We are currently searching for typically developing students who will be four years old by September 30, 2025 to join our program. Please complete the application and turn it in to the front office by March 28, 2025.

WORM BIN GRANT AWARDED

Great News!!! Our school was awarded an Innovation in Education grant by the Loudoun Education Foundation. Students will be setting up and maintaining a worm bin in the garden courtyard. This opportunity will support instruction across the curriculum and throughout all grade levels. Additionally, students will gain experience with recycling and composting. The use of and importance of collaboration between students and staff will also be reinforced. We are looking forward to getting this set up and sharing our progress with families.

The 2025-2026 school year pre-registration portal, for Kindergarten and all new students, is now open! Registration appointments will be scheduled by the school to start on February 3, 2025. Please make sure to select the correct school year during your pre-registration application.

A child may enter kindergarten if they turn five on or before September 30 of the year they enter school. The age requirement is set by Virginia law and LCPS is unable to make any exceptions.

Once you complete the pre-registration and have the required documentation (in some cases, with the exception of medical), the school registrar will contact you to set up your registration appointment.

Pre-registration is an opportunity for families to do their paperwork in advance of registration appointments with your student’s school. Registration appointments will be taken at the school that serves your address.

For more information, visit the Online Pre-registration page.

Pre-registration is only for:

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

Current LCPS Pre-kindergarten students entering kindergarten

Students who were formerly enrolled and may be returning to LCPS

Students who are currently enrolled do not need to re-register.

Happy New Year to our Fami-LEEs! We hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful winter break, followed by several extra snow days! Hopefully it was a time of rest, relaxation, and fun! While January is a great time for renewal and refreshment, we would like to reflect on the whirlwind of exciting events that took place at LES in December!

We were thrilled at the volunteer and family support that made the Winter Holiday Shop successful again this year. We want to especially thank Danielle Adams, Mary Phelps and their team of volunteers who helped set-up and run the Winter Holiday Shop. We continue to receive feedback from students, teachers and parents letting us know that this is an event that everyone enjoys annually at our school. If you received a Winter Shop Holiday gift, we hope that it was exactly what you were hoping for this year!

We would also like to give a huge thank you to our Teacher Appreciation Committee who did an amazing job organizing a gift card drawing and cookie exchange for teachers. This may have been our biggest cookie turn out yet! Thank you to everyone who signed up and donated gift cards and cookies. Every staff member was able to receive a gift card and select dozens of tasty cookies to take home before the break.

As we fly through January, the PTO is excited about upcoming spirit nights and winter events to connect and engage with LES FamiLEEs. We hope everyone can join us on Thursday, January 16 at 7:00pm in the Library for our PTO Meeting. We will kick off the meeting with a dessert and tea social, followed by a spotlight from the 3rd Grade Team.

As always, thank you to all of those who support our school and the PTO! We look forward to a fantastic 2025!

Note from Admin regarding Arrival Procedures

As we enter the New Year, please review the following information as a reminder of arrival procedures.

Kiss and Ride-

• Please pull forward.

• If you are using the Kiss and Ride line, please be prepared to STAY in your car.

• Students should exit vehicles on the passenger side (near the curb). We do not want students walking around cars at anytime.

Park and Walk-

• If you need to get out of the car, please park in parking spaces. Please be respectful and do not park behind another car. Use a parking space.

• Please escort students to and from the building if you park in the lot.

• Tardy bell rings at 8:00. If you are arriving after 8:00, please park and walk the student to the intercom, and buzz the office. Be sure to have your valid ID.

Box Tops for Education

Earnings Jul 2024-Jul 2025: $11.90

Lifetime School Earnings: $34,435.54

3 Steps to Earning $5 for the school - No Box Tops purchases required!

1) Download the App by Clicking Here

2) Use referral code ZE4F9680 to register

3) Scan your first receipt (even if there are no Box Tops) and earn $5.00 for the school.

Share the referral code with grandparents and extended family to generate even more money for LES. If 20 people download the app, use the referral code and scan a receipt, LES PTO would make $100!

Please consider signing up to help with an upcoming event this Fall! There are lots of options using the link below and we will post more as they become available.

Families are invited to review the curriculum and see Second Step lesson presentations. To access the curriculum, sign up for a Second Step account and use school code: FAM8DFA62448. Additional directions can be found here.

Calling all WATCH D.O.G.S! Mr. Lesher is looking for more volunteers to help serve our school! It makes a huge difference for both students and staff. As we look to expand our program we are encouraging WATCH D.O.G.S to sign up for a day that they can commit to serving all day or half a day at school. We will have one WATCH D.O.G serving on school each day. This is a great opportunity to make a positive impact for our LES students and staff.

For more information, email LEEwatchdogs@gmail.com.

January Dates

1/20 - No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

1/27-1/28 - No School - Student Holiday

1/31 - Book Swap

February 2025

2/7 - House Meeting - Wear your House Color

2/17 - President's Day - No School

2/20 - PEP Meeting

2/28 - Book Swap

It is our mission to empower every student to SOAR with Four and build meaningful relationships with our families and local community. Leesburg Eagles will be Respectful, Responsible, Safe and Kind.

#WeAreLeesburg

#FamiLEE

@leesburg_es

323 Plaza Street Northeast, Leesburg, VA 20176

571-252-2860

www.lcps.org/leesburg