Dear Golden Eagle Families,

We're excited to share the positive energy and enthusiasm that has filled our classrooms. It's been a wonderful start, thanks to our dedicated students, staff, and the incredible support from our RPES community.

This year, we've chosen the theme "Together We Glow," symbolizing our commitment to creating a bright and nurturing environment for all. Our focus areas include:

• Rigorous Student-Centered Instruction: Providing engaging and challenging learning experiences tailored to each student's needs.

• Supporting and Integrating Socio-Emotional Learning: Fostering positive mental health, connections, and well-being through programs like the Zones of Regulation.

• Continuous Improvement: Striving for excellence in all aspects of our school community.
  
  

We're excited to kick off our school year with a Family Movie Night on Friday, September 6th. Join us for a screening of "Inside Out" and learn more about the Zones of Regulation curriculum.

Back to School Night is scheduled for September 26th. This important event is an opportunity to meet your child's teachers, learn about the curriculum, and ask questions. Please see below for more information.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Together, we'll make this a truly exceptional year for our Golden Eagles!

Your Partners in Education,

Kathryn Ngo, Principal
Maria Menjivar, Assistant Principal

We are excited to invite you to this year’s Back to School Night on Thursday, September 26th, for grades KG thru 5th. To accommodate our families with multiple children, we will be offering two sessions, with the same content. Please choose ONE session to attend:

• Session 1: 6:00 PM - 6:40 PM

• Session 2: 6:45 PM - 7:30 PM
  

Due to limited parking, we recommend considering the later Session 2 if it better fits your schedule. We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us for our back-to-school MOVIE NIGHT on Friday, September 6th at 6pm in the RPES Cafeteria. We will be showing the movie 'Inside Out.' Due to our fire code and occupancy limits, this event will be “first come, first serve.” Please bring your own blankets. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

The PTO will have prepackaged snacks for sale. The PTO will be able to take cash or credit/debit cards for payment. The proceeds from the snack sales will support our school. Please NO outside food.

Rosa Parks ES is using Zones of Regulation to teach children how to recognize and communicate their feelings. It is organized using four colored Zones (blue, green, yellow, red) to describe our feelings, energy, and emotions. An RPES goal is to learn and use strategies to achieve emotional regulation in any Zone. We have chosen the movie ‘Inside Out’ for movie night to help our students to correlate with our Zones of Regulation.

Every classroom at Rosa Parks Elementary starts their day with a Morning Meeting. Morning Meetings are daily class gatherings that can help students transition into the classroom and set a positive tone for the day. They can be as short or long as needed and can vary from day to day. A typical morning meeting has four components: greeting, sharing, activity, and morning message.

Morning Meetings can also help students build community, establish trust, and develop meaningful relationships. They can help students develop social, emotional, and academic skills, and increase their confidence and self-awareness. Morning Meetings start with the 9:20am bell, so we greatly appreciate your help in having children at school on time each day.

Families are encouraged to ask their student how they greeted their classmate or what activity they did in morning meeting that day.

Students who are COMMUNICATORS express themselves confidently and creatively in many ways. They understand that people communicate in different languages. Communicators not only speak but listen to others and collaborate effectively by listening carefully to the perspectives of others.

Literature Connection: More than Words: So Many Ways to Say What We Mean by Roz MacLean

Nathan doesn't say much. He sure has a lot on his mind, though.
At school, Nathan quietly observes the ways his peers communicate. Even when they’re not talking, they’re expressing themselves in all sorts of ways! By witnessing the beauty of communication diversity, Nathan learns and shows his classmates the essential lesson: Not only does everyone have something to say but seeking to understand one another can be the greatest bridge to friendship and belonging.

A reminder, please contact your student's teacher BEFORE planning to provide birthday cupcakes or snacks for the class. We have many students with allergies and dietary restrictions, therefore some of our classrooms cannot receive food items.

Please consider an alternative to recognize your student's birthday with the class, such as 10 minutes of extra recess, a new book or game donated to the classroom, or a small prize such as a fun pencil. Your teacher can offer a suggestion they prefer. Thank you for your understanding!

You may have noticed the ability to unsubscribe from SchoolStatus messages via email or text. We ask that you DO NOT unsubscribe from School Status communications as you may miss important information from your child's school, your child's teacher, or the PWCS division including emergency and inclement weather messages.

If you have already unsubscribed and would like to re-subscribe to ensure you receive further important communications from our school and PWCS, please follow the instructions below.

Email messages - Parent or guardian must initiate the re-subscribe by emailing: subscribe@schoolstatus.email

Text messages - Text START to 939393 to subscribe to messages from your child’s school or teacher and PWCS. You will receive an auto-reply message that lets you know that you have been subscribed to receiving those messages.

Free School Meals this School Year!

Students who attend a school that falls under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) will receive one breakfast and one lunch free of charge every day - ROSA PARKS ES IS A CEP SCHOOL THIS YEAR! Visit the PWCS Food and Nutrition Department’s website, www.pwcsnutrition.com, to view a list of the CEP schools. Families do not need to complete any paperwork for their students to receive free school meals at CEP schools.

School Meal Prices & Payment:

Meal prices for the 2024-25 school year, including A La Carte Items, can be found on the www.PWCSNutrition.com website. First meals are free at CEP schools; however, if a student would like to purchase a second meal or a la carte items, they will need to have money on their account. School Meal Accounts to pay for school meals can be set up online via www.MySchoolBucks.com.

Menus, Allergies, and More!

School breakfast and lunch menus are available online at PWCS NUTRITION MENUS. You can sign up to have the menus emailed to you monthly and download our free menu app for your smart phone! New this year, there are printer-friendly versions of the monthly menus on the PWCS Nutrition website available for downloading and printing! Printable menus identify menu items that are Halal Certified, Vegetarian, and Scratch Made. Our interactive, online menus can be filtered by allergens. Ingredients lists, allergy lists, nutrition information, and requests for dietary accommodations are located on the PWCS Nutrition website “Special Diets” page.

The PWCS Food and Nutrition Department is seeking recipe ideas from PWCS students and staff to add to the school breakfast and lunch menus! The winning recipes will be featured at PWCS Nutrition’s Annual Food Show in November. Recipe submissions may also be featured on the menu at other times throughout the school year. The Food Show will be on November 14th at Patriot High School from 6-8pm.

There are three categories in the Recipe Contest: (1) Pizza Toppings, (2) Build-A-Bowl, and (3) Favorite Family Meal. Use the links below to view contest guidelines and submit recipe ideas online. Paper contest forms are also available in the school cafeteria. All recipes must be submitted by September 27th!

• Pizza Recipe Contest: https://forms.office.com/r/nxDJqMa10J
• Build-A-Bowl Recipe Conest: https://forms.office.com/r/Cun9Ztd7Uj
• Favorite Family Recipe Contest: https://forms.office.com/r/P9pr1K9TLj

If you have any questions regarding the PWCS Nutrition Recipe Contest, please reach out to Meghan Leineweber at leinewmj@pwcs.edu. We look forward to seeing everyone’s creative ideas!

Coming soon this school year is our RPES Parent Resource Center. The purpose of the center will be to create opportunities for families to navigate and learn skills to support their child's future. Please complete our survey at Parent Resource Center if you are interested.

You may also find useful resources at the PWCS Family Engagement Series webpage.

The Family Engagement Series provides families with resources that will assist with their student’s success. The series is led by the Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Community Outreach, Business Partnerships and Philanthropy Department, in collaboration with other PWCS programs, and community and business partners. September sessions are open for registration - click the image for the link.

Neibauer Dental Care in Dumfries is offering discounted dental care for $79. Please call to make an appointment at 703-221-3295. The clinic is located at 3950 Fettler Park Drive. MUST CALL for an appointment.

It's time for our biggest fundraising event of the year, Fun Run!! PTO has created a video to show you the prizes you can earn as you get sponsors for your run. Each student will bring home a flyer today with a code for parents to register students for the fun run. Everyone who registers gets a bracelet just for signing up! Sign Up Here: GOLDIE'S GALAXY RUN Check out the flyer in the images below for more information.

August 29 - PTO Spirit Night at Frostie Moose @ 12-9pm

August 30 - No School - Labor Day weekend
September 2 - No School - Labor Day Holiday

September 6 - HOST/PTO Movie Night

September 10 - PTO Meeting in Library @ 7pm

September 26 - Back to School Night for KG thru 5th Grades (Choose 1 session: 6-6:40pm OR 6:45-7:30pm)
September 27 - PTO Galaxy Fun Run

October 3 - No School - Rosh Hashana Observance