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From The Principal's Perch
Every Child. Every Day. Whatever it takes!
TRADUCCION EN ESPANOL
- Para ver el boletin en Espanol haga click en el cuadrado negro ubicado en la parte derecha donde dice "Translate Newsletter"
- Cuando llegue aqui haga clic en la flecha que apunta hacia abajo y escoja el idioma "Spanish"
LCPS COMMITMENT TO EQUITY
LCPS centers equity as one of its foundational core values. For our community, equity means being committed to providing a safe, supportive, inclusive, affirming, and respectful environment for each student and staff member that fosters success, growth, and academic rigor.
The cultivation of this environment requires us to reject and condemn the use of hate speech, racial slurs,antisemitism, and any action or behavior that discriminates based on race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, orientation, gender expression, socio-economic status, religion, ability, or other cultural identities or expression. Such noninclusive speech, behavior, and actions do not reflect who we are as a learning community.
We embrace and value the unique identities, backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and needs of each student and employee. Celebrating our diversity is important and helps define us as a school division. Demonstrating the courage to address inequities and remove barriers represents an integral part of our collective effort towards excellence in education. Equity is the vehicle that leads to greater access, opportunity, and equality so that each student is
empowered to make meaningful contributions to the world.
CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM
Dear Parents,
This month I want to raise your awareness to the importance of school attendance and academic engagement. Please read the excerpt below from the Virginia Department of Education.
Attendance has been increasingly the focus of attention among school divisions and educators. According to research regular attendance is a significant factor in a student’s success:
- Chronic absenteeism correlates to low academic achievement;
- Absenteeism is a powerful predictor of dropout rates;
- Absenteeism has been linked to poor outcomes later in life.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing ten percent or more of the academic year for any reason, including excused absences, unexcused absences, and suspensions. Based on a 180-day school year, that means approximately 18 days per year or 2 to 3 days per month. Truancy is the act of accruing one or more unexcused absences, where the parent is unaware of or does not support the student’s absence, or where the parent’s provided reason for the absence is not acceptable to the school administration. Missed instruction, regardless of the reason, can have significant academic consequences. Therefore, the broader emphasis is on improving attendance for every student.
As you read that description you might be thinking that 2-3 days a month of missed school does not seem all that significant. I can assure you that these days add up quickly and have a detrimental impact on your child's academic, social, and emotional well being. To put it bluntly, the learning train keeps moving down the track at speed for those students who are present at school each day. uUfortunately this causes those missing numerous days of school to fall behind, grow in frustration, and begin to feel isolated as they have missed activities that others have had the opportunity to engage in.
While we do our very best to bring students with many absences up to speed as quickly as we can, this can be a daunting tasks for teachers and students. In the state of Virginia a school cannot receive level one accredidation if it has been flagged for chronic absenteeism. Chronic Absenteeism is defined as 15% of the total school population being absent 10% or more of the time. Evergreen Mill had a 14.85% Chronic Absenteeism rate for the 2022-23 school year. I am asking that as a school community we work together to address this growing concern at our school. Simply stated, your children need to be in school to fully experience the benefit of learning. Below is a review of our attendance procedures as a school and I have some provided some guidelines for parents.
Evergreen Mill Attendance Procedures
- Parents are to use the attendance line at 571-252-2901 to report an absence prior to 8:30 AM each day.
- In addition, you may send an email to our registrar to report an absence at peggy.eder@lcps.org
- After your child's fifth day of absence (or tardiness) you will receive a letter from me informing you that attendance is becoming a concern.
- After your child's tenth day of absence, a conference with the principal and our Mental Health Team will be held.
- Following a formal attendance conference, if the school attendance trend does not significantly improve within 4 weeks of this conference, the case will be referred to the LCPS Attendance and Truancy officer Mr. Robert Smart who will intervene in a variety of ways with the family.
Recommendations for Parents
- Ensure that your child is getting 8-10 hours of sleep a night. Being tired in the morning is not a reason to keep your child home from school.
- Reinforce with your child the importance of going to school and that you are proud of them for going and making their best effort each day.
- Allergies and "sniffles" are not an automatic reason to call your child in sick. You know them best and we trust you to make the judgement as to the nature and severity of their symptoms.
- Remember, a positive Covid test results in 5 days of absence from school from the point of symptom onset, not the point of a positive test. (However, sometimes these dates are the same).
- Students do not have to be 100% symptom free from Covid to return to school on the 6th day, rather they must be demonstrating a significant improvement of their symptoms.
- Remember, students must be 24 hours fever free to return to school.
Thank you in advance for making school attendance a priority for your child this year. We love having them at school each day and we are continuing to strive to make Evergreen Mill a place that your students love to learn at!
Expecting Success!
Daniel Lani
Principal
FALL PICTURE DAY IS ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH!
Evergreen Mill Elementary School
9/18/2023
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Skip the Order Form!
Online Code: evergrnmill23
Questions?/Preguntas?
(800)869-9515 x112
NWEA MEASURES OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS - MAP
LCPS administers NWEA’s MAP Growth tests in Reading and Math each fall, winter, and spring to students in grades 2-8, first grade students in Math, and high school students enrolled in Algebra I and Geometry to determine their instructional readiness level and measure academic growth throughout the school year and from year to year.
MAP Growth tests are adaptive, providing a detailed picture of what your student knows and is ready to learn—whether it is on, above, or below grade level expectations. MAP Growth tests also provide immediate and accurate information about your student’s learning, enabling teachers to personalize instruction to meet students’ needs.
For more information about the MAP Growth test, visit: https://www.lcps.org/Page/217792
If you have any specific questions about the testing please contact your child’s teacher.
MAP Fall Testing Schedule
First Grade (September 6th - Math only)
Second Grade (Week of Sept. 4th - Reading, Week of Sept. 11 - Math)
Third Grade (September 7th - Reading, September 14th - Math)
Fourth Grade (August 30th - Reading, September 6th - Math)
Fifth Grade (Assessments were completed the week of August 28th)
FROM THE COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Welcome to a new year of School Counseling lessons! We will be visiting your child's classroom every two weeks to provide lessons on social, personal and career topics. Lessons will focus on character education pillars such as Respect, Responsibility, Citizenship, Trustworthiness, Caring and Fairness. We will also discuss bullying prevention and career exploration (Career Day TBD this spring - stay tuned!). We will continue our Character Counts recognition program which recognizes a student in each class who exemplifies an important character trait.
Counselor Grade Levels:
Ms. Demory - Grades 1, 2 and 4 Annette.Demory@lcps.org
Mrs. Woodward - Grades K, 3 and 5 Kim.Woodward@lcps.org
We are excited for a new year at Evergreen Mill!
Dates To Remember
September 4 - School Holiday
September 5 - Classes Resume
September 7 - Moveable Monday Schedule (Your child follows their Monday specials schedule)
September 9 - Back to School Bash at Ion Training Center
September 11 - House Reveal - Teachers
September 12 - House Reveal - Students
September 11 - PTA Meeting @ 7 PM
September 18 - Fall Pictures
September 25 - School Holiday
September 26 - Classes Resume
September 27 - Magic Math Assembly with Brian Curry!
September 29 - PTA Movie Night!
ParentVUE
PTA NEWS AND NOTES
A MESSAGE FROM OUR FAMILY LIAISON
Free/Reduced Lunch Applications:
We are currently in the process of enrolling families in our Free/Reduced Lunch Program. You only need to fill out one application per household, not per student. You will need to apply through the Titan App or LCPS Healthy Cafe using the links below. There is also a paper form available.
Here are the direct links to apply:
https://lcpshealthycafe.org/?page=lunchapps
For more details, families can visit School Nutrition Services department website www.healthycafe.org or contact our Family Liaison @ skyla.owens@lcps.org
Fueled Up! (Formerly knows as Backpack Buddies)
We are pleased to once again be able to offer our Fueled Up food program to any families in need this year. Food bags are given out to students at school every Friday to ensure that all families have lunch, dinner, and snacks for the weekend. Bags are also provided whenever we are on a school break (Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Spring Break). To register for this program please complete the form linked below and turn it in to your child's teacher or contact our Family Liaison at @ skyla.owens@lcps.orgfor assistance.
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS!
Need Assistance? We Can Help!
If, due to a disability, you need assistance to enable you to participate meaningfully in any meetings or activities at Evergreen Mill Elementary, please call Daniel Lani at 571-252-2900 at least FIVE WORKING DAYS prior to the event.
Do We Have Your Email Address?
JOIN REMIND! TEXT @EMESPYTHON TO 81010
JOIN THE EMES PRIVATE FACEBOOK PAGE BY CLICKING ON THE SYMBOL BELOW!
Evergreen Mill Elementary School
Email: daniel.lani@lcps.org
Website: https://www.lcps.org/evergreen
Location: Evergreen Mill Elementary School, Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg, VA, USA
Phone: 571-252-2900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/940201543127264/