Seldens Landing Elementary School
Seldens Landing Elementary School
Embedded Files
Updates for September 3
Upcoming events this week
The Measure of Academic Progress Assessment (MAP) is administered to our students in grades 2-5 beginning this week. MAP provides student growth data to support the LCPS Building Blocks of Powerful Planning, Personalized Learning, Data to Support Student Success, and Assessment and Internal Accountability to meet the needs of all students. The MAP assessment provides immediate results regarding student readiness to learn, flexible grouping and differentiation, growth data, and proficiency. MAP Growth uses the RIT (Rausch Unit) scale to help measure and compare academic growth. Specifically, the scale measures levels in academic difficulty. Schools and teachers use MAP Growth data, aligned to the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL), to support personalized instruction, meet your child's individual learning needs, and inform course placement decisions along with other related data.
Lockdown Drill - We are required to conduct two lockdown drills within the first 20 days of school. Our first drill will occur this week. Teachers practice the drill requirements before the exercise taking place and answer questions afterward. We are sharing this information with families in case you want to discuss with your child at home. A lockdown takes place if a threat is identified at the school. All school doors are locked, and students are confined to classrooms.
PTA Back-To-School Picnic
- Friday, 6th, 5:30PM-8:00PM, Back-to-School Picnic: Entertainment will be provided by the musical styling of Bach to Rock. Also, the first 100 kids to visit us at the Picnic will receive a free milkshake or sundae on us! The picnic is held outside on the school campus by basketball courts and playground area. Families may bring picnic dinners to enjoy with their family and friends.
Thank you,
Garett Brazina
Principal
Mental Health Series Flyer1.pdfLCPS Department of Pupil Services
LCPS Department of Pupil Services
The LCPS Department of Pupil Services is offering a parent seminar series for mental health and wellness. Please see included flyer for details. Presentations are offered at the LCPS Administrative Building (unless otherwise noted) which is located at 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, VA 20148. For more information or to register, go to lcps.org/ParentResourceServices or call 571-252-6540
To Infinity and Beyond_ (2).pdfPTA Enrichment Night
PTA Enrichment Night
Monday, 16th, 6:30PM-8:00PM, To School and Beyond, an Enrichment Night: Seldens Landing PTA is proud to support enrichment opportunities for our students. From Math Olympiad, Odyssey of the Mind and book clubs to field trips and assemblies we believe in providing opportunities for growth through expanded horizons. Join us for an evening event to learn about some of the various opportunities available to students and also hear from Seldens Landing's staff about how to continue enrichment at home. We’ll have a short presentation followed by speed-dating style rotations through Math Olympiad and Odyssey of the Mind representatives, ASAP vendors, and Seldens Landing's staff. We will have raffles from vendors and free board games from Think Fun to give away. Parents only please. (See flyer above)
Dear families,
See below for PTA news. Like us on Facebook and sign up to get our newsletter to make sure you get these updates in the future. Also, make sure you join the PTA by September 6 to make sure your name is entered in a drawing for 50% off an ASAP class. Joining helps us reach our fundraising targets and doesn’t obligate you to attend meetings or volunteer.
September events:
- Friday, 6th, 5:30PM-8:00PM, Back-to-School Picnic: Entertainment will be provided by the musical stylings of Bach to Rock. Also, the first 100 kids to visit us at the Picnic will receive a free milkshake or sundae on us! Don’t forget to pre-order pizza and/or raffle tickets.
- Sunday, 8th, Fall ASAP Registration Opens: Join us for 1 (or more!) after school enrichment classes and learn a new sport, language or game, explore STEAM, tap into your imagination, get crafty, or toil in the school garden. Get all the information on class schedules, content and pricing in the ASAP section of our website. Classes run for 6 weeks and will begin the week of 9/30. Students in CASA or YMCA are welcome to join us and will be brought to their respective programs after class ends. Please consider trying out a class and help us continue this successful enrichment program/PTA fundraiser! Email seldensasap@gmail.com with any questions.
- Monday, 9th, 3:00PM-9:00PM, Spirit Night at Dairy Queen: Join us for our first Spirit Night of the School Year!!! We will be partnering with Dairy Queen (Fort Evans Rd. location). Come and enjoy some sweet treats and support SLES PTA! 25% of the sales come back to the school!
- Wednesday, 11th, 8:15AM-9:00AM, PTA Meeting: Come learn more about our goals for the year, our 2019-20 budget and plans for our first big fundraiser of the year, Spooky Bingo.
Volunteer needs:
- Back to School Picnic: We need a few helping hands to pitch in and help at the event. CLICK HERE to volunteer.
- ASAP Attendance Volunteers Needed: We are looking for volunteers to take attendance from 2:15PM to 2:45PM one day a week for 6 weeks during our Fall ASAP session which starts September 30. Please contact Dana Colman at danacolman216@gmail to sign up.
- Spring Event Volunteers:Sign up to volunteer for our Spring 2020 events. We would like to find committee members for Teacher Appreciation Week (TAW) and our Cardinal Variety Show. Contact the Courtney Bintz at courtneyakers24@gmail.com if interested.
- Teacher Appreciation Week (TAW): The PTA organizes activities to celebrate the hard work of all the school staff for Teacher Appreciation Week (May each year). We need committee members to lend a helping hand & their talents to make this a special time for the staff.
- Cardinal Spring Variety Show: The PTA would like to invite all volunteers interested in being part of the planning committee and/or leading the committee for the Seldens Landings Spring Variety Show!!!! This event is a great opportunity for students and SLES faculty to share their many talents in front of a fun and supportive community!!! Help us with the production of an event full of music, magic, art and so many more surprises.
- Room Parent Volunteers: Consider volunteering in your child's classroom as a Room Parent if there is a need in your child's classroom (reach out to his/her teacher). A room parent facilitates communication between parents and the teacher, school administration and/or PTA and supports the teacher in needs that may arise. Check out the attached flyer for more information.
Seldens Landing PTA
Diverse Additions to Classroom Libraries
This year Loudoun County Public Schools is celebrating its student population with an investment in diverse text collections for all K-12 English Language Arts classrooms. In describing the texts the Division of Teaching and Learning, Elementary and Secondary Reading, noted that, “Classroom and school libraries reflect our values and contribute to developing student identities; therefore, our collections must reflect and honor our student population and those around them. Access to books in the home, school, and classroom has a strong correlation with reading proficiency. Students who read more also have stronger vocabulary, background knowledge, and empathy.” Classroom libraries complement our robust school libraries.
The addition of these texts to classroom libraries is a reflection of Loudoun County Public Schools’ commitment to providing staff, students and parents with resources and opportunities for an equitable education. As Superintendent Eric Williams said in the equity statement he issued on August 19, 2019:
“LCPS is committed to providing a safe, empathetic, respectful and supportive learning environment in order to empower every student to make meaningful contributions to the world. When students and staff experience racial insults, slurs, and/or other hate speech, we lack the positive culture and climate that supports students’ growth.
LCPS calls for all students, staff, families, and other members of our community to engage in the disruption and dismantling of white supremacy, systemic racism, and hateful language and actions based on race, religion, country of origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or ability. LCPS rejects racist and other hateful behavior and language, recognizing that it encourages discrimination, hatred, oppression, and violence.
Every individual is valued in Loudoun County Public Schools. Let’s celebrate the diversity that helps define us as a school division.”
The diverse classroom libraries were created through the collaboration of LCPS teachers, librarians, administrators, and classroom book collection specialist teams trained to identify culturally responsive and diverse texts in accordance to LCPS School Board Policy 5-7 Regulation, Selection and Review of Instructional Materials. Several criteria were considered including representation, authorship, relevance to students’ lives, authentic voice, and developmental appropriateness. Information regarding the libraries can be found at this link – Diverse Book Collections.”
Updates for August 27
Hello Seldens Parents;
I want to thank all of the parents for assisting us as we transitioned from the summer break to begin a new school year. Developing routines early in the school year set your child up for success. We are appreciative of everyone making sure their child is arriving at school on time and ready to learn. As we move into the second week of school, we are asking parents not to walk their child to class. We have adults in the building to assist your child. Please say your goodbyes at the entrance to the school. Thank you for understanding.
Doors open at 7:30 a.m. for the students. Please do not drop off your child before 7:30. I am asking all students who are assigned bus transportation to please ride the bus. Additionally, if your neighborhood is designated as a walking zone, please walk or ride your bike to school whenever it is possible. Walking or riding your bike is a healthy option, and it is a great time to talk with mom, dad, or your friends. The added vehicle traffic can delay our buses from entering and exiting the campus. Lastly, students should only cross Coton Commons Drive at the designated crosswalks.
If you have any questions, please contact me directly.
Respectfully,
Garett Brazina
Principal
parking seldens arrival map.pdfSeldens Landing Elementary Morning Arrival
Please utilize the LCPS bus transportation that is offered to your neighborhood. This will help reduce the traffic congestion in the immediate neighborhood around the campus and on the school campus. Students that ride the bus are in their classrooms by 7:45 AM or earlier and ready to begin their day. Our buses begin unloading students at 7:30 AM. Our kiss and ride process does not usually end until after 7:50 AM due to the volume of cars. *Do not drop off students at the main bus entrance as noted on the diagram. Dropping off students in this area creates a hazard for the buses as they are entering the parking lot and for the neighborhood traffic on Coton Commons.
StudentDeviceTrifold4.pdfIndividual Learning Devices
Dear Seldens Parents,
Our school is fortunate to be included in the next phase of a three-year initiative to provide individual learning devices to students in grades 3 through 12. With the start of the school year, our students in grades 3-5 will receive a Chromebook laptop for their use at school and home.
The learning device will provide access for students to practice essential success skills that will help them make meaningful contributions to the world.
We plan on distributing devices to students on Thursday, August 29, 2019. Once students receive their learning device, they are expected to transport their laptop between school and home. Also, students will need to charge their devices at home and bring a fully charged device to school each day.
Parents and students are prompted to acknowledge and accept a Student Device Use Agreement Form electronically through ParentVUE. The form reviews the responsibilities that students agree to when being issued a device. The agreement form needs to be electronically "acknowledged" by both the student and a parent or guardian within ten days of receiving the device. If the agreement form is not acknowledged within the time frame, students will be required to leave their device at school.
Loudoun County Public Schools is committed to ensuring our students are safe when working online. LCPS's goal is to protect students from harmful or objectionable material. All internet traffic on student devices is filtered through our internet content filters. The content filtering is in place at home, at school, or on any other wireless network. As an extra layer of protection, LCPS uses a monitoring service to scan the contents of student's emails, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive for inappropriate or concerning wording. If the content is flagged, it is reviewed and addressed in a means consistent with the level of concern.
Sincerely,
Garett Brazina
Principal
Updates for August 14
STUDENT DISMISSAL PLAN.pdfAfternoon Dismissal Plan
Please complete and return this form to your child’s teacher at either Open House or Back-To-School-Night on August 20th. You may also submit the form to the main office on or before the first day of school. Complete a dismissal plan for each child attending Seldens Landing. Access ParentVUE to confirm your assigned bus and location. Paper copies are provided during open house and BTSN.
*Written notification must be provided to the school office if your child’s after school plans change. Teachers and the office staff will follow this plan below unless written notification of a dismissal change is provided.
*Written notification must be provided to the school office if your child’s after school plans change. Teachers and the office staff will follow this plan below unless written notification of a dismissal change is provided.
Emergency Closing Plan (1).pdfStudent Early Closing Plan
In the event of an early school dismissal due to weather or other circumstances, school staff will follow this plan as outlined below. Please discuss with your child their early dismissal plan. School staff members are not able to contact parents during an early dismissal to verify dismissal plans. Complete a closing plan for each child enrolled at Seldens Landing and return to your child’s teacher. LCPS Transportation will transport students home and daycare vans will drive their normal routes. CASA and YMCA after-school programs will remain open but may adjust their closing hours.
Student Passwords Reset
Saturday, August 10th, Loudoun County Public Schools will reset all student passwords to a temporary password. Students in grades 4-12 MUST change their passwords before they will be able to login to a school district resources including Student VUE, Google Edu, etc. Note: this change does not impact Parent VUE access and parents continue to use the same account and password they are currently using to access the application.
Students password change process:Login to LCPSGO (go.lcps.org) with default passwordStudent will be prompted to change their passwordEnter their temporary password in the old password fieldEnter a strong new password twice in the new and confirm fields. (Strong password requirement will be enforced)Click Submit
Saturday, August 10th, Loudoun County Public Schools will reset all student passwords to a temporary password. Students in grades 4-12 MUST change their passwords before they will be able to login to a school district resources including Student VUE, Google Edu, etc. Note: this change does not impact Parent VUE access and parents continue to use the same account and password they are currently using to access the application.
Students password change process:Login to LCPSGO (go.lcps.org) with default passwordStudent will be prompted to change their passwordEnter their temporary password in the old password fieldEnter a strong new password twice in the new and confirm fields. (Strong password requirement will be enforced)Click Submit
Kindergarten Bus Video
Kindergarten Bus Video
Did you know Kindergarten student bus dismissal is very different than grades 1-12? Take a minute to watch this short video that explains how Kindergarten students will be released from the bus at afternoon drop off going home. PLEASE NOTE: Parents, guardians or authorized persons picking up a student from the school MUST have a photo ID before the school will release the student.
Personalized Learning at Seldens Landing
Personalized Learning at Seldens Landing
Dear Families,
Beginning this year, we will introduce “personalized learning” in grades kindergarten through five to enhance the learning experience for our students. We are fortunate to have received learning devices in all of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classrooms. This increase in technology support will offer us even more tools to focus class time on meeting the individual needs of each student through small group instruction with the teacher and the use of flexible content and tools that adapts to each student’s strengths and areas of growth. Personalized learning will benefit our students in several ways:
Students will learn more and progress faster when the material is at the right level of difficulty and pace for him or her.
Personalized learning taps into individual student’s interests.
Interact with content in different manners by working in various learning zones/areas around the classroom to include collaboration, digital content, independent work, small and whole group instruction.
We will share more about the personalized learning plan throughout the year as the opportunity arises. During this process, please let us know if you have any questions.
Thank you,Garett Brazina
Beginning this year, we will introduce “personalized learning” in grades kindergarten through five to enhance the learning experience for our students. We are fortunate to have received learning devices in all of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classrooms. This increase in technology support will offer us even more tools to focus class time on meeting the individual needs of each student through small group instruction with the teacher and the use of flexible content and tools that adapts to each student’s strengths and areas of growth. Personalized learning will benefit our students in several ways:
Students will learn more and progress faster when the material is at the right level of difficulty and pace for him or her.
Personalized learning taps into individual student’s interests.
Interact with content in different manners by working in various learning zones/areas around the classroom to include collaboration, digital content, independent work, small and whole group instruction.
We will share more about the personalized learning plan throughout the year as the opportunity arises. During this process, please let us know if you have any questions.
Thank you,Garett Brazina
Summer Updates for August 2
Kindergarten Orientation
a. Tuesday, August 20, 8:30 – 9:30 AM Kindergarten Orientation, (Last Names Begin A-L)
b. Tuesday, August 20, 10:00 – 11:00 AM, Kindergarten Orientation (Last names M-Z)
This event provides an opportunity for students and parents to visit the school, meet teachers, and learn a little more about what to expect on the first day of school. The children will meet their classmates and participate in a few kindergarten activities.
Open House For Grades 1-5
Tuesday, August 20, from 11:00 AM-12:30 PM Parents and students are invited to tour the school, locate their classroom, and meet their teacher during the open house. Kindergarten is not participating in the open house because KG orientation occurred earlier in the day.
Back-To-School-Night For Grades KG-5 (BTSN)
Tuesday, August 20, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM (Doors Open at 5:45) This event is for parents only. Parents will visit their child's classroom and listen to an overview of the school year. Parents should go to their child's classroom upon arriving at the school. You will watch a brief welcome back message before teachers begin the first BTSN session. Parents can attend one of the two [2] thirty-minute sessions in order of their choice. The BTSN event is not divided between lower grades and upper grades.
Beginning of Year Dates
Monday, August 12-Bus Transportation posted to ParentVUE
Friday, August 16-ParentVUE & StudentVUE opens to families to view teacher assignments
Tuesday, August 20-Kindergarten Orientation, Open House (Grades 1-5), and Back to School Night (Grades KG-5)
Thursday, August 22-First day of school
Friday, August 30-Student & Staff School Holiday-no school (New)
Monday, September 3-Labor Day (Student and Staff Holiday-no school)
Register for My School Bucks to add money to your child's lunch account. Beginning with the 19/20 school year, no transaction fees are being collected to use this service. My School Bucks
Virtual First Day Folders
Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is working to reduce the amount of paper forms sent home for parent signature at the start of the school year. An email with a link to the LCPS Virtual First-Day Folder will be sent to all parents and guardians through Blackboard Connect.The Virtual First-Day Folder includes enhancements to ParentVUE that allow parents and guardians to complete opt-in and opt-out options and acknowledgements and to update important information. If you have misplaced ParentVUE user name, please contact the school of your youngest student to retrieve it. If you need to reset your password, please use the reset password function at ParentVUE.
There are required and optional forms in the Virtual First-Day Folder.
Electronic acknowledgement of the 2019-20 Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook is required for every student.
- The following forms are a part of the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook:
- Acknowledgment of the Acceptable/Responsible Use Policy. LCPS has rewritten this for students in friendly terms that model appropriate technology uses.
- Military Recruiting Opt Out. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires LCPS to release student names, addresses and telephone numbers to military recruiters. The law also requires LCPS to notify students and parents of their right to opt out of having this information released.
- Photo Release Opt Out. Parents/guardians may elect to not have their child photographed or videotaped for use in public-accessible media and may further request that no individual pictures be used in the school yearbook and that the child not be a part of classroom photographs.
- Release of Student Contact information to Non-School Officials. This is in response to a state law that allows the release of directory information to elected officials and other non-school entities who may use this information to distribute congratulatory letters.
Staffing Updates
Staffing Updates
Saying our goodbyes to...
Matti Davis, second grade teacher, moved to the Philadelphia area with her fiance.
Julie Nguyen, English language teacher, retired in June.
Cara Semler, music educator, and her husband welcomed Lilian Parker in May. She is not returning and staying home to raise her family.
Ashley Bingaman-O'Bar, resource teacher, accepted a transfer to teach at Rock Ridge High School.
Jennifer Thiessen, Dean, interviewed and accepted an assistant principal position at Newton-Lee Elementary School.
Welcome to our new hires...
Asheligh Barraco, former first grade teacher, was hired as our second health and physical education teacher.
Cassie Colasuonno, former fifth grade teacher at Catoctin Elementary School, was hired as our new Dean.
Connie Kwon, music educator, interviewed and accepted a transfer to serve as our second music teacher.
Sherry White, recently hired as a third grade teacher.
Samantha "Sam" Smith will serve as our new resource teacher to replace Ashley Bingaman-O'Bar.
Bridget Harrah was hired as our new English language teacher.
April Meyer was hired as our new resource teacher to replace Betsy Kelly.
1:1 Technology Information for Grades 3-5
1:1 Technology Information for Grades 3-5
We held two informational sessions in May 2019, for our 1:1 technology rollout plan for grades 3-5. You can view the slide deck that was used during the presentation. LCPS provides a personal learning device for students in grades 3-12. Seldens Landing students receive their devices in August 2019. Students receive training on the proper care and use of the devices. LCPS maintains a website for parents and students related to personal learning devices. Also, teachers provide instruction to the students with curriculum resources from Common Sense Media. We recommend that families visit both of the websites to learn about the 1:1 technology plan and Common Sense Media.
2019-2020 Student Supply List (2).pdfSeldens Landing Elementary School 2019-2020 Student Supply List
Purchasing the exact items listed on the supply list is not necessary (like crayon and color pencil count or brand name) unless it is for a specific notebook size, page dividers, or composition book. Additionally, there is no need to purchase new scissors, school supply boxes, or pencil boxes if you have those items on-hand from previous years.
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