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Message from Ms. Shannon
Dear Mantua Families,
We had a blast celebrating the end of the first quarter with our Mantua Spirit Parade! Seeing all the creative and colorful storybook costumes our students dressed in was amazing. Our school was filled with imagination and fun!
We welcome families of veterans to our Veterans Day Breakfast and celebration! On November 8 at 8:45 AM, we will gather to honor our Mantua military veterans with breakfast, a choral performance, and a Mantua victory cheer by our students! There is still time to sign up; you can find information and the RSVP link below.
Get ready to feast! Thanksgiving luncheon informational flyers went out in Tuesday folders this week. Mark your calendars for November 21st, and join us for a delicious meal and festive fun.
Remember, November 4th and 5th are teacher workdays, so there's no school. And don't forget to set your clocks back an hour this weekend!
We hope you are enjoying the long weekend and the beautiful fall weather!
Take good care,
Ms. Shannon, Mr. Deixler, and Mrs. Vaughan
Save the Dates!
November 3: Daylight Savings Time ends
November 4: School Planning Day, student holiday
November 5: Election Day, teacher workday, and student holiday
November 8: Veteran’s Day Breakfast and Hero Victory Cheer
November 11: Veteran’s Day, student holiday
November 13: Author Visit for 6th-grade students
November 21: Thanksgiving lunch for students and families
November 27-29: Thanksgiving, student holiday, offices closed
Mantua News
Thanksgiving Luncheon
Join us for our annual Thanksgiving Luncheon! Adults and non-Mantua students can purchase a meal for $4.75. Mantua students will use their lunch accounts. Please pre-purchase guest lunches by submitting the bottom portion of this form and the exact payment to your child's teacher by November 15th. You can join us even without purchasing lunch, but please RSVP. We look forward to seeing you on November 21st!
Veterans Day Celebrations
Our Mantua school community would like to celebrate our veterans and thank them for their sacrifices for our country. We would like to honor your family’s veteran(s) in our veteran slideshow, which will be played in our front lobby throughout November. Please submit a digital photograph to Jane Dunfee ([email protected]) with the following information:
- Name and Picture of your Veteran
- Rank
- Branch of the military in which they served/are serving
- Wars, Conflicts, or Places they served
In addition, we are holding a breakfast for our veterans and their families on Friday, November 8th, at 8:45 to 9:45 in the cafeteria. (5th-grade chorus members may have one family member attend at 9:20 to watch them sing, or you may watch from an alternate location via the Zoom link found below.) After the breakfast concludes, we would like to honor all service members with a victory cheer from our classrooms at 9:40 so that our students can recognize and cheer on our attendees.
Please indicate if your veteran and their family members can attend by RSVPing through this link.
Zoom Link to join us virtually!
FCPS Outstanding Employee Nominations
Nominations are now open for the FCPS 2024 Outstanding Employee Awards! You can submit a nomination for a Mantua ES Employee in one of The categories below:
- Outstanding Teacher
- Outstanding New Teacher
- Outstanding Leader (Assistant Principal)
- Outstanding Professional Employee (School Counselor, School-Based Technology Specialist, Social Worker, School Psychologist, Technology Support Specialist)
- Outstanding Operational Employee (Office Staff, Instructional Assistant, Custodial Staff, Food Service Staff, Parent Liaison)
A preliminary nomination only requires a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the category's criteria.
How do I nominate someone? Please click here: Nominate a Mantua ES Employee.
The deadline to submit a nomination is November 15th. If you have any questions, please contact the Awards Liaison, Susan Song, at [email protected].
Feature Friday
Our amazing Kindergarten staff were celebrated in the last two weeks with signs outside their classrooms, pictures posted on Mantua's Instagram, and positive notes from staff and the community.
In honor of November 8, National STEM/STEAM Day dedicated to encouraging children to explore their interests in STEM careers, this week’s Feature Fridays will spotlight our STEAM Teacher, School-Based Technology Specialist (SBTS), and Technology Support Specialist.
This week's featured staff are Andrew Baxter, Jane Dunfee, and Chris Webster. Please use the Google form to share a positive message and help us make Feature Friday a fun and engaging way to celebrate our school community. Thank you!
Mantua Gardens Annual Fall Clean-Up November 10!
Greetings, Friends of the Mantua Gardens! Autumn is here and along with the chillier temperatures and changing leaf colors comes a transition in the gardens.
As always, it's time to prepare our green spaces for winter rest and this year’s clean-up event will be held on Sunday, November 10 from 1pm to 3pm beginning in the Discovery Garden beds above the playground.
We will be cutting plants back, weeding, edging around the seating area and refreshing the mulch. We will also be planting some bulbs that will greet families with a pretty display in the early days of spring. We will be clearing out the old vegetable plants from the Learning Garden beds next to the white tent.
We welcome gardeners of all ability levels to join us as it’s a great way to get hands on experience and learn more about plant and vegetable gardening and our native plants. Children (with parents) are always encouraged to join in. Bulb planting is especially fun!
If you enjoy being outside on a lovely fall day, I hope you and your family will join us for as long as you can on Sunday, November 10.
If you would like more details or have any questions, please contact Garden Committee Chair, Karin Hudson, at [email protected] and check out our Facebook page: Mantua ES Garden Committee & Volunteers!
The Positivity Project
This upcoming week, our school community will focus on the character strength of Bravery. Bravery means you act with mental, moral, or physical strength, even when you know things are difficult or scary.
Bravery refers to voluntary (not coerced) action in the face of a dangerous circumstance. This strength involves judgment; the brave person must have an understanding of the risks and consequences involved in acting. According to Socrates and Plato, forethought separates acts of valor from acts of rashness. This means that bravery isn’t simply fearlessness but instead the overcoming of fear.
Overcoming fears is critically important in individual development, as it allows the person to do more and become more. A person can be brave every single day. For example, some people with social anxiety are brave just by leaving their houses and talking with people. On a physical level, bravery allows us to overcome fears, such as swimming or playing a sport. And, on a moral level, doing what we know to be right, despite the risks, gives us the sense that we are acting on behalf of a larger purpose.
To practice and encourage the character strength of bravery at home, please visit The Positivity Project’s mobile-friendly P2 for Families (available in English and Spanish), where you will watch a video together and discuss a quote and three questions. Below are links to this week’s P2 for Families lessons. Click on the grade level that best meets your child’s needs.
Pre-K–K
Grades 1–2
Grades 3–5
Grades 6–8
Grades 9–12
FCPS NEWS
Native American Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native Americans. It is also a time to raise general awareness about the unique challenges they have faced both historically and in the present and how tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.
National Family Engagement Month
This month reminds us that families are children's first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers. Strong family support is vital to student well-being and success.
FCPS has many resources designed to increase engagement and partnerships with families while fostering academic success and social-emotional growth.
Additionally, every school has a family liaison who will welcome and orient families, and help them understand the school's culture, policies, procedures, and practices. They can help connect families to resources in the community. Family liaisons might also assist a family in transitioning to a new school and encourage family-school partnerships to help ensure their student's success and healthy development. If you have questions or would like more information, ask your school office to connect you with your family liaison or visit FCPS’ website for a list of region representatives.
Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets (in the upper right corner after logging in). Please complete it as soon as possible.
For any families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE, we will provide paper forms starting Wednesday, November 13. Paper forms should be returned by Wednesday, December 4.
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important. Information from this survey resulted in more than $4 million in funding last year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
For more information, please watch this video on Impact Aid and visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page.
Elementary School Clinics
The Fairfax County Health Department will provide immunizations for FCPS elementary students on limited early release Mondays at their district offices. All school-required immunizations will be offered at no cost. Call 703-246-7100 to make your appointment.
OFFICE OF THE OMBUDS
Office of the Ombuds staff engage with families, students, and staff to offer resources, assist in settling conflicts, and raise concerns to improve the experience of each and every member of the FCPS community. They work as an independent confidential resource to help get answers to questions, resolve concerns, and hear complaints regarding FCPS matters.
The ombuds is available to:
- Share strategies for parents to improve communication with, and between, school and home.
- Help resolve disagreements between parents and schools or disagreements involving employees in the workplace.
- Provide ideas to foster parent participation in Individual Education Plan (IEP) and 504 Plan meetings.
Ombuds staff do not change or make decisions, policies, or regulations; take sides; or provide legal advice.
Anyone with concerns, questions, or complaints to share with the Office of the Ombuds may call 571-423-4014, email [email protected], or visit their webpage, where you may Submit a Question.
Quick Contacts & Links
Linda Shannon, Principal [email protected]
Rich Deixler, Assistant Principal [email protected]
Colleen Vaughan, Assistant Principal [email protected]
Susan Palomino, Administrative/Finance Assistant [email protected]
Mergie Kakouris, Student Information Assistant, [email protected]
Jane Dunfee, SBTS, Testing Coordinator, [email protected]
Fadwa Finaish, Office Assistant, [email protected]
Judy Toy, Office Assistant, [email protected]
Luis Uribe Gamboa, [email protected]
9107 Horner Court, Fairfax, VA 22031 | Main Office: 703-645-6300
Attendance: 703-645-6363 | Web | Twitter