Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
Dear Clermont Families,
We hope you enjoyed meeting your child’s teacher this week at Open House! Your Clermont team is excited to welcome all the students back to virtual school on Tuesday, September 8. The first few days of school are always focused on building routines, establishing classroom expectations, and building relationships. We know that a strong classroom community is the foundation to a successful learning experience for all. Therefore, teachers will spend the first few weeks of virtual school teaching and reteaching routines. They will also spend time facilitating community building activities which are designed to help students get to know one another.
We also know that the parent-teacher relationship is extremely important – now more than ever before. Should you ever have a question or concern, please reach out to your child’s teacher via email or call the main office and we will have the teacher reach out to you. If you prefer to speak with the teacher on the phone or through a video conference, we can arrange a time for this to happen as well. Please know that our staff will be working with children throughout the day, and it may take them 24-48 business hours to respond to you. We also know that due to our current telework status, it is very easy to work non-stop. I am asking our staff to ensure that they find time to recharge in the evenings and on the weekends so that they can be fully present and their best selves for your students during the school day. This means that they may be stepping away from their FCPS email in the evenings and on the weekends.
Thank you for your words of encouragement and support over these past few weeks as we prepared for this unusual opening of the school year. We will be using Google Classroom and Google Meets as our platforms for teaching and learning this year and are ready to start our Virtually Unstoppable year on Tuesday!
Take care of yourself and each other,
Ms. Salata
Laptop Distribution
Laptops for all grade levels have now been distributed. If you missed your child's laptop distribution day please contact Lisa Gibson at lmgibson@fcps.edu or 703-921-2400 to arrange pickup. Additionally, please notify us If you have decided not to accept a school issued laptop, so that we may put that laptop back into circulation and provide you with an opt out form.
Attendance
During virtual learning, your child’s attendance is mandatory. Recording student’s presence or absence is required by the State of Virginia, and will be taken Monday through Friday. We understand that schedules may make synchronous viewing for the full day difficult at times. Therefore, all classes will be recorded and posted in the classroom teacher’s Google Classroom.
Please note: If your child is absent, they may be marked as Unverified. Later that evening, you should receive an eNotify message asking you to confirm if your child participated in the lesson asynchronously by watching the recording. Once you confirm this, our registrar will be notified, and the Unverified will be changed to reflect that your child did participate in lessons for the day.
If you know your child is going to be absent due to illness or other reasons, please inform your classroom teacher and use the phone number or online attendance form found here to notify our office. https://clermontes.fcps.edu/attendance-form
Our goal is that all students are engaged and supported during our virtual Return to Learning.
Schedules
Clermont Virtual Grade Level Schedules
To view the most updated class schedules, please click the link. It is important to note that at the start of the year, teachers will be working closely with students to build “screen-stamina”. Therefore, at the start of the year, classes may not be as long as indicated on the schedule. Teachers will be “building up” to help with fatigue.
Are You New to Clermont Elementary School?
Welcome! The FCPS school counseling program provides comprehensive services to all students, supporting student success in academic, career, personal/social and social-emotional domains. School counselors help build a foundation for learning while supporting students' achievement.
We begin the year by offering short term new student orientation groups. The purpose of these groups is to welcome new students, and to facilitate adjustment to their new school. Groups meet one time per week for three sessions and are open to 1st through 6th grade students. Meetings last for approximately 30 minutes and are held during the school day.
If you would like for your child to participate, please fill out and return this form before Friday, Sept. 11, 2020. Please contact us if you have any questions about the group or about the counseling program in general. We look forward to getting to know your child and your family!
Parents, We Need Your Consent for Select Digital Resources
At Clermont, our teachers will use a variety of digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. You can find our school’s list of the resources that require parental consent here: clermontes.fcps.edu/adopteddigitalresources
Included on this page is also a link to a form where the enrolling parent or guardian will need to indicate whether or not their student is allowed to use the list of digital resources this year. This page also provides more information about how FCPS carefully reviews digital resources for approval and why we must request your consent before using certain tools. We encourage you to complete the parental consent for digital resources form as soon as possible, as your child will not be able to use the digital resources until we have received your permission. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have questions or concerns about the digital resources we’ve chosen to use this year.
New Virtual Learning Tech Tips Videos
New videos have been posted on the virtual learning playlist. They include tips on signing in, locating assignments, and submitting assignments in Google Classroom. Go to the video learning playlist.
Technology Support for Families
Access videos and resources to help your student in the virtual learning environment on the Technology Support for Families webpage.
FCPS Parent Technology Help Desk
To support families who are working with their children during distance learning, Fairfax County Public Schools is launching a new Parent Technology Help Desk, effective today, Monday, August 24. The number is 1-833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS). It will be answered by staff 7 a.m.to 11 p.m., seven days a week. If the help desk is unable to solve the issue on the phone with the parent or guardian, they will enter a ticket on the parent’s behalf and the request for help will be transferred to the appropriate FCPS team.
Parents or guardians who need help in a language other than English should let help desk staff know, and a interpreter will join them on the line. (FCPS also has existing parent information phone lines, available in eight different languages, that can assist with general questions about FCPS.)
FCPS has also set up an online portal to allow older students and parents and guardians to request technology help directly.
Get more information about the new Parent Technology Help Desk.
Counselor's Corner
Welcome to the 2020-21 school year. The FCPS school counseling program provides comprehensive services to all students, supporting student success in academic, career, personal/social, and social-emotional domains. Click here for a more detailed presentation of our program.
If you or your child would like to make an appointment with the counselor, please email us OR submit this referral form and we will contact you.
Mrs. Treger (pmtreger@fcps.edu) & Mrs. Manzo (mlmanzo@fcps.edu) -School Counselors
Please Complete your Health Information Form and Emergency Care Card
The Health Information Form (HIF) (SS/SE -71) and the Emergency Care Information form (SS/SE-3) provide valuable information regarding student health conditions. They help to identify students who may need healthcare support in the educational environment. Click on this link for step-by-step instructions to update your forms. You can update all of your children at the same time. Update your forms
Remember, you must be registered for your own Parent View account to access weCare. Need to register for a SIS Parent View account, or do you have a question about it? Click here: SIS Parent Account
Stuff the Bus Food Drive
For the past nine years, Stuff the Bus has held food drives twice a year during times when donations often drop off – after the winter holidays and during the summer. Hosting drives during these critical times ensured that area nonprofits were able to meet the needs of hungry people in Fairfax County.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for food in our area, so Stuff the Bus is working to respond to the demand. In May, food drives were held on two days at 21 locations throughout Fairfax County. The response was immense, with 33.6 tons of food collected for area nonprofits.
On Saturday, September 12 and Saturday, September 26, Fastran buses will be parked at 21 locations listed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to collect food donations. Buses will be located in less-frequented lots throughout the county, including many Board of Supervisors’ offices and the Fairfax County Government Center, to allow donors to comply with social distancing recommendations.
Lee District Donation Sites
- Franconia Governmental Center, 6121 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 22310
- Island Creek Elementary School, 7855 Morning View Lane, Alexandria, VA 22315
For more information, including the full list of donation sites, a list of most-wanted items and information about donating virtually, visit bit.ly/FfxStufftheBus
School Supplies
Supply lists for virtual learning have been posted to the Clermont website at this link: Virtual Supply Lists
Important Dates
September 4-7: Labor Day Holiday - School Offices Closed
September 8: First Day of School
September 15: Virtual Back to School Night - More Details Coming Soon
October 12: Indigenous People's Day - Student Holiday
October 30: First Grading Period Ends
November 2-3: Student Holidays
November 25-27: Thanksgiving Break - Student Holiday
December 21 - January 1, 2021: Winter Break - Student Holiday
2020-21 Standard School Year Calendar.
5720 Clermont Drive, Alexandria, VA 22310 | Main Office: 703-921-2400
Attendance: 703-921-2424 | Web | Twitter
