Cedar Forest Chronicle

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Dear Families,

Greetings from CFES! Welcome all families to the best school in Spotsylvania County. I cannot believe that we are already in October. The students have been doing so well this year. One of our school goals is to improve our attendance. Please work hard to help us meet our goal.

In this newsletter, you will find information about our newest fundraising campaign. Please consider supporting CFES. 100% of donations stay at CFES!

Please know that our doors are always open. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach us by email, or by calling the main office at (540) 834-4569.

Sincerely,

Scott Orth

October 6: End of 1st 9-week grading period

October 9 & 10: No school for students

Mrs. Harmsen enjoyed meeting with grades Kindergarten, 2nd, and 4th for our first classroom lessons of the year. In Kindergarten we talked about how we can be good listeners with our whole bodies. In 2nd grade, we talked about how we can use different coping skills to help us with our big feelings. In 4th grade, we talked about the importance of understanding different perspectives and how that can help us avoid conflict. Mrs. Harmsen is so excited to see everyone again in October for some more social and emotional learning!

Mr. Garcia also stopped by 1st, 3rd, and 5th grade classrooms for their first counseling lessons. In 1st grade we talked about what it means to show other people and the world around us respect and how one of the best ways to show respect is through kindness. In 3rd grade, we discussed conflict resolution skills and the different strategies we can use to resolve problems with others. In 5th grade we talked about communication skills and the importance of assertive communication and strong body language. More to come in October.

Mrs. Harmsen and Mr. Garcia love to see their little wolves attending school everyday and on time! They will be working with parents this year to improve school attendance and will be sending home Attendance Report Cards for the 1st quarter. As a reminder, if your student is sick and will be absent, please email our attendance secretary, Mrs. Grempler, at cedarforestesattendance@spotsylvania.k12.va.us so it will be recorded as an excused absence.

Parent and student involvement during the elementary years can be beneficial for academic success. Here are a few tips for parents on school engagement.

We appreciate all of you and want to thank you for your continued support!

If you need any help or support from the counselors or our school social worker Ms. Hedi Tippit please complete the form below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1eMz7lPdOAYuwUT7Kuf9XR-LjvuOCvIbTTeevYdrv8lc/edit?usp=sharing_eil_se_dm&ts=64ee23d2

It's October and that means it's time for one of our favorite community events: Trunk or Treat! This year's Trunk or Treat will be held Friday, October 27, 2023 from 6-7pm! Ways to be involved: donate candy, sign up to decorate your trunk, or just come dressed in your best costume. Flyers will go home with more information soon.

The PTO will be selling Spirit Sticks as "Boo-grams" again this year! Students can purchase Boo-grams for their friends or even their whole class. Spirit sticks are $1/piece. An order form will go home in Thursday folders.

National School Bus Safety Week is October 16-20 and National Custodian/Maintenance Appreciation Day was October 2. The PTO recognized our bus drivers and aides and our custodians with some treats to say thank you for all they do for our students and school!

We are looking for families to provide a "Staff Pick Me Up" once per month. Big thanks to River Club Church and Lifepoint Church for bringing breakfast and treats for our staff in September. Ideas include coffee, snacks, lunch, treats, or anything you'd like to do to support the CFES staff. If you would like to offer a Staff Pick-Me-Up donation, please email us at cedarforestpto@gmail.com

New this year: we are partnered with Mabel's Labels to fundraise for the PTO! If you need high quality, durable labels to help keep track of your student's belongings, Mabel's Labels is a great choice. Visit https://campaign.mabelslabels.com and search for "Cedar Forest Elementary School PTO (Fredericksburg" and purchase your labels today! YOU get personalized labels and WE get 20% back from each order.

Oriental Trading Giveback Opportunity: Now through October 20, 2023; 10% of sales coming through your school's code (CEDARFUN) will go into our PTO account to be used for future Oriental Trading purchases.

Did you know we have a CFES PTO Facebook Page, as well as the private group? Just search for us on Facebook "Cedar Forest Elementary PTO" and give us a like! We'll keep you up to date! You can also request to join the private group, where we provide even more information and updates.

Next PTO meetings: October 17 @ 6:00 PM and November 14 @ 6 PM (in the CFES library). It's free to join and all are welcome!

October 2023

Dear Cedar Forest Families,

We hope this letter finds you well. As we begin the new school year at Cedar Forest, we are excited to share with you some of the initiatives we have planned for our students and school.

At Cedar Forest, our goal is to provide the best possible education and learning opportunities for our students. We believe every student deserves access to the resources and support they need to succeed. To help us achieve this goal, we are launching a fundraising campaign to support various school-related initiatives such as our house program, new equipment for students, and new technology.

We are reaching out to our dedicated parents, alumni, and community to ask for your help in achieving our fundraising goals. Your generosity can make a significant impact on the lives of our students, helping us to provide them with the best possible education and prepare them for a bright future.

This year, instead of using outside companies to assist with fundraising, we are asking that our community come together and make direct monetary donations to Cedar Forest. It is common practice that outside organizations keep a portion of funds raised by schools. By making a direct donation to our school, you are ensuring that 100% of the donation stays at Cedar Forest. If we reach our goal of $10,000, we can limit the amount of fundraising that we have to do throughout the year. This means, there will not be a need to use outside companies to raise additional funds. You can donate by sending a check made out to Cedar Forest Elementary PTO, send in cash in the colored envelope coming home next week or pay online here. We are trying to reach our goal by December 1!

We value your continued support and belief in our mission to provide the best education for our students. Thank you in advance for considering a donation to Cedar Forest. If you are unable to make a monetary donation, we are always looking for volunteers to help with school events.

Best wishes,

Dr. Orth, Mr. Kuhnert, and the CFES PTO

Last year, the Virginia Department of Education created a Parent Portal as a new method for you to receive your child’s Virginia Assessment Program test results. This attached link will take you to a document will help you access test results.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pMRVd_wIdUCRX2iYmpsjm-JLHElroHjZiyEOT848xoU/edit?usp=sharing

If you haven't had a chance, please check out Spotsylvania's Parent Resource Center website. They offer many resources and events throughout each month!

https://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/domain/288

Follow on on Twitter: @CedarForestES

If you shop at Weis or Publix please link us to your shopper cards! Cedar Forest will receive money quarterly based on sales linked to our school. You can go to this website to link Cedar Forest to your Club Publix shopper card.