News from the Nest

Another Great Week at Rockledge!

Thank you to all of our families who joined us for Back-to-School Night on Thursday! It was wonderful to welcome you into our school and share important information about our Continuous Improvement Plan, updates to grading practices, and classroom expectations and routines. If you were unable to attend, please reach out to your child’s teacher so they can share the information and resources with you. As a reminder, please check your child’s backpack for the deck of cards that was sent home. We hope families will enjoy using the cards to practice fun math games together!

📸 Picture Day – Tuesday

Tuesday is Picture Day! We look forward to seeing our Eagles dressed and ready to smile for the camera!

🏃 Boosterthon Fun Run – Friday

The excitement is building for our Boosterthon Fun Run this Friday! Thanks to the incredible support of our Rockledge community, we have made tremendous progress toward our goal of raising $15,000.

Funds raised will help support:

• New playground enhancements, including much-needed shade structures

• Field trips

• School assemblies

• Teacher classroom grants

• PTO-sponsored programs that benefit our students

Our PTO is also looking for volunteers to help make Fun Run Day a success. Thank you in advance for your support, participation, and generosity as we work together to reach our goal!

🍬 Trunk or Treat Candy Collection

We have begun collecting candy for our upcoming Trunk or Treat! Please consider donating a bag of candy so we have plenty of treats to share with our students and families on Saturday, October 17th. Thank you for helping us make this a fun community event!

🎉 Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month continues throughout Rockledge! Students are enjoying daily highlights on the Rockledge News Network (RNN), hallway displays, special library book collections, and preparations for our upcoming Hispanic Heritage Parade. We are excited to continue celebrating the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities.

Veterans Day Writing Contest

Please see the information below about our Veterans Day Writing Contest. Students will have an opportunity to write about a veteran or hero in their lives and share why that individual is meaningful to them. We look forward to reading their thoughtful reflections!

We have two new features in the News from the Nest this week...Sustainability from Ms. Swiggum and Family Digital Tips from Mr. Coots. Please be sure to check out the information below.

Thank you for your continued partnership, support, and commitment to our school community. We appreciate all that you do to help make Rockledge a wonderful place for our students to learn, grow, and SOAR!

Have a wonderful week, Eagles!

The Week Ahead:

Monday (Day 5):
~Wear your NEST shirt or color

Tuesday (Day 6):

~ Picture Day

Wednesday (Day 1):

~ Mrs. Bibbins Returns!

Thursday (Day 2):

~

Friday (Day 3):
~ Wear Spirit Wear or Green&Gold

~ Boosterthon Fun Run

~ No School on Monday for Students

Beyond the Week:

• September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
• October 12: No School for Students
• October 15: SAC Meeting 5:15-6pm and PTO Meeting 6-7pm
• October 17: Trunk or Treat 12-2pm
• October 22: Literacy Night 5:30-7pm
• October 30: End of 1st Quarter, Eagle of the Month Ceremony (by invitation), Book Character Day

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Dennis

Principal

Rockledge Elementary

Each month we will post grade level and team newsletters so families can access information for their student(s). Links will be updated as teams provide their newsletters. Please click on the link below.

K-2 ESSAY

Prompt: Write about a veteran you know or what makes someone a hero to our country.

Rules:

1. Students may write about a veteran they personally know or describe the qualities that make a veteran a hero.

2. Must be hand written by student and be his/her original work.

3. Must be at least 3 sentences.

4. Drawings can be included but will not be considered as part of the scoring.

5. Must have student’s name on submitted essay.

6. Must be submitted to Ms. Downer by Wednesday, 10/21.

3rd-5th ESSAY

Prompt: What does Veteran's Day mean to you?

Rules:

1. Students should write about the importance of Veteran’s Day and what it means to them personally.

2. Must be hand written by student and be his/her original work.

3. Must be at least 8 sentences.

4. Drawings can be included but will not be considered as part of the scoring.

5. Must have student’s name on submitted essay.

6. Must be submitted to Ms. Downer by Wednesday, 10/21.

Thank you to all the families who attended our first Family Engagement Night! Families received an informative overview of our reading and math programs, assessments, and resources to support learning at home. All students have received a deck of cards to play the math games linked here. Please let us know if you have any questions. If you were unable to attend, or would like to review the information again, please click here to access the presentation and resources that were shared. We look forward to seeing you at our second-quarter Family Engagement Night on November 4th from 5:15-6pm in the library.

We have several opportunities for our volunteers to help! We will be holding a Volunteer Orientation soon to renew our roster of volunteers. Once you are screened and approved, please reach out to Ms. Santos in the front office to schedule a time you are available. We have teacher requests just waiting for a volunteer to come to the rescue.

Congratulations to our weekly attendance winners in each grade level!

Kindergarten: Ms. Garrigan

1st Grade: Ms. Simpson

2nd Grade: Ms. Scott

3rd Grade: Ms. Renteria

4th Grade: Ms. Stewart-Pryce

5th Grade: Ms. Tice

Multi-Grade: Ms. Kash

Thank you for helping us reach our schoolwide goal to reduce chronic absenteeism! Let's see which classes will have the best attendance this coming week.

Welcome to the Digital Family Tips Series – Raising Safe, Healthy, and Responsible Students

As technology continues to play a larger role in our children's lives, Rockledge Elementary is launching a year-long series of Digital Family Tips to help families support safe, healthy, and responsible technology use at home.

Throughout the year, we'll share quick, practical tips on:

• Internet safety

• Healthy screen habits

• Social media awareness

• Online privacy

• Digital footprints

• Cyberbullying prevention

Our goal is simple: help students use technology in ways that support learning, well-being, and positive digital citizenship.

💡 Family Challenge: Ask your child, "What's your favorite thing to do with technology?" Use their response to start a conversation about how technology can help us learn, create, and connect.

Coming Next: Technology and Student Success: Finding the Right Balance.

Overview of PBIS at Rockledge Elementary

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) at Rockledge Elementary School is a schoolwide framework designed to promote a safe, respectful, and productive learning environment for all students. The program focuses on explicitly teaching, modeling, and reinforcing positive behaviors rather than relying on punishment. PBIS helps improve student behavior, engagement, and overall school climate by creating consistent expectations and a shared understanding of how students should act in different settings.

At Rockledge, PBIS is supported through visual tools such as posters, expectation matrices, and behavior reminders placed throughout the school. These resources break down expectations into clear, student-friendly language for areas like classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, and playground. By consistently reinforcing expectations such as being respectful, responsible, and safe, the school builds a positive culture where students are recognized for meeting expectations and supported when they need help improving behavior.

Students earn eggs for exhibiting S.O.A.R. behaviors. These eggs are accumulated and redeemed for classroom, grade-level, and schoolwide rewards.

Please click on the "Rockledge S.O.A.R. Expectations" header above, or visit our website directly, to access each of our expectations posters, descriptions, and how you can support our efforts at home.

https://rockledgees.pwcs.edu/about/pbis/index

Please click on the link to view the PWCS Cell Phone-Free Education Policy. At Rockledge, we have implemented the PWCS bell-to-bell policy that limits cell phone use during the instructional day. Our shared goal is creating classroom environments where students are fully present—mentally, emotionally, and socially. The student-created slogan, “Stop the scroll, take control,” reminds us that this policy is about empowerment, not restriction. It is about reclaiming focus, restoring meaningful human connection, and giving our students every opportunity to thrive. For more information, I invite you to review the PWCS FAQ page.

Please join our PTO so you can be a part of the Eagles community! Our next meeting will be on Thursday, October 15th from 6:00-7:00pm in the Library.

The purpose of a school advisory council is to provide opportunities for members of the school community to participate in the decision-making process at the local school level. A primary function of the council is to serve as an advisory body to the principal and school leadership team.

The school advisory council function is connected to the Prince William County Schools Strategic Plan, supporting Commitment 3- Family and Community Engagement, Objective 3.1- Prince William County Schools will engage families as authentic partners in education to support academic progress.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, October 15th at 5:15pm in the conference room.

Please click this link to access the minutes of our September meeting.

The Family Engagement Series provides families with resources that will assist with their student’s success. The series is led by the Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Community Outreach, Business Partnerships and Philanthropy Department, in collaboration with other PWCS programs, and community and business partners.

Focus: Specialty Programs Information Session for Elementary School Students

6:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, 2026 – Live Zoom Webinar

Target Audience: All PWCS students and families in elementary school

Join us on Thursday, October 15, for an informative webinar designed to help families learn about PWCS Specialty Programs and the opportunities available for elementary school students.

During this session, families will explore the variety of Specialty Program opportunities available to students, learn about the application process and important deadlines, and discover the resources and support available to help students and families make informed decisions. Parents and guardians will leave with the information and resources needed to explore program options and navigate the application process with confidence.

Presenters for this session: Jennifer Cavanaugh, Supervisor of Advanced Academics and Specialty Programs, and Dr. Laura Evans, Coordinator of Dual Enrollment, with Prince William County Public Schools

All requests for language accommodations are due by October 12, 2026.

• Register for the webinar
• Request language accommodations

ARRIVAL

• Supervision of students begins at 9:10am. Please stay with your students until that time. If they are walking by themselves, or with friends, students should arrive no earlier than 9:10am.
• When walking your student(s) to school, please say your goodbyes and wave from The Island. This will help us ensure we are getting students safely across the bus loop area.
• Please remember the church parking is not available for parking Tuesday-Thursday as they have parents bringing little ones to their program. Thank you for being good neighbors and keeping their students safe too.
• If your students are a Drop and Go, please have students hop out on the school side of the car with their things ready to go. We want to keep the flow moving as best we can. Also, a reminder there is NO PARKING in the drop off area and no U-turns on Mariner Drive. Please help us keep all of our students safe by following these procedures.

ATTENDANCE and GOING HOME CHANGES

• Please report student absences in ParentVue (use this link for directions ).
• Please email any going home change information to Ms. Rodriguez before 3:30pm and check for a confirmation email in return.

DISMISSAL

• Please make sure the adult picking up your student(s) has the tag you were issued. Pictures of tags are discouraged as we will need to have you wait until we can double check your ID before releasing your child. I have asked all staff to adhere to this requirement as we take our responsibility to keep your children safe very seriously, even if you are already recognizable by staff members.
• The playground will be open after buses leave school grounds.