Pirate's Cove Updates

Dear Pirate Families,

We can't wait to welcome students back on Tuesday! We hope everyone had a joyous, restful winter break. Staff are rested and rejuvenated for full steam ahead into the 2nd half of the school year! If you're wondering how you can help support your child at home, please take time to reach out to his/her teacher to get some suggestions! We are here to partner with you to help your child reach success!

We hope to see you at this month's Spirit Night to be held on Wednesday at Five Guys located in Cosner's Corner.

VALLS testing kicks off on Wednesday January 7th and continues through January 29th. This assessment helps capture the growth your child has had in reading since the start of the year. All students in prek-2nd will be assessed as well as any students in grades 3rd-5th that were flagged as "high risk" in the fall. Teachers will share scores at the end of January when all testing is completed.

Conferences will be held on Thursday, January 15th by appointment only. Please reach out to your child's teacher to schedule. As always, please reach out to your child's teacher if you need to schedule a conference on a different day and time.

Mark your calendars now...Monday, January 19th will be a Student/Staff Holiday.

As a reminder, when visiting the building you will need to have your government issued, picture identification out before being able to enter the building. This is to prevent you having to go back to the car to get it. We are required to scan the identification through our Raptor System if you will be entering the school campus, so you must have a "physical" identification (not a picture of your id). Thank you for your understanding in our efforts to ensure our students' safety!

Proud Pirate,

Mrs. Sotzing

If your child is going to miss a day, please be sure to reach out to the Attendance Secretary to let her know why he/she will be out. You can also email the Attendance Secretary @ Spotswoodesattendance@spotsylvania.k12.va.us. Thank you in advance!

A huge thank you to the PTO and parents that fulfilled our goal of gifting each teacher with a gift card heading into the holiday season! We also thank the PTO for providing staff with Room Service on December 19th!

Thanks so much to the Wawa on Courthouse Road for contributing to our attendance celebration on 12/19. We are so proud of our Pirates for working toward meeting their attendance goals!

The Spotsylvania County Public School Instructional Calendar Committee is seeking stakeholder feedback regarding the development of future school calendars. The results of this survey will be utilized by the committee in developing a proposed 2027-28 Instructional Calendar that will be shared at a future school board meeting.

As you take this brief survey, please keep in mind the goal of supporting the educational and learning needs of all students. Your responses will be anonymous. This survey will be open through January 16, 2026.

Survey Link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKUkGADCpyClcpZkd4PcvdQCdhxaa1zGiFHBx09k19hC2ngg/viewform?usp=header

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey.

JANUARY

5th Last Day of Winter Break for students

6th Welcome Back Students

7th Spirit Night @ Five Guys

8th Report Cards Available on ParentVue

10th Division Spelling Bee 9:00am

12th School Board Meeting @ 5:30pm

14th PTO Meeting @ 4pm

15th Conference Night (by appointment only)

19th Staff/Student Holiday

FEBRUARY

4th Spirit Night @ Legend's Grille

6th PTO Dance

16th Student Holiday

26th Literacy Adventures Family Engagement Night

28th All District Choir

MARCH

3rd Spirit Night @ Iztac

7th Community Yard Sale

11th PTO Meeting @ 4:00pm

12th End 3rd Nine Weeks

12th Read for my School Fundraiser Kicks Off

13th Student Holiday

19th Report Cards Available via ParentVue

20th Student/Staff Holiday

26th MultiCultural Night

27th Read for My School Fundraiser Ends

30th Spring Break Starts

Check out the album to see missing items. Please consider going through the Google album with your student(s) to see if they recognize any items that belong to themselves or others! Thank you so much to guardians for labeling your student's water bottles and/or jackets so we can return items to your student and completely bypass the Lost and Found. If your child is missing anything, PLEASE take a moment to check the album!

Want to help out in your child's classroom or at school events? You will need to first complete a Volunteer Form (located below). Please know that the form is due at least 5 days prior to you volunteering; however, you only need to fill out the form once for the school year (a new form is required every year). We can't wait to have you join us!

As a reminder, only service animals are allowed on school property. This means even if you are walking to pick your child up from school, you may not bring your dog. This is to ensure the safety of all students, staff, and parents. Thank you for your understanding.

As a reminder, all transportation changes require a handwritten note. Please do not email/message the teacher to make a change, as there is no guarantee that the teacher will see your email/message prior to the end of the day. Thank you for your understanding!

In July 2024, the SPCS School Board approved changes to the protocols regarding how birthdays can be recognized in the school setting. I realize that trying to read the entire Handbook online is hard so I am providing a copy of the protocol below. Please be aware that classrooms are allowed two classwide celebrations per year and teachers may invite families to send in special, store-bought treats at that time. This ensures that families with students with health conditions have time to prepare for alternate treats and/or have discussions with their individual child about allergies. All food sent in for those events will be checked by the school nurse and must still be nut-free. Thank you for your support in helping to keep our kids safe!

In SCPS elementary schools, we work hard to ensure that students’ minds and bodies are ready for learning each day. In addition to the hard work our teachers and staff do every day to prepare students for success in the classroom, we also work to encourage healthy eating and physical activity, leading them to lifelong success. We understand that celebrating students is very important and we are committed to recognizing students in healthy and safe ways.

Like many other schools, we have many students who suffer from life-threatening allergies. According to the Centers for Disease Control (2011), allergies have increased more than 20% among American children since the mid-1990s. Childhood obesity has tripled over the past 20 years. As a school community, we must do all we can to lessen the chances of an allergic incident happening and must work diligently to keep our students safe.

Each year, across our elementary sites, feedback from staff and parents is mixed with regard to outside food and treats. We are aware that this is a sensitive subject. We will continue to celebrate student birthdays as a school-wide community, however, should you choose to provide birthday treats to classmates, these goodies must be non-edible. Cupcakes, candy, and/or any other edible food items will not be allowed. Your school will reach out with specific, non-food alternative ways you can use to recognize your child’s birthday at school. Specific, school-wide celebrations will continue with other guidance and forward planning for a safe, healthy event.

As was shared previously, all car riders are required to sign-up for a number each year. This is to help us avoid any confusion if there has been a change for your family. Also, only students that are car riders every day will be issued a car rider number and will be allowed to utilize the car rider lanes. Any student that has a car rider number assigned will not have a bus assigned for the afternoon. Each family is issued 2 car rider tags. Additional tags will be $5.00. Anyone who wishes to pick up that does not have a car rider number issued will be required to park and walk-up to sign their child(ren) out. Please be sure to have your government issued identification available.

School policy states that no cell phones, smartwatches may be used from the start of the day until the end of the day (bell to bell). Students must stow away, in their backpacks, any cell phone, smartwatch, or ear buds that have bluetooth capabilities between 8:25 am-3:30pm. The electronic device should be set to “silent” while in the student’s backpack. Please reference C.12 in the Student Code of Conduct for more information.

We have great news! ALL students at Spotswood Elementary School will receive free breakfast and lunch for the 2025-2026 school year!! Extras, like ice cream, chips, cookies, and juice, will still be available for an additional fee.

If you plan to come eat lunch with your child, please be aware that you will need to sign in at the office first and get a Visitor's Badge. You will need a government issued ID in order to receive a pass. Unfortunately, adults do not qualify for free lunch.

Vision Statement: At Spotswood, every child is seen, supported, and inspired to reach their full potential—building the confidence, compassion, and curiosity to thrive in school and beyond.

Email: jsotzing@spotsylvania.k12.va.us
Website: https://wwww.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/o/spotswood
Location: 400 Lorraine Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Phone: 540-898-1514
Twitter: @SpotswoodElem