The Panda Periodical

Melissa Maestle, Principal

Shane Campbell, Assistant Principal

Frederick Douglass Elementary School

100 W. Cedarmeade Ave.

Winchester, Va 22655

ph. 540-662-7656

September

Week of August 31st - September 4th

9/4 - No School - Teacher Professional Development Day

We will have our first lockdown drill this week.

Week of September 7th - September 11th

9/7 - No School - Labor Day

9/10 - Fourth Grade Parent Night

Week of September 14th - September 18th

9/15 - Fall Picture Day

Welcome to another fantastic week at FDES! This week, we are highlighting one of the most important (and fun!) parts of our students' day: recess. Below you will see some wonderful pictures of our Pandas enjoying the sunshine on both our PreK/Kindergarten playground and the 1st through 4th-grade playground!

While it might look like just fun and games, recess is actually serious business when it comes to child development. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasize that daily recess is essential to a child's overall health and development.

Here is what the research says about why we prioritize this daily break for our students:

• Brain Boosting: Taking time to mentally decompress actually refreshes the brain. Studies show that after recess, students are more attentive, focused, and better able to perform cognitively in the classroom.

• Building Social Skills: Unstructured play is critical for healthy social development. When students interact on the playground, they are practicing vital, lifelong skills like sharing, cooperation, negotiation, and conflict resolution.

• Physical Health: Giving children the freedom to run, climb, and jump helps them build stronger bodies and counterbalances the sedentary time spent sitting at their desks.

• Stress Relief: Recess provides a much-needed outlet for students to release pent-up energy and tension. Active free play has been shown to reduce daily stress and foster emotional self-control.

Because of these incredible, research-backed benefits, the AAP considers recess to be a child's personal time—an essential period that should never be withheld for academic reasons. We are so proud to watch our FDES Pandas grow, learn, and play every single day!

Mark your calendars, FDES families! Fall Picture Day for all of our Pandas is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15th.

This is the perfect time to start picking out those favorite outfits and practicing those big smiles! These photos will be used for our annual school yearbook, and families will have the opportunity to purchase picture packages to share with loved ones.

What you need to know:

• Date: Tuesday, September 15th

• Who: All FDES students

• Next Steps: Be on the lookout for order forms and more detailed purchasing information coming home in your student's folder as we get closer to the big day!

Welcome to another great week at Frederick Douglass Elementary! We are so incredibly proud of the hard work and focus our students are showing in their classrooms.

As we continue our focus on attendance this year, we want to talk about how important our morning routines are. Morning drop off begins at 7:30 am, giving students plenty of time to grab breakfast, say hello to friends, and settle in before instruction officially starts. The very first few minutes of the school day are crucial. This is when our classes hold their morning meetings, build a sense of community, and introduce the foundational reading and math concepts for the day.

Did you know? Arriving just 10 minutes late to school each day adds up to more than 30 hours of lost instructional time over the year. That is almost an entire week of missed learning!

When students arrive on time, they step into the classroom feeling confident, connected, and unhurried. They don't have to play catch-up, and they get to experience the full benefit of the day's lessons.

We know that mornings at home can be hectic and unpredictable! If your family is experiencing barriers with transportation, sleep schedules, or establishing a smooth morning routine, please reach out to us. We are here to partner with you, share strategies, and help ensure your student can start every single day strong.

Thank you for everything you do to make every minute count for our students!

We have updated our method for reporting student absences to make it more streamlined for our families! Moving forward, all absences will need to be reported directly through the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

Here is a quick guide on how to use the new system:

How to Report an Absence:

• Step 1: Sign in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal, choose your student's name at the top, and select "Attendance Monitor" on the left side of your screen.

• Step 2: On the "Report Attendance" tab, click the button that says "Report New Attendance."

• Step 3: Choose the absence date or range of dates.

• Step 4: Indicate whether the student will miss the full day or part of the day.

• Step 5: Select the reason for the absence, provide a brief explanation, and click Submit.

A Few Important Notes:

• Advanced Notice: You may report a planned absence up to 20 days in advance.

• Late Notice: If you forgot to notify the school, you may submit an absence for up to the previous 3 days.

• Website Updates: The links on our school website have been updated to direct you straight to the portal!

• Language Options: Manual translations are currently available on the form, and automatic translation services will be added very soon. We have also attached a Spanish guide for our bilingual families!

Please reach out to the main office if you have any questions or issues logging into your PowerSchool account.

Hello and welcome back to school, FDES families! I am so excited to join the team this year to care for your amazing students. While I am new to school nursing, I have been a nurse for 12 years after earning my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania. Outside of the clinic, I love to read and spend time with my husband, our twin boys, and our two dogs! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns about your child’s health, please reach out to me via email at flaugha@wps.k12.va.us during school hours.

To help us kick off a safe and healthy year, please review these important Back-to-School Health Reminders:

• Medication Drop-Off: All prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications require appropriate parent/provider authorization. Parents must personally bring any needed medications directly to the clinic. All medicine must be in its original, clearly labeled bottle (OTC medications must be unopened).

• When to Stay Home: Please keep your student home if they have a fever (100°F or higher), vomiting or diarrhea, significant respiratory symptoms, or a contagious illness. A good rule of thumb: if your child feels too unwell to comfortably participate in school activities, they need to rest at home!

• Healthy Habits: Encourage your students to wash their hands frequently, cover coughs and sneezes, drink plenty of water, eat a nutritious breakfast, and bathe regularly.

• Mental & Emotional Wellness: Starting a new school year can be overwhelming, particularly for our preschoolers and kindergarteners. Encourage your child to talk to a trusted adult when they feel worried or frustrated. At home, please keep an eye out for any noticeable changes in their sleep, appetite, mood, behavior, or school performance.

Let's work together to make this a fantastic and healthy year for our Pandas!

Are you looking for a wonderful way to support our students, teachers, and school community? Consider joining the Frederick Douglass Elementary School PTO! Our Parent-Teacher Organization plays a vital role in organizing enriching events, supporting classroom needs, and building a strong, inclusive community of families and educators. Your ideas, time, and enthusiasm make a huge difference in enhancing our Pandas’ educational experience.

We welcome all voices and look forward to a fantastic year together. If you are interested in joining, learning more, or have any questions, please contact our PTO President, Amy Kump, through her email: amykump828@gmail.com. Let’s make FDES an amazing place!

We know your schedule is busy, so we’re making it easier to track WPS events. We have launched a live Division News page that captures school and community events in real-time.

Visit the WPS Division News Page

This link is your go-to for dates, deadlines, and division-wide announcements. Be on the lookout for the bi-weekly division newsletter for even deeper dives into community happenings!"