News from the Nest

We had another busy and exciting week of learning at Rockledge!

Family Engagement Night

Thank you to all the families who attended our first Family Engagement Night on Wednesday! Families received an informative overview of our reading and math programs, assessments, and resources to support learning at home. All students will be receiving 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 in November.

School Advisory Council (SAC) & PTO Meetings

Our first School Advisory Council (SAC) and PTO meetings will be held on Thursday evening. We encourage all families to consider joining one—or both—of these important groups.

To make participation easier, both meetings are held on the same evening each month, making it just a one-evening-per-month commitment.

At our September SAC meeting, we will discuss our School Continuous Improvement Plan. SAC also provides an opportunity for families to ask questions, share ideas, and discuss topics that are important to our school community. We hope you'll join us and become an active partner in helping Rockledge continue to grow and succeed.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

From now through October 15, we will celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month through special events and activities that honor the histories, cultures, achievements, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Our Events Committee is planning exciting spirit days and our annual Hispanic Heritage Parade.

Eagle of the Month

This Friday, we will hold our first Eagle of the Month ceremony! One student from each classroom, along with students from Art, Music, PE, and Library, will be recognized for consistently demonstrating our SOAR expectations through their behavior, character, and effort. Parents of recognized students will receive an invitation to attend and celebrate this special accomplishment. Our SOAR Student Expectations are available on our website under About Our School → Student Expectations, or by clicking here. We encourage you to review these expectations with your child so we can continue working together to build a positive school culture.

Back-to-School Night – Thursday, October 1st

Please join us for Back-to-School Night! This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about your child's classroom, curriculum, and expectations for the school year.

Schedule:

Kindergarten–2nd Grade

• 5:30–5:45 p.m. – Principal Welcome (Cafeteria)
• 5:45–6:15 p.m. – Classroom Presentations

Grades 3–5

• 6:15–6:30 p.m. – Principal Welcome (Cafeteria)
• 6:30–7:00 p.m. – Classroom Presentations

Teachers will provide an overview of instruction and classroom routines. Families will also have an opportunity to sign up for individual parent-teacher conferences. Please note that Back-to-School Night is designed to provide information for all families. Individual conferences will be scheduled separately to discuss your child's specific progress and needs.

Boosterthon is Coming!

We're excited to announce that Boosterthon is just around the corner!

Registration is now open at MyBooster.com.

Our goal this year is to raise $15,000 to support:

• New playground enhancements, including much-needed shade structures
• Field trips
• School assemblies
• Teacher classroom grants
• PTO-sponsored programs that benefit our students

Important Dates:

• Kickoff: September 29
• Fun Run: October 9

Our PTO is also looking for volunteers to help on Fun Run day. More information will be shared at Thursday evening's PTO meeting. Thank you in advance for supporting this exciting fundraiser!

Arrival & Dismissal Reminders

As we begin our fourth week of school, we'd like to share a few reminders to help ensure that arrival and dismissal continue to run safely and efficiently.

Vehicle Traffic

• Please enter and exit the front bus loop in the designated direction.
• Do not enter through the exit as this creates conflicts with bus traffic.

TAG Pick-Up

During afternoon TAG dismissal, please use the sidewalk to your right and continue around the sidewalk to your destination. We realize this may require a few extra steps, but this traffic pattern helps keep pedestrians moving safely in the same direction as vehicles while students are loading buses.

If you need to cross between the island and the building, please use the designated crosswalk. For everyone's safety, please do not walk between buses or cross the bus loop anywhere other than the crosswalk.

Neighbor Parking Lot

Our neighbors across the street have asked us to remind families to drive slowly and carefully when using their parking lot. Thank you for helping us be good neighbors and for keeping everyone safe.

Bus Safety Expectations

A safe and respectful bus environment helps ensure that every student arrives at and leaves school safely each day. Please review these expectations with your child:

• Follow the bus driver's directions at all times.
• Remain seated and face forward while the bus is moving.
• Keep hands, feet, and belongings to yourself.
• Use respectful language and appropriate voice levels.
• Refrain from horseplay, throwing objects, or any behavior that distracts the driver or creates an unsafe environment.
• Respect school property and the property of others.

Thank you for partnering with us to reinforce these expectations. Working together helps ensure that every student has a safe, orderly, and positive experience each day.

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

The Week Ahead:

Monday (Day 0):
~ No School for Yom Kippur

Wishing everyone observing Yom Kippur a day of reflection, peace, and renewal.

Tuesday (Day 1):

~ Wear your NEST shirt or color

Wednesday (Day 2):

~

Thursday (Day 3):

~ Bus Evacuation Dill during arrival
~ School Advisory Meeting 5:15pm

~ PTO Meeting 6:00pm

Friday (Day 4):
~ Wear Spirit Wear or Green&Gold

~ Eagle of the Month Ceremony

Beyond the Week:

• September 15-October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
• October 1: Back to School Night 5:30-7pm
• October 2: Candy donations begin for Trunk or Treat
• 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

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). Please click on the link below. Several of our newsletters are "Under Construction" and will be added in this week. Thank you for your patience as we get this up and running for the year.

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. Godette

1st Grade: Ms. Peterson

2nd Grade: Ms. Scott

3rd Grade: Ms. Dookie

4th Grade: Ms. Davis-Patterson

5th Grade: Ms. Swiggum and Ms. Cai

Multi-Grade: Ms. Hester

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.

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 first meeting of the year will be on Thursday, September 24th 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 first meeting of the year will be Thursday, September 24th at 5:15pm in the conference room.

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: Support Learning at Home - Come See What's New in English Language Arts and Math

6:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – Live Zoom Webinar

Target Audience: All PWCS students and families

Join us on Thursday, September 17, for a webinar designed to help families better understand how reading and math learning is supported in Prince William County Public Schools.

During this session, families will learn about the Star Reading assessment, including what students can expect, how the assessment measures reading growth, and how teachers use the results to support instruction and monitor progress. Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, Star Reading will be administered to students in grades 3-8 and will continue for students in grades 9-11.

Families will also gain an understanding of math instruction and assessment in PWCS and learn practical ways to support learning at home. Participants will leave with strategies, tips, and resources to help strengthen reading and math skills, build confidence, and support their students’ academic success throughout the school year.

Presenters for this session: Marisa Miranda, Supervisor of Elementary English Language Arts and Literacy; Carla Drew, Supervisor of Secondary English Language Arts and Literacy; Dr. Christopher Latham, Supervisor of Elementary Mathematics; and Dr. Justin Maffei, Supervisor of Secondary Mathematics, with Prince William County Public Schools

All requests for language accommodations are due by September 14, 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.