News from the Nest

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

This week, students participated in grade-level Code of Behavior assemblies. These presentations reinforced PWCS and Rockledge expectations while helping students understand how we work together to create a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment. Congratulations to the classes that have already earned a celebration by collecting 10 eggs for demonstrating "egg-cellent" behavior! We are so proud of our students for making positive choices each day.

Back to School Bash

Our amazing PTO is putting the finishing touches on our annual Back to School Bash on Friday, September 11, from 5:30–7:00 p.m. We hope you'll join us for an evening of fun, community, and connection with fellow Rockledge families.

To help ensure a safe event for everyone, please remember:

• No bikes, scooters, or motorized devices are permitted on school grounds during the event.
• Parents and guardians must remain with their child(ren) throughout the evening. This is not a drop-off event.

Thank you for helping us create a safe and enjoyable experience for all!

Family Engagement Night

We are excited to launch Family Engagement Nights at Rockledge this year! These evenings will focus on the Virginia Standards of Learning across content areas while providing families with practical strategies and free resources to support learning at home.

Our first Rockledge Family Engagement Night will be held on Wedesday, September 16, from 5:30–6:30 p.m. Please register by clicking here. We hope you'll join us for this informative evening and take home valuable learning resources!

Kindergarten Color Days

Thank you to everyone who helped celebrate our kindergarten students by wearing red, orange, yellow, and green this week! Color Days continue next week, and students in all grade levels are welcome to join the fun by wearing the featured color each day.

Labor Day Reminder

Please remember that there is no school on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day. We wish all of our Rockledge families a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable long weekend with family and friends.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We look forward to another fantastic week of learning!

The Week Ahead:

Monday (Day 0):
~ No School for Labor Day

Tuesday (Day 4):

~ Wear BLUE

Wednesday (Day 5):

~ Wear PURPLE

Thursday (Day 6):
~ Wear PINK

Friday (Day 1):
~ Wear Spirit Wear or Green and Gold or BLACK

~ PTO Back to School Bash 5:30-7pm

Beyond the Week:

• September 16: Family Engagement Night at RKES 5:30-6:30pm
• September 21: No School for Yom Kippur
• September 24: First SAC and PTO Meetings
• September 25: Eagle of the Month Ceremony (by invitation only)
• October 1: Back to School Night 5:30-7pm
• October 2: Candy donations begin for Trunk or Treat
• October 15: SAC Meeting 5:15-6 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. Simpson

2nd Grade: Ms. Scott

3rd Grade: Ms. Dookie and Ms. Renteria

4th Grade: Ms. Brown

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.

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.

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.

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: Supporting Every Student - Understanding PWCS Child Find and the Parent Resource Center Services 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, 2026 – Live Zoom Webinar

Target Audience: All PWCS students and families. Join us on Thursday, September 10, for an informative webinar to learn about Prince William County Schools’ (PWCS) Child Find and the many resources available through the PWCS Parent Resource Center. During this session, families will learn how PWCS identifies and supports students who may need special education services, including the steps for referrals, evaluations, and available supports. We will also introduce the Parent Resource Center and the programs, workshops, educational materials, and community resources available to help students succeed at home, in school, and in the community.

Presenters for this session: Shelley Legall-Brickey, Supervisor of Eligibility and Child Find, and Eleanor Contreras, Coordinator of the Parent Resource Center and Family Engagement, with Prince William County Public Schools. All requests for language accommodations are due by September 7, 2026.

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.