Dear Parents and Students,

The month of May promises to be a very busy month at Sycolin

Creek Elementary School. It’s hard to believe we are in the last

quarter of the school year!

First, during the week of May 1st, we will celebrate Teacher

Appreciation Week. This is a great time to send your child’s

teacher(s) a note or kind words to show them how much you

appreciate their hard work and dedication to our students.

Additionally, our first grade classes will be performing their

musical on Thursday, May 25th! It promises to be an exciting

evening.

Next, for many of our students in grades 3 through 5, the months

of May and June will be focused on the successful completion of

various Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments.

Please make every effort to ensure that our students arrive to

school well rested and on time each morning. Also, please

consult with your child’s teacher about any questions related to

the SOL test schedule.

Last, as the school year nears its close and the spring weather

brings with it many exciting extracurricular activities, I look

forward to your continued support to make the fourth quarter

productive for our students. While our staff will be sensitive to

the many commitments that students will be taking advantage of

during this time of the year, please make sure that your child is

completing the assignments that are sent home as they are

necessary to reinforce classroom instruction. Further, please

consistently check your child’s homework assignments so that

he/she is prepared for school each day.

As always, thank you for all that you do in partnership with us to

provide a meaningful and high quality educational experience for

your child.

Sincerely,

Derek Racino

Principal

Vol. 10 No. 9

May/June 2017

Upcoming Events

May 2017

5/1-5/6 – Teacher Appreciation Week

5/1 – 3rd Grade Field Trip

5/2 – PTA Staff Breakfast

5/3 – 1st Grade Field Trip

5/3 – 5th Grade Panoramic Picture, 12:00 pm

5/6 – Spring Carnival, 11:00 am

8 – SOL Testing Begins

9 – PTA Meeting, 7:00 pm

10 – National School Nurse’s Day

12 – DARE Graduation, 9:00 am

14 – Mother’s Day

16 – Muffins for Mom A-H, 7:15 am

17 – Muffins for Mom I-P, 7:15 am

17 – Interims Distributed

18 – Muffins for Mom Q-Z, 7:15 am

20 – Kids Connect 5K & Fun Run, 6:00 pm

25 – 1st Grade Show, 1:45 pm & 6:30 pm

29 – Memorial Day Holiday

June 2017

1 – Kindergarten Field Day

2 – Field Day for Grades 1-5

3 – Chorus Field Trip to Fort McHenry

6 – PTA Meeting, 7:00 pm

8 – 5th Grade Transition Ceremony, 9:00 am

8 – 5th Grade Farewell, 11:30 am

9 – Last Day of School

15 – Report Cards Mailed

18 – Father’s Day

See On-Line Calendar for Additional

Activity Dates and Times

If due to a disability, you need assistance to enable you to participate meaningfully in any activity at

Sycolin Creek Elementary, please contact Derek Racino at 571-252-2910,

at least five working days prior to the event.

Principal’s Corner

THE21100 Evergreen Mills Road

Leesburg, Virginia 20175

571.252.2910

Home of the

Salamanders

The art star classes are...

1st grade - Mrs. Jordan's class

2nd grade - Mrs. Winn's class

3rd grade - Mrs. Parr's class

4th grade - Mrs. Forrester's class

5th grade - Mrs. Bigney's class

The kids are doing some fantastic things in the art

room. Printmaking and weaving seems to be

prominent themes in the art room lately. Fifth

graders are just starting 3D weaving; just another

way to say we are weaving baskets. When they

come home, parents can stain them, I suggest a

water based stain for easier cleanup.

Other grade levels will be working on painting this

month. We are really going to focus on brush

maintenance and control. As always, thank you for

supporting Sycolin Creek's art program.

Thank you to all of the parents that were able to join us

for the Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast! We want you

to know how much we truly appreciate all the volunteer

work that you do at Sycolin Creek. We would not be

the great school that we are without our wonderful

parent community. The countless hours that you

volunteer make a difference for all of our children.

MSAAC Committee Information

MSAAC, The Minority Student

Achievement Advisory Committee, works

in partnership with Loudoun County Public

Schools staff, parents and community to

further academic, social and cultural

development of every student and to

ensure that the needs of all minority

students are met. The group meets at the

LCPS Admin. Building on the third

Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m.

All meetings are open to the public. The

upcoming agenda and the minutes of

previous meetings are posted on the

school system website at www.lcps.org

under the “School Board” button and

“Committees” selection option.

Standards of Learning (SOL) Testing

Schedule

Our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders will be participating in the

2017 Standards of Learning Assessment Program from

May 8th through May 31st. Please see the attached

calendar for more specific SOL times by class.

Sports Shorts!! P.E. Highlights

PE Star Salamanders for the month of April:

5th grade – Cora Wildman & Johnny Kilbey

4th grade – Anvitha Tumati & Abhinav Pinisetti

3rd grade – Samantha Schaefer & Gavin Smith

2nd grade – Sarah Juban & Cooper White

1st grade – Samantha Watson & Joel Coulombe

PE Star Classes for the month of April – Mrs.

Albecker’s 1st Grade Class and Ms. Kenny’s 5th

Grade Class.

Art Stars for the Month of April Volunteer Breakfast

Health Clinic Reminders

1. Please make sure to pickup all medication from the clinic prior

to the conclusion of the last day of school. Virginia State Law

requires that schools destroy any leftover medication after the

students leave for the year. The new order forms/action plan

for the 2017-18 school year can be accessed through LCPS

website.

2. Tdap Reminder – All rising 6th graders will be required to have

their Tdap vaccine before they begin middle school in the fall.

Parent letters have been created by the health office and

these documents were sent home on Friday, April 28th. Also,

you are encouraged to speak with your primary care physician

about any specific questions and/or concerns that you may

have regarding the vaccine.

Music News

Congratulations to the Sycolin Creek Singers for a fabulous concert last night! A special thank you to Mr. Blanks

for his help with chorus and especially All County Chorus and Mr. Ogden for his wonderful accompaniment on

piano. On April 22nd, the All-County Chorus members, Sela Campbell, Anthony Dimitriou, Emily Buckwalter

and Gracelyn Daniel, performed along with about 180 other 5th graders at Briar Woods High School. They and

our All County Team CJ Sledjeski, Olivia Kerr, Om Shah, Allie Adamson, Landon Smith, Samantha Simons,

and Scarlett Roberto, have been practicing each week since February and were featured at the chorus concert

on April 27th. Fifth grade students will be performing for their DARE Graduation on May 12th.

First grade has begun to prepare for their patriotic program which will be on May 25th. Parents, your first graders

should be able to tell you what patriotism is all about! Second Grade students visited the Kennedy Center for a

Young People’s Concert with the National Symphony Orchestra. Third grade students have been learning the

names of the notes on the treble clef staff and playing pieces on xylophones based on a program called Mr.

Everybody. Please remind your fourth and fifth grade students that recorder is a very important part of their grade.

They need to have their music and recorder for every music class and they should be practicing at home.

We hope you are able to join us for the Frederick Keys Baseball Game on April 30th. The Sycolin Creek Singers

will be singing the National Anthem that day. The Sycolin Creek Singers will also be taking a field trip to Fort

McHenry in Baltimore, where the Star Spangled Banner was written.

Our Rock Star Music Classes for April are:

1st Grade – Mrs. Diehl; 2nd Grade – Ms. Kulak; 3rd Grade – Mrs. Darlington; 4th Grade – Mrs. Bowman; 5th

Grade – Ms. Jorden

Wild About Reading Summer Incentive

Get “Wild About Reading”! this summer by participating in Sycolin Creek’s

summer reading incentive program! Watch for the packet to come home during

the first week of June. Return the summer reading logs at the beginning of

school in the fall to be included in the special celebration and drawing for prizes.

Hope you go “wild” reading this summer!

Cafeteria Update – Field Day

Our school Field Day is coming soon. On Field Day our cafeteria will serve the following menu.

Hot dog on bun or Sunbutter and jelly sandwich

Baby carrots

Sliced apples

Juice carton

Milk

Water

A letter was sent home on Friday, April 28th asking you to mark what your child will be doing for lunch on Field

Day. Please return the letter by Friday, May 12th. Thank you!

News from SEARCH

Want to Play? Want to Invent?

With Summer right around the corner and students able to have more free time, I am sharing some

information this month about children and creative play. Have fun!

What inspires inventors? Many inventors talk about playing as children when they are asked about their

inspiration. They frequently share childhood play experiences that include: mechanical tinkering, fiddling with

construction toys, reflecting about nature, and drawing or engaging in visual modeling. Inventors seem to value the

skills developed by play and keep using them as part of their working lives. It is interesting to note the correlation

between the playful approaches of creative adults and the four types of play generally recognized by child

development experts:

Exploration/tinkering. This type of play involves experimenting with materials and pushing the limits to

consider a wide range of solutions to a problem. Play of this kind often incorporates asking questions such as

“What happens when I do this?” and “What if I did it this way?”

Make believe/visual thinking. This type of play allows the use of imagination to generate original solutions to

questions.

Social play/collaboration. Play of this kind reinforces sharing, taking turns, communication skills, and

appropriate group behavior. Play in this area also gives one the opportunity to discuss and test his/her new

ideas.

Puzzle play/problem solving. Play of this kind helps to strengthen one’s ability to recognize and understand

categories, patterns, and associations. These skills are used to find a single solution to a problem or to

approach a problem from a new perspective.

TEST TAKING TIPS

Our students will be taking many tests over the next several weeks. Here are some tried-and-true tips to help get

your child ready for these tests.

1. Have a Positive Attitude - Approach the big test as you'd approach a giant jigsaw puzzle. It might be tough, but

you can do it! A positive attitude goes a long way toward success.

2. Get your Sleep! - Make sure you get a good night's sleep before a test. Really! This can make a big difference!

3. Eat a Good Breakfast - Make sure you eat properly the day of a test.

4. Have the Tools You Need - Take your pencils, erasers, bottle of water….whatever your teacher has told you to

have. In fact, why not take a couple of extras? Be prepared!

5. Be On Time - Tests days are days when you especially want to be on time for school. Even get there a little early

if you can. There’s nothing that can get you flustered more than running late.

6. Listen and Read - Remember to listen carefully to the instructions from the teacher and to read the directions and

each question carefully.

7. Don’t Get Stuck - If you get stuck on a question, just make your best guess and move on. Don’t spend too much

time on any one question. Try to finish as many questions as you can and try not to leave any answers blank.

8. Use the Process of Elimination - The process of elimination can help you choose the correct answer in a multiple-

choice question. Start by mentally crossing off the answers that couldn't be right and then decide which of the

remaining choices is probably right.

9. Double-Check - If you finish before time is up, go back to make sure you didn’t leave anything out. Was something

particularly hard for you? Go back and look at that problem again more carefully this time. Even if other people finish

early, you should use all the time you are allowed to work on your test.

10. Relax! - If you did the best you could, then relax and go enjoy the rest of the day!

Parent Survey Results

Below are results from our Parent Survey that was taken earlier in the school year. We want to thank you for

your participation in this survey and all of the results, as well as both the commendations and recommendations

in the comment’s section. The results will be reviewed by our school staff and utilized during our next School

Improvement Plan workshop. Thank you all for partnering with us in your child’s education. Your support and

participation in our school means a lot to us and we truly appreciate all that you do to support Sycolin Creek ES.

Sincerely,

Derek Racino

Sycolin Creek ES Odyssey of the Mind World Finals 2017

The “Runaway Rebels”, an Odyssey of the Mind team from Sycolin Creek

has continued to perform amazingly well! They won 1st place at the

regional level and competed against teams from all across Virginia to win

their way to the 2017 World Finals at Michigan State University for their

problem and division!

They will now be one of 30 teams to represent Virginia at the World

Finals! At the finals, there will be more than 800 teams from all across the

US and up to 25 foreign countries! This is an incredible opportunity for the

kids to be able to take problem-solving skills to the next level, meet and

interact with foreign teams, and experience a little of their cultures, all

while continuing to develop crucial skills such as: teamwork, creative

thinking, time management, leadership, problem solving and more! We

wish you all the best of luck!

The team members are:

Riddhi Chappali Luca Jungkeit Ranveer Kataria

Arshia Nalla Rahul Patel Naeva Shah

Ava Woehr

Parent Survey Results – Highlights of Parent Comments

• Providing opportunities for parents to be involved. Parents are welcome to be part of the school and

encouraged to do so. They also provide the students with high expectations for behavior and respect for

each other.

• They recognize each student and greet them each day. They make you feel welcome.

• Safe caring environment. Great teachers. Terrific communication. High expectations for behavior.

• The school provides access to quality education. The teachers are professional and creative in their

teaching methods. The use of PBS is helpful in creating a positive and respectful environment. The students

are held to a high standard. The administration makes every attempt to keep class size small and has been

successful at doing so. Thank you to the administration and staff for smoothly operating the school and

caring for the students.

• They do school 'right'. The school is very welcoming, the secretaries are fantastic and every staff member

says hello.

• The staff at Sycolin Creek do an exceptional job of caring for the students. It is evident that teachers and

administration truly care about the kids in their school.

• Our teacher is very communicative with parents and always offers feedback regarding his academic

progress in addition to other feedback. Mr. Racino is responsive to feedback and provides prompt replies

regarding any potential issue! The PTA is well organized and provides many opportunities for involvement.

• Welcoming staff. My child's teacher encourages parental involvement. She has high expectations for

learning and behavior, but also enjoys the children and seems to enjoy teaching. A safe, secure and caring

place for children to learn every day.

2017 SCES Field Day Volunteers Needed

KINDERGARTEN FIELD DAY

Major League BaseballTHURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017

RAIN OR SHINE

Field Day is an exciting day for the students, which provides them the opportunity to participate in fun,

organized activities, and games. We need many volunteers to run these activities. We accept all

volunteers. If you would like to volunteer to run a station, please complete the information below, and

return this sheet to your child’s teacher by Friday, May 26th. You will receive a form to confirm your

volunteer position (reminder) on Friday, May 26th. Your attention will need to be focused on running your

assigned activity; so, younger siblings will not be allowed to join you while you volunteer. If it rains, it will

be inside the gym.

Parent Name ____________________________________

Child’s Name(s) ____________________________

Classroom Teacher _________________________

I can volunteer (please check)

__________ A.M. Shift (8:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.)

__________ P.M. Shift (11:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.)

2017 SCES Field Day Volunteers Needed

KINDERGARTEN FIELD DAY

Major League BaseballTHURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2017

RAIN OR SHINE

Field Day is an exciting day for the students, which provides them the opportunity to participate in fun,

organized activities, and games. We need many volunteers to run these activities. We accept all

volunteers. If you would like to volunteer to run a station, please complete the information below, and

return this sheet to your child’s teacher by Friday, May 26th. You will receive a form to confirm your

volunteer position (reminder) on Friday, May 26th. Your attention will need to be focused on running your

assigned activity; so, younger siblings will not be allowed to join you while you volunteer. If it rains, it will

be inside the gym.

Parent Name ____________________________________

Child’s Name(s) ____________________________

Classroom Teacher _________________________

I can volunteer (please check)

__________ A.M. Shift (8:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.)

__________ P.M. Shift (11:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.)

2017 SCES Field Day Volunteers NeededGrades 1 – 5

Major League BaseballFriday, June 2, 2017

Rain date – Monday, June 5, 2017

Field Day is an exciting day for the students, which provides them the opportunity to participate in fun, organized

activities, and games. We need many volunteers to run these activities. We accept all volunteers. If you would

like to volunteer to run a station, please complete the information below, and return this sheet to your child’s

teacher by Friday, May 26th. You will receive a form to confirm your volunteer position (reminder) on Friday,

May 26th. Your attention will need to be focused on running your assigned activity; so, younger siblings will not

be allowed to join you while you volunteer.

Parent Name: _______________________________________________________

Child’s Name: ________________________________________________________

Child’s Teacher: ______________________________________________________

Other siblings and their teacher in grades 1-5: ____________________________________________________

I can volunteer (please check)

__________ AM Shift (8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.)

__________ PM Shift (11:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.)

__________ All Day

__________ Rain date _________AM _________PM

2017 SCES Field Day Volunteers NeededGrades 1 – 5

Major League BaseballFriday, June 2, 2017

Rain date – Monday, June 5, 2017

Field Day is an exciting day for the students, which provides them the opportunity to participate in fun, organized

activities, and games. We need many volunteers to run these activities. We accept all volunteers. If you would

like to volunteer to run a station, please complete the information below, and return this sheet to your child’s

teacher by Friday, May 26th. You will receive a form to confirm your volunteer position (reminder) on Friday,

May 26th. Your attention will need to be focused on running your assigned activity; so, younger siblings will not

be allowed to join you while you volunteer.

Parent Name: _______________________________________________________

Child’s Name: ________________________________________________________

Child’s Teacher: ______________________________________________________

Other siblings and their teacher in grades 1-5: ____________________________________________________

I can volunteer (please check)

__________ AM Shift (8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.)

__________ PM Shift (11:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.)

__________ All Day

__________ Rain date _________AM _________PM