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August 28, 2028
Dear Waynewood Owls,
What a marvelous first week of school! Walking through the hallways and visiting classrooms over the past few days, my heart has been full seeing our bright-eyed Owls reconnect with friends, greet their teachers, and jump headfirst into learning. The energy, smiles, and enthusiasm across our building have set a wonderful tone for the year ahead.
Our main focus this week was building strong classroom communities and establishing safe, predictable routines. The students did a fantastic job learning their daily schedules, navigating the cafeteria, and practicing respectful hallway transitions. A huge shout out to our amazing teachers for all the hard work they put in this week to practice, practice, practice! We also successfully completed our very first fire drill of the school year. Our Owls listened so carefully, followed instructions quickly, and exited the building with great responsibility.
Safety is always our highest priority at Waynewood. To ensure everyone feels confident and prepared, we will continue practicing our routine safety procedures next week. Students will participate in a tornado drill, a lockdown drill, and another fire drill. We always talk through these exercises with gentle, reassuring language so our children feel safe and empowered rather than overwhelmed. Please note that our kindergartners will not participate in the lockdown drill, as they are still getting adjusted to school.
To celebrate our wonderful community and wrap up this exciting first week, we hope to see you all tonight at the Waynewood Family Picnic and Bike Safety Rodeo! The picnic is always one of my favorite traditions of the year. Bring your favorite picnic setup from home, or grab dinner from the delicious local food trucks that will be parked on site. Kids can bring their bikes to practice important safety skills with our community volunteers while parents relax and catch up.
Looking ahead, please mark your calendars for Back to School Night next week on Wednesday, September 2 at 6:00pm. This is an essential evening to connect with your child’s teacher, learn about classroom expectations, and discover how we can partner together to support your child's academic and growth this year. Additional details regarding specific session times can be found below this message.
Thank you for your trust, your enthusiasm, and your support as we kick off another inspiring year at Waynewood Elementary. We are so grateful for our incredible school family, and I know that together, we are going to make this a joyful, growth-filled year for every single child. Have a wonderful weekend, and I hope to see many of you tonight at the picnic!
Sincerely,
Katie Cachine, Principal
Alyssa Bonner, Assistant Principal
We distributed student ID cards to all our students who ride the school bus or use FCPS transportation services. Students will be bringing these home today.
ID cards should be worn or attached to your child’s backpack and brought to the bus each day.
Starting on Monday, students who have student ID cards should begin tapping as they board and exit the bus. Only students who use FCPS transportation services will be provided with a student ID card at this time.
We ask for your patience! Bus drivers are checking in students and may need some extra time at each bus stop while they do this. The transportation team is working hard to minimize any potential delays.
Learn more about the bus navigation and student ID cards.
Transportation Patience and Safety
Thank you for your patience as we all get used to new routines this school year. We appreciate our families following Kiss and Ride procedures and being patient while waiting for your child’s bus.
If your child’s bus is delayed, you may access the Bus Delay Notification System or use the Here Comes the Bus mobile app to receive the delayed bus report. Email messages will be sent to announce significant bus delays. Please contact the Transportation Office at [phone number] with any additional questions. For concerns after 5:30 p.m., contact the FCPS Office of Safety and Security at 571-423-2000.
Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE to make sure you receive email messages about bus delays.
We look forward to celebrating your child’s birthday with them. It is school policy that birthday treats need to be store bought, individually wrapped, and have clearly labeled ingredients. Non-food treats like special pencils, fidgets or stickers are also a preferred alternative that everyone can access. Birthday treats will be passed out at the end of the day.
Please do not send treats that do not meet that criteria. This includes donuts by the dozen, sheet cakes, and bakery cupcakes that are not individually wrapped. We are not able to pass these out, and they will be sent back home with your child. We do not want to disappoint anyone on their birthday, so please do not send these kinds of items.
Thank you for your help to ensure we can safely celebrate your child with their classmates.
We look forward to celebrating your child’s birthday with them. It is school policy that birthday treats need to be store bought, individually wrapped, and have clearly labeled ingredients. Non-food treats like special pencils, fidgets or stickers are also a preferred alternative that everyone can access. Birthday treats will be passed out at the end of the day.
Please do not send treats that do not meet that criteria. This includes donuts by the dozen, sheet cakes, and bakery cupcakes that are not individually wrapped. We are not able to pass these out, and they will be sent back home with your child. We do not want to disappoint anyone on their birthday, so please do not send these kinds of items.
Thank you for your help to ensure we can safely celebrate your child with their classmates.
Back to School Night will be on Wednesday, September 2 at 6:00 p.m. Due to the size of our school, this is a parent-only event.
There will be two sessions offered to accommodate families with multiple children (see schedule below). Back-to-School Night is a wonderful way to get to know your child’s teacher and learn about the classroom expectations and grade-level curriculum. We hope you will be able to join us! There will be limited parking available that night, so please consider walking if you are able.
Doors Open/Transition to Classroom: 6:00 pm-6:10 pm
Session 1: 6:10 pm-6:45 pm (recorded welcome message and teacher presentation)
Transition Time: 6:45 pm -6:55 pm
Session 2: 6:55 pm -7:20 pm (teacher presentation only)
Transition Out: 7:20-7:30 pm
Are you working your way through back-to-school forms and checklists? Make sure you have a SIS ParentVUE account for your family and log in to find important forms and updates.
- Be among the first to know about weather closings, bus delays, and other critical communications from your school and FCPS by providing your cell phone number and email in ParentVUE. To update your contact information in ParentVUE, click the “Online Packets” tab in the upper right of the screen, then click the “Online Verification/Update” icon.
- Submit daylong absences by clicking “Report Absence.”
If you do not have a ParentVUE account, contact Sherry Hope (chope@fcps.edu) for an activation code and follow the directions on the SIS ParentVUE Account webpage.
Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for all of us. We have a crisis management and emergency preparedness plan for our school that is reviewed and updated regularly. Our plan includes procedures on how to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Students and staff regularly practice these drills every school year. We also practice lockdown drills.
Virginia Law (22.1-137.2) requires schools to notify parents at least 24 hours before a school practices a lockdown drill. However, we are not required to share the exact date and time of the drill. We are required to practice lockdown drills two times a year. FCPS lockdown drills do not include any type of active shooter scenario training, they are instruction and classroom based.
We will conduct a lockdown drill at our school soon. Our kindergarten students are exempt from mandatory participation in lockdown drills during the first 60 days of the school year. They will participate in our second and final drill later this school year.
Additional information on our lockdown drill program to include parent tips and FAQs can be found on the Emergency Planning and Crisis Response web page. After reviewing this content, you should discuss the value of these safety drills with your child.
Keeping our school safe and secure for all students and staff involves the participation of the entire school community, and we thank you for your help to keep our school safe.
Remember to Complete Permission Forms for School Resources
Families can now easily grant consent for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. This online tool can be accessed using your SIS ParentVUE account login. Parents can easily opt their child in or out of a variety of resources, including online educational tools, school counseling services, and more.
Visit the Parent Digital Consent webpage to access the system. Watch this video to see how to use the tool.
Opt In or Out to Student Devices Being Sent Home for Grades 1-6
New this year, families can opt out of having student laptops sent home with their student.
- If you do not want your student to bring their FCPS-issued device home, please toggle the Opt Out button to a check mark and confirm by pressing Save Selection.
- If you would like your student to bring their FCPS device home, no toggle action is needed. Confirm by pressing Save Selection.
Students whose families opt out will continue to have access to an FCPS-issued device during the school day. Please reach out to your student’s teacher to understand expectations for homework and any learning activities that may require access to technology outside of the school day.
Students who are enrolled in 4th grade have the opportunity to sign up for VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO, or BASS in the Waynewood Strings program.
Students who are enrolled in 5th grade have the opportunity to sign up for VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO, or BASS in the Waynewood Strings program, OR they may sign up for FLUTE, CLARINET, ALTO SAXOPHONE, TRUMPET, FRENCH HORN, TROMBONE, or PERCUSSION with the Waynewood Band Program.
Students in 6th grade have the opportunity to sign up for the same strings instruments OR the same band instruments, with the addition of some of the more unique band instruments (OBOE, BASS CLARINET, TENOR SAXOPHONE, BARITIONE, TUBA).
***NEW THIS YEAR*** Students may NOT sign up for both band and strings. You must pick ONE.***
Students who join the band or strings will have group lessons once a week during the school day and will also perform in concerts with their group. To sign up for band OR strings, please use one of the links below:
BAND form link: https://forms.gle/fLLnEHgoUi2g7M8p9
STRINGS form link: https://forms.gle/v1xdxn7TKixP7GRW6
Visit our website for everything you need to stay up to date— www.waynewoodpta.org
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TONIGHT-PTA Family Picnic 5:30pm-7:30pm
Wednesday, September 2-Back to School Night 6:00pm-7:30pm
Wednesday, September 9-PTA Meeting 7:00pm
Thursday, September 10-New Families and Military Parent Coffee 9:30am
Friday, September 18-Fall Picture Day
Friday, September 25-Jog-A-Thon
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