December 17, 2025 | Issue 17
Important Upcoming Dates
December 19: Last day of School before Winter Break
December 20-January 4: Schools Closed, Winter Break
January 5: School Resumes
Mantua's FIRST Lego Team Qualified for the State Championship
Congratulations to the Mantua Students heading to the FIRST Lego League State Championship at JMU!
Mantua’s FIRST Lego League Team, the Potomac PyRitz, competed against 12 other teams at the Virginia/DC FIRST Lego League regional qualifier at Hayfield Secondary School on December 13th and earned a place at the State Championships at James Madison University in January.
They won 1st place for their Innovation Project and placed 3rd overall in the Robot Game! Congratulations to Kavya Madala, Karri Hu, Franklin Reyher, Robbie Schweighart, and Ian Wilhelm. Join us in wishing the Potomac PyRitz the very best as they prepare to compete at JMU with top teams across Virginia and D.C.!
Food Drive Results
Thank you for stocking the Mantua food pantry and helping families in need!
With all the help and support from families, caregivers, staff, and teachers, we had the opportunity to give:
- 16 food bags for Thanksgiving
- 24 bags with toys, food, and gift card donations for Winter Break
We received more than 350 pounds of rice, flour/beans/maseca, and pancake mix; approximately 1,300 cans of food (vegetables, beans, soups, fruit cups, tuna, chicken, oatmeal, cereal, condiments, etc.); plus $940 in gift cards.
|
Mantua PTA Reflections Art Contest Results
The results are in! Please join us in congratulating our Mantua PTA Reflections Art Contest finalists.
Visual Arts:
- Primary Division, 1st Place: Sian Lee, 2nd Grade | 2nd Place: Sage Collins, 1st Grade | 3rd Place: Matthew Spence, 2nd Grade
- Intermediate Division, 1st Place: Daniel Tran, 5th Grade | Sophia Rhee, 3rd Grade | Ron Moses, 5th Grade
- Middle School Division, 1st Place: Cora Klaus, 6th Grade | 2nd Place: Reenad Refaat, 6th Grade
Photography:
- 1st Place: Ela Patel, 6th Grade
Film Production:
- 1st Place: Charlotte Tembreull, 3rd Grade
Dance Choreography:
- 1st Place: Priscilla Wang, 5th Grade
Music Composition:
- Primary Division, 1st Place: Avery Moore, 2nd Grade
- Middle School Division, 1st Place: Eloise Painter, 6th Grade | 2nd Place: Samantha Bester, 6th Grade
Literature:
- Primary Division, 1st Place: Louis McCarthy, 1st Grade
- Intermediate Division, 1st Place: Leya Patel, 4th Grade
- Middle School Division, 1st Place: Simran Shah, 6th Grade | 2nd Place: Joanna Halper, 6th Grade
All first place winners will be advancing to the Fairfax County Council PTA level. We wish them all the best in the next round of the competition.
We will be holding a showcase and recognition event for all participating artists in January. Please join us on Wednesday, January 14th at 6pm in the Cafeteria to take a look at all the amazing entries and to congratulate the artists on their excellent work!
A big thank you to all the artists who submitted entries this year! You all are wonderfully talented and should be very proud of your submissions!
Winter Volunteer Camp January 29-30
Fairfax County Public Schools are closed on January 29-30, 2026 — making this the perfect opportunity for kids ages 6-12 to volunteer in our community. Winter Volunteer Camp includes service projects, guest speakers, crafts, games, and more.
Volunteer service projects may include:
- Packing snack packs for the food-insecure
- Making art kits for children in the hospital
- Making toys and blankets for animal shelters
Fees: $270/one child, $480/two siblings, $730/three siblings
This camp sells out every year and is limited to 24 attendees. Register here: https://kidsgiveback.networkforgood.com/events/93765-winter-volunteer-camp
|
Mantua Science Fair
Mantua’s Science and Engineering Fair is back for another year! It will be held Friday, March 13 at our school.
We can’t wait to see the students' projects this year! Not competing? Come check out the great projects or volunteer to judge.
Register by February 23.
Access more information here, register your student here, and register to judge here.
Questions? Contact sciencefair@mantuapta.org
Yearbook Orders
Mantua yearbooks for the 25-26 school year are now available to order. All orders are done online and cost $20.
https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/clients/mantua-elementary-school/2025-2026-yearbook-210/access?clearSessionAuthentication=1
The final day to order is April 10th. Please direct all questions to Kate Easton at kjeaston@fcps.edu
Join the PTA!
Help support our students and teachers.
YEARLY DUES are only $20 per family.
Please visit MantuaPTA.com to sign up.
Dues are $20 per family and get you discounts on PTA-sponsored clubs. Our dues fully support our free programs so that every penny of our fundraisers goes right back into the classrooms.
Follow us on Facebook to get the inside scoop on all our events and programs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MantuaPTA/
|
How to Submit an Announcement to the PTA News
Please complete this form to have a Mantua ES- or Mantua PTA-related announcement placed in the weekly Mantua PTA News, on our Facebook page, and/or on MantuaPTA.org.
The form guides you through all the pieces of information we need to put out complete announcements.
|
|
