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Hello McNair Upper Families,
As promised, pictured above are the five winning doors from our winter holiday door decorating contest. Ms. Hakala's class created a computer program that moved the "67" featured on her door. Ms. Freer's class sang a song about her pup, which was the theme of their winning door. Ms. Kearney's class turned their classroom door into a large musical greeting card. When we opened up the card, they sang a holiday carol to the judges. Ms. Kelley's class and Ms. Belliveau's class, the two other winning doors, did an outstanding job too!
This week, our school staff continued to reiterate our school wide rules and expectations to our Mustangs by using our newly revised "MARK" matrix as a teaching point. We invite families to use the resources listed below in this week's newsletter to engage your Mustang in a conversation about what our school expectations are and why it's important for all of our Mustangs to follow them as a way to ensure that our school is a safe place for all Mustangs to learn and have fun.
Please don't forget that all schools in FCPS are closed on Monday, January 19th in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. We hope that our Mustang community uses this day of service to do an act kindness for someone else.
We look forward to welcoming our Mustangs back on Tuesday, January 20th.
Have a nice three-day weekend!
Your Proud Principal,
Mrs. Goddin
MMGoddin@fcps.edu
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On Monday, January 19th, we honor and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dedication to equality and serving others. All schools and offices in FCPS will be closed in celebration of this special holiday.
#MLKDay #OurFCPS
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- January 19th: School closed in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- January 28th: Two-Hour Early Release Day; dismissal at 1:30 PM/last day of the 2nd Quarter of School
- January 29th & January 30th: Student Holidays/Teacher Workdays; no school for students
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Would you or your Mustang like some new MUES swag that looks similar to our new staff sweatshirt? If so, it's your lucky day!
Here is the link to the order form: 2026 Sweatshirt Sale Form
One was also sent home in yesterday's Thursday Folder.
Please send the form back to school with your Mustang with your payment method attached to it- EXACT cash only or write a check payable to McNair Upper Elementary School. Orders are due by Wednesday, January 28th.
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Below is information that should answer some basic questions that you or your child may have about McNair Upper ES’s Spelling Bee Program. Review this document with your child- there is a lot of information!
The McNair Upper ES Spelling Bee is part of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program! As such, the McNair Upper ES Spelling Bee uses exclusively word study materials created and copyrighted by the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program and operates according to the Scripps’ Rules for Local Spelling Bees.
Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged is the official dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program. Only the spellings used by MWU are valid spellings in the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program.
Classroom Spelling Bee date: February 6th
School Spelling Bee date: February 27th
PREPARATION INFORMATION
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This is a Spelling Bee only. Scripps has added vocabulary questions to the National Spelling Bee, but we are not doing this.
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Do I need to do anything to prepare my child to participate in the Spelling Bee? No, there is nothing required to participate in the Spelling Bee. If your child wants to practice, have them review the study guides provided below, however, this is optional.
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Not all of the words at the McNair Upper ES Spelling Bee will be from the Word Lists provided. Scripps supplies both the official Word Study List as well as the list of words that will be used during the McNair Upper ES Spelling Bee.
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The Spelling Bee will start with words from the Word Study List, and as the Bee goes on, the words will steadily increase in difficulty. If there are a lot of spellers and/or the spellers are well-prepared, the spellers still competing in the later rounds of the Bee may reach the “Challenge” section of the competition list. These are words that the spellers have not had a chance to study and will test their word skills and ability to puzzle out the correct answer by using their Speller’s Questions.
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Do not assume that your child will receive words only at his/her grade level. As the Bee progresses, the word difficulty increases. If your child wants to study, strongly encourage him/her to study the Word List beyond his/her current grade level.
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It is your child’s responsibility to be familiar with the Rules for Local Spelling Bees before the Bee competition. Review the Rules for Local Spelling Bees with your student. I will summarize key Rules for the spellers on Bee Day, but it will not be an exhaustive review.
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Your child may opt out of the Bee. The McNair Upper ES Spelling Bee is an optional activity. It is supposed to be an interesting challenge for your child, but it is also supposed to be fun. If you would like to opt your child out of the Spelling Bee, please email me at vlsoni@fcps.edu.
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It's OK not to study. Your child will have more success at the Spelling Bee if he or she practices with the Word Lists beforehand, but it is not necessary. If your child wants to drop out because he or she has not studied, please encourage him or her to stay in just for the experience.
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Is my child allowed to appeal a spelling? No, there will be no appeals allowed during the Classroom or Schoolwide Spelling Bee.
Spelling Bee Word Lists
3rd_grade_words_only.pdf
4th_grade_words_only.pdf
5th_grade_words_only.pdf
6th_grade_words_only.pdf
2026_suggested_rules_for_spelling_bees_final.pdf
DAY-OF-BEE PROTOCOL
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What should a speller wear? School-appropriate clothing that is comfortable to sit in. There is no need to dress more formally unless a student would like to do so.
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The Rules and Procedures will be reviewed before the Bee. After all participants are seated, but before the Bee begins, the Rules for Local Spelling Bees will be briefly summarized, and students may ask questions. Please go over the Rules and procedures (“How Does an Oral Bee Work?” with your child beforehand so that this time can be used efficiently.
- Competitors are seated by grade level, youngest to oldest: 3rd - 4th – 5th - 6th
Within each grade, students will be seated randomly. They will not be seated in alphabetical order.
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Competitors will be "retired" from the Bee in groups as the Bee continues. When a student misspells a word, s/he is out of the Bee, but s/he will not leave the seating area until his/her number is called to “retire”. Students will be "retired" in groups as necessary throughout the Bee so that no one will have to wait too long.
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When can a student leave? Retired students either may stay to watch the Bee or may return to class.
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Your Bee officials are all volunteers as well as local parents. Our Spelling Bee is conducted under the auspices of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program, but it is run entirely by staff members and volunteers from our school. These volunteers have donated their time to give your child a good experience.
- Please see the additional resources attached to help prepare your child for our upcoming Spelling Bee.
Question still unanswered? Please feel free to contact Ms. Soni, School Librarian, at vlsoni@fcps.edu.
This week, our school community launched our “Make your MARK” behavior expectations campaign, focused on strengthening our school culture through collective responsibility from all students. This week, every teacher focused on four important values: being mindful, accepting, respectful, and kind. Additionally, each day on the morning news, students heard messages about what these words mean and how they can be demonstrated in our school environment.
- Mindful: Being mindful means you are aware of the impact of your attitude and choices on those around you.
- Accepting: Being accepting means that you use an open mind to follow directions and listen to the ideas of others.
- Respectful: Being respectful means that you show care for your classmates, teachers, and school property.
- Kind: Being kind means showing your friendly, considerate, and warm-hearted attitude to others.
We encourage you to continue the conversation at home by asking your child what these values mean to them and how they can practice them in everyday life. Thank you for your support in reinforcing these important values.
Together, we can help our students build a positive and caring school community!
Dear Families,
We are excited to share that our school is revising the Behavior Matrix that reflects our core values of being Mindful, Accepting, Respectful, and Kind. You may have also seen this acronym on our blue Mustang MARK tickets, which students earn when they demonstrate these values.
The new matrix will serve as a clear guide for how students should behave across different settings—such as the hallways, bathrooms, cafeteria, playground, and in the classroom—expectations are presented consistently and aligned with what we believe as a community. Please take a few moments to review the updated matrix, as it outlines what these values look like in action.
Each classroom teacher will officially launch this with their students when we return after Winter Break. Your support in reinforcing these expectations at home will help us create a positive and safe environment for all.
We appreciate your support!
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