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We are a family.
We are capable.
We are caring.
We all belong!
Bren Mar Park is a pilot school for a new grant-funded opportunity, providing meals for children and their caregivers alongside some school events. Coordinated by FCPS Food & Nutrition Services, and supported by Educate Fairfax, the first event was January's Family Market. Our next event will be for our Title 1 Family Engagement Event Celebrating Cultural Stories on Jan. 22.
January Midyear Assessments in Reading & Math
January 19 No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 22 FCPS FNS Free Meals for Students, 5:30 p.m. (adults $5)
January 22 Celebrating Cultural Stories, 6:30 p.m.
January 28 End of Q2 - 2 Hour Early Release, School Ends at 2:00 p.m.
January 29 No School - Staff Development Day
January 30 No School - Teacher Workday
February 16 No School - Presidents' Day Holiday
February 17 No School - Teacher Workday
February 18 Early Release Wednesday, School Ends at 1:00 p.m.
There is no school on Monday, January 19, 2026 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The front office is also closed.
Our K – 5th graders have a unique opportunity to participate in a new Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) initiative around Artificial Intelligence and critical thinking. They are getting lessons developed by our central office staff to build their critical thinking and awareness of how AI affects learning and our society. We do NOT have them on AI tools, rather we are building their skills to be robust and savvy users in the future.
The Goal: To help students build an understanding of AI
Why This Matters:
- AI is changing the way people learn, work, and create.
- Students need a safe, responsible, and age-appropriate opportunities to explore what is AI and how it impacts their world. (We do NOT have them on AI tools)
- These lessons are built from the FCPS AI Principles and represent our first step toward embedding AI literacy into K-12 learning.
To Clarify:
- Students are NOT using AI tools as part of this work.
- This is about building student understanding of what AI is and what it is not, not about student interaction with AI systems.
- These are grade-appropriate, instructional lessons grounded in our FCPS AI Principles.
Please let us know if you have questions – ask your Kindergarten, 1st, and/or 3rd grade student, who is the boss of AI? (the answer is We are / Humans are)
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is proposing to open a new full-time Advanced Academic Program Center at North Springfield Elementary School beginning in grade 3 for the 2026-27 school year.
We will hold two meeting opportunities for interested families to learn more about possible scenarios for which feeder schools could be included, understand the potential impact of each, and provide your feedback:
- Monday, February 2, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 6:30 p.m.
Both meetings will be held at North Springfield Elementary School and will have a virtual option if you cannot join in person.
Please let us know which meeting you plan to attend and if interpretation services are required by filling out this RSVP form.
Join us on Thursday, January 22, 2026 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Bren Mar Park ES for our annual Celebrating Cultural Stories evening!
This event is a true celebration of our school’s rich diversity! We hope to have as many home languages represented as possible. If you wish to participate, but want help selecting a story, reach out to our librarian, Mrs. Jopeck.
On the evening of the event, FCPS FNS will provide a free meal for every child 18 years and under from 5:30 - 6:15 p.m. Adults may choose to purchase a meal for $5.
Thanks to the great success from the Fall for Our Mustangs fundraiser, the BMP PTA is happy to bring you several before and after school enrichment programs for students. The programs are completely FREE for students.
- Apply at : http://alturl.com/w3v2s
- Program dates: 2/2-4/24, 2026.
- Deadline to apply is 1/21 by 5:00p.m.
- Space is limited, but guardians committed to volunteer to support lead teachers will be guaranteed a spot for their student(s).
Available Programs:
- Dance Club for K-5th Grades Tuesdays After School (4:30 - 5:15), led by Ms. Shampang
- Soccer for K-2nd Grades Wednesdays After School (4:30 - 5:15), led by Ms. Giusto
- Clay Creation for 1st-5th Grades Thursdays Before School (8:15 - 9:00), led by Ms. Springfield
- Pokemon Cards for 3-5th Grades Wednesdays Before School (8:15 - 9:00), led by Mr. Ruccio
- Yoga for K-5th Grades Thursdays Before School (8:15 - 9:00), led by Ms. Yetta Williams
- Genius Hour for 3-5th Grades Tuesdays After School (4:30 - 5:15), led by Ms. Jopeck
Please contact BMP.PTA@gmail.com with any questions. Do not contact the school as these programs are managed by the PTA.
  Free Community Health Fair: February 7
This is a free event for people of all ages. You can find many health services and resources in one place.
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When: Saturday, February 7
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Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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Where: James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
Available Services Include, but not limited to:
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Help signing up for Medicaid and vaccine appointments.
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Free screenings for vision, hearing, and child development.
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Health information on nutrition, breast cancer awareness, and HIV prevention.
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Resources for substance abuse prevention.
- Information on the importance of healthy eating
- And more!
Registration is not required.
  Families, please join us for Healthy Minds, Strong Readers on January 20, 2026, at Groveton Elementary. Learn how supporting children’s well-being strengthens reading and learning.
✔️ In-person or Zoom
✔️ Spanish interpretation
✔️ Childcare & snacks provided
Elementary school staff deliver high-quality, personalized instruction in math, reading, writing, social studies, and science while staying current with research-based best instructional practices. Providing an excellent education to all students and meeting individual student needs requires dedicated and appropriate planning time for teachers. A well-supported and continuously improving teaching staff will lead to better educational outcomes for students.
At the beginning of the year, BMP families reported their need for supervision for Early Release Wednesdays. We continue to use this information for upcoming dates, and we understand that childcare hardship can change. If there is a change for your child's dismissal for an upcoming date, please notify the front office no later than the day prior to the Early Release date. A confirmation text and email will be sent each month approximately one week before the Early Release Wednesday to confirm your family's dismissal plans.
Future Early Release Dates for Bren Mar Park students are February 18, March 18, April 22, and May 13.
Fairfax County is seeing very high levels of influenza (flu) illness. Visits to emergency departments and urgent care centers for flu-like illness have increased, especially among children, and multiple flu outbreaks have occurred in our community and school settings.
Consider these tips from the Fairfax County Health Department to help reduce the spread of flu and other germs. (Spanish)
In Virginia, all children starting at age five (5) are required to attend school regularly. BMP staff must record student attendance every day school is in session.
All absences, whether excused and unexcused, count toward chronic absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism is missing more than ten percent, or 18 days, of the full school year. Attention to student attendance and active efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism is part of the new VDOE accreditation rating process for our school.
BMP staff can help children do their best learning when they are with us in school! You can help by:
- Planning family vacations or trips on days in which there is already no school schedule.
- Having your child attend school before or after any appointments, such as a doctor or dentist visit.
- Support your child in healthy practices, such as hand-washing, using tissue, covering coughs, eating healthy foods and getting a full-night's sleep in order to help keep your child healthy.
- Keeping children at home if they are sick with a fever, vomiting or diarrhea. Also, keep children at home if they are contagious with pink eye, rash or strep throat. This allows your child to get better and keeps others from getting sick.
If your child is unable to come to school, please report your child's attendance through ParentVue, emailing BrenMarParkElem.Attendance@fcps.edu, or calling 703-914-7272.
Imagine a world where young people feel empowered, encouraged, and understood. Mentors can make that world a reality by helping young people find and follow their passions, excel in school, and thrive wherever they are. Learn more about Mentoring Month.
Research has shown that young people with at least one trusted mentor are less likely to skip school, less likely to use illegal drugs or drink alcohol, and more prepared to enter college or the workforce. Yet one in three children lack a mentor.
All it takes is one person to serve as a trusted adult to help change a young person’s path in life. Mentors provide attention, support, and enrichment, and help connect their mentees to resources that may help them on their journey in life.
The FCPS MentorWorks program matches mentors with students in schools near where they live or work. They meet for at least 30 minutes a week. Learn more about how to become a mentor for an FCPS student. Contact Martha Macdonald, mentoring specialist, for additional information at mmacdonald@fcps.edu.
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