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Dear Mantua families,
Back to School Night was a special evening filled with excitement! It was wonderful to see so many families connecting as they chatted in the hallways. Classrooms were buzzing with conversation, teachers were sharing plans for the year, and families had a chance to view their child’s learning space and to understand more of what their child experiences every day. We were thrilled to have some of our Student Ambassadors welcoming families and being a cheerful presence at the door. Thank you for joining us and helping make the night so fun and memorable!
We are also excited about the start of Movement Mondays! It was fantastic to see students, families, and staff walking together and enjoying the fresh air. We love this chance to build strong community and meet new people. Our students bring so much energy to these mornings!
Thank you to all of our families for helping make our school such a joyful and welcoming place. We have many exciting days ahead, and we cannot wait to see all the learning, growing, and fun that this year will bring.
We want to remind families that Monday, September 21 is Yom Kippur and a student and staff holiday. Schools will resume on Tuesday, September 22.
Have a safe and wonderful weekend!
Take good care,
Linda Shannon, Michele Maurer and Colleen Vaughan
 
September 21: Yom Kippur, staff and student holiday, schools closed
September 28: Blue Star Welcome Week Movement Monday, 8:30 a.m. at the track
September 30: Early Release Wednesday, dismissal at 1:05 p.m.
October 1: AAP Information Night, 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria
October 6: Fall Picture Day for all students
October 12: School Planning Day, student holiday
October 16: Mantua PTA Run 4 Rocky event, schedule to come
Blue Star Welcome Week Movement Monday, September 28
Join us for a special Movement Monday on September 28 at 8:30 am as we celebrate and honor military families that have moved into our community! Blue Star Welcome Week is a national recognition of military families and the sacrifice they make as they uproot their families and move to new job assignments. Celebrate with us at Movement Monday with a walk and some special treats!
AAP Information Night
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is committed to challenging all students through talent development and differentiated instruction. A continuum of Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services is available to students in Grades K-12 and is designed to match services to each student’s unique academic needs.
Identification for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP services occurs throughout the school year. Full-Time AAP services have two identification cycles:
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Fall identification: Students in grades 3-7 who have enrolled in FCPS since January may be referred by October 15, 2026.
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Spring identification: Any FCPS student in Grades 2-7 may be referred by December 15, 2026.
FCPS uses ability testing as one consideration in the holistic identification process for AAP services.
- All students in Grade 2 take the Naglieri General Ability Tests (NGAT).
- Students in Grades 3-6 who do not have a multi-domain ability test score take the NGAT.
- Students in Grades 3-6 may retake an ability test one time. Families may request the ability test retake by contacting our School Testing Coordinators, Lindsey Knoll and Cooper Sved at ljknoll@fcps.edu or casved@fcps.edu by September 30.
Families are invited to attend an AAP information meeting, led by Jen Howard, our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART) on Thursday, October 1st from 6-7:30pm. The meeting will cover the AAP Continuum of Services and the Full-Time AAP Identification process, with a short break in between.
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AAP Continuum of Services: Families will learn about the continuum of advanced academic services available to FCPS students.
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Full-Time AAP Identification: Families will learn about the referral and identification processes for Full-Time AAP services.
For more information, please contact Jen Howard, AART, at jhoward1@fcps.edu or visit the FCPS Advanced Academic Programs website.
Family Life Education
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.
For more information about the FCPS Family Life Education program, please see the detailed grade-level program descriptions at https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-family-life-education-fle.
For your convenience, the lessons and materials are posted for the 2026-2027 school year for families to view at your own pace in the All Parents/Guardians: Mantua Elementary School Schoology Course in the folder titled “FLE Content For Parents with K-12 Students 2026-2027”.
Additionally, the Woodson Pyramid will be hosting a Virtual Parent Preview Night for FLE on Thursday, October 23 from 5:30-6:00PM. This event provides an opportunity to ask questions and receive assistance in accessing the materials virtually. Join us using this link: https://myfcpsk12.zoom.us/j/97789633711
Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices.
Opt-out forms for the general education FLE lessons are available through Parent Digital Consent through October 31st. After this date, or based on your preference, you may request a paper opt-out form from the school.
Please reach out to Ms. Maurer with any questions at mkmaurer@fcps.edu or by contacting the Mantua main office at 703-645–6300.
Twice Exceptional Students
Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to challenging all students through talent development and differentiated instruction. Twice-Exceptional (2e) learners are students who are both gifted and have learning challenges or disabilities.
Families can learn more about 2e learners, how to support them, and how to partner with schools on the 2e webpage, which also includes a link to the Special Education Handbook.
New information, including printable flyers, has been added under the heading Supporting 2e Learners in FCPS.
For more information, please contact Jen Howard at jhoward1@fcps.edu.
Superintendent Community Conversations
Join us for a series of Community Conversations that will be held across the school division. Share your thoughts with Dr. Reid and ask her questions. Click on the date to register for any of the following events:
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Monday, September 28, at 6:30 p.m., at Riverside Elementary School
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Monday, October 19, at 6:30 p.m., at Spring Hill Elementary School
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Monday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m., at Beech Tree Elementary School
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Thursday, October 29, at 6:30 p.m., at North Springfield Elementary School
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Friday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m., at Powell Elementary School
Registration is not required, but it helps with planning.
ICYMI
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
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- Military Families Find a Community in FCPS
- Receive FCPS This Week in Other Languages
- Not Feeling Well? When Your Child Can Come to School
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
Linda Shannon, Principal LCShannon@fcps.edu
Colleen Vaughan, Assistant Principal CAVaughan@fcps.edu
Michele Maurer, Assistant Principal, Mkmaurer@fcps.edu
Susan Palomino, Administrative/Finance Assistant SLPalomino@fcps.edu
Mergie Kakouris, Student Information Assistant, MBKakouris@fcps.edu
Fadwa Finaish, Office Assistant, FFinaish@fcps.edu
Judy Toy, Office Assistant, JPToy@fcps.edu
Avril Donat, Office & Library Assistant Andonat@fcps.edu
Jen Howard, Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, jhoward1@fcps.edu
Maria Regina Incer, Family Liaison, mrincernunez@fcps.edu
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