Renee Miller
Principal

  Archived Principal Updates      

Keene Mill Elementary School     
“Sharing A Vision of Greatness”  

  Message From The Principal

Dear Keene Mill Families,

The results of the 2012 Fairfax County Public Schools Working Conditions Survey are now available. This is an anonymous online survey that asks licensed educators questions about teaching and learning conditions within their school. The survey is sponsored by FCPS and employee associations. More than 12,000 educators (80 percent) participated in the survey and the data represents the perceptions of those who understand teaching conditions best – the educators who experience them every day. The survey addresses the following areas: overall conditions, time leadership, decision making, facilities and resources, professional development, student conduct and community support. Survey results are critical because school conditions matter for our students. The presence of critical teaching and learning conditions have been tied to improved student achievement. School conditions also matter for retaining teachers.

Keene Mill has received our individual survey results, which will help facilitate discussions about conditions and guide school improvement planning. Survey data that compares results for our school in 2010 and 2012 is available at this link: http://fcpswcs.org/reports/summarycomp.php?siteID=006-1240. As you view our survey results, you will see that our teachers indicated there has been significant improvement in working conditions across the board. Keene Mill was one of seven outlier schools for school improvement, and our improvement score was 1.5 standard deviations above the mean. Our teachers have identified strengths in the areas of Managing Student Conduct, Community Support and Involvement, and Facilities and Resources. Although significant improvement has been demonstrated, areas for continued growth include Time, Technology Training, Teacher Leadership, and School Leadership. These will be areas of focus for our school over the next few years. If you have any questions about the survey results for our school, please feel free to contact me at 703-644-4700 or at RCMiller@fcps.edu

KMES Earns Awards!

Congratulations to the KMES Eco Action Team for earning the Eco Schools Bronze Award! Many thanks to Mrs. Montavon and Mrs. Rever for their leadership of this initiative! Congratulations to KMES for earning the Healthier Schools Challenge Bronze Award. The school received a certificate signed by Michelle Obama.

PTA Updates: General Membership Meeting on 5/22/12 at 7 p.m.

Please plan to attend the May 22, 2012 general member meeting, at 7 pm in the library, when we will hold officer elections. There is a full slate of officers for the 2012-2013 school year. Many thanks to our PTA Board and nominating committee for their outstanding work on behalf of the school this year! One key position for the coming year remains vacant, the spirit wear chair. The main responsibility of this position is to coordinate the creation of a spirit wear design for t-shirts, sweat shirts, etc., and then manage the ordering, collection of money, and delivery. This year we did this online, and it was very convenient! The kids love to have spirit wear at the start of the school year, so this job desperately needs a volunteer in the summer. Feel free to contact Chuck Smith (chuckela8283@cox.net) or Lucy Sinkular (lucy_sinkular@hustonandhiggins.com) if you are interested or have any questions.

Winning Field Day T-Shirt Design!

Hannah A. in Mrs. Yost’s class did a fantastic job capturing the Keene Mill spirit and the fun of field day in her design! She wins a free Field Day t-shirt, and everyone else will get to see her great design when they order their own t-shirts. Mr. Bragg will have ordering information to share with the school in the next couple of weeks.

Please Support the 6th Grade Promotion Party!

Who among us does not order pizza from time to time? The PTA has teamed up with Papa John's to sell "two pizzas for the price of one" fund raising cards. You can use these cards as many times as you want, through August of 2013. They cost $20, and the Sixth Grade Party Committee will get to keep $15 of that amount to support the promotion activities for our class of sixth graders. We will offer the cards through May 23rd. To order one, simply send in to school $20, cash or a check made out to KMES PTA in an envelope with your student's name and teacher's name. Shortly we will send back with your student the fundraising card and you can begin using it immediately.

Mark Your Calendar:
• 5/22-PTA General Membership Meeting @ 7 p.m.
• 5/28-Memorial Day—NO SCHOOL!
• 6/1—Student Transfer Applications Due http://www.fcps.edu/it/forms/se222.pdf
• 6/4-Keene Mill’s 50th Anniversary Celebration & Kanga Karnival
• 6/5-Strings Concert—NEW DATE!
• 6/8-“Aloha” Spirit Day
• 6/12-Primary Election
• 6/12-4th Grade Colonial Day
• 6/12 & 6/13-5th Grade Field Trips
• 6/13-Field Day (K-3)
• 6/14-Field Day (4-6)
• 6/15-Last Day of School—Full Day!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend with family and friends!

Renee C. Miller
Principal

Ellen Colter
Assistant Principal