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 Mrs. Hoffman's Announcements
Grades: K. K/1, 2,4, & 6
counselors
Mrs. Hirsch's
Announcements
Grades: 1, 3, & 5
  • Many activities and programs are starting up this year already.  Mrs. Hoffman’s guidance lessons are about CARES as well as the Bullying as part of the SR&R.  In kindergarten the students have met “I Care Cat” who is introducing the “I Care” Rules.
    Mrs. Fearson, Counselor Practicum student from George Mason, is assisting Mrs. Hoffman in setting up friendship groups and homework programs.  Small groups will be set up based on the identified needs of students.  If you, as a parent, wishes your child to be included in a small group, please contact Mrs. Hoffman. 

You can help your student start the school year off right:

  • Schedule a regular time to do homework each night.
  • Encourage your student to work independently.  
  • Saving questions until the end of an assignment allows your student to learn how to take risks and problem solve.
  • Give your student a quiet corner to complete his/her work.
  • Create a “homework box” with the supplies that your student will need to complete his/her assignments.
  • Free tutoring is available for students in grades 3 and above through Chantilly and Westfields High Schools.  Tutoring takes place on Saturday mornings, three times a week.  For more information, contact Mrs. Hirsch or Mrs. Hoffman.
    Look for Mrs. Hirsch’s letter home to sign your student up for small group counseling.  Small groups will begin at the end of October.
  Counselors' Welcome  

We welcome you to the new school year here at Poplar Tree.  Carol Hoffman is returning as counselor for grades Kindergarten, K/1, 2, 4, and 6.  Mrs. Hoffman has been here at Poplar Tree for 15 years. She has two sons, Matthew and Andrew.  Matt is a graduate of George Mason University while Andrew is a junior at the University of Mary Washington.  We are happy to also have Shari Hirsch, counselor for grades 1, 3, and 5.  This is Mrs. Hirsch’s third year at Poplar Tree. She has three children: Allie,18, Jake,13, and Adam, 10.  She will work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and is looking forward to another great year at Poplar Tree!  This fall semester we are fortunate to have a counseling practicum student from George Mason University, Mrs. Amber Fearson.   Mrs. Fearson enjoys running, as well as time with her family.

This year our guidance curriculum will continue to  use CARES, Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control.   The emphasis will be on how these skills help students accomplish three positive behaviors that define a bully-free environment.  We are teaching that Poplar Tree Students will: Control both words and actions, Speak out when they see teasing and name calling, and Include others. 

Another aspect of the guidance and counseling program is individual and group counseling which is coordinated with the classroom teachers and with knowledge of the parents of identified students.  Again, the goal is to support and to complement the efforts of the classroom teacher to facilitate learning. As counselors we are here to coordinate and to consult with parents as well.  We will meet with parents, teachers, administrators, and other staff members to share ideas concerning children’s development and growth and to plan strategies for addressing specific needs individual children may have.  Any written requests for opting out of all or part of the guidance/counseling program, which includes classroom guidance lessons, will certainly be honored.

We look forward to working with your children and you this year.  Please feel free to contact either of us at any time.
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Just Say No Club
The “Just Say No” club is an after school club open to all 4th, 5th & 6th grade students.  The focus of the club is to offer students positive alternatives to using drugs and alcohol.  Students who are interested in joining must complete the application along with parent permission.  Students must have arrangements made for pick up at 5:00 p.m. Forms were sent home on September 28th with deadline of October 12th in order to attend the first meeting.  The dates for this year’s club meetings are:
October 17, 2007                                February 20, 2008
November 14, 2007                             March 12, 2008
December 5, 2007                               April 16, 2008
January 23, 2008                                  May 21, 2008
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New Partnership

Poplar Tree SCA is beginning a new partnership with the group, Planet Aid. Planet Aid is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the environment and creating sustainable development in Africa and Asia. Poplar Tree is hosting two donation boxes for clothing
and shoes. The yellow donation boxes are located at the entrance to the Kiss-n-Ride parking lot. Planet Aid will regularly collect and recycle the donated clothing and shoes. Items donated to Planet Aid are resold and proceeds are used to support education, community development and HIV/AIDS programs in Africa and Asia. At our January meeting, a speaker from Planet Aid will meet with the SCA officers and representatives. During the meeting, the SCA will learn more about the collection and recycling process of the donated clothing and the impact on education and community development in Africa and Asia. A few things to remember about the Planet Aid donation boxes:
• Only donations of CLOTHING AND SHOES are accepted in the boxes
• If both of the boxes are full, please bring your donation back on a different day
• Please do not place any donations outside of the boxes
• Please do not drop off donations during Kiss-n-Ride drop-off and pick-up times
The SCA wants to encourage everyone to use the Planet Aid donation boxes! We look forward to a long and rewarding experience with this
new service project. If you would like more information about Planet Aid, visit their website at www.planetaid.org.
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Poplar Tree School Counseling Mission

 
At Poplar Tree Elementary School, our mission is to provide a comprehensive, developmentally-appropriate counseling program that allows all students to succeed by removing the barriers which impede student success.  This is accomplished through academic, personal/social and career education.

As part of this mission, our VISION is to provide:
  • Support for academic achievement through the identification of specific needs of students.
  
  • Promotion of academic achievement via personal/social counseling through individual and small groups.
 
  • Advocacy to allow all students to learn and to grow
  
     
     
                     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
Please forward any suggestions or errors/dead links that you find to our web curator to: Amanda.Moore@fcps.edu
 Last Updated: June 30, 2008 This web page contains links to one or more pages that are outside the FCPS network. FCPS does not control the content or relevancy of these pages.