Programs

Fundraising

One and Done

The name says it all—one donation, and you are DONE with fundraising for the year. Save time and hassle in your family’s busy life. No selling, delivering, or collecting money. With your support, this is the One & Only PTA fundraiser for the year. Help us raise $40k in 40 days. A donation of $150/family is encouraged, but any contribution amount helps. 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes to the PTA and enriches your child’s education.

Donate to Our One & Done Campaign

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Enrichment

After School Academies

Whether it’s karate, art, sports or Minecraft programming, Kent Gardens PTA has an after school academy for your child! Our After School Academies are offered three times a year (Fall, Winter, and Spring), and each runs for 7 weeks. Our After School Academies are provided by Baroody.

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Chess Club

 

Why play chess? Chess is a great mental exercise for children, helping them improve problem-solving skills, hone their critical thinking, and practice concentration and self-discipline. Most importantly, chess is FUN! Kent Gardens Chess Club is offered year-round, with registration in the fall and spring. Chess Club meets on Wednesdays from 3:45 until 5:15 pm and is open to any KG student—new or experienced—in grade 2 through 6. An instructor from the U.S. Chess Center instructs the group.

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 Sign up for Chess Club

Girls on the Run

 

 

girls-on-the-run-125x119This fall Kent Gardens will have a team for Girls on the Run. Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity based positive youth development program for girls in 3rd-8th grade. We teach life skills through dynamic interactive lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness. Girls on the Run of Northern Virginia is an Independent Council of Girls on the Run International, which has a network of over 200 councils across the United States and Canada.

A recent study on Girls on the Run participants shows girls who began with lower pre-season scores on confidence in physical activity, self-worth, connection, character, caring, contribution and physical activity frequency, and higher scores on sedentary behaviors showed statistically significant improvements from pre-season to post-season. We hope to continue this trend! Join Girls on the Run this season!

Stay tuned for registration link.

Math Competition Club (MC2)

 

Math Competition Club or MC2 is an advanced math program to get kids excited about learning math and prepare them for success in the many popular math competitions done at school, like the CML, VML, AMC-8, and Math Counts.

Who: Students in grades 4-6 who have a strong interest in math. 3rd grade students are also invited to participate in our Grade 3 Mathletes MC2 program.

Cost: $850 per student (grades 4-6); $295 per student (grade 3)

Register for MC2 (Grades 4-6)Register for MC2 (Grade 3)

Science Olympiad

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD.  Kent Gardens is bringing back the Science Olympiad teams! 

Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 science education, increasing male, female, and minority interest in science, creating a technologically literate workforce, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers.  One of Science Olympiad’s goals is to create a passion for learning science by supporting elementary and secondary Science Olympiad tournaments at building, district, county, state, and national levels with an emphasis on teamwork and a commitment to excellence.

Kent Gardens participates with at Division B (5–8th grade) team and a Division A (3-5th grade) team.   Each team may participate in up to 23 events. The 6th grade team competes officially.  The 3-5th grade team competes as a practice team with more relaxed rules.  5th graders often participate in the Division B.

Science Olympiad teams are groups of 15 students that work in pairs and prepare for 2 or 3 events per pair.  For more details, see the VASO Event List.  Click on the event in the right column to see details

Events are divided into two categories:

  • Study events, such as Anatomy and Physiology.  At the tournament, students, working with their partner, simply answer a written test.
  • Building events, such as Mousetrap Vehicle or Bridge. For these events, students work with their partner on building a specific device following the rules provided. At the tournament, the device is tested in front of judges.
  • Break out of which Division B events are written and which are device events.  2023 Written and Device Events.pdf

The Kent Gardens Science Olympiad seeks participation on three levels:

  1. Students interested should let their teachers know or Mr. Shivnen
  2. Parent Coordinators. We normally have two parent coordinators who schedule bi-monthly event progress meetings and provide information on rules, dates, and logistics for the eventual regional tournament which takes place in February.
  3. Parent mentors. Each event has a parent who mentors each student pair of participants

To restart our Science Olympiad team, we will seek student and parent participation interest in September.  Students please let me know through your teachers.  Parents please contact me here: jjshivnen@fcps.edu

Cost:  $70 or $100 per student for the year.

KG Science Olympiad Division A (Grades 3-5 – $70)!

KG Science Olympiad Division B (Grade 5-6 – $100)!

Shop #KGPride

#KGPride Spirit Wear

 At Kent Gardens, every Friday is #KGPride Friday! Stock your child’s closet now–we have a variety of Kent Gardens Elementary School items that you may purchase, including car magnets, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more.

Stay tuned for our NEW Spiritwear Store!

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Harris Teeter

Harris Teeter’s Together In Education program gives Kent Gardens money back when you link your VIC card and shop at Harris Teeter! Click here for more information and to link your VIC card. 

Visit Harris Teeter to find out more

Community Relations

Community Service Committee

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Food Bus – Food Recovery from Cafeteria

 

Our food recovery program allows children to donate uneaten/unopened food from the school lunch they purchase to the SHARE of McLean food pantry.  Last year we collected 1,187 pounds of food. This fall we are excited to kick off another great year of reducing waste and giving back to our local community in need.

 

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Grade-Specific Committees

Kinder Kickoff

Join us on the playground for our Kinder Kickoff Playdates! This is a great opportunity to meet other parents and help your kids get excited about the upcoming school year. Come and let your kids play while you visit with other parents before school starts. There will also be PTA members and Principal McGuigan in attendance to answer any questions you may have about Kent Gardens.

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6th Grade Farewell

 6th Grade Farewell Committee is responsible for fundraising for and organizing the 6th grade Promotion Party, and 6th grade class gift that will be given to Kent Gardens. 

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Art/Drama/Culture

Cultural Arts

Kent Gardens has many opportunities for students to express themselves through music, art, creative writing, and more. Just a few of our programs include Orchestra, Band, and Choir, with concerts in the Winter and Spring. Every year a student’s art is chosen for the cover of the yearbook. Register for The Roar Newsletter for up-to-date opportunities for your student. 

Square 1 Art

 Square One Art is a creative and exciting fundraising opportunity that helps KG PTA raise money by turning your child’s art into useful keepsakes. Square 1 Art offers the ability to have students’ artwork easily transformed into a diverse selection of high quality custom products at reasonable prices.

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International Night

International Night celebrates our diverse community, teaches our kids about the world around them, and brings Kent Gardens E.S. families together as we share our global experiences and delicious food with each other.

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Family Fun Opportunities

Family Restaurant Night

Take a night off of cooking and join your fellow KG community for a night out! Our Family Restaurant Nights are held at a variety of local eateries, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the KG PTA. Dig in!

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Book Fair

Kent Gardens offers two yearly book fairs—one in the fall and one in the spring.

Chairs: Andrea Hager

Communications

The Roar Newsletter

The Kent Gardens PTA newsletter, The Roar, is distributed electronically each Wednesday. If you have news or updates you’d like to share with the KG community, we’d love to help you spread the word! Contact our newsletter editor for more information.

Editor:  Alyssa Densham

The Kent Gardens PTA Website

Webmasters: Bethany Nguyen

Hosting: Earthclick.net LLC

Other Committees

Author Visits
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Building & Grounds
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Clinic Support
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FCPS Parent Resource Center Liaison
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Lost and Found
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School Supplies
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Teacher Appreciation
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Technology
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Walk/Bike to School
Chair: Sarah Salerno