MUES Weekly News & Updates

February 6, 2026

Hello McNair Upper Families,

It has been a busy week of playing catch up at MUES this week! Due to the recent school cancellations and delays, Ms. Scott has been working overtime to get all of the auditions and rehearsals done in preparation for our upcoming MUES Talent Show, which is next Friday, February 13th. Thank you to all of our Mustangs who auditioned and their families for supporting them throughout this process. We will have two separate MUES Talent Shows next Friday. Here are the times for each: 

• 5th & 5th Grade: 9:30 AM
• 3rd & 4th Grade: 2:00 PM

Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate families to come in person except for those families with students who are performing; however, we do plan to send out a Zoom link so that you can watch from home, if you'd like. I will fan that out toward the middle of next week. 

Today, we held our classroom Spelling Bees. Our 23 classroom winners will compete in our upcoming MUES School-Wide Spelling Bee on Friday, February 27th. We would like to, not only, congratulate our 23 classroom winners, but all of our Mustangs who participated. We appreciate you taking risks and always trying your very best! I'd also like to extend a warm thank you to Ms. Soni, Librarian, for overseeing the spelling bee for our school community.

Next week, the Westfield Pyramid will be celebrating Kindness Week. In celebration of Kindness Week, we will have a theme and dress up day each day of school next week. We invite all of our Mustangs to participate in this annual event. The calendar of events is listed below.

I wish everyone a nice weekend! Whether you're watching the Winter Olympics or the Super Bowl, bundle up because it's going to be a cold and windy weekend.

Your Proud Principal,

Mrs. Goddin

MMGoddin@fcps.edu

• February 9th-February 13th: Kindness Week
• February 13th: Talent Show
• February 16th: Presidents Day; school closed 
• February 17th: Teacher Workday; school closed for students 
• February 25th: Early Release Wednesday; dismissal at 12:30 PM

Celebrate Kindness Week With Us!

Help Donate to "Our Library of Things!"

The Library of Things is up and running! Students have started checking out games and puzzles to bring home! We are looking for a few more to add to our collection. Here is a wish list of games and puzzles I think students would enjoy playing. Also, if you have any gently used or new games/ puzzles you are getting rid of I will take them. You can send them in with your student. Thank you for considering donating to our Library of Things! If you have any questions you can email me at vlsoni@fcps.edu.

Student Fasting Meal Kits

From February 18 to March 19, 2026, a Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) waiver allows students fasting during the school day to request take-home meal kits. These kits include a complete school breakfast and lunch to be eaten after the school day ends.

 Important Meal Kit Information: 

• Kits are charged based on a student’s meal status (Free, Reduced, or Paid).

• Students may claim one breakfast and one lunch kit per day.

• Students who eat a meal at school during the day are not eligible for a take-home kit on the same day.

• Kits are distributed at the end of the school day. Students must pick up their own kits; adults are not permitted to collect them.

 Parents or guardians must submit a weekly request form via the FCPS FNS website by the deadlines:

• February 11, 2026 for week of February 18, 2026

• February 16, 2026 for the week of February 23, 2026

• February 23, 2026 for the week of March 2, 2026

• March 2, 2026 for the week of March 9, 2026

• March 9, 2026 for the week of March 16, 2026

 Forms must be submitted on time to receive meal kits for the following week.

MUES 2026 Spelling Bee!

Below is information that should answer some basic questions that you or your child may have about McNair Upper ES’s Spelling Bee Program.  Review this document with your child- there is a lot of information!

The McNair Upper ES Spelling Bee is part of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program! As such, the McNair Upper ES Spelling Bee uses exclusively word study materials created and copyrighted by the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program and operates according to the Scripps’ Rules for Local Spelling Bees.  

Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged is the official dictionary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program.  Only the spellings used by MWU are valid spellings in the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program.

Classroom Spelling Bee date: February 6^th

School Spelling Bee date: February 27^th

 PREPARATION INFORMATION

1. This is a Spelling Bee only.  Scripps has added vocabulary questions to the National Spelling Bee, but we are not doing this.
2. Do I need to do anything to prepare my child to participate in the Spelling Bee? No, there is nothing required to participate in the Spelling Bee.  If your child wants to practice, have them review the study guides provided below, however, this is optional.  
3. Not all of the words at the McNair Upper ES Spelling Bee will be from the Word Lists provided.  Scripps supplies both the official Word Study List as well as the list of words that will be used during the McNair Upper ES Spelling Bee.
4. The Spelling Bee will start with words from the Word Study List, and as the Bee goes on, the words will steadily increase in difficulty. If there are a lot of spellers and/or the spellers are well-prepared, the spellers still competing in the later rounds of the Bee may reach the “Challenge” section of the competition list.  These are words that the spellers have not had a chance to study and will test their word skills and ability to puzzle out the correct answer by using their Speller’s Questions.
5. Do not assume that your child will receive words only at his/her grade level. As the Bee progresses, the word difficulty increases.  If your child wants to study, strongly encourage him/her to study the Word List beyond his/her current grade level.

1. It is your child’s responsibility to be familiar with the Rules for Local Spelling Bees before the Bee competition. Review the Rules for Local Spelling Bees with your student.  I will summarize key Rules for the spellers on Bee Day, but it will not be an exhaustive review.
2. Your child may opt out of the Bee. The McNair Upper ES Spelling Bee is an optional activity.  It is supposed to be an interesting challenge for your child, but it is also supposed to be fun.  If you would like to opt your child out of the Spelling Bee, please email me at vlsoni@fcps.edu.
3. It's OK not to study.  Your child will have more success at the Spelling Bee if he or she practices with the Word Lists beforehand, but it is not necessary.   If your child wants to drop out because he or she has not studied, please encourage him or her to stay in just for the experience.
4. Is my child allowed to appeal a spelling? No, there will be no appeals allowed during the Classroom or Schoolwide Spelling Bee.

Spelling Bee Word Lists

3rd_grade_words_only.pdf

4th_grade_words_only.pdf

5th_grade_words_only.pdf

6th_grade_words_only.pdf

2026_suggested_rules_for_spelling_bees_final.pdf

DAY-OF-BEE PROTOCOL

1. What should a speller wear? School-appropriate clothing that is comfortable to sit in.  There is no need to dress more formally unless a student would like to do so.
2. The Rules and Procedures will be reviewed before the Bee.  After all participants are seated, but before the Bee begins, the Rules for Local Spelling Bees will be briefly summarized, and students may ask questions. Please go over the Rules and procedures (“How Does an Oral Bee Work?” with your child beforehand so that this time can be used efficiently. 
3. Competitors are seated by grade level, youngest to oldest: 3^rd - 4^th – 5^th - 6^th

Within each grade, students will be seated randomly. They will not be seated in alphabetical order.

1. Competitors will be "retired" from the Bee in groups as the Bee continues.  When a student misspells a word, s/he is out of the Bee, but s/he will not leave the seating area until his/her number is called to “retire”.  Students will be "retired" in groups as necessary throughout the Bee so that no one will have to wait too long.

1. When can a student leave? Retired students either may stay to watch the Bee or may return to class.
2. Your Bee officials are all volunteers as well as local parents.  Our Spelling Bee is conducted under the auspices of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Program, but it is run entirely by staff members and volunteers from our school.  These volunteers have donated their time to give your child a good experience. 
3. Please see the additional resources attached to help prepare your child for our upcoming Spelling Bee.  

Question still unanswered? Please feel free to contact Ms. Soni, School Librarian, at vlsoni@fcps.edu.