Deer Park News and Information - February 12, 2026

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

February 12, 2026

Calendar Reminders!

All schools and offices will be closed on Monday, February 16, for the Presidents Day holiday.

Teacher Workday

Tuesday, February 17, is a teacher workday, and there will be no school for students. See the school year calendar here.

Early Release Wednesday

Our next early release Wednesday is February 25th, 2026. We will dismiss at 12:25 p.m. Our students will be dismissed the same way that they dismissed during the previous early release Wednesdays. Please plan accordingly.

February 25
March 25
April 29
May 20

Annual Crosstown Rivals Staff Basketball Game
February 27th

Come out and cheer for the Deer Park staff as they take on Coates Elementary staff in this annual heated rivalry. We need our Deer Park families to come out and cheer loudly, show your energy and school pride!

Last year it was a hard fought battle but Deer Park was victorious!
Let's do it again this year!

Where: Westfield High School
Time: Doors open at 6:00 p.m. / Game at 6:30 p.m.

Please help support the PTA and Deer Park by volunteering to make this event a success. 2026 Deer Park Staff Basketball Game Volunteer!

Tickets - Sales information coming soon.

Students MUST be accompanied by an adult. NO drop offs.

NEW Visitor Check-in System
Raptor Safe App Setup

All Fairfax County Public Schools are getting a NEW Visitor Check-in System beginning next week. Downloading and registering on the Raptor Safe App is not required, you can still use your driver’s license in the building, but this is faster.

What is Raptor Safe?

Raptor Safe is a free mobile app designed to make school visits and student dismissals both faster and more secure. By using the app, you can create a Raptor Passport, which allows you to check in at the school entrance by simply scanning a QR code. A new QR code is generated each time so no screenshots.

A few notes for registration in the app: no code is needed so skip that step and foreign id's and passports can be used (as long as they are in English).

Setting Up Your Account

Getting started is straightforward. Here is the play-by-play:

Download: Search for "Raptor Safe" in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Verification: To keep the community safe, the app will ask you to scan your driver’s license and take a live selfie to verify your identity.

Privacy: Don't worry about that selfie—it is used only for the initial verification and is not stored in the app.

Stored Info: The app only keeps necessary details like your name, date of birth, the photo from your ID, and the last four digits of your license or passport.

Quick Tips for Users

No Passwords to Memorize: The app uses your mobile phone number to log you in. You’ll receive a one-time code via text each time you need to access your account.

Need Help?: If you run into any technical snags, you can find troubleshooting guides at https://raptortech.com/raptorsafe-app/

Raptor Safe FAQ Sheet

Raptor Safe QR code

It's been a busy week at Deer Park!

2nd Quarter Awards Celebration

The Spelling Bee was
an Un-BEE-lievable Event!

We want to thank all the students that participated in this year's Spelling Bee. The competition was tough with some challenging words. All the students showed great effort and we are proud of all our Deer Park students!

The winner of this year's event was Joseph in 6th grade who will go on to compete at the Fairfax County Spelling Bee at Lake Braddock High School in March! Alessandra also in 6th grade won as the alternate. The winning words
were "commotion" and "nomad".

A special thank you to Ms. Kimberly Graham and the PTA for organizing this event and our judges, Principal D'Amato, Assistant Principal Hitz,
Ms. Jennings and Ms. Farfan.

Thank you to the PTA for the teacher and staff "spelling bee socks" gift!

Deer Park Kindness Week!

It's been a week of pajamas, sports jerseys, crazy socks and the spirit of
Kindness at Deer Park!

Warm Up FCPS – Divisionwide Spirit Day

Tired of all the cold weather? Let’s warm up with a little school spirit across the division!

Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid is encouraging all FCPS students, teachers, and staff to shake the wrinkles out of their brightest outfits and tropical wear to help brighten everyone’s moods on Thursday, February 19.

Meal Kits for Fasting Students

From February 18 to March 19, students who are fasting during the day can take school meals home. These kits include one breakfast and one lunch to be eaten after the school day ends.

Families must fill out a request form each week for every student who wants a kit. The first deadline is Wednesday, February 11, for the week of February 16. Please note other important details below:

Cost: Meals are charged just like a normal school day.
Pickup: Students must grab their kits at the end of the school day.

Menu: Kits include school meals that are easy to heat at home.

Visit the Food and Nutrition webpage for forms, deadlines, and other information. Please contact the Office of Food and Nutrition Services with any questions at FCPSFNS@fcps.edu or 703-813-4800.

Kindergarten Registration!

Learn About Kindergarten at Deer Park Elementary

Our kindergarten open house is being held on April 10th at 10:00 a.m. to give parents of students entering school in August an opportunity to learn more about kindergarten at our school.

We recognize that parents are their children’s first teachers. Resources on the School Readiness and Transition to Kindergarten webpage provide parents with ways to support their children to help ensure a smooth transition to kindergarten.

PTA News
www.deerparkespta.org

Winter Dance

Winter Dance - February 20

We need volunteers, please join the fun here:

Under the Stars Volunteer!

Scan the QR code below if you can help donate to the event or click here:

2026 DPES Dance Party-Under the Stars

If you would like to help set up, please email pta.deerparkes@gmail.com

Deer Park VS Coates Basketball Game

In order to make our Deer Park Staff Basketball Game vs Coates a success, we need people to volunteer to help set up, sell concessions, sell spirit items, take entry fees and help clean up after the event is over.

The event is at Westfields High School.

Please sign up here:
2026 Staff Basketball Game - Volunteer

Yearbooks

Yearbooks on Sale!

Order your yearbook here for the 2025-26 school year. Use school code 22187 Cost is $20.00 each.

If you have photos from field trips, classroom celebrations, or school events that you would like to share, please send them to emtobin@fcps.edu.

⭐️We also want to include some features from many students about their dreams for the future. Some students may have already filled this out with their homeroom teacher, but you can fill this Google form with your student to include their dream: https://forms.gle/yCuKE7xivGqP4L6m9. Feel free to email Ms. Tobin with any additional yearbook questions, emtobin@fcps.edu.