Mrs. Choate's Chat...

Dear Glen Forest Community,

I am thrilled to announce that Ms. Elizabeth Manning is our new assistant principal! Ms. Manning has been a member of our 5^th grade team and a resource teacher assisting with small group instruction since August 2018.  Prior to working at Glen Forest, Liz was the interim assistant principal at Churchill Road Elementary, the reading resource teacher at Spring Hill Elementary and a primary and upper elementary teacher for 11 years in FCPS.  In addition to working for FCPS, Liz worked for 6 years in hospital outreach programs in children’s hospitals and medical facilities addressing the educational, emotional and recreational needs of children with terminal illnesses.  Ms. Manning will oversee our Preschool, Kindergarten and 1^st grade teams.

We are also excited that we have established a comprehensive Student Support Team to assist our school community. We have full-time counselors, social worker, psychologist, and a behavioral specialist that are available to help students and their families with their various needs. An overview of their function is later in this newslettter for your use.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Cindi Choate

Principal

Ms. Elizabeth Manning Assistant Principal Preschool, Kindergarten & 1st Grade

The Glen Forest Art team is excited for another school year filled with creativity and imagination! We are so eager to connect with you and your children through their amazing ideas and artwork. In fact, did you know that the Art Team has their very own Instagram? We love to share and show off what everyone is making. Be assured, we do not show any of our student’s faces or their names. If you recognize your child’s artwork, you can feel free to give them a “shout-out” in the comments! So, go ahead and follow us on Instagram @GlenForestArt. If you have any questions, contact your child’s art teacher. See you on Instagram! Ms. Williams, Mr. Reinaltt, and Mrs. Castillo Glen Forest Art Team

Upcoming Events: October 9 & 10 - Fall Picture Days October 14 - Holiday for students - NO school October 28 - November 1 - Book Fair!

Introduction of the Student Support Team

Behavior Interventionist:

This new position at Glen Forest and in FCPS is a support for teachers and students in their refinement of school-wide expectations and routines. The goal of the behavior interventionist is to provide students with the structures and behavior supports so that they may access curriculum and social opportunities. Students and staff are supported within their classrooms daily. Glen Forest is excited to have Ms. Ortiz as part of the Glen Forest staff!

School Counseling Services:

Elementary school counselors primary objective is to assist students in reaching their potential to become effective learners. Their goal is to complement the learning environment in the classroom by using a child-centered, preventative, and developmental approach.

Counseling will be conducted with students individually and in small groups, when requested by parents and teachers and determined appropriate. This service is short-term, voluntary, and confidential. Parent notification is given to any extended individual or group counseling. There will also be monthly classroom counseling lessons focused on student success. We have three counselors this year to help our students learn and grow!

School Psychologist:

The School Psychologist is available to consult with parents, teachers, counselors, community agencies, and private providers to help ensure that students’ social, emotional, and academic needs are met.  They complete assessments that explore students’ strengths and areas of need to help the school team to identify educational needs and generate interventions, and provide counseling to help students improve their social skills and self-regulation.  Ms. Kelleher is grateful to be a part of the Glen Forest team and looks forward to working with our students this year!

School Social Worker:

FCPS school social workers are committed to assessing and addressing those social, emotional, and behavioral factors that may stand in the way of students realizing their promise. They apply social work principles and methodologies in the educational environment with the primary goal of removing barriers that prevent a student from fulfilling his or her academic potential. Our Social Worker, Michelle Wenz is excited to work with the Glen Forest families and community this year!

Positivity Project:

Glen Forest is on the third year of implementing the Positivity Project (P2). P2 fosters stronger relationships by learning and recognizing the 24  character strengths in ourselves and others under the theme: "Other People Matter." In September classes explored the "other people matter" mindset, and the character strengths curiosity and teamwork. Check out the interactive bulletin board in the front lobby that Ms. Jessen's 5th grade class made. What is your top character strength? Add it to the bulletin board! 

For more information about P2, visit www.posproject.org.

Family Food Market:

We are fortunate to partner with the Capital Area Food Bank for five years to provide Family Food Markets to our community. The market is a monthly, no-cost,  grocery distribution at our school! Each month we receive several pallets of fresh produce and shelf stable food to help families extend their monthly food budget. This is truly a community event as parents, teachers and other community members volunteer to help distribute the groceries. New this year is an electronic sign-in system. After filling out an intake form with basic family information, each family is given a key card with a barcode to make check-in as easy as a swipe! Come check out the next Family Food Market on October 16^th to get some great food and see Glen Forest staff in action!

Upcoming Community Events:

Mental Health & Wellness Conference:

Saturday, October 5, 8:00 am to 12:30 pm; 12:30-4:00 pm

https://www.fcps.edu/event/mental-health-and-wellness-conference

Parent Resource Center Events:

Moving on to Life in the Community: A Resource Fair for Students with Disabilities

Register for Moving on to Life in the Community: A Resource Fair for Students with Disabilities

Helping your Child Cope with Stress

Register for Helping your Child Cope with Stress

Irritability in Children and Youth: How to Help Children Cope

https://www.fcps.edu/node/28019

Raising a Screen Smart Kid: Embrace the Good and Avoid the Bad in the Digital Age

https://www.fcps.edu/node/28019

Be Informed, Stay Involved!

• Sign up for News You Choose.
• Visit our website at:  https://glenforestes.fcps.edu/
• Follow Glen Forest Elementary on Twitter.
• Monitor your students academics with a SIS Parent Account.
• Join the Glen Forest Elementary School PTO and attend meetings.

Keep your contact information up-to-date

5829 Glen Forest Drive, Falls Church, VA 22041 |  Phone: 703.578.8000

Attendance: 703.578.8019 | GlenForestESAttendance@fcps.edu

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