 Gunston First Grade teacher, Ashley Berger, celebrates her Excellence Award with Superintendent, Dr. Scott Brabrand.
Advanced Academic Elementary Parent Information Meeting TONIGHT
A parent information meeting will be held at Gunston Elementary tonight, October 17, 2019 at 5:00pm. The AART will provide information about levels of service and examples at Gunston Elementary as well as explain and answer questions about the screening processes for part-time school-based and full-time Level IV services.
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PTA Meeting Tonight - 6:00 pm
Principals' Presentation - Come learn the current state of our school and learn about our school improvement goals for the 2019-2020 school year.
Dinner and kids' activities provided.
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Veterans' Day Celebration
We are busy preparing for our Veterans' Day Celebration on Monday, November 11th to honor our many military families - currently active as well as veterans. To honor them and thank them for their sacrifice and service, we have planned a very special celebration which includes a wall of honor. Our goal is to fill our wall with your photographs and badges. Please send these items to the office and if items they are to be returned please mark them accordingly. More details will be shared soon.
Digital Citizenship Week
October 21 - 25, 2019
The theme is Media Balance and Well-Being: Developing a Healthy Relationship with Your Technology.
Gunston is celebrating Digital Citizenship Week with spirit days and activities focused on developing healthy habits around technology use. Our Gunston website has more details.
Spirit Days for the Week
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Monday: Hat Day - Put on your thinking cap and reflect on your media use and habits.
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Tuesday: Active Wear - Exercise your healthy tech habits.
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Wednesday: Wacky Hair Day - Create the craziest hairstyle today to focus on how you can use technology to create original works.
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Thursday: Dress in Your Best - Wear your best or most professional clothing and focus on using high-quality media.
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Friday: “Lei” Off the Tech - wear Hawaiian clothing and take a break from screens to connect more in person.
School Attendance Reminders
It’s never too early to start encouraging regular school attendance. Nationwide data shows that starting in Kindergarten, missing 10% (about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read and by 6th grade, absenteeism is one of the three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
FCPS expects students to be in school and follow their assigned schedules unless their absence is excused due to:
- Illness
- a death in the family
- a medical or dental appointment/ procedure
- military event
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or religious obligations.
FCPS regulation states:
“Parents should notify the school prior to, or at the start of, the school day when their child will be absent. When a student has been absent from school for any reason other than for a school sponsored activity, and the parents have not previously contacted the school, the parent must send written or electronic communication citing the reason(s) for the absence to the principal or designee no later than three days following the student’s return to school.”
- A reminder that a notification to the school that your child will be absent does not automatically mean the absence is excused. If you call the school to report your child absent and the reason is unexcused, you will still receive an automated phone call stating that your child is absent that day.
Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact AID Coming Soon!
Beginning on October 21, FCPS will be asking all families to fill out a Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid. Returning this form is important because information from this survey results in an anticipated $3 million dollars in grant funds each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers. For each school-aged child in your household, please complete, sign, date, and return the survey to your child's school. If sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the box in Section 3. All forms must be signed, dated, and returned by October 30. All results are CONFIDENTIAL.
Video link - https://youtu.be/uPqC3BLf3Ow
Family Life Education (FLE) Parent Preview
You are invited to attend an evening opportunity to preview the Family Life Education media and lessons and to talk with school staff about the program. The meeting will be held on November 13, 2019 at 6:00pm in the Gunston Elementary School Library. All program materials and media for all grade levels will be available for your review on this evening. You may also review materials here.
Outstanding Employee Award Nominations
Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for a Gunston Outstanding Employee in one of the categories below, please complete the nomination through this Google form link. All this is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category. To nominate more than one person, please complete the form again.
*outstanding teacher
*outstanding new teacher
*outstanding principal
*outstanding leader
*outstanding professional employee
*outstanding operational employee
NOTE: The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, November 1.
If you have any questions, please contact Diana McIntyre at dhmcintyre@fcps.edu
Google form link
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PTA News & Events |
Fall Carnival & Bingo Night
October 25th @ 5:30 pm
We are SO excited for our Fall Carnival/Bingo night! Please send in any donations for the grade level raffle baskets (K- Movie Night; 1- Arts & Crafts; 2- Legos, 3- Outdoor Activities, 4- Everything Sports, 5- Bookworm Basket, 6- Fun with STEM) by 10/21. Order forms to pre-purchase punch cards for carnival games will go home today. Purchases MUST be returned by 10/22 and will go home on 10/24 in Thursday folders.
You can also purchase carnival punch cards and Bingo cards on our website prior to 10/21. Click here for Carnival punch cards (to go home in Thursday folders on 10/24) and here for Bingo cards (to be picked up at the event). Both punch cards and bingo cards will also be available for sale that night!
We need your help to make this event a success. Please sign up to volunteer here!
Box Tops
Bring in your Box Tops by October 25th
Don't forget to keep gathering your box tops and send them in to school labeled with your teacher's name by 10/25! The class with the most box tops collected will win a chocolate fountain party! Electronic submissions count too as long as you give credit to your teacher through the app!
PTA in the Park
October 19th 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Come on out to the playground at Pohick Bay Regional Park so the kids can have an opportunity to get some fresh air and exercise with their fellow classmates! No need to sign up, just show up!
Join Watch D.O.G.S.
Our Watch D.O.G.S. chair Christopher McPhee is looking for other dads, grandpas, father figures, etc. to join him in the Gunston Elementary Watch DOGS program! He plans to be at our 10/17 PTA meeting to share about our plans for this school year. You can find out more about this national program here - https://dadsofgreatstudents.com/. Please reach out to Chris at christopher.jr.mcphee@gmail.com or 571-427-1721 if you're interested in joining Watch D.O.G.S!
Reflections Deadline: October 21
LOOK WITHIN, is this year's Reflections theme. Membership in the Virginia PTA provides the opportunity to participate in the National PTA Reflections program. This competition encourages students to explore the arts and express themselves by providing positive recognition for their artistic efforts. Since it was founded in 1969 by Mary Lou Anderson, millions of students have benefited from this program.
Reflections Awards Program: Students in Pre-K through grade 12 create theme-based artwork in dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography or visual arts.
Deadline for Entries: October 21 . (submit to the office, labeled Reflections)
Rules and Entry Form: https://www.vapta.org/programs/arts-and-education/reflections-top
Questions: gunstonreflect@gmail.com
November is Restaurant MONTH at Glory Days!
The PTA is partnering with Glory Days for the month of November in their dining for dollars program. All you have to do is dine at Glory Days and send your itemized receipt to school for collection by the PTA. At the end of the month we will get a portion of the checks collected!
Save these Dates!
(remember to keep an eye on our websites)
Gunston Elementary website
Gunston PTA website
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October 17 - 5:00 pm Advanced Academic Information Meeting
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October 17 - 6:00 pm PTA Meeting
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October 19 - PTA in the Park
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October 21 - Deadline for Reflections entries
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October 24 - Impact Aid forms go home
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October 25 - 5:30 pm Fall Carnival/Bingo Night
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October 25 - Box Tops due
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November Restaurant Month at Glory Days
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November 11 - Veterans' Day celebration
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November 11 - Thanksgiving lunch
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November 14 - Progress Reports go home
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November 21 - 6:00 pm PTA Meeting
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November 26 - Turkey Trot
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December 6 - 8:00 am Breakfast with Buddies
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December 16-18 - Holiday Shop
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