A Message from Mrs. Harper
Dear Great Falls Families,
Fall is finally here, and we could not be happier about the cooler temperatures and fun fall activities we have planned. Thanks to the PTA for a fantastic Fall Festival! This week, we are focusing on learning about Digital Citizenship, and next week kicks off a week of fun spirit days designed to increase awareness for our students with special needs and celebrate our favorite book characters!
When FCPS sent out the Family Engagement Survey in the spring of 2019, 136 people responded. The results are in, and the following were our among our highest ranking indicators on the survey:
- “There are opportunities for me to volunteer at my child’s school.” (93% strongly agree or agree)
- “My child feels safe at school.” (92% strongly agree or agree)
- “I feel welcome at my child’s school.” (92% strongly agree or agree)
These percentages and indicators are most certainly to be celebrated. Our goal and commitment is to continue the great work and strive for 100% in these categories. I want to continue to reiterate our appreciation for all of the volunteer support we receive on a daily basis; we couldn't possibly provide all of the wonderful programming and learning opportunities without such a strong and supportive parent/community population.
Along those lines, I wanted to take a moment to remind all volunteers of the FCPS Policy of Confidentiality (Policy 2730.3) It states that “all volunteers shall be expected to maintain personally identifiable student information, whether oral, written, or automated, in a confidential manner.” Observations of student performance and their behaviors in the classroom may not be shared or discussed, as we strive to protect all children’s right to privacy.
Sincerely,
Sara Harper
GFES Calendar of Upcoming Events
10/21-10/25 - FCPS Digital Citizenship Week
10/21 - PTA Book Fair Week Begins
10/22 - Grade 4 Field Trip
10/23 - Grade 4 Colonial Day
10/28 - Down Syndrome Awareness Day- Wear blue and yellow!
10/29 - Rett Syndrome Awareness Day- Wear orange and pink or anything with flowers on it!
10/31- Halloween Spirit Day - Character Dress Up Day
Meet More of our New Staff
Eric Witchell, 5th Grade
Hello GFES Roadrunners! I am Mr. Eric Witchell. I was born and raised in southwestern Pennsylvania. My interest in math and learning developed at an early age when my engineer father would recruit me to create inventions out of junk. I attended Gannon University and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. Later, I attended UVA and received my Math Specialist endorsement. Throughout my 17 year career, I have taught at some wonderful FCPS schools, but I believe that this year at Great Falls is going to be my best year ever. When I’m not checking papers or writing lessons plans, I enjoy spending time with my two Boston Terriers and watching hockey.
Brenda Proulx, English Language Teacher
I am a native of the Washington Metropolitan area. I was born in DC and grew up in Arlington. After attending Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, I returned to the Washington area and began my teaching career as an Elementary Teacher in Montgomery County, MD. A few years later I moved to Virginia and joined Fairfax County Public Schools. I enjoyed many years of raising my two children as they experienced local education. I also became interested in the specialty of English as a Second Language instruction. I earned credentials to teach ESL and have taught English to both adults and children. The diversity of backgrounds, countries and languages here in Fairfax County provides stimulating and creative teaching opportunities. I enjoy the students and wonderful families that I meet. At home, our children are now grown and growing families of their own. A couple of cats keep us entertained. I love to be outside gardening or walking and I am actively involved in my church.
Jennifer Starr, School Counselor
My name is Jennifer Starr, and I am the new School Counselor here at Great Falls Elementary. I am excited to be a part of the Great Falls community! I live in Vienna with my husband, son, daughter and dog. My son is in fourth grade, and my daughter is in first grade. I hold a M.A. in Counseling and Development from George Mason University. I started my career in marketing, stayed home with my children for many years, and then decided to make a career change into education and couldn’t be happier! In my spare time I like to run, read, travel, and spend time with my family. I love what I do and look forward to building relationships with the students and families here at Great Falls!
Student-Parent Survey (Impact Aid)
Beginning October 21st, FCPS will be asking 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
Mark Your Calendars Now for Upcoming Spirit Week
Monday, October 28 - Down Syndrome Awareness Day- Wear blue and yellow!
Tuesday, October 29 - Rett Syndrome Awareness Day- Wear orange and pink or anything with flowers on it!
Thursday, October 31 - Halloween Spirit Day - Character Dress Up Day
FCPS Digital Citizenship Week
FCPS is celebrating Digital Citizenship Week this week!
This year’s theme is "Media Balance and Well-Being: Developing a Healthy Relationship with Your Technology."
Our school is celebrating Digital Citizenship Week with daily activities focused on developing healthy habits around technology use.
Parents can also choose to sign up to receive text messages from Common Sense Media with Tips for Health Tech Balance (for children ages 3-8).
Should you choose to additional activities/resources are located on our GFES Facebook page and updated daily.
 
BOOK FAIR IS THIS WEEK!
Did you know???
A Student who reads …
20 Minutes/Day is exposed to 1.8 million words a year,
5 Minutes/Day is exposed to 282,000 words a year,
1 minute/Day is exposed to 8,000 words a year.
Come to our Scholastic Book Fair! A fun, pop-up event that’s ALL about books!!
Book Fair Hours
10/23 - Wednesday Afternoon/Evening Fair shopping hours are from 3:30 - 7:30 p.m.
GO CASH & CHECK FREE- WITH NEW eWallet!
eWallet - Visit our GFES Scholastic Book Fair website and set-up eWallet for your child. This allows the student to access a credit card and spend ONLY the amount you have allowed at checkout. Your information is only stored until Friday afternoon of the book fair. After that, the account closes out and none of your information is saved. Your student can only spend what you have allotted and any extra allowance is never charged to your card. Details are on the Scholastic website.
ALL Checks payable to "GFES PTA" - NO TAX! Books purchased help earn Scholastic Dollars spent by Mrs. Botha to enhance the school library. All other profits help support PTA programs like Art Enrichment, Science Lab, and Gr. 3 Strings.
Check your child’s backpack for a wish list they created as they browsed the fair (browsing was today and also tomorrow).
Want to volunteer? Here's the Signup Genius link:
Want to help your child’s classroom library, also? We will have wish-lists from teachers available to help you choose a donation or pick something that your child wants to have in the class!
There’s sure to be a book for everyone! See you there!
Annual CGF Charity Golf Tournament
Congratulations to Celebrate Great Falls (CGF) for raising approximately $45,000!! A HUGE THANKS to all of our golfers, sponsors, volunteers, and staff - GFES received $15,000 towards our fundraising efforts!!! This allows for the continued success of our PTA sponsored programs such as Science Lab, Art Enrichment, Spelling Bee, Reflections, and the continued support of our teachers and classrooms. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!!
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