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For pics and updates of daily activities, follow us on Facebook @GR8FallsES
A Message from Mrs. Harper
Dear Great Falls Families,
I have some very exciting news. Great Falls Elementary qualified for another award this week for our academic achievement!
In addition to being named a recipient of the 2019 Virginia Board of Education Distinguished Achievement Award, Dr. Braband and the School Board have created a new recognition program. Tomorrow, GFES will be recognized as a recipient of the Superintendent’s Excellence in Equity Award. We are receiving this award because we met or exceeded state benchmarks for each reporting group (English, math, science) and all student subgroups (Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged, and English learners).
As we continue to celebrate the many academic success of Great Falls students, we should remain mindful of the unintended consequence of stress and anxiety that students in high-achieving schools may endure. I came across an article in the Washington Post that I wanted to share called, “Students in high-achieving schools are now named an “at-risk” group.”
We continue to help our students by focusing on the positive character traits from our Make Your MARK (Mindful, Accountable, Responsible, and Kind) and mindfulness efforts. We have seen a positive response from our students as we educate and empower them to utilize stress reduction skills and build relationships. This is an example of how GFES supports the emotional needs of our students so that they understand kindness, empathy, and effort are what matters the most.
If you are interested in continuing these conversations at home, I encourage you to explore the idea of the growth mindset (https://www.mindsetworks.com/). World renowned psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck coined the terms fixed mindset and growth mindset to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence.
Sincerely,
Sara Harper
GFES Calendar of Upcoming Events
11/11 Gr. 6 Field Trip, Veteran’s Day Ceremony, Great Falls Memorial
11/12 Progress Reports Sent Home, Grades 1-6
11/13 PTA General Meeting, 9:45 a.m.
11/18-22 Thanksgiving Food Drive Week
11/22 Picture Make up Day
11/27-29 Thanksgiving Holiday – School Closed
Meet More of our New Staff
Tom Crotty, 4th grade Teacher
Though new to Great Fall Elementary school, Mr. Crotty has previously taught for FCPS for 30 years. He graduated from the University of Maryland and attended George Mason University for his Masters Degree. Mr. Crotty enjoys spending his free time with his wife, a teacher at Forestville ES, his two daughters, three cats, and two dogs. He also volunteers at Fountainhead Regional Park, building and maintaining mountain bike trails.
Taleah Anderson, Art Teacher
Hi! My name is Taleah Anderson, and I am the new art teacher here at Great Falls! I just moved to Arlington, VA with my fiancé and our dog, Jax. I previously lived in Richmond, Virginia where I taught elementary art for 2 years. I graduated from Old Dominion University with a B.A. in Art Education. I also enjoy teaching dance after school. I am super excited to be teaching at such an amazing school, and I am looking forward to having a great year!
Molly Moorestein, 5th grade
I am so excited to join the Great Falls family. I grew up on a farm just outside of Leesburg, so I have lived in Northern Virginia all my life. I graduated from St. Joseph’s University with a Fine Arts major and received my masters in Elementary Education from Marymount University. This is my 16th year teaching and my 12th in Fairfax. Previously, I taught 3rd and 6th grade, this will be my first year in 5th grade. This summer my family and I moved to the Herndon area. I have a third grader and a first grader.
Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid -- Complete Forms Now
The Federal Impact Aid survey form went home a few weeks ago. The completed, signed and dated form was due back to your child’s teacher by Friday, October 25, 2019. If you have already returned a completed form for each of your children, thank you. If you have not yet done so, please complete the form and return it to your child's teacher as soon as possible.
Filling out the form is very straightforward. For each child attending Great Falls Elementary, please complete Section 1, 2 or 3 (as appropriate), sign, date, and return the survey to your child's homeroom teacher. All results are CONFIDENTIAL.
Thank you for supporting this important survey.
Picture Day Make-Up
Friday, November 22nd
If your child was not here on Picture Day, or would like to have a picture re-take, please mark your calendar for Friday, November 22nd, and return the original photos to have a re-take on make-up day.
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Great Falls Elementary School is looking for a few good men and women!
In honor of Veteran’s Day, we would like to recognize and acknowledge our community of service women and men.
If you are a Veteran or active military, and available to visit our school November 11th - 15th, around 8:30-9:00 a.m., we would like to invite you to lead our students in the Pledge of Allegiance on our W-GFES morning news show. Before reciting the pledge, we would like you to share a brief overview of your military service before leading our student body in the Pledge of Allegiance.
If you are interested in participating, please contact our school counselor, Robert Townsend: rwtownsend @fcps.edu.
Calling all students!
It’s time to create a cover for our 2019-20 Great Falls Elementary School Yearbook!
Submission Guidelines:
- Paper: White, 8 ½ x 11
- Our school name and the school year must included somewhere in your design
- Great Falls Elementary School
- 2019-2020
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The brighter and bolder, the better! Paper can be colored with marker, colored pencil, paint, water colors, or crayons.
- No spelling errors
- Student art work only - No adult help please!
- Print your name, and your teacher’s name on the back of your cover
Please deliver your cover entries to the front office, and remember: the deadline to enter is Friday, December 6th.
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Advanced Academics November Newsletter
Please click here to read our most updated Advanced Academic newsletter from Mrs. Laura Hotaling, our AART. Newsletter highlights:
- Important AAP Referal deadline dates
- Thinking Strategy of the Month
- Making Thinking Visible
- Critical and Creative Thinking Information
For more updated information on what Advanced Academics looks like at Great Falls, please take a look at our Advanced Academics website for more information located on our website and by clicking here.
Heading Out of Town for the Holidays?
Please notify GFES if your child/ren will be missing any days of school before or after the holidays. You are welcome to notify the classroom teacher; however, you must also provide notice via the attendance line or dedicated email address: gfesattendance@fcps.edu OR 703-757-2111
Thank you and safe travels!
Volunteers Need in our School Health Room
Interested? Come to our training!
No registration required
Herndon/Reston District Office
Thursday, November 14th
10 a.m. – noon
1850 Cameron Glen Dr. Room 600
Reston, VA
Training is free and provided by the Fairfax County Health Department. For more information please contact our school health aide.
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Now Accepting Nominations for
FCPS Employee of the Year Awards!
You have the opportunity to nominate GFES staff for the FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards! To learn more about the categories or to submit a nomination for Great Falls Elementary Outstanding Employee, please go to: https://greatfallses.fcps.edu/announcements/fcps-outstanding-employee-awards.
You may nominate an employee in any of the following categories:
Great Falls Elementary staff that are nominated will be recognized later this year and will have a chance to be acknowledged on a county level.
Note: The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, November 22nd. If you have any questions, please contact Sara Harper (skharper@fcps.edu)
COOPER THEATER
EXPO 2019
Dear Elementary School 5th & 6th Grade Students,
You are cordially invited to the Theatre Expo at Cooper Middle School on Saturday, December 14th, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Theatre Expo is a fun-filled day of workshops so that you can experience what middle school theatre is like and to learn from theatre professionals and work with middle school theatre students!
The cost of the event is $10 per student. This price includes three workshops and pizza. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from Cooper Middle School.
If you are interested, please register online and complete payment via Myschoolbucks no later than November 29th. There are a limited number of spaces for this workshop, so it’s first paid, first served! Online registration and the $10 registration fee are due to Cooper Middle School no later than November 29th. If you are paying by check, it should be made out to Cooper Middle School. Please note that the workshop registration fee is NONREFUNDABLE once paid.
Each class will be one hour long with five minutes of passing time between workshops. Students will be given a rotation schedule for the workshops when they arrive at Cooper for the expo. There will be a break with pizza for all between the second and third workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to interact with Cooper Middle School theatre and choir students to learn about the programs available at Cooper.
We look forward to seeing you at the Expo!
Sincerely,
Meg Baber
Cooper Middle School
Theatre Arts Teacher
mababer@fcps.edu
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Family Movie Night - Friday, Nov. 15th - 7pm
The Bee Movie (rated PG)
Come enjoy a movie and refreshments with the whole family! Please register through AtoZ Connect. Cost: a $5 per person concession fee. Limited to the first 300 people to register. Not a drop off event. Adult supervision required.
How to Register:
- Log into your AtoZ Connect account or through the AtoZ Connect app.
- From the upper left-hand corner menu, select "Store, Products, Events, and View Item" for GFES Movie Night Concession Fee, and add the number of people to your cart.
- Select “View Cart” and confirm your items.
- Select “Checkout” and you will be redirected to Paypal. You can sign-in to pay with your Paypal account or select Pay with a Debit/Credit card.
See you there!!!
HoneyBaked Ham Sales Oct 28 - Nov 22
JUST in time for Thanksgiving!
Order your turkey, ham and all the trimmings through HoneyBaked Ham of Reston and spend less time in the kitchen. Your specially-priced items will be delivered to GFES for pick-up (Nov. 26th following dismissal in the Auxillary Room) and 15% of all sales go back to GFES PTA.
Simply go to our personal ordering website and enter the special Employer Code: 5KDSXC
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