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Greetings Gunston Family,
As many of you have seen in Dr. Brabrand’s message, it has been determined that the school will close for students through April 10, 2020 to keep our students and staff healthy. We will be open Monday, March 16th, for students and staff to access their belongings. In order to provide continuity of learning, FCPS will promote digital and online resources. New instructional videos are currently being developed and will be provided on Channel 21 and online at www.fcps.edu. This work will not be required nor graded. In addition, students can continue to access resources on our Gunston website such as MyOn and Dreambox.
In preparation for school closure, student learning activities will be made available through FCPS 24-7 Learning (Blackboard). Parents can begin to prepare by ensuring they have a Student Information System (SIS) Parent Account and are able to login to FCPS 24-7 Learning: Parent View. If you do not have a Student Information System (SIS) Parent account, you can register for an account online. An activation key will be sent to you to complete your registration, along with the simple steps to set up your account. Your username and password for the Student Information System(SIS) and FCPS 24-7 Learning: Parent View will be the same.
On Monday, we will be distributing a limited number of laptops to FCPS students in grades 3-6 that do not have access to a device at home. If you need technology for your children to access online learning please email me (krucinski@fcps.edu) this weekend. I will be working with our technology staff to make sure we have laptops available for checkout during the time off.
Our school will be distributing laptops to students between 12:00 and 2:30. You may come anytime in that window. Note that you must attend with your student to sign our parent consent form. This will allow us to assign a device to your student. We will also work with your student while on-site to make sure that they can log into the device before you leave. A few things to understand about the process on Monday:
- There are a limited number of laptops available to our students and they are intended only for those students who have no other means to access learning resources from home. Please do not take a laptop if your student already has access to a computer or tablet at home.
- The laptop is a temporary loan and will need to be returned to the school as soon as school resumes.
- If you do not have internet access at home, while you are picking up a laptop, you may fill out the parent permission form for a MiFi wireless internet device. These MiFis will not be available for pickup on Monday, however we will put your request in the queue and let you know if a device is available for pickup at a later date.
- Another option for internet access is using the link below from Comcast that can provide access if needed.
https://www.wxyz.com/news/national/coronavirus/comcast-offering-internet-essentials-package-free-for-60-months-during-coronavirus-outbreak?fbclid=IwAR318GCjDvZO0UviyMnIML6j_adHw9hVyGq97Yd366hXtN6u7TbtEBxwPek
Food distribution will continue throughout the closures. Meals were served at five schools today, with plans to expand to additional schools next week. We are coordinating with community partners to ensure the locations and timing of food centers and pantries are being communicated with FCPS families. Breakfast will be available from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and lunch will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at the following locations:
- Bailey’s Elementary School, 6111 Knollwood Drive, Falls Church
- Hutchison Elementary School, 13209 Parcher Avenue, Herndon
- Hybla Valley Elementary School, 3415 Lockheed Boulevard, Alexandria
- London Towne Elementary School, 6100 Stone Road, Centreville
- Burke School, 9645 Burke Lake Road, Burke
Please take care of yourselves as we manage COVID-19. Remain calm and remember, the most important deterrent to the transmission of common infections and viruses, including the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is handwashing. Get the latest information regarding what FCPS is doing to address your concerns regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus) at the following link: https://www.fcps.edu/news/coronavirus-update
The staff and I will miss greeting our Eagles every morning and learning with them daily for the next few weeks. I hope this will be a time of rest and good health for all of our staff and families. Keep reading, keep practicing math and please let me know if there is anything I can do for you in the absence of the school routine. I am here to support our students and families while we are navigating through these new waters. Continue to follow the FCPS website, Facebook page, and Twitter account for updates. I will provide them, as appropriate, for our school community as well. We are grateful for your support and understanding during this difficult time.
Kristen Rucinski
Acting Principal
Gunston Elementary School
703-541-3600
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