Dear GFES Families,
It is difficult to believe we are so far into April already! It has been an exciting month to say the least. We welcomed approximately 315 students into our building for 4 days of instruction beginning Tuesday; we appreciate all of your patience and positive sentiments as we worked through this awesome transition.
We are thrilled to have our students back, and we still have two areas we need your support as we fine tune the logistics of the 4-day return. Please take time to read the info below carefully. Thank you for your adjustments as we streamline bringing students in efficiently.
Attendance:
The office and teachers have been receiving many attendance questions regarding in-person students. Students who are learning in-person are expected to attend school in-person, Tuesday through Friday, unless they are ill or their absence is due to Covid-related reasons. These reasons include a positive Covid test, quarantine due to Covid exposure, or self-quarantine due to possible exposure. Please note that teachers will not teach concurrently if your child has an early dismissal, is on vacation, or has a non-Covid related illness concerns.
Many of our classrooms have eliminated concurrent instruction. If your child needs to attend school virtually due to one of the approved reasons above, you will need to email your child’s teacher no later than 8:30 AM. Teachers need time, prior to student arrival, to connect the necessary sound and camera equipment and log into the Google Meets link.
You will also need to complete the Student Absence form which is monitored by our office staff, so that your child’s attendance can be captured correctly. Please select absent and then explain in the “details” section that your child will participate virtually and the specific reason why.
It is also important for teachers who are still teaching concurrently to receive notification of your child’s virtual attendance for their planning purposes. Additionally, you will still need to complete the attendance form linked above.
Kiss and Ride Traffic Updates:
-
Our FCPS office of transportation has assured us that all families who indicated they needed bus service can now see/view their child's bus information in ParentVue. If your child has bus access and you feel comfortable, please consider sending your child on the bus to reduce kiss and ride traffic.
-
Our morning kiss and ride spans from 8:45 - 9:00. The heaviest period is from 8:40 - 8:50. Feel free to drop your child closer to 9:00 to reduce congestion and wait time in the car.
-
Our afternoon kiss and ride spans runs from 3:30 - 3:45. The heaviest period is 3:25 - 3:35. Please consider arriving after 3:35 or 3:40 to collect your child for the afternoon.
-
Please be sure to double up and use BOTH kiss and ride lines to avoid a back up on Walker Rd.
-
Please do NOT drop students off at the front door OR plan to park and collect them from the parking lot unless you have special permission. This is not safe for our students.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions and thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Sara Harper
 Science Olympiad
GFES medaled in 4 of the 13 Division A Science Olympiad events our students participated in, including 1st place in Wind Power. We had a few just outside of the top 10 finishers. Way to go!
We would like to extend a special thanks to Ryker's dad, Torsten Kracht, for being our GFES volunteer (and for those who offered to volunteer but didn't get called up this time). He volunteered several hours to Reach for the Stars on the day of the Tournament. VASO Div A is completely powered by volunteers, and we appreciate it!
Thank you to the parents who mentored their kids (and other kids!) on these challenging topics, for those who navigated difficult web programs (tinkercad), doubled up to be videographers and tech support, for setting up zoom meetings with the partners, and all the countless ways you supported your kids along the way and made science FUN!
It was a very challenging and difficult competition. But I hope you see the smiling, serious, and energetic faces of your kids in the attached photo.
Go TEAM GFES Scientists!
Virtual Students Vision/Hearing Screening Update (k, 3rd gr, & students new to county)
Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction has granted a waiver of the statutory requirement § 22.1-273 allowing parents of students who attend school on an entirely virtual basis, to “opt-out” of hearing and vision screenings when all of the following criteria are met:
-
Virtual Attendance Only. The student attends school on an entirely virtual basis during the 2020-2021 school year.
-
Parental Opt-Out. A parent of a student (who attends school on an entirely virtual basis) declines vision and hearing screening services in writing and submits such writing to the student’s school.
-
Notice of Screening Benefits. Prior to declining, the parent has been informed of the benefits of vision and hearing screenings for a student’s health and wellbeing.
Parents of students attending virtually may opt-out by completing and returning the Vision and Hearing Screening Opt-Out Form. If you are not opting out of the screening please use this link to sign-up for a time slot to come to Great Falls Elementary and have the vision and hearing screening completed.
SOL Testing Schedule
FCPS PreK and Early Head Start is now accepting applications for School Year 2021-22!
Please watch this video to see if your 3 or 4 year old may qualify for PreK.
To apply online: click here
Email: fcpsprekoffice@fcps.edu
For more information call our English Line: 703-208-7900
Spring Promotional Material
In accordance with Fairfax County Public Schools Regulation 1367.1, Great Falls Elementary School offers non-profit organizations the opportunity to distribute their organizational information to our school families.
All nonprofit materials will be sent electronically via Fairfax County Public Schools KIT Messaging System twice per year – once in the fall, and once in the spring. Sending the information home electronically will not only serve as a cost cutting measure for our nonprofit agencies but will also support Fairfax County’s mission to ‘Go Green’.
Click this link to view the promotional material for this spring approval deadline.
Teacher Appreciation Week - May 3-7
We haven't quite reached our donation goal - Can you chip in $10 to recognize our amazing teachers and support staff for Teacher Appreciation Week?
The PTA hopes to present each teacher and support staff member a gift card in addition to lunch and other treats. You can donate toward the gift card fund via PayPal (carolinakk@gmail.com) or Venmo (@Karyn-Gould or carolinakk@gmail.com). **Please note that your donation is for "GFES Teacher Appreciation Week." Thanks for your support!
Below is the schedule of various ways your family can celebrate our teachers and staff throughout the week. Please note that we have also paired specialists with classes so they feel appreciated and supported as well.
|
Read-A-Thon - 19,446 Minutes Read So Far!
Keep reading 30 minutes a day to win awesome prizes and help raise money for the GFES PTA! If you have not already done so, please click on this link to activate your reader’s personal page:
https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/lMvFoh
Looking for sponsors? Most grandparents love to keep up with their grandchildren and they'd love to know how much the kids are reading. They can also be extremely generous. Click on this link to go to your Grandparent Email Tool:
https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/tool/lMvFoh/1
|
Save the Date!
Great Falls Golf Tournament and Silent Auction
|
