Dear Great Falls Families,
Dr. Litz and I hope this newsletter finds you having a wonderful summer break!
It is hard to believe that in just a little over a month, we will be welcoming all our students & staff back to GFES for FIVE days a week of in-person instruction! The last few years have certainly been a journey, and we are extremely hopeful for all the positive opportunities the fall has in store for our students, staff, and community.
We have many activities planned to welcome our returning AND new students back! Please save the following dates on your calendar:
⭐New Family Playdate⭐
Wednesday, August 18th at 9:30 am on the GFES playground
⭐GFES Open House⭐
August 19 in person at Great Falls Elementary
12:00: Families with last names A – L
1:00: Families with last names M – Z
⭐First Day of School⭐
August 23, 2021
⭐Virtual Back to School Night⭐
Wednesday, August 25 from 6-8pm
** More specific info to follow soon **
We hope you continue to have a safe and healthy summer break and as always, please reach out if you have any questions or wonderings regarding the upcoming school year. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!
All my best,
Sara Harper
Principal
Meet our new Administrative Assistant, Colleen Murphy
Colleen Murphy started working at Great Falls Elementary School in 2017 as the Cafeteria Hostess. She then worked as an Instructional Assistant until becoming the Office Assistant during the 2020-21 school year. During her time as the Office Assistant, she shadowed the previous Administrative Assistant in order to gain the knowledge and experience to successfully support the staff, students, and families at Great Falls ES.
Colleen is currently working towards her degree and looks forward to continuing to grow professionally at Great Falls ES and within Fairfax County Public School.
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Student Registration for 21-22 School Year
Do you have, or know of a new student or rising kindergartener scheduled to come to Great Falls next year?
Please spread the word that registration is underway as we are excited to meet our newest Roadrunners. Registration information for kindergarten and new students can be found on our website here. You may also contact our registrar, Abeer El Gharib, at amelgharib@fcps.edu if you have additional questions.
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Stay Connected!
We want you to have all the most up to date information regarding all of the wonderful activities happening at Great Falls ES!
Stay connected with us by registering at the following locations:
- Visit and join the GFES PTA on the website
- Follow us on Facebook (the school page and the PTA page)
- Follow us on Twitter
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Open House
Come meet your teacher and check out your new classroom on Thursday, August 19th at our Open House from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Due to our growing student population and small parking lot, we are asking families to attend during the following scheduled times:
12:00 – Families with last names beginning with A – L
1:00 – Families with last names beginning with M - Z
This is an opportunity for students connect with new and old friends, and most importantly, meet their classroom teacher! We also highly encourage that students bring and drop off their school supplies on this day. School supply lists can be found here; should you wish to purchase school supply kits through our PTA, please see here.
New Families: During Open House, we will have a fun scavenger hunt for new families to familiarize students with common locations and specialist staff members (pe, music, art, etc.) around the building! If you would like to connect with a buddy family through the PTA prior to Open House, please click here.
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Amazon Smile -
Support our School!
Looking for an easy way to support Great Falls? We have an AmazonSmile account! Every time you shop at Amazon and select the Westgate PTA as your designated charity, and .5% of your purchase will be donated to Great Falls ES. You can click here (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/homepage?orig=%2F) to get started! Just remember, to shop at smile.amazon.com instead of the regular Amazon page each time you make a purchase! Supporting Westgate couldn't be easier!
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Bus Drivers Needed for Next School Year!
Do you, or someone you know, have an interest in working with our FCPS transportation team? It's a great opportunity for stay at home parents, retirees, college students and career switchers! Please see flyer below.
Message from our President
The PTA is excited to get the 2021-2022 school year started! We wanted to make you aware of a few important items that will help us all prepare for a successful year.
Order School Supplies - The PTA has partnered with SchoolToolBox to provide a one stop shop for all of your school supply needs. Completely customize your child’s supply box - no need to purchase items you may already have on hand! Boxes will be shipped directly to your home. Save precious time and help the PTA by ordering your school supplies here - www.schooltoolbox.com. Simply enter our zip code, click on Great Falls Elementary School and browse your options.
New Family Playdate - Families new to GFES, or those that just want to meet some new friends, please join us for a playdate on the school playground on Wednesday August 18th from 9:30 - 10:30 am. PTA representatives will be on hand to discuss membership, upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. Spirit Wear will also be on sale! Hope to see you there. Grade level specific playdates are also being planned for the first few weeks of school. Stay tuned for more information.
AtoZ Connect - Our online directory and school store site has received an upgrade! AtoZ Connect is now powered by Membership Toolkit to bring you the best directory experience available. PTA memberships, directories, volunteer signups, communications, online store, and more will all run through the newly improved online software. The system is secure, easy to use, and free to families.
All families, both returning and new, will need to visit our own unique URL - http://gfespta.membershiptoolkit.com - to either verify their existing information or create a new account.
New Family Buddy Program - Starting in a new school, especially after such a strange year, can be daunting. Let’s help our new families feel welcome and answer any questions they may have about our school and community. The new family buddy program will match new families with experienced families who have children of similar grade levels. The time commitment can be up to you - a few emails, a playdate etc.
If you are new to GFES and want to be matched or are an experienced family and want to help welcome a new family, please fill out this Google Form.
In-Person Events and Programs - We know that a lot of families are eager to start planning their schedules for the fall. The PTA would love nothing more than to return to normal and hold all of our traditional events and programs. The guidelines in place regarding community use of the school building are ever-changing. We are doing our best to navigate the new process and hope to be able to provide the programs such as before school Spanish and after school enrichment classes as we have done in past years. Thank you for your patience as we work with FCPS, GFES and our program providers. We will let everyone know when we have the most up to date information. We appreciate your understanding as undoubtedly changes will need to be made to some of our traditional events and activities. Our team is working hard to come up with some new and different ways to come together safely as a community!
On behalf of the PTA board, I thank you for your continued support of GFES and the PTA. Let’s make this a positively memorable year! If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Karyn Gould - president@gfespta.com
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