Great Falls ES Families,
We want to thank each of you for all of the wonderful support and grace from our families as our staff worked to get this school year off to a great start.
Despite the transportation hiccups, our first week back for in-person learning went very well. Our staff and students are collaborating to establish warm and welcoming classroom communities, got the ball rolling on positive relationships and connections, and put routines and procedures in place that will set us all up for success this year.
We distributed nearly 500 laptops to our students, helped our new students navigate a new building and school culture, and held a heavily attended and positive virtual Back to School Night. It is a privilege to have our students back in the building, and we are excited about the year ahead.
Best wishes for a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable Labor Day weekend.
Sincerely,
Sara Harper
Principal
Sincere thanks to Lucas and Clark Landscaping for donating their services and providing the Fall clean-up of our school landscaping. We appreciate their help in keeping GFES beautiful.
Calendar Updates
September 3: Student Holiday
September 6: Labor Day Holiday
September 17: PTA Movie Night
Dismissal Updates
We are seeing progress with our updated dismissal times! We expect the traffic in our kiss and ride will continue to be heavy for a bit. We will continue with the following processes to keep the line moving:
- Kiss and Ride dismissal will begin at 3:20 until Sep. 9.
- Beginning Sept. 9, students arriving from Kiss and Ride will be counted tardy. Students riding the bus will never be tardy.
- We have added additional structures to support students while they wait for their bus inside GFES.
- You can follow along with our internal dismissal by clicking here. It's not a perfect process because you will need to refresh to update; however, it can give you the most up to date information on the dismissals happening within school each day.
No Left Turn During Dismissal
The Fairfax Police Department has been out to evaluate the congested dismissal situation. Their number 1 suggestion is to have families make only right turns when turning IN and OUT of the GFES parking lot from Walker Rd. We have ordered "Right Turn Only" signs that will be placed at the entrance of our school. Until then, we appreciate you proactively turning right when exiting during dismissal.
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Back to School Night Asynchronous Slides
We were very excited to see all of you at Back to School Night last week. We appreciate your attendance, thoughtful questions, and positive feedback as we navigate Back to School Night in a virtual format.
Our specialists and resource teachers have created an asynchronous back to school slide deck for you as well with information as well; please take a second to look!
Office Assistant: Karen Wood
Hi, Great Falls Roadrunners! My name is Karen Wood and I’m excited to be your new office assistant this year! This is my first year working for Fairfax County Public Schools, however, I’ve worked in many different offices. I was born and raised in Loudoun County, Virginia. I love to travel and spend time with my family and friends. I love animals, especially my black cat and my German Shepherd mix.
I’m excited to be a part of the Great Falls team. I love getting to help and know all of the members in the community. I’m looking forward to the year ahead!
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Site-Based Technology Specialist: Jennifer Roberts
I’m Jen Roberts, the new Technology Specialist here at Great Falls. I am so excited to be a part of your community and get to know all of you! I truly love my job, getting to help teachers, students, and families access technology in a way that helps improve learning. I have been an SBTS for the past 5 years, working most of that time split between Woodburn ES and Columbia ES. Prior to going into this role, I taught high school English at Lake Braddock and before that in Cincinnati. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2-year-old son, Ben, and 16-year-old dog. I love reading, writing, spending time outside, and sports--I coach softball on the side and root for the Nats, Caps and Browns. I’m looking forward to supporting the Great Falls ES community in the year ahead!
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School Counselor: Sara White
My name is Sara White, and I am joining the Roadrunners community as a part-time school counselor. I received my bachelor’s degree in psychology from Christopher Newport University, and my master’s degree in counseling from Old Dominion University. I am a National Certified Counselor (NCC). I am a passionate counselor and love building relationships with students! I will also be working at Forestville ES in addition to my role at Great Falls. I am originally from Reston but spent 7 years in the Hampton Roads area completing my degrees and internships before returning to Northern Virginia last year. I currently live in Ashburn with my husband and our sweet puppy named Sadie. My hope for this school year is to support students' academic and social emotional needs so that they may have a successful year of learning!
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Important Forms
At Great Falls, we use a variety of digital tools to support meaningful student learning. Some of these tools require parental consent before they can be used.
If you have already provided consent - THANK YOU! For those of you who have not, you can find our school’s list of the resources that require parental consent here.
After reviewing these resources, please complete 🔗 this form 🔗 to indicate whether or not your student is allowed to use the list of digital resources this year. Your child will not be able to use the digital resources until we have received your permission, so the sooner we can get the permission the better!
Please reach out to our School Based Technology Specialist, Jen Roberts (jmroberts@fcps.edu)or me if you have questions or concerns.
Join us for Outdoor Movie Night
Join us on Friday September 17th at 7:00pm for an outdoor showing of Trolls World Tour on the big screen! Rain Date - September 24th.
Bring your blankets and chairs to set up on the field. This is NOT a drop off event, parent supervision required. Masks are recommended while not eating/drinking or when in close proximity to people outside your household.
Limited Capacity of 250; Tickets are first come, first serve; Must PRE-PURCHASE, no tickets will be sold at the door. Thank you for your understanding.
$5.00 concession fee PER PERSON includes popcorn, candy and a drink.
How to Purchase
1. Go to http://gfespta.membershiptoolkit.com.. Login or create your account
2. Click on "PTA Events" in the menu bar on the left
3. Select Concession Fee and enter the quantity needed for your family - EVERYONE in attendance (parents, students, younger siblings) must purchase a concession "ticket" so we are able to monitor capacity restrictions.
4. Add to Cart and Checkout
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Science Olympiad Div. A Interest Meeting
Wednesday September 1st at 7:00 pm
Please join us for an introductory meeting for Science Olympiad, Division A (grades 3 - 5)! Wednesday September 1st at 7:00pm via conference call. For Call information, please email scienceolympiad@gfespta.com. The conference call link will be sent to you by 10am on 9/1/21.
Before School Spanish Classes
We are thrilled to be partnering with ChiCeLaCu again to offer Before School Spanish classes for our GFES students! ChiCeLaCu! will offer the standard 3-day program on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:50 - 8:40 am for 3 groups: beginner, intermediate and advanced level students. The program is designed so that children who join the program in kindergarten and 1st grade reach language proficiency by 5th and 6th grade. Children registered in the program will start at the Beginner levels I & II. Students who continue in the program will move to Levels II and up to levels V and VI by 5th and 6th grade.
Click the links below for more information about the program and how to register. Classes begin September 20th!
Spanish Class Information
Spanish Class Registration Form
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Girls on the Run Fall Season Registration Open!
The Girls on the Run program is designed for girls in grades 3-6. The program aims to build our next generation of leaders by activating their confidence through running.
Practices will be held from 7:40 - 8:40 am Tuesday and Thursday for 10 weeks. The season will end with a celebratory 5K!
Practice begins the week of 9/13 and ends just before Thanksgiving. See the flyer linked below for details on how to register. Registration closes on September 7th so sign up soon! Reach out to head coach Kelly Singer with any questions - kelly.j.singer@gmail.com
GOTR Fall 2021 Flyer
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Room Parent Update
Thank you to all who expressed interest in volunteering as a room parent this year. We have shared the list with the teachers and will be reaching out to everyone with more information soon. For those that have served as room parents in the past, please note that we will NOT be collecting class funds this year. Due to the ongoing uncertainty of our ability to hold events and celebrations coupled with past disparities in equity across classes and grade levels, the PTA and the administration determined this was the best route to take. Room parents may ask class families to donate items for any classroom or grade level events or volunteer their time in lieu of money being collected. More detailed information will be shared once all teachers have finalized their room parent selections. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding.
Reflections Art Contest
Students in grades Pre-K through 12, and a special artist division are invited to create artwork in the categories of dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography or visual arts. This year's theme is "I Will Change the World By..."
Entries from GFES students are due October 8th. Student entry forms MUST accompany each piece of art. Stay tuned for details on how to submit your entries electronically. If you have any questions please contact reflections@gfespta.com.
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Visit our NEW A to Z Site Today!
If you haven't already done so, please visit our NEW A to Z Connect site - http://gfespta.membershiptoolkit.com - to either verify your existing information or create a new account. All families, both returning and new, need to login to the new site. You can purchase PTA membership and donate to the Roadrunner Giving Campaign online.
After School Programs
Stay tuned for more information about after school programs! We are working with FCPS and our vendors to obtain necessary approvals and schedule classes. We hope to begin registration in mid September with classes beginning in early October. Thank you for your patience.
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