Newsletter Contents:
School-Wide Pajama Day Tomorrow
Lockdown Drill Tomorrow (grades 1-6)
Updated Safety Guidance for PTA Movie Night
School-Wide PAJAMA DAY tomorrow!
Congratulations Roadrunner Nation! We reached our first goal in our Race the Roadrunner PTA Membership Drive and Roadrunner Giving Campaign with 40% of families joining and/or making a donation to the PTA! Thanks to these families, the entire school will celebrate this Friday, September 17th with a school-wide Pajama Day! All students are invited to wear their favorite PJs to school for a fun-filled, comfy day.
Let’s keep the winning streak going! Join or donate today!
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Lockdown Drill Tomorrow!
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for all of us. We have a crisis management and emergency preparedness plan for our school that is reviewed and updated regularly. Our plan includes procedures on how to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Students and staff regularly practice these drills every school year. We also practice lockdown drills.
A new Virginia Law (22.1-137.2) requires schools to notify parents at least 24 hours before a school practices a lockdown drill. However, we are not required to share the exact date and time of the drill. We are required to practice lockdown drills two times a year. FCPS lockdown drills do not include any type of active shooter scenario training, but they are instruction and classroom based. As a part of our safety training, we also show students a video regarding lockdown drills so students would know what a lockdown looks like in the school. Families may watch a trailer for this video here.
We will conduct a lockdown drill at our school this week, but we will not be gathering in one spot in the room. Our kindergarten students are exempt from mandatory participation in lockdown drills during the first 60 days of the school year. They will participate in our second and final drill later this school year.
Additional information on our lockdown drill program to include parent tips and FAQs can be found on the Emergency Planning and Crisis Response web page. After reviewing this content, you should discuss the value of these safety drills with your child.
Keeping our school safe and secure for all students and staff involves the participation of the entire school community, and we thank you for your help to keep our school safe.
Sincerely,
Sara Harper, Principal
Christopher Litz, Assistant Principal
Movie Night Safety Protocol Update
If you have purchased tickets to attend the movie night, please read below as we've updated and enhanced our safety protocols.
Given that Fairfax County is now in an area of high transmission, masks will be required during the event except for documented medical or sincerely-held religious beliefs. We trust that no one in our Great Falls family will abuse this condition.
We will also be designating seating areas on the field that provide appropriate social distance between family groups. Concessions must be consumed while seated with your family group. Masks may only be removed while eating. We hope that everyone in attendance will help us by keeping appropriate social distance and following the masking guidelines.
If for any reason you would now prefer not to attend, we would be happy to refund your money.
Our primary focus is, and has always been, the safety of our Great Falls Elementary family and community, especially since most of our kids are still unvaccinated and we are now an area of high transmission. Please help us make this an enjoyable event for everyone involved. Please remember that ALL the people working on this and other PTA events are volunteers who have everyone's best interests at heart.
As always, please feel free to email me at president@gfespta.com if you have any questions or concerns.
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