October
October 17 - PTA Fall Festival
October 29 - 2 Hour Early Release (1:30 p.m.)
November
November 1 & 2 - Student Holiday - Teacher Workdays
November 11 - Veterans Day - 2 Hour Early Release
November 24 - 26 - Schools and Office Closed - Thanksgiving
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Student Picture Proofs Available Online
To view your student's photo, please visit: https://vando.imagequix.com/g1000874085
Use your student's ID number when prompted for the online code.
If you have not ordered a picture package, you can order online now!
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GFES Advanced Academic Level IV Screening Process Parent Information Meeting (gr 2-6)
A parent information meeting will be held virtually on October 27th from 9:30-10:15 am. A zoom link is located below for you to join the session virtually. Also, a recording of the meeting will be made available on our school website. Mrs. Gingrich will explain the Level IV screening process and answer questions about local level IV services provided at Great Falls and center-based level IV programs students can choose to attend in the county.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://myfcpsk12.zoom.us/j/95142549321
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Federal Impact Aid Survey
In the coming days, FCPS will be asking all families to fill out a Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid.
Returning this form is important because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
Please be on the lookout for the form coming home with your child in the near future. We need you to complete the pre-printed form for each student enrolled in your household. Please complete, sign, and date each form and have your student return their form to their classroom teacher. If sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the boxes in Section 3. All forms must be signed, dated, and returned by November 5. All results are confidential.
Thank you to our Awesome PTA Volunteers!
We are so thankful for the hard work of the Celebrate Great Falls Foundation golf tournament committee for organizing the event and making it possible for such an amazing donation to Great Falls ES, Forestville ES and Colvin Run ES!
Want to get involved and make next year’s event an even bigger success? Help represent Great Falls Elementary School at this wonderful community event. Reach out to president@gfespta.com for more information
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Meet our new Family Liaison
I would like to introduce Sue Kim to the GFES Community as our Family Liaison for the 2021-22 school year. You may know her as our PTA President from last school year; Mrs. Kim
We want to ensure that families understand what they can do to get involved, be informed, share information, and to help students do their best in class. Mrs. Kim will work to connect families and parents with staff, support, and resources at school and in our community.
She can be reached via email at sykim1@fcps.edu. Click here to learn more about the Family Liaison role.
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Laura Idol
Hello. My name is Laura Idol and I am going to be a part time English Language teacher at Great Falls Elementary. This will be my 23rd year teaching in an elementary school. I have been a 4th grade teacher at Spring Hill for the previous two years. Prior to that, I taught 4th and 5th grade in Arlington, in North Carolina, and in South Carolina. My goal when becoming a teacher in Fairfax County was to be a teacher for English language learners. I feel very fortunate to have a chance to begin this chapter of my life at Great Falls Elementary School.
I grew up in Vienna, VA and graduated from Marshall High School. I moved to South Carolina to attend Winthrop University. After graduating from Winthrop, I began teaching and then earned my master’s degree in Elementary Education. Several years later, I married my husband Chris and we started our family. We have two daughters and two dogs. During my free time, I love to do small projects around the house, go for walks/runs with my energetic dog, Marley, and watch movies with my family on Friday nights.
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Kristen Sarver
I have always wanted to be a teacher since my first day in kindergarten at an FCPS school. I earned my B.S. in Elementary Education (PK-6) from Longwood University in 2019. I had the pleasure of working with multiple classrooms during my time as an undergraduate student however my heart truly lies with special education. This year, I am working with special education students in 4th grade.
In 2020, I received my M.S. in Special Education from Longwood University and completed my first year of teaching in Amelia County. I moved to Leesburg where I taught Pre-kindergarten for a short time but ultimately knew I wanted to teach in FCPS.
My hope for this year is to help contribute to the success of the school community and to help my students achieve their greatest potential. For me, this means setting up an environment that feels safe and provides a home away from home. It also means lots of learning about ourselves, each other, and, of course, the curriculum through hands-on experiences and evidence-based instruction. Go Road Runners!
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Subs Save the Day and FCPS is Hiring!
FCPS is looking for kind and caring substitute teachers to ensure our students continue to thrive when teachers need to be out of the building. Substitute teaching is a great opportunity for stay-at-home parents, retirees, college students, and anyone who wants a flexible work schedule. Subs save the day- apply today!
Student Pick Up Reminders
Please plan to pick up students from our front office before 3pm. on days you need to grab them from school. We appreciate your support as we work to make our dismissal even more smooth every single day.
Fall Festival DATE CHANGE!
Due to the inclement weather forecast, we have decided to change the date of the Fall Festival to Sunday October 17th. The activity offerings and session times will remain the same - 1:00 - 3:00pm and 4:00 - 6:00pm.
If the date change presents a problem for your family, please email president@gfespta.com and we can switch you to a different session if capacity allows or issue a refund.
We apologize for the last minute change and appreciate your understanding. It looks like Sunday will be a beautiful and crisp fall day perfect for celebrating!
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Fall Book Fair is Coming Soon!
Students and teachers can purchase books in-person October 18-22 in our school library during assigned class times.
Class purchase dates are during the following assigned school day times only:
 Visit the GFES Book Fair Homepage for more details and to browse books online. Unfortunately, we are unable to host parents or other guests for shopping this year.
EASY PAYMENT with eWALLET
eWallet gives your child a safe, cashless way to shop the Book Fair. This digital payment option can be used at the in-school Book Fair or online at the Virtual Book Fair, where you'll discover an expanded selection of over 5,000 products. Visit eWallet FAQs to learn more, and setup your child's eWallet account HERE. Due to COVID protocols, we highly encourage everyone to use eWallet, so students may avoid carrying cash and checks (although these payment options will still be accepted) and to make shopping easiest for our youngest students. All purchases are tax-exempt and checks should be made payable to "GFES PTA."
SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL
Want to help build your child's classroom library? Students can purchase books from their teachers' wishlist or books they want to see in their classroom. All purchases earn Scholastic Dollars for Mrs. Botha to enhance our school library, and additional profits help support PTA programs such as art enrichment, science lab and strings.
PTA Membership & Donations
Join the PTA! For just $20 per family, you can support our day to day operations and maintain our standing with the Virginia & National PTA organizations. Membership grants you access to the PTA directory, voting rights at all general PTA meetings, and discounted entry to certain PTA sponsored events.
And while you’re at it - donate, too! With a suggested donation of $250 per family, we can reach our fundraising goals for the year! 100% of donations will be reinvested in our school to benefit students and staff!
Don’t forget - if 60% of families join or donate to the PTA, BOTH Mrs. Harper and Dr. Litz will take a pie to the face! What fun!
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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.
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