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Kristen Rucinski - Principal Ebony Opie - Assistant Principal
Gunston Gazette
Calendar Reminder: Extended Labor Day Holiday
Friday, September 2 & Monday, September 5
Friday, September 2 and Monday, September 5 are Labor Day holidays for all FCPS employees and students. We hope everyone takes the long weekend to celebrate a strong start to the school year and enjoy time with family and friends.
2022-23 School Year Calendar
Learn more about school breaks and the key observance days with our 2022-23 School Year calendar
 Free and Reduced-Price Meals
Applications must be submitted and approved to be eligible for free and reduced-price meals for the 2022-2023 school year
Interested families are encouraged to submit online application that is accessible on the webpage.
Students approved for Free and Reduced-Price Meals may qualify for additional benefits such as waived or reduced fees for instruments, uniforms, field trips, FCPS class fees, and Parktakes classes. Schools also benefit from funding opportunities based on Free and Reduced Price Meal application numbers.
Watch your email and our website for more information. Learn more about the Free and Reduced-Price Meal program online
Three ways to purchase meals
Put money on your child's account online using www.MyschoolBucks.com. Once the account is open, parents can check the fund account at anytime.
Check - Make checks payable to "Gunston ES Food Services" and give to the attention of the Food Service Manager in the Cafeteria.
Cash - Cash may be brought to the Food Service Manager's office for deposit on your student's account.
Find out more here:
food-and-nutrition-programs/prices-lunch-account-prepayments
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Changes to Medication Administration Management
This school year, FCPS is changing our medication protocols to help ensure the safety of our medication administration management in Fairfax County Public Schools. These changes include:
- Any time you drop off or pick up a medication in the health room, a Medication Delivery/Pick Up Form will be completed and signed by both the parent/guardian and the School Health Aide or FCPS staff member. This form will document that all required authorizations are complete, and the number of pills or amount of medication accepted/returned. A copy of the form will be given to the parent/guardian and school administrator.
- Medications received will be verified to ensure the description of the medication on the container/packaging matches the medication in the container.
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All medications must be in the original pharmacy container. Over the counter (OTC) medications must be in an unopened original container. It will no longer be acceptable for parents/guardians to bring in refills from home and place them into the container currently in the health room.
- Only a 30-day supply of medications should be brought to school. No more than 100 tablets or pills of OTC medication should be brought to school.
- All requirements outlined in FCPS Regulation 2102, First Aid, Emergency Treatment and Administration of Medication for Students, continue to apply.
Family Life Education Instructional Program Information
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.
Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms will be included in your child’s back-to-school/orientation packets and are available online for Elementary (K-6). Please fill in the opt-out form and return it to your child’s school prior to Family Life Education instruction.
Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Elementary (K-6). FLE grade level-specific lessons and media that FCPS has streaming rights for are available for parents online in Schoology. Parents/guardians login to Schoology using the same username and password as their Student Information System (SIS) Parent account. Grade level-specific lessons are also available at the City of Fairfax Regional Library (this location does not have media). Grade level-specific lessons and media that is not streamed online are available for review at your child’s school library. Due to copyright permissions, we are unable to stream all media online.
Program questions may be addressed at your child’s school or by contacting Instructional Services at 571-423-4550 or fle@fcps.edu.
From our new Family Liaison
Hello, I am Kathryn Garcia your Family Liaison at Gunston. I am excited to partner and engage with families. I look forward to building a community at our school. Our goal at Gunston is to offer programs, services, and resources to families to ensure and support student success.
I am excited to connect with you!
Kathryn Garcia
703-541-3600
mkgarcia@fcps.edu
School Security and Safety
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We take the security of our students and our staff very seriously. Every visitor/adult who enters the building is monitored. As per the recommendation from FCPS’ Office of Safety and Security, after ringing the doorbell, office staff will kindly ask visitors, “Welcome to Gunston, how may I help you?” and obtain the purpose of the guest’s visit. All visitors walking into Gunston ES must ring the doorbell, state their name and purpose of the visit, and come to the office with a valid driver’s license to sign in using the Visitor Management System (VMS). The VMS will issue each visitor a sticker that should always be worn when in the building.
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Cell Phone Usage Update
An important update made to the Student Rights & Responsibilities document (SR&R) for the coming school year is the regulation around cell phone use in schools/classrooms. Students are no longer permitted to use their cell phones during class unless explicitly allowed by the teacher for a specific instructional purpose. Elementary students should place their cell phone in their backpack during the school day.
Please talk to your child(ren) before the start of the school year about these expectations for this upcoming school year. Some parents have asked about parental controls, here are links to what we found regarding this for iPhone and Android users.
Families, We Need Your Consent for Select Digital Resources ASAP!
Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your permission before they can be used. These resources have been investigated by FCPS and meet federal guidelines. Our teachers would love to get started as soon as possible. Please find our school’s list of the resources and a link to provide digital consent on our website. You will need to know your child’s Student ID and your enrolling email address.
Monkey Pox Guidance and Information
Guidance for Families
Children with a rash should stay home from school and be evaluated by a healthcare provider. This is true for all rash illnesses. Rash illnesses such as hand, foot and mouth disease and chickenpox are much more likely to affect children than monkeypox.
If you or your student has new or unexplained rash or symptoms consistent with monkeypox, seek medical care from your healthcare provider. If you do not have a health care provider, contact the Fairfax County Health Department at 703-267-3511. Your school’s public health nurse is also a good resource. The CDC recommends vaccinations for people who have been exposed to monkeypox and for those who are more likely to contract monkeypox.
Staff Announcement
We are excited to welcome Ms. Maiko Lynch as our new Japanese teacher!
Dining Room Assistant
Looking for a way to support our school for a few hours each day? We are in need of a dining attendant to help out during lunch. Our dining attendant (a paid position) supports students during lunch, with working hours from 10:30 AM-1:45 PM. Please contact our Assistant Principal, Ebony Opie, at ELOpie@fcps.edu if you are interested
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PTA News & Announcements |
PTA meeting - September 8 - 6:00 p.m.
Our first PTA meeting of the year will be held at 6pm on Thursday, September 8th. We are thrilled to be returning to in person meetings and will meet in the cafeteria. We plan to provide an overview of our thoughts for the year and are looking for your input, we need to vote on our budget (which will be posted to our website when finalized shortly), we will discuss PTA volunteer opportunities, and kick off our SPIRIT WEAR sales! If these aren’t enough reasons to join us, we will have food available!!
We will also have a zoom option for anyone who wants to participate but can’t make the meeting in person. Details will be sent closer to the date.
Community Day - October 1
We are super excited to be sponsoring an outdoor community day on Saturday, October 1. We are still in the planning stages and NEED YOUR HELP! We plan to have games, inflatables, activities, silent auction and raffle prizes, and other ‘stations’. Help us make the day a success! Do you want to face paint? Do you have a fun lawn game? Do you run a business that might be willing to help? We welcome your suggestions and need your assistance into make this event a success! Please email ptagunston@gmail.com with any suggestions and/or if you’re willing to sponsor/run a booth!
Join the PTA
Membership for the PTA is now open! Visit our website or stop by the PTA table at any upcoming school event to fill out a form and provide your $10 to join right away. The PTA is a great way to stay involved with our school community. We look forward to a fun filled year and hope you’ll help us make it a success!!
Sign up for the PTA website
PTA is transitioning to a different website to facilitate easier communications and volunteer sign ups. Make sure to visit our website and sign up to stay up to date on upcoming meeting and event dates and announcements. Members will automatically be signed up for the website but will need to create an account, so make sure to accept the email invitation to join!
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