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Kristen Rucinski - Principal Ebony Opie - Assistant Principal
Gunston Gazette
Turkey Trot is on November 22nd
Fundraising for our Turkey Trot has begun!! Turkey Trot is our biggest PTA fundraiser of the year and is also a super fun event for our Eagles. If you haven’t yet registered:
⭐️ Log into MYBOOSTER.COM today to get started! ⭐️
Make sure you’re following Gunston Elementary PTA on Facebook and have joined our PTA website (www.gunstonpta.org) to get updates on daily challenges and event info! Thank you for your support!
MATH Parent Coffee
Native American Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. It is also a time to raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced both historically and in the present, and the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.
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Portrait of a Graduate Family Resources: K-6 PART 3 Critical and Creative Thinker
In 2014, the FCPS School Board developed and adopted the Portrait of a Graduate (POG). This was in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders- parents, families, local businesses, community members, educators, students, and FCPS leadership.
This adoption of POG acknowledges that in our rapidly changing world, education needs to evolve to fulfill our mission of supporting student success in school and in life. POG prioritizes the development of skills that will empower students to be productive citizens of a global community and successful in the workforce of the future.
Here are some ideas for how you can support your student at home in developing POG skills.
Family Conversations
- Consider telling your child when they are demonstrating a skill at home or in a social setting. Example:
- During soccer practice this morning, when you missed the goal you didn’t give up and kept trying hard to get the ball back to score. (Goal-directed and resilient)
- When you were playing with your sister, you were being kind to her by sharing your toys and letting her choose a game to play. (Collaborator)
- Share examples of how you were a [collaborator, communicator, etc.] during your day or within your job. Provide specific details and explain how using these skills helped you. (e.g., I was a collaborator at work today when I _____. This was helpful because ___________.)
- Instead of asking “What did you do in school today?”, consider asking one of the questions below:
Skills for Grades K-6
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- I can create unique solutions.
- I use information from many sources to gather information.
- I can revise and refine my ideas.
- I show that I am creative.
- I can say why an idea is a good one.
- I ask questions to clarify, explore and assess ideas.
Questions to Ask Your Student
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- How were you a creative and critical thinker today?
- During ___, did you ask any questions? How did it help your thinking?
- Did you have opportunities to problem-solve? How did it help you find a solution?
- Were you creative today? What did you do to be creative?
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Volunteer Training
Hawk Madness
Alcohol & The Holidays
The holidays usually involve family time, games, movies, food, and possibly drinks. The holidays may involve less family members this year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean less alcohol for some. Alcohol consumption has increased during the pandemic and when ABC stores were deemed essential it didn’t help lower those rates (ABC News, September 29, 2020). Many people are still trying to figure out how to navigate our “new normal” since a global pandemic wasn’t on our to-do list in 2020, but we encourage you to consider a few things during these trying times.
Questions to consider when drinking with your family:
- What message am I sending if I drink in excess around my underage child?
- Have I had conversations about responsible drinking with them?
- Are the conversations I have about alcohol realistic?
- Do my conversations with others reinforce alcohol use as a coping skill during stressful times?
- What messages am I sending my underage child if I allow them to drink with me or another adult in the house?
Info to consider:
“One-third of Fairfax County students (33.7%) reported drinking alcohol at least once in their lifetime, ranging from 18.8% of eighth-grade students to half of twelfth-grade students (49.4%). One in seven students (15.2%) reported drinking alcohol in the past month, ranging from 4.5% of eighth-grade students to 27.7% of twelfth-grade students.” (FCPS Youth Survey 2020)
“Female students reported higher rates of alcohol use in their lifetime (36.1% compared to 31.2% of male students), in the past month (17.1% and 13.1%, respectively), and binge drinking in the past two weeks (7.3% and 6.5%, respectively)” (FCPS Youth Survey 2020).
Resources:
Holiday Stress
Helpful Info to Quit Vaping
FCPS video on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
Substance Abuse Prevention (Spanish)
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270 and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @FCPSSAPS.
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The lost & found items will be packed up and donated to charity the week of November 21st. |
Staying Healthy this Cold/Flu Season
Although the community level of COVID-19 in Fairfax County is currently low, cases of RSV, the flu, and other viruses are on the rise. It continues to be important to wash your hands regularly, cover coughs and sneezes, monitor your health daily, and stay home if you are sick. For more tips, visit our Return to School website.
Helpful Links
November 22 - Turkey Trot
November 23 - 25 Thanksgiving Break
November 30 - MATH Parent Coffee 9:30am - 10:30am
December 9 - Volunteer Training 9:30am - 10:30am
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PTA News & Announcements |
Amazon Smile
Did you know you could raise funds for our PTA simply by using the Amazon Smile website? Amazon Smile has the same items as Amazon, but donates .5% of eligible purchases to charitable organizations like us! Simply visit Smile.Amazon.com to sign up and choose Gunston Elementary PTA as your charitable organization, or use this direct link to shop and support our school:
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/54-1308091!!
Holiday Shop
The PTA Holiday Shop will be returning again this year! If you’re interested in chairing the event please reach out to ptagunston@gmail.com. We will be sending out more info and a call for volunteers in the coming weeks!
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