Dear Great Falls Families,
I had the opportunity to hear Lisa Barrow, Cooper Middle School principal, speak about her students' efforts around earthquake relief for Turkey and Syria. You can watch the highlight video here. Similar to their Cooper Middle School peers, our student council association has been working to determine the best way to support relief efforts in the wake of this tragedy.
After much discussion and exploration, our student council decided we are stronger and most effective together. Therefore, they requested I pass the following Earthquake Relief Amazon Wishlist along to you. The items on this list will be sent directly to the Turkish Embassy to support individuals impacted by the earthquakes.
Our students did a great deal of research to understand and determine the best way to help at this time. They were very proud and excited to share with me that we have a very supportive and generous community that they knew wanted to assist in the best way possible. We are thankful for the student leaders at Great Falls ES and Cooper MS who have inspired this opportunity.
Thank you for your continued support and generosity.
Sara Harper
Calendar Updates:
See the complete 2022-23 school year calendar
Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
Did you know that at Great Falls ES, we are identified by the state of Virginia as having an issue with excessive chronic absenteeism?
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing ten percent or more of the academic year for any reason, including excused absences, unexcused absences, and suspensions. Based on a 180-day school year, that means approximately 18 days per year or 2 to 3 days per month. More details can be found here.
Every year, our absences increase in the weeks before and after spring break. Please make sure your child is in school every day until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. Visit our website for more attendance resources.
GFES Salad Bar Returning Monday!
We are excited to announce that after 3 years, the GFES student salad bar will be returning to the GFES cafeteria on March 13. Students will have the opportunity to choose from a variety of fruits, vegetables and proteins.
To learn more about the salad bar you can visit this FCPS webpage. Teachers will be reviewing salad bar procedures and expectations with students before the start date. Should you wish to reinforce as well, please see the flyer below. Thank you for your support as we strive to provide healthy options for our students during lunch.
STEAM Lab Lessons:
Thanks to your generous support, our STEAM lab continues to enrich, engage, and extend the classroom's curriculum. Through discovery-based learning, students conduct experiments, engage in cooperative learning activities, create artistic representations of thoughts, and learn about trial, error, and perseverance.
Here is what we are working on this March and April:
Kindergarten: Students will read Count on Me. They will create a model of a new playground facility.
First Grade: Students will read Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugene Clark became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist and experiment by coding a path for Eugene Clark through the ocean!
Second Grade: Happy St. Patrick's Day! In March, students will use resources to construct a tower to hold the leprechaun's pot of gold. For April, students will build a parachute attached to a Dixie cup with the goal of slowing the rate at which the cup falls.
Third Grade: Students will read Counting On, construct a "space capsule," and then have the opportunity to test it multiple times, record their test data, and graph the data to identify trends.
Fourth Grade: Students will read Just Like Rube Goldberg. Then, they will plan and create a Rube Goldberg machine with resources provided to them.
Fifth Grade: In March, students will design a windmill using only the materials provided; the windmill must stand independently and meet additional measurement requirements. For April, students will read Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing. Students will then construct a lunar lander to safely land on the moon.
Sixth Grade: March Madness Basketball Shooter! Students will construct a catapult to launch a ping pong ball into a goal. They will record data and identify trends in the data.
Portrait of a Graduate Spirit Week:
At Great Falls ES this year, our student focus goals revolve around FCPS Portrait of a Graduate Skills. POG (Portrait of a Graduate) 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.
To support this focus, our student council has chosen to hold a spirit week to encourage recognition and acknowledgment of the importance of these 21st- century skills. Please see the details below.
Testing Updates:
Kindergarten:
- The Virginia state government expects all schools to take part in the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP). The VKRP assesses literacy, mathematics, self-regulation, and social skills for students in kindergarten. The VKRP will be given between April 11th-May 19th.
- Teachers assess students using the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) for VKRP literacy. Teachers interview students using the Early Mathematics Assessment System (EMAS) for VKRP mathematics. After observing the student 3-4 weeks, teachers complete the Child Behavior Rating Scale (CBRS) for VKRP self-regulation and social skills. Click here for the Parent Notification letter.
Grades 1 & 2:
- IReady (Reading/Math): April 11-May 19. Click here for more information regarding the iReady.
- IReady Passage Reading Fluency (Reading): April 11-May 19
- Developmental Spelling Analysis: April 11-May 19
Grades 3-6:
- IReady (Reading/Math):April 11-June 9. Click here for more information regarding the iReady.
- IReady Passage Reading Fluency (Reading): April 11-June 9
- Developmental Spelling Analysis: April 11-June 9
- Spring SOL's (See Schedule Below)
- Spring SEL screener testing window (Grades 3-6) opened on March 1st and runs through March 24th. Click here for the notification of testing letter.
SOL Schedule:
Great Falls Elementary School will be administering the SOL assessments on the dates listed below. Please click here for more information on the SOL assessment.
Principal Survey - March 13-24:
On Monday, March 13, Great Falls ES parents/guardians will be contacted through email with a link to the FCPS Principal Evaluation Parent/Guardian Feedback Form Online. This questionnaire is part of the Performance Evaluation Program and offers parents/guardians an opportunity to provide anonymous input about various topics related to our school. These topics include instructional leadership, school climate, management (human resources and organizational), communication and community relations, culturally responsive and equitable leadership, and professionalism.
The questionnaire will be collected online between March 13 and March 24. When you receive an email from FCPS Surveys, please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire. Your opinions matter!
School Pictures:
Mark your calendars: Victor O'Neill will be taking Spring Pictures on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
You will be able to view and order your child’s photos in their online gallery approximately ten days after picture day. If you have any questions leading up to picture day, please reach out to Victor O’Neill Studios by emailing Underclass@vosphoto.com.
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Kindergarten & New Student Registrations for 2023-24 Now Underway:
We are now accepting kindergarten registrations! Students must be 5 years old by September 30th, 2023.
If you know anyone who has a rising kindergartener (or 1st-6th student who will attend Great Falls ES), please encourage them to begin registration as soon as possible. Notifying our office of your intent to register or complete registration helps our school secure staffing for the upcoming school year.
If you would like to register your child, begin your Kindergarten and New Student Registration today or contact our Student Information Assistant (SIA), Ms. El Gharib @ 703-757-2100 to schedule an appointment.
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Keeping our Students Safe Online:
We hope you'll join us March 17 at 9:45 a.m. for an important presentation from a member of the Secret Service about the dangers our students face online. As more of our students have begun signing up for social media and utilizing smartphones and smart watches, we have noticed an uptick in social conflicts and anxiety that spill over into the classroom. Students' digital lives are having an impact on their academic performance and we need your partnership to help keep students safe, happy, and healthy.
This presentation, developed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, will cover a number of risks that come with internet use: Inappropriate Content, Online Privacy, Online Enticement, Sexting, Sextortion, and Cyberbullying.
As the their lives online become a bigger part of our childrens' daily lives, it's important to help them navigate that world safely. The goal of the presentation is to help parents:
- assist their children in developing skills needed for online interactions like empathy, problem-solving, critical thinking, and how to ask for hlep
- open and support continuing conversations around healthy relationships and red flags
- be a trusted adult in the lives of tweens
- learn how to report concerning online activity
We hope you'll join us for this important conversation! Mark your calendar and bookmark this Zoom link.
TJ Techstravaganza 2023:
The 19th annual Techstravaganza will be held on May 13, 10:00 am-4:00 pm at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA and FCPS students are invited to attend.
Admission is free and food will be for sale. Please see this flyer for more details about this event. The registration link can be found here. More information about the event can be found at tjtechstrav.org.
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 Diversity Showcase - Tuesday 3/21/23
Come join us for GFES's 2nd annual Diversity Showcase on Tuesday March 21st from 6-8pm. Families will get to experience a museum filled with their child's artwork and then work their way into the World's Fair to explore various cultural exhibits. There will also be a special performance by Kweku Owusu from Hands on Drums DC and students will get the chance to learn how to play traditional drums from Ghana!
Please RSVP HERE and sign up to volunteer/participate HERE.
You can view the event flyer HERE
Spring Book Fair Coming Soon!
Students and teachers can shop March 20-23 in our school library. Students shop during their Library class times as follows:
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 * 5th and 6th graders will shop according to their homeroom teacher names. Pannell and Schulman's 3rd grade classes will shop on Tuesday.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
Students can shop using cash,** check (made payable to "GFES PTA"), or eWallet. eWallet gives students an easy, cashless way to shop. This online payment option can be used at the in-school Book Fair or anytime online, where you'll find an expanded selection of products. Visit eWallet FAQs to learn more, and setup an eWallet account HERE. Note: During eWallet setup, please enter your teacher's last name only (and with only the first letter capitalized, e.g., "Gould" or "Martin") to help us easily find your child's account.
** Although cash is certainly accepted, please note that some students lose/misplace their cash during each fair. We highly recommend that students use eWallet to avoid this upsetting situation.
SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL:
Want to help build your child’s classroom library? Please consider giving to our Teacher Wish List Fund, which will be used to purchase from our teachers' book wish lists. Funds will be equally distributed for any teachers who request books, and we suggest a donation of $5 per family. And remember – all purchases help Mrs. Botha enhance our school library, and additional profits support our PTA programs.
Visit our Book Fair Homepage for more details, to browse books, or to email Co-Chairs, Neda Doremus & Jannette Fields. Thank you for supporting our school and students!
School Auction Items
Be on the lookout for auction items donated by our fun staff members! Outings with a favorite teacher, pizza parties and more! 100% of school-donated items benefit our own school!
If you have a service or item you would be willing to donate for the auction, please contact Tressa Mattingly at tressa.i.mattingly@gmail.com
Rising 7th Grader?
Get Involved at Cooper!
The Cooper Middle School PTO is looking for volunteers for the 2023-2024 school year to serve on our Executive Committee. Roles available at this time include managing the PTO website, helping with school events such as hearing/vision screening sessions and picture day and spirit wear sales. If you are interested in working with the PTO in any of these roles, please contact Christina.Saxon@yahoo.com.
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