Garfield ES - Talon Tales

talon Tales

To read this newsletter in other languages, please visit our website. 

Para leer este boletín en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.

اس نیوزلیٹر کو دوسری زبانوں میں پڑھنے کیلئے ، براہ مہربانی ہماری ویب سائیٹ ملاحظہ کیجیئے۔


Summer Save the Date

  • June 19 - Juneteenth, Holiday 
  • July 13 - Summer Book Mobile
  • July 20 - Summer Book Mobile 
  • July 21 - Rising Kindergarten Playdate 
  • July 27 - Summer Book Mobile 
  • Aug 3 - Summer Book Mobile 
  • Aug 4 - Rising Kindergarten Playdate 

END OF YEAR

Principals Corner

Dear Garfield Families,

Watching our Eagles soar all school year leaves me speechless. I could not have wished for a school community more loving and caring than Garfield Elementary.  Each and every day, our students and staff give 110%. Because of their efforts, our students have surpassed many personal and academic goals they set for themselves. They understand that hard work pays off and as a school team we are committed to supporting our students so that they continue to dream big!

This week was absolutely magical! We celebrated all week with the volleyball game, field day, the promotion ceremony, and the grand finale talent show!  Students, staff, and families had so much fun making memories to end the 2022-2023 school year! 

We wish you a wonderful summer filled with fun in the sun! We will see you in August!

April L. Cage, NBCT, M.Ed.

Principal

Rachel Waters
Assistant Principal

Principals

Important End of Year Information 

Summer Office Hours

Our Main Office will be open daily, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., by appointment only. To make an appointment, please call 703-923-2900 to leave a voicemail requesting an appointment. 


Kindergarten Registration: It’s as Easy as 1-2-3…

Kindergarten

There’s an easy five-step process outlined for parents looking to register their child for kindergarten:

  1. Determine eligibility. 
  2. Identify your local school. 
  3. Gather documents. 
  4. Fill out forms. 
  5. Schedule an appointment.

After the appointment at the school (the student and one caregiver must be present), the student will be ready for orientation, Bridge to Kindergarten, or any other introductory events each school may host. Read more about the registration process. Questions? Please contact our registrar, Sarah Rothman, 703-923-2900, sgrothman1@fcps.edu.

Updates on Online Student Registration

FCPS plans to have online registration in place at all schools across the district starting June 30, ensuring a simple and efficient new student registration application process for the upcoming school year. Learn more about registration.


Congratulations Principal Cage! 

Principal Cage FCPS Honors

Summer Reading Adventure 

Library

State Student Assessment Summary Reports

At the May 25 School Board meeting, Dr. Reid presented information on a new Virginia Department of Education report called Virginia’s Visualization and Analytics Solution (VVAAS) Student Assessment Summary. 

Virginia school divisions will be distributing a report to parents showing their student’s past Standards of Learning (SOL) testing data. Reports will be provided, through SIS ParentVUE or by mail, for any student who has an SOL testing history in the state of Virginia as of Spring 2022. 

In addition to showing a student’s performance on SOL tests over time, it also shows how that performance compares to other Virginia students who took the same test. This report, along with a companion letter, will be available mid-June. 

FCPS uses various data sources to determine student growth and success. The  Student Assessment Summary Report is just one piece of information in the larger picture of student assessment in FCPS. Learn more about what to expect regarding assessment reporting practices and timelines. 


🏃‍♀️ Middle School Athletics Coming This Fall

FCPS has designated funding in the budget for 2023-24 for middle school spring and fall athletic activities to support student well-being at no cost to students. Pending budget adoption, this will be the first time FCPS has offered middle school students a chance to participate in extracurricular sports programs. 

Middle schools will start with cross country this fall. Track will follow in spring 2024.

Any middle school students who would like to participate in athletics will need to have a Virginia High School League (VHSL) pre-participation examination (PPE). The physical exam form must be completed and signed by a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant. Fairfax County public high schools will offer PPEs at a cost of $50 per student through June 17. Students who receive free or reduced meals are eligible to receive an exam at no cost. Learn more about PPE and middle school athletics.


Making the Transition to Middle School

Making the move from elementary school to middle school can be an exciting and unsettling time for a parent and child. In a recent episode of FCPS multilingual podcast, En Pocas Palabras, learn ways to ease the transition including:

  • Understanding the developmental changes in your child.
  • Getting to know middle school culture.
  • Encouraging independence, but remaining available.
  • Offering emotional support to your child.
  • Reiterating your family values and expectations.
  • Staying involved in your child’s school.

The podcast is available in Arabic, English, Korean, and Spanish. Listen and subscribe.


What is ParentVue and How You Can Sign Up

If you do not already have a ParentVUE SIS account, sign up now to monitor and support your child’s academic success! Through ParentVUE, you are able to monitor your student’s attendance, grades, and assignments at any time. You can also access special reports for your student like progress reports and assessments score reports. 

Once you have activated a ParentVUE account for an FCPS student, you will keep the same account until the student graduates. Information about students in the same family can be accessed through the same ParentVUE account. SIS ParentVUE can be accessed using an app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android devices. 

Need help creating a SIS ParentVue account? This video walks you through the steps on how to do so. You can also find out more about SIS ParentVUE on our website.


Update Your Emergency Care Information Through weCare@school

Fairfax County Public Schools provides weCare@school (weCare), an emergency care information system, to parents/caregivers who have registered for their own parent account. weCare helps manage emergency medical information by allowing parents to enter and update their children’s medical data online at their convenience. That contact information automatically enrolls parents/caregivers to receive eNotify communications from the district and their child’s school. eNotify is the communications tool for FCPS emergency, transportation, attendance, weather closings and delay, and essential outreach messages. Messages are sent via email, text, and occasionally phone. 

Learn more about updating your emergency care information.


Tutoring Grants Available for Families

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is now accepting applications from parents for tutoring microgrants for their children through the K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants program. 

The program was created to help Virginia families address the impact of the pandemic on student learning. It provides $1,500 grants to parents of school-age children for tutoring in specific subjects. Children from homes with family incomes at 300% or less of the federal poverty level may qualify for $3,000 grants. 

Available services include in-person, online, and hybrid tutoring provided one-on-one or in small group or large group settings. The first step in the process is to visit VDOE’s K-12 Learning Acceleration Grants page and create an application account.


Title I at Garfield ES

Title I

Title I is the nation’s largest assistance program for schools. It provides funding to supplement
educational opportunities for children who are most at risk and increasing student achievement
in schools selected on the basis of the economic level of families. The primary focus is to
ensure student access to provide all children significant opportunities to receive a fair,
equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps.

To learn more about the Title I program at Garfield ES, click here


Garfield PTA


School Board Approves 2023-24 School Year Calendar

The Fairfax County School Board approved a calendar for the 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 school years at their February 9 meeting. Learn more about the approved calendar. 

The first day of the 2023-24 school year will be Monday, August 21, and the last day will be Wednesday, June 12. 

Developing a school year calendar is a balancing act, involving multiple factors that must be considered. Community input is one of those factors, and we appreciate our community for being involved in the calendar development process.


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Be Informed, Stay Involved!

• 2022-2023 School Year Calendar
• Visit the Garfield ES Website
• Report your Child's Absence
• Monitor your student's academics with a SIS Parent Account
• Join the Garfield PTA
• Recognize a FCPS Employee at FCPS CARES . The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for families, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story, so we can all acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees at Garfield Elementary School. We love our staff members; let's tell them how we feel!