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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۔
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Upcoming Events
- Oct. 9 - Indigenous Peoples' Day (No School)
- Oct. 12 - After-School Sports Program 4-5:15pm
- Oct. 13 - Pyramid Night, Football game @ John Lewis HS, 7pm
- Oct. 20 - Ned's Mindset Mission Assembly
- Oct. 24 - Fall School Picture Day!
- Oct. 27 - School-Wide Field Trip
- Nov. 3 - Qtr. 1 Ends, 2 Hour Early Release
- Nov. 6 - No School for Students, School Planning Day
- Nov. 7 - No School for Students, Teacher Work Day
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Principal's Corner
Dear Garfield Families,
Your child will come home with a packet today about our School-Wide Field Trip. Students in grades K-6 will be visiting the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum on Friday, October 27th. Please consider chaperoning to help us make this trip successful. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's teacher or our AA, Tabea Leabhart at tlleabhart@fcps.edu for more information.
Our SCA did a wonderful job with Attendance spirit week. Our eagles showed up to school this week rocking wacky and mismatched clothes, wild and silly hair, hats, and comfy pajamas. They learned about the importance of showing up to school every day and on time, ready to learn!
We also sent Ms. Waters on a farewell tour. Each class was a different city where students made cards, shared memories, and gave her well-wishes as she finishes her last week at Garfield. We wish her all the best on her new career path ❤!
Have a wonderful weekend as we head into October!
All the best,
April L. Cage, NBCT, M.Ed.
Principal
School-Wide Field Trip (10/27/23)
AAP Information
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Parents of students who are currently receiving AAP level II, AAP level III or Young Scholar services are invited to join us for a presentation on Garfield Elementary’s Advanced Academic Program (AAP). The meeting will be held virtually on Thursday, October 5 from 6-7pm. A Zoom meeting link will be sent via email the day before. Please note that the Zoom link will only be sent to parents whose child is currently in AAP level II, AAP level III, or Young Scholars.
Questions can be directed to Heather Jenkins, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, hkjenkins@fcps.edu
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Pyramid Night!!
Join us at John R Lewis High School's Football game on Friday, Oct. 13th at 7pm. Garfield students will get in FREE and receive a free t-shirt!!! Please plan to attend the game with your student. This is a wonderful way to support our high school students and enjoy a great football game. We hope to see you there!
Social and Emotional Learning Screener Offered in October
One of the ways FCPS supports the mental wellness of all students is the SEL Screener.
The screener is offered to all students in grades 3-12 in October and again in February or March. It addresses skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions.
The SEL Screener also helps students evaluate their school community’s efforts to make them feel valued, included, and supported. Screener data is used to create the learning, experiences, and environments students need to be successful. Key updates to the screener this year include:
- Different versions for students in grades 3-5 and 6-12.
- Fewer topics with more questions to provide schools and families with more data to support planning.
- Additional questions aligned with FCPS’ commitment to educational equity.
SEL Screener results are sent to families via postal mail. Families who wish to opt their child out should complete the opt-out form in the Annual Notice packet or in SIS ParentVUE.
For more information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage or contact your child’s school.
Please note that the SEL Screener differs from the anonymous Fairfax County Youth Survey.
🗓️ Attendance Tip: Scheduling Family Trips or Events
Good attendance is an important life skill that will help students succeed in school and beyond.
When scheduling trips or family events, try to use weekends and school holidays, and refer to the FCPS Calendar when planning. Every day of learning is a day toward success. Keep in mind that absences add up quickly. Students who are absent 10% of the school year (or just two days per month) are considered chronically absent.
When possible, schedule appointments for your child outside of school hours. If your child needs to miss school because of an illness or another reason, you must report the absence to their school. Most schools have links to their attendance email or notification systems on their homepages. If you are unsure how to report an absence, please call your school’s front office.
Watch this video with tips on understanding our school calendar and visit our Attendance webpage for additional information. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!
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🎤 Our Schools, Our Future: Community Conversations Kick Off
Join Superintendent Reid for Our Schools, Our Future – A Community Conversation at Hayfield Secondary School on Tuesday, September 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m., or at Whitman Middle School on Wednesday, September 27, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Share your thoughts about FCPS and bring your questions.
These events are part of a series of Community Conversations this fall and spring in each region. Days and times for the additional region events will be shared soon. Visit FCPS’ webpage to find out when and where you can engage with Dr. Reid.
Register to attend. Pre-registration is not required. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided for all events based on staff availability.
Back-to-School Preventative Health Practices
Flu season is quickly approaching and communicable diseases continue to be present in our schools. We are committed to providing students with the education and support to help them succeed while maintaining a safe environment for in-person learning. Families and staff are encouraged to engage in the following health practices to prevent the spread of illnesses.
- Make an appointment to get a flu vaccine as soon as possible. Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine (with rare exceptions). Flu vaccines are widely available at doctors’ and pediatricians’ offices, grocery stores, and pharmacies.
- Get vaccinated against COVID-19 if you have not done so already. An updated COVID booster for the 2023-2024 season should be released in the coming weeks and will more effectively target the current circulating strains of the virus. Find out where you can get a COVID-19 vaccine or booster in your community by visiting: vaccinate.virginia.gov or call (877) VAX-IN-VA or (877) 829-4682.
- Check with your students’ healthcare providers to make sure they are up to date on their required school entrance immunizations. Immunization records can now be updated online in SIS ParentVUE through the Online Verification Update form.
- Check for mild, cold-like symptoms each day, such as fever, runny nose, cough, or shortness of breath. Parents/caregivers are advised to keep their children home if sick and get them tested for COVID-19 to stop further spread from occurring. Employees are also advised to stay home and get tested when feeling sick.
- Don’t forget to wash hands regularly, avoid touching the face with unwashed hands, cover the mouth when coughing or sneezing, and limit the time children spend in large group settings with contagious individuals whenever possible.
The most up to date information regarding COVID-19 school health practices is available on the Health and Safety Guidance Document webpage.
Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our schools safe and healthy.
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🤒 When a Student Should Stay Home From School
Whether students miss school because of illness or any other reason, missing school leads to learning loss.
Help your student succeed by encouraging them to attend as many days as possible, but do make sure your student stays home if they are sick. Visit FCPS’ website for information on when you should keep your child at home.
If your child has a chronic illness, make sure to notify their teacher, so that assistance can be provided if needed. Please contact us as soon as you know your child will be absent.
Read more about how families can help form good attendance habits.
Free COVID-19 Tests
Every U.S. household can place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home.
Review health and safety guidance for schools to stay up to date on the best ways to prevent the spread of disease, and for information on when students should stay home from school.
Arrival and Dismissal
It is important that our Eagles arrive at school before the doors close at 9:20am. It is important for your child to start their day on time. Many students feel unsettled and stressed if they are walking into classrooms after the bell has rung and their class is already engaged in learning. Each class has a morning meeting to start the day. This meeting helps build a strong sense of community within the classroom and sets our Eagles up for success socially and academically. Thank you for helping to get your child to school on time so they can participate together with their classmates.
We are no longer accepting dismissal changes after 3:30pm. Short notice, abrupt changes to students afternoon plans often cause confusion and uncertainty for our Eagles. We want to ensure each Eagle makes it home safely!
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✔️ Caregiver Checklist: Have You Completed These Important Forms?
During the first weeks of the year, caregivers receive many forms to complete. Several of the most important ones are below:
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Digital Resources Consent: Some FCPS-approved digital resources require parent/caregiver consent before they can be used by students. Find the list of resources which require consent on the Digital Resources - Parent Consent page. This page also includes directions on how to provide permission.
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Student Rights and Responsibilities: This document explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses. Parents using SIS ParentVUE will be prompted to sign the document when they log in to that platform. A printable version of the document with a signature sheet is available on the SR&R webpage.
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Opt-Outs: The Opt-Out Booklet is online or available from your child’s school. It contains information on:
- Parents’ rights to inspect and consent or opt out before their child participates in certain surveys.
- Parents’ rights to inspect instructional materials.
- Rules regarding student records and disclosure of student information (including photo/video of students) and the right to opt out.
- Parents’ rights to opt out of the Social Emotional Learning Screener, physical exams not required by state law, career or social emotional counseling, Library Equity Access Pass Project, and/or Tutor.com.
- The process by which complaints may be filed if parents or students believe their rights have been violated.
Paper forms can be signed and returned to school.
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🔍 Lightspeed Parent Report on Child’s Device Activity
FCPS has tools to help parents know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided at no cost to families by Lightspeed, the school division’s internet content filtering service.
Parents may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. The report also offers parents the ability to sign up for free access to the Internet Use Parent Portal. Through the portal, parents may pause their child’s access to the internet on their FCPS device during non-school hours.
Learn more about Lightspeed Parent Reports.
🧪 STEAMOLOGY STEM Fest Offers Hands-On Activities for Students
Students are invited to participate in STEM FEST on Saturday, October 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at South County High School. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade can participate in robotics demonstrations, coding experiments, and more. High school students are invited to volunteer. Visit the STEAMOLOGY website for more information.
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Garfield School Safety and Security
We take the security of our students and our staff very seriously. All exterior doors are locked during the school day as well as the gates allowing access to the playground and blacktop. Visitors are required to ring the bell at Door #1 to gain access to the main office. Every visitor/adult who enters the building is monitored.
If you plan on entering the school building, you must bring with you a valid Driver’s License OR Photo ID/Passport 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. Visitors will need to check-out at the main office upon leaving and discard the sticker. We will not be able to allow visitors into the building without proper ID. FCPS Office of Safety and Security requires this procedure to keep all students and staff safe.
Additionally, to maintain the momentum of instruction, items brought to the office during school hours (lunch, supplies, homework, etc.) will be held in the office for students to pick up during instructional breaks.
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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.
✨ 2023-30 Strategic Plan — Goal 5: Leading for Tomorrow's Innovation
The 2023-30 strategic plan sets five student-centered goals to create positive change in FCPS. These five goals show where we should focus our attention and will help us align our efforts.
Under Goal 5, every student will graduate ready to thrive in life after high school with the skills they need to navigate, adapt, and innovate for a sustainable future. Using data gathered from students, we will ensure they are ready for a wide variety of options for their futures.
Visit FCPS’ Strategic Plan webpage to learn more about how we will measure the success of Goal 5.
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✍️ Student Rights and Responsibilities Acknowledgement Due
FCPS’ updated Student Rights and Responsibility (SR&R) booklet is available online and in SIS ParentVUE. The SR&R booklet explains expectations for student behavior, and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment.
Each year, we ask parents/caregivers to review and sign the SR&R. The SR&R will be visible upon logging in to SIS ParentVUE until the SR&R acknowledgment has been completed.
Signatures are due by Friday, September 29. Please contact our front office if you are having difficulty accessing the booklet. Visit the SIS ParentVUE Account Overview webpage for help logging in to your account.
Safety Drills During the School Year
Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for FCPS. Each school has an emergency preparedness plan to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Schools are required by state law to practice emergency drills, including lockdown drills, each year. Schools are also required to notify parents and guardians at least 24 hours before a school conducts a lockdown drill. However, schools are not required to give the specific date and time of the drill in advance.
The first lockdown drill of the school year must take place within the first 20 days of school. Preschool and kindergarten students are exempt from practicing the first lockdown drill.
Your child may come home and talk about their experience during the drill. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Please review these frequently asked questions to support your students before and after school lockdown drills.
Title I at Garfield ES
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
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School Hours and General Information
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Our school hours are from 9:20 a.m. to 4:05 p.m. Monday through Friday. School doors open at 9:05 a.m. each day to begin receiving students.
Please call the attendance line at 703-923-2929 to report a tardy or absence.
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Garfield PTA
2022-23 School Calendar
Be sure to bookmark the FCPS school year calendar to keep track of school holidays, breaks, and observances.
- Days marked with blue Hs are student holidays.
- Days marked with orange Os are religious and cultural observance days (or evenings if only half marked).
- Days marked in pink are holidays for students, but working days for teachers and staff.
The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and the start of each month coincides with the birth of a new moon. The date of Eid a- Fitr is regionally decided, which can lead to unexpected date changes. Eid al-Fitr is currently slated to begin at sunset on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, and last through sundown Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Tuesday is designated a half-O day, and Wednesday is a holiday, with all schools and offices being closed. If the day for Eid changes after the school year begins, the calendar may be adjusted
Find us on Social Media!
Be Informed, Stay Involved!
• 2023-2024 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!
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