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Kristen Rucinski - Principal Ebony Opie - Assistant Principal
Gunston Gazette
Disability History and Awareness Month
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Disability History and Awareness Month: In Virginia during October, Disability History and Awareness activities provide an opportunity to create greater public awareness for individuals with disabilities, with the goal of full inclusion in our community. One particular disability – dyslexia – has its own awareness campaign as well this month. You can learn more about Dyslexia Awareness Month here.
Dare to Care Week
October 25 - October 31
Be Kind To Your Mind. Live Bully and Drug Free
The following activities have been scheduled for the week:
Wednesday, October 25th—Be Kind To Your Mind
Future College and Career Day– Think of all you can be when you stay Drug and Bully Free. Dress as your future career or represent a college. Follow your DREAMS!
Thursday, October 26th—Be Kind To Others
Are you willing to take a stand and team up against bullying & drugs? Fill someone’s bucket with kindness. Show us by wearing your favorite jersey or sport team apparel today!
Friday, October 27th—Be Kind To Your Body
Please wear your work out gear to school today to show that we are willing to work to eliminate bullying and drugs.
Monday, October 30th—Be Kind To Yourself
“Be Happy” Wear your favorite outfit—the one that makes you smile!
Tuesday, October 31st —Be Kind To Your School
Dress as your favorite book character. Show good character by saying NO to bullying and drugs.
(Please follow FCPS dress code: no scary characters, masks,
weapons, or sharp objects)
March 5 Presidential Primary
The Fairfax Board of Elections has requested that schools be closed on Tuesday, March 5, to accommodate the administration of the 2024 presidential primary election. March 5 will be a school holiday for students and a virtual School Planning Day. Central offices and school offices will remain open. SACC will remain open, as it does on other professional work days.
SOCKTOBER
Sock Drive
October 16 - November 3
COLLECTING NEW SOCKS FOR ALL AGES
All donations will go to the Lorton Community Action Center
Donation Box is located outside of the Front Office.
Annual Food Drive and Harvest Walk
Friday, October 27th at 2:00pm
We will be collecting canned food to donate to Lorton Community Action Center to support their efforts to help families in need.
The following non-perishable items are being requested:
- Ramen Pasta Pasta Sauce Cooking Oil Red Beans
- Garbanzo Beans Juice Snacks Spam Sardines
- Hot Cereal Cold Cereal Cat Food/Cat Litter
Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. To make it easier, the form is now available online in SIS ParentVUE.
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
Once logged in to SIS ParentVUE, click “Online Packets” in the top right corner. Then, select “Federal Impact Aid Survey.” Get more information.
Need to Register for ParentVUE?
Learn how to activate your SISParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey. Find out how to get technical support for ParentVUE.
Any surveys not completed by October 30 will be sent home in Take Home Tuesday folders on October 31. Please be sure to complete and sign the survey and have your child return the original (fax or email copies may not be sent) to their teacher no later than Thursday, November 16th.
CogAT Update
We are writing to let you know that the vendor’s testing platform for the CogAT assessment is still experiencing nationwide technical issues. Riverside Insights, the publisher of CogAT, is aware of an issue that affected CogAT administration. Under their guidance, we are still unable to resume CogAT testing for Fairfax County Public Schools. CogAT testing for the division will resume once a resolution has been deployed by the publisher (Riverside Insights) and they have confirmed that students may resume testing.
FCPS staff continue to collaborate with the publisher to ensure your student receives accurate results in the best testing environment possible. We have been assured by the publisher that students will be able to resume testing where they’d left off, with their remaining time allotted reflecting the point at which they were paused. Please be assured that for tests during this period which have been completed, data can be successfully submitted for reporting. All results from these test administrations can be reliably interpreted.
As with any assessment, please bear in mind that the CogAT is a single data point used within the holistic advanced academics screening process. No data points in the screening portfolio, including an ability test score, has a minimum required score or a weighted consideration in matching students to available Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services.
For families who feel their student needs to be considered for full- time AAP, the next step is to submit a referral form no later than December 15, 2023. Families should not wait for the completion or reporting of CogAT scores should they wish to refer their student for Full Time AAP services.
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!
Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday
Virginia’s three-day sales tax holiday starts Friday, October 20, and ends Sunday, October 22. During the sales tax holiday, you can buy qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear, emergency preparedness items, and Energy Star™ and WaterSense™ products without paying sales tax. View the Sales Tax Holiday Guidelines for more information.
Friday - October 27: Harvest Walk 2:00 pm
Tuesday - October 31 Donuts with Grown Ups 7:45am - 8:30am
Friday - November 3 Grading Period Ends/2 hour early release
Sunday, November 5 - Daylight Savings Time Ends
Monday - November 6 Student Holiday
Tuesday - November 7 Election Day - Student Holiday
Friday - November 10 Veterans' Day Ceremony 8:00am
Saturday - November 11 Veterans' Day
Thursday - November 16 Fall Picture Retakes
Wednesday - November 22 - Friday, November 24 Thanksgiving Holiday
Wednesday, November 29 Ernie Eagle Assembly
Be Informed, Stay Involved!
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