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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. 31 - Book Character Day
- 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 Eagles,
Our school-wide field trip to Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum was an absolute success! We had a great turnout in parent chaperones supporting our Eagles. After we toured the museum, we had a wonderful lunch outside in the sun. We thank our parents and staff for making this trip happen for our Eagles and to the West Springfield Rotary Club for their sponsorship.
Kindergarten had the privilege of going on two field trips this week. They had blast at Cox Farms!
Next week, we look forward to Book Character Day on Tuesday, Oct. 31st. Please review the flyer below and reach out to your child's teacher for more information.
Have a wonderful weekend!
All the best,
April L. Cage, NBCT, M.Ed.
Principal
Mr. Larry Jones
Interim Assistant Principal
🍬 Tips to Help Keep Children Safe
The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) reminds parents and caregivers that it’s important to talk to your children about safety topics including:
- What parents should know about their children’s plans.
- Having a meeting spot in case of getting separated.
- Establishing safe areas.
- What to do if you are followed.
Visit the FCPD website for more details on how to discuss safety topics.
Federal Impact Aid Forms Due Now - Online!
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.
Spanish:Encuesta Sobre el Impacto de las Ayudas Federales: Disponible En Línea Este AñoFCPS está pidiendo a todas las familias que llenen una Encuesta de Ayuda de Impacto Federal. Para hacerlo más fácil, el formulario ahora está disponible en línea en SIS ParentVUE.
Completar este formulario para cada niño en edad escolar en cada hogar es importante porque la información de esta encuesta resulta en $3 millones adicionales en subvenciones cada año del Departamento de Educación de los Estados Unidos. Estos fondos se utilizan para apoyar a todas las escuelas y centros públicos del condado de Fairfax.
Una vez que haya iniciado sesión en SIS ParentVUE, haga clic en "Paquetes en línea" en la esquina superior derecha. A continuación, seleccione "Federal Impact Aid Survey" (Encuesta de Ayuda de Impacto Federal). Obtenga más información.
¿Necesita Registrarse para ParentVUE?
Aprenda cómo activar su cuenta SISParentVUE, para que pueda enviar fácilmente su encuesta. Averigüe cómo obtener asistencia técnica para ParentVUE.
🥗 New School Lunch Menu Option
FCPS' Food and Nutrition Services team will be rolling out improvements to the menu that better reflect the diversity of our student body and focus on fresh, healthy food. Learn about FCPS’ new menu options
Spanish:🥗 Nuevas Opciones en el Menú de Almuerzo Escolar
El equipo de Servicios de Alimentos y Nutrición (FNS) de FCPS estará implementando cambios en el menú que reflejan la diversidad en nuestras escuelas y se enfocan en alimentos frescos y saludables. Entérese de las nuevas opciones de menú de FCPS.
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!
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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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🔍 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.
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 — 📖 Students Reading by the Third Grade
During the Academic Matters and strategic plan update segments of Thursday’s School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid presented on the divisionwide target to have students reading by third grade.
FCPS has continued to improve its approach to reading over the last several years through our Equitable Access to Literacy (EAL) plan. Reading by third grade is also one of the measures of Goal 3: Academic Growth and Excellence in our 2023-30 strategic plan.
By focusing on foundational skills for our young readers and literacy intervention for upper grades, FCPS has made significant progress towards narrowing the achievement gaps in this critical skill. Visit the Strategic Plan webpage for more information.
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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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