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UDPATED VERSION - We apologize! The AAP Referral information in this newsletter has been updated from the prior email. All other information remains the same.
Dear Great Falls ES Families,
December is packed with many events that remind us why Great Falls ES is such a great community. Whether it’s our students singing at the Celebration of Lights, our school assembly band/strings/chorus concert, class winter parties, or the student-council sponsored Spirit Week, there are many opportunities for our community to come together, learn from each other, and enjoy each other’s company.
🕎☸️ Along these lines, we wish a Happy Chanukah and a Blessed Bodhi Day to our families who celebrate! This year, Chanukah begins at sundown on Thursday, December 7, and Bodhi Day is celebrated on December 8. Learn more about Chanukah in National Geographic Kids and about Bodhi Day in this Miami Children’s Museum video.
❄️ This week's cold temperatures have thrown us into the holiday spirit! Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately (coat, boots, gloves, and hats) for outdoor weather. I hope you have a relaxing weekend, and as always, reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Sara Harper
Upcoming Dates:
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December 3 - Great Falls Celebration of Lights
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December 4 - Register for PTA After School Programs
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December 5 - PTA Spirit Day with Chick Fil A
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December 10 - Deadline to Donate for holiday gifts for teachers and staff
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December 11 - 15 - SCA Spirit Week and FLE Week
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December 15 - Last day to submit full-time AAP Referral
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December 18 - Jan 2 - Winter Break
Extra time? Try our STEAM calendar activities
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January 15 - Holiday: Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday
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January 25 - End of second quarter
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January 26 - Student Holiday - Teacher Work Day
Click here to view last week’s PTA Updates and learn more about the PTA events listed! Click here to view the 2023-2024 school year calendar.
Winter Weather
As the weather turns cooler we will do our best to ensure all students go outside for fresh air and movement opportunities. Please make sure your child has dressed appropriately (coat, boots, gloves, and hats) for outdoor weather.
Our students need fresh air and movement throughout the school day. Whenever possible, students will go outside for recess. FCPS policy states:
- When the wind chill/”feels like” temperature is 25 degrees or higher, teachers are advised to take their students outside for recess. Teachers of students in our younger grades may adjust this temperature based on student attire and current weather conditions.
- When the wind chill/”feels like” temperature is below 20 degrees, or there is any rain/sleet, teachers are advised to keep their students inside for recess.
If students bring a coat, teachers have been advised to require them to wear it when they go outside. During inclement weather, for safety reasons, students will stay off any icy hills and cannot throw snow.
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SCA December Spirit Week
STEAM Lab Updates
Happy Holidays! This week has been busy. Many of the upper grades have been wrapping up challenges. In addition to the STEAM lab update, we have attached a Winter STEAM Activity Calendar(see instructions at the end of the update).
- This month, Kindergarten will Celebrate Christmas and other Holidays from all around the World through STEAM. Students will engage in hands-on learning with nine different Holiday STEAM centers. Countries and holidays we will explore include Germany, Mexico, Israel, India, Kwanza, Ramadan, Sweden, England, and the Lunar New Year. Whatever we don’t get to before the break, we will finish when we return in the new year!!
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First Graders will also be exploring different celebrations around the world. Next week, we will start with France and learn about their tradition of Christmas Shoes. Next, we will move to Italy and learn about Befana.
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Second grade has started to learn about Hanukah and is making a dreidel. We will then read the book Mooseltoe and create a moose Christmas tree.
- We have FINALLY finished our candy grabber challenge in third grade. Next week, we will do some “elf coding.” They will give each other verbal and written commands to “program” a robot (their partner) to build a toy. They will create a catapult, if time permits, to help Santa go around the moon.
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Fourth grade has been working on a bridge challenge. They are using the engineering design process and learning about different types of bridges to construct a bridge that can hold a cup of pennies. They also learned about Emily Roebling, who played a significant role in the design and construction of the Brooklyn Bridge as the first female field engineer.
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Fifth grade has finished their pumpkin chunking catapults. This week, we started learning about the winter solstice, how light reflects and refracts, and how materials can be transparent, translucent, or opaque. Students will use the engineering design process to build a lantern to expand the light cast by a flashlight.
- The sixth graders have also finished their helmets. Many eggs were lost in the process! 🙁 However, many of the eggs survived the 1-foot drop. At least five helmets saved their eggs from a 4 ½ ft drop. Instead of moving into our paper football challenge, students will use the engineering design process to create a simple machine to help the elves load Santa’s sleigh with toys!
The winter break months are a fun time for students, but we hope your child can squeeze a little bit of learning in between toys and video games with this fun calendar of activities!
Each activity in this calendar is meant to be a hands-on learning experience that will ignite students’ curiosity in exploring the world around them. While fun and engaging, each daily activity will incorporate math concepts, scientific thinking, critical thinking, communication, creativity, and real-world problem-solving.
Attendance Matters
School attendance is an issue at Great Falls ES and around the country. Great Falls ES strives to improve school attendance in partnership with parents/guardians and the FCPS community.
If students are absent from school 10 percent of the time or more – that’s 18 days or more during the entire school year – they are at risk of being chronically absent.
In addition to having a detrimental effect on the student’s ability to manage their school work and maintain connections with teachers and classmates, attendance is one of the factors by which the Virginia Department of Education accredits schools.
How to Encourage School Attendance in the Home
Families have a significant influence on student attendance. We need your support to ensure your student attends school daily and on time. Attending school regularly helps students feel more confident and helps prepare them for their future. Parents must reinforce that going to school every day and on time is essential. Below are some tips on what you can do to encourage school attendance:
- Schedule family vacations and trips, doctor appointments, and other out-of-school activities during school holidays. See the FCPS student calendar to learn when student holidays are scheduled.
- Help your student(s) stay engaged by asking about what they are learning in school, using ParentVue to check progress on assignments, and seeking help from teachers if necessary.
- Encourage meaningful after-school activities, including sports or clubs.
- Track your students' attendance and make sure absences are not accumulating. If a student misses just two days each month, they may be considered chronically absent by the end of the school year.
- Know FCPS Attendance Policy.
- If your student has anxiety about going to school, talk with our mental health team for support.
Winter Break Opportunities for Students
FCPS Adult and Community Education has launched a new STEM kit program for students (grades 3-5) focused on extending learning when students are out of school. ACE is offering a comprehensive STEM kit that includes five exciting projects and fifteen learning activities. All materials are included! ACE STEM Kits will surely stimulate curiosity and engage students in the rapidly growing area of science, technology, engineering, and math. Details below.
Stem Kit Flyer Stem Kit Ad Flyer
December 2nd is National Special Education Day
National Special Education Day is recognized each year on Dec. 2 and commemorates President Gerald Ford’s signing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975. We celebrate our teachers and staff who serve and support our students with special needs, as well as our families who are partners in the education and support of those students! Learn more about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Lightspeed Classroom for Parents
Our school will be using a new classroom management tool that will help teachers better connect with student devices during classes. The new tool will provide teachers with a number of helpful features:
- Easily view student screens in real time from the teacher console to see which students may need guidance or support.
- Focus student attention on a particular website on their device to minimize distractions.
- Pause student access to the internet to focus on other classroom tasks.
We believe this classroom management tool will allow us to maximize class time to support your student’s learning while at school. Please let us know if you have any questions. As parents, you can request a Lightspeed report with summary or detailed reports of how your students are spending time on their school-issued device.
Social and Emotional Learning Screener Results Coming Soon
One of the ways FCPS supports the mental wellness of all students is the SEL Screener.
Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener during the month of October, providing information on their 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.
Beginning in early December, individual student SEL Screener results will be available to families in SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent via postal mail.
For more information about the screener please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage. For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or contact your student’s school.
Window for Full-time AAP Referrals Closes on December 15, 2023
Parents/guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time advanced academic programs may submit the AAP Full-Time (Level IV) Referral Form via email to Amy Keefer at amkeefer@fcps.edu by 11:59pm, or drop it off in the front office by 3:30pm no later than December 15, 2023.
Forms for full-time and part-time referrals are available on the AAP Forms Page. No late referrals for Full-Time AAP services will be accepted.
Submitting a referral form for full-time AAP will initiate a process that begins at the local school and is then completed at the central office level. Our school will put together a portfolio that includes multiple data which are considered holistically. At the central office level, a committee of six trained professionals from various schools and roles will review the portfolio materials to determine eligibility for full-time placement. Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. Parents may request a copy of the portfolio that was submitted after they have been turned in for central selection by emailing Amy Keefer at amkeefer@fcps.edu.
Referrals for subject-specific and part-time AAP are screened at the local school. If you miss this deadline, your student can still be screened for subject-specific AAP or part-time AAP for the remainder of the year and submit a referral for full-time AAP next fall.
For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs website.
National Special Education Day
National Special Education Day is recognized each year on Dec. 2 and commemorates President Gerald Ford’s signing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975. We celebrate our teachers and staff who serve and support our students with special needs, as well as our families who are partners in the education and support of those students!
Learn more about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Special Education Resources for Families
Fairfax County Public Schools has the following resources available to help assist families of students with special needs.
- The Office of Special Education Procedural Support helps staff, families, and students with the implementation of and compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended.
- Kathy Murphy, the assistant ombuds for special education, provides information and support to caregivers and students regarding special education and Section 504 services. Contact the Ombuds Office by submitting a question, calling 571-423-4014, or emailing ombuds@fcps.edu.
Additionally, the Virginia Department of Education has updated the Virginia Family's Guide to Special Education. This state guide was developed to help those involved in special education including families, teachers, school administrators, advocates, and students.
Celebration of Lights on Sunday, Dec 3rd
Behind the Post Office
Join us as we kick off the holidays with our Annual Lighting of the tree!Enjoy hot cocoa and cookies as the sounds of the season fill the air with performances by local school choirs.Write a letter to Santa and drop it with the antique postal truck or visit with Santa in person after he lights the tree.Don't miss the Live Nativity in closing!
Schedule of Events
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3:30 - 5:30pm: Pony Rides, Petting Zoo, Holiday Treats from Foundation Sponsors & Letters to Santa
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3:30 - 5:30pm: School Choir Performances
- 3:30 - Great Falls United Methodist Preschool
- 3:45 - Forestville ES choir and band
- 4:10 - King’s Kids
- 4:25 - St. Francis Creche
- 4:40 - Great Falls ES
- 5:15 - Colvin Run ES Sing A Long
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5:00 - 5:10pm: Santa & Mrs. Claus arrive to light the tree!
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5:15 - 6:00pm: Visits with Santa
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5:30pm: Live Nativity (Petting Zoo & Pony Rides close)
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6:00pm: Wrap Up
** Please note that visits with Santa end promptly at 6:00pm. Thank you for your understanding. **
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