Upcoming Dates
Extra time? Try our STEAM calendar activities
- January 10 - Art Enrichment Session 3 Orientation
- January 12 - Bingo Night (2 sessions: 6pm and 7:45pm)
- January 15 - Holiday: Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday
- January 25 - End of second quarter
- January 26 - Student Holiday - Teacher Work Day
Click here to view the 2023-2024 school year calendar.
Click here to read last week's GFES newsletter updates.
LAST CHANCE! Donate towards Holiday Gifts for Teachers and Staff
Let’s show our amazing GFES teachers, administrators, specialists, and support staff how much we appreciate and love them this holiday season! We have not received many donations to date!
The PTA is collecting funds with the goal of providing an Amazon gift card to each member of the GFES staff, which includes dedicated teachers, administrators, specialists and support staff.
In order to reach our goal, we are suggesting a $20 donation, but any amount is appreciated. Thank you in advance for helping us make our teachers and staff feel special over the holidays!
Please kindly make your donations no later than TODAY December 11th.
GFES parent Lila Dickey has graciously volunteered to collect donations towards the purchase of holiday gifts for our dedicated staff!
You can donate through Venmo: @lbd2023 (last 4 digits of cell # for verification if requested 5974)
Thank you so much in advance for your generosity! If you have any questions, please contact schoolspiritvp@gfespta.com.
Reflections Recognition
CONGRATULATIONS! We would like to recognize the following students who submitted entries to the 2023-2024 National PTA Reflections Art Contest. The theme was “I am Hopeful Because…” and our amazing Great Falls Elementary students inspired us with their entries!
Four students won first place awards at Great Falls Elementary and their work has moved up to the Fairfax County PTA level for judging. Congratulations!
Ingrid Kuo, Visual Arts, Age Group K-2
Mario Rosser Castro, Music Composition, Age Group K-2
Avery Fields, Visual Arts, Age Group 3-5
Victoria Burke, Visual Arts, Age Group 6-8
We would also like to recognize Maria Morgan of the Luna Art Studio for helping us judge the Reflections contest this year. Luna Art Studio is a warm and welcoming environment, nestled right here in Great Falls, just down the street from Great Falls Elementary. Students learn about artists of the past and present, elements and principles of art, various mediums, while learning the fundamentals of drawing and painting. You can contact Luna Art Studio at (703) 346-7031 or 730 Walker Road, Great Falls VA. Thank you Maria!!!
Winter 2024 Session: Baroody After School Programs
GFES PTA partners with Baroody Camps academies to provide two sessions of a wide variety of quality, safe after-school activities for students of all ages. Classes take place at GFES for an hour directly after school.
REGISTRATION DATES:
Opens: Monday, December 4, 8:00 AM *OPEN NOW*
Closes: THIS WEEKEND on Sunday, December 17, 11:59 PM
Click HERE for program dates, offerings and registration link.
Check out “Registration Tips” tab on the registration website for helpful information!
End of Year Tax Deduction - - >
Donate to the PTA's Roadrunner Giving Campaign
If you're planning for your end of year tax deductible donations - look no further than the GFES PTA!! That's right, we are a 501c3 and will provide a receipt for your donation once received online or via mail.
Our students benefit greatly from all that the PTA does to support the school community. We need your help to ensure the PTA can bring to life all the amazing events and programming we have planned. We would be honored if you included GFES PTA in your charitable giving this year.
We ask that each family contribute $250, BUT ANY AMOUNT IS WELCOME!
Direct donations are reinvested in our school!
Click for more details and to donate: ANNUAL Roadrunner Giving Campaign!
Click to review past PTA meeting minutes and presentations, including a special one made for the October meeting to describe the PTA and all that we do for our school.
If anyone - person, family, company - is interested in becoming a Corporate Sponsor, please click HERE for more information on how our school can benefit from your sponsorship as well as how the PTA can promote your business throughout the school year! We already have generous families and businesses that have donated and will be featured on our website and Facebook Page!
Junior Japan Bowl Registration
Junior Japan Bowl is a national team-based academic competition for students in Grades 1-8 who are interested in Japanese language and culture. In 2023, nearly 380 students from all over the country participated in the seventh annual competition. Great Falls ES has taken first place for the last three consecutive years.
You can learn more about Junior Japan Bowl by visiting this WEBSITE. You can see what your kids will be learning this year by taking a look at the official Study Guide. Topics for this year include famous Samurai and Ninja, Japanese castles, geography, holidays, traditional foods and performing arts.
If your child is interested in becoming part of the GFES/CMS winning tradition, please sign up to join our afterschool program HERE.
Team GFES meets on Mondays from 5pm-6pm on Zoom. We also play Kahoot games to reinforce each lesson. Classes start on January 8 and end on April 22. More details are on the Google Form. Junior Japan Bowl 2024 will be held virtually on Friday, April 26.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Cynthia Rinaldi Smith at cynthia.rinaldi@gmail.com.
ありがとうございます
Thank you!
SAVE THE DATE: BINGO NIGHT is Friday, January 12th!
Please join us on Friday, January 12th in the cafeteria for what promises to be a night of fun, prizes, and lots of winners!
Session 1: 6-7pm; doors open at 5:30pm
Session 2: 7:45-8:45pm; doors open at 7:15pm
Tickets are $10, and EVERY person entering the cafeteria will need a ticket. Capacity is limited, so this event will sell out.
Be on the lookout for the Bingo Night flier and for more information about how to buy tickets in the coming weeks!
If you are interested in volunteering during Bingo Night, we would love your help! Please email schoolspiritvp@gfespta.com. Thank you so much!
GFES PTA Spirit Day with Chick-Fil-A
THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who enjoyed breakfast, lunch and/or dinner at Chick-Fil-A on Tuesday for our Spirit Event! We had a great turnout and it was wonderful to get to see our Great Falls community both inside Chick-Fil-A and in the drive-thru line! Thank you to everyone that stopped by to say hi and picked up a GFES t-shirt, pajama pants, and/or magnet!
As a special bonus, we also provided a delicious Chick-Fil-A lunch on Tuesday to our wonderful teachers and staff!
Join the PTA!
...and UPDATE the Membership Directory
If you joined last year, you'll need to renew/join each year to receive the great benefits year after year, along with supporting the amazing programs we provide our students and staff.
Membership is only $20 and supports PTA operations, gives you voting rights at all PTA general meetings, and provides you with access to the online school directory!
Join Now >> https://www.gfespta.com/membership
Plus, the school-wide Directory makes it easy to look up your child's friends to find contact info to set up play dates.
Go To >> https://www.gfespta.com and click on "Directory" under Our PTA. Then log in and update your student/family information, choose to opt in or not by January 15, 2024.
There is even an App to download to your phone: search "Membership Toolkit" in the Apple App Store or Google Play!
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