Upcoming Dates
January 12 - Bingo Night (2 sessions: 6 pm and 7:45 pm)
January 15 - Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday - No School
January 15-19 - Virginia Principals Appreciation Week
January 19 - SCA Spirit Day
January 25 - End of second quarter - EARLY RELEASE at 1:35
January 26 - Student Holiday - Teacher Work Day
January 30 - Japanese Immersion Information Night (for kinder families only)
February 3 - Rise Against Hunger Event @ Colvin Run ES
February 10 - Save the Date - PTA Skate Night @ Reston Skatequest
February 14 - NEXT General PTA Meeting with Guest Speaker, Dr. Litz
February 19 - Presidents' Day - No School
Click here to view the 2023-2024 school year calendar.
Click here to read last week's GFES newsletter updates.
BINGO NIGHT IS TONIGHT, Friday January 12th!
We can’t wait to see you tonight in the cafeteria for what promises to be a night of fun, prizes, and lots of winners! Please enter the school through Door 4!
Session 1: 6-7pm; doors open at 5:30pm
Session 2: 7:45-8:45pm; doors open at 7:15pm
There are still a few tickets left! CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets!
Please remember that EVERY person entering the cafeteria will need a ticket. Thank you so much!
Help UPDATE the Membership Directory
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. Please!
There is even an App to download to your phone: search "Membership Toolkit" in the Apple App Store or Google Play!
And if you haven't already joined the PTA... Join Now >>
https://www.gfespta.com/membership
VA Principals Appreciation Week - Next Week January 15th - 21st!
Next week, let's show love to our amazing principals - Mrs. Harper and Dr. Litz - in honor of VA Principals Appreciation Week!
Please have your student(s) make a card to express their appreciation any time this week, and drop it off in the main office. Mrs. Harper and Dr. Litz are the best school leaders around and we are thankful for the programs they support, the leadership they offer and the genuine smiles they share with our kids every day!
 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!
Go GFES Scientists!
We are so proud of our GFES students who participated in Science Olympiad! These Roadrunners were Portrait of a Graduate superstars, practicing collaboration, communication, and creative and critical thinking! Congratulations to the following three GFES Science Olympiad Division B teams, who placed and received a ribbon at the Lake Braddock Division B (middle school) Invitational on December 9, 2023:
- Reach for the Stars - 6th place (Vivienne S. and Christopher K.)
- Tower - 4th place (Vivienne S. and Christopher K.)
- Wind Power - 6th place (Hebe Z. and Maya M.)
Good luck to GFES Science Olympiad Division B as they prepare for Virginina Regionals, taking place at Fairfax High School on February 24, 2024!
SAVE THE DATE: SKATE NIGHT IS SATURDAY FEBRUARY 10TH
Mark your calendars! The annual GFES PTA sponsored Skate Night is Saturday, February 10th at Reston Skatequest (1800 Michael Faraday Court, Reston, VA). This is an extremely fun-filled night for all!
Tickets are $10 per skater and include skate rental and a cup of hot chocolate!
Tickets can be purchased online OR at the door! Tickets purchased at Skatequest must be purchased in cash. Thank you so much!
Be on the lookout for online ticket sales to start in the next couple of weeks!
Donate to the PTA's Roadrunner Giving Campaign
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!
We are a 501c3 and will provide a receipt for your donation once received online or via mail.
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!
Gratitude for our Students and Families!
Community Outreach Update/Thank you!
Thank you for supporting our winter service learning projects for the Embry Rucker Community Shelter. Students in grades K-5 assembled snack packets filled with donated healthy treats for the homeless shelter guests to eat between scheduled meals. Each packet also contained a beautiful handmade card with a sweet message created by our students to help brighten the spirits of the shelter guests. The snack packets from each class were combined to form a school-wide donation to the shelter.
The 6th-grade classes worked with local businesses to collect donations to purchase supplies for their service project. The 6th-grade students packed bins with essential winter supplies including shirts, socks, underwear, umbrellas, towels, and personal hygiene items for shelter clients.
These hands-on projects helped our students build awareness of the challenges and needs of individuals in our community and emphasized the importance of helping others. Their efforts and the generous donations we received to support the projects helped make a positive impact on the lives of individuals in need in our community.
GFES PTA received the following THANK YOU from the Embry Rucker shelter:
“...The snack packs prepared and donated by students from Great Falls Elementary helped to provide a welcome after-dinner treat that the men, women, and children residing at the shelter could enjoy while watching TV, reading, or playing games before bedtime. These snacks were especially appreciated during the time leading up to the holidays, a time when many people enjoy snacking on delicious treats while visiting with friends and family."
School Spirit and Holiday Gift Cards for Staff Update/Thank you!
Thank you so much to all of the families who donated money towards the holiday gift cards for teachers and staff! Each staff member received a $20 gift card!
A special Thank YOU to Lila Dickey for collecting donations and purchasing the gift cards for our amazing staff!
Community Offering:
YOUTH RUGBY STARTS THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 14th!
All ages, boys & girls, non-contact and contact
10am at 8008 Jones Branch Dr., McLean
www.rugbyVA.com
Contact Gary Coetzee at gary@greatfallsrugby.com
Great Falls Youth Rugby -
Northern Virginia, boys & girls, all ages
Camaraderie, Teamwork, Leadership
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