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.يرجى زيارة موقعنا الألكتروني لقراءة هذه النشرة الإخبارية بلغات أخرى
Dear Great Falls ES Families,
The official start of Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes a season filled with new beginnings and exciting learning opportunities! In this newsletter, I want to highlight three important items:
Celebrating Our Diverse Community
At Great Falls ES, we embrace the rich tapestry of cultures and backgrounds that make up our student body. Throughout the year, we celebrate and recognize various cultural holidays and observances. Please mark your calendars and participate in or attend our celebration of our differences, our World Fair, on April 18, 2024.
To ensure all students feel included and supported, we encourage families to contact their child's teacher regarding accommodations. This may consist of adjustments around lunch, prayer/meditation spaces and times, or even modifications in classroom instruction. We believe in fostering an environment where all students feel comfortable expressing their unique traditions and beliefs.
Attendance as we approach Spring Break
Great Falls ES’s Chronic Absenteeism rate is currently 8%, a significant improvement from where we were on this date last year at 19%. As a reminder, a student is considered chronically absent if they are out for 10% or more of the school year. Thank you for all you do to partner with us as we strive to make every day count!
Historically, our absenteeism trend spikes around winter break and spring break. As we approach spring break, I want to remind you that the VA state code requires us to contact families of students with seven or more absences for the year. One way to help us with these outreach requirements is to complete and submit this prearranged absence form and submit it to Abeer El Gharib prior to your child(ren)’s absence.
Is your child feeling sick?
While the state of Virginia, FCPS, and Great Falls ES encourage positive and regular attendance whenever possible, please be mindful to keep your children home when they have a fever or are showing signs and symptoms of infectious or communicable diseases. We are experiencing an uptick in sickness spreading throughout our classrooms. We do deep clean and bleach classrooms with excessive absences daily; however, the best way to stop the spread is to keep students with symptoms home from school.
Sincerely,
Sara Harper
Calendar Updates:
This year, spring break is March 25-29 and the main office will be closed. We will be eager to welcome your children back to school on Wednesday, April 3, after a Teacher Workday and Staff Development Day.
March 17 - Registration Closes for After School Program
March 21 - Diversity Showcase (World Fair and Art Show)
March 22 - 3rd Quarter Ends
March 25 - April 2 - Spring Break
April 5 - GFES Parent University Presentation
April 12 - Kindergarten Orientation
April 18 - PTA Worlds Fair
Click here to view the 2023-2024 school year calendar.
Click here to view the 2024-2025 school year calendar.
Click here to read last week's GFES PTA newsletter updates.
GFES Mental Health Team Presents...
🔬 STEAM Lab Updates
In kindergarten, we have taken a break from the ABCs of STEAM to complete a March Creativity Challenge. The goal of creativity challenges is to help students think in different ways. This week, they did a “Finish the Picture” Challenge, where students completed a rainbow but couldn’t be a rainbow! Next week, they will complete a Clovers Challenge, the goal of which is for students to turn as many clovers as possible into recognizable objects in only 3 minutes.
In first grade, we have taken a break from the ABCs of STEAM to complete some March Engineering Design challenges. These are perfect opportunities for kids to work together to solve complex problems using their creativity and the engineering design process. This week, the challenge was to build a wheelbarrow for the leprechaun to carry his gold. Needless to say, this was very hard for many of the students! We used this opportunity to talk about how our original plans don’t always work, but we shouldn’t give up--we can change the plans and try again! Next week, the challenge is to build a ladder to help the leprechaun get to the top of the rainbow.
Second-grade students have been working on their Leprechaun Tower Challenge. They needed to plan and construct a tower to hold the leprechaun's pot of gold (container full of pennies) using only the materials provided. For this challenge, we have been learning about all the steps of the Engineering Design Process. Next week, they can go back and see if they can improve their towers to make them better and stronger!
Third-grade traveled to Ancient China and learned about the movable printing press. This mission began with a letter explaining the improvements to the spread of information from inventions and engineering. Students then created movable type printers to optimize their printing time.
Fourth-grade students started the NEXT National Park Challenge. This challenge will guide the students through a research project and then an engineering design challenge. Right now, students have learned about the history of National Parks and are virtually exploring five National Parks. They will then pick one National Park to research and make a presentation.
Fifth-grade is wrapping up their robotic arm challenge. They used what they learned previously to design and build a robotic arm that can pick up various objects. We will be testing them next week.
The sixth-grade students are continuing the Eco-House Extravaganza Challenge. They use a poster board to plan out the location of each part of their home, then label each “zone” with colored paper. Next week, we will do a gallery walk so they can share, get peer feedback, and make any modifications. After spring break, they will begin to build their final prototype. I have encouraged students to bring any supplies they may need from home. Earlier this week, I sent out suggestions through Talking Points.
🧪STEM Events in our Area
There are some very cool STEM events happening online and in DC. These events are FREE with advanced registration.
Navy League of US STEM EXPO
Geared toward 5th through 12th grade students, this free event inspires and empowers students interested in science, technology, engineering and math careers.Students and parents are invited to enjoy interactive STEM workshops, hands-on demonstrations, STEM career information, networking opportunities and more.
TECHSTRAVAGANZA 2024 at TJHSST
From hands-on activities to mind-blowing demonstrations, Techstravaganza inspires students to explore their passion for STEM. Past Techstravaganza exhibitors include NASA, Robotics for Youth, and the American Society for Naval Engineers. This is a self-paced event, so students are free to visit whichever booths interest them! Students can look forward to raffles, merchandise, and goodie bags.
2024 National STEM Festival Student Expo
Featuring 150+ of the nation’s brightest young innovators, this event showcases a wide array of student-led inventions and research projects. Federal Agencies will also highlight STEM careers. Space is limited. Registration required.
🏆It's Not Too Late! SEPTA Excellence Awards are Still Open!
A Special Education PTA (SEPTA) is a PTA organization affiliated with the State and National PTA but specifically established to address the unique needs of special education, special needs, and disabled students and families.
From the beginning, Fairfax County SEPTA has believed in the importance of recognizing the outstanding FCPS teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, specialists, students, and schools that go above and beyond to support students with disabilities in our schools. To celebrate these dedicated professionals, an annual awards ceremony is held. Show your children’s educators your appreciation by nominating them for an award!
Enter nominations online now through March 17, 2024.
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🎬Mean Girls Matinee
When: April 27 @ 2 pm
Elementary students are invited to attend the Saturday matinee of Mean Girls at Cooper Middle School! Sign up for a free ticket and pizza. You must register by Saturday, April 20. Additional tickets can be purchased at www.etix.com or at the door.
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✅ Take the Family Engagement Survey Today!
If you haven’t already, please take FCPS’ Family Engagement Survey today! Survey results will help us to better recognize, understand, respect, and address family strengths and needs in our school community. Survey topics include:
- Welcoming environment
- Communication
- Student success
- Advocacy
- Family and school partnerships
- Community partnerships
The survey is available in 10 languages. Please check your email for a message from FCPS partner, K12 Insight, with a link to the survey or access the survey now. Your voice matters!
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