Gunston Elementary

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/19/2024 07:39 PM EDT

        Kristen Rucinski - Principal                Ebony Opie - Assistant Principal

Gunston Gazette

kevins ernie

Dear Gunston Family,

We had an amazing first day at Gunston today!  The smiles and laughter filled our hallways and classrooms.  We are looking forward to tomorrow as we continue to set expectations and routines for our students.  We ask that tomorrow students will take their usual transportation to and from school.  For the safety and security of our entire community, staff will help any student who needs assistance getting to class.  Please read the important reminders and updates below to ensure you are following our procedures.

 

Important Reminders:

Same Day Dismissal Changes

Same day dismissal changes, including planned early pick-ups of students, must be communicated to the front office prior to 2:30 pm. 

  • A note to the classroom teacher is also appreciated BUT, as classroom teachers may not have an opportunity to check their email before the end of the day, all dismissal changes MUST be communicated to the front office. 
  • If your child is being picked up during their Specials time (music, PE, art, etc.), please allow additional time for them to return to their classroom to pack up their belongings.  
  • If your child attends SACC, be sure to also let the SACC staff know of a dismissal change as SACC operates separately from FCPS. 

Transportation, Arrival, and Dismissal

  • Bus Routes are posted to SIS ParentVUE accounts.  Please note that your child can not change their bus without a pass from the office.  If there is a need for your child to ride a different bus, please contact the front office in the morning. 
  • Kiss and Ride  starts at 8:25 am for arrival. Please follow the line and pull up to Door 3. Please do not arrive early as we want to avoid blocking traffic on Gunston Road since it is one lane in each direction.  If you arrive at school after 8:35, please park and bring your child to the Main Office to check-in. Pick-up for Kiss and Ride will begin at 3:20 pm, and please place your tag on your dashboard. Please have your child/children enter/exit your vehicle on the passenger side. Remember to stay in your car for Kiss and Ride. A staff member will open your car for your child to exit or enter your car. PLEASE DO NOT RELEASE YOUR CHILD FROM THE CAR PRIOR TO THE DESIGNATED SPOT WHERE STAFF CAN SAFELY HELP THEM UNLOAD.  Families and students walking to the front door must use the crosswalk for safety procedures and enter through Door 1 only.  No students or families should be crossing the parking lot.  We appreciate your assistance in following these procedures to ensure everyone safely arrives and dismisses from school.  Students may not be dropped off before 8:25 a.m., when our doors open. There is NO supervision prior to that time.

Transportation Patience and Safety

Thank you for your patience as we all get used to new routines this school year. We appreciate our families being patient as they wait for their children’s buses.

If a student’s bus is delayed, parents may access the Bus Delay Notification System or use the Here Comes the Bus mobile app to receive the delayed bus report. Email messages will be sent to announce significant bus delays. Contact the Transportation Office at 703-446-2150 with any additional questions. For any concerns after hours (after 5:30 p.m.), contact Safety and Security at 571-423-2000.

  

 

To make sure you receive email messages about bus delays, update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE.

 

Visiting Gunston (driver’s license is needed)

The safety and security of our students and our staff are of utmost importance. Every visitor who enters the building is monitored. All visitors entering Gunston will need to have a valid driver’s license and 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.

 

Lunch with your Child(ren)

To ensure school staff have time to teach and reinforce cafeteria routines and procedures, we will be delaying the visitation of family members during lunch until September 9th.  We have a designated table for families and their student to sit together as the classroom tables need to be available for our students.  You must sign into the office with your driver’s license and wear a visitor pass in order to be with your child in the cafeteria.

 

SIS ParentVue

Support Your Child’s Success

Access your student’s attendance records, grades, and assignments at any time with SIS ParentVUE. Caregivers should receive an activation code when they register their child. 

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. Access SIS ParentVUE by using an app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android devices. 

Need help creating a SIS ParentVUE account? This video walks through the steps. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE.

 

Get the App

Now would be a grea time to download important FCPS apps and bookmark key pages to set you up for the school year. Below are our recommendations and their specific use. 

  • ParentVue - The SIS ParentVUE Account (Student Information System ParentVUE Account) is the FCPS secure solution for accessing information about your child's attendance, class performance, demographic data, and link to Schoology. It provides an additional conduit for communication with your child's school. 
  • Here Comes the Bus- Know when your bus is approaching your stop! Here Comes the Bus® app is a school bus tracking app that provides real-time bus location. This helps parents and students get to the bus stop on time. Here Comes the Bus® utilizes our GPS data and available on multiple devices. FCPS school district code 28982 and you will need your ParentVue app set up first.
  • Talking Points - TalkingPoints is an easy and safe way families can communicate in their home languages with their child’s teachers for free. We will be using this platform to communicate with you about your child’s education and progress.

 

Student Consent Forms

Student consent forms currently available on ParentVue will be moved to the Parent Digital Consent System (PDC). Families can log into the PDC using their ParentVue credentials to complete consent forms assigned to their child.  If you have a new ParentVue account, you must wait 24 hours after it is created to use the PDC.

https://digitalconsent.fcps.edu/ispb/r/is01/pdcp/login?session=2945843123735

Forms available include:

School Counseling Opt-out Digital Resources Consent  SEL Screener Opt-Out Family Life Education Opt-out SOL Retest Permission Objection to Release of Directory Information to the Public Objection to Release of Information to Outside Organizations

 

Paperless Opt-Outs Available

As a part of our ongoing efforts to streamline paper processes, parents can now select a number of opt-out’s electronically via ParentVUE.  Once you have signed into your ParentVUE account, simply select the “Student Info” tab and click on “Edit Information.” You will find opt-out’s listed there.  Parents that do not yet have a ParentVUE account will still be able to use paper forms for notification. If you need to set up your ParentVUE account, you can create one online via the FCPS ParentVUE Registration page.

 

Free and Reduced-Price Meals

Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications Available

According to the Centers for Disease Control, eating breakfast at school is associated with better attendance rates, fewer missed school days, and better test scores. Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals receive breakfast and lunch at school at no cost. 

Families in FCPS that are earning less than 185% of the poverty level can receive meals for their students at no cost. Families should complete the application before the start of each school year. Approved applications may also qualify students for additional benefits. 

Apply on the Free and Reduced-Price Meals webpage. 

 

Elementary Cell Phone Policy

Phones must be silenced and in backpacks for the duration of the school day. Watches that serve a dual purpose (e.g., smart watch) may be worn; however, phone features (e.g., texting, internet, calls, etc.) are to be off when phone use is prohibited. Students are prohibited from using phones, tablets, and other mobile devices in restrooms and locker rooms, unless there is a medical necessity or emergency. With the approval of the principal or their designee, teachers may allow usage of cell phones for instructional activities where they are the most appropriate tool; however, one-to-one FCPS devices should meet most needs. Cell phones may be used on campus before and after school, only.

Early Release Mondays

As you may have heard, a requirement for Elementary Teachers (classroom, special education, and ESOL) from the Virginia Literacy Act includes approximately 27 hours of asynchronous training focused on the Science of Reading and evidenced-based literacy during the 2024-2025 school year. As a result, Fairfax County Public Schools has planned for 7 early release Mondays starting in September. 

Please note the dates and times for your calendars listed below. These dates only apply to elementary school-age students.

Gunston Elementary will release school-age students at 12:20 pm on the following days:

  • September 16
  • October 21
  • November 18
  • February 10
  • March 10
  • April 21
  • May 12

FCPS has created a webpage to provide detailed information about the early release Mondays.

To help plan for our school’s childcare needs during the early release Mondays, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/jE61CeMZoJ8FoqLLA for each of your children who are enrolled at Gunston Elementary. The form covers the first two early release Mondays, scheduled for September 16, 2024 and October 21, 2024. If you have multiple children, you will need to submit multiple forms. Staff will confirm the after school supervision plan for each student.  In order to allow sufficient time for us to plan for school needs, please complete this brief form by Tuesday, August 20, 2024. 

 

Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights

Fairfax County Public Schools wants all parents and caregivers to understand its policies regarding surveys, records, curriculum, privacy, and related rights.

In its Annual Notice of Survey, Records, Curriculum, Privacy, and Related Rights and Opt-Out Forms (Annual Notice), FCPS provides explanations of the rights listed above as well as forms that may be used to exercise opt-out choices. Two versions of the Annual Notice are available: a grades K-8 version and a grades 9-12 version. Parents/caregivers with children at different grade levels should read each applicable version of the Annual Notice, because the notices and opt-out rights vary depending on the student’s grade level.

Get more information and view the 2024-25 Opt-Out Booklets.

 

FCPS 2024-2025 Calendar

The FCPS School Year 2024-2025 calendar may be accessed here.