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Message from the Principal
Photos of the week 📷
Save the Date: Kindergarten Orientation👩🏻🏫
Upcoming Holidays/Observances📆
Yearbook📔
"The Pros and Cons of Peer Pressure" Resources🎙️
Proposed Budget Presented to School Board👩🏻🏫
Kindergarten Registration: It’s as Easy as 1-2-3…🧸
Advisory Committee for Students With Disabilities Seeks Nominations for First-Class Awards🏅
Office of the Ombuds: At Your Service!🤝
Comprehensive Boundary Review Update📍
Decluttering Coach Speaker at Chantilly HS🎤
GBE PTA News 🗞️
Look Ahead 👀
Follow Us on Socials 💻
In Case You Missed It 📁
Rocking Roadrunner ⭐
PickUp Patrol Reminders 🚗
Dear GBE Families,
Can you believe we are halfway through the school year? I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished in our first two quarters together. 2025 started with snow and cold! Our custodial team has done exceptional work preparing our building after the winter weather. We also had community members answer a call on Facebook to help our custodians on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day clean our sidewalks and parking lot. GBE demonstrates what is possible when a school community is committed to caring for each other and providing excellence for our students. No matter what successes or challenges come our way, we continue to remain stronger together. I witness the joy and dedication of each student, staff member, and family every day at GBE and it reminds me how lucky I am to serve you.
In a little over a month, I will reach my five year anniversary serving as your principal! What a journey it has been! Please take a moment to review 10 Reasons GBE Stands Out! I encourage families to share these stories featured on the link with extended family and new neighbors! These are such positive examples of what makes GBE an outstanding school. There are more exciting stories ahead to write together and I am looking forward to the future as we create an amazing place for our students to learn.
Our next big community event, STEAM Fest, is being led by our PTA on Thursday, February 20th from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm! You can pre-order tickets here. Pre-ordered tickets are $2 and tickets sold the day of the event will be $3. All proceeds will be donated to our STEAM program at GBE! Come celebrate and interact with amazing demonstrations, a giant planetarium, and learn more about our STEAM Program at GBE. The PTA will also have Chick fil-A on site for your dinner! We hope to see you there!
You may have noticed that we’ve added a translation bar to the top of this newsletter. Moving forward, we want to encourage our families to use this tool. Providing my letters in this newsletter in multiple languages has always been important to me. Over the years, we have been incredibly honored to hire new multilingual staff that have translated my letters in Spanish, Korean, and Arabic. I appreciate their contributions to ensure my messages are translated. As technology continues to evolve, providing translated communication for our families will remain a priority in our school community with 44 languages represented.
I’m looking forward to a great second half of the school year! As always, I am here for you and your family. Please reach out to my email at djpietzman@fcps.edu anytime with any question or concern you may have. Thank you for being awesome and sending us such incredible children!
Sincerely,
Dave Pietzman, NBCT
Principal
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS. Learn more about Black History month.
By enrolling in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) course or program, students learn the technical applications of many occupations while preparing for higher education or entry-level employment. A core program of CTE courses is offered in every middle and high school including Business and Information Technology, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health and Medical Sciences, Marketing, Technology and Engineering Education, and Trade and Industrial Education. Since this is an elective, course offerings may vary by school. Learn more on the FCPS CTE webpage.
CTE also offers summer programs for students to explore their programs. Enroll now!
Thank you to the Fairfax County School Board for all they do throughout the year. Want to contact your school board representatives to share your appreciation? Visit their website to find your school board member and contact them.
February 3-7 is National School Counseling Week, and highlights the tremendous impact school counselors have in helping students achieve academic success and planning for a career. School counselors work with students in a variety of different capacities, whether it is through classroom lessons, group sessions, or individual counseling.
We are so grateful to have amazing school counselors at GBE! Thank you to Ms. Loht and Ms. Shin for always being there for our students, staff, and families
Learn more about the role of school counselors in FCPS.
Families can now access www.barksdalephoto.com to place their yearbook order using the access code: 0037259YB
Dear GBE Family,
Missed or would like to refer back to our last Resource Center Workshop?
Attached are the "Pros and Cons of Peer Pressure" resources, presented by our counselor, Mrs. Loht, on January 30th, 2025.
Zoom Link: (Please save the passcode before you click here)
Passcode: 4$#sv&up&X
Due to interpretation accessibility, we are using "Japanese" for Arabic, "German" for Turkish "French" for Farsi and "Spanish" for Spanish.
We are also providing you with the presentation's google slides.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wafika Albani
Greenbriar East ES Family Liaison
Cell: 571 294 4794
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid presented the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Proposed Budget at the School Board meeting on Thursday, January 23. Watch a video of the presentation.
As Dr. Reid noted in her January 24 letter to families, “The budget is fiscally responsible and invests in excellence — not just for FCPS, but for all of us in Fairfax County who want a strong community with successful young people, dedicated educators and support staff, and a thriving economy.”
The proposed budget reflects the needs of and FCPS’ commitments to Fairfax County students, families, and community members. It focuses on competitive compensation, including a 7.0% salary increase for all staff to recruit and retain our outstanding educators, administrators, and other school-based and operational staff dedicated to the success of our students; investing in students who require additional support; and continuing multiyear initiatives such as inclusive preschool and safety and security updates.
Learn more on the Budget webpage.
There’s an easy five-step process for parents wanting to register their child for kindergarten:
- Determine eligibility.
- Identify your local school.
- Gather documents.
- Fill out forms.
- Schedule an appointment.
After the appointment at the school (the student and one guardian must be present), the student will be ready for orientation. Read more about the registration process. For additional information, please contact Araceli Nunez, our school registrar.
💻 Try Online Registration
Online registration for the 2025-26 school year is open. Parents/caregivers may register their children online for kindergarten through 12th grade. Learn how to begin the online registration process.
When registering, parents/caregivers will need to create or log in to an existing SIS ParentVUE account.
First-Class Awards are presented each year to individuals who support, design, and/or implement inclusion activities that result in positive outcomes for students. The Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities (ACSD) is seeking nominations for the 2025 First-Class Awards. This is a great opportunity for the community to recognize and celebrate the inclusion efforts of educators, administrators, and students who demonstrate the inclusion of students with disabilities in all facets of education.
Nominees should model excellence in their role relative to special education, have a positive impact that benefits disabled and non-disabled students alike, and be committed to creating an inclusive environment and mindset.
Nominate an administrator, staff member, student, or community partner who has made an exceptional contribution to inclusive practices in Fairfax County Public Schools. Nominations close Wednesday, February 19.
Ombuds staff engage with FCPS employees, families, and students to offer resources and improve the experience of each and every member of the FCPS community. They work as an independent confidential resource to help get answers to questions, resolve concerns, and hear complaints regarding FCPS matters.
Ombuds office staff members are available to help resolve disagreements between parents/caregivers and schools. They do not change or make decisions, policies, or regulations; take sides; or provide legal advice.
Anyone with concerns, questions, or complaints to share with the Office of the Ombuds may call 571-423-4014, email ombuds@fcps.edu, or visit their webpage, where you may Submit a Question.
The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee held its second meeting on December 16 at Gatehouse Administration Center. View key takeaways from that meeting and access the meeting agenda, slides, and other materials that committee members received. If you did not get a chance to attend an in-person Community Boundary Review Meeting, please consider participating in a virtual meeting:
- Monday, February 10, 2025, 6:30-8 p.m.
Language interpretation will be available.
All virtual meetings will follow the same format as the in-person meetings that were recently held, and the same information will be shared. Please stay tuned for details on how to register. Visit FCPS’ Comprehensive Boundary Review webpage to learn more. Sign up for FCPS’ School Boundary Review newsletter as well.
Get your GBE S.T.E.A.M. Fest tickets
Want to see more photos and videos of what’s going on at Greenbriar East?
Did you miss a GBE Happenings? Want to take a look at past weekly newsletters? Click this link.
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Do you want to celebrate a GBE employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way, or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone. |
Use PickUp Patrol to report absences
In emergencies, email or call the front office
This is a reminder to put your students' absence, arriving late, or leaving school early in Pickup Patrol (PUP). All default plans should be up to date. Make sure you change the default plan anytime you change your students' permanent dismissal. Emails and phone calls are no longer encouraged, except for emergencies. When you enter a change in PUP, it goes directly to your child’s teacher as well as our front office staff. Please remember to provide a reason for the absence, late arrival or early dismissal. Changes must be entered on PUP by 2:30pm each day. If you need assistance setting up your PickUp Patrol account, please reach out to the front office at 703-633-6400 or GreenbriarEastOfficeParentContact@fcps.edu.
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