English | Español | አማርኛ | 中文 | 한국어 | Tiếng Việt | العربية | فارسی | اردو
 Today Garfield honored our veterans with a special Veterans Day program.
Upcoming Dates 📆
November 10 - Progress Reports Available in ParentVue
November 11 - NO SCHOOL (Veterans Day)
November 18 – Curriculum Night - RSVP Here - 11/18/25
November 19 - 3-hour Early Release
November 20 – Thanksgiving Feast & Share -RSVP Here: RSVP Here - 11/20/25
November 21 - Thanksgiving Luncheon (Information will be shared next week!)
November 26-28 - Thanksgiving Break
Paperless Report Cards
Report cards will be available through ParentVUE on November 10, 2025. Be sure to log in to check your child’s progress and celebrate their hard work!
November is Family
Engagement Month!
We’re thrilled to share some wonderful family events happening at GES this month! We hope you’ll join us to celebrate learning, collaboration, and community:
-
Tuesday, 11/18 - Curriculum Night
- Thursday, 11/20 - Thanksgiving Feast & Classroom Share
Throughout Family Engagement Month, Garfield ES will be spotlighting simple and meaningful ways families can connect and engage together. This month reminds us that families are children’s first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers.
Week 1: Building Belonging: Look out for fun ideas and activities to help foster a strong sense of belonging both at home and here in our Eagle community!
November 1: Create a Belonging Board
November 2: Take a Nature Noticing Walk
November 3: Talk to Your Child About Their Favorite Subject
November 4: Talk to Your Child About the Importance of Voting
November 5: Plan a Day with No Electronics
November 6: Connect With Your Child's School
November 7: Teach Your Child a New Skill
Save the Date for Curriculum Night!
Tuesday, November 18th
5:45pm – 7:00pm
Join us for A Thanksgiving
Feast and Share
Garfield’s Thanksgiving Luncheon &
Classroom Share - November 20th
- Families are invited to join their student for our Thanksgiving Luncheon in the cafeteria.
- Enjoy a festive FCPS meal and time together during your student’s scheduled lunchtime.
- Visit your student’s classroom before or after lunch for a special learning share.
- Celebrate the season of gratitude, connection, and community as we gather to enjoy food and learning together.
Adult lunch - $5.00 – Pay Exact Cash only or pay on My School Bucks
AAP News:
Engaging Families with Creative &
Critical Thinking
Questioning
Families can help their children become better at solving problems and thinking creatively by asking thoughtful questions at home. It’s a simple way to engage in deeper thinking and think critically.
How to Try it at Home: After watching a short video or reading a story together, take turns asking “why,” “how,” or “what if” questions. For example, “Why do you think the character chose that?” or “What if the ending were different?”
Upcoming AAP News:
AAP Virtual ‘Office Hours’- December 2 from 4:30-5:00pm. Drop in opportunity to ask questions about AAP. A Zoom link will be sent the day before.
AAP Full-Time Referrals are due: December 15, 2025
AAP referral submissions can be sent to Heather Jenkins, hkjenkins@fcps.edu
 |
|
📱The FCPS Mobile App
The FCPS mobile app provides a custom district-branded platform for iOS and Android that helps keep families connected and informed right from their smartphones.
Families can access essential content, including news, live updates, calendars, district and school-specific notices, cafeteria menus, and more, all in one place. Users can access updates and content without having to sign in, making it easy for everyone to stay informed.
Learn more about the new mobile app, including feedback from parents.
You can download the Fairfax County Public Schools mobile app by going to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and searching for “FCPS.”
|
Garfield’s Next Early Release
Wednesday is November 19th
*Students will be dismissed at 1:05pm
Volunteering at Garfield: Update on FCPS Volunteer Background Check Process
As communicated by FCPS, the Level 3 volunteer background check process has been paused.
What this means for you:
-
Pause on Fingerprinting: Effective immediately, we are pausing the requirement for most Level 3 volunteer fingerprinting and FBI Rap Back enrollment. If you are scheduled for an upcoming fingerprinting appointment, please cancel your appointment unless you are a mentor, host parent, or non-parent volunteer having frequent, direct, and unsupervised contact with students, which will still require fingerprinting.
-
If you have already been fingerprinted: If you have already been fingerprinted and are waiting for your Level 3 clearance, your application and fingerprint results will be processed. You may volunteer while your application is being processed.
-
New Attestation Requirement: To ensure continuous safety, all new volunteers will be required to sign a Volunteer Certification Statement.
-
Continue to register for Volunteering (Level 1 or Level 2): If you intend to volunteer in school, continue to register for either Level 1 or Level 2.
As always, please remember that you must sign in and out using the Visitor Management System (VMS) kiosk at the school front office or vestibule every time you visit a school and wear an FCPS-issued visitor/volunteer sticker at all times.
All volunteers are also still asked to refer to volunteer.fcps.edu
Quick Links
YOUR PARTNERS IN EDUCATION
We are in this together!
We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with your family this year. Each day, our commitment is to provide your child with a safe, supportive, and joyful place to learn and grow. Open communication is important to us—please reach out anytime with questions, concerns, or celebrations.
Thank you for your trust, your support, and for being an essential part of the Garfield community.
With appreciation,
Your Garfield Partner Principals
Mrs. Peerman, Principal, Klpeerman@fcps.edu
Ms. Manning, Assistant Principal, eamanning1@fcps.edu
|
