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Dear Great Falls ES Families,
There is something so special about the beginning of a new school year. New faces, new opportunities, and new learning challenges - another bright opportunity to get it right for the students in our care.
Our first week at Great Falls ES has been filled with excitement, joy, and connection as students and staff have settled into routines, built relationships, and begun learning together. Today, we held our first fire drill, and our students cleared the building in 3 min and 30 seconds. That's pretty impressive for the first drill! We are so proud of the way our students have embraced the new school year and are grateful for the partnership and support of our families.
We look forward to welcoming parents and guardians back next week for our evening Back-to-School Nights. These nights are for adults only and provide an opportunity to visit your child’s classroom, learn more about the year ahead, and connect with your child’s teacher. We are excited to continue this journey together and look forward to seeing you soon!
Take care,
Sara Harper
Calendar Updates
📚Back to School Nights📚(For Parents/CareGivers Only)
Tuesday, September 1, from 5:30-6:45 pm (grades K, 1, 2, 3)
Wednesday, September 2, from 5:30-6:45 pm (grades 4, 5 & 6)
Thursday, September 3, from 5:30 - 6:15 (Montessori BTSN)
📅Labor Day Break📅
Friday, September 4 & Monday, September 7
FCPS School Year Calendar for 2026-2027
Meet Our New Staff
We are excited to introduce the Great Falls ES new staff members for the 2026–2027 school year! Our dedicated team is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive, and engaging environment where every student can learn, grow, and thrive. Please see the bios for four of our seven new staff members below.
Ms. Annie Shah
Hello! I am Ms. Shah, the new Learning Disabilities teacher. This is my first year at GFES and fifth with FCPS. I’m so excited to be joining this amazing Great Falls community! I’m looking forward to getting to know my students, building relationships with families and staff, and making this a great year of learning and growth. Outside of school, I enjoy traveling, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.
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Bobby Magielnicki
My name is Bobby Magielnicki, and I am very excited to be joining the Great Falls Elementary School community as the Dining Room Assistant! I am looking forward to getting to know the students and staff and being part of such a great school.
In my spare time, I love collecting and building LEGO sets, especially adding new and interesting sets to my collection. I am also a big history fan and enjoy learning about the past, visiting historical places, and exploring new places whenever I get the chance.
I am excited to begin my new job in the cafeteria. I look forward to being a helpful and friendly member of the Great Falls Elementary team!
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Mrs. Brenda Marin
Hi, my name is Mrs. Marin, and I am excited to be starting my first year at Great Falls Elementary as a Special Education teacher! While this is my first year teaching special education in elementary school, I bring 8+ years of education experience from higher education to elementary and 15+ years of corporate learning and development experience. In my teaching journey, one thing has remained constant: every student brings value and every student belongs! I grew up in Chicago and I am an avid Chicago sports fan (except the White Soxs, Go Cubs)! I lived in St Andrews, Scotland for almost a decade and had both of my children in Scotland. I moved to Virginia from Scotland with my husband, Andrew, and my two children Emme and Eli. Roadrunners let’s learn, grow, wonder, and inspire together!
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Ms. Debora Herring
Hi, my name is Mrs. Herring, and I am one of the new fourth-grade teachers at Great Falls Elementary! I have spent many years teaching at the elementary level before expanding my experience to both middle and high school. I am excited to bring my knowledge and perspective to my fourth-grade students.
I am originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and I speak both Portuguese and Spanish. I am married and have two daughters and a son-in-law. My favorite thing to do is spend time with my family, especially when we can enjoy a good board game or a friendly game of ping-pong together! Outside of school, I enjoy cooking, running, and traveling. I am looking forward to getting to know my students, building meaningful relationships, and becoming part of the wonderful Great Falls Elementary community!
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New Option to Keep Laptops at School
As part of the school board’s initiative to make sure students are only using screens when needed, parents in grades 3-5 have the option to leave laptops at school this year. (Grades 1 and 2 will automatically leave them at school, as in years past.) Please double-check your preference in the parent consent portal. The wording was confusing at the start of the summer, and we want to ensure we honor parents' requests. Changing the toggle to green (Opt In) means students will leave laptops in the building this year. We appreciate your patience as we work to set routines and procedures around laptops at the end of the day. Feel free to email your child’s teacher(s) directly to state your preference, especially if you are changing what’s currently marked in the portal. Thank you for your partnership as we work to meet each child’s needs!
School Board Welcome Videos
Please take a moment to review welcome videos from the Fairfax County School Board. YouTube's official guide to watching videos in your preferred language.
Melanie Meren - for Hunter Mill District Schools
Karl Frisch - for Providence District Schools
Ilryong Moon - represents all schools
Ryan McElveen - represents all schools
Kyle McDaniel - represents all schools
🚌Transportation Patience and Safety
Thank you for your patience as we all get used to new routines this school year. We appreciate our families following Kiss and Ride procedures and being patient while waiting for your child’s bus.
If your child’s bus is delayed, you 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. Please contact the Transportation Office at [phone number] with any additional questions. For concerns after 5:30 p.m., contact the FCPS Office of Safety and Security at 571-423-2000.
Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE to make sure you receive email messages about bus delays.
🏫Do You Have Children in Multiple FCPS Schools?
The FCPS mobile app lets you follow updates from all your children's schools in one place! Simply open the app, tap the teal pull-down menu, then tap the gear icon and select every school you want to follow. See this video of how to follow your school.
Find out about more features of the app. Download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
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