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Hello Garfield Families! 

We hope this Eagle Express finds you doing well!  As we enter our third week of school and students begin to settle into routines, we want to remind families to complete these important start-of-year actions:

1. Complete your child’s digital consent forms.
2. Join the PTA and stay connected to school activities and events.
3. Register as an approved volunteerso you are eligible to participate in field trips, classroom activities, and special events.
4. Review and update your child’s emergency contact and dismissal information in SIS ParentVUE.

Thank you for taking care of these important items and for continuing to partner with us. That partnership is an important part of how we work together—families and staff—to ensure every Garfield student is known, supported, challenged, and successful.

Behind the scenes, our teachers are also working together intentionally to make that happen. Garfield is a Professional Learning Community (PLC), which means our teachers regularly collaborate in Collaborative Learning Teams (CLTs) to strengthen instruction and respond to the needs of every learner.

Across all of our CLTs, teams center their work around four essential questions:

1. What do we want students to learn?
2. How will we know they have learned it?
3. What will we do when they have not learned it?
4. What will we do when they already know it?

These questions guide meaningful conversations about student learning and help our teachers plan responsive instruction, provide additional support when needed, and extend learning for students who are ready for more.

It truly takes all of us working together, and we are grateful to have you as partners in your child’s learning journey. We’re looking forward to another wonderful week at Garfield!

Blessings and Joy

Mrs. Peerman, Principal

Ms. Manning, Assistant Principal

 GES 2026-2027 Parent Handbook

Friday, September 4, and Monday, September 7, are Labor Day holidays for all FCPS employees and students. Virginia legislation requires that schools opening prior to Labor Day must be closed the Friday immediately preceding Labor Day.

We hope everyone takes the long weekend to celebrate a strong start to the school year and enjoy time with family and friends. See the complete school year calendar.

Save the Date!

Fall Picture Day is October 26th!

Bus Contact Information

If a bus is delayed, parents and caregivers 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 communicate significant bus delays. Visit the Transportation Services webpage to find out who to contact with specific questions. For emergencies after hours, contact the 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.

We ask for your patience! Bus drivers are checking in students and may need some extra time at each bus stop while they do this. The transportation team is working hard to minimize any potential delays.

Learn more about the bus navigation and student ID cards.

Changes to Your Child's Transportation

If you need to make a change to your child's regular transportation for the day, here are best practices:

For Same-Day Changes

“I Need to Pick Up My Child Early”

• You must call the school office at 703-923-2900 to make a change.
• The call must be made by 3:30 PM.
• Do not email the teacher for same-day changes, as they may not see the message in time.  Teachers are instructing and not checking email.
• If you're picking up your child, you'll need to sign them out in the front office with a valid ID.
• It's recommended that you sign your child out before 3:30 PM.
• Students cannot be taken off the bus once they are on it after school.

For Next-Day or Future Changes

• You can make transportation changes for a future date by emailing or texting your child's teacher.

In short, if you need to make a change for today, call the office. If you're planning ahead for tomorrow or later, you can email or text the teacher.

Digital Resource Consent

Online verification update.  It must be completed each year.  You will need to verify several pieces of information.  In order to make sure your child has access to digital FCPS resources that a teacher may choose to use in class, please take a moment to review the Digital Resource Consent Form.

If you have any questions about how a program might be used in your child’s classroom, please reach out to their teacher. More information about FCPS vision for intentional technology use can be found on the Educational Technology in FCPS website.

Updates to Technology in School

The Virginia legislature has passed a law updating what personal electronics are permitted in school.  Starting this year, students must turn off and place in backpacks all personal electronics, including cell phones, smart watches, laptops, and wireless headphones.  Students may not wear these items during the school day in the building. 

Cafeteria Lunch Visits Welcomed Starting 10/1

Please note that, for now, parents and family members may not join students for lunch in the cafeteria. Family lunch visits will be paused through September 30 to give students time to adjust to our new cafeteria routines. We will welcome family lunch visits beginning October 1st. Thank you for your understanding and support as we begin the school year!

Advanced Academic Programs Information

Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to challenging all students through talent development and differentiated instruction. A continuum of Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services is available to students in Grades K to 12 and is designed to match services to each student’s unique academic needs. 

Identification for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP services occurs throughout the school year. Full-Time AAP services have two identification cycles:

• Fall identification: Students in grades 3 to 7 who have enrolled in FCPS since January may be referred by October 15.
• Spring identification: Any FCPS student in Grades 2 to 7 may be referred by December 15.

FCPS uses ability testing as one consideration in the holistic identification process for AAP services:

• All students in Grade 2 take the Naglieri General Ability Test (NGAT).
• Students in Grades 3 to 6 who do not have a multi-domain ability test score take the NGAT.
• Students in Grades 3 to 6 may retake an ability test one time. Families may request the ability test retake by contacting Mrs. Geck, school testing coordinator, at kageck@fcps.edu  by September 30

Families are invited to attend two AAP information meetings led our Advanced Academics teacher, Mrs. Heather Jenkins. 

• AAP Continuum of Services: September 24 from 9:15am – 10:15am
• Full-Time AAP Identification:  November 12^th from 3:00pm – 4:00pm

For more information, please contact Heather Jenkins, AART, at hkjenkins@fcps.edu  or visit the FCPS Advanced Academic Programs webpage.

Student Rights & Responsibilities (SR&R) Updates

New Universal Grade Matrices for Families: Families are encouraged to review the updated FCPS Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) document, which explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses in order to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment.

Updates for the 2026-27 school year include new Universal Grade Matrices (UGMs). UGMs are charts that show behavior expectations and school responses by grade level (K-3, 4-8, and 9-12). These at-a-glance resources (in Appendix D of the SR&R) are designed to make it easier for parents and caregivers to understand how schools respond to different types of behavior concerns.

Visit the SR&R webpage for more information and to review additional updates to the SR&R for the 2026-27 school year.

Band & Strings Registration

Your child is invited to be part of the Band or Strings program in the 2026-27 school year! 5^th and 6^th graders are invited to join the Band or Strings program this year! 4^th graders are invited to join the Strings program. 

Our Band and Strings teachers have connected with students this week to share about the programs and to demonstrate the instruments available to play.  We hope that your child comes home excited to start or continue an instrument! 

Strings and Band classes happen during the school day.  Students rent an instrument from a music store or through the school’s rental assistance program.  Please see the website below for lots more information including instrument videos. Classes will begin the week of September 8^th and the schedule will be sent home. 

Please sign up by Tuesday, September 14^th.  Classes begin starting the week of September 21^st.

Sign up: Forms have been given to students.  Please let us know if you need another one!

Strings Questions – Mr. Smith - spsmith3@fcps.edu

Band Question – Mr. Jakes - DAJakes@fcps.edu

2026-2027 GES
Parent Handbook

The   GES 2026-2027 Parent Handbook  is a guide to help families access important information and school operating procedures.  We hope it will serve as a resource as you navigate the 2025 -2026 school year. 

Here is a 2026-2027 Mini Version of the GES Parent Handbook for a quick reference.

All Visitors/Volunteers
MUST Have ID

Ensuring Student Safety:
Register for Volunteer FCPS

Recent updates to our volunteer process focus on one primary goal: keeping students safe.

These updates — such as checks against the sex offender registry and, in some cases, criminal background checks — are safety measures that will help us maintain a secure and supportive learning environment for every student in our care. 

Division-wide in FCPS, all visitors and volunteers must check in at the main office and present a valid government-issued ID. Acceptable forms of ID include a driver's license, DMV identification card, military ID, or passport.

To pick up a student, office staff MUST see an ID to verify you are on the emergency care form and the student can be released to you.

Interesting in Volunteering at Garfield?

All prospective volunteers must be registered and approved through Volunteer FCPS. Complete the following steps: 

1. Register in the Volunteer FCPS online volunteer management system to create a profile. 
2. Complete our FCPS Volunteer Orientation 
3. Submit an online volunteer application that includes your contact information, areas of interest, and availability. 
4. Depending on the level of involvement, some volunteers may be required to undergo background checks. 

For more information, visit the Volunteer FCPS FAQs page.

YOUR GES PRINCIPAL PARTNERS

We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with your family this school year. Our goal is to provide every child with a safe, welcoming, and positive learning environment where they can grow and thrive.

Please know that we are always here to listen, answer questions, and address concerns. Thank you for your continued support and for being such an important part of our Garfield  team. Together, we can make this a wonderful year for every child!  Thank you!

Mrs. Peerman, Principal,  Klpeerman@fcps.edu

Ms. Manning, Assistant Principal, eamanning1@fcps.edu

7101 Old Keene Mill Rd, Springfield, VA 22150 | Main Office: 703-923-2900 
Attendance: 703-923-2929 | Web | Twitter