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🗓️Upcoming Events
Oct. 21: Early Release Wednesday #1 - 3-hour Release – 1:05 p.m.
Oct. 22: GES Family Literacy Night
Oct. 26: School Picture Day
Oct. 30: End of First Quarter 2-hour Early Release – 2:05 p.m.
Note: For the 2026–2027 school year, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has designated Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, as a regular instructional school day, while the Fairfax County SACC Program will be closed. Please plan before and after school care for your child(ren.
Reminder: Early Release Wednesday #1
October 21st - Next Week!
Garfield’s first Early Release Wednesday is October 21. Students will be dismissed at 1:05pm via their usual route home, unless you indicated otherwise.
If you registered for your child to stay at school until 4:05 p.m., and your child will go home in a different way than usual, please call the front office at 703-923-2900 to provide details about your student’s plans for dismissal.
If we do not hear from you, we will assume your child is dismissing school the way you registered or leaving at 1pm via their usual route home.
SACC students will be dismissed to SACC at 1pm.
PreK will dismiss at their usual time on this day.
Join us for Literacy Night
Thursday, Oct. 22nd
5:30 – 7:00
Engage in reading and writing activities with your child.
Collect take-home games, materials, and FREE books, and learn more about power of reading, writing and spelling!
*Pizza will be served while supplies last
What Do You Think of Our
2026-2027
School Innovation and Improvement Plan?
Each year every school in FCPS is required to write a School Innovation and Improvement Plan, which we call the SIIP. The plan identifies the areas in which we want to grow and the steps to get there. As a Title 1 School, we publish a modified version of the plan on our website for families and community members to see, and this year we are asking for your feedback on the plan!
View the 2026-2027 SIIP, and provide feedback on the GES 2026-2027 SIIP
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Reminder: Free National Parks Pass for Fourth Graders
All fourth graders are eligible for a free National Parks pass that allows the fourth grader, all children under age 16, and up to 3 adults to have access to hundreds of National Parks sites for free during the eligible child’s fourth grade year. To get your free pass, sign up at the Every Kid Outdoors webpage.
Note that you will need a printer to print the paper certificate, and then exchange the paper certificate for the laminated pass at one of the designated locations. We hear that they do want the paper certificate and generally do not accept a screenshot.
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Immunization Events for
FCPS Students
FCPS, in partnership with Inspire Health Alliance, will be providing school-required immunizations and optional flu shots for all FCPS students, ages 18 and under, with no out-of-pocket costs. Multiple events will take place at designated FCPS locations.
Additional dates will be made available throughout the school year. Parents or guardians may view upcoming events and schedule an appointment for their student. Participation is voluntary. Additional immunization resources are available.
DO YOU KNOW AN AMAZING
✨GARFIELD EMPLOYEE? ✨
If you have worked with an outstanding employee at Garfield Elementary School, FCPS wants your help recognizing them. GES Eagle families are invited to nominate staff members for recognition!
🏆 NOMINATIONS FOR...
- Outstanding Teacher
- Outstanding Principal
- Outstanding Professional Staff Leader
- Outstanding Educational Services Employee
- Outstanding Operational Services Employee
🗓️DEADLINE: The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, November 9th, 2026.
SUBMISSIONS: Submissions can be made by completing this Google Form
Thank you for supporting our outstanding GES Eagle Staff!
New Literacy Webinar Series
Fairfax County Public Schools is presenting a literacy webinar series to help families understand reading assessments, reading plans, and how to support their child at home. The series and topics:
- October 20, 10 a.m.- Understanding Reading Assessments and Your Child
- December 15, 10 a.m.- What is a Reading Plan?
- February 19, 10 a.m.- How Do I Support My Child with a Reading Plan at Home?
- May 14, 10 a.m.- Continuing Reading Success Through the Summer.
Click here to see the flyer.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) at Home
Growing Together: Talking About Social-Emotional Learning at Home
Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps children develop confidence, resilience, self-awareness, and other important skills that support their success in school and throughout life. Join a workshop for parents and caregivers to:
Understand your child’s Fairfax County SEL Screener results.
Use the results as a starting point for meaningful conversations at home.
Support your child’s social and emotional development.
Build confidence, resilience, and lifelong skills together.
Learn practical ways to talk with your child about their social and emotional well-being and support their continued growth at home. Events will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, at Skyview High School and Wednesday, October 21, at Kingstowne Regional Library. View additional dates on the FCPS Family Academy webpage.
Childcare will be available. Interpretation services are available upon request. For more information, contact the Family and School Partnerships office at 703-204-4300 or FamilyEngagement@fcps.edu.
🍎 National School
Lunch Week
Get your taste buds ready! Next week is National School Lunch Week!
Want to know what's on for breakfast or lunch? Printable menus from FCPS Food & Nutrition Services are available!
View the menus: https://bit.ly/FCPSmenus
STEMFest
STEMFest, hosted by STEAMOLOGY, is a hands-on celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics designed especially for elementary and middle school students. Students will have opportunities to explore, experiment, build, discover, and engage with STEM through interactive activities. High school students can participate as volunteers, while organizations, vendors, and school clubs can showcase STEM-related activities and ideas.
Superintendent
Community Conversations
Join us for a series of Community Conversations that will be held across the school division. Share your thoughts with Dr. Reid and ask her questions. Click on the date to register for any of the following events:
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Monday, October 19, at 6:30 p.m., at Spring Hill Elementary School
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Monday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m., at Beech Tree Elementary School
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Thursday, October 29, at 6:30 p.m., at North Springfield Elementary School
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Friday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m., at Powell Elementary School
Transportation Survey
Share Your Feedback on Traveling to and From School
The FCPS Office of Safety and Security and Safe Routes to School program are asking families to share their experiences traveling to and from their child’s school. The feedback will help inform the Fairfax County School Board’s annual assessment of traffic and pedestrian safety near schools.
The Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Survey asks about walking and biking routes, traffic near schools, kiss-and-ride experiences, accessibility, and other safety concerns.
Your feedback will help FCPS identify common issues. Your responses will be kept confidential and shared with school administrators and the Office of Safety and Security. The five-minute survey is open through Thursday, October 15.
Be sure to identify the school related to your feedback and include specific locations where you have observed a safety issue. If you have students at different schools in FCPS, please complete a different survey for each school.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact SafeRoutestoSchool@fcps.edu.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) at Home
Growing Together:
Talking About Social-Emotional Learning at Home
Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps children develop confidence, resilience, self-awareness, and other important skills that support their success in school and throughout life. Join a workshop for parents and caregivers to:
Understand your child’s Fairfax County SEL Screener results.
Use the results as a starting point for meaningful conversations at home.
Support your child’s social and emotional development.
Build confidence, resilience, and lifelong skills together.
Learn practical ways to talk with your child about their social and emotional well-being and support their continued growth at home. Events will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, at Skyview High School and Wednesday, October 21, at Kingstowne Regional Library. View additional dates on the FCPS Family Academy webpage.
Childcare will be available. Interpretation services are available upon request. For more information, contact the Family and School Partnerships office at 703-204-4300 or FamilyEngagement@fcps.edu.
Federal Impact Aid Survey
Beginning Monday, October 19th, the Federal Impact Aid Survey will be available in ParentVue and needs to be filled out by the student's enrolling parent. Please help Union Mill conserve copy paper by completing this form ONLINE following these simple steps:
- Log in to SIS ParentVue.
- Go to "Online Registration".
- Scroll down to "Impact Aid Online Survey".
We appreciate your cooperation and help in obtaining 100% participation!
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
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