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Principals' Corner
Dear GBW Families, at the end of 1st quarter you should be receiving a communication from your teachers inviting families to participate in a parent teacher conference to share progress from the 1st quarter. In addition to the parent teacher conference, if you would like to schedule a conference with one of the principals, please know we are more than happy to meet with our families to discuss student progress, school programs, or school related questions or concerns. Mr. Cook and I are eager to continue partnering with our families to help make Greenbriar West ES the best school it can be. Please let us know if you would like to schedule a meeting.
Thank you,
Mr. Blount & Mr. Cook
Principals
Kindergarten Storybook Character Parade
Thank you to Kindergarten for another fantastic Storybook Character Parade! Our students loved seeing you bring these storybook characters to life through your amazing costumes!
Return Federal Impact Aid Survey
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available online in SIS ParentVUE. If you have not already filled out the form online, GBW will be providing paper forms this week. Please be sure to return paper forms by Friday, November 17. The electronic form will continue to be available in SIS ParentVUE until January 2024
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers. If you have any questions, contact GBW’s office assistant Kay Billman at [email protected].
Fall Book Fair
It’s almost time for the Scholastic Book Fair! The in-person Book Fair will be open from November 13th – November 17th in the GBW Library.
Please visit the GBW Book Fair Homepage:
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/greenbriarwestelemschool
- We are encouraging families to sign up for eWallet accounts for your students. Cash, check, and credit cards will be accepted also, but eWallet is the easiest and safest way for kids to shop!
Please click here for a video explaining eWallet.
Please click here to set up eWallet.
- Volunteer at the Book Fair using this link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B094FAEA723A0FF2-book
Students will be bringing home Wish Lists on November 13-14.
Students can shop during the school day November 15-17.
Family Shopping Opportunities:
- Tuesday, November 14th evening from 5-7 PM
- Wednesday, November 15th before or after joining your child for the Thanksgiving Luncheon.
See you at the Book Fair!
Thanksgiving Luncheon
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Join us at GBW for a favorite Holiday Tradition -- the Thanksgiving Lunch in our cafeteria. Come have lunch with your student and enjoy time together celebrating a wonderful school event.
Our Menu will include:
Roasted Sliced Turkey Breast
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Fruit
Pumpkin cookie
Vegetarian Entree Option
Adult lunches are $4.75 each and student lunches are $3.25 each. Payment for both students and guests lunches will be through the student's MySchoolBucks accounts. Please be sure to add extra funds to your child's account in order to make the payment process quick and easy as you check-out through the lunch-line with your student.
There are no pre-event ticket sales or day-of-event ticket sales. All payments will be through student's MySchoolBucks account.
Please fund student accounts accordingly.
The PTA is asking for volunteers to serve during the event. Please see the Sign-up Genius below and thank you for volunteering:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0849ADAA29A2F85-thanksgiving#/
A complete Lunch Schedule flyer will be sent out today listing the times when each class will be having their Thanksgiving Feast!!
We look forward to seeing you on
The Big Day!!!
Is your student attending Rocky Run Middle School next year? Love to travel and make new friends? Want to spend a week with a friend in the UK, then host them here and introduce them to American culture? Then please consider applying for the Rocky Run/Warriner Student Exchange Program for the 2024-25 school year!
Attendance Letters Coming Soon
At the end of 2nd quarter, every family will receive an attendance email from Mr. Blount showing your child’s attendance records for the 1st quarter. This email will be generated and sent to all families regardless of their attendance records. The purpose of this attendance email is to raise awareness that Greenbriar West ES, Fairfax County Public Schools, and the Virginia Department of Education are all trying to improve our student attendance records.
Below is a sample of some of the language you can expect to see in Mr. Blount's attendance email:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Parent or Guardian,
As a school, GBW is sending attendance emails to all parents / guardians to inform families about the number of days students have been absent for the first quarter. This is a routine part of our communications so we can inform parents how many days a child has been absent. Receiving this email does not necessarily signal there are any problems with your child’s attendance, and please know all students will be receiving the exact same communication regardless of how many days a student is absent.
Here is some updated information about the number of absences for your child:
Child Name: _______________
Days Absent ______________
Percent of School Days missed: ___________
More information about Fairfax County attendance policies and resources can be found here:
Thank you and please let us know if your child or your family have any attendance questions or need any support related to attendance.
GBW Attendance Support Staff:
- Principal: Andrew Blount
- Assistant Principal: Jordan Cook
- Social Worker: Emily Carleton
- School Psychologist: Jini Kapur
- Counselor for Grades K, 3, 5: Lea Fadden
- Counselor for Grades 1,2,4,6: Megan McAndrew
Science Olympiad 2023-24
Science Olympiad or "SO" is a 501(c)(3) organization which hosts team-based STEM competitions for elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and DC. Tournaments are offered at regional, state and national levels.
Science Olympiad competitions are like academic track meets; schools form teams of students who can win awards in individual events, which later combine to form an overall team score qualifying the school for a higher level of tournament. Instead of events like the high jump and hurdles, though, a Science Olympiad tournament consists of events in a wide variety of STEM topics – everything from forensics to cryptography to antenna design. Some events entail demonstrating knowledge by taking a test, while others involve performing hands-on labs, or even designing and constructing a device.
Important Note: Teams will be formed with 2 kids for each event and either or both parents of the kids will be mentoring the kids in doing their event. Also, parents need to sign a permission slip for the student to take part in the regionals which we will send information out once the team is finalized. The Science Olympiad regional competition will be held sometime in February and our school team currently qualifies under Div B. Students can review the event description and rules using this link https://www.virginiaso.org/events-bc and make their choice.
All 5th and 6th grade students interested in participating in the Science Olympiad please fill out the google doc below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdu2MsirNbZ8dgCTzn7jjiv2vuya3iWgnC2VJFnPUg2skgSHw/viewform?usp=sf_link
The next PTA Meeting
is November 9, 2023
The next PTA meeting will be held November 9, 2023 at 6:30pm in the library.
Restaurant Night Updates
Thank you to everyone who came out to support our Chick-Fil-A night last month! We are excited to announce that we earned $622! Mark your calendars for these upcoming easy ways to help us earn money for GBW PTA programs!
Upcoming Restaurant Nights
-
11/8: Panda Express (order online only with code 917732, all day for 28% giveback!)
-
12/6: Chipotle (Use code 7KLFCR7 online or mention Greenbriar West in store for 33% giveback!)
Join the PTA Today!
It is never too late to join the PTA!
Joining the PTA doesn't mean you're signing your life away as a volunteer. It means you believe in the students, the staff, and the families at GBW. By becoming a PTA member and contributing to our fundraising campaigns, you are making a difference in every student at GBW. To learn more about what the GBW PTA does, check out this flyer.
Join GBW PTA : https://greenbriarwest.memberhub.com/store
Upcoming Events Calendar
FCPS Strategic Plan
Want to know more about FCPS' new Strategic Plan?
Learn more at: https://www.fcps.edu/strategic-plan
FCPS News
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, sign up today.
13300 Poplar Tree Road, Fairfax, VA 22033 | Main Office: 703.633.6700
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