The Green Valley Gazette
January 30, 2020
Letter From the Principal
Dear GVES Families,
Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Stefanie Jones for being nominated as GVES’s representative for teacher of the year. We also congratulate Sue Goundry, our cafeteria manager who is retiring effective date 2/29/2020. Ms. Goundry has worked with GVES students for over 10 years.
Don’t forget about our Canned Soup Drive! Help our neighbors in the cold winter months by sending in cans of soup to benefit Mt. Airy Net. There is a box in the lobby to put your donations. Donations will be accepted through January 31st!
Attention 2nd Grade Parents: You will receive CoGat score results for your child with the distribution of his/her report card on Feb 7th.
Illness and Absences: During the past few days, we have experienced an increase of students reported absent or sent home due to illness, with symptoms such as stomach ache, vomiting, fever, cough and or sore throat. Our custodians, staff, school nurse, and health room technician have been working together to take steps to reduce the spread of infection. Students have been reminded about proper hand washing. Desktops, cafeteria tabletops, door knobs, bathrooms, and other surfaces have been cleaned thoroughly and often. While we are taking a number of measures here at school to reduce the spread of illness, we suggest that you and your child practice the following wellness strategies at home:
● Wash hands frequently and thoroughly. Use soap and running water for at least 20 seconds.
● Cover the mouth when coughing or sneezing. This should be done into the arm or a sleeve. Do not use your hands to cover your mouth. If you do use your hands, wash your hands thoroughly after each cough or sneeze.
● Do not share others’ eating utensils, drinks, etc.
● Wash surfaces that are touched frequently in your home, such as tabletops, counters, door knobs, light switches, etc.
As always, If your child is ill, please keep him/her home from school for 24 hours after the last episode of vomiting, diarrhea, or fever. Please contact the front office, 240-236-3400 or the health room, 240-236-3404, if you have any questions. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and assistance!
Weather Closings and Delays
As winter continues, please take time to establish an understanding of how closings are communicated. The FCPS processes are linked here.
https://www.fcps.org/student-services/closings-and-delays
You can follow on social media and through our Find Out First system. You can sign up for FOF using the link below.
https://fcps.ezcommunicator.net/edu/frederick/login_form.aspx?app=0
If you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out!
Valentine’s Day Parties on February 14th 10-11am
In order to support all of our students, ensure equity, and maintain an optimal environment of safety, we have put some guidelines in place for our Valentine’s Day Parties. Similar to our Fall Reading Parties, each teacher and classroom parent will work to ensure appropriate and safe food items and activities for the parties. We are limiting the number of volunteers to 4 per classroom- this includes the classroom parent. This will allow our staff to maintain attention on student needs.
Volunteers will need to park off of Shakespeare Way. Turn onto Chaucer Ct. and then make a right onto Shakespeare Way. All selected volunteers will have a pre-printed name tag as they check in. Letters will be coming home with more volunteer information this week.
Please be mindful that purchased Valentine cards can not include any candy or food due to potential allergies. We thank you in advance for your understanding and flexibility with these procedures. Please reach out to our administration if you have any questions.
Calling ALL Dads, Grandfathers, Uncles, and Father Figures!
We’ve had a great start to our W.A.T.C.H. Dogs Program! The students love having a WATCHDog in the building, however after Winter Break our volunteers have slowed to only one WATCHDog a month. We would love to increase the presence for the remainder of the year. Please email Hannah Feldman at Hannah.feldman@fcps.org to get on the schedule if you are able to volunteer as a WATCHDog. No prior experience necessary!
With GIANT pride,
Dr. Giuseppe Di Monte & Mrs. Hannah Feldman
From the Staff Appreciation Committee...
February 22 is National Bus driver appreciation day. We would like to show our Bus drivers at GVES how much they are appreciated on Friday the 21st with travel self care packages. A sign up genius will be coming out soon for that also.
Box Tops for Education
We are ready to start our Winter Box Top Collection again! This is a great way to help support your school and PTA programs. Each box top is worth 10 cents, and while it seems like such a small amount, it really adds up. Last year our school earned over $800 from Box Tops! This year our GOAL is to collect 5000 box tops! We can do it!
There are several ways to participate this year. As usual, we will be collecting all physical box tops. Be sure they are not expired before sending them into school with your child. They can be clipped and collected in a zip-top bag, or attached to a collection sheet. (click this link to get a copy of the collection sheet to print at home https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NJBa2mMQ_f1PSJmhDc35jNkquLrBR3RY/view )
You can also Download the Box Tops for Education App from the Apple App Store, or Google Play, and scan your store receipts to help your school earn even more money!
Our final collection day will be February 21st. Let’s get clipping!
We are also looking for volunteers to help with the counting. If you would like to assist, please contact Jodi Best at jodibest01@comcast.net. For more information about the Box Tops for Education Program you can visit www.boxtops4education.com
Get Ready to Dance!
GVES PTA DANCE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH at 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Cost is FREE for PTA members or
$3 per child (including siblings) for
non-PTA members.
Snacks & beverages will be available for purchase.
Join us and show off your best dance moves!
A responsible adult is required to stay with their child throughout the dance.
Movie Night 2/7!
Upcoming GVES Spirit Nights!
Frederick Skate on Saturday, Feb 15th from 2PM - 5 PM and Roy Rogers on the same day from 4PM -7PM; Tickets may be purchased in advance. Cost is $10 per skater. A flyer with more information will be sent home.
Lost Rings Located...
Stay Up To Date
Here are ways to ensure you're getting the latest news and updates from GVES:
- Find Out First E-mails - We use the email addresses that you provide us when your student enrolls to send out information. If that email address changes, please notify us so that we can update your information.
- PTA Website - This provides information about upcoming PTA events and activities, membership and volunteer opportunities, current and previous editions of this newsletter, and more. Bookmark it today! http://www.greenvalley.my-pta.org/
- PTA Facebook Page - Stay informed about PTA events, activities, and school information by liking the Green Valley Elementary School PTA Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/GreenValleyESPTA
Join Us!
Upcoming Events...
2/7 - Movie Night
2/14 - 2 hour early dismissal
2/17 - SCHOOL CLOSED
2/28 - School Dance from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
3/12 - Family Bingo Night; Doors Open at 6:15 PM – Bingo Begins Promptly at 6:45 PM