The Green Valley Gazette
October 10, 2019
Letter From the Principal
Dear GVES Families,
The start of October has been busy at GVES. We have completed our initial reading and math assessments for students. Teachers use this information to customize learning for all students. We are excited about the progress our students have made thus far and will continue to customize and optimize instruction. Remember, as we settle into the fall weather, please check temperatures and be sure to send your child with proper clothing for recess and outdoor play.
We have reached the midpoint of the quarter. This is a great time to check in with your child’s teacher about progress made thus far. In some cases, teachers will send progress reports home to share information. Progress reports are typically sent home when students are underperforming. Check your backpacks and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher.
Stomp Out Bullying Week October 14th - October 18th
GVE is participating in a Stomp Out Bullying Week! All students will participate in classroom lessons run by Mrs. Albee and Mrs. Wettstein. K - 3 classes will learn the difference between bullying and teasing, strategies for problem solving and how to stomp out bullying! Grades 4 and 5 will have fun while engaging in a bullying escape room activity! All week we will show our commitment to Stomping out Bullying with a spirit week.
Monday - Wear Blue. Blue is the color of the National Bullying Prevention Week.
Tuesday - Superhero Day. Standing up to bullying is heroic. Wear your favorite superhero shirt.
Wednesday - Team Up Against Bullying. Wear your favorite team jersey or shirt to team up against bullying.
Thursday - Crazy Sock Day. Wear crazy socks to stomp out bullying.
Friday - School Spirit Day. Show your GVE pride by wearing GVE spirit wear or the color green.
Student Recognition: We are thrilled about our new student recognition program! As you know, all K -2 students are participating in the PATHS curriculum. As part of that program, each student will have the opportunity to be the PATHS Kids of the Day! One of the exciting things about being the PATHS Kid of the Day, is that students receive compliments from classmates that are then shared with families at home. Students in grades 3-5 will all get the opportunity to be a Student of the Week! Students will be chosen by their teacher randomly and classmates will compliment them using compliment sheets or Student of the Week posters. All compliment sheets and posters will be shared at home as well. We are very excited to be able to recognize each student this year for the wonderful person they are. Be on the lookout for your child’s compliments!
Parent Teacher Conferences: Conferences are scheduled for October 23rd, 24th, and 25th. Students will arrive to school 4 hours late on the 23rd and 24th so that evening hours are available. Students will dismiss 3.5 hours early on the 25th so staff has afternoon hours available for conferences. Conference sign ups are through Sign-Up Genius and is linked here.
Emergency Preparedness Day: On Thursday, October 24th our school will take some time to practice several of our required emergency drills. We will complete a Fire; Severe Weather; Drop, Cover, and Hold; Shelter in Place; and Active Assailant Drill. We believe practicing all of these drills on one day is beneficial for students for two reasons. The first is by conducting the drills back to back, it helps students distinguish the drills from one another and why we do them. The second reason practicing them all on one day is beneficial is to ease students’ anxieties and fear that the drills are “real.” Because the time is reserved for this (as opposed to drills being unannounced) students will understand that it is just for practice. If you have any questions regarding this day, please contact Hannah Feldman, Assistant Principal. We appreciate your support in keeping our school a safe and positive place to come and learn!
Fall Reading Parties on October 31st: In order to support all of our students and maintain an optimal environment of safety we have put some guidelines in place for our Fall Reading Parties. In the past, this was an open event where most of our community members came to join the party. Due to our exponential growth, we can no longer accommodate all of our guests at once. As a result, each teacher and classroom parents will work to ensure appropriate and safe food items and activities for the parties. We also have to limit the number of volunteers to 6 per classroom-this includes 2 classroom parents. This will allow our staff to maintain attention on student needs. Letters will be coming home with volunteer information this week. We thank you in advance for your understanding and flexibility with this change. We will be able to have all of our community join us at the PTA Sponsored Fall Festival on October 18 at 6:00pm and Race for Education on November 13th. Please reach out to our administration if you have any questions.
LOU Redistricting-Remember that GVES is part of the LOU redistricting study. You can find resources and information at:
https://www.fcps.org/capital-program/linganore-oakdale-urbana-area-redistricting-study
It is important to stay current with this information as it may impact you and your children.
Weather Related Closings or Delays:
Occasionally inclement weather or other safety or health conditions require FCPS to cancel, delay or otherwise change school routines or schedules. Typically, cancellation and delay decisions are made by 5 AM that day and announced soon after. If weather becomes a factor after school is in session, a decision to close early is made, whenever possible, by 10 AM that day. Very rarely, FCPS may be required to take student safety precautions immediately, with little or no notice. Although we notify numerous regional news outlets, we encourage parents and guardians to use the following sources for the most accurate news.
For the fastest, most reliable school status information, check:
· Facebook FCPSMaryland Twitter @FCPSMaryland
· Internet www.fcps.org (Sign up there for FindOutFirst email & text messages)
· FCPS Television on Comcast Cable Channel 18 and online www.fcps.org/tv
Evening Activities- School and FCPS-sponsored afterschool/evening activities (sports, plays, Board of Ed meetings, etc.) and evening instructional programs (such as Flexible Evening HS & the Twilight Program) are generally canceled on days when school is canceled or closes early.
Thank you!
Dr. Giuseppe Di Monte & Mrs. Hannah Feldman
Volunteer Opportunities!
Fall Festival - October 18th
Looking for Volunteers to help the day of the Fall Festival to set up, run activities and tidy up after all the fun is had! Please contact Dawn Kling at volunteergves@yahoo.com or Kelly Wengerd kellywengerd@gmail.com
Race for Education volunteers needed for every morning next week (October 14-18). If you can clear some time to help--and grab a friend--this is the week you're most needed. We'll be working each morning from 9:00-12:00. If you can help for a few hours, please email Justine Stull at GreenValleyRACE@gmail.com. Thank you!
Book Fair - Oct 21st-25th
The GVES Book Fair is coming soon! Help support our school's library and Mrs. Albee! There are many ways to get involved and help out. Opportunities include setting up, being a cashier, writing out student lista and closing up the fair. Please contact Mrs. Albee at kelley.albee@fcps.org or Dawn Kling at volunteergves@yahoo.com if interested in volunteering!!
Communications - The Communications Committee is looking for volunteers to help with Grant Writing. Please contact Jen Carney (jenmichelle87@gmail.com) to help!
RACE For Education
DUE TOMORROW: OCTOBER 11!
- Turn in your family’s handwritten and signed mailer
Simply fill in your family’s ONE personal message to potential sponsors and have each of your GVES students sign the same mailer. Please do NOT mark anything else on the mailer form. This form will be copied and then mailed to your friends and family.
- Turn in address labels
- Donate stamps
- Order rainbow spirit shirts & donate gift shirts
Visit www.greenvalley.my-pta.org and click on eCommerce.
Questions? Email us at GreenValleyRACE@gmail.com
Together we make a difference. Thank you!
Fall Festival!
Sign up to decorate a trunk for TRUNK OR TREAT! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0a4fada72ca3f85-fall1
Sign up to help set up, run activities, or clean up! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b4ba9ab2ca0f49-gves1
Box Tops for Education
Hello GVES Friends and Families. You may have heard that Box Tops are going Digital, but we are still collecting your CLIPPED Box Tops for our fall submission.
If you have any Box Tops at home that you would like to contribute, please send them in to school with your child no later than October 25th. Box tops can be clipped and put in a baggie, or attached to a submission form (you can find submission forms on the GVES Website https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NJBa2mMQ_f1PSJmhDc35jNkquLrBR3RY/view)
And if you would like to learn more about the new Digital Box Tops program you can visit the web site at https://www.boxtops4education.com.
Any other questions, feel free to contact Jodi Best at jodibest01@comcast.net
Join Girl Scouts!!
Upcoming GVES Spirit Nights!
The Arena - Saturday, October 12, 4-6pm
Play nerf and dodgeball, all while earning money for our school!
Chick-Fil-A in Frederick - Tuesday, Oct. 22nd, 5pm - 8pm
Join us for food and fun - 15% of sales will be donated to GVES.
Join the GVES Student Directory
If you have any questions, please contact Alicia Baquero at gvesmembership@gmail.com
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...
10/18 - Fall Festival
10/21 - 10/25 - Book Fair
10/22 - Picture Day
10/23 - OPEN 4 HOURS LATE for parent/teacher conferences
10/24 - OPEN 4 HOURS LATE for parent/teacher conferences
10/25 - DISMISS 3.5 HOURS EARLY for parent/teacher conferences
10/31 - Fall Reading Parties