Excerpt from Superintendent Perry's Blog...

"Finally,  I really wanted to share this awesome video coming from our very own Great Falls Elementary School.  I recently had the pleasure of spending some quality time at Great Falls reading "The One and Only Ivan" to several of the classes there, and got to know many of these great students and staff.  On a day I wasn't there, however. .. they did an all school song celebrating diversity.  It is definitely worth a view to brighten up your evening." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_h3O0xb5wA

Read Across America Week!

Great Falls is gearing up for Read Across America Week!  Spirit Week will be happening the week of Feb. 29th.  

 

Monday 2/29 - Twin Day

Tuesday 3/1 - Favorite sport/Hobby Day

Wednesday 3/2 - Dress like your favorite Book character day

Thursday 3/3 - Dress like your parents day

Friday 3/4 - Mismatch clothes/Crazy Hair day

 

To wrap up a fun filled week, join us on Friday, March 4th from 6:00 to 7:00pm for our Art of Literacy Family Fun Night! We will have lots of art projects for families to participate in as well as face painting and a photo booth. 

There will also be a book raffle where students and parents can buy tickets for a chance to win some wonderful books! 

Wrap the night up with a great Reader's Theatre presentation performed by some talented Great Falls Students. 

We will also be collecting new books and magazines for Kenna's Care Bags. This organization creates fun-filled bags for children who are undergoing cancer treatments in the state of Maine. 

Hope to see you there!

Spring Conferences Are Almost Here!

Hello, Great Falls Parents!

It is just about time for Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences!  Here is some important information for you to have:

WHAT:

The general purpose of conferences is to connect in a one-on-one setting with your child’s teacher, as well as an update on academic progress and “skills for life.” These progress checks include student sharing of their work products, as well as the presentation of other assessments and work by the student or teacher. As your child will be present, it is understood that issues which are private and confidential require a different forum for communication. It is expected that issues that are of a serious concern would have been discussed prior to and outside of these conferences. IEP meetings, even in close proximity to conference dates, do not take the place of student led conferences.

WHEN:

Conferences are held on the early release afternoon of Wednesday, March 16th and the full day on Friday, March 25th. Technically, however, there is a 2-week window during which your particular conference may be scheduled. The available dates and times during this window of time vary depending on the teacher. You will be able to register for your child’s conference beginning on Friday, February 26th at www.PTCfast.com.

HOW:

The PTCfast online program is used for scheduling conferences, unless teachers know that there is a family who does not have Internet access at home.  Teachers will be sending out notices and passwords for parents to use to set up conferences. The procedure is user friendly and quite efficient, especially when a family has more than one child in our school.  This program allows you a maximum choice in dates and times, choosing the one that works best for your schedule. When you pick a day and time, you will receive a confirmation and a reminder prior to the conference. If you need to change the day and/or time, you simply return to the site and do so, unless it is beyond the cutoff time selected by the classroom teacher. www.PTCfast.com

Sincerely,

Becky Fortier

Great Falls Principal

Incoming Kindergarten 2016

Welcome to Kindergarten!  

Please note that the parent information meetings and screenings will be held at your neighborhood school.  To find out your school, please go to Gorham Schools Transportation web page or call the Transportation Office at 893-2547. At this meeting, parents will pick up enrollment packets and sign their child up for the Kindergarten screenings that are being held in April. 

At Great Falls on Tuesday, March 1                    

Parent Information Meeting - 5:30       

Incoming Kindergarten Screening (by appointment only) - April 11 to 14

Screenings are done by appointment only.

For questions, please call Great Falls Elementary at 222-1050

Safety is a Priority at Great Falls!

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Dear Great Falls Parents and Guardians,

The safety of your children is our priority. We take safety procedures and protocols very seriously at Great Falls and our staff and students are well prepared in case of an emergency. We hold regularly scheduled safety drills, including fire drills, playground drills, and lockdown drills. Following each drill, building staff evaluate the effectiveness of the drill to determine if any adjustments need to be made.

Today, students and staff practiced lockdown drill procedures. Lockdowns are used when an emergency occurs outside of the school and an evacuation is not possible or when there is an emergency inside and it is important for students to remain in their classrooms. Your child’s teacher appropriately prepared them ahead of the drill that was held today. We also have a cooperative partnership with local police and the fire department. These forces meet regularly with school administrators and take part in school safety drills like the one that was practiced today.

Our students did a great job with today’s drill. Practicing what to do in case of an emergency is a responsible and important part of our work. Providing your children with a safe place to learn is a top priority. Please visit http://www.gorhamschools.org/Crisis_Plan.pdf for a complete description of the well-planned safety and security measures that the Gorham School Department has in place. As always, feel free to contact administrators with any questions or concerns at 222-1050.

Sincerely,

Becky Fortier, Great Falls Principal

Stacey Sawyer, Great Falls Assistant Principal

Superintendent and SC Visit to Great Falls

Tuesday, February 9th from 6-7pm

Great Falls Library

Join Superintendent Heather Perry and members of the Gorham School Committee for an open parent forum. This is the perfect opportunity to ask your questions and talk about important information regarding Great Falls and the district. 

Mark your calendars! 

​Please RSVP by returning to Great Falls the notice that went home today.

Hope to see you there!