September 7, 2021
Dear Great Falls Families,
We are so pleased with the opening of school. We can tell that our students are happy to be back… even under their masks! Our staff could not be more excited to have our students on campus 5 days a week. We are hopeful for a positive & productive school year.
Great Falls Google Family Calendar: 2021-2022 Great Falls Google Family Calendar
If you add this calendar to your device, you will stay up to date with all of the Great Falls events. I will continually be adding events to this calendar so families can plan for the year. Another way to stay connected is to check out the upcoming events on the Great Falls website at https://greatfalls.gorhamschools.org/.
Creative Arts Calendar:2021-2022 K-5 Creative Arts Colored Calendar
We operate our creative arts rotation on a colored calendar (red through blue). This calendar provides equitable opportunities for all students to attend physical education, art, music, library, media, and social skills. The calendar is pre-set so holidays, vacations, and other interruptions are considered. This has been a great way to make sure our students don’t miss out on any special creative arts experiences. It is helpful to post the calendar on the fridge so you know when your child has PE and must wear sneakers or Art and probably shouldn’t wear their fancy clothes.
News from the Office: Found here!
The Great Falls News from the Office is a quick reference to what is happening at Great Falls as well as in the community. You can often find the sign-up links for extra-curricular activities and an archive of past communication from the principals.
Social Media:
I love to take photos and keep families informed of the amazing things happening at Great Falls. I will reference the ‘do no post’ student list and honor families that prefer for the children to not appear in the social media photos. Please be sure to complete the ‘permission to post’ survey found at: https://forms.gle/8e3C7oMb9rpNF6vS6.
Please be sure to follow our social media sites for posts and pictures! Great Falls is on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/great.falls.elementary.school/, Twitter at https://twitter.com/MrsBFortier, as well as Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greatfallsparentconnection/.
Transportation Update: Dismissal Process
The Great Falls school day officially ends at 3:10 pm. Our students are working in their classrooms right up until the point of dismissal. Staff report to dismissal duty at 2:50 pm and we begin dismissing parent pick-ups to help with the traffic flow around 3:00 pm. The buses typically arrive on campus between 3:00-3:10 pm but have most recently been delayed due to the dismissal traffic at the high school. There is a plan to improve the dismissal process beginning on September 13th. Until then, afternoon buses will be delayed. I also want to mention that bus #41 is the first bus to arrive on campus as it has two bus trips due to its current capacity. During trip #1, the daycare students are transported and when bus #41 returns back to campus, it transports the neighborhood students home. As the schedule becomes consistent, all students will depart campus by 3:15 pm, our typical dismissal time frame. For further questions or concerns regarding transportation, please contact them directly at 207-893-2547.
Tuesday, September 21st, 5:30-6:30 pm: Great Falls Back to School Family Picnic and Concert
Join the Great Falls staff for a back-to-school family picnic and concert on the lawn behind the gym from 5:30-6:30 pm. This is a bring your own picnic event. Music will be provided by Justin Carver, who will entertain us with acoustic covers of pop radio hits from every decade. We are looking forward to celebrating the new school year with you!
Tuesday, October 12th: Great Falls Picture Day!
The Great Falls picture day is scheduled! More information is forthcoming and order forms will be sent home in a few weeks!
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at any time at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org.
Enjoy the beautiful September weather! 🍎
Kindly,
Becky Fortier
Great Falls Principal
