Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Dear Great Falls Families,


It is hard to believe that we will be heading into our holiday break. It has been a busy and productive start to the school year. We are so proud of the progress our students have made in such a short period of time! It has been wonderful to get to know our parent community by seeing so many volunteers on campus as well as attendants at our Parent Connection meetings, parent/teacher/student conferences, and family events. We look forward to offering more opportunities to build a positive home and school connections as we head into the new calendar year! 

 

Illnesses in School: Superintendent Perry sent out an update to families regarding illnesses in school. As illnesses have been on the rise again recently, it is important to remember the precautions she shared. Superintendent Perry's Info

 

Dress for Winter: This is a reminder that all students should come to school with appropriate clothing for spending time outside each day. We recommend that students in grades K-5 wear hats, gloves or mittens, boots, and a warm jacket to play outside. K-3 students should also pack snow pants if they plan on playing in the snow and in the fields. Those without the proper winter gear will be limited to the blacktop areas when snow is present in order to keep our students warm and dry. 

 

School Calendar: 2022-23 Elementary School Colored Calendar

 

Holiday Break: This year’s holiday break will begin on Thursday, 12/22 and last until Monday, 1/2. Students will return to school on Tuesday, 1/3.

 

Friday, January 6th: Great Falls Night at the Maine Celtics 

Join the Great Falls staff and students for a super fun event! The Maine Celtics have invited Great Falls to the Portland Expo for a very special night of fun! Every ticket holder will receive a free Maine Celtics hat and $2 from every ticket purchased will be donated to Great Falls Elementary School. Wear your Great Falls gear and join the fun! Tickets are selling out fast and can be purchased at https://fevo.me/greatfalls.

 

Monday, January 16th: No School/ Martin Luther King Jr. Day

 

Wednesday, January 18th: Early Release Day/ Students are dismissed at 12:00 p.m.

 

Wednesday, February 15th: Early Release Day/ Students are dismissed at 12:00 p.m.


Thursday, February 16th: Parent Connection Meeting with the Gorham School Committee 

Join Great Falls administrators, Superintendent Perry, and members of the Gorham School Committee for a question and answer forum. The conversation can include district initiatives and future plans for the Gorham Schools. 


Winter Break: February 20th-24th

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at any time at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org or deanna.etienne@gorhamschools.org. Looking forward to seeing everyone back on campus on January 3rd!



Kindly,

Becky Fortier and Deanna Etienne

Great Falls Administrators


Saturday, October 29, 2022

Letter from the Principal Regarding Report Cards

 


Hello, K-5 Families!


We hope you enjoyed participating in our parent/teacher/student conferences. It was so wonderful to see so many families back on campus. Our hope is that you were able to hear about your child’s progress and be a part of their goal-setting process. It is always amazing to see the growth that occurs from the fall conference to the spring conference. On November 25th, the trimester 1 grading period will close. You will receive a copy of your child’s report card coming home in their backpack on Friday, December 2nd. 


The administrators wanted to make sure that our families understand the changes that will be occurring with K-5 grading and reporting. An important shift was made at the start of the 2022-23 school year.  We’ve transitioned our grading platform from JumpRope to Infinite Campus.


The purposes of this transition are to:

  • Provide greater consistency as a district and increase efficiencies by using a single platform for all students in grades K-12 and

  • Provide a familiar, user-friendly platform to increase clarity around grading and reporting

 

All assessments are aligned with our standards and students are given feedback on their current level of proficiency within those standards. Teachers will report by trimester within Infinite Campus.  This means that each trimester Infinite Campus will calculate only the grades given within that time frame. Students will be provided multiple opportunities to demonstrate proficiency throughout each trimester and across the school year. Skills for Life will be reported separately from academic knowledge and skills. This will help to create a grade report that can communicate a clearer picture of each student.  


You will see a change in the format in which report cards are sent home. Infinite Campus report cards will be printed off by your child’s classroom teacher and sent home in student backpacks. 


Sample K-5 IC Report Card


3.5 

2.5

1

Distinguished

Exceeding Proficiency

Proficient

Approaching Proficiency

Developing

Emergent


If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at any time.


Sincerely,


Becky Fortier, Great Falls Principal

Jodi Mezzanotte, Village Principal

Erin Eppler, Narragansett Principal


Friday, October 7, 2022

October Letter

 

Hello Great Falls Families,

It is hard to believe that we are well into the month of October. We hope that you and your loved ones are enjoying fall in Maine. There are a few events and dates that we wanted to be sure to highlight.

Monday, October 10th: No School/ Indigenous Peoples Day

October 17th - 21st: Bus Driver Appreciation Week

 

Grade 5 Band: We are getting closer to hiring a band instructor for our 5th-grade students. If everything works out, our plan is to send permission slips home next week and potentially start band instruction during the week of October 17th. 

NWEA Testing: The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) MAP Growth Assessment (link) in Math and Reading will once again be administered to our students. Great Falls students in grades 1-5 will take the assessment in the Fall, Winter, and Spring. Kindergarten will take the assessment in the Winter and Spring. The fall assessment will take place throughout the month of October. If you have any questions about the assessments, please reach out to your child's teacher.

Great Falls Book Fair: This year our book fair will be held in-person and online. Students will be able to shop in person during their regularly scheduled library time, as well as at arrival and dismissal times. The book fair will be available to parents and guardians shopping with their students at the times listed below! 

The book fair is open to families on the following dates and times: 

  • Wednesday, October 19 between 1:00-6:00 PM

  • Thursday, October 20 between 3:30-5:00 PM

  • Friday, October 21 between 8:00 AM-12:00 PM


To access the book fair online go to https://www.scholastic.com/bf/greatfallselementaryschool2 and place your order between 10/17 and 10/30 (note the online fair is open longer than our in-person fair). All proceeds from the fall book fair will go to our One School, One Book program as well as future Great Falls Library book purchases.

Volunteers are still needed to help during the Book Fair:  We are looking for parent volunteers to help run our book fair. If you’re interested in signing up, please click here. Please be aware that you need to be a district-approved volunteer. Thank you!

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences: Parent/teacher/student conferences will be held on October 19th and 21st. Additional day/time options may also be provided by your child’s teacher. We look forward to seeing everyone and sharing the great things your students are doing in their classes. 

Volunteering at Great Falls: Great Falls is always on the lookout for parent volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering your time at our school, click the following link and find out more. Gorham Schools Volunteer Info

Next Parent Connection Meeting: Join the Great Falls administrators and staff on Thursday, October 27th from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for an informative presentation about our math program. Learn about the activities and games that your child is experiencing in the classroom. 

Back to School Fall Family Picnic and Sparks Ark Presentation: Join the Great Falls staff and Sparks Ark for a fun and engaging fall family picnic. Sparks Ark will entertain the crowd with his fabulous animals on Friday, October 28th from 5:00-6:00 p.m. We will gather in the gym. Bring your chairs, cozy blankets, and picnics. Hope to see you there!

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at any time at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org or deanna.etienne@gorhamschools.org. Enjoy your upcoming holiday weekend!



Kindly,

Becky Fortier and Deanna Etienne

Great Falls Administrators


 


Thursday, September 22, 2022

K-5 Fall Conferences

 

Hello, Gorham K-5 Parents!


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


WHAT: The general purpose of our conferences is for you to connect with your child’s teacher, as well as obtain an update on your child’s academic progress and “skills for life.” These progress checks may include student sharing of their work products, goal setting, and the presentation of other assessments and work by the student or teacher. As your child will be present for conferences, it is understood that issues that are private and confidential require a different forum for communication. It is expected that issues that are of 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 throughout a two-week window. We are allocating the evening of Wednesday, October 19th, and the day of Friday, October 21st for K-5 conferences. Outside of these two dates, the available dates and times may vary depending on the teacher. You will be able to register for your child’s conference beginning on Wednesday, October 5th. Parents will have a choice to attend conferences in person on the school campus or virtually through zoom and should note their preference on the sign-up. 

 

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 date and/or time, you simply return to the site and do so, unless it is beyond the cutoff time selected by the classroom teacher. 


Step 1:  You will receive a letter or email from your child’s teacher containing a link to the class’ conference website.  Enter the link into your browser.


Step 2:  Enter the class code your child’s teacher has sent to you into the box on that screen- you can copy and paste it if that's easier!


Step 3:  You will see the list of available time slots your child’s teacher has available.  If someone else has already selected a time slot, you won’t be able to check the box and the time slot will be red.  Check the time you would like for your conference and enter it in the comment section if you prefer in person or virtual. Reminder emails will be sent out closer to the conference.


Please make sure to contact us if you run into any difficulty with this process.  We don’t anticipate that you will, but we are, of course, happy to help. The Gorham Schools take pride in having a very high participation rate in Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences.  We appreciate your flexibility and know the experience for you and your child will be a great one! 


Sincerely,


Becky Fortier, Great Falls Principal

Jodi Mezzanotte, Village Principal

Erin Eppler, Narragansett Principal


Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Welcome Back to School

 

August 24, 2022


Dear Great Falls Families,


Our Great Falls staff are working hard for the opening of another fabulous school year. We can’t wait to see our students on campus next week! The most important information regarding our school community can be found in News from the Great Falls Office which will be emailed to families every Thursday.

 

School Calendar: 2022-23 Elementary School Colored Calendar

 

Supply Lists: Great Falls Supply Lists  If you are experiencing any hardship in obtaining the requested items for your child, including a backpack, please contact our school social worker who would be happy to help you with this need.  jaime.tardif@gorhamschools.org

Handbook: Great Falls Student Handbook 2022-2023


School Lunch:  All students are eligible for free breakfast and lunch for the 2022-2023 school year. However, we still need ALL FAMILIES to complete the Student Services Benefit Application. Filling out this school meal benefit form helps our district access federal and state funds.


Bus Routes: K5 AM BUS Runs Please remember to be patient and expect delays in both pick-up and drop-off times of up to 30 minutes during the first few weeks of school.  As always, please call your school's office or the transportation office if you have questions.  You can find all the needed phone numbers on our website (www.gorhamschools.org).  


Information Regarding Student Devices: In conjunction with the Technology Department, we have made the decision to not send iPads or Chromebooks home with K-5 students this year. The pandemic required flexibility with past practices; once we were 1:1 with student devices, the possibility of going remote, or of a student being excluded required that we send devices home at the primary level. This decision was the right one to make over the last two school years, but it did not come without trade-offs. Chief among those trade-offs was a significantly higher damage rate in the lower grades. This was not unique to Gorham, surrounding districts reported similar issues as well. Our district’s costs to repair devices skyrocketed over the last year. Our younger students are much harder on devices than those students in middle school and high school. At the same time, we had to cut a tremendous amount of money from our budget last year. When coupling these two factors – the high cost of device replacement and repairs and some financial belt-tightening – it is no longer financially viable to have K-5 students bring devices home with them. 


Monday, August 29th, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm: Kindergarten Screening Day 

At the time of your child’s scheduled screening, please enter through the main entrance of Great Falls and head into our cafeteria. Parents will be asked to remain seated in our cafeteria during the screening process.  Your child will be reunited with you in the cafeteria at the conclusion of the screening. 


Monday, August 29th, 5:30 - 6:30 pm: Grades 1-5 Open House 

Students and their families in Grades 1-5 will be welcomed to the Great Falls campus for an Open House on Monday, August 29th between 5:30-6:30 pm. During this event, students and families can tour the school, say hello to their new teacher, and show off their classroom. This is a great time for students to bring in their school supplies and verify their transportation plans.


Tuesday, August 30th: 1st Day of School for Grades 1-5

 

Wednesday, August 31st, 5:30-6:30 pm: Kindergarten Meet and Greet (Incoming K Families Only)

Join the Kindergarten teachers for a quick visit to the classroom from 5:30-6:00 pm followed by popsicles on the playground with classmates and principals from 6:00-6:30 pm. During this event, Mrs. Fortier and Mrs. Etienne will be hanging out on the Great Falls playground ready to greet our Kindergarten families and hand out some yummy frozen treats. This is the perfect time to meet other families and have our new kindergarten students enjoy time together on the playground before the start of the year. 

 

Thursday, September 1st: First Day of School for Kindergarten 

 

Friday, September 2nd: No School

 

Monday, September 5th: No School - Labor Day

 

Tuesday, September 6th: School Resumes for K-5

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at any time at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org or deanna.etienne@gorhamschools.org. Looking forward to seeing everyone back on campus!



Kindly,

Becky Fortier and Deanna Etienne

Great Falls Administrators



Thursday, August 4, 2022

August Letter from the Principals

 

August 2022


Dear Great Falls Families,


Our Great Falls staff are working hard for the opening of a fabulous school year. We can’t wait to see our students on campus in less than a month!

 

School Calendar: 2022-23 Elementary School Colored Calendar

 

Supply Lists: Great Falls Supply Lists

Monday, August 29th, 8:00 am - 3:30 pm: Kindergarten Screening Day 

At the time of your child’s scheduled screening, please enter through the main entrance of Great Falls and head into our cafeteria. Parents will be asked to remain seated in our cafeteria during the screening process.  Your child will be reunited with you in the cafeteria at the conclusion of the screening. 


Monday, August 29th, 5:30 - 6:30 pm: Grades 1-5 Open House 

Students and their families in Grades 1-5 will be welcomed to the Great Falls campus for an Open House on Monday, August 29th between 5:30-6:30pm. During this event, students and families can tour the school, say hello to their new teacher, and show off their classroom. This is a great time for students to bring in their school supplies and verify their transportation plan.


Tuesday, August 30th: 1st Day of School for Grades 1-5

 

Wednesday, August 31st, 5:30-6:30 pm: Kindergarten Meet and Greet (Incoming K Families Only)

Join the Kindergarten teachers for a quick visit to the classroom from 5:30-6:00 pm followed by popsicles on the playground with classmates and principals from 6:00-6:30 pm. During this event, Mrs. Fortier and Mrs. Etienne will be hanging out on the Great Falls playground ready to greet our Kindergarten families and hand out some yummy frozen treats. This is the perfect time to meet other families and have our new kindergarten students enjoy time together on the playground before the start of the year. 

 

Thursday, September 1st: First Day of School for Kindergarten 

 

Friday, September 2nd: No School

 

Monday, September 5th: No School - Labor Day

 

Tuesday, September 6th: School Resumes for K-5

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at any time at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org or deanna.etienne@gorhamschools.org. Looking forward to seeing everyone back on campus!



Kindly,

Becky Fortier and Deanna Etienne

Great Falls Administrators