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
