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

4	3.5	3	2.5	2	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

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