October Letter from the Principal

Hello Great Falls Families,

It was so wonderful to see so many of you throughout the week during conferences! We hope you enjoyed being in our school and connecting with the amazing staff who spend so much time with your children each day. These moments are some of the most meaningful connections we make with our families, and we truly appreciate your attendance and positive participation. 💙

We’d also like to remind everyone that we highly encourage parents, guardians, and family members to complete the volunteer application and become an active part of our school community. We love having volunteers in the building—whether it’s helping in the classroom or library, assisting with special projects, or joining us for events like field trips and Field Day.

👉 Volunteer Application Form

We are also excited to join Narragansett and Village Elementary Schools for a special joint PIE (Partners in Education) meeting on Monday, October 27th. The focus of this meeting will be school safety—including our current plans and responses to safety situations. Our Elementary SRO, Officer Todd Gagnon, will be present to answer any questions you may have.

📍 Location: Narragansett Elementary School Library
🕕 Time: 6:00–7:00 p.m.
🍕 Childcare and pizza will be provided!

We hope to see you there!

Warmly,
Becky Fortier
Principal, Great Falls Elementary School

Conference Sign-Ups Begin Tomorrow

Hello Great Falls Families,

It’s hard to believe we’re already approaching conference time! Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences are a wonderful opportunity for families to connect with teachers and for students to take pride in sharing their learning and growth. Please review the following information to help you prepare for this important event:

The purpose of conferences is to provide a one-on-one opportunity for you, your child, and their teacher to discuss academic progress and “skills for life.” Students will share examples of their work, reflect on their goals, and celebrate areas of growth. Since students lead these conferences, topics that are private or sensitive should be discussed separately with the teacher at another time. Please note that IEP meetings, even if held near conference dates, do not take the place of these student-led conferences.

Conferences will take place on Wednesday, October 22nd (afternoon and evening) and Friday, October 24th, though teachers may also schedule meetings within a two-week window to best accommodate families. You will be able to begin registering for your child’s conference on Wednesday, October 8th, through www.PTCfast.com.

We use PTCfast, an online scheduling tool, to make it easy for families to select the date and time that works best. Teachers will send home a notice or email with your class’s unique access link and code. Once you receive it, follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Click on the link (or enter it into your browser).
Step 2: Enter the class code provided by your child’s teacher.
Step 3: Choose an available time slot that works best for your schedule. (Unavailable times will appear in red.)
You’ll receive a confirmation email once your slot is reserved and a reminder closer to the date. If you need to make changes, you can log back in to adjust your time, provided it’s before the teacher’s scheduling cutoff.

At Great Falls, we’re proud of the high participation we see each year during conferences. These meetings are meaningful opportunities to celebrate your child’s hard work, growth, and progress. We look forward to welcoming you to the building soon!

Warmly,
Becky Fortier
Principal, Great Falls Elementary School