READ ACROSS AMERICA WEEK! 2021

 

February 25, 2021

Dear Great Falls Families,

Next week is Read Across America Week and Great Falls is ready to celebrate thanks to our amazing library staff! Read Across America has always been an event focused on nurturing a love of reading, and has usually been celebrated alongside Dr. Seuss's birthday (March 2nd).  A couple of years ago the Read Across America organization and Suess's estate went their separate ways.  Read Across America's new focus is on diversity in reading (books, authors, and readers) throughout the year.  Check out their website for monthly focus activities. Great Falls has some fun things planned for next week! 

Diverse Book List

Our librarian, Mr. Dowe, and media-specialist, Jessie Mason have created a book list of diverse books that can be found in our Great Falls library. The list will continue to grow and staff and students are welcome to check out titles of interest!

Diverse Book Read Aloud Classroom

This interactive page includes links to read alouds that can be enjoyed at any time. 

Guest Readers

Classrooms are welcome to sign up for guest readers either in person or virtually on March 3rd and 4th. Guest readers include administrators, central office staff, community members, Baxter Memorial staff, and various special guests. 

“Read Your World” Book Display

There will be a fun book display going up in the stairwell area for the students to enjoy! All the books featured can be found in our Great Falls Library.

Monday, March 1st “A” Day “Favorite Book” Tag Day  Teachers will be asking their students to fill out a sticky tag with “My favorite book is ______.” The students will wear them throughout the day!

Tuesday, March 2nd “B” Day “Favorite Book” Tag Day  Teachers will be asking their students to fill out a sticky tag with “My favorite book is ______.” The students will wear them throughout the day!

Wednesday, March 3rd “A” Day Dress as a Book Character Day  Students and staff are asked to dress up as their favorite book character. Be creative and have fun!

Thursday, March 4th “B” Day Dress as a Book Character Day  Students and staff are asked to dress up as their favorite book character. Be creative and have fun!

I hope you will join us in the Read Across America fun! As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions and feedback. I am available through email at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org and by phone at 222-1050.

Take care and be well,

Becky Fortier

Great Falls Principal

Jump Rope for Heart 2021

 

February 23rd

Dear Parents,

Great Falls will, once again, participate in the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge student exercise event! Throughout the years, our students have made tremendous donations supporting the American Heart Association!

 

Before our students ask for donations for the American Heart Association, they will learn (or review) the components of heart health, which are diet and exercise. Diet and exercise are critical elements of both the Physical Education Standards and the Health Standards. This donation drive gives Great Falls an opportunity to connect these concepts in a thoughtful way.  The students will also learn how the American Heart Association uses donations to help save lives through their education efforts and research.

In addition to providing money for the AHA, this student exercise event provides funds that allow us to enhance learning beyond the classroom.  It is our goal to provide children with a fun and engaging field day in June where students participate in wellness experiences outside of their regular PE classes.

  

Monday, March 1st and Tuesday, March 2nd  - AHA Packets will go home with the students.

March 1st- April 8th - Students will collect donations for the AHA. The donations can be made online at heart.org/KHC or returned to Great Falls. Cash or checks made payable to Great Falls.

March 17th - April 1st - Students will participate in the exercise challenge during PE class.

Donations are due back by Thursday, April 8th.

We recognize that each family’s ability to contribute at this time may be impacted and strained by a number of factors, notably those associated with the current pandemic we are experiencing.  Please know that a financial contribution of any amount is greatly appreciated, but not expected.  Thank you for supporting this amazing cause! 

Great Falls Feel the Love Family Fun Parade

 

February 2, 2021

Dear GF Families,

I am sure you are missing our community events just as much as our staff. Great Falls has always taken great pride in being a dynamic school community that offers many in-person opportunities to celebrate as a school family and we are missing face to face connections this year. As we continue to think of creative opportunities, we would like to invite you to our 1st ever Great Falls Feel the Love Family Fun Parade! 

Who: Staff will be playing music and decorating the bus loop with luminaries, plenty of glow in the dark items, and light displays for our families to enjoy and “feel the love”.

What: Students and their families are encouraged to decorate their vehicles with solar lights and more remembering that vehicles will be asked to turn off their headlights to enjoy the full effect of the light shows. 

Where: The Great Falls staff will be lining the bus loop and cheering our families on as they drive in from the top of the hill entrance, down the hill into the bus loop, and exit through the staff parking lot. See the map for details on the parade route. 

When: The parade will be held at Great Falls on Thursday, February 11th from 5-7 pm 

(Rain/snow date is February 25th). 

We’re excited to see you!

Wishing you love,

The Great Falls staff

Welcome Back! Happy New Year!

 

January 3, 2021

Dear Great Falls Families,

Happy New Year! I hope you and your family enjoyed the winter break. Although we didn’t keep the snow for long I hope you found time to enjoy the holidays, read, play games, take walks, and re-energize for 2021. May 2021 bring us good health, happiness, and joy in our hearts.

Returning to Campus: Prior to vacation, information was shared to help you navigate the guidelines for school if you traveled or had out-of-state visitors. There was also guidance to follow if your student became ill over school break and/or your student or someone else within the household tested positive for COVID19. Please be sure to notify me at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org and our school nurse at melissa.tringali@gorhamschools.org as soon as possible if you have information to share prior to your child’s return to campus.     

Daily Health Survey: As COVID cases are increasing we want to make sure that all of our students and staff are safe. We are going to ensure that health surveys are completed prior to students entering their designated classroom upon arrival.  I want to remind you that the health survey needs to be filled out and submitted prior to 8:00 am each morning that your student is attending school.  The survey opens at 5:30 am so as soon as your student is awake and you are able to check them for symptoms, please fill it out and submit. If surveys are not completed, students will be asked to wait supervised by staff in our cafeteria until the health survey is returned. Thank you for helping to keep our school safe and open. 

Make a Mask Project: All K-5 students made their mark on a mask during art class. The Make a Mask Project took the place of our annual Empty Bowl Project for this year only. We exemplified compassion and kindness by raising money for the Gorham Food Pantry. The Gorham Food Pantry has served the needs of those impacted by food insecurity in Gorham for over 25 years. Great Falls annually makes a substantial contribution to their efforts. We set a goal to raise $1,500 for the Gorham Food Pantry and exceeded that goal by raising $2,630. Way to go, Great Falls!

Sledding: Exciting news! We have added sledding to our recess rotation. This means that it will be more important than ever that your child bring appropriate winter clothing to wear during recess. Warm winter gear includes snow pants, boots, coats, hats, and gloves. 

Upcoming Schedule:

Monday, January 4th	Tuesday,  January 5th	Wednesday,  January 6th	Thursday,  January 7th	Friday,  January 8th
A Day	B Day	A Day	B Day	At-Home Learning Day
Monday, January 11th	Tuesday,  January 12th	Wednesday,  January 13th	Thursday,  January 14th	Friday,  January 15th
A Day	B Day	A Day	B Day	At-Home Learning Day

As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions and feedback. I am available through email at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org and by phone at 222-1050. Happy 2021!

Take care and be well,

Becky Fortier, Great Falls Principal

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

The "New" Snow Day

 

December  16, 2020

 

Dear Families,

 

Winter is upon us and I wanted to take a moment to share some information that you may find helpful in the coming days and weeks. 

 

Winter Recess

The goal is to get outdoors as much as possible! If the “feels like” temperature is 10 degrees or higher, we will be having outdoor recess. We are requesting that students wear warm jackets, hats, and gloves for outdoor play. All students should bring boots to school to play in the snowy fields. There is nothing worse than wet feet. Our hope is to add an option for students to sled at recess. It is recommended that K-2 students bring and wear snow pants as well to keep warm and dry.  If financial resources are strained and limit your ability to purchase warm winter gear for your child, (coat, snow pants, boots, hats, & mittens), please contact our school social worker, Jaime Tardif, directly at 222-1168 or via email at jaime.tardif@gorhamschools.org for assistance and available resources. 

 

The new “Snow Day”

For this year only, a “snow day” will be a remote learning school day for all staff and students. This day may be determined by Heather Perry the night before or in the morning of inclement weather when it is not safe to travel to campus. Families can expect to receive communication from their child’s classroom teacher on the evening before or the morning of a “snow day.”  This communication will include what your child will work on while at home during a “snow day.”

 

Students that experience a “snow day” on their normal at-home learning day will follow their regular schedule and complete the typical assignments shared by their teachers and, if applicable, service providers. Students that experience a “snow day” on a day when they should be learning on-campus will follow the learning plan and schedule shared by their teachers. Please note that this day will be as close as possible to the expectations for at-home learning during the instructional week. 

 

Teachers have sent home an emergency “snow day” packet that should be utilized if your family is experiencing a power outage and is not able to access information or activities that may have been shared through your child’s Google Classroom or SeeSaw platform. This is also the time when the bucket of shared materials may be accessed to support learning at home. 

Although this new “snow day” includes a continuation of learning, our hope is that you will still find time to enjoy the day. Be sure to build a snowman, go for a wintery walk, drink hot cocoa, and snuggle with a good book. Academic activities should take no longer than 45 minutes for Kindergarten; 60 minutes for Grades 1-2; 90 minutes for Grade 3-5.

 

As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions and feedback. I am available through email at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org and by phone at 222-1050.

Take care and be well,

Becky Fortier

Great Falls Principal

Translation is available. Please contact Cecely Conrad at cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org or 207-222-1370.

Доступен перевод. Пожалуйста, свяжитесь с Cecely Conrad по телефону cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org или же 207-222-1370.

الترجمة متاحة. يرجى الاتصال بـ "Cecely Conrad" على cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org أو 207-222-1370.

ការបកប្រែមាន។ សូមទាក់ទង Cecely Conrad តាម cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org ឬ 207-222-1370.

Traduction disponible. Veuillez contacter Cecely Conrad au cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org ou 207-222-1370.

提供翻译。 请通过cecely.conrad@gorhamschools.org或207-222-1370与“ Cecely Conrad”联系。

Winter Letter from the Principal

December  11, 2020

Dear Great Falls Families,

It is hard to believe that we will be starting week 15 of on-campus learning. I continue to be so proud of our staff, students, and families for their efforts to keep school happy and safe. 

Make a Mask Project: Even though this year is definitely different, kindness still counts at Great Falls! All K-5 students will be making their mark on a mask during art class. The Make a Mask Project will take the place of our annual Empty Bowl Project for this year only. It is our hope to exemplify compassion and kindness by raising money for the Gorham Food Pantry. The Gorham Food Pantry has served the needs of those impacted by food insecurity in Gorham for over 25 years. Great Falls annually makes a substantial contribution to their efforts. Families are asked to purchase their child’s mask for a donation of your choice to the Gorham Food Pantry. We set a goal to raise $1,500 for the Gorham Food Pantry. At this time, we have raised over $700. We can do it, Great Falls! 

Planned Vacations Out of State: Just a reminder that if your family chooses to travel to a state not approved by Maine, your child will need to quarantine or produce a negative COVID-19 test to return to campus. Your child’s days out of school due to voluntary travel and the quarantine or the wait for test results because of travel will be considered absent from school. Please understand that it is not possible to recreate the face to face learning that will be missed in these circumstances. Teachers will do their best to send work home that the students would have been completing on their “in school” days but oftentimes students are missing the presentations and discussions and not physical work. Independent reinforcement activities will continue to be provided for “home learning days'' according to their A or B grouping.

Hydration: Because of our Covid 19 protocols, the water fountains are not available to be used this school year.  Please be sure your child has a water bottle (labeled with their name) at school each day.  Bottles can be filled and refilled at school.  Students are allowed to remove their masks to drink water throughout the day and adults do encourage students to drink regularly.   

NEW!!! Daily Health Survey: As COVID cases are increasing we want to make sure that all of our students and staff are safe. Beginning on Monday, December 14th we are going to ensure that health surveys are completed prior to students entering their designated classroom upon arrival.  I want to remind you that the health survey needs to be filled out and submitted prior to 8:00 am each morning that your student is attending school.  The survey opens at 5:30 am so as soon as your student is awake and you are able to check them for symptoms, please fill it out and submit. If surveys are not completed, students will be asked to wait supervised by staff in our cafeteria until the health survey is returned. Thank you for helping to keep our school safe and open. 

K-12 Parent Open Forum: Heather Perry is offering a Q & A Forum around COVID 19 and our schools, our hybrid model, and what we anticipate for the winter and spring. The Q & A Forum will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 15 starting at 6:00 pm via the following zoom link.  This forum will take the place of our regularly scheduled Parent Connection Meeting this month. 

Monday, December 14th	Tuesday,  December 15th	Wednesday,  December 16th	Thursday,  December 17th	Friday,  December 18th
A Day	B Day	A Day	B Day	At-Home Learning Day
Monday, December 21st	Tuesday,  December 22nd	Wednesday,  December 23rd	Thursday,  December 24th	Friday,  December 25th
A Day	B Day	Happy Holidays!

As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions and feedback. I am available through email at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org and by phone at 222-1050.

Take care and be well,

Becky Fortier, Great Falls Principal

December Letter from the Principal

Dear Great Falls Families,

Happy December! I hope you had a wonderful November break. We are excited to be heading into our 14th week of on-campus learning and continue to be proud of our students and staff for their ongoing efforts to stay safe while remaining positive and happy at school. 

Make a Mask Project: Even though this year is definitely different, kindness still counts at Great Falls! All K-5 students will be making their mark on a mask during art class. The Make a Mask Project will take the place of our annual Empty Bowl Project for this year only. It is our hope to exemplify compassion and kindness by raising money for the Gorham Food Pantry. The Gorham Food Pantry has served the needs of those impacted by food insecurity in Gorham for over 25 years. Great Falls annually makes a substantial contribution to their efforts. Families will be asked to purchase their child’s mask for a donation of your choice to the Gorham Food Pantry. 

Planned Vacations Out of State: Just a reminder that if your family chooses to travel to a state not approved by Maine, your child will need to quarantine or produce a negative COVID-19 test to return to campus. Your child’s days out of school due to voluntary travel and the quarantine or the wait for test results because of travel will be considered absent from school. Please understand that it is not possible to recreate the face to face learning that will be missed in these circumstances. Teachers will do their best to send work home that the students would have been completing on their “in school” days but oftentimes students are missing the presentations and discussions and not physical work. Independent reinforcement activities will continue to be provided for “home learning days'' according to their A or B grouping.

Report Cards: At the K-5 level, teachers have identified the performance indicators in all content areas and are using assessments aligned to these indicators. Teachers are using Jump Rope, an online standards-based grade book, to track student progress to the performance indicators. To learn more about Jump Rope, check out the online resource found at K-5 Parent Jumprope Information The 1st-trimester report cards are scheduled to be emailed to parents on Friday, December 4th. Students that have an IEP or PLP will be receiving a printed document of progress to go home on their next on-campus day of either Monday, December 7th or Tuesday, December 8th. 

December Calendar:

Monday, December 7th	Tuesday,  December 8th	Wednesday,  December 9th	Thursday,  December 10th	Friday,  December 11th
A Day	B Day	A Day	B Day	At-Home Learning Day
Monday, December 14th	Tuesday,  December 15th	Wednesday,  December 16th	Thursday,  December 17th	Friday,  December 18th
A Day	B Day	A Day	B Day	At-Home Learning Day
Monday, December 21st	Tuesday,  December 22nd	Wednesday,  December 23rd	Thursday,  December 24th	Friday,  December 25th
A Day	B Day	Happy Holidays!

As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions and feedback.

I am available through email at becky.fortier@gorhamschools.org and by phone at 222-1050.

Take care and be well,

Becky Fortier, Great Falls Principal