Gar-Field Gazette
October 21, 2022
Welcome to the "new" Gar-Field Gazette!
Please click the translate symbol at the top of the screen to select a language other than English.
Haga clic en el símbolo de traducción en la parte superior de la pantalla para seleccionar un idioma que no sea inglés.Message From the Principal, Mr. Mathison
November 15, 2022
Dear Gar-Field Families,
Good afternoon! Please be aware of the schedule for the upcoming week. Here are a few important updates you need to know about:
Upcoming Dates:
- Wed. Nov. 23 – Fri. Nov. 25, No School – Thanksgiving Break
- Dec. 19 – Jan. 2, No School – Winter Break
Equal Opportunity Schools Survey
As you know, Gar-Field High School is committed to fostering the highest-quality learning
experience for its students. As one example of this commitment, has partnered with
Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS), a national non-profit education organization, to examine and develop the learning culture within our schools and develop strategies to increase student participation in challenging high school coursework.
To support these goals, we will be encouraging all students to participate in a brief survey starting this Thursday, 11/17 . Survey questions will address students’ views on their coursework, their school experience, and the ways in which our school supports their educational goals. Results will only be used to identify students who are prepared for more challenging coursework and to build upon academic supports for students now and in the years to come. Students can take the survey on any device they have and they don’t have to complete it in one sitting -- they can leave and return to it at a later time.
We foresee only positive benefits for your student(s) and are excited to gather data that will enable us to better prepare all students to succeed in reaching their educational and professional goals. If you have any questions or concerns about the survey, or the partnership more generally, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Polanco at polancme@pwcs.edu.
Academic Support Program Schedule Adjustments
We are canceling our Academic Support Program Sessions next Tuesday, 11/22/2022, Saturday, 11/26/2022 due to holiday breaks.
Student Immunization Reminder
The extended deadline for students to meet the immunization requirement for mandatory immunizations for public school enrollment is December 14, 2022. If you have questions, please contact the clinic at gfhs-clinic@pwcs.edu or visit the immunization requirements webpage.
Sincerely,
Matthew Mathison
Principal, Gar-Field High School
Recent News
2023 Virginia Governor’s World Language Academies
The 2023 Virginia Governor’s World Language Academies will take place from June 17 to July 8, 2023, at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. All Sophomores and Juniors who have completed Spanish III or French III, as a minimum, by the end of the 2022-23 school year are eligible to apply.
For more information about the Academies, please click on the following link to review the Guide for Students and Parents/Guardians
Guide for Students and Parents/Guardians
Students interested in taking advantage of this wonderful language immersion opportunity must return a signed paper copy of the parent agreement no later than November 21, 2022, to Mrs. Shoemaker in Room 1402.
GFHS Library Wins Spark Grant for Makerspace!
The GFHS librarians applied for and were selected to receive a $5000 dollar Spark grant to fund a makerspace for use by students, classes, and library programming. Named "Red Wolves Makerspace," the area will have STEAM materials like circuit kits, robotics, a 3D printer, a Cricut machine, a sewing machine, jewelry-making supplies, a camera, and a green screen. The library will continue to add more elements over the next several years. The makerspace will tentatively debut in February 2023.
Driver Education Parent-Teen Meeting
All 10th grade PE students need to attend one Parent-Teen Driver Education meeting this school year. All meetings are held in the auditorium and begin at 7:00 p.m on the dates listed below. Late arrivals will not be allowed into the meeting. Please enter door #17.
Please attend one of the following meetings:
November 17, 2022
February 23 2023
April 20 2023
If you have questions please contact Ms. Sullivan at sullivma@pwcs.edu
GFHS Robotics Wins Skills Skills Championship
Team 154D won the robotics skills championship on Saturday November 5, 2022 at the Potomac School. Congratulations to Michael Balcarcel Layal Shemsedin, and Genesis Carillo for an outstanding job
Academic Supports
Saturday Academic Supports:
- 9AM - 12PM
- Lower Cafeteria (Enter through Door 36 in the bus tunnel)
- Subjects: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages
After-School Academic Support:
- Tuesdays and Thursdays (starting Tuesday, October 4, 2022)
- 2:30PM - 4:30PM
- Upper Cafeteria
- Subjects: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages
- Activity Buses are available
Paper Tutoring:
Paper is a secure, online tutoring service that is paid for by PWCS and provides students with unlimited, 24/7 academic support. Whether they’re stuck on homework, studying for a test, or need someone to read and make suggestions to their writing, there will always be experts available online to assist students in over 200 subjects and more than 4 languages.
Paper tutors have been specially trained to conduct expert, academic support in a secure, chat-based platform. With a commitment to helping students learn, they’ll never give students answers, but rather interact with them in an encouraging tone to lead them forward.
This is a free service that we’re providing, so students are encouraged to use it as much as they need, whenever they need. Our teachers also have accounts and will be able to review all student activity to see what they’re working on and provide more targeted instruction as needed.
To see Paper and the help it offers firsthand, we encourage you to login with your students through Clever or via app.paper.co.. To get started, visit The Parent, Guardian Guide to Implementing Paper
Athletics, Activities and Club Information
Want more information on athletics, activities and clubs being offered this year? Click the link below for more information to see club offerings, try-out dates, coach/sponsor contact information and more!
Bus Information
PWCS Transportation Department has created a "Bus Delay" web page. Buses that are expected to arrive at least 15 minutes late are listed on this webpage and it is updated throughout the day by the Transportation Department. At this time, Transportation is only providing updates for morning buses and delays will be removed after 12 p.m. for morning runs.
We also encourage you to follow the GFHS Bus Update twitter page @GFHSBusUpdates
Click the link below to be directed to the Bus Delay webpage.
Calendars
Café Corner Article
November Local Harvest of the Month
November’s Local Harvest of the Month is Cabbage! The Food and Nutrition Department features local farmers who grow the produce we serve on our menu on their Twitter and Instagram accounts. Follow @PWCSNutrition to learn more about the local foods being served to students! Here is the recipe for the Stir Fried Cabbage served in all schools!
The PWCS Food and Nutrition Department is Hiring!
Are you tired of working evenings and weekends? Would you like to be off for your child’s school vacations? Are you looking for a job that truly has an impact on your community? Consider working for PWCS Nutrition!
The PWCS Food and Nutrition Department is seeking passionate, dedicated, fun-loving applicants for all areas of the county. We strive to provide wholesome, enjoyable, high quality, nutritious meals to our students, so they can be ready to learn and take full advantage of the educational opportunities provided to them. The work we do is important, and the people who do it are inspiring. If these values are important to you too, come be part of our team!
The number of hours needed varies by school. Most shifts fall between 9am and 3pm. Employees have weekends, evenings, school holidays, and snow days off. Most staff members work close to home in their own neighborhood schools. Starting pay is $14.34 an hour. Opportunities for growth and advancement are available.
Ready to join us? Go to https://jobs.pwcs.edu/Jobs/, and choose “Classified – FOOD SERVICE” from the job type drop down menu. Click the job link you are interested in applying for, and then click “log in to apply.” If you do not yet have an account, click “here” to set one up! For help with the online application, contact Human Resources at 703-791-8050.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact the PWCS Food and Nutrition Department at 703-791-7314. We look forward to hearing from you!
Current Fundraisers
Baseball Team
The GFHS Baseball team is selling Tumblr mugs as a fundraiser. The online store sells custom Gar-Field Mugs, generic mugs and professional/NCAA team ones as well. Any mug purchased on the store will help out the baseball team. These are high quality mugs and will keep your coffee hot in the morning and your water cold in the afternoon!
This will make a great holiday gift!! The entire baseball team appreciates your support and hopes you think about getting a mug/water bottle. Please click the link below to place your order! All orders will be shipped directly to you home.