The Chameleon Connection: RISE

We had such a beautiful day for our Annual Turkey Trot!! So much fun and participation!!!

These individuals help us organize and implement our Annual Turkey Trot for our whole school! Shout out to Mr. Simmons, Ms. Diner, Ms. Johnstone, Mr. Grove, and Mr. and Mrs. Edwards! GQES has an awesome specials team of teachers!!!

Thank you, families who came to run, walk, jog, or trot for our Annual Turkey Trot as well as dress in costumes!!! So cool!!!

GQES Vision: Thriving Literacy Community in a STEM School

GQES Mission: Chameleons RISE (Raising Intentionality by Strengthening Expectations)

GQES Belief: Chameleons Got HOPE!

Week 17: 12/2/24-12/6/24

Dear GQES Families,

We hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday! Welcome back to GQES!! We hope you had a joyful and restful Thanksgiving break filled with love, laughter, and cherished moments with family and friends. As we return to school, we’re excited to continue working together to support your child’s growth and success. With just a few weeks until winter break and the end of the second quarter on December 20th, this is a crucial time for our students to stay focused on their learning. We encourage every student to work hard to make progress in literacy and numeracy—essential skills that build the foundation for future success.

Beyond academics, we’re also focusing on helping our students grow as kind and responsible citizens. Thank you for reinforcing these values at home and encouraging your children to be their best selves each day. Together, we can create a positive and supportive environment where every child thrives. Let’s finish this quarter strong as a school community, and thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education.

A few updates:

• If you wish to donate from our Annual Turkey Trot, we have earned $469.73 cents so far toward our goal of $2500.00. Here is the link if you wish to donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LM5QTG4TXNKQ8
• Inclement weather is just around the corner, potentially:). Here is the overall WPS plan for inclement weather: inclement weather information for families
• Please make sure to dress your child appropriately for the weather including labeling your child's clothing in the event a jacket or hat is left behind outside at recess.
• See the calendar below for the dates for After School Tutoring for our first semester, please
• Always, always, always be calm and patient during arrival and dismissal procedures and most importantly, be safe!

If you have any questions or concerns---- please reach out to us at 540-662-3575.

Sincerely,

Joanie Hovatter, Principal

Jennifer DiMarco, Assistant Principal

Garland R. Quarles Elementary School

(540) 662-3575 (Phone)

(540) 662-8449 (Fax)

12/2/24: Chameleon Choir until 4:00pm; grades 3 and 4 basketball practice til 4:00pm

12/3/24: After School Tutoring until 4:00pm

12/4/24: Grades 3 and 4 basketball practice til 4:00

12/5/24: After School tutoring until 4:00pm

12/6/24: Chuck-E-Cheese Fundraiser Spirit Night for GQES 3:00-10:00pm

12/9/24: Chameleon Choir until 4:00pm; grades 3 and 4 basketball practice til 4:00pm

12/10/24: After School Tutoring until 4:00pm

12/11/24: Grades 3 and 4 basketball practice til 4:00

12/10/24: First Grade Field Trip to the Alamo (more information will be sent home)

12/12/24: Last Day of Semester 1 After School Tutoring until 4:00pm

12/16/24: Last Day of Chameleon Choir until 4:00pm

12/17/24: Kindergarten Field Trip to Discovery Museum (more information will be sent home)

12/18/24: Holiday Movie at GQES, 3:00-5:00pm, $2.00/person (more information will be sent home)

12/20/24: Winter Sing-Along & Concert at 9:00am

12/20/24: Early Dismissal at 11:45am

Inclement Weather: WPS Expectations: Learning

https://www.wps.k12.va.us/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=2709&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=32912&PageID=1

If your child has been invited and participates in After School Tutoring, here are the dates to mark on your calendar. Please note, we will not have After School Tutoring on 11/26/24.

See the 2024-2025 School Calendar

Parent/Student Handbook 2024-2025

If you would like to view, here is Bryce Hamilton's Accidental Experts podcast showing the importance of our multiple recesses and the rationale for implementing them at GQES:

Here are the links:

https://youtu.be/4VhVQCjshCI?si=KMSot_7XnZ_-tm85

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accidental-experts-with-bryce-hamilton/id1733294868

If you don't want to watch it, no worries.

It's approximately 30 minutes.

Thank you!

ELA (Reading) and Math Supports for Parents to Help Students

Then, click on GQES's icon for the lunch menu. The menu is now interactive----you can discover hover your cursor over the food item and you will see nutrition information.

Sometimes, buses or routes can change. Always, verify with our front office for any transportation questions. Thank you!