GKES Knightly Notes Newsletter
Monday, November 9 : Day 1
Tuesday, November 10: Day 2
Wednesday, November 11: No School - Veterans Day Holiday
Thursday, November 12: Day 3
Friday, November 13: Day 4
THIS WEEK'S CONVERSATION
Gratitude
Parent Message: Focusing on what we are thankful for can boost happiness and strengthen relationships.
Conversation Starter: "What are three things you are grateful for today?"
Strategy: Create a family gratitude routine:
- Share one person you're thankful for
- Share one thing you're thankful for
- Share one positive moment from your day
Affirmation: "I notice and appreciate the good things in my life."
Join Us for Our Veterans Day Breakfast!
Glenkirk families, we are excited to celebrate the heroes in our community! If you have a veteran in your family, we would love to welcome them to our Veterans Day Breakfast on November 10 , 2026, at 9 a.m.
Together, we will enjoy breakfast, recognize their service, and show our appreciation for the sacrifices made by our veterans and their families. Students are encouraged to invite a veteran family member to attend this special event.
Please RSVP by November 9, 2026 at 9 a.m. so we can plan accordingly.
Stars, Stripes, & Syrup: A Veteran's Day Breakfast RSVP Link
Thank you to all who have served. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Join us on Tuesday, November 10 for our next Teacher/Parent Advisory Council (TPAC) meeting at 6 p.m. followed by our PTO meeting at 6:30 p.m. Both meetings will be held virtually using this ZOOM LINK. This month's agenda topics include the presentation of Glenkirk's current enrollment, approved staffing and budget along with an update from our Superintendent's Advisory Council (SACI) representative.
The Teacher Parent Advisory Council is a collaboration among teachers, parents, and administrators to help inform school decisions, learn about school goals and initiatives and ensure its reflection of the vision and mission at Glenkirk. TPAC also acts as an advisor to the school administration on the budget, implementation, evaluation, and modifications to the current continuous improvement plan (CIP). If you have any questions or feedback, you are welcome to reach out to our TPAC board or school administration.
To learn more about TPAC, please visit the Glenkirk Teacher Parent Advisory Council website.
If your child was absent for picture day or you just want a new picture because of that fake smile or one crazy hair, please complete this form to let us know. You can order pictures using the information below.
The Impact Aid survey is now open and available for completion in ParentVUE. All parents should complete this survey as soon as possible. Please visit the PWCS Federal Impact Aid website for instructions on how to complete the survey. For assistance with your ParentVUE account, please contact the school.
The following are a few key facts from the Impact Aid website to provide you further information about Impact Aid:
- School districts with military installations or other federal lands within their boundaries lose local revenue because of nontaxable federal activities. Impact Aid funding partially reimburses school districts for this loss of locally derived revenue.
- Examples of eligible federal properties include national parks, military installations, and federal office buildings but there are many more.
- Federally connected and military connected are not the same. Parents can be federally connected but are not military connected. This is why it is important for ALL parents to complete the Impact Aid survey.
- Parent information captured on the Impact Aid survey is used solely to submit the Impact Aid application.
Since enrollment changes and students move from year to year, the U.S. Department of Education requires school districts to count students annually. With that said, parents should complete a new Impact Aid survey every school year.
We love helping students feel special on their birthday! We know that families often look for ways to celebrate their child's special day at school, and we want to provide options that are fun, meaningful, and in keeping with PWCS guidelines.
Please know that there is no expectation or requirement for families to provide any of the options listed above. We simply want to offer a few ways to recognize your child's special day while creating a safe and inclusive environment for all students.
Families who wish to celebrate their child's birthday at school may choose one of the following options:
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☀️ Extra Recess Time
Your child's class can enjoy 5-10 extra minutes of recess.
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🎁 Non-Food Treats for Classmates
Send in a small non-food item for each student in the class, such as:
- Pencils
- Bookmarks
- Stickers
- Erasers
Small games or other similar items
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🪄 Choose a Book - Visit this Amazon Wish List and select a book your child would love to add to our library collection.
- Send It Our Way
- Purchase the book from the Wish List and it will ship directly to our school library.
- Tell Us It’s Coming
- Complete the Birthday Book Fairies – Fill out form so we know which Birthday Book Fairy has a special delivery headed our way!
- Add a Special Message
- Write a birthday message for your child in the space provided. We’ll print your message on a special sticker and place it inside the donated book, making your child a permanent part of our library!
- Celebrate!
- When the book arrives, we’ll take a special photo of your Birthday Book Fairy with their donated book and celebrate them on our school and library announcements! We will also email you the picture as well!
Your child’s birthday comes once a year, but the book they give can be enjoyed by students for years to come! Thank you for helping our Birthday Book Fairies spread the magic of reading throughout our library! 📚
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🎂 Birthday Treats
Families are welcome to send a birthday treat for their child to enjoy at school. To help keep all of our students safe, any treats sent in must be:
- Store-bought and individually packaged
- Tree nut-free
- Egg-free
- Dairy-free
- In their original packaging with ingredient labels visible
- Enough for every student in the class
Please contact your child's teacher in advance if you plan to send in a birthday treat. Any treats that are sent in that do not meet the criteria above will not be distributed to the class.
Thank you for helping us celebrate our students and make their birthdays a little extra special!
Glenkirk Elementary, in coordination with Northern Virginia Family Services, will be participating in the Fall Food Drive to benefit needy families in our local area.
The Food Drive will run from October 26 through November 13. We will be collecting non-perishable food items. Some possibilities include: rice, flour, sugar, stuffing, soup, canned fruit, cooking oil, peanut butter, jelly, applesauce, pasta, cereal, canned vegetables, and pancake mix. (Please check best by or expiration dates before donating).
All food donations can be brought to school with your child and our classroom student council representatives will collect and organize the donations. Thank you for supporting families in our local area.
We are thrilled to share that Glenkirk Elementary has earned the Distinguished rating through the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) updated School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF).
Schools across Prince William County demonstrated strong performance and growth based on 2025-26 data, and Glenkirk stood out with an overall score of 97.38 out of 100. Even more exciting, this is the highest score among ALL PWCS elementary schools! This achievement reflects the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our students, staff, and families. Thank you for partnering with us to make Glenkirk a place where every child can learn, grow, and thrive.
To learn more, families can visit the PWCS webpage on Understanding Virginia's School Performance Ratings.
Families may also review the Glenkirk Elementary School Summary Report from VDOE to explore the many performance indicators used to measure our school's success.
🏆 CONGRATULATIONS, GOLDEN KNIGHTS! 🏆
For families who are new to our school, Knight Watch is a volunteer program that encourages positive adult role models to spend a day supporting our school community.
We welcome any positive adult role model who is interested in volunteering and making a difference in the lives of our students.
How to Sign Up:
To participate this school year, please complete the Knight Watch Parent Volunteer Guidelines Acknowledgment Form using the link below:
🔗 Knight Watch Parent Volunteer Guidelines Acknowledgment – Fill Out Form
Upon receipt of this form, you will receive a sign-up genius to choose your day for Knight Watch.
What Does a Typical Knight Watch Day Look Like?
✅ Volunteer hours are 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
✅ Assist with student arrival, hall monitoring, classroom visits, lunch, and recess
✅ Lunch is provided
✅ Enjoy guaranteed time in your student's classroom
✅ Reserved parking spot in the first row
Knight Watch is a great opportunity to support our school, build positive relationships with students, and be actively involved in your child's educational experience.
We look forward to welcoming our Knight Watch volunteers!
If your child will be arriving/dismissing as a car rider, please take a few moments to review the Kiss & Ride expectations to ensure staff and student safety. Drivers are reminded to drive slowly and follow all traffic laws in our school zone and be aware of your surroundings. Please yield to all walkers/pedestrians in the crosswalks and adhere to our Kiss & Ride procedures listed below in the morning and afternoon:
- The first bell rings at 8:35 a.m. Car riders should remain in vehicles until the bell rings to avoid congestion with student walkers at the front door.
- Please have your kiss & ride number tag visible for arrival and dismissal along with your valid ID. Car rider staff may ask to verify both the tag number and ID at any time. All families utilizing the kiss & ride lanes should have a Glenkirk number tag hanging from your mirror. Please contact the front office if you need a number tag.
- Drivers should not exit their vehicle as this causes traffic to back up. Drivers that need to help their child out or into their vehicle should pull up past the playground.
- Students should exit the vehicle on the right (curb) side of the vehicle. No students should be dropped off from a vehicle in the left lane.
- No students should be dropped off from a parking spot/middle parking lot unless escorted into the building by a parent/guardian.
- Drivers should remain in the right lane to drop off. Please DO NOT drive in the left lane unless you are exiting the parking lot after you have dropped your child.
- AM arrival - The final bell rings at 8:45 a.m. Students arriving after 8:45 a.m. will need to be signed in by an adult in the front office.
- Please refrain from cell phone use (calls and texting) while in the kiss & ride line.
We thank all families for your attention to these procedures to keep our students and staff safe.
All students are expected to attend the entire school day when school is in session. If your child is unable to attend school, please notify the office by emailing gkes-attendance@pwcs.edu and your child's teacher. Please include your child's name, grade, teacher and reason for absence. Parents/guardians are encouraged to use ParentVUE on the day of an absence or in advance of a planned absence. Submitting absences directly in ParentVUE will help expedite your student's attendance to update quickly and help reduce those attendance office-generated alerts.
Students are marked unexcused if parents do not inform the school their child is out.
PWCS is increasing the amount of parent letters to be mailed regarding your child’s attendance. Letters will be generated after a certain amount of absences/tardies are accrued.
For dismissal changes please continue to use the attendance email: gkes-attendance@pwcs.edu and include your child's teacher. Be sure to include the student's name, dates, as well as the contact telephone numbers and reference the word DISMISSAL CHANGES in the subject line of your email message.
For additional information regarding PWCS attendance requirements, please visit PWCS Attendance Guidelines.
