The Chameleon Connection

GQES Vision: Thriving Literacy Community in a STEM School

GQES Mission: We BELIEVE!

Week 2: August 17-21, 2026

Dear GQES Chameleon Families,

WOW--what a great first week of school! Students are learning routines and procedures in all learning areas, from the math workshop and Bookworms shared reading procedures to the cafeteria and recess. As teachers hone in on instruction, all staff members prioritize connections and relationships. We saw classes making connections with each other as they become a class family. Our hearts are full!

Dismissal Plan: Thank you for your patience and support as we have introduced our new dismissal plan! From Tuesday to Friday we decreased the car rider loading time by 34 minutes and are excited to share that our car rider dismissal process took approximately 10 minutes once loading began. Thank you for having your child's car tag on display for us to quickly communicate with staff who is in line. We are requesting feedback on the current dismissal plan. Please consider completing this three question Dismissal Plan Feedback form by Friday, August 21st. We would love to hear from you!

Safety Drill Notice: Over the next two weeks, students and staff will participate in a fire drill and a lockdown drill as part of our ongoing commitment to school safety. These drills help us practice important safety procedures and ensure that our students and staff know what to do in an emergency. We appreciate your support as we work together to keep our school community safe and prepared.

School Hours: Our school hours are 7:20 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Please do not drop your child off before 7:20 a.m. Our staff will be outside to begin our arrival procedure at 7:20 a.m., daily.

🍧Division-Wide Fall Attendance Challenge!

The elementary school with the best weekly attendance will win a Kona Ice party for all students!

📅 Attendance Challenge Dates:

• Week 1: 8/20–8/26 ➝ Reward on 8/28

• Week 2: 8/27–9/9 ➝ Reward on 9/11

• Week 3: 9/10–9/16 ➝ Reward on 9/18

• Week 4: 9/17–9/23 ➝ Reward on 9/25

GQES International Night: If you are interested in participating in our GQES International Night, please review this information and complete the interest form from the QR code. We are looking forward to an evening where we celebrate all cultures in our Quarles community!

Thank you for being such an important part of our Quarles community! If you have any questions, please contact the main office at 540-662-3575.

Jennifer DiMarco
Principal, Garland R. Quarles Elementary School

Erika Berry,

Assistant Principal, Garland R. Quarles Elementary School

At Garland R. Quarles Elementary School, we use Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to educate all children on appropriate social skills and to prevent inappropriate behavior by teaching and expecting all students to be kind, safe, and responsible. This defining, teaching, and supporting of appropriate student behavior creates a positive school environment for all. We believe in this process and its benefit for children and want to invite you to give us some feedback before the start of school. Please use this link to give us feedback. Thank you for supporting the start of a successful year!

Sept. 4: No School for Students

Sept. 7: No School for Students

We are excited to welcome our students each morning beginning at 7:20 a.m. Whether your child walks, rides the bus, or arrives by car, our goal is to ensure a safe, smooth, and positive start to every school day.

• If your child is a car rider, please wait to drop them off until GQES staff members are outside and stationed at the colored cones in the parking lot. Five (5) cones will be set up to allow up to five students to safely exit their vehicles with their belongings at one time.
• To help keep traffic moving safely and efficiently, please remain in a single-file line and do not pass other vehicles. Students should only be dropped off in the designated unloading area at the colored cones.
• If you need to get out of your vehicle to assist your child, please park in a legal parking space before exiting your car.
• When leaving the parking lot, you may either continue straight onto Cameron Street or turn right onto Southwerk Street.
• Reminder: Kent Street is closed when buses are loading and unloading.

Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and partnership. By following these procedures, you help us create a safe and welcoming arrival for every GQES student. We look forward to seeing everyone each morning!

• Bus Rider
• Chameleon Convoy (Walkers) with four (4) location
• A: Kent/Whitlock
• B: Whitlock/South Loudoun
• C: South Loudoun/Southwerk
• D: Southwerk/Kent
• Car Rider

VERY IMPORTANT DISMISSAL UPDATES FOR ALL STUDENTS:

• No transportation changes after 1:30 p.m. (If you need to make a change to your child's afternoon dismissal plan, please call the main office at 540-662-3575 before 1:30 p.m. and talk to a front office staff member.)
• No students being signed out after 2 p.m. (If you need to sign your child out early, you need to do this before 2 p.m.)
• For safety and emergency purposes, our GQES parking lot will be close daily at 2 p.m. and will reopen at 2:25 p.m. to begin our car rider dismissal procedures.

Car Rider Procedures

We will open our GQES parking lot at 2:25 to begin the dismissal process for our car riders. We will start calling students with the first vehicle that enters our parking lot when it is opened. If you arrive before 2:25, there may be space available to park northbound on South Loudoun Street.

• If you will be picking up your child by vehicle, please display your child's car tag on the passenger side of the front windshield each day. Each child will receive three (3) car tags at the Back to School Open House on 8/6/26. We also ask that you have a photo ID available, if needed, to help us ensure every student is safely matched with the appropriate adult.
• Our goal is to load five (5) vehicles at the colored cones at a time. This is a new dismissal process for our school, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work together to make it safe, smooth, and efficient for everyone.
• To help keep traffic moving, please remain in a single-file line and do not pass other vehicles. Students will only be loaded into vehicles in the designated loading area at the colored cones.
• When leaving the parking lot, you may either continue straight onto Cameron Street or turn right onto Southwerk Street.

Thank you for your cooperation and partnership in helping us provide a safe and positive dismissal for all of our students. Your support makes a difference, and we appreciate your patience as everyone becomes familiar with our new procedures.

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Please review the WPS Student & Parent Handbook.

As you make appointments and plans, please keep your child’s learning and attendance in mind by reviewing the WPS 2026-2027 Division Calendar.