GKES Knightly Notes Newsletter
Monday, October 12: No School
Tuesday, October 13: Day 1
Wednesday, October 14 Day 2
Thursday, October 15: Day 3
Friday, October 16: Day 4
THIS WEEK'S CONVERSATION
Asking for Help
Parent Message: Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Conversation Starter: "Did you ask for help with anything today?"
Strategy: Help children remember:
- Notice when they are stuck
- Think of a trusted adult or friend
- Use their words to ask for help
Affirmation: "I am strong when I ask for help."
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! 🏆
PWCS invites all parents, guardians, staff members, and students to share their feedback on the calendar options for the 2027-28 school year.
These options were created through a collaborative process involving the voices and perspectives of parents, guardians, teachers, support staff members, principals, central office leaders, students, and community partners.
Your input will help shape a calendar that best supports student learning, family needs, and staff planning.
👉 Learn more about the calendar options.
🗓️ Survey closes: Friday, October 16
Thank you for being part of Literacy Night! We would love to hear your thoughts. Please complete our survey and let us know what you enjoyed and how we can make future events even better. Your feedback matters!
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!
We launched our Beginning of Year Family Survey during Back to School Night on September 29, and the survey remains open as we continue gathering feedback from our Golden Knight families. Your input is invaluable as we work to strengthen our school community and best support our students and families. Please take a few moments to complete the brief seven-question survey and help guide our work and planning for the 2026-27 school year.
BOOSTER Fun Run is Coming! It’s time! You can sign up your student for our Glenkirk Fun Run! Our goal is to raise $24,000 for dry-erase resurfacing, student enrichment, and PTO general fund. Signing up is easy and comes with a fun prize for your student!
⭐️ Sign Up On MyBooster.com ⭐️
Thank you for being a part of our Glenkirk community and helping us make a difference for our students. We are grateful for your support! Follow our social pages for fun progress updates in the coming weeks.
Our school is working toward a BIG goal and Great Wolf Lodge wants to celebrate with us! Registered families will have the chance to earn some awesome rewards. Log in to mybooster.com today and share your student’s donation page with your whole pack. Just for receiving their first donation, students can earn their very own Wolf Ears!
Key Dates to Remember:
💻 Registration opens - 10/8/2026
🎉 Fundraiser Kickoff in school – 10/22/2026
👟 Event Day – 10/30/2026
Attn: 5th and 2nd grade families: We are hosting our first Staff Appreciation Luncheon of the year on Wednesday, October 21, and you get set the bar....the potato bar! Please sign up if you would like to help contribute to the lunch so our teachers and staff know how much we appreciate them at Glenkirk. GLENKIRK STAFF LUNCH SIGNUP
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.
