Fall Festival Fun and Thanks to our PTA/Parents!

We enjoyed our fall festivities - students and staff and parents!  We celebrated the fundraising with the parents as a school today as well!  We appreciate your support in the classroom!  #kgpride 

Plan Forward - Dates to Mark on your Calendar

November 3 - School Planning Day - No School for Students

November 4 - Election Day and Teacher Workday - No School for Students

November 5 - Parent Coffee 9 - 10 a.m. Overview of Beginning of the Year Assessments - (we will share the slide deck as well with links)

November 6 - Fourth Grade Field Trip  - Kennedy Center

November 7 - First Grade Field Trip and Pyramid Chorus Concert 7 p.m. McLean HS

November 10 - Veterans Day Recognition  - Link to RSVP - and Third Grade Field Trip - Elpant's Class

November 11 - Veterans Day - School Holiday

November 12 - Three Hour Early Release

November 17 - 21 French National Week (adjusted to give us time to celebrate) More to Come - Spirit Wear and more fun!

November 17 - Third Grade Field Trip Switzer and Smouse

November 20 - Third Grade Field Trip Hinton and Soudee

November 26, 27, and 28 - Thanksgiving Break

Administration Notes

Dear Parents,

Thanks for all of your support this past week.  We had so many volunteers for Book Club as well as for our Fall Festival.  We also enjoyed Movie Night!  Our school is successful with your support! We appreciate all that you do! 

Thanks for supporting with our Impact Aid - we are at 97% response rate.  See information below if you are receiving reminders. 

On Wednesday November 5th, we will host a Parent Coffee that will give information regarding beginning of the year assessments and how you as parents can support your child. Please join us at 9 a.m. in the cafeteria.  We will share the link to the slide deck for all to view if you are unable to attend.

Thanks to all of our parents for supporting the two early releases - in one week!  Most appreciated!  

Warmly, 

Holly McGuigan               Tia Hawkins                       Sarah Talley

Principal                           Assistant Principal             Assistant Principal

2025-26 FCPS School Calendar

Impact Aid Forms

All enrolling parents need to complete the Impact Aid form for each child. As a reminder, the form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets, which is in the upper right corner of the screen after logging in.

If you believe you have submitted the form but are receiving messages from the office, it could be that you either completed the Online Verification update but not the Impact Aid form or you completed the Federal Impact Aid survey but didn't actually submit the form.  Note that 'Completed' can be misleading, please scroll down to click 'Next or Save and Continue' until you see the 'Submit' button. For questions, please contact the Impact Aid office at lmpactAid@fcps.edu or 703-329-7750.Thanks in advance for your support! 

SIS ParentVUE End-of-Quarter Closure

The Gradebook in SIS ParentVUE and StudentVUE will be closed for the end of the first quarter from Friday, October 31, at 4 p.m. to Monday, November 10, at 6 a.m. Activate your ParentVUE account to easily access grade reports.

FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards 

Nominations are now open for the FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for Kent Gardens Elementary Outstanding Employee, please complete the nomination through this Google form link:

The deadline to submit a nomination is November 7, 2025  - If you have any questions, please contact Tia Hawkins, Assistant Principal. You should provide at least one paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work. You may nominate up to one employee per category for the following:

• Outstanding Teacher  
• Outstanding New Teacher 
• Outstanding Principal
• Outstanding Leader  
• Outstanding Professional Employee  
• Outstanding Operational Employee 

Office Corner

Parent FAQs and Important Office Reminders. We are proud that almost all of our KGES parents are using KGES online forms to submit early checkout, dismissal change and late arrival requests. (KGES Website-Full Menu-Attendance Reporting).  Why is it important? KGES online forms include critical info such as special class code, announcement #, room #, parent/guardian contact info & authorization, AM/PM teacher, grade, and request type, etc. It assists school to ensure student safety, and efficiently process your requests, locate and coordinate with teachers, students, and communicate with you if needed. Tips for online requests:

• Submit  online forms ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT preferably before 9:30 am to avoid delay or mistake in processing, and unnecessary interruption to test/instruction.
• Add extra note AFTER your child’s name or note section.
• Once you submit online request, no need to email/call teachers/office.
• Use ParentVue to report absence.

Dismissal Change:  Consistency is the key to safety! In the event that you have to make a dismissal change or establish a new routine, you must use KGES online forms  to submit your Transportation Change request on the day of your needed adjustment - please remind your child in the morning of the change. Add additional information after your child’s name or in note section. 

Book Fair - A Success!

Thanks to our fabulous volunteers who showed up almost daily!!  Ms. Hershey and Ms. Nabaki couldn't have done it without you!  

Updates Regarding Trails in Back of School

Starting on or around the first week of November, sewer upgrade work will occur at two sites along Pimmit Run within land owned by the Fairfax County Park Authority, closing several trails, including a pedestrian bridge that connects to Kent Gardens Elementary School .  The work has an anticipated completion date of September 5, 2026. The sewer upgrade will install approximately 1,900 Linear Feet of 30-inch diameter sanitary sewer to provide adequate capacity for future planned development located next to the West Falls Church metro station.  Once construction begins, please follow all posted signage. View a map of the trail closures at the two sites along Pimmit Run. Here are two views of work to completed and closures:  Site 2  Site 1

Kiss and Ride - Dismissal Update

As you probably have noticed, we no longer have the support of our police officer and we do miss him!  We are working with the local police department to try and gain a crossing guard that could potentially direct traffic and support pedestrians. In the interim, please support us to keep the traffic running as smoothly as possible. 

Cars should ENTER using Dean or Van Fleet Drive - and EXIT via Lumsden Street. This will help alleviate any major traffic jams.  Please do not drive down Lumsden and attempt to turn left into Kent Gardens during dismissal nor arrival. 

Please also be mindful of the buses, and refrain from parking too close to our neighbors driveways and stop signs!  Please do not park close to the intersection of Melbourne and Lumsden on the side of the road as this impacts traffic.

When inside the school zone, remember to follow instructions from staff! If an officer is present, please be mindful of following usual traffic laws and stop at the stop sign unless they provide direct instructions. 

Last Opportunity - Help Us Grow Our KGES Kindness Rock Garden 

Want to help beautify our school grounds while spreading messages of kindness, love, and inspiration? We invite all KGES families and staff to take part in our Kindness Rock Garden project! This is a fun and meaningful way to come together as a school community and share positive messages that will last for years to come.