Celebrating National French Week!

We are excited to celebrate National French Week ~ on an adjusted schedule:)  Students have Spirit Wear opportunities all week and other fun activities at school. In addition, we welcome parent support/participation by providing a small breakfast (petit dejeuner) on 11/19 -Sign up to help decorate our school or volunteer to bring in items to make this week très délicieux!

Plan Forward - Dates to Mark on your Calendar

November 17 - 21 French National Week

•  Monday - Wear Bleu, Blanc et Rouge
•  Tuesday - Dress like a French book/cartoon character
•  Wednesday  - Dress like a French celebrity or famous person
•  Thursday - French Fashion Oh, La, La!  Anything French
•  Friday - Crazy French Hat Day or Hair Day!  

November 17 - Third Grade Field Trip Switzer and Smouse

November 19 - French Petit Dejeuner (Breakfast) - Sign up to bring in a small item! 

November 20 - Third Grade Field Trip Hinton and Soudee

November 24 - Pie Palooza - Bring in a pie - we will call our teacher winners hourly! Sign up Here to bring a pie! Help coordinate pies! 

November 26, 27, and 28 - Thanksgiving Break

December 2 -  Picture Retake and Make Up Picture Day (Complete this link) if you plan on a picture retake or make up)  We will identify any new students who arrived after initial picture day and have their picture taken.

December 10 - Three Hour Early Release

December 11 - Chorus Concert 5 p.m. (Students arrive at 4:30 p.m.)  

December 22 - January 2  - Winter Break Holiday - No School

2025-26 FCPS School Calendar

House Kick Off! 

This week, we had an all school House Kick Off!  Each class was assigned a color and an attribute from #kgpride (Patience, Respect, Inclusive, Doing Your Best and Excited to Learn). Students met with a 'Buddy Class' and got to know each other.  We will continue to energize the Houses with new ticket rewards and also build community  and collaboration to mesh with Portrait of a Graduate.  Stay tuned for more information and enjoy the pictures and energy! 

Administration Notes

Dear Parents,

We are looking forward to celebrating French Week!  See the spirit wear opportunities above.  Note that there will be week long activities as well!  

We will be hosting a virtual Family Life Education (FLE) Parent Information Night on Monday, December 1st at 5 p.m. via Zoom.  Parents will have the opportunity to learn how to preview FLE material in Schoology.  The link to join the meeting is will be shared by your teachers in their newsletters. If you have questions please contact Sarah Talley.  Additional information on the curricula, as well as  FLE Opt Out Forms are available on the Family Life Education (FLE) page on the FCPS website. 

FCPS has introduced new parent controls in the Lightspeed Parent Portal to help families manage screen time on FCPS-issued devices. Through the portal, parents can control their child's access to YouTube and pause web browsing during designated After-School Hours while students are off the FCPS network. These controls are active Monday - Friday from 3:30 PM to 6:00 AM (even on student holidays) and all day Saturday and Sunday. They do not affect district filtering policies during the instructional day. Parents can register for the Lightspeed Parent Portal using the link provided in their weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report email. For more information about the Parent Portal, please visit the Lightspeed Parent Portal page on the FCPS website.

Thanks as always for your support.  We are looking forward to a five day week! 

Warmly, 

Holly McGuigan               Tia Hawkins                       Sarah Talley

Principal                           Assistant Principal             Assistant Principal

House Spirit Day - Students Embrace It!

Students rocked their House colors on Friday - so proud of all of them for connecting and building community!  More fun to come! #kgpride

Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night  Jan. 14, 2026

Longfellow Middle School will be hosting a Curriculum Night for rising 7th grade families (current 6th grade students) at Longfellow MS on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This evening session aims to provide parents with information that will help their incoming 7th grade student with the transition to middle school. Families will have the opportunity to explore elective course offerings and hear from a variety of Longfellow staff about the courses and programs offered to 7th grade students. Students and staff will also be available to answer questions.  If inclement weather occurs, the event will be rescheduled for Wednesday, January 21, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.  We look forward to welcoming you to Longfellow!

Office Corner

Visiting/Volunteer in School: For students’ safety, all visitors and volunteers must bring your official ID to check in through our Visitor Management System each time, even if you are approved for volunteer level 3. Note that FCPS will adjust the volunteer requirements to level 2 due to the huge volume of applicants for level 3. 

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. Write additional information AFTER your child’s name or in note section. 

House Meetings!

Students met with their Buddy House and spent some constructive time getting to know each other! #kgpride

Updates Regarding Trails in Back of School

Impact to Walking Trails along Pimmit Run - Starting this month, Fairfax County will begin sewer upgrade work at two sites along Pimmit Run. This work will require the Park Authority to close several trails, including the pedestrian bridge that connects to our school. We anticipate that the work could disrupt the path some of our walkers take to and from school, and we want families to be aware of these changes.

The impacts will last through the rest of this school year and into early September of 2026. Please make sure to follow all posted signage once construction has started. We will share additional updates in coordination with Fairfax County when we can. To learn more about the two impacted sites, you can look at Site Map 1 and Site Map 2 from the county. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

3 Hour Early Release - Teacher Prof. Development and School Innovation & Improvement Plan We know how hard it is to plan for some of the 3 hour early releases, but we appreciate the time to gather and hold professional development meetings. It supports student learning/instruction as well as other school needs/focus areas.  Are you curious what goals we have set in conjunction with FCPS leadership and as a school?  Here is a snapshot of our School Innovation and Improvement Plan.  We will have additional Parent Coffees which will give us an opportunity to discuss and share.  The previous coffee link is here detailing our assessments which are/will be available on ParentVue.

Volunteer Registration Update

Due to the overwhelming response from our community, FCPS is temporarily pausing fingerprint requirements for most Level 3 volunteers. If you are scheduled for an upcoming fingerprinting appointment, please cancel your appointment unless you are a mentor, host parent, or non-parent volunteer having frequent, direct, and unsupervised contact with students, which will still require fingerprinting. FCPS will be charged if individuals miss a fingerprinting appointment without canceling in advance.

Those who have already been fingerprinted will be processed to be eligible for all Level 3 opportunities. ​​​​​​​Field trip chaperone opportunities will now be classified as Level 2 (not requiring a background check). 

To ensure continuous safety, all new volunteers are required to sign a Volunteer Certification Statement. This statement is a legal attestation confirming you have no history of violent felonies, physical/sexual crimes against children, or crimes of moral turpitude. Want to volunteer? Visit Volunteer FCPS to find and sign up for volunteer opportunities. Contact Volunteers@fcps.edu with any questions.