Greenbriar West Elementary Panda-Gram

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The month of November is a time to reflect and give thanks. I am particularly thankful for our Greenbriar West family. It is truly an honor to work and serve the students, staff and parents in this community. We also need to recognize our students who come to school each day prepared and ready to learn; we thank the GBW staff for working tirelessly to meet the needs of our students; and finally, we thank our parents for supporting our school community in every possible way. Working together, we are educating our children to become positive contributors in society and leaders of the future.

Read more: Message from the Principal

Message from the PTA President

The first quarter was an exciting one for celebrating 40 wonderful years at GBW!  The PTA was proud to outfit every student and staff member in a 40th Anniversary T-shirt.  And what a wonderful event to have almost 1000 students spell out GBW for a school-wide commemorative picture!

Read more: Message from the PTA President

Pictures Around School

6th graders forming a “40” on the back field at GBW

Mrs. Cleveland, Ms. Campbell and Emma Harris, our third grade winner of the 40th anniversary tee shirt design contest.

RC Corner: Schoolwide Expectations

Greenbriar West uses the Responsive Classroom discipline approach.  The goals of this approach are to ensure that students feel physically and emotionally safe in school so that they can learn at their best; and to learn the skills for working and learning cooperatively with others.

Read more: RC Corner: Schoolwide Expectations

40th Anniversary

Greenbriar West celebrates its 40th Anniversary on Oct. 29!

Read more: 40th Anniversary

Veterans Day Celebration—November 11

The PTA would like to invite family members of GBW students and faculty who are either active duty, reservists or retired from the United States Military to join us in our Veteran’s Day Meet and Greet on Friday November 11.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the Greenbriar West community to thank you for your service and recognize your commitment to our country.  The day will begin at 8:30 am where you wil be honored at a reception with school administrators.  At 8:50 am, you will greet the students as they enter the school in the morning. We will then escort you to our library where you will be introduced and "interviewed" on our very own WGBW television station. Personal visits to your own child (or grandchild’s) classroom may be arranged with each teacher. If you are interested in being part of our morning on November 11, please contact PTA chairperson Michael Tress at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

GBW Thanksgiving Luncheon - November 17

Call for Volunteers!

GBW will be hosting its annual Thanksgiving Luncheon on Thursday, November 17. There will be a special lunch schedule and Thanksgiving Menu. None other than our own Mrs. Cleveland and Ms. Campbell will be dishing out the Turkey!

Every year, our PTA provides volunteers to assist the GBW staff for this special event.   We’re looking for volunteers between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm.                                                

Help out for an hour, or two. It’s up to you.

Read more: GBW Thanksgiving Luncheon - November 17

GBW Variety Show is Back

“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade? “

—Benjamin Franklin

There is no dearth for talent amongst the children of GBW. However, a really great talent finds its happiness in expression. The Variety Show is a wonderful opportunity for the children to take the center stage and present their special talent.

The performance might take the form of a music recital, a little ditty, dance demonstration or a clever skit. We request that each item adhere to the 90 second time limit in an attempt to accommodate all interested children. Group performances are highly encouraged for the same reason.

Read more: GBW Variety Show is Back

AAP News

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) offers a continuum of advanced academic services for all students in grades K-8.  Learning experiences are designed to develop higher-level thinking through enrichment, acceleration, and extension of the Program of Studies (POS).  Teachers, administrators, and Advanced Academic Resource Teachers (AARTs) work together to provide the following Levels of Service:

Read more: AAP News

Art News

Congratulations go to Emma Harris, a 3rd grader in Mrs. Montague’s class, for her winning design in the GBW’s 40th Anniversary Celebration T-shirt contest. It was so cool seeing the whole school wearing the shirts for Spirit Day and at the celebration on Saturday, October the 29.

Read more: Art News

Counselors’ Corner: November 2011

Guidance Lessons
November’s lesson is “Ready to Learn:  Be Responsible and Resourceful”.  Students will discuss ways they can be in charge of their own routines, and look for ways to solve their own problems.  Please ask your child how they want to become more responsible.  They might want to set a small goal and work toward it.  You can help them “tweak” their strategies as they go!

Read more: Counselors’ Corner: November 2011

Book Fair

The Book Fair is Coming... To the Book Fair and Beyond! Reading is Out of this World!

The GBW Annual Fall Book Fair is coming soon. The GBW Library and the Scholastic Book Company will host the Fall Book Fair on Nov. 14 – 18.

Fostering a child’s love of reading and learning through books should be the goal of every parent. What better way to achieve this goal than to give the gift of a book? Our GBW Fall Book Fair will be an excellent opportunity for you to purchase books and other novelty items for the upcoming holiday gift giving season.

Supporting our school’s Book Fair is also a great way to help us to obtain quality instructional books and materials that your child will be able to use in the school library and classrooms.

Read more: Book Fair

ESOL News

Read Regularly!

Reading is an invaluable skill that only improves with practice. Parents can help by providing access to books and reading aloud to their children. While it's important to practice reading in the target language, not every book must be in English. Reading in their native language can help students preserve their culture while also improving their overall reading fluency. Students who read well in another language are more likely to experience success in English literacy.

—Jeremy DePalma, ESOL Specialist

FLES - Club Leo

The Spanish FLES department in GBW would like to offer all families the opportunity to order books from Club Leo, the Scholastic Spanish/Bilingual book club.  The books that they offer are wonderful if you want to reinforce what your child is learning in Spanish FLES or, if someone at home speaks Spanish, to encourage literacy in Spanish in addition to English.  They are also a great value and offer a way for the school to earn free books to use in Spanish FLES classes.

Read more: FLES - Club Leo

General Music News

In November our music classes will be studying meter, singing with accuracy, and folk dances. The Third Grade students will receive their recorders this month and will begin learning to play their new instruments! Our Second Grade Students will present a performance of “November Songs” on November 11, 2011 at 9:45 am in the school gymnasium. Second grade parents should plan on joining us for this special performance which will follow our Veterans Day Tribute on the WGBW morning news.

Read more: General Music News

Physical Education - News That’s Fit to Print!

Juggling for Success™ was a fabulous success!  Every student learned to juggle scarves and was able to progress at their level!  Family Juggling Night brought out approximately 200 students and family members who cheered when Professor Confidence got a pie in the face.  This event was a great learning experience and fun, as well!

In November, students in PE will be participating in the Guinness World Record® sport stacking event!  It will be cup crazy on Thursday, November 17 as thousands of participants take part in what Guinness World Records® terms the “World’s Largest Sport Stacking Event.”  During the course of the day, sport stackers from all reaches of the world will be up stacking and down stacking various pyramids in prescribed patterns at lightning speed for at least 30 minutes, all combined with a variety of fitness activities.  Sights are set on 350,000 stackers participating as sport stacking with Speed Stacks® continues to gain popularity around the world.  GBW is proud to be a supporter of this event!  More information will be coming soon!

The Reading Corner: Reading at Home

The presence of books in the home has a greater influence on a child’s level of education than does the parents income, nationality, or level of education. A 20-year study shows how investing in books can make a big difference.

Read more: The Reading Corner: Reading at Home

Food News: Healthy Snacking Tips

The rise in overweight children means that parents need to take an active role in providing healthy snacks for their children.

Read more: Food News: Healthy Snacking Tips

Managing Your Child’s Lunch Account

Here are some friendly reminders to help your child with the Cafeteria experience. 
Each day, our Cafeteria offers treats (ice cream, cookies, popcorn) to students in Grades 1-6 to purchase in addition to their lunch. Kindergarteners are not allowed to purchase treats at this time.

Read more: Managing Your Child’s Lunch Account

GBW International Night 2012 – January 19, 2012

Bonjour!  Hola!  Guten Tag! Namaste!  Nǐ hǎo!  Ahn nyeong ha se yo!  Subbah-el-kheir! Hello!  GBW’s International Night will be here soon – January 19, 2012, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm!  International Night will be one of the first major events of the New Year for the GBW community.

Read more: GBW International Night 2012 – January 19, 2012

Kindergarten and First Grade Parents: We need help in the Cafeteria!

We are looking for extra hands to assist our kindergartners and first graders at lunch. Help our students help themselves as they get their lunch, open their containers, clean up after themselves, and talk about their day so far. We are a smiling face and a helping hand.

Read more: Kindergarten and First Grade Parents: We need help in the Cafeteria!

Fundraising – At the Grocery Store

Support GBW!

Can’t seem to find the time to get to the grocery store websites?  Take a short cut for three of the stores. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the following information:

Bloom, followed by the card number

Giant, first three letters of last name, card number

At Harris Teeter, you can tell them at checkout that you would like to link your card to GBW. They can take care if it for you.