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Warrior Weekly

August 13, 2026 | Vol. 8, Issue 1

Welcome to a new school year!

We are so excited to begin this new year with you and your student(s)! We are grateful to God for this blessing to meet together under His name as we, adults and students, learn and grow by His grace. Great is His faithfulness to us! As we begin our 46th year as a school, it is our sincere prayer that this will be our best school year yet. Please join us in praying for our school, our students, and our staff as we embark on the path to which He has called us.

As we go forward, you can expect a Warrior Weekly email like this one every week this school year (often Thursday night at 7 PM) filled with important and pertinent information. It is divided into five sections: All-School, Lower School (LS), Upper School (US), Athletics, and Fine Arts. Be sure to click either the "View entire message" link at the top or bottom of your email to avoid missing content.

Another way to stay fully informed is to link your personal iCal or Google Calendar to ours. Information on how to accomplish that is listed below.

If you are having trouble with receiving emails, linking your calendar, or receiving Parent Alert Texts (you should receive one tonight about this Warrior Weekly), please reach out to either office (LS: 540.886.0937; US : 540.886.9109). Open and clear communication with you, the parents, is our goal.

Have a blessed, restful, and fun weekend! We can't wait to see your students next week!

All-School News

WELCOME BACK!

2026-27 School Calendar

Upcoming Events

Aug. 19-Wednesday

3:30-6:30 PM All-School Open House/Supply Drop

Aug. 20 - Thursday

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL*, Half Day of School - See schedule here [*Preschool begins Aug. 25.]

6:30-8:00 PM HS Parent Back-to-School Meeting
8:00-8:30 PM Senior Families Meeting

Aug. 21 - Friday

Half Day of School - See schedule here.

Aug. 24 - Monday

6:30-8:00 PM PS-6th Parent Back-to-School Meeting

Aug. 25 - Tuesday

First Day of Preschool

Arrival & Departure

See the video below for a tutorial and the full details here.

Lower School (Grades PS-6)

We have missed your children and can't wait to see them next week!

There are a lot of new things this year.

Please have patience with us as we work through these details.

Sometimes plans work great on paper, but not in reality!

Wednesday, Aug. 19th - (the day before school begins) there will be an open house from 3:30-6:30 PM. Please bring your students by to find their classrooms, meet their teachers, and bring school supplies. This will give your students time to see their friends, walk around in the new building, and feel a bit more comfortable on the first day of school.

Reminders for the First Two Half Days of School

Thursday and Friday, Aug. 20th and 21st, are half days of school with dismissal at 12:20. There is no Before or After-School Care on these two days.

Please don't forget your student's water and a snack. Students do not need to bring a lunch on the first two days.

Arrival begins at 7:45 AM, and school begins at 8:05. Please feel free to walk your kids into their classroom the first days of school, but please do not park in the drop-off/pickup zone.
The summer reading forms for 6th grade students are due on Friday, August 21st. These forms can be turned in at any point to their Homeroom or Language Arts teacher.

Honor Shirts & Field Trip Shirts

The honor shirts and field trip shirts have been ordered based on the information filled out on the summer form. If your form was completed late, you may need to order one here: Honor Shirts

If you do not know if you made the ordering deadline, please contact Mandy Wells.

Please remember:

Each student in PS-6th grade needs an honor shirt.

Each student in 1st-6th needs a field-trip shirt.

If you have a student in Preschool or Pre-K please see the code compliance disclosure here.

Upper School (Grades 7-12)

Insect/Leaf Collection

The Insect/Leaf Collection for the 7th graders is due on August 20th but can be turned in as early as August 19th at the Open House.

Summer Reading

The summer reading forms for 7th and 8th grade students are due on Friday, August 21st. These forms can be turned in at any point to their Homeroom or Language Arts teacher.

MS PE Uniforms

The MS PE uniforms are in and will be placed in your student's locker.

If you have missed either of these ordering deadlines, you may place an order online through Shenandoah Awards. You will pay online and will receive an email specifiying when to pick up.

Each student in 7th and 8th needs a P.E. uniform.

Special Bell Schedule for the First Two Days of School

During the first two days, we will follow the special schedule (link). Then, starting the following Monday, we will follow the regular schedule (link).

Summer English Assignment: Due Monday, August 24

The HS Summer English Assignment is due Monday, Aug. 24. Students need a physical copy of the assignment in order to complete the signature page and written portion of the assignment. Copies are available at the HS front desk those distributed in May have been misplaced. See also our website under Resources>Summer Reading.

Great Escape I

Friday Aug. 28 Drop off & Pick Up at GCS Activity Center

Notification Document Guidance & Information

If you have any questions about this event or the Senior Retreat, you should contact Mr. Bowers via email or phone (540-886-9109).

Development

Box Tops for Education

Did you know you can help raise funds for GCS without spending any additional money? Box Tops for Education (No clipping box tops required!) is a program wherein you can earn cash for your school by purchasing participating products and scanning your receipts with the Box Tops app.

The app identifies eligible products on your receipt and automatically adds the earnings to your school's online account. You can also earn by connecting your Box Tops account with participating retailers such as Walmart.

Check out this video to learn more!

You can support GCS every time you use your Kroger card too. Learn more here!