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December 7, 2018
 Ms. Holland creates opportunities for students to think critically in art class.
Dear Willow Springs,
We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the families that made it out to Movie Night last Friday. There wasn’t a square on the floor unoccupied as we enjoyed a night of pizza, concessions, and community. A huge thanks to our PTA, custodial staff and the amazing Willow Springs families for their support. We especially appreciate your understanding with the pizza confusion. Because of your generous contributions, the Dr. Seuss Birthday Week Celebration committee raised over $950.00!!! Congratulations to Audrey Nagel, Katie Powderly, Madelyn Regan, Noelle Sackie, and Soha Siddiqui. The lines at the concession table were never ending but you never stopped smiling....we are so proud of you!!!
Last night was our second restaurant night of the school year, and it was also a huge success! Thank you for joining us at Mezeh Mediterranean Grill. Seeing our students' artwork displayed throughout the restaurant was a bonus. Mezeh graciously agreed to donate 40% of all sales to the Willow Springs Grace Arts Program. Wow!
This week was Computer Science Education Week and we had a blast exploring many different types of code! Students in all grade levels were able to experience coding through various programs such as Osmo Coding with Awbie, Scratch, ASC-II binary code, HourOfCode.com, and many other platforms. We were wowed by their enthusiasm to learn, collaborative conversations, and higher-level thinking. We look forward to continuing to offer these opportunities for students throughout the year.
In addition, this week we started our staff 12 Days of Cheer. Our teachers are super excited to show their school spirit and get showered with surprises throughout the days leading up to Winter Break!
Lastly, we would like to congratulate our FCPS Honors winners! Our staff and community voted, and the results are in! When you see these staff members please congratulate them.
Dylan Taylor, Principal
Rashida Green, Assistant Principal
Sara Van Aalst, Assistant Principal
Do you sometimes eat lunch with your child in the cafeteria?
Please consider volunteering to help out in the cafeteria on the Thursday and Friday of the week before winter break, Thursday, December 20th, and Friday, December 21st. We are short a cafeteria hostess on these days so the extra hands would be helpful. No training required, the hostess will give you a bucket with condiments, etc. to pass out as kids raise their hands for help.
Hope to see you in the cafeteria! The kids love seeing new faces!
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Students at Willow Springs Participate in Hour of Code |
Computer Science Education Week
December 3rd - 9th
A one-hour introduction to computer science The Hour of Code began as a one-hour coding challenge to give students a fun first introduction to computer science and has become a global learning event, celebration, and awareness event. HourOfCode.com offers hundreds of one-hour activities in over 48 languages for kindergarten and up. Activities require no experience, include built-in video tutorials, and can be run on browsers, tablets, and smartphones -some don’t require any computer at all. More than 100 million students worldwide have already tried an Hour of Code. Our Hour of Code is making a statement that Willow Springs Elementary is ready to teach these foundational 21st-century skills. Visit https://hourofcode.com/us/learn for details and try out some coding activities with your child.
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AAP Level IV Screening
An AAP Level IV Screening Information session will be held at Willow Springs on Monday, December 10, 2018 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Willow Springs Cafeteria. Mrs. Murray, the Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART) will review procedures, important dates, answer questions regarding what should be included in the referral file, and how documents need to be submitted. The meeting is open to grade 2-6 parents. For more information visit our website.
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Advanced Academic Programs Level IV Referral Deadline: January 10, 2019
Parents of students in grades two through seven who are planning to refer students for the AAP level IV program must submit referrals on or before January 10, 2019. No exceptions will be made to this referral deadline. Referrals as well as supplemental materials are due on or before January 10, 2019 by 4:30 PM to the main office at Willow Springs, attention “Mrs. Murray.” Due to extremely tight timelines, do not wait for ability test scores if you want your student screened. Additional information may be found on the Advanced Academic Programs website under Full-Time Level IV services and Screening Procedures. Please contact Mrs. Murray (saguidicemur@fcps.edu) or the Advanced Academic Programs Office for questions.
FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards
And the winners are...
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Outstanding Teacher
Kristin Creek
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Outstanding New Teacher
Alison Willison
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Outstanding Leader
Tamela Shelton
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Outstanding Operational Employee
Phyllis Wheeler
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Congratulations to all the winners! They will move to the Fairfax Pyramid Level Panel for judging against the winners from others schools in our pyramid.
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Friday, 12/14, Students Released Three Hours Early
Schools are open with a regular schedule Monday, 12/17, through Friday, 12/21.
December 24-January 4, 2019 Winter Break.
Classes will resume on Monday, January 7.
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NO Hassle Fundraiser
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Thanks to your generosity, the PTA has already received $15,720.00 this year in our No Hassle Fundraising Campaign. That leaves us only $9,280.00 left to reach our goal of $25,000.00 for the school year. Way to go Fox Families!! With your help, the PTA subsidized field trips to Ticonderoga Farms for our kindergartners, a Kennedy Center field trip for 4th graders, teach all our students about famous artists such as Piet Mondrain and Patrick Dougherty, and begun to reimburse each of our teachers with up to $225 to cover classroom expenses.
In order to cover all our expenses and to continue to bring one-of-a-kind learning experiences to our students like author visits and the World Festival, it is imperative that we meet our goals. As 2018 draws to an end, if you are looking for a non-profit organization to contribute to, please consider your Willow Springs PTA. All contributions are tax deductible and go directly toward making our students experience at Willow Springs the best that it can possibly be. Donations can be made at https://squareup.com/store/willow-springs-pta/ Thank you!!
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@WSESfox: Sharing our Story #WillowPride
Share your weekend pictures!
So many great things happen in WSES every single day. Share the awesome examples of innovation, creativity, collaboration, and pride in our school and community by using the #WillowPride hashtag on Twitter.
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Once you have selected your favorite photos to post on social media or to text to your family and friends, please consider uploading them to our yearbook site. The more pictures that our coordinators can choose from, the better our yearbook will be. Uploads can be made at community.lifetouch.com and our school access code is CXZCHH.
WSES Looking Ahead
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Monday, December 10th - AAP Level IV Screening Information Session, 9:30 a.m. (Cafeteria)
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Tuesday, December 11th - School Garden “Green” Committee Meeting, 8:00 a.m. (Ms. Harris’ classroom)
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Thursday, December 13th - Winter Band Concert, 7:00 p.m.
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Friday, December 14th - Three Hour Early Dismissal, 1:00 p.m.
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Monday, December 17th - 5th and 6th Grade Strings Concert, 7:00 p.m.
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Monday, December 24th - Friday, January 4th, 2019 - Winter Break
Winter break, December 24, 2018-January 4, 2019; Spring Break, April 15-19, 2019; and the last day of school, June 13, 2019.
Visit the Willow Springs Elementary PTA website.
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