Willow Springs Elementary School

March 1, 2020

Calendar Reminder: Schools Closed on Tuesday, March 3 As a reminder, schools will be closed for students on Tuesday, March 3, for the presidential primary election, which will be a school planning day for staff members. Classes will resume on Wednesday, March 4. See the complete 2019-20 school calendar

WSES Math Night Thursday, March 12th 6:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.

Willow Springs is excited to announce the next family learning night focused on MATH!  Mark your calendar for Thursday, March 12th, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.  There will be a variety of teacher-led sessions to attend, math games, and food trucks.  Join us for a fun night of math and learn some strategies to help support your child with math at home.

We appreciate our custodial team!

February 17 - 21 was National School Custodian Week! We appreciate our custodial team for the countless hours, hard work, and dedication they give to making each and every day special for us here at Willow Springs! Here are a few things our community had to say when asked about Cesar, Han, Emilio, Sonia, Rosa, and Acela:

Your big smiles brighten my day.

Thank you never seems to be enough for all you do.

You're always there to help with whatever we need.

We are so lucky to have caring people on our team! We value you!

Our school is beautiful because of you!

Open now through March 13, 2020 to students in grades K-12.

The Doodle for Google Contest has kicked off for 2020. The theme this year is "I show kindness by..." For the contest, students use their imagination to create a google doodle based on what kindness means to them. These links provide more information and a short clip from Jimmy Fallon revealing last year’s winner. Two years ago the winner was a first grader!

The contest is open now through March 13, 2020 to students in grades K-12.  There will be a state winner from each state/territory, national finalists, and one final national winner. A few WSES foxes have already begun to formulate ideas about how they are going to begin their doodle for Google! There are very exciting prizes waiting to be won!

If you have any questions or if your child is interested in participating, please feel free to contact Mrs. Murray at saguidicemur@fcps.edu.  She is happy to help guide, answer questions, or give feedback.

How it works

Contest form

Prizes

Last Year's winner

Positivity Project

This week we learned about enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the ability to bring life and excitement to different situations. Those who demonstrate zest and enthusiasm bring energy and a level of intensity to individual and group work.  People with enthusiasm and zest are happy, but this strength goes beyond happiness or pleasure, it is associated with self-realization and autonomy. Enthusiasm is a strength that has strong connotations with both physical and mental vitality and well-being.

Beginning Monday, we'll learn about cheering others' successes. This means that when other people succeed, you are happy for them, cheer them on, and celebrate with them. Being happy for other people when they succeed isn’t always everyone’s initial reaction. Often, it’s easy to become jealous or envious of others’ victories. However, making a commitment towards cheering on other people’s successes can be a great way to improve our own health, happiness, and relationships. Are you a cheerleader for others? Do you like it when other people cheer for you?

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up."

-Mark Twain

FCPS Outstanding Employee Honors Awards Willow Springs Elementary proudly recognizes our Fairfax Pyramid winners for Outstanding New Teacher and Outstanding Leader!

Outstanding New Teacher School Pyramid Winners

Outstanding Operational Employee School Pyramid Winners

Outstanding Leader School Pyramid Winners

Congrats Alison & Lesley!!! Good luck at the regional level. We will receive news on region winners for these categories sometime in March.

Region 5 Outstanding Elementary Teacher Named for 2020

Makenzie Mikesell from Willow Springs Elementary has been named the Region 5 Outstanding Elementary Teacher for 2020 Thomas Lambert from Chantilly High has been named the Region 5 Outstanding Secondary Teacher for 2020 Sharron Wooden from Poplar Tree Elementary has been named the Region 5 Outstanding Professional Employee for 2020

Kindergarten Registration for 2020-21 Is Open

If you have a child who will reach the age of five on or before September 30, 2020, they are eligible to attend kindergarten at Willow Springs for the 2020-21 school year if they live within the school boundary. Visit the Willow Springs Website (scroll down to Student Registration) to see the forms and documents necessary for registration.

Please sign up for a registration appointment and reserve a space for the orientation session soon.

Student registrations have a direct impact on teacher staffing, so the sooner registrations take place the better able we are to staff accordingly. Please call 703-679-6071 or email Liz Flaherty with any questions.

Lanier MS Hosts Principal's Coffee

Rising 7th Grade Lanier Families You're Invited March 19th & April 16th 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Lanier Middle School is inviting rising 7^th grade families to attend Principal’s Coffee (or tea!) on:

March 19^th and April 16^th from 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. in the school’s library.  Please visit the SignUpGenius link to RSVP. 

Parent Resource Corner Tip Sheet for Elementary Parents: Raise a Responsible Student Who Takes School Seriously

One of your child’s biggest responsibilities is being a good student. Doing well in school is a key to a satisfying life! It’s hard to imagine paying bills without knowing math, for example, or voting in an election without understanding history.

To be effective students, kids must take the job seriously—and that requires family support. To encourage your child to be a responsible student:

• Make learning a priority. Explore the world together. Visit the library, try new foods and take nature walks. Play board games that build thinking, math and reading skills. Show your child that learning is fun.
• Teach perseverance. Kids need encouragement to keep trying when homework and other tasks are tough. When your child is tempted to give up, provide guidance and a positive outlook: “Let’s review the instructions again. I know you can do this!” Compliment effort and progress.
• Enforce routines. Children need help creating and sticking with routines that lead to success, such as going to bed, waking up, reading and studying at the same times each day.
• Wonder together. Instead of providing answers, let your child take charge of finding them sometimes. If he or she asks you, “Who was the second president?” show him or her how to look up the answer. Use his or her questions as opportunities to learn about other things, too. “I wonder who the second vice president was. Let’s go online and see if we can find out.”

Copyright 2020, the Parent Institute. Learn about the resources available to help support your child's education.

Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) WatchDOGS are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other father-figures who volunteer for at least one day each year.

Thank you to all the dads that were able to join us during our first semester of Watch D.O.G.S. Our next session will continue through Friday, May 1. If you would like to become one of our fabulous Dads of Great Students, please click here to sign up, or contact Jason Fullen at jfullen@gmail.com to see what days are still available.

Please “like” our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Willow-Springs-Elementary-Watch-DOGS-114349693260613/

"Stay Healthy. Wash Your Hands!"

#ffxhealthykids

Washing your hands is the best way to stop germs from spreading. When kids come in contact with germs, they can become sick just by touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. Once they are ill, it is usually just a matter of time before the rest of the family gets sick. When your family is healthy, you don't need to worry about missing school, work, or other activities. For effective handwashing, follow these simple steps: wet, lather, scrub for 20 seconds, rinse, dry. When taught early, handwashing can become a lifelong healthy habit. Children learn by modeling behaviors of adults. When you make handwashing part of your routine, you set an example for your children to follow. For more information, click here. 

Submitting your photos for the yearbook just got easier! We are excited to announce that this year we are using Shutterfly Share Sites to collect pictures to be considered for our yearbook.

Do you have a special photo that you would like to see in our yearbook? Share it today! https://wsesyearbook.shutterfly.com

In order to join the site you need to sign up for a Shutterfly account if you don't have one already. Once you have been added to the site, you can add photos to an existing album or create a new one. New albums should have a title that clearly describes the circumstance or activity. We encourage you to provide any relevant photo details including student and teacher names, grade, and event description. For existing photos please feel free to add tags, comments, etc.

Shutterfly also offers a free downloadable Share Sites app for iPhone and Android, which will allow you to share photos to the WSES Yearbook Share Site directly from your phone!

Thank you for contributing to our yearbook! #WillowPride

SOL Testing Schedule Willow Springs Elementary Spring 2020

The Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests are required of all students in Grades 3-8 across the state by the Virginia Department of Education. SOL tests measure the extent to which students have learned the content and skills specified in the Virginia SOLs. In order to assist your spring planning, the SOL schedule is listed below. Please avoid appointments that will take your child out of school during testing.

May 2020

Electronics Device Policy During SOL Testing

VDOE and Fairfax County Public Schools have an electronic device policy which is to be followed during all SOL testing. To maintain test security, the possession of these devices (e.g., cell phones/mobile communication devices, Apple Watch, FitBit) in the testing room is prohibited. If a student is discovered with a prohibited electronic device while in a test environment, the student’s test will be stopped, the electronic device will be confiscated, and the student will be removed from the test environment. School administrators, consistent with the Acceptable Use Policy and Student Rights and Responsibilities, have authority to search the “item of personal belonging” (e.g., the cell phone or mobile device) if it is believed to contain evidence of a violation of school regulations (in this case, cheating). School administrators have the right to apply school-based consequences based upon their investigation of the situation. Please talk to your student about the electronic device policy and the serious consequences of violating it.

Please stop by the Lost and Found before Wednesday, March 4th! We're packing up and donating items left behind!

Are your children missing any clothing? Please stop by to take a look if you are missing something before 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4. After March 4th, anything left will be packed up and donated.

Parents please write your child’s first and last name on the inside of personal items to ensure they can be returned to your child!

Looking Ahead

• March 2-6 –  Read Across America Spirit Week!
• March 2 –  Wear your t-shirt to show "Oh the Places You'll Go" (see flyer above)
• March 3 –  Teacher Workday; No School for Students
• March 12 – WSES Family Math Night 6:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
• March 17 – WSES SCA Spirit Day: Wear Green for St. Patrick's Day
• March 20 – Spirit Night; Centreville HS, Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
• April 6-10 – Spring Break; Student and Staff Holiday
• April 13 – Teacher Workday; No School for Students
• June 1 – Strings Concert at Centreville High School Gym at 7:00 p.m.

FCPS 2019-20 School Year Calendar

Did you know that you can submit an FCPS cares for an employee? We invite you to submit your story about a staff member who goes above and beyond. Share the good work that goes on here at WSES by submitting an FCPS Cares. This is a great way to share positive feedback.

Visit the Willow Springs Elementary PTA website.

5400 Willow Springs School Road Fairfax, VA  22030 | Phone: 703.679.6000
Attendance: 703.679.6066 | Web | Twitter