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Dear Wakefield Forest Families,
It was so exciting to have our first full week of direct instruction. We experienced excellent attendance. If staff did not see your child in the direct instruction, they will be reaching out. We want to make sure we are connecting with each of our students in one way or another. We truly miss all of our students.
I was able to see so many wonderful lessons across our school last week; it brought joy to my heart to see teachers doing what they were made to do. Our staff have accomplished so much in such a short time and instruction continues to improve every day. I am loving the collaboration across our teams, where they are learning from each other. We will continue to reflect on our distance learning plan throughout this process and use those reflections to improve.
Each of us is affected by COVID-19 in different ways, but we are all impacted. The Wakefield Forest staff has done an amazing job of jumping into distance learning during a time of national crisis. The staff have set up a space in their homes and welcomed your children. They have developed lessons based on what they have in their homes and what they can scour from the internet. They have put on a bright smile during the lessons, even when their own children, significant others, or pets needed their attention. They love your children. Thank you for expressing your appreciation for their dedication and compassion.
This is a video compilation created by third grade teacher, Kelsey Dolinger: https://youtu.be/JfXBkqeCsJM
Grab tissues before you watch; I know I needed them.
Sharyn Prindle
Principal
Access to Non-essential Items
Wakefield Forest is closed based on the Governor’s Order and Health Department restrictions, with the exception of activities designated as essential. At this time FCPS has not yet developed a plan for returning non-essential items to families. When more information is available, we will let you know. If there is an urgent need, please email me directly at sbprindle@fcps.edu.
Attendance
During the direct instruction sessions, WFES staff will be taking attendance and entering it into our online system. This is to allow us to know which students we need to follow up with. We do understand that not all families can attend the direct instruction sessions. There is no need to email the WFES attendance line or your teacher if your child will not participate in the live session.
Kindergarten Registration
Schools remain closed to families; however, if you have a student to register for next year, please scan a copy of all required documents to our School Registrar, Ms. Holmes, at KSHolmes@fcps.edu. Original documents will need to be shown prior to the start of the school year, but we can begin processing this information from scanned documents. Early registration for next year is important as it supports the number of teachers for which we are staffed. Information on required registration documents can be found here: https://www.fcps.edu/registration . Please direct any questions about registration to Ms. Holmes.
"Intention for Next School Year" Forms
For membership and staffing purposes, we would like to hear from families who are not returning to Wakefield Forest in August for the 20-21 school year. If you are returning, please do not worry about turning in the form. If your children (K-5) will not be attending WFES in the fall, please email Ms. Holmes directly at KSHolmes@fcps.edu and let her know.
Distance Learning Materials
Parents can opt-out of receiving paper packets by clicking here. All packets will be available on FCPS 24-7 Learning at least one week in advance of the next week's instruction.
Math and Language Arts Distance Learning Lessons broadcast on Apple 21 can now be accessed by teachers and students on demand. To view, go to Fairfax County Public Schools Distance Learning on YouTube and subscribe. Playlists are arranged by grade level (for math) and content (for language arts).
Content can also be accessed on the FCPS Apple 21 cable television channel and is streaming at https://www.fcps.edu/news-features-and-events/cable-tv/cable-tv-guide.
Mental Health Support
If you are seeking supports for working with your child during this time, there are some at this link towards the end of the webpage: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/distance-learning/instruction/learning-at-home
We understand that this is a stressful time for students and families. If your child needs a check in from a member of our mental health team, please complete this survey and one of our staff will reach out.
Additionally, the FCPS Parent Resource Center is offering a Wellness Webinar Friday, May 8:
Maintaining our own mental health and wellness during this time can be challenging, let alone supporting our children and family members. The first step to taking care of our families, is to take care of ourselves.
Webinar Highlights:
- Strategies for maintaining wellness for self and family
- How to talk to my child about COVID-19
- Activities that will foster resilience during this time
- What does stress look like in children?
- Resources to support my child
Presented by Bethany Koszelak, Mental Wellness Specialist for FCPS.
Friday, May 8, 2020, 10 a.m.- noon.
Register for Maintaining Wellness and School Supports During COVID-19: A Webinar for Families
Due to last week’s pause in teacher-led “live” instruction, the third quarter has been extended until Friday, May 1, 2020. Students will work with their teachers to make up third quarter missing/incomplete assignments and complete reassessments by May 1, 2020.
ParentVUE/StudentVUE access will be turned off to allow for teachers to enter grades from Thursday, April 23 through Friday, May 8. Grades will be available in ParentVUE/StudentVUE on Saturday, May 9.
Report card mailings to all parents/guardians who have not opted into electronic delivery will begin on May 12, 2020.
More information about grading and reporting for the remainder of the school year will be available later this week.
Specialists
Our wonderful specialist team has been posting materials in the student Blackboard account under the specialist tab.
Library Books
Please enjoy your school library books at home. No books are overdue, and they can be returned when the school building re-opens. Happy Reading!
Yearbooks
Yearbooks can be ordered online through May 1, 2020. Once completed, the yearbooks will be delivered to the school and we will determine a plan for distribution. If you would like to confirm that you did submit a check to WFES before March 13, please email Julia Ruskin at jsruskin@fcps.edu . Ms. Ruskin has a list of names that she took off orders that were sent from the office; she cannot confirm online orders.
Go to www.scherlingschoolpics.com
Click Order Pictures and Yearbooks
Enter code: FM111429
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