Willow Springs Elementary School

September 2, 2020

WSES staff photo

Thank you to our 5th grade teachers, Ms. Li and Ms. Mott for creating our virtual staff photo.

Virtual Willow Welcome: 9/3 @ 3:00 p.m.

welcome

We are so exited to host our Virtual Willow Welcome, Thursday, September 3rd, from 3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Our teachers and staff have worked hard to prepare information and activities for our students during this time. This is an opportunity to meet and reconnect with teachers and staff as we kick-off this new school year.

Please use your child's personalized BBCU link to access their homeroom class. These personalized links were sent to students' FCPS gmail accounts.   

If you experience any difficulty accessing your child's links or virtual classroom, please contact our main office at 703-679-6000. 


WSES Staff Commitments Around Equity, Anti-Racism, and Cultural Proficiency

equity

Throughout these first few weeks, we have reconnected with WHY we chose education and we have discussed our personal and professional commitments for this school year. As a school, we will keep equity at the center of our work, and ensure students and staff feel that they are welcomed, they belong, and they are valued members of the WSES community.

Please watch and listen to our FlipGrid videos as our teachers and staff have taken a moment to share with you (our students, community, and one another) their commitment around equity, anti-racism, and cultural proficiency.    
We know that this important work cannot be done alone as we advocate for our children. It is time to shift the system and respond to our call to action. As stated by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, "To do nothing is to allow for the maintenance of racism."

Click here to access the FCPS Equity and Cultural Responsiveness website.

#FCPSCall2Action #StoriesMatter #WillowPride


Required Return to School Forms

Every school year we collect vital information from our Willow Springs families during the first few days of school. Please read and open this for these important forms. If you are able, we encourage your family to complete and submit the forms digitally (when possible). Thank you in advance for your cooperation in helping us obtain this information prior to the start of our school year.

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Parental Consent for Digital Resources

This year, our teachers will use a variety of digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. You can find our school’s list of the resources that require parental consent by clicking here.

Included on this page is also a link to a form where the enrolling parent or guardian will need to indicate whether or not their child is allowed to use the list of digital resources this year. This page also provides more information about how FCPS carefully reviews digital resources for approval and why we must request your consent before using certain tools. We encourage you to complete the parental consent for digital resources form as soon as possible, as your child will not be able to use the digital resources until we have received your permission. Please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher if you have questions or concerns about the digital resources we’ve chosen to use this year.


WSES Laptop Distribution 

Were you out of town or unavailable to pick up your child's laptop? Have you decide that your child(ren) would like to use an FCPS device this year?

In the event you were unable to attend our laptop distribution, there will be two more opportunities this week, Thursday and Friday, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

If you are unable to pick up your child's laptop Thursday or Friday, please contact our main office at 703-679-6000 to schedule a pick up time.

laptop

Lennon with 2 students looking at iPad

Tech Related Questions? 

Please reach out to Sarah Lennon, School-Based Technology Specialist, at selennon@fcps.edu or stop by her virtual office on Wednesdays, 9-10 a.m. or 8-9 p.m. located at https://tinyurl.com/sbtshours.


WSES Virtual Vocabulary

Fox Den Specialized Instruction WSES Instructional Staff will facilitate small groups with students for targeted instruction, intervention, and/or enrichment. *Specialized learning opportunities vary by need. Students will be invited for portions of this block of time, as well as continue their family choice activities and/or asynchronous work assigned by teacher.
Synchronous Instruction Live instruction led by a teacher using a digital platform
Asynchronous Instruction Independent work provided by teachers. May include online programs such as: STMath, Wixie, Imagine Learning, Google Suite applications, etc.
Intervention Small group instruction targeted for specific skills
Enrichment Activities provided to supplement or extend instruction
Lunch/Choice Activity One-hour period for lunch and a screen break.
Examples: playing outside, going for a walk, playing with siblings, board games, craft projects, etc.
BBCU Blackboard Collaborate Ultra is our primary digital platform through which students will engage in live instruction

 


#PositivityInAction

P2

We are very excited to again partner with the Positivity Project this school year. The Positivity Project (P2) is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering students to build strong relationships and to understand, appreciate, and exemplify character strengths in us all.

This summer, the Positivity Project announced that they are transitioning to a new hashtag and motto #PositivityInAction.

We will use the updated hashtag in future communications and #PositivityInAction will be displayed in our virtual classroom and in our school building.


WSES Virtual Staff Bitmoji Photo

WSES staff photo

 

Back Row: Kim Trogdon, Amanda McCabe, Nate Silvis, Mary Pat Peri, Krystal Styles, Michelle Berra, Misty Mukherjee, Milena Heslep, Alison Willison, Maya Sivels, Laura Chami, Alice McGinty, Bonnie Miskovich, Mary McGrath, Alecia Carroll, Carley Fisher-Maltese, Lisa Eichinger, Olga Rosen, Ramica Westbrook, Logan Williams, Jen Simonds, Laura Mathias, Marc Campen

Third Row: Tanya Vila, Mike Doon, Laura Baker, Lee Ann Konstantinov, Christine Li, Alexis Weissman, John Mays, Lou Lanzas, Grazyna Adamczyk, Jess Boger, Ryan McGeary, Tamela Shelton, Carol Stovall, Gunjan Sapkota, Frank Spicer, Kathy VanHorne, Annie Park, Kimberly Burgoyne, Charles Bullen, Eleanor Aban, Sarita Crowe, Amy Bay, Gen Thompson

Second Row: Amy Hurley, Hilary Stough, Kristin Creek, Karen Hendricks, Ashley Wells, Bethany Peck, Riley Holman, Emily Scarpone, Derek Burda, Jean Naka, Michelle Holland, Renata Claudio, Haemin Shin, Michael McRae, Natalie Cropper, Irene Hong, Sherri Miller, Adam Yeany, Michele Panczyszyn, Angela Lee, Jane Betsill, Megan Mott, Amanda Seminario, Sarah Lennon, Kate Cain

Front Row: Razan Chaar, Diana Martin, Linda White, Cesar Carrasco, Lauren O’Connor, Lynne Harris, Karen McGuire, Alexa Nicholas, Flori Stavros, Sandy Murray, Liz Flaherty, Lesley Hassen, WILLOW the Fox, Dylan Taylor, Ipsa Stringer, Ashley Raymond, Kim Hamilton, Michelle Bochenek, Angie Young, Rita Barkouk, Karen Rice, Preeti Iyer, Brandy O’Bryant, Lauren Rodriguez, Sean McLaughlin, Jane Miller


Looking Ahead at WSES

Willow Fox Mascot
  • Thursday, September 3 Virtual Willow Welcome at 3:00 p.m.
  • Tuesday, September 8 School Begins; First Day of School
  • Monday, October 12 Indigenous People's Day - Student Holiday

2020-21 Standard School Year Calendar


twitter logo

Follow WSES On Twitter @WSESfox For The Latest News And Updates


PTA

Visit the Willow Springs Elementary PTA website.