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September 7, 2020
Dear families,
We hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! It was wonderful seeing so many of our students and families during our Virtual Willow Welcome last Thursday. In case you were unable to attend, please know that teachers will provide families with the information that was shared, and we invite you to view our admin welcome message.
We are beyond excited to welcome all of our students back to school tomorrow. This is going to be an amazing year, as we learn and grow together. We are committed to ensuring a positive and engaging learning experience for all of our students as we kick off the 2020-2021 school year.
Our school day will begin at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow, and our teachers and staff are excited to welcome students into their BBCU homerooms. Please remember to have your child check their fcpsschools Gmail account for all BBCU links. We suggest that students log in to their BBCU homeroom a few minutes before 9:00 a.m. to ensure their link(s) are working and there are no connectivity issues.
We will have staff available to support families throughout our school days, and assist with technology-related questions or any other questions you might have. If you need assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's homeroom teacher, our main office staff, and/or our admin team. If you have difficulty accessing BBCU inks in the morning, please call our main office at 703-679-6000.
We look forward to your partnership, and we are excited for our Willow Family to start the 2020-2021 school year together! #WillowPride
Sincerely,
Dylan Taylor, Principal
Lesley Hassen, Assistant Principal
Ipsa Stringer, Assistant Principal
WSES Staff Commitments Around Equity, Anti-Racism, and Cultural Proficiency
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
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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
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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, please contact our main office at 703-679-6000 to schedule a pick up time.
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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.
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| 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 |
WSES Virtual Staff Bitmoji 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 |
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Tuesday, September 8 School Begins; First Day of School
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Monday, October 12 Indigenous People's Day - Student Holiday
2020-21 Standard School Year Calendar
Visit the Willow Springs Elementary PTA website.
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