Westlawn Family Message
We had a terrific first week of school!
September 13, 2020
Keeping Westlawn Families Informed
Dear Westlawn Families,
We loved welcoming our students back to school this week! We want to thank you for your support, patience and positivity as we start school in the virtual setting. Overall, we have had an excellent start and will continue to solve any challenges that Back-to-School Night on Wednesday evening.
In partnership,
Tim Stanley, Interim Principal
Stephanie Carpenter, Assistant Principal
Christoph Hill, Assistant Principal
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Classroom Links for Learning
Teachers will send links for students to join online classes through their fcps gmail. This account is (STUDENTID#)@fcpsschools.net.
Links for Google Meets will be posted in the teachers’ Google Classroom.
MONDAY Virtual Schedule - 8:45-11:45am
Purpose
- Provide ALL students an opportunity to have access to teachers with an emphasis on students who need additional supports
- All students will be expected to complete assigned asynchronous tasks
- Tasks may include assignments such as practice activities, readings, projects, research, viewing videos, assessments, computer programs, etc.
All Students
- Participate in morning meeting and teachers take attendance
- Have access to an extension/enrichment opportunities
- Have access to their classroom teacher for questions about Monday asynchronous work during the synchronous instruction in the morning.
Some Students
- Will have more direct instruction from teachers based on needs
ATTENDANCE
Teachers will be taking attendance each day to ensure that all students are counted and able to participate in class. Just like in-person school procedures, we ask that parents contact the school whenever their child is not able to participate in class, or is going to be late joining the class, due to an appointment for example.
If your child needs to participate in their academic day asynchronously, please contact the school and provide the reason. Asynchronous participation will require principal approval to count towards attendance.
There are two ways to report your child’s absence, late arrival to class, or the need for asynchronous participation:
- (Preferred method) Visit the Westlawn website and click on “Attendance”. Complete the information requested. https://westlawnes.fcps.edu/attendance-form
- Call the attendance line at 703.241.5151 and leave the information requested. Reporting must be done by 9:00am. Both on line and phone reporting are available 24/7.
For students who are marked absent and no notification is received from the parent, attendance is considered “unverified”. The FCPS attendance system will perform an automated “call out” to parents of unverified students sometime after 5:00pm. Should you receive the call, please report the reason for absence using one of the methods above. Should you have any questions, please feel to contact the main office at 703.241.5100.
Food Distribution During the School Year
Tuesday, September 8 - December 31, 2020
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Office of Food and Nutrition Services is offering healthy breakfast and lunches at locations throughout Fairfax County this school year under the USDA National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.
Breakfasts and lunches are prepared fresh daily with high quality ingredients by a dedicated team of trained food service professionals. Our grab and go meals are tasty, well-balanced, and contain protein, whole grains, fruits and/or vegetables, and low-fat or fat-free milk. The meals are planned by registered dietitian nutritionists.
Monday - Friday: Breakfast and lunch will be available to pick up at the same time. Meals will be served at some school sites and on bus routes throughout the county. All FCPS students (regardless of age) are eligible for free grab and go breakfast and lunch, as well as other county children, under the age of 18. Adults picking up meals for children should let staff know how many children's meals they need. Adults may pay $2 for the meals as well.
6:25-6:35am Bus Stop with Meals at Westlawn Elementary School
8:00-12:30pm Falls Church High School - Curbside Pick Up: Walk or Drive Up
As a reminder, it is important to follow social distancing guidelines. Be sure to stand a minimum of 6 feet apart from others and practice regular hand washing, including prior to leaving a residence to pick-up meals, upon returning home, and before consuming food.
Laptop & MiFi Distribution - by appointment only
If your child still needs a laptop or a MiFi device to access virtual learning, please contact Yasmin Naldo at 703-241-5101.
Registration - by appointment only
If your family needs help with registration, free and reduced lunch applications or you need to drop paperwork off at school, please email Siliva Caballero to set up an appointment: scaballero@fcps.edu.
Back to School Night - 6:30-8:00pm (updated time): Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Westlawn’s virtual “Back To School Night” will be held on Wednesday, September 16. We will hold two identical sessions, families may attend the session that suits your schedule the best.
Session 1: 6:30 - 7:10pm
Session 2: 7:20 - 8:00pm
During this time, each grade level will share information about the curriculum, learning expectations in a virtual environment. Teachers will also share family resources to help your child be successful.
- You will receive an email from your child’s teacher the day of Back To School Night with the link to access the presentation
- Google Meets - Families MUST log in through student’s email
- Grade level teams will be presenting together
- Sessions will be recorded and shared with families
What to Expect at Back to School Night
- Video message from Principal & School Board
- Overview of curriculum
- Attendance guidelines, schedules, procedures, and routines
- Review grading practices and assessments
- Communication Plan for families (how will teacher communicate with parents); weekly email/newsletters, videos, office hours, Remind, Talking Points
- Expectations for Virtual Learning & how to support your child at home
Westlawn has Special Supplies for Learning at Home!
Westlawn teachers and staff have ordered special supplies for all students at Westlawn to support learning at home! The supplies include materials for art classes, books for every child to read and special supplies from their teachers. Supplies will be delivered to bus stops and through the Westlawn Kiss & Ride. Additional information to come later this week.
iReady Universal Screener Assessment
Universal screening gives teachers information about strengths and needs in students’ basic reading and mathematics skills. Gaps in basic skills are the root of many later learning difficulties. Early detection and intervention in these gaps can help students reach their potential. In FCPS, we use i-Ready as our Universal Screener. All students will participate in this screener. More information and tips can be found here: https://www.fcps.edu/us
iReady assessments are scheduled for Mondays so they do not interfere with classroom instruction. Teachers will share links to the assessment and supports for students taking the assessment independently at home in the coming weeks.
Westlawn iReady Assessment Schedule
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First Grade - Sixth Grade
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iReady Math
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September 28
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First Grade - Sixth Grade
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iReady Reading
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October 5
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Kindergarten
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iReady Reading
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October 26
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IMPORTANT FORMS SENT HOME
If you have not already done so, please be sure to review the forms and return those requested in the instructions. The Emergency Care Form and the Health Information Form must be returned.
The Military Connected Form, Homeless Student Referral Form and FLE Opt-out form are to be returned ONLY if applicable.
- Mail the forms back to the school: 3200 Westley Road, Falls Church VA 22042
- Drop the forms off at the school office. Call-ahead is required.
Should you have any questions regarding the forms, please contact the school office at 703-251-5100 and we will be glad to assist you.
Action Needed: SR&R Updates and SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form
Parents and guardians, please review the Student Rights and Responsibilities and related resources at www.fcps.edu/srr. After reviewing the information, fill out the SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form using the following link:
SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form (All links should be opened in Google Chrome.) The form must be filled out one time per student.
Parent Technology Help Desk
To support our families, we have launched a Parent Technology Help Desk to assist parents with technology concerns. This should allow our classroom instructors and support staff to remain focused on instruction during the school day. If a student or parent indicates they are having tech problems, please refer them to the help desk: 1-833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS).
New Technology Tips
To help prepare students for a successful a virtual start to the school year, parents are asked to ensure children have the tools and connectivity that will be needed. Please help your school’s technology team prepare devices to receive county updates by asking students to do the following once per week until mid September:
- Plug the laptop into an outlet.
- Turn the laptop on and let it boot up.
- Login to ensure it connects to the internet at that location.
- Launch Google Chrome and visit the FCPS website to ensure the internet is connected on the computer.
- Leave the laptop on and connected to the internet for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, the laptop may be turned off.
Permission to Opt in To Technology (county guidance)
Action Item: Complete a Digital Resource Consent Form
Each year, we collect permission from parents to use certain digital resources with students. Usually this permission is collected via a paper form sent home with students at the beginning of the year, but due to virtual learning this year, the form is now electronic. The form to complete is located here, and the list of electronic resources that may be used by your child’s teacher is available here on our website. You can access the form using your child’s ID number and either your email address or phone number. If you have any questions about the specific resources used by your child’s teacher, we encourage you to contact that teacher. If you have any questions about accessing the form, please call our main office.
Health Documentation Requirements Extended to October 8, 2020
As SY 2020-2021 will begin virtually for all students, FCPS will allow additional time for families to obtain the necessary documentation for the required immunizations, tuberculosis screenings, physicals and Tdap. These requirements are outlined in Section 22.1-271.2 and Section 32.1-46 of the Code of Virginia.
For newly enrolling students not meeting the Code of Virginia requirements, FCPS will provide provisional access to virtual learning only. Students will not be permitted to access “in school” instruction without meeting all compliance requirements and providing their school with documentation of immunizations, tuberculosis screenings and physicals and Tdap. All requirements must be met by October 8, 2020.
A Message from Westlawn PTA
Dear Westlawn Families,
Welcome back to a new school year at Westlawn Elementary School! I am extremely excited to serve as your PTA President this year. I have 2 daughters – Grace is in 4th grade and Lillian is in 2nd grade. As I begin this 2nd (and final) year as your PTA president, I am uncertain of what this new school year will look like and how PTA will be supporting the needs of our students. What I do know is that the need for the support is still there. Now, more than ever, our students need PTA advocates in their corner.
As with everything in 2020, this school year will be different. Our children will be starting the year virtually, and whether your child will be returning to school mid-year or continuing to learn from home, please know that the PTA will be here to offer our support. It is our goal to make sure that there is still as strong school-community connection no matter where our students are this year. Access to campus is restricted at this time which means that many of the programs and events that the PTA typically sponsors will need to be modified. Our PTA meetings will be held virtually. While this is different than what we are used to, I am excited to have the opportunity to welcome parents and members who, under normal circumstances, could not attend.
PTA membership and dues support your child by funding essential educational and curriculum needs; advocating on behalf of children and educators at the local state and national levels; and building an inclusive school community for all families. I invite you to join the PTA for your child because increasing our membership makes it possible to provide important educational resources, speak up on important issues, and create a stronger school community. There is no right or wrong way to be involved – anything you can give, whether time or money, will support your child’s potential. Please visit https://westlawnpta.memberhub.com/store to become a member for this school year.
I am confident that our Westlawn Community will come together to make this an amazing school year! I look forward to meeting you all as we work together to support the students and staff at Westlawn.
Sincerely,
Lesia Lampton
PTA President – Westlawn Elementary School
PTA Board
President – Lesia Lampton
Vice President – Nicole Britton
Treasurer – Sabrina Rodas
Secretary – Christine Lusk and David Jones
We hope you continue to stay safe, remain healthy and stay positive in spirit. We are so excited to see you all at Back to School Night!
~Westlawn Administrative Team
Tim Stanley, Interim Principal, Stephanie Carpenter, Assistant Principal and Christoph Hill, Assistant Principal
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