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December 6, 2020
 Ms. Wells' class celebrated school spirit with a drawing tutorial of foxes. #WillowPride
Dear Willow Springs families,
We hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving break!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the FCPS Employee Honors nomination process! This is a wonderful way to honor our dedicated employees who make our wonderful school the very best it can be. You’re invited to please take a moment and cast your ballot. It would mean a lot to our educators who give so much of themselves every day to have your support.
Next week we have something special to highlight as well! Since we live in a world increasingly dependent on technology, we know that whatever career path our students choose to pursue, their ability to understand how technology works will play a significant role in them reaching their potential. Right now, across the country only a tiny fraction of students are actually learning how technology works, and only 35% of all high schools offer courses in computer science! So, to give our students a jump-start WSES is joining in the Hour of Code, during Computer Science Education Week (December 7-11). What can you do as a parent to support this? Make learning to code a family event! Visit https://hourofcode.com/us/learn for details and try out some coding activities with your child. Show off your family coding skills by sharing a family selfie via Twitter to @WSESfox and use the hashtag #HourOFCode and #WillowPride. We can’t wait to see what you all come up with!
Dylan Taylor, Principal
Lesley Hassen, Assistant Principal
Ipsa Stringer, Assistant Principal
Quick Links:
National Inclusive Schools Week
December 7-11, 2020
Inclusive Schools Week (ISW) is an annual event held each year during the first full week in December. Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population.
This year’s Inclusive Schools Week theme is Charting the Course for Inclusive Schools. The theme for Inclusive Schools Week provides educators, students, parents, schools, agencies, and communities with the opportunity to think about our current philosophies and practices regarding inclusion and to plan for “next steps” in the process.
Learn more about Inclusive Education in FCPS
Please visit the Inclusive Schools Network website for additional ideas on how to celebrate Inclusive Schools Week.
National Computer Science (CS) Education Week
December 7-13, 2020
This year it features an entire virtual week of children's activities, family nights, speakers, and educators' sessions. See the schedule for the week of activities and events at CodeVirginia.org.
CS Education Week is an opportunity to integrate computer science, computational thinking, and coding skills in grades PreK-12. Explore CodeVA resources and register for events. Engage students in Hour of Code activities.
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WSES Virtual Library Book Fair
We are excited to share that our library is hosting a virtual book fair from December 2nd - December 16th. We are partnering with Bookworm Central once again, a local company in Manassas. All orders over $30 will ship directly to your home with free shipping. You can find new releases, games for the whole family, teacher wish lists, and more on our site. You can click on the green box above to access the site. While you should wait until December 2nd to access the site, please check out the flyers below.
Don’t see what you are looking for? Contact Amy Hurley at achurley@fcps.edu for help.
Primary Book Flyer
Elementary Book Flyer
Curbside Library Book Pickup
Our next curbside pickup is Monday, December 8th. To select books, you have to place holds in Destiny Discover (log in using the blue side or click here to see directions for placing a hold) by Thursday, December 3rd. Families should receive a generated email on the 4th to select a pickup time if the books selected are available. Students in grades 3-6 receive the email in their school Gmail accounts, while lower grades will have the email sent to the enrolling parent. Be sure to check your junk mail for these email notices. Please email Amy Hurley at achurley@fcps.edu if we need to make other arrangements for you to receive the library books. If you would like library books but missed the curbside pickup deadline, please email us, and we will get the books to you before Winter Break.
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We're Here to Support You
Willow Springs aims to support students and their families throughout the school year. We are seeking family input to help us identify and support specific family needs. Our goal is to use the information to try and connect families with school and community resources. Please click on the following link to access our Family Needs Assessment form if applicable:https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B4AA5A62DAAFD0-community
If you are a Willow Springs family that would like to help some of our community members for the holidays by providing gift cards, please email one of the following staff members:
- Michael McRae, school social worker- MBMcRae@fcps.edu
- Tamela Shelton, school counselor- TMShelton@fcps.edu
- Amanda Seminario, school counselor- AASeminario@fcps.edu
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FCPS Outstanding Employee Honors Awards Voting |
Thank you to everyone who participated in the nomination process. Now it is time to vote! Select one staff member per category when you cast your ballot. The categories are as follows:
- Outstanding Teacher
- Outstanding New Teacher
- Outstanding Professional Employee
Voting ends Friday, December 11th at 4:00 p.m. Please click the link below to vote!
WILLOW SPRINGS FCPS AWARDS BALLOT
Important Voting Rules/Reminders:
- Please only vote once.
- This voting link is for WSES community members and staff only. Please do not share this link with family members, friends, or on social media outlets.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Willow Springs Award Liaison at krstyles@fcps.edu.
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Congratulations to Karen Rice, our school winner for Outstanding Operational Employee! She will now move on to the Pyramid level for voting. |
Restart Your FCPS Issued Computer Daily
If you have an FCPS issued student computer, please be sure to restart your computer daily. This will ensure that updates are applied and will help with the speed of the computer. To restart your computer, click on the Start Button, click on the Power symbol, and choose Restart. Please DO NOT click on Shutdown; this will not restart the computer and apply updates.
Parent/Student Tech Support Portal
To support families who are working with their children during distance learning, Fairfax County Public Schools is launching a new Parent Technology Help Desk. The number is 1-833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS). It will be answered by staff 7 a.m.to 11 p.m., seven days a week. If the help desk is unable to solve the issue on the phone with the parent or guardian, they will enter a ticket on the parent’s behalf and the request for help will be transferred to the appropriate FCPS team.
Parents or guardians who need help in a language other than English should let help desk staff know, and a interpreter will join them on the line. (FCPS also has existing parent information phone lines, available in eight different languages, that can assist with general questions about FCPS.)
FCPS has also set up an online portal to allow older students and parents and guardians to request technology help directly.
Get more information about the new Parent Technology Help Desk.
Special Education Parent Newsletter
The Department of Special Services (DSS) publishes a regular electronic newsletter for parents of special education students to provide updated DSS information, tips and ideas to support you and your family during distance learning. The latest issue is available online.
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Positivity Project |
Next week, we'll begin learning about the Other People Mindset (OPM) element of Knowing My Words and Actions Affect Others.
This OPM element means that everything we do, say, text, tweet, snap, or post can positively or negatively impact other people. According to research from McKinsey & Co, "the typical American hears or reads more than one hundred thousand words every day." Think about that for a moment: 100,000 words every single day. Now, stop and ask yourself, "Are the percentage of words someone else hears or reads from me helping or hurting that person?" As Rachel Wolchin says, "Be mindful with words. A string of some that don't mean much to you may stick with someone for a lifetime."
This week's example is the students and staff from Grand Blanc High School and West Middle School in Grand Blanc, MI, that led the "Coronavirus Challenge." The video featuring Todd Babiasz, Joshua Tewolde, and Quinn Hilliker highlights the importance and impact of knowing that our actions can positively impact others -- especially during times of crisis. As Todd Babiasz explained, "I wanted (the students) to continue thinking about serving other people...(and know) that they're not victims to this, and that they can be producers of something positive."
Looking Ahead at WSES |
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December 2 - December 16 - WSES Virtual Library Book Fair
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December 7 - 11 - Computer Science Education Week
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December 7 - 11 - National Inclusive Schools Week
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December 5 - Science Olympiad Family Interest form due Science Olympiad Division A Family Interest Form
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December 8 - Library Book Curbside Pickup
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December 11 - FCPS Employee Awards Voting ends at 4:00 p.m.
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December 14 - Restaurant Night, Chipotle, 4-8 pm, 11939 Grand Commons Ave., Fairfax
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December 21 - January 01, 2021 Winter Break
2020-21 Standard School Year Calendar
Visit the Willow Springs Elementary PTA website.
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