 Woodson swim and dive senior Naomi with her mother Melanie on Senior Night. Melanie is one of the coordinators of the INOVA vaccination program. Thank you!!
Important Upcoming Dates
Monday, February 15th - President's Day, School Holiday
Friday, March 5th - 2 hour early release
Monday, March 8th - School Development Day, No School for Students
In this Issue
ACTION Items
1. WTW Family Engagement Survey DUE TODAY
2. For IN-PERSON Learning Students ONLY
NEW News
3. Message from Dr. Floyd
4. SIS Grade Books and Report Cards
5. Student Yearbook Photos
6. Scholastic Art Award Winners
7. Presidential Scholars Program
8. National Art Society Project
9. World Language Credit Exam
10. National School Counselors Week
11. College Partnership Program
12. College & Career Center News
PAST News but still important
13. Parents for Safe Teen Driving Seminar
14. Emotional Wellness Resource
15. Leadership Class for 2021-2022
16. Free STEM Program for 9th Graders
17. FCPS Laptop Tech Support Hours at WTW
18. Parent Technology Help Desk
19. Order the WTW 2021 Yearbook
ACTION Items
1. WTW Family Engagement Survey
Every couple of years Fairfax County Public Schools sends a survey about family engagement to the families of all students.
This year Woodson HS is looking at a couple of key areas and we would like your input as we move forward. We value your partnership in the education of your students, especially during this difficult year. The information you provide in the survey will help us better serve you and your family.
Please complete this Google survey TODAY, Friday, January 29th.
2. For IN-PERSON Learning Students ONLY
As we prepare to bring our students back for in-person instruction here are some updates. Starting after winter break, we will be sending out information each week leading up to the start of in-person learning. These emails will contain important information and/or action items.
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Parent Health Commitment Form – Complete in ParentVUE. This needs to be completed prior to your child starting in-person learning. Please see the translated versions
Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
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FCPS Health and Safety Document – FCPS guidance on health procedures
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Return to School – FCPS Website for information on returning to school
- Lunches – we are still working on the exact schedule. What we do know is that students will be eating in our cafeterias with all health and safety protocols in place such as 6ft distance, hand sanitizing/hand washing, cleaning of surfaces, and flow of traffic.
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Student Parking Permits - Parking permit applications for 12th graders will begin on Tuesday, March 2nd. On Tuesday, March 9th, we will begin permits for 11th graders and any 10th graders who have a valid drivers license. Unlike other high schools, we have plenty of on-site school parking so all valid applications will be eligible for a permit. The link to the parking permit application will not be up and running until the students are scheduled to return to in-person instruction.
 Jessica and Erica host The Morning Show this week.
NEW News
3. Message from Dr. Floyd
Hello Woodson families!
By the time you read this, it may be snowing!
The first real snow in several years is expected this weekend. While I honestly don’t know what our school system will do with school on days when it snows, I am going to encourage you (yes, you, parents) and students get outside and play.
I used to show my geometry classes a video about the benefits of play. It was supposed to be a comedy sketch, but in reality it reminded high schoolers that even though they are older, cool teenagers, it is important to still play.
When it snows, go outside and play. Make a snowman or snowwoman or snowrobot – make something! Build a fort, throw a snowball (safely and away from anyone’s eyes!) or go sledding. But play. Please. Take advantage of the snow! We haven’t seen enough in recent years to make anything of it, or talk about, so I encourage you to do so now.
Spend time with your family, laugh, tell stories about your teenage years and snow – or the lack of snow and most of all – PLAY! And then send me pictures – cefloyd@fcps.edu!
Stay safe, stay healthy and stay connected, Cavs!
Dr. Floyd
4. SIS Gradebooks and Report Cards
The SIS Grade Book and Report Card modules in ParentVUE and StudentVUE will be closed until Saturday, January 30th, at 6 a.m.
Report cards will be available to view in ParentVUE and StudentVUE by Wednesday, February 3rd and mailed the week of February 1st.
5. Student Photos for Yearbook
Students that did not have their yearbook photo taken by Lifetouch may submit a portrait for the yearbook by Friday, February 5th. Please use this flier for instructions on how to submit photos.
If you have any questions, please contact Yearbook Advisor Tessa Weghorst at tmweghorst@fcps.edu.
 Scholastic Gold Key Award winning drawing & illustration - "Camouflage" by Hannah Lee
6. Scholastic Art Award Winners
The 2021 Regional Scholastic Art Awards program has awarded Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students in grades 7-12 a total of 540 awards including Gold Key, Silver Key, Honorable Mention awards, and American Visions Nominations. Judges recognized FCPS students among 2,500 submissions in a variety of categories including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, sculpture, digital art, design, architecture, fashion, film and animation, mixed media, and art portfolios.
The Gold Key and Silver Key artworks will be included in an online exhibition that will launch on Wednesday, March 3rd in conjunction with a virtual award ceremony. Updates with ceremony details will be posted to the affiliate website for the Fairfax County Art Region.
Gold Key award-winning works will be judged at the national level against other gold key work from regions across the country. National awards include Gold and Silver medals as well as monetary awards and scholarships. National awards will be announced in April.
Woodson students receiving Scholastic Art Awards are:
Gold Key Award Winners: Dakota Brodniak, Taylor Cho, Luke Gibson, Lucy Gravholt, Isabel Kratch, Angel Lee (2), Hannah Lee, Taylor Shea.
Silver Key Award Winners: Dakota Brodniak, Nina Cava, Taylor Cho.
Honorable Mention Winners: Dakota Brodniak, Taylor Cho, Josie Howden, Angel Lee, Hannah Lee (2), Sarah Lowell, John Anthony Policarpio.
 Scholastic Gold Key Award winning photograph - "Billie Botanical" by Lucy Graveholt
7. Presidential Scholars Program
Four Woodson seniors are among a group of more than 4,500 candidates in the 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. The candidates were selected from nearly 3.6 million students expected to graduate from U.S. high schools in 2021.
Inclusion in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program is one of the highest honors bestowed upon graduating high school seniors. Scholars are selected based on superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character, and involvement in community and school activities.
Congratulations to Margaret Berberian, Nathaniel Close, Alexandra Cooper and Eun Gi Choe.
Semifinalists will be announced in mid-April and scholars in May by the U.S. Department of Education.
 8. National Art Society Project
Senior officers of Woodson's National Art Honor Society reached out to a local Senior Living Facility and offered to have Honor Society students create art for some of their residents. Residents submitted pictures and our members created artwork to share with families of the residents.
Students Dakota B. and Ariana T. were interviewed in this week's Morning News Show about this wonderful project.
9. World Language Credit Exam
The 2021 Credit Exam for World Languages will take place in March of 2021. Students who take the credit exam have the opportunity to earn up to three (3) credits, based on demonstrated proficiency.
Thirty (30) languages will be assessed via the FCPS Credit Exam. In order to offer the test in all languages while maintaining a safe testing environment, some languages will be tested online and some will be tested in person.
- These languages will be tested online between March 2, 2021 and March 10, 2021: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
- These languages will be tested in person on March 13, 2021 and March 20, 2021 (Saturdays): Amharic, ASL, Bengali, Farsi, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Somali, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Tigrinya, Turkish, Twi, Urdu and Vietnamese.
Credit exam information is available at Credit Exam for WL.
Registration opens Monday, February 8th, at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26th. All students must register for the exam through their school counselor by February 26, 2021. Late registrations will not be accepted.
10. National School Counseling Week
National School Counseling Week 2021, "School Counselors: All in for All Students," will be celebrated February 1st-5th.
This event, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), focuses public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems and highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.
Please consider taking a moment to thank one of our school counselors for the work they do (you can find their contact information here). We appreciate their tremendous support and impact on our students, school, and community.
 Scholastic Gold Key Award winning drawing & illustration - "Skater Boy" by Bella Kratch.
11. College Partnership Program
The College Partnership Program (CPP) is designed to assist students who are traditionally underrepresented in college (i.e. first generation, African-American or Black, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, English learners, students with disabilities or economically disadvantaged) in exploring, applying and enrolling in college. In accordance with FCPS’ goal to eliminate gaps in opportunity, access, and achievement for all students, CPP focuses on academic advising, college visits, parent engagement and preparation beyond high school.
The CPP is now accepting applications. Students can only apply online with their FCPS G Suite account. Applications are due by Friday, March 19th.
There will be a virtual information session for students and parents on Monday, March 1st at 3:15pm. Please email Ms. Jamie Korpacz at jlkorpacz@fcps.edu with questions or to get the information for the virtual info session.
12. College & Career Center News
Please follow the Woodson College & Career Center on Twitter and Instagram @wtwcareercenter. The weekly College & Career Center Newsletters are sent out on Mondays. Please check your email. The newsletters are also saved in Naviance for you to access at your convenience. I have virtual walk-in office hours for students during lunch on Tues/Wed/Thur.
Upcoming Events and College Fairs – all upcoming events with registration information are listed in the College & Career Center Calendar that students can access through their FCPS Google account.
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Seniors, if you have not yet completed your FAFSA here is another opportunity to get help. Don’t miss your college’s FAFSA deadline! FAFSA Line-by-Line Virtual Seminar on January 30th, at 10 am. Please click here to register.
- Are you interested in becoming a Firefighter/EMT? Join us for an info session on Monday, Feb 1st at 10 am. Please email cliebmosley@fcps.edu to register.
- Are you interested in joining the NAVY? We have a virtual info session with a NAVY Recruiter on Monday, February 1st, at 2 pm. Please email cliebmosley@fcps.edu to register.
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College 101 – Planning for College Presentation, Wednesday, Feb 3rd, at 7 pm, by Erin Slater, Director of Admissions at Randolph Macon College: “College is a match to be made and not a prize to be won!” Please join us to learn how you can plan and prepare for college and the college application process. This Woodson event is for Sophomores and Juniors, and their parents/guardians. To register, please go to: https://rmc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nsXsLKPaS4yYXmQbRHomig.
- Fairfax and DC Area Virtual Gap Year Fair on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. You may register at this link.
PAST News - Still Important
13. Leadership Class for 2021-2022
Students interested in taking Leadership next school year must complete an application, request a teacher recommendation, and sit for an on-line interview.
Application forms and more information are now available on The Class of 2022, 2023, or 2024 Google Classroom.
Applications should be submitted no later than Friday, February 5th.
For more information, please contact Mrs. Schmauder at plschmauder@fcps.edu.
14. Parents for Safe Teen Driving Seminar
The next Parents for Safe Teen Driving Seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, February 10th from 7-8:30 p.m.
This presentation is required in order to obtain a drivers license before the age of 18. This will be a virtual presentation to be held through Google Meet. This presentation is for all 3rd quarter Driver Education students as well as 1st and 2nd quarter students who missed attending the first two PSTD presentations.
The Google Classroom with the Google Meet link with be provided to all 3rd quarter students at the beginning of the quarter. The 1st and 2nd quarter students who still need to attend can email Mr. O’Hara at dgohara@fcps.edu and you will be added to the 3rd quarter PSTD class Google Classroom.
15. Emotional Wellness Resource
You or your staff may be hearing from parents who are concerned about their child’s emotional well-being. This one-pager (https://bit.ly/38k8Xyz) from Healthy Minds Fairfax provides easy-to-digest information and would be a valuable resource for your school community.
Please consider sharing it with them in your next newsletter and/or during a virtual parent meeting. If you have questions or need additional resources, please let us know.
16. Free STEM Program for 9th Graders
Building Leaders for Advancing Science and Technology (BLAST) is a FREE educational program of the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, designed to ignite a passion in students who already show an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Our hope is that the BLAST 3-day residential, on-campus experience, which is packed with demonstrations and collaborative activities led by college faculty, will inspire students to envision a career in a STEM field and motivate them to expand the number of STEM-related classes they take in higher grade levels.
Applications are being accepted online through Monday, February 8th.
17. Laptop Tech Support Hours
If parents or students need FCPS laptop technical support at Woodson HS, the following must be completed:
- Submit a ticket using the FCPS Parent/Student Tech Support Portal,
- Schedule an appointment to come on-site, and
- Complete a health screening questionnaire prior to arriving.
New 2021 Laptop Tech Support Hours
Our onsite laptop tech support hours by appointment only are:
Monday - 1:00 - 7:30 pm
Tuesday and Wednesday - 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Thursday and Friday - 9:00 am - 11:30 am
Thank you,
W.T Woodson HS Tech Support Team
18. Parent Technology Help Desk
To support families who are working with their children during distance learning, FCPS launched 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.
19. Order the 2021 WTW Yearbook!
The WTW yearbook is ready for orders!
I can’t imagine a more significant time to purchase a relic of history and to celebrate our Woodson Cavaliers!
To purchase a yearbook, go to https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/ and type in the code 5278. You can create an ad, buy a yearbook, or submit photos all in one place!
Please contact tmweghorst@fcps.edu if you have any questions!
Mental Health Resources | 24/7 Emergency Numbers
If you are in crisis, text NEEDHELP to 85511, call 1-800-273-TALK, or dial 911; TTY dial 711
CrisisLink Regional Hotline: 703-527-4077 (CrisisLink is a hotline for individuals in crisis or family/friends seeking guidance for how to help a loved one)
Dominion Hospital Assessment and Referral Line: 703-536-2000
Inova Emergency Services: 703-289-7560
Mobile Crisis Unit: 1-844-627-4747
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-SUICIDE
Merrifield Center Emergency Services: 703-573-5679; TTY dial 711 (The Merrifield Center of the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, offers a range of clinical programming. Emergency Services, staffed 24 hours per day, seven days per week, works with people in psychiatric crisis who need immediate attention.)
Plan D Nova https://www.plandnova.org/ (a website for Northern Virginia teens who suffer from depression: #breakthestigma)
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