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Dear Washington Mill families,
As the Return to School schedule draws closer, we will be offering a series of Parent Coffees for families. The first one will take place this week and will focus information about the COVID vaccine. The others in the series will be directed toward parents of students in specific grade levels. Each session will focus on topics including Concurrent Instruction, Safety Protocols, Bus Transportation, Student Laptops, and Becoming Ill at School. Parents will be able to ask questions and each session will be recorded and posted to our website should families not be able to attend.
As always, please don’t hesitate to email me, our assistant principals, or call our office if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Brad Bennink, Principal
Estimadas familias de Washington Mill,
A medida que se acerca el horario de regreso a la escuela, ofreceremos una serie de cafés para padres para las familias. El primero tendrá lugar esta semana y se enfocará en información sobre la vacuna COVID. Los demás de la serie estarán dirigidos a los padres de estudiantes de niveles de grado específicos. Cada sesión se centrará en temas como la instrucción concurrente, los procedimientos de seguridad, el transporte en autobús, las computadoras portátiles de los estudiantes y el tema de enfermarse en la escuela. Los padres podrán hacer preguntas y cada sesión será grabada y publicada en nuestro sitio web en caso de que las familias no puedan asistir.
Como siempre, por favor no dude en enviarme un correo electrónico, a nuestros subdirectores, o llamar a nuestra oficina si tiene alguna pregunta.
Sinceramente,
Brad Bennink, Director
Upcoming Virtual Parent Coffee Schedule:
Learning About the COVID Vaccine
Wednesday, February 10, 6:00-7:00pm
In this session, the Virginia Health Department will present information about the COVID vaccine and answer questions from participants. This event is hosted by Mount Vernon Woods Elementary but open to all families in the Mount Vernon Pyramid.
The link to join for English is: https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/b6d9a4a708234627b575c861945f9c2d
The link to join for Spanish is: https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/44f346deb5df4c8c9fad7a8226ce8fa6
Washington Mill Elementary School Parent Coffee with Administrators:
PreK-K Parent Coffee / Wednesday, February 17
9:30am English session & 10:45am Spanish session
1st & 2nd Grade Parent Coffee / Wednesday, February 24
9:30am English session & 10:45am Spanish session
3rd-6th Grade Parent Coffee / Wednesday, March 3
9:30am English session & 10:45am Spanish session
Black History Month Weekly Highlight
Watch a clip of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Positivity Project
Each week, students at Washington Mill are introduced to a new character trait on the WMES Morning News Show from the Positivity Project. Administrators give a brief explanation of the character trait to the school community, and each classroom is assigned a character trait to present to the school community. In the past students have created videos, read books, talked about their personal experiences with the character trait, and illustrated pictures.
For the week of February 8th - February 12th , we will be focusing on
LOVE
with Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. Masakayan, and Ms. David's Classes
WHAT DOES LOVE MEAN?
The character strength of love represents the way we think,
feel, and behave towards the people with whom we have
close relationships. When one person loves another
person, that person: comforts and makes the other feel
safe; sacrifices on the other’s behalf; supports the other
during struggles; and places the other’s needs ahead of
his/her own. If you love a person, that person makes you
feel safe and secure. You can be yourself with that person.
You miss that person when he/she is not around.
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
Love is imperative to an individual’s happiness and
fulfillment in life. Love allows us to be intimate with another
person. It allows us to open up to another person and be
vulnerable. That openness gives us the ability to learn and
grow. Loving another person and sacrificing on his/her
behalf produces positive emotions. And, it helps you
access strengths – and feelings – you never knew you had.
Calendar Reminder
Parent Resources
PTA Meeting Reminder
The virtual PTA meeting will be held this week, Tuesday, February 9 at 7pm.
A link to Microsoft Teams will be sent out closer to the scheduled date!
*When signing in to Microsoft Teams for the meeting, please note that in the interest of security, we will require participants to use their real name on entry, show their camera at least on entry (so we can verify who you are and to sign you in). Please also note that if there appears to be any kind of strange behavior or security breach you should exit the meeting immediately.*
NEW Student Laptops - 3rd Grade Students
 Reminder - in order to exchange/pick up the new student laptop
(student does not need to come with parent):
Bring their current laptop AND the power cord
Bring a piece of paper with the following information –
- Student Name (first name & last name)
- Username - student id#
- Password - student password, written neatly
We have to this information to log onto the laptop at school before we give it to them to take home.
Note – If a student has picked up a replacement laptop within the last month (if they have a new model Dell 3310), they already have their new laptop and do NOT need to come to school.
Bonus – We also have a package of several books we will be handing out to each student.
FCPS Grab and Go Meals
Meals will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. 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. Please wear a mask when picking up meals.
For more information, visit FCPS' Food Distribution Site.
Executive Function Focus of the Week
" Visualize Your Day"
What Does Executive Function Mean?
Our executive function skills allow us to control the multiple inputs, outputs, and connections that we experience everyday.
Executive Function is the ability to do the following:
● Monitor one’s own behavior, including thoughts and actions
● Regulate emotional responses
● Think about one’s thinking and behavior
● Problem solve
● Persist through tasks with the end goal in mind
● Begin a task or activity independently
Register for Upcoming Free Webinars from the FCPS Parent Resource Center
The FCPS Parent Resource Center (PRC) is offering free parent webinars in February. They are:
- From Chaos to Calm: Strategies for Families to Create Calm and Confidence in the Midst of Chaos and Uncertainty - A Webinar for Families, on Friday, February 12, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
- Strategies to Support Social Emotional Learning at Home: A Webinar for Families, on Wednesday, February 17, 6:30 to 8 p.m., or Friday, February 19, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
- Is it Over Yet? How to Help your Child Cope with the Pandemic and the Eventual Return to Normalcy: A Webinar for Families, on Friday, February 26, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
More information on each session and how to register is available online.
Note: Previous webinars have been recorded and can be viewed on the PRC YouTube channel.
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