|
Upcoming Virtual Parent Coffee Schedule:
Please join the sessions using the following link:
WMES Return to School Parent Coffee
Washington Mill Elementary School Parent Coffee with Administrators:
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 an interview with Washington Mill staff members about their HBCU college experiences!
Reminder: Requirement of Parent/Guardian Commitment Form
Parents or guardians who chose in-person learning for their child are required to complete a Parent/Guardian Health Screening Commitment form as students are phased back into in-person learning. This document indicates the parent or guardian’s agreement and commitment to completing a daily health screening prior to sending the student to school and also to keep ill students at home. The commitment form is available in English, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Additional information is available in this guidance document.
Parents or guardians who have indicated that their child will attend in-school instruction will receive the commitment form electronically, or via hard copy, in their preferred correspondence language. Parents or guardians may choose to provide their response electronically or they may choose to return a hard copy form with their signature
Kiss-N-Ride Sign-Up Information
Need to sign up your child for Kiss & Ride?
Registration for 2020-2021 Kiss and Ride is only needed if you plan to pick up your child(ren) in the AFTERNOONS from the Kiss and Ride Loop.
Please read over our procedures below and sign up using the link at the bottom of this page.
Kiss & Ride is a designated loop for parents to drop off and/or pick up children before and after school. Our Kiss & Ride is located on the side of Washington Mill Elementary School. For Kiss and Ride to function properly, we are asking parents to follow these procedures:
- Washington Mill school staff members will provide supervision for Kiss & Ride from 8:35 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
- Children will load and unload from the passenger side of the car only, so that they do not cross in front of the carpool cars.
- Drivers of school-aged children must remain in the car.
- Cars must stay in a single file line as they move to and from the Kiss & Ride area. For the safety of the children, no passing will be permitted in the Kiss & Ride area.
- Parents intending to enter the building must park in the front parking lot and report to the main office.
- Inclement weather presents an added safety concern for children who are privately transported. Extreme caution is necessary on rainy days when traffic is unusually heavy.
- Please be kind and patient while using Kiss & Ride. It is important that all adults set a good example of cooperation and consideration for all of our children.
- Each student and parent will be assigned a matching number. Please place the Kiss-N-Ride Number on your rear-view mirror when you pick up your child(ren) for afternoon dismissal.
- Parents carpooling other students must have those students’ Kiss & Ride numbers.
Thank you for your efforts to keep Washington Mill Elementary School a safe place for children!!
If you have any questions concerning Kiss-N-Ride, please contact Michael Wilson, Assistant Principal at mjwilson@fcps.edu or 703-619-2500.
To register your child for Kiss & Ride, please click here to fill out this online form. You will need to complete a separate form for each child using Kiss & Ride.
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 21st - February 25th , we will be focusing on
CHEERING ON OTHERS' SUCCESSES
with our Washington Mill Elementary School Administrators.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Being happy for other people when they succeed isn’t always everyone’s initial reaction. Often, it’s easy to become jealous or envious of others’ victories – or even to experience schadenfreude, which is deriving pleasure from witnessing (or learning about) another person’s misfortune. People who have these reactions to the success or misfortune of others are colloquially known as “haters.” It’s important to note that these are natural emotions and in small doses can be helpful in allowing us to see what we care about – and motivate us to pursue those goals.
But making a commitment towards cheering on other people’s successes can be a great way to improve our own health, happiness, and relationships. People can take active steps to be more genuinely happy for the achievements of others. Ways to do this include: telling others about the success of your modest friend; noticing when your reaction to a sibling’s success is envy or jealousy – and asking yourself why that is; reminding yourself that appreciating the excellence in another is a character strength; asking your successful teammates and classmates what they do to prepare for games or tests.
Calendar Reminder - Bell Schedule
The new bell schedule for Washington Mill students is 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM. We’re looking forward to seeing you in the morning!
Parent Resources
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
" How to Use Screen Break Time"
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:
- 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.
|
