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Dear Westgate Families,
It is hard to believe that we will finally be welcoming some of our PreK and Kindergarten students back into the building starting tomorrow. Our teachers have been working tirelessly for their return and we are excited to finally meet (in-person) some of our youngest Wolves! As we navigate to both in-person and virtual learning, we ask for your continued patience. Our technology is ready and our safety protocols are in place, but we know it will take a little while for us to get use to this new normal.
For those of you returning tomorrow, please reference any correspondence from your child's teacher regarding communication around arrival, dismissal, supplies and other pertinent information they may have shared over the past few weeks. We know that there has been a lot of change and we want to ensure that every child has a smooth start to the day tomorrow.
As a reminder, changes to our instructional schedule went in effect last week and we appreciate both the students and staff members who have adapted to those new times and expectations. We feel like it was a success and look forward to implementing it full in the days and weeks to come.
As always, we appreciate the continued support and understanding from this great school community. We all have endured a year we could have never imagined and we hope tomorrow is another step in the right direction of getting a little bit of normalcy back. Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do to support your child and their teachers during these challenging times. We are grateful for your patience, kind words, and understanding throughout the many ups and downs of this school year.
Here's to a great "first" day back for some of our students tomorrow!
All my best,
Hallie Demetriades
Principal
PTA Meeting - Tomorrow, February 23 @ 7:00 p.m.
Mark your calendars for our virtual PTA meeting on Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:00pm! Andie Ogden and Leanne Sullivan, our math and reading specialists, will be facilitating a session on ways to support your students at home. After the discussion, Hallie Demetriades, Principal, and Ted Cooper, Assistant Principal, will answer questions about the the continued return to school plan.
Join the Zoom Meeting here!
Meeting ID: 990 2361 0588
Passcode: 150372
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Town Hall - Return to School
Thank you for those of you that were able to join us at our Town Hall last week. You can find the link to the slides from the session here. We are excited to welcome our PK & Kindergartners back to the building tomorrow. Please reach out if you have any additional questions or concerns regarding our Return To School plans.
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Tech Update for Students Returning to In-Person/Face-to-Face Instruction
Dear Families,
If your student is returning in person when school buildings open, please understand the following important technology information
All students must bring to school each day a laptop, laptop charger, and headphones. There will be no computers or headphones available for checkout for students if they forget them, and there is a very limited supply of laptop chargers for the school.
If you have a personal laptop your student will be bringing to school, they can bring it but you will first need to get that device onto the FCPS Wifi at least a week before they are to return to school. Please review the directions here to understand how to connect personal devices to the FCPS WiFi: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/bring-your-own-device-byod/bring-your-own-device-byod-configuration-guides Standing outside near Westgate, or any FCPS building, will allow your device to pick up the WiFi signal to set it up. If you run into trouble connecting to WiFi, please submit a support request here: https://www.fcps.edu/return-school/technology-support-families
If you do not have a personal laptop and have not checked out a Westgate student laptop for your student to use in school, you can request a Westgate laptop. Please do so by completing this form by February 9, 2021. https://forms.gle/KQHNhjwECo8nq6Gs6 Once your laptop request is received we will prepare a laptop for your student and contact you for a pick up date and time. This will typically be 3-5 school days after the request is received.
Thank you,
Westgate Elementary School
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Elementary Magnet School Lottery
The Magnet Program registration window will open March 2, 2021. No late applications will be accepted.
Families wanting to apply for the Magnet Lottery must have a SIS account. If a student is not currently enrolled in FCPS, registration at the base school for the upcoming school year will be required.
A separate application must be completed for each sibling applying. Legacies also must apply to be eligible. Acceptances into one of the magnet programs is not transferable into another program or school.
Registration for the elementary magnet school lottery closes on Tuesday, April 6, at 4:00 p.m. No late applications are accepted.
PTA Domino's DOUGHRAISER - March 8
Library Curbside Checkout - Every Monday!
We are excited to remind you that we will continue to offer curbside checkout from our very own Westgate Library from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm every Monday. Please see the flyer here for more information regarding the details surrounding this process. We are thrilled to be getting real books back to students and hope you take advantage of this weekly opportunity. If you have questions, please contact your child's classroom teacher or Mrs. Scherbenske at mbscherbensk@fcps.edu.
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Amazon Smile - Support our School!
Looking for an easy way to support Westgate? We have an AmazonSmile account! Every time you shop at Amazon and select the Westgate PTA as your designated charity, and .5% of your purchase will be donated to Westgate. You can click here (https://smile.amazon.com/ch/54-1561076) to get started! Just remember, to shop at smile.amazon.com instead of the regular Amazon page each time you make a purchase! Supporting Westgate couldn't be easier!
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FCPS Technology/Support for Families
Parent Technology Help Desk
FCPS has launched a toll-free Parent Technology Help Desk to assist families with technology issues. The number is 1-833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS). It will be answered 7 a.m.-11 p.m., seven days a week. Parents who need help in a language other than English should let help desk staff know, and an interpreter will join them on the line. (FCPS has Parent Information Phone Lines available in eight languages to assist with general questions about FCPS.)
FCPS has also created an online portal for older students and parents/guardians to request technology help.
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