 The Woodson Pep Band performs at last night's final home football game.
Important Upcoming Dates
Monday, April 19th - 12-2pm April Senior Social (see story below)
Monday, May 31st - Memorial Day Holiday
Friday, June 11th - Last Day of School, Early Release
In this Issue
NEW News
1. Message from Dr. Floyd
2. Spring SOL Testing
3. Grading Policy Changes for High School
4. Attendance Reminder
5. Senior Social, April Activity - Monday, April 19th, 12-2pm
6. Graduationfor the Class of 2021
7. All Virginia Chorus
8. Minority Education Student from VCU Observe Teachers at Woodson
9. Diverse Books
10. HS Students Invited to Virtual Career Exploration Fair
11. College & Career Center News
PAST News but still important
12. FCPS Special Education Conference
13. FCPS Laptop Tech Support Hours at WTW
14. Parent Technology Help Desk
15. Order the WTW 2021 Yearbook
NEW News
1. Message from Dr. Floyd
Good afternoon Woodson families,
Welcome to the 4th Quarter of the school year!
I'm excited to announce that we have a confirmed graduation date for the Class of 2021. Graduation will take place on Wednesday, June 2nd at 9am in our own Pat Cunningham Stadium. (Inclement weather date is Thusday, June 3rd). Also planned for Seniors is the April Social on Monday, April 19th from 12-2pm in the Senior Parking Lot. We are still working out details for other Senior events like Prom, so stay tuned.
There have been a lot of recent communications sent this week and I want to highlight a few items.
1. Spring SOL Testing - the deadline to complete the SOL intention form is Friday, April 16th. An email was sent to parents on Thursday, April 8th with full details.
2. Four Day In-Person Instruction - the deadline for families whose student(s) is(are) currently accessing in-person instruction two days a week to indicate their interest for four day in-person instruction is Tuesday, April 13th at 3pm. An email was sent to parents on Thursday, April 8th with full details.
3. Grading Policy Changes - FCPS has also adopted a series of secondary grading policy changes to help our students achieve a strong finish to the school year. Please see the article below for detailed information.
This week we wrapped up Fall Sports and on Monday, April 12th, Spring Sports will begin. Also, congratulations to our All Virginia chorus students!
Stay safe and stay connected,
Dr. Floyd
 Celebrating Senior Night at Rifle.
2. Spring SOL Testing
In May students will be taking Standards of Learning (SOL) End of Course (EOC) tests as federal and state education departments have decided to not cancel assessments this spring. Please see the email sent directly to parents yesterday, April 8th with details and a Google Form link that must be submitted by Friday, April 16th.
Students who will be taking an SOL this spring must have their laptops checked to ensure they can appropriately access the SOL testing software.
For students that are attending school in person, teachers will help students facilitate a check of their laptops in classes leading up to the SOL testing dates to ensure they’re updated appropriately. For those that are not up to date tech support will be available during school hours to update laptops as needed.
Students who continue to learn virtually will have to come to school ahead of the SOL testing window in May to connect their laptops to the FCPS network, run the FCPS Health Check, and have their laptops updated if needed. To help facilitate this, we will have tech support available on Monday afternoons from 1:30-5:30 beginning on April 12th. No appointment is necessary, but students who are learning virtually must come by the school to check their laptop or else they will not be able to participate in SOL testing this spring.
Additional information pertaining to this will be coming soon as well.
3. Grading Policy Changes for High School
In response to family feedback and student check-in results, FCPS will be seeking to lessen the stress and anxiety posed for some students who have been challenged by the virtual learning environment during the past (and ongoing) pandemic year. FCPS is further adjusting its grading policy for SY2020-21 to ensure students are not penalized by the challenges brought by pandemic learning.
Key options for high school students are:
- Use of No Mark (NM) instead of F grades for all courses.
- In these cases, students would not have an F factored into their GPA. However, they would still be required to retake the course if it was a graduation requirement. The course could be taken over the summer, if offered, or the following school year.
- Final Exam flexibility that ensures an exam can only serve to improve a student’s grade for the year.
- Collaborative teacher teams will discuss if a final exam opportunity will be made available to students. If a final exam is offered, it can only serve to improve a student’s final grade, not hinder it.
- Some teachers do culminating activities, this does not apply to those.
- Allowing students/families to choose a mark of “P” (pass) instead of passing letter grades (C’s or D’s, for example) as their final mark in up to two courses.
- We are currently awaiting updated guidance around this option and will share with the community as soon as it is available. We want to be sure to provide the best guidance possible around how the “P” will be viewed by college and university admissions so families can make the most informed decision around the use of this option.
- We will hold a parent / student information session once we have more information to share.
4. Attendance Reminders
If your in-person student will be attending classes virtually, please call the Attendance Office at 703-503-4800 to report that your student will be attending virtually rather than in person.
Teachers are not able to update attendance to reflect that change and calls will go out to parents if students are not present in the building.
5. Senior Social - April Activity
Each month through the end of the school year, Woodson is planning in-person opportunities to celebrate the Class of 2021.
Our third Senior Social will take place on Monday, April 19th from 12-2pm (weather reschedule date: Monday, April 26th at 12 pm) in the Senior Parking Lot. This month’s theme is “Spring Egg Hunt”
These monthly events will take place outside, socially distanced following all CDC guidelines including the mandate to wear a mask during the entire event. If a student experiences any COVID-19 symptoms within 14 days of the event, please stay home.
Students can drive or walk to the event. We will have chairs set up 6 feet apart so that students can visit with each other, listen to music, and enjoy some treats. Students will want to dress for the weather and/or bring blankets.
We are asking for parents to provide individually packaged store-purchased treats for this event. Please use this SignUpGenius to let us know you are planning to drop off treats.
Treat ideas - Individually packaged store-purchased Granola bars, Rice Crispy Treats, candy, candy bars, potato chips, popcorn, Hohos, cookies/crackers, etc.
Please drop off at the school office between 8am-3pm Monday, April 12th through Friday, April 16th.
6. Graduation for the Class of 2021
Graduation for the WTW Class of 2021 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 2nd (rain date, Thursday, June 3rd) at 9am in Pat Cunningham Stadium at Woodson HS.
Due to capacity limitations each family will have 5 tickets and we will have a process for families to turn in tickets that will be unused so that we can provide those to other families who may be in need of additional tickets. We will be sending more information in the next couple days to include: senior dues, day of details and tickets.
 AP Biology students doing a microbial study with bacteria.
7. All Virginia Chorus
Congratulations to all students who auditioned! The following to students were selected as All Virginia Chorus Members 2021:
Caroline Barata - Soprano 1 - SSAA, Annie Barata - Soprano 2 - SATB, Rowan Clark - Alto 1 - SSAA, Ananya Sai - Alto 2 - SATB, Lucas Donat - Tenor 2, August Vesilind - Bass 2, Ivan Tysarczyk - Bass 2
The following students were selected as Alternate Members:
Diya Selvan - Alto 1 Alternate 2, Stefania Galarza-Centellas - Alto 2 Alternate 1, Dylan Dipasupil - Tenor 2 Alternate 1
8. Minority Education Students from VCU Observe Teachers at Woodson
At the beginning of the school year, school superintendent, Dr. Brabrand announced that there are currently 26 schools in FCPS without a teacher of color. Imagine the impact on our students and school communities who are not receiving a diverse perspective and experience.
The Equity Team at Woodson is committed to an inclusive school community. Woodson HS has partnered with the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University and we will be providing more than 20 college students of color the opportunity observe classrooms virtually during the week of April 12.
The purpose of the pilot program is to give college students a chance to observe classrooms of their content interest and to collaborate with Woodson faculty and staff.
If you have any questions about the Teacher of Color Virtual Observation, please email Dr. George Hewan, at gkhewan@fcps.edu.
9. Diverse Books
This month the Equity Team will feature several photos from our faculty and staff, students, and parents reading diverse books in the Woodson Weekly. Please complete the Google form and share a picture of yourself with the diverse book that you are currently reading or plan on reading. Creating content that is diverse and inclusive is critical to learner success. Research has shown that diverse representation can help close gender and race gaps in education, and can create inclusive and productive course communities for all learners. Thus educators, parents, and guardians have an important role to play in creating diverse and inclusive content. If you are interested please share your photo using this Google form.
Equity Specialist Darnessia Sempter is currently reading Everyday Antiracism by Mico Pollock.
10. HS Students Invited to Virtual Career Exploration Fair
Fairfax County Public Schools high school students are invited to participate in the 2021 Virtual Career Exploration Fair, scheduled to take place from Monday, April 19, through Friday, April 30. This completely virtual event will include synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded) sessions and workshops.
Students will be able to learn about work-based learning opportunities; attend industry panel discussions; take part in mock interviews; attend resumé workshops; and learn about postsecondary education, training, and apprenticeship opportunities.
Get more information on the Virtual Career Exploration Fair.
11. College & Career Center News
For college and career exploration, upcoming events, newsletters & more, please visit the Woodson College & Career Center Padlet. Please see upcoming events below:
- ACE Your Options! FCPS ACE - Career & Technical Education Virtual Info Session on April 15th, 10 - 11 am during Learning Seminar. Are you interested in adding some skill sets to your resume and get ready for the Workforce after High School/College? Find out more about training and credentials that lead to high-skill, high-wage careers in Business and IT, Health and Medical, Skilled Trades & Apprenticeships. BBCU link will be provided during Learning Seminar.
PAST News - Still Important
12. FCPS Special Education Conference to Be Held April 17th; Registration Now Open
FCPS will hold its 16th Annual Special Education Conference on Saturday, April 17, virtually. Registration is now available online. The conference will include a combination of synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded) sessions supporting the conference's theme: The time for inclusion is now. A student session will be held for youth ages 14-22. FCPS educators, administrators, and pre-service teachers will earn five recertification points for attending the entire conference.
For more information or to register, visit the Special Education Conference webpage.
13. 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 pm - 5:30 pm
Tuesday and Wednesday - 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Thursday and Friday - 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Thank you,
W.T Woodson HS Tech Support Team
14. 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.
15. 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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