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Principal’s Message
Good Evening Bulldog Family—
It’s finally here! We are excited to welcome everybody back for the first day of school of in person, five day a week instruction! And we have been looking forward to this day for quite a long time. I hope that you and your students are just as excited to be back.
As always, the first week or two of school can be hectic. Whether it’s getting acclimated to new classes and teachers, connecting with friends, or readjusting sleep schedules, there is a lot going on. Please take the time to check in with your student to see how they’re doing. Just like your students, our teachers and staff are also transitioning back to in-person instruction and getting re-acclimated. Don’t be afraid to check in on them too!
Lastly, I would like to reach out to you for help at Westfield. You will see in a section further down, I have put some info on how to become either a volunteer and/or a substitute. We would love to have your help at Westfield!
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions, concerns, feedback or celebrations. You can also communicate directly through the form located here: https://forms.gle/4eW9rgPRVBF2a5gd8.
Go Bulldogs!
Tony DiBari
Proud Principal, Westfield High School
Volunteer Call-out
We are looking for your help! We value you as community partners and want to invite you to become more involved at Westfield. One way to do this is to volunteering and substitute teaching. If you’re interested, the first step is following the links below. Thank you for your help!
Volunteers: https://www.fcps.edu/get-involved/volunteer-fcps
Substitute Teachers: https://www.fcps.edu/careers/career-opportunities/substitute-teaching-opportunities/new-applicants
Digital Consent for Students
We will use a variety of digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. You can find more information about approved digital resources in FCPS here: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/digital-resources.
Included on this page is also a link to a form where the enrolling parent or guardian will need to indicate whether or not their student is allowed to use the list of digital resources this year. This page also provides more information about how FCPS carefully reviews digital resources for approval and why we must request your consent before using certain tools. We encourage you to complete the parental consent for digital resources form as soon as possible, as your child will not be able to use the digital resources until we have
Calendar
We are starting a new section where we will be trying to get out a list of events for the week here at Westfield. This might not be completely comprehensive, so please check out Schoology as well as our website!
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Aug 26
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Field Hockey vs LB (@WHS)
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Aug 27
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First Home Varsity Football (@WHS)
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Tech Updates
Need Tech Support? CLICK HERE
FCPS Cares
FCPS Cares is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. Please visit the following link to recognize staff members who have done impactful things: FCPS Cares
From FCPS
Topic: School Board Welcome Back Videos
Below are “Welcome Back” videos from our School Board members. Please take some time to check them out!
Karl Frisch
Rachna Sizemore Heizer
Elaine Tholen
Abrar Omeish
Ricardy Anderson
Tamara Derenak Kaufax
Karen Keys-Gamarra
Megan McLaughlin
Karen Corbett Sanders
Laura Jane Cohen
Melanie Meren
Topic: Return to School Safety – Your Questions Answered
We begin the new school year with a mask requirement in place for everyone indoors on school properties and buses. Any student who does not comply with the mask requirement, and is not exempt from the requirement as outlined in Regulation 2109.1, will not be allowed to participate in face-to-face learning. Students who refuse to attend school due to a refusal to wear a mask, will receive an unexcused absence. Intentional removal of or refusal to wear a face covering will be treated as a violation of the FCPS dress code policy (Regulation 2613).
Please talk with your child before school begins about the importance of wearing masks at school to protect each other against the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, and the consequences of refusing to wear a mask. I appreciate your help in encouraging students to do their part to contribute to a safe school environment.
Topic: Bus Routes
As we prepare for children to come to school and go home on buses this fall, we ask you to be aware of possible adjustments to routes and scheduling. A national bus driver shortage is impacting FCPS and some routes may be longer or occasionally delayed as we work through the situation. We will keep you informed of changes as soon as information is available. Your patience and understanding as we make adjustments is appreciated. Westfield and FCPS is working hard to address the need for drivers and plan for transportation in a way that has the least impact on students.
You may consider driving, walking, or biking to school while we work through the driver shortage and adjust routes. Car pools or group walks and bikes are also encouraged for those who are able to help relieve pressure on buses. If you plan to walk or bike to school, watch this short video on pedestrian safety with your child.
Find out more about bus routes on our website and download the Here Comes the Bus mobile app.
If you or someone you know has interest in becoming a bus driver for FCPS, now is a great time to come on board! FCPS is offering up to $2,000 in a signing bonus for new bus drivers who meet eligibility requirements and complete the new driver employment criteria. Find out more and apply today!
Topic: School Meals- MySchoolBucks Encouraged for All
Every student is eligible for one no-cost breakfast and one no-cost lunch each school day. However, if your student would like to purchase additional meals or a la carte items, they will need to pay. The best way to purchase items this year is to use MySchoolBucks. Set up your student’s MySchoolBucks account and help them memorize their pin. If you have questions about MySchoolBucks, Westfield’s front office staff can help.
Setting up a MySchoolBucks account for your student is especially helpful during the current nationwide coin shortage. FCPS cash registers will have limited coins available at the start of the school year to provide change for cash purchases. Purchases made with MySchoolBucks also keeps lines moving quickly.
Your child may choose to bring their meals and snacks to school this year. [SCHOOL] encourages this practice for students who have specific dietary requirements or are particularly picky. Bringing food from home ensures your child will have the meals and snacks they enjoy to fuel their day of learning.
Be ready on day one by setting up your child’s MySchoolBucks account and looking over the menus.
Topic: Vaccine Mandate Content
We are confident that, combined with our continued commitment to layered prevention strategies, our school buildings will remain safe and healthy. To strengthen these layered prevention strategies even further, this fall, FCPS will be requiring all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit routine negative COVID-19 tests. The requirement will go into effect in October, with additional details being rolled out in the coming weeks.
FCPS continues to encourage vaccination for everyone, including students, as soon as they are eligible. This summer, Fairfax County has seen vaccination rates for our young people soar. We have some of the highest vaccination rates across the country for this age group.
Among youth ages 12-15 in Fairfax County, 61.9% are fully vaccinated – up 24.2 points since July, while 75.3% have had one dose – up 19.4 points since July. Of 16-17-year-olds, 74.4% are fully vaccinated, while 84.8% have received one dose.
If you or your child would like to be vaccinated, vaccination opportunities can be accessed through the Fairfax County Health Department or Vaccines.gov. COVID-19 vaccines are accessible and free.
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