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September 10, 2021
 Thumbs up from our children, student artwork line our walls, and our staff come together for morning breakfast while sharing how #StoriesMatter. We are proud of the work of our Willow Family.
Dear WSES Families,
We had a wonderful week with our students, watching them learn, grow, and teach each other. Students are using their fox "EARS" (empathy, accountability, respect, and safety) throughout the school day, and we are proud of their accomplishments thus far.
Thank you to our families who attended our September PTA meeting this past Wednesday. We are excited about the upcoming events, and we appreciate the strong partnership we have with our PTA. Don't forget, tonight is our back-to-school outdoor movie night, sponsored by the PTA. The fields will open at 6:00 p.m., with games and spirit items available. Families are encouraged to bring a blanket and chairs.
Please read all the notes below, as we have included additional and updated information that will support your understanding of handling our continued mitigation efforts at Willow Springs.
With the expansion of our eating spaces (cafeteria, outdoors, etc.), we need family volunteers to assist during the lunch block. If you are interested in volunteering this week, please click here to sign up. Thank you to those who have supported our children during lunches the past couple of weeks; it is great seeing so many smiling eyes throughout our building.
We hope to see you tonight on the fields. Enjoy the weather this weekend!
Sincerely,
Dylan Taylor, Principal
Lesley Hassen, Assistant Principal
Ipsa Stringer, Assistant Principal
WSES Weekly Farmer’s Market
Willow Springs will be hosting a weekly fall farmer's market starting 9/10. The students in the Garden Club/Farm to Table club will running the event in conjunction with Piney Meadow Farm. The money the students raise through the produce sales will go towards the Garden Club and STEAM activities. The market will be set up on the basketball blacktop from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. on Fridays. Parents are encouraged to park in the adjacent neighborhood and walk over to pick up produce. Produce will also be available on outdoor movie night.
Tonight is our PTA Back to School Outdoor Movie Night
The PTA will be hosting a back to school outdoor movie night tonight, 9/10. The fields will open at 6:00 p.m. There will some outdoor games available and some spirit items available for sale as well.
COVID-19 Case Notification Update
We have heard from our Ombudsman that many families are finding it stressful and overwhelming to receive a new COVID notification email every time there is a positive case in their child’s school. We have updated our process to provide families some relief.
UPDATE: Once a week, either on Friday or the last day of school for the week, school leadership will share an update if there were any COVID-19 positive cases confirmed in the school that week.
Potential close contacts of the positive case that are paused from in-person instruction and activities will continue to receive real time notifications.
- Outbreak letters will continue to be sent to staff and the community as they occur.
- Staff will continue to receive notifications of any individual cases within 24 hours of notification of the positive case in accordance with the Department of Labor requirements.
The FCPS COVID-19 Health Metrics webpage will still be updated daily for families who wish to know about cases in real-time.
Encouraging Outdoor Mask Use
We are making use of our outdoor spaces as much as possible for [meals/recess/student breaks]. We have noted that a large percentage of students remove their masks while outside. Masks are not required outside, but they are strongly encouraged. We ask you to consider talking with your child about keeping their masks on when outside and gathering in larger groups if they can comfortably do so.
Upcoming Lockdown Drill
Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for all of us. We have a crisis management and emergency preparedness plan for our school that is reviewed and updated regularly. Our plan includes procedures on how to respond to incidents such as fires and tornadoes. Students and staff regularly practice these drills every school year. We also practice lockdown drills.
A new Virginia Law (22.1-137.2) requires schools to notify parents at least 24 hours before a school practices a lockdown drill. However, we are not required to share the exact date and time of the drill. We are required to practice lockdown drills two times a year. FCPS lockdown drills do not include any type of active shooter scenario training, they are instruction and classroom based.
We will conduct a lockdown drill at our school soon. Our pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students are exempt from mandatory participation in lockdown drills during the first 60 days of the school year. They will participate in our second and final drill later this school year.
Additional information on our lockdown drill program to include parent tips and FAQs can be found on the Emergency Planning and Crisis Response web page. After reviewing this content, you should discuss the value of these safety drills with your child.
Keeping our school safe and secure for all students and staff involves the participation of the entire school community, and we thank you for your help to keep our school safe.
Positivity Project - Curiosity
This week our Willow Family kicked off with the Other People Mindset! We look forward to learning about curiosity next week.
To help extend classroom learning to our Willow homes, we encourage families to explore these grade-level appropriate conversation starters.
NOTE: The password is: P2
PreK-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-12
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iReady Reading & Math Screener for Grades 1-6
The online iReady assessment (also known as the universal screener) provides an initial view of all students’ foundational skills to help teachers identify students who may have challenges in reading or mathematics. This fall, students in grades 1-6 will take the iReady reading and mathematics assessments. More information about the assessment can be found on the FCPS Universal Screener Parent Notification webpage. For questions, please contact your child’s teacher.
Cafeteria Hostess Needed
Please consider working in our cafeteria this year. We are short a cafeteria hostess so the extra hands would be helpful. No training required, we will give you a bucket with condiments, etc. to pass out as kids raise their hands for help. Monday-Friday, 10:30 - 1:30 p.m. If you're interested, please send your resume to Amanda McCabe at anmccabe@fcps.edu.
If you are interested in volunteering this week, please click here to sign up.
Hope to see you in the cafeteria!
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Now Hiring: Student Monitors and Substitutes
FCPS is seeking individuals to serve as student monitors!
Enjoy working with students? FCPS is seeking individuals to serve as student monitors. Student monitors provide supervision support in the classroom, lunchroom, and outside. If you're interested, please send your resume to Amanda McCabe at anmccabe@fcps.edu.
FCPS is seeking individuals to serve as substitute teachers!
Are you or somebody you know interested in substitute teaching with FCPS? Apply here or attend one of our Friday information sessions to learn more! To sign up for a session visit our substitute information page here. Say Yes to FCPS!
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Fantastic Schoology Sites for Families
The following links are provided to parents to ensure families have an understanding around Schoology and how to access students' assignments, grades, and more:
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Dismissal Reminders
- Please remind your child how they are getting home each day.
- Please update you child's PickUp Patrol.
- Kiss and Ride Families - Please remain in your car. Staff members will use the card visible on your dashboard to call children outside.
- If you do not have a Kiss and Ride card, please contact the main office at (703) 679-6000.
- Walkers - All walkers will be dismissed through the gym. Please meet your child on the blacktop.
- Bus Families – As the county has communicated, bus transportation may be delayed. Please stay at the bus stop and wait for your students.
- Parents may access the Bus Delay Notification System to receive the delayed bus report.
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Calendar Reminder- Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. To mark this day, Thursday, September 16 is noted as a religious/cultural observance date on the FCPS calendar. We will also not schedule events on the evening of September 15.
The FCPS 2021-22 School Year Calendar ensures students do not have to make choices between honoring their cultural or religious beliefs and missing tests or school activities. Tests, quizzes, field trips, graduation, homecoming, or FCPS-scheduled athletic events cannot be scheduled on any religious and cultural observances. Tests and quizzes will be given prior to any of the 15 days so that students will not be expected to study on these days. Employees wishing to observe religious/cultural observances on these dates should request a religious accommodation as outlined in Regulation 4817 – Religious Accommodation for Employees. Employees will be permitted to make up 16 hours of any time missed for religious or cultural observances.
September Restaurant Night
The first restaurant night of the school year will be on 9/20 at On the Border at Fair Oaks Mall. Restaurant Nights are a great way to see your friends, make new ones, and take a break from making dinner. They are also a vital fundraiser for the PTA, helping to pay for a variety of events for the school, such as staff appreciation week and field trips. We can’t wait to see you there.
Stay Connected
Being connected to Willow Springs and FCPS is important every year, and even more so now as we navigate our return to school. The best way to stay informed is to sign up for newsletters through News You Choose.
WSES and FCPS have a variety of topics you can choose from, including:
- School Newsletters- featuring everything you need to know about your child’s school
- FCPS This Week- a weekly newsletter featuring news and happenings from across the division, published Wednesday mornings
- School Board Meeting Update- a recap of important news coming out of school board meetings, published the Friday morning after the meeting
- FCPS Employee News- weekly updates just for staff, published Tuesday mornings
Want to learn the latest about PTA up to the minute? The Willow Springs PTA Facebook is an excellent resource for learning about the Willow Springs community and hearing about other fun (mainly free) kid-centric ideas for activities around town. Recent posts include:
- Updates for PTA and school events.
- Postings on free cultural art activities at George Mason.
Visit our WSES PTA website and access important information on memberships, upcoming events and activities, and volunteer opportunities. Also, for the latest and greatest, up to date information find us on Facebook. Be sure to “like” the Willow Springs Elementary PTA page and follow us.
Looking Ahead at WSES |
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2021-22 Standard School Year Calendar
Visit the Willow Springs Elementary PTA website.
Coke Gives
Super easy fundraising! Send in your Coke lids, cardboard carton codes and plastic wrapper codes to school. PTA can earn up to .38 per item!
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