WTW PTSO WeMail, September 14th


The WTW WeMail is distributed every Tuesday to update the Woodson community on PTSO news, school news, and upcoming events. 

  1. SCHEDULE REMINDERS
  2. PTSO NEWS
  3. WTW NEWS & EVENTS
  4. FUNDRAISERS
  5. WTW CAV SPORTS RECAP
  6. WTW RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS, PARENTS & FAMILIES

SCHEDULE REMINDERS

THIS WEEK

Tuesday, September 14, 5:00 p.m. - Woodson FLE Parent Information Night - an hour before the PTSO meeting in the Library - Details under WTW News & Events (This is an opportunity for parents to view FLE materials; no formal presentation will be given.)

Tuesday, September 14; 6:00 p.m. - First PTSO meeting of the school year.   The meeting can be accessed at this meeting link or in-person in the library.

Friday, September 17 - Teachers’ Virtual Asynchronous Back-to-School videos available on the Woodson website - details under WTW News & Events

 

LOOKING AHEAD

Monday, October 11 - NO SCHOOL - Professional Development Day - Indigenous Peoples’ Day 

Wednesday, October 13 - Grade 9 - Asynchronous at-home learning

Wednesday, October 13 - Grade 10 and 11 - PSAT/NMSQT (no cost) - Details under WTW News & Events

Wednesday, October 13 - Grade 12 - SAT testing for Seniors who signed up. Excused day for Seniors not signed up

Saturday, October 16; 8:00 p.m. - Homecoming Dance - Details to come


PTSO NEWS


PTSO Meeting TONIGHT!

The first meeting of the school year will take place at 6pm tonight, Tuesday, September 14th.  The meeting can be accessed at this meeting link or in-person in the library.


PTSO Welcomes New Outreach Coordinator

The PTSO Board is grateful to Amy Zganjar for volunteering to be the new Outreach Coordinator. In this important role, Amy will build upon the outstanding work of outgoing coordinator Elena Theobald.

The board thanks Elena for her dedicated service to the Woodson school community. 


PTSO Officer Position Open - Fundraising Chair

The PTSO’s primary source of funding is memberships.  Fundraising efforts supplement the PTSO budget.  There are two main roles for the Fundraising Chair.  The first is organizing “Dinner Nights” at places like Chipotle and Potbelly.  The second is letter writing to medium and large-sized  companies like Booz Allen Hamilton, SAIC, MAG Aero, Interstate Movers, and Cox.   The latter is an effective donation generator.   

All PTSO funding flows back into Woodson High School in the form of Teacher Grants, Staff Appreciation, Community Outreach, Field Trip Subsidization, and School Supplements.

The Fundraising Chair serves as the primary focal point for all fundraising activities. The time commitment is about 1 hour per week, averaged over the school year. If you are interested in volunteering, please get in touch with Miklos Kiss at wptsopres@gmail.com


Community Resources for Mental Health, Wellness, and Support Groups

We are committed to providing and sharing programs and information to help parents, teachers and students navigate high school and beyond. The wide range of issues include but are not limited to: coping with stress; parenting advice; homework resources; suicide prevention; drug use, addiction and overdose; and underage drinking.

https://wtwoodsonptso.ptboard.com/school/cm?mid=2619 (must be a PTSO member to login)


Ways to Make a Difference

Whether you are a new or returning WTW parent, please get involved in any way that works for you. 

Here are some quick links to get you started:

Join our PTSO

Make a Donation 

Sign up for one of our Volunteer Opportunities

Ask a local business to become a Business or Community Sponsor

Find WT Woodson on Facebook, Instagram  and Twitter

Go shopping! Amazon, Office Depot, groceries, etc. Link your accounts and a portion of your sales will go to our school!


WTW News & Events


Virtual Asynchronous Back-to School Night

Woodson's virtual, asynchronous Back to School Night (BTSN) will begin after 5pm on Friday, September 17th.

On Friday after 5pm, parents will be able to view teacher videos and contact teachers with questions. The purpose of the videos is to share an overview of the curriculum as you would receive during a traditional BTSN.

As a reminder, if you need to schedule a teacher/parent conference please contact the school counselor.

Here Comes the Bus App

 


PSAT/NMSQT for Grades 10 & 11

FCPS will continue the practice of offering the PSAT/NMSQT to all students in grades 10 and 11 at no cost.

This year, the test will be administered on Wednesday, October 13th.

All enrolled students in grades 10 and 11 will take the PSAT/NMSQT unless a student’s family specifically communicates a desire to opt-out of this opportunity. Students are not required to submit an intent form to register for the PSAT/NMSQT exam. 

If you have questions about the PSAT/NMSQT, contact Woodson’s Student Test Coordinator at kpguinee@fcps.edu

More specifics about the October 13 PSAT/NMSQT testing opportunity will be shared later.

On this day, 9th graders will complete asynchronous learning at home and 12th graders not testing will be excused from school.


Family Life Education - Info Night and Opt Out Forms

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve.  Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.

The Woodson FLE Parent Information Night will take place on Tuesday, September 14th at 5:00pm (an hour before the PTSO meeting) in the Library. This is an opportunity for parents to view FLE materials; no formal presentation will be given.

Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program.  Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices.  If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms will be included in your child’s back-to-school/orientation packets and are available online for Elementary (K-6) https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/elementary-family-life-education , Middle School (7-8) https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle-school-academics-7-8/family-life-education-fle, and High School (9-12) https://www.fcps.edu/academics/high-school-academics-9-12/family-life-education-fle.  Please fill in the opt-out form and return it to your child’s school prior to Family Life Education instruction.

Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Elementary (K-6) , Middle School (7-8) , and High School (9-12). FLE grade level-specific lessons and media that FCPS has streaming rights for are available for parents online in Schoology.  Parents/guardians login to Schoology using the same username and password as their Student Information System (SIS) Parent account.  Grade level-specific lessons are also available at the City of Fairfax Regional Library (this location does not have media).  Grade level-specific lessons and media that is not streamed online are available for review at your child’s school library.  Due to copyright permissions, we are unable to stream all media online.

Program questions may be addressed at your child’s school or by contacting Instructional Services at 571-423-4550 or by contacting Carrie Reynolds, Health and Physical Education Coordinator at cfreynolds@fcps.edu.


Woodson Choral Boosters

Upcoming Events:  National Anthem Pyramid Sing* on Friday, September 17th from 6:15pm-7:15pm.

*Attendance is highly encouraged, but not graded. 

To find more information about upcoming events, monthly meeting, restaurant nights, and other informative communtives about Chorus and Chorus Boosters, please look on our various online sources such as the Chorus website, Monthly Chorus Booster Newsletter, Gmail, Schoology, Remind, YouTube, WeMail, and Instagram.

Chorus website. www.woodsonchorus.org

YourTube channel- Go to “Woodson Chorus” Please subscribe!

Instagram- Follow us @ wtwchorus


FUNDRAISERS


Band and Color Guard Tag Day Fundraiser

Marching Band Tag Day

Help keep the Woodson Band in tip top shape for this 21-22 marching band season!

Members of the W.T. Woodson Band and Color Guard will be going door-to-door throughout all Woodson neighborhoods on Saturday, September 18th for their annual Tag Day fundraiser.  This event provides almost half of the funds needed to keep the band performing at the highest levels.  The W.T. Woodson Band has a decades long history as a Virginia Honor Band, earning top marks for both its concert and marching band programs. 

 If you aren't home when the kids stop by, you can mail in a tax-deductible donation payable to Woodson Band Patrons by using the "tag" flyer on your door. There is also a DONATE button on the upper left hand corner of the band website.


Senior Class Signs

Class of 2022 Yard Sign

 

Senior yard signs are now available for purchase!

Limited quantities available. Order online here. Questions? Contact out to merifarling@hotmail.com 


Senior Class of 2022 Legacy Bricks

Buy a Brick and Make a Lasting Mark for your Student!

Legacy Bricks

The brick courtyard in front of the school between the main entrance and the auditorium still has plenty of room for bricks for you to honor your special student or alumni.  Individual bricks cost: $100.  They make great graduation presents for Seniors, or as a great legacy for all the members of your family! 

 Visit the Woodson PTSO PTBOARD website HERE (or from the main page click on “Forms & Payments” section on the left, then click on “Form & Payment” then scroll down to the Buy A Brick section.) If you prefer, you can mail the brick order form (LINK HERE) to the school with a check. 

All orders are due no later than April 26, 2022.  Plan accordingly! 

If you have questions, or for more info contact Shane or Katherine Gilbert at wptsobricks@gmail.com.


Show your Cavalier Pride with a Woodson Garden Flag!

WTW Garden Flag

Order yours today at https://wtwoodsonptso.ptboard.com/formvw/store?store=1894

 

Garden Flag (dimensions - 12"x17") - $15

Want to personalize it? For $5 more, add your family name or get creative and celebrate your student with their name and graduation year!

(Some examples: The Smith Family; Congrats Emily Class of 2021; Woodson Class of 2022)

For more information, contact Liz Brocato at Brocatofam@gmail.com


Student Driver Magnets Available With Convenient Home Delivery!

Student Driver Magnet

Student Driver Car Magnets are available through PTSO! Magnets are $8.00 each or buy a batch of 3 for multiple cars for $20.00. You can order online from the PTBoard website HERE.  Once orders are received, magnets will be delivered to your door contact free! If you have any questions contact Shane or Katherine Gilbert at wptsomagnets@gmail.com


WTW CAVS SPORTS RECAP


Cavs Varsity Fall Sports

Co-Ed Golf

Woodson lost a tough match against South County by a score of 161-183 to bring the season record to 1-2.  Four golfers played in their first Varsity match.  Scores were Joseph Tso-41, Bobby Kay-46, Alex Klein-46, Jackson Day-50, Winter Lee-51 and Grant Kahler-52.  Catch tonight’s match at Fairfax.

Field Hockey

There was cheering and penalty cards flying as the Cavs defeated Alexandria City 1-0 in a boisterous Friday night game. Elizabeth Stribling was the connective tissue for the Woodson attack, which scored when Genna Cooke forcefully dribbled through the Titans and found Alex Walrath for the goal.

Woodson lost to Madison 1-0 last Wednesday when the Warhawks scored off of a rebounded shot. Katie Hamrock and Reese Cuviello’s defense kept the Cavs in the game, while Elia Kim and Genna Cooke vigorously patrolled the midfield. 

Fans can watch the Cavs play this Saturday, September 18 at 9:00 a.m. and Noon at South County.


NEW VHSL Physical Form for 2021-22

This is the NEW VHSL approved Physical Form. This is the only version that can be accepted for the 2021-2022 school year. If you have a doctor fill out the old version with "revised February 2017 in top right corner, your doctor will need to complete the new one, which may require another appointment. So please make sure the form you fill out has "revised January 2021" on the top right.

The VHSL Physical Form must be completed by a parent/guardian and doctor. In order for the physical to be accepted for the 2021-2022 school year, it cannot be filled out and dated by a doctor until May 1, 2021 or after. Once completed, please drop it off to Woodson's Activities Office, Woodson's Main Office or scan it to the Athletic Trainer Chris Hogge at chogge@fcps.edu. This must be turned in prior to participating in athletics. 

The form is also available at https://www.vhsl.org/sports-medicine/physical-examination/, under Resources.


WTW RESOURCES


Woodson Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to the most commonly asked questions by clicking here.


Odd/Even Calendar

Printable  2021-2022 Odd/Even (A/B) Calendar .


College & Career Center News

The Woodson College & Career Center is located in E 109. My office hours are 7:30 am until 3:30 pm. Students can stop by before or after school, or during LS and lunch if they have any questions, or just to say hello. Please join my Course in Schoology. My Access Code is:  3M8B-S8X4-N2H55.  Thank you to our Senior Families who joined us for Senior Night yesterday. The recording of our presentation will be sent out later on today. 

Upcoming Events:

  • Financial Aid Night on Wednesday, September 22nd, at 7 pm in the Woodson Auditorium for seniors and their parents - presented by Chad Spencer, Director of Financial Aid at Davidson College.
  • Region 5 Virtual  Financial Aid Night with Spanish Interpretation on Wednesday, September 29th, at 6:30 pm for seniors and their parents presented by College Access Fairfax. Registration Information will be shared out closer to the date.
  • Region 5 Virtual Scholarship 101 on Wednesday, October 6th, at 6:30 pm for seniors and their parents presented by College Access Fairfax. Registration Information will be shared out closer to the date.

College Rep Visits for Juniors and Seniors here at Woodson will begin on September 13, 2021. Parents can view the schedule in my Schoology Course. Students have to go to Naviance to sign up. We are still adding new visits every day!

Questions? Please email me at cliebmosley@fcps.edu.

Christine Lieb-Mosley


Answers to Attendance Questions

How do I check out my student from school?

Please let the Attendance Office know if you need your student to leave school early.  You can notify Attendance 3 different ways:

  • Submit the online attendance form and have your student pick up their pink checkout pass from the Attendance Office (E107) between classes or during lunch.
  • Student brings a note to the Attendance Office before 9:45am. The student will be issued a pink pass to leave class at the appointed time. The note must include the following - student name, date and time of when student is leaving, and reason for early check-out, student ID, parent signature and contact number. 
  • Call the attendance line, 703-503-4800 and select Option 3. After leaving a message, please have your student pick up their pink checkout pass from the Attendance Office (E107) between classes or during lunch.

At the time of dismissal, your son/daughter will bring the pink check-out pass back to the Attendance Office for verification before meeting you outside. 

If returning to school that same day, students must check in at the Attendance office before going back to class, even if it is between classes.

Due to staff responsibilities at the end of the day, we are not able to honor unannounced early dismissals within 15 minutes of school dismissal.

My student will be arriving late to school. How do I let Attendance know?

Please let the Attendance Office know if your student will arrive late to school.  You can notify Attendance 3 different ways:

  • Submit the online attendance form to report a late arrival or partial day absence.
  • Student brings a handwritten note from a parent or doctor with the reason for the late arrival. Please include the student’s name, time the student is coming to school, the reason for the tardy, a parent/guardian signature, the student ID, and contact phone number for follow-up.
  • Call the attendance line, 703-503-4800 and select Option 2. Please include the student’s name, time the student is coming to school and the reason for the tardy.
  • If a student does not have a note, he/she will be marked "unexcused tardy" and must present a note to the Attendance Office within 48 hours for the tardy to be changed to excused.

Valid tardiness reasons include illness, medical appointments or family emergency. The following will not be excused: oversleeping, power outages, car trouble, traffic, and missing the bus. Students will be given a pass to enter their assigned class after checking in at the Attendance office.

My student will be out for a college visit.  How do I let Attendance know?

For prearranged Absences (family, college trips, medical reasons), please notify the Attendance Office with the following:

  • Student must bring a written notice to the attendance office at least 5 days prior to the intended absence. Please include the student's name, dates of absences, and reason for the absence.
  • Student will receive a prearranged absence form for teachers to sign, list the assignments, and due dates.
  • Extended Absences: If a student requires long-term medical care, parents should contact their child's school counselor. To find out who your child's counselor is, check the Student Services staff list

For full details on Attendance Procedures, please visit the Attendance page on the Woodson website.


What Is Schoology?

We are excited to share that students, families, and teachers throughout FCPS and in our school community will use Schoology (pronounced /SKOO-luh-jee/) as our learning management system beginning /Fall 2021.

A Schoology Parent Account gives you access to:

  • Your child’s classes.
  • Your child’s upcoming assignments.
  • School, class, and group announcements.

Parent accounts are available now. To access Schoology, parents will need to have an active SIS/ParentVUE account. To login to Schoology, use your same username and password credentials as for SIS ParentVUE.

  • Schoology has a connected web conferencing tool, Zoom
  • Schoology works with Google Drive
  • Students have a Schoology accounts and access with their FCPS student ID and password. 
    • Students will not see any classes until the grading period starts

Login to Schoology. Look for the FCPS logo to make sure you are on the correct login page.

If you are not seeing all of your children in Schoology, please be patient as FCPS IT is working on a solution and should have a resolution as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.


ParentVUE/StudentVUE Information

The Student Information System (SIS) Parent Account Access allows parents and students access to teacher grade books, attendance information, course history and other useful information.

ParentVUE:

StudentVUE:

StudentVUE Accounts: All high school students have access to their StudentVUE account by using their network id and password to log in.


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)


2021-22 PTSO OFFICERS 

Miklos Kiss / President / wptsopres@gmail.com, miklos.c.kiss@outlook.com

Sara Mastro / Vice President - Membership / wptsovp1@gmail.com

Vacant / Fundraising

Amy DeCarlo / Recording Secretary / wptsosecretary@gmail.com

Kyle Durbin / Treasurer / wptsotreasurer@gmail.com

Jill Battaglia / Communications Director /battagliawtw@gmail.com

Michelle Lucas / WTW PTSO Grant Program / WTWoodsonGrants@gmail.com

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WTW PTSO Website