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November 12, 2021
 5th graders Ani, Meesha, and Namira launched a Kindness Campaign last month to reach 5,000 acts of kindness before World Kindness Day on November 13th. WSES students surpassed this goal!
Willow Springs families,
This week was a week of celebrations and successes. Students engaged in meaningful learning opportunities on Veterans Day, and our families and staff members submitted photos of the special Veterans in their lives. Our Willow Family viewed this special video on our WSES News Show yesterday, November 11th honoring those who have served in our United States Military.
Tomorrow, Saturday, November 13th, is World Kindness Day! Three of our 5th-grade students (Ani, Meesha, and Namira) spearheaded a kindness campaign where students and staff would write down acts of kindness and place them in a box in the lobby. WSES began this campaign last month to reach 5,000 acts of kindness before World Kindness Day. Not only did we reach our goal, but we also surpassed it with over 5,300 acts of kindness. We are grateful for the kindness and leadership of these students, as they had a vision and saw the project all the way through.
Lastly, we are excited to announce that Willow Springs will be partnering with the George Mason University Women's Softball team through the George Mason Adopt-a-School Program. This partnership will provide additional opportunities for our foxes to connect with the community, build relationships, and encourage one another. Please join us in welcoming these student-athletes to our Willow Family. Students are encouraged to write welcome letters or draw pictures for the team. We look forward to having the team with us soon!
We hope everyone has a beautiful weekend. Stay safe and healthy!
Thank you,
Dylan Taylor, Principal
Lesley Hassen, Assistant Principal
Ipsa Stringer, Assistant Principal
Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Employee Awards!
The FCPS employee award season is here again and your help is needed! Each school in the county is being asked to nominate employees for the following categories:
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Outstanding Teacher
- Has at least 3 years of experience as a teacher (in any school/school district).
- Can be a classroom teacher, special area teacher, or librarian.
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Outstanding New Teacher
- Within their first 3 years of being a teacher (in any school/school district).
- Can be a classroom teacher, special area teacher, or librarian.
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Outstanding Professional Employee
- Has at least 1 year of experience in their current position.
- Instructional Coach, Resource Teacher, SBTS, School Counselor, Technology Support Specialist, Social Worker, Speech/Language Pathologist
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Outstanding Operational Employee
- Has at least 1 year of experience in their current position.
- Administrative and Office Staff, Safety and Security Assistant, Custodial Staff, Food Service Staff, IA, PHA, PHTA, All Parent Liaisons (regardless of how they are paid).
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Outstanding Leader
- Has at least 1 year of experience in their current position.
- Assistant and Associate Principals, Director of Student Activities, Director of Student Services
NOMINATION PROCESS
Please click the link below and nominate any staff member at Willow Springs Elementary School that you think is doing an awesome job serving our students and community.
STAFF NOMINATION FORM
Nominations will be accepted from Friday, November 12th – Tuesday, November 23rd.
- You can nominate as many employees as you wish during the nomination window.
- SCHOOL WINNERS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS CAN BE NOMINATED AGAIN.
- You must include your name when you nominate the person.
- Each nomination must include a brief paragraph stating why you believe this person is deserving of this honor.
- WINNERS AT THE COUNTY LEVEL RECEIVE A CASH PRIZE.
- After all nominations have been received voting will take place if there is more than one nominee in a category.
If you nominate someone and they win you will have to complete a Nominator Form and/or Letter of Recommendation to help this person win at the pyramid, region, and county levels. Please do not nominate someone if you cannot help with this part of the process.
If you would like to nominate Mr. Dylan Taylor for Outstanding Principal, the process for this award is different. The nomination must be submitted by Wednesday, December 1st.
- If you would like to nominate Mr. Taylor, please contact the Willow Springs Award Liaison, Krystal Styles directly.
- If you can’t complete a nominator form and/or letter of recommendation for Mr. Taylor for the pyramid, region, and county level of the process, please do not nominate him.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Willow Springs Award Liaison, Krystal Styles at krstyles@fcps.edu.
Willow Springs Book Fair
 Our Willow Springs Book Fair is back! This special event is a fundraiser for our library. From November 12th-17th, each class will come for a book fair preview and will have the opportunity to make wish lists if they choose. Students can make purchases during the school day once they have been in for a preview.
Adults can visit the book fair in person to shop for books on Thursday, November 18th from 5:00-7:30. We will have food trucks for those that want to grab a meal outside. There will also be staff guest readers doing 15 minute read alouds in the “The Little Theatre”.
The book fair takes credit cards, checks (made out to Willow Springs), and cash. We also have an online site, if people prefer to shop that way. All proceeds go to our Willow Springs library. Thank you for your support!
Fairfax Pyramid Honor Choir
 We are incredibly proud of our 70 4th-6th graders who are representing Willow Springs Elementary School in the Annual Fairfax Pyramid Elementary Honor Choir. These students have rehearsed for three weeks via Zoom, and on November 9th, they were able to participate in a combined rehearsal at KJMS. Hearing the students sing together again from all across our region was a wonderful feeling (and sound)! The concert showcasing the Elementary Honor Choir and other choirs from KJMS and FHS will be on Tuesday, November 16th, at 7:00 pm at the FHS auditorium. The concert will also be live-streamed on the youtube channel Fairfax High School Choirs.
Please join us in congratulating the students, and be sure to tune into the event!
Participants:
Alyna Nguyen
Rosemarie LeBlanc
Arina Pavlenko
Genevieve Walter
Joelle Shenouda
Antonella Salcedo
Lily Isner
Bahar Anli
Chloe Robinson
Ira Theophylus
Ava Knapp
Xiomara Alvarez
Mariana Vasquez
Ella Withrow
Elizabeth Sheremetinskiy
Quinn Glad
Asher Osei-Poku
Betty Chu
Christin Bae
Kaavya Sapkota
Annie Li
Meesha Chitturi
Elise Kim
Arsema Tafari
Sophia Cho
Leo Tran
Michael DeWitt
Izzy Adkins
Zariah Gayles
Sauren Kwatra
Kiyani Shelat
Esan An
Aly Elshoubaky
Jack Herrmann
Riya Sethi
Riya Prabhu
Khalisha Malador
Chason Cai
Arshia Fattahi
John Zhu
Aleen Salman
Drishti Chouby
Maahi Chhadwa
Sarah Lee
Summer Baylon
Aria Pandya
Josephine Forlai
Chakrika Reddy Katta
Kaitlyn Worley
Alexa Robertson
Delaney Wickham
Alena Wilson
Addisyn Stewart
Emmy Huynh
Mackenzie Williams
Phoenix Winslow
Benedict Thomas
Laya Abou Alkir
Zoe Hooper
Bishesh Pokhrel
Amanda Qiu
Esther Kim
Zoey Panczyszyn
Kennedy Bullen
Ashley Shea
Jennica Narvaez
Alicia Falke
Malia Bradsher
Kojo Asante-Duah
Angela Tran
Ramila Volkova
Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination
FCPS is encouraging all parents whose children are eligible to get vaccinated. We know that vaccination is the way out of this pandemic, and we are asking you to help us continue to make our schools as safe as they possibly can be.
The Fairfax County Health Department’s webpage has resources for finding and scheduling a vaccine appointment. Up-to-date information about vaccination opportunities is available on our website.
How to prepare your child for their COVID-19 vaccination
We know you may have questions about the vaccine. We talked with local pediatricians to answer some of the most common questions. Find out how to prepare your child for their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and how you can make them more comfortable if they experience side effects in this short video.
Sub and Save the Day!
 FCPS is looking for kind and caring substitute teachers to ensure our students continue to thrive when teachers need to be out of the building. Subs save the day- apply today! Click here to apply.
WSES Food Policy Reminder
Due to safety and allergy concerns, we are not allowing edible birthday treats in the school to celebrate student birthdays. This includes homemade and prepackaged treats. You are welcome to send in non-edible birthday items, provided one per student is supplied. Another great birthday treat is to send in a book for the class library.
Thank you for your understanding!
Positivity Project - Gratitude
November 14th - 27th
Cafeteria Volunteers Needed
 Please consider volunteering in our cafeteria this week. No training required, we will give you a bucket with condiments, etc. to pass out as kids raise their hands for help. If you're interested in a paid position, please send your resume to Amanda McCabe at anmccabe@fcps.edu.
If you are interested in volunteering this week, please click here or use the QR code above to sign up. Hope to see you in the cafeteria!
PTA BINGO Night is TONIGHT, November 12th
 Please eat ahead of time, due to COVID, PTA will not be selling any concessions. Cub Scout Pack 1858 will be collecting food donations as part of the Scouting for Food program and donating to a local food bank.
PTA Fall Auction - November 8th - 15th
PTA Membership Drive
The PTA has started the fall membership drive and is encouraging all families to sign up. The PTA is an excellent way to support the students and teachers, which we do through a variety of activities including Staff Appreciation week, building upgrades, books and games to teachers, Read Across America activities, etc. Sign up at https://wses1.memberhub.com/store.
Upcoming Clubs
WSES has several clubs that are currently recruiting new members! Interested families may sign up by clicking on any of the links below.
Good News Club is not endorsed by the school board, superintendent, or school.
Chess Club
Virtual Math Club Grades 5/6
Zumba
Science Olympiad
Funds for Foxes
Here are some of the easy ways you can help earn money for the Willow Springs Elementary PTA! Take a look at some of the partnerships we have.
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November 12 PTA BINGO Night, doors open at 6:00 p.m
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November 8-15 PTA Fall Auction, Virtual-All Day
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November 16 Fairfax Pyramid Honor Choir at 7:00 pm in the FHS auditorium
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November 18 WSES Library Book Fair Night from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
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November 24-26 Thanksgiving Break
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November 29 Chanukah
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