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Woodson Weekly -
December 17th |
Woodson Weekly is published every Friday to provide the community with important information about school life at Woodson High School.
Vision Statement
We are a school community where all students have purpose and value!
 Woodson's Performing Arts Ensembles performed together at the Winter Music Showcase this week.
Important Upcoming Dates
Monday, December 20th - Friday, December 31st - Winter Break; School Office Closed
Monday, January 3rd - First Day after Winter Break; Even Day
Thursday, January 6th - Religious and Cultural Observance Three Kings Day/Epiphany
Friday, January 7th - Religious and Cultural Observance Orthodox Christmas
In this Issue
NEW News
1. Message from Dr. Floyd
2. Thank you, Parents!
3. Winter Break Office Hours
4. SIS Unavailable During Winter Break
5. FCPS Winter Break Homework Expectations
6. Cavalcade - Student Newspaper
7. Senior Honors District Orchestra
8. Woodson Student Featured in Scout Life Magazine
9. Lightspeed Parent Report on Child's Device Activity
10. Northern Virginia Community College Online Early College Program
11. College & Career Center News
PAST News, but still important
12. PSAT/NMSQT Scores
13. To Our Military Families
14. Flocking Class of 2022
15. Order the 2022 WTW Yearbook
16. How do I check my Student out from School?
19. Laptop Tech Support Hours
20. Woodson's PTSO
NEW News
1. Message from Dr. Floyd
Dear Woodson families,
As we are about to leave on Winter Break, what should be a joyous time seems to have a cloud over the cheer. Some local and national news items weigh heavily on my heart as we dismiss for the last time in 2021. I continue to be concerned about social media threats, COVID spread and hate speech.
Please know we have not received any threats towards Woodson as of the time of this message. We remain vigilant in monitoring social media and we will continue to investigate any concerning messages, regardless of their nature. Social media is hurting our kids, and community; I am perplexed and am constantly wondering how can adults help to stop the hurtful and negative social media madness while allowing the positive, uplifting parts to remain?
I continue to be saddened and disturbed by hate speech and violence in our community, especially in schools. I believe there is no place for hate in a community and we do not tolerate such words or actions at Woodson HS. Should you be aware of any such instances, please contact me or your child’s administrator immediately upon learning of such an incident. I am committed to disrupting and eradicating this behavior while educating our young people on this topic.
About 40 of our students walked out during 3rd Period, Learning Seminar, in solidarity with FCPS Muslim Students. Students exited and reentered the building in an orderly fashion and were outside for 15 minutes before returning to class.
FCPS respects the rights of our students to engage in peaceful protest and express their opinions through speech and other ways as long as it is done respectfully, does not interfere with the rights of others, and does not disrupt learning in the school. Our school is committed to providing an environment where everyone is treated with respect and encouraged to help others.
Our teachers, administrators and staff continue to reinforce a sense of positive school community and we ask for your partnership in working with your child to discuss meaningful actions that they can take to engage in their community.
Finally, as we go into the two week break, I am very much aware that COVID continues to be a safety issue. While enjoying time with family and friends, I remind us all to wear our masks, practice hand washing and maintain distances as much as possible. If you don’t feel well, give yourself the permission to stay home and heal. (Yes, I am working on this too!) When our bodies fight illness, it is a message to us to slow down and rest. We want to bring everyone back in 2022 well rested and COVID free.
Thank you for your time in reading this. Thank you for sharing your teens with us; we truly have amazing and unique students at Woodson. I wish all of our families a safe, happy and healthy holiday season and remember Mr. Peters and I are the admin available over break should something arise for which you need school staff. We can be most easily reached at cefloyd@fcps.edu and fjpeters@fcps.edu.
May you all have a peaceful holiday season,
Dr. Floyd
 Ruthie Jane provided lots of comfort to students during the Pop In To Pop Out Stress event yesterday.
2. Thank you, Parents!
On behalf of the entire Woodson faculty and staff, we want to sincerely thank our parents for their generous donations of gift cards for our holiday party. We were able to gift a majority of teachers with your thoughtful submissions.
High School isn’t the same as elementary school where we had organized gift-giving and room parents. Thank you for recognizing and thanking the educators and support professionals that work with your children. These gift cards, simple notes of appreciation, emails of gratitude and letters in support of teachers, counselors, principal, and/or support staff have made an enormous, meaningful impact.
Many thanks,
Woodson Administration
 Freaky Friday! Students dressed like teachers and teachers dressed like students today for spirit week.
3. Winter Break Office Hours
The Woodson school offices will be closed from Monday, December 20th through Friday, December 31st.
Offices will re-open on Monday, January 3rd at 7:30 a.m.
4. SIS Unavailable during Winter Break
SIS ParentVUE, and StudentVUE will be unavailable for all users from Friday, December 17th at 5:00pm until Wednesday, December 22nd at 6:00am for system updates.
Weekly progress reports will not be emailed to parents/guardians during winter break; they will resume Monday, January 3rd.
5. FCPS Winter Break Homework Expectations
As we move toward Winter Break, we want to communicate the guidelines we have shared with our faculty regarding schoolwork over the break:
FCPS has adopted the policy of limiting the work being assigned over extended breaks. Specifically, teachers are not to assign homework or projects that are due on the two school days following an extended break. There should also not be any assessments on the two days following extended breaks. This does not preclude teachers from assigning long-range assignments in the weeks before the break and tasking students to use their own time management skills to determine if they need to work during their holiday. Teachers should ensure that assignments are not due immediately following the break. Faculty must use their professional judgment to make determinations of reasonableness and efficacy.
If you have questions regarding specific assignments in a particular class, we always encourage students and families to reach out directly to their teachers for clarification and information.
 6. Cavalcade - Student Newspaper
Today, the December edition of Woodson's student-run newspaper, the Cavalcade, was published! Read about Woodson's hockey club, past snow days, and more.
Follow the official Cavalcade Instagram (@woodson.cavalcade) to meet the staff, view sneak-peeks, and subscribe to updates @thecavalcade
7. Senior Honors District Orchestra
Please join us in congratulating the students below for making the 2022 Senior Honors District Orchestra! They went through a competitive audition process and a record breaking number of students have been selected to represent Woodson in the District. Students will be out on Friday, January 7th, 2022 and will be checking in with their teachers for any missed work before the event:
Cassie Liu, Clara Do (2nd in the District), Cosette Jo, Ellie Schwenzer, Isaac Kim, Jessica Yi, Johnson Hwang, Joseph Kim, Kate Liang (1st in the District), Kim McNamara, Lina Hao, Mallory Liang, Meghan Hembree, Morgan Altier, Olivia Michael, Paco Herrera, and Serena Day.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, January 8th at 3:00pm, for the concert at George Mason University Center for the Arts (Concert Hall).
8. Woodson Student Featured in Scout Life Magazine
Scout Life magazine published a story last week on Woodson High’s Ian Wallace and his work to teach recent immigrant students at Annandale HS how to build their own computer. Many thanks to Meredith for her time on this! https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2021/12/07/life-scout-teaches-esl-students-to-build-computers-for-his-eagle-scout-project/
9. Lightspeed Parent Report on Child's Device Activity
FCPS has new tools to help parents and guardians know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided by Lightspeed, our internet content filtering service, at no cost to families. You may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited.
If you want more detailed information, sign up for the Internet Use Parent portal and log-in anytime to see more detail about your child’s browsing and “pause” access to the internet during non-school hours. Find out more and sign up for these services on our website.
10. Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) Online Early College Program
NOVA will offer select college courses this Spring 2022 with free tuition to Fairfax County high school juniors and seniors. Courses are twelve weeks, virtual, asynchronous classes and will begin February 1, 2022. Students must meet placement requirements and understand there may be textbooks or other material fees associated with courses. Students will need access to a computer and the internet. The online courses are not intended to replace any 2021-22 classes for which students are already registered at their high school. The program provides an accelerated opportunity to earn transferable college only credits. Details about the Online Early College Program can be found on the FCPS site or the NOVA site.
Additionally, NOVA will be offering Early Online College courses for juniors and seniors during the 2022-23 school year.
 Our Custodians are ready for winter weather.
11. 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. Please join my Course in Schoology – Access Code 3M8B-S8X4-N2H55. The College & Career Center newsletters are posted here.
Please mark your calendar for the following events in 2022:
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Senior Café in the Career Center on Jan 5, 7:30 – 8:00 am – a Q & A for Seniors
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Army Recruiter Visit Cafeteria A and B on Jan 5, ALL LUNCHES
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Last College Access Fairfax Workshops for the Class of 2022 on 8 January 2022 (more information and Zoom links can be accessed at www.collegeaccessfairfax.org):
Paying for College, 9 am – 10 am
FAFSA Line-by-Line, 10:30 – 11:30 am
Scholarship 101 , 1 pm – 2 pm
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NOVA Application Session for Seniors in the Career Center on Feb 2, 10:15 – 11:15 am
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Virtual College 101 Presentation for Sophomores & Juniors on Feb 2, 7 pm – 8 pm
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US Service Academy/ROTC Program Info Night on Feb 15, 7:00 pm in the Woodson Auditorium (snow date Feb 22)
Questions? Please email cliebmosley@fcps.edu
PAST News - but still important
12. PSAT/NMSQT Scores
Score reports for the October 13th PSAT/NMSQT administration were released on December 6th. Please note that scores for students testing with accommodations are sometimes delayed.
Students will need to set up a College Board account if they haven’t already done so. Scores can be accessed by logging into the College Board Score Portal. Students should not use their FCPS email to create College Board accounts.
If students need help accessing their scores, they should reach out to their counselor or call College Board (866.433.7728).
13. To our Military Families
Do you have a family member who is deploying?
Student Services wants to provide support to your student before, during, and after the deployment. If you feel comfortable, please let your student’s counselor know about any current or upcoming deployments. Thank you!
14. Flocking Senior Class of 2022
The PTSO is looking for a senior parent volunteer to take over the Senior Flocking for the Class of 2022.
There are 350ish flamingos available from last year's flocking initiative, so only yard signs would need to be funded.
If you are interested in this opportunity to celebrate the Class of 2022, please email woodsonclass2021@gmail.com.
15. Order the 2022 WTW Yearbook!
Let’s celebrate our Woodson Cavaliers in 2021-2022! To purchase a yearbook or to make an adorable ad for your graduating senior, 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!
 Students loved visiting with Mack and Ruthie Jane during the Pop In to Pop Out Stress event yesterday.
16. 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.
If one of the options above is not followed, we cannot guarantee a speedy checkout, so please make sure you notify the attendance office prior to picking up your son/daughter to ensure you make your appointment or commitment on time.
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.
For full details on Attendance Procedures, please visit the Attendance page on the Woodson website.
17. Laptop Tech Support Hours
If students need FCPS laptop technical support at Woodson HS, please submit a ticket using the FCPS Parent/Student Tech Support Portal.
Our walk-in hours in Room A114 are:
- Odd Days during Learning Seminar
- Monday - 7:45am - 8:10am
- Tuesday and Wednesday - 11:25am - 1:20pm (lunches)
- Wednesday - 2:55pm - 4:00pm (when late buses start)
Any other time you should try to make an appointment.
Thank you, W.T Woodson HS Tech Support Team
18. Woodson's PTSO
Our mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.
PTSO meetings take place the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 6pm in the Library at Woodson HS.
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!
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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