 Dear Families,
February is Black History Month, and the theme for 2022 is "Black Health and Wellness." The Library of Congress details how Carter G. Woodson successfully advocated for the creation of a Negro History Week in 1925 to raise awareness of African Americans’ contributions to civilization and the celebration was expanded to a month in 1976. CWES students learn about many ways African Americans have shaped and experienced life in the US, this month and all year long.
Consider taking a family trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture -- the first national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. You can also explore the resources from their Learning Labs with your family at home.
Tomorrow we kick off the new month by wishing many families in our community a Happy Lunar New Year. In many east Asian countries, the Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays of the year and is all about ushering in luck & prosperity with family. May you have good fortune this year!
On February 2 (Wednesday), Punxsutawney Phil will be looking for his shadow to let us know if we should expect six more weeks of winter. Did you know Ms. Milliron's father was born in Punxsutawney, PA and that she is a SUPER FAN of the holiday? She might be spotted making some visits to classrooms on Wednesday to share a bit of Groundhog Day lore.
Shadow or no, we know there are still weeks to go of wintry conditions. Please continue to dress your children warmly in appropriate outerwear (coats, hats, and gloves or mittens) during these cold weather months.
That means both sending your children in with appropriate wear, and REMINDING your children that you want them to put these items back on when headed outside to play -- even if they are "never cold!" (As a mom of boys, I know this reminder is essential!)
We intend to enjoy outdoor recess as often as weather permits. FCPS guidance is to limit outdoor recess on days with wind chill advisories or warnings (i.e., wind chills of below -5F), but those metrics are extreme. We may shorten outdoor recess or allow classroom choice when conditions are not quite that cold. However, more days than not, we will be playing outdoors!
Happy February, everyone!
Warm regards,
Diane Leipzig, Dr. L
We are excited to announce that CWES Band and Strings 2021-2022 T-Shirts are now available to order! Band and strings students will wear their t-shirts during spring concerts to show their team spirit and love of instrumental music! The cost is $10 per t-shirt. The actual cost of the shirt, which is dependent upon total pre-order sales numbers, may be less than $10. By purchasing the shirt for $10 you are agreeing that any excess in the cost will not be refunded and will, instead, be donated to the purchase of shirts for families in need or other band and strings program needs.
Store closes on 2/12. Order soon at this link:
CustomInk Band and Orchestra T-shirts
Please email ctrimbach@fcps.edu with any ordering questions.
YEARBOOKS are now available for purchase for only $14! Don’t miss this year’s school memories! Yearbook store is open through March 22.
Online ordering only at Lifetouch.com/Order - CWES Yearbook Code #14314322. We will not be selling yearbooks at the school so be sure to order online.
Please email Cheryl Trimbach ctrimbach@fcps.edu if you have any questions.
The 2022-23 school year calendar was approved at the January 27 School Board Meeting. This calendar focuses on instruction, and student and operational needs. The calendar is aligned with neighboring school districts and adds additional key observance days.
Most importantly, this calendar was developed with significant input from the FCPS community. Thank you to everyone who participated in the process through surveys, webinars, and participation in the feedback committee. This effort reflects the best effort of everyone the school calendar touches.
Some highlights include:
- Monday, August 22 will be the first day of school.
- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Orthodox Good Friday, and Diwali will now be designated as student holidays. (Eid and Lunar New Year fall on a non-school day in 2022.)
- Inclusion of Veterans Day as a student holiday and staff work day.
To find out more about next year’s school calendar, visit the FCPS website.
En Español
Fairfax County Special Education PTA (SEPTA) is hosting virtual focus groups to discuss National PTA's Standards for Family-School Partnerships. Share your experiences and your perspectives on family-school partnerships.
- How do you want to engage with your child’s school?
- What are the most important parts of a parent-educator relationship?
Your feedback will be used to make family-school partnerships more inclusive and impactful in FCPS. National PTA will also use your feedback to inform a set of National Standards for family-school partnerships nationwide.
Sessions last 1 hour and 15 minutes, are interactive, discussion-based, and open to all FCPS families and educators. You do not need to be a PTA member to participate.
A small stipend will be given to the first 20 registrants per session who then attend and complete a brief survey.
REGISTER TODAY AT THE LINKS PROVIDED BELOW:
Questions? Please contact:
Michelle Cades - president@fairfaxcountysepta.org
Amanda Campbell - vicepresident@fairfaxcountysepta.org
Frost sends its apologies that some families were not able to access the live Frost Orientation program last week due to an error with the latest link. The presentation was recorded and can be found on the Rising 7th Grade Course Selection website here.
On this website you will also find a timeline of events, the course catalog and selection sheet, elective videos, and other helpful resources. Thank you for submitting your questions to Frost: you can continue to submit your questions here through February 1st.
Upcoming Evening Events:
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February 8th at 6:30 PM – Math Curriculum Exploration – Discussion of specific differences between Math 7 and Math 7 Honors, student readiness and mindset, and the sequence of math courses. This event is virtual and the link will be provided soon.
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February 9th at 6:30 PM – Special Education Parent Orientation – This is a newly added virtual event and the link will be provided soon.
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February 16th from 5:30-7:30 – Frost Family Festival - Please see this flyer for information and dinner sales: Frost Family Festival 2022.pdf
All virtual events will be recorded and placed on the website above for those who are unable to attend. Thank you!
Dine in or takeout from Iron Chef in Fairfax (2985 District Ave, Ste 145) on February 15 from 11am-10pm and support the CWES PTA!
CWES crossing guard, Tina Dove, has been nominated for a statewide competition -- Virginia’s Outstanding Crossing Guard. The winner will be announced on Crossing Guard Appreciation Day, February 9, 2022.
Is your child a walker? Please "chalk the walks" Ms. Tina monitors (especially on Queen Elizabeth Blvd.) over the weekend to celebrate her dedication to keeping our students safe on their way to and from school.
 Ms. Tina's crossing-guard-in-training, August!
 Even CWES little siblings know and love Ms. Tina!
Fairfax County Public Schools will adopt new Elementary School Language Arts Basal Instructional Resources for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years. A review committee composed of community members, administrators, and teachers will meet in February and March to review the instructional materials under consideration and community feedback. Public review of the recommended materials is part of the process for selecting new resources.
Elementary English Language Arts basal instructional resources may be accessed in person and online January 31 through February 28, 2022. Digital materials for public review and comment will be available at the following link: https://www.fcps.edu/node/36853. Those reviewing instructional materials may complete an electronic comment sheet available at the following link: https://forms.gle/NyDax8N3NXQBp1mh8.
Hard copies of instructional materials will also be available in the lobby of Willow Oaks Administrative Center. Willow Oaks is open each business day from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and extended hours will be provided until 7:00 p.m. on the following days: February 3, February 10, February 17, and February 24, 2022.
All community feedback will be shared with the review committee and with School Board members before the vote at the School Board regular meeting.
(STEAM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math)
Each month, we will feature one of our specials programs so you can learn a bit more about these amazing elements of your child's school experience.
 The Engineering Design Process
STEAM students have been busy designing and building. In STEAM, students create solutions to open-ended challenges. Some challenges are designed to be completed during one class session, while others may take several weeks to complete. Regardless of the STEAM challenge, students practice applying the steps of the Engineering Design Process. They learn how to ask questions, imagine solutions, make plans, create and test, and improve upon their creations. Students do all this while incorporating Portrait of a Graduate skills. As students work with partners they utilize communication, collaboration, problem solving, creative and critical thinking, and resiliency skills. The STEAM room is an exciting place to witness students taking risks, learning from mistakes, and developing growth mindsets. Here are a few of the STEAM challenges students have been working on:
 2nd Grade – Bridge Building Challenge
Students focus on the driving question, “How can you, as an engineer, design and build a bridge strong enough to hold a load?” while working on the bridge building challenge. Using two wooden blocks separated by a ruler as anchors, students engineer ways to build the rest of the bridge with only binder clips and craft sticks. Students test the strength of their bridges with books to represent the load. Many students are striving to build bridges that can hold 40 books!
  5th grade Lego WeDo 2.0 robotics and coding
Fifth grade students enjoyed exploring Lego WeDo 2.0 kits which combine traditional Lego building with motorized Lego pieces and coding. Students began this unit by following guided step by step directions. By the end of the unit, students were able to design, build, and code their own open creations. BattleBots were a popular design choice for 5th graders.
Kindergarten – 3D shape building
Kindergarten STEAM students explore ways to build shapes. We started this exploration by building flat shapes using Play Doh and toothpicks. Next, students learned how to change two dimensional shapes into three dimensional shapes. It took lots of problem solving to learn how to make sure the Play Doh wasn’t too heavy so the shapes could stand up. Students then had fun creating three dimensional structures using miniature marshmallows and toothpicks.
6th grade Lego robotics and coding combined with science space curriculum
Sixth grade students took the Lego WeDo 2.0 kits to a deeper level by combining a topic learned in their science or social studies curriculum with the Lego robotics to show their knowledge in a new way. Students had two parts to this STEAM challenge. First, they had to design, build, and code a robotic Lego invention without support of Lego directions. Then they had to incorporate their Lego invention with a handmade setting. Projects connected to their studies of space and explorers were popular 6th grade choices.
Tuesday, February 1: Religious and Cultural Observance Lunar New Year
Monday, February 21: Presidents' Day (No school)
Saturday, February 26 (12-3): Stringapalooza at Woodson HS (Elementary strings students from all the Frost feeder schools come together to learn music.)
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