CWES Weekly Happenings

From the Principal's Desk

Dear Families,

As we begin the final week of Black History Month, I wanted to highlight an element of Black History right here in our neighborhood. On the corner of Guinea Road and Little River Turnpike you will see the following sign. It reads, "Ilda, a community located at the intersection of Guinea Road and Little River Turnpike, came into existence after the Civil War and lasted into the first half of the twentieth century. It originated when two freedmen, Horace Gibson and Moses Parker, purchased property from the Gooding family on the north side of the turnpike and established a blacksmith shop. In time, a racially mixed community grew to include a post office. According to tradition, the name, "Ilda" was a contraction of the name Matilda Gibson Parker. Descendants of Gibson and Parker were probably buried in a nearby cemetery, perhaps originally created to accommodate Gooding family slaves. The remains were relocated in 2008."

ilda

So the next time you pass by Ilda pool, tell your children that Ilda is short for Matilda. Tell them about two Black freedmen who bought land right about where the Pozez JCC is now, and they started a racially mixed community who would be named for their descendant, Matilda.

This sign is a part of the Historical Marker Project, launched jointly by Fairfax County Public Schools and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Its purpose is to bring attention to untold or lesser known histories from Fairfax County communities. The rich history, culture, and accomplishments of these communities is often underrepresented in history books and school curriculum. The first focus of the project is Fairfax County’s Black and African American communities. 

Want to find more markers with your child? Check out the Highway Markers Map Tour. (Ilda is stop 25). Students have the opportunity to submit suggested topics for Historical Markers that commemorate an event, person or location of historical significance of those who are underrepresented in Fairfax County. Check out these FCPS resources for a Project-Based Learning opportunity to work on this PBL with your child. 

Happy TWOsday! We made an announcement--and made a wish--at 2:22 PM today, 2/22/22! May your good fortune be doubled. After all, two is better than one!

Warm regards,

Diane Leipzig, Dr. L


Read Across America Week, Feb, 28-Mar. 3

Join in the fun to celebrate diverse books for diverse readers with next week's SPIRIT WEEK!

RAAweek

PTA General Membership Meeting, Monday Feb. 28 7:00 PM

PTA General Membership Meeting and Presentation

Monday, February 28th at 7:00 pm 

***This meeting will be held virtually, a link to the meeting will be shared the day of the event.***

Have you been thinking about the results of the Social Emotional Learning Screener we received recently?

Do you have concerns about how the the school year has impacted your student?

Are you looking for more ways to support your child emotionally?

If so, then please join us for a presentation by Lauren Cusner and Lauren Ebenstein of Partners in Parenthood.

Their presentation, "How to Foster Positive Self-Esteem in Your Children", will highlight the following topics:

  • Learn strategies to boost self-esteem and confidence from a school psychologist and former FCPS elementary educator 
  • Innate differences in self-esteem do exist; however, all self-esteem can be bolstered!
  • Practical, immediate takeaways for you to implement in your day-to-day life to improve your child's self-esteem 
  • The "Goldilocks" rule of praise--what kind of praise is meaningful and how much is too much?

 


International Day, Call for Countries, April 20

We are excited to celebrate our annual CWES International Day on Wednesday, April 20, 2022! This day serves as an opportunity for everyone to learn about all the wonderful countries and cultures represented within our school community.   

We are inviting our families to come dressed to represent your country, bring international dishes to share, songs to sing, and music for dancing.   If you are interested in securing a table to display your country’s information, please complete the interest form that was included in Tuesday folders and send it in or email it to tsutton@fcps.edu by the deadline on Friday, March 4th.  Whether you decide to create a display or not, save the date to come out and join the fun.


Lockdown Drill Information

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.

Virginia Law (22.1-137.2) requires schools to notify parents at least 24 hours before a school practices a lockdown drill. We are required to practice lockdown drills two times a year. We had our first lockdown drill in September. 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 kindergarten students will participate in this, our second and final drill.

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. 


PTA Restaurant Fundraiser @ Oath Pizza: Wednesday, March 16

Order Oath online or in store on Wednesday March 16th and they will donate 25% of your purchase! IN STORE: Visit the Mosaic District  location and order from our team! Must mention Canterbury Woods Elementary School PTA Fundraiser or show the flier for your donation to count. ONLINE: Order pickup, curbside, or delivery from the Mosaic District location at order.oathpizza.com or on the Oath app! Enter code CANTERBURY22 for your donation to count.


Save the Date for Kindergarten Orientation!

This year we will have TWO events to welcome our newest class of CWES Cougars!

Wednesday, March 30, 6:30 PM-7:30 PM: Parents will join our K team for a virtual presentation of our kindergarten program.

Thursday, March 31, 3:00 PM-4:15 PM: Rising kindergartners will come to our school for an in-person orientation, rotating through all of our kindergarten classrooms to experience a slice of life in kindergarten. (NOTE: This is an early release day for current students).

Do you know a neighbor with a rising kindergartner, or a family with a rising first grader who isn't attending CWES yet? Please encourage them to register on our website ASAP so we have accurate numbers for staffing our classes for next year! 


Register for Band Camp!

Woodson HS is hosting Band Camp, June 14 - July 1 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM.

Cost is $250.

Each day includes a small group lesson, sectional and 2 band rehearsals.

Open to rising fifth through rising ninth graders. 

Beginners encouraged to join -- no experience necessary.

Staffed by professional musicians and educators.

4 levels of band offered.

End of camp concert, July 1, Woodson HS.

Details and application online at https://www.rbopomusic.org/central-fairfax-band-camp.html

bandcamp

SPECIAL OF THE MONTH: STEAM

(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. 

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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:

 

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.


Mark Your Calendars

Saturday, February 26 (12-3): Stringapalooza at Woodson HS (Elementary strings students from all the Frost feeder schools come together to learn music.)

Monday, February 28: RAA Spirit Day--Wear silly clothes and read a silly book! PTA General Membership Meeting at 7PM 

Tuesday, March 1: Lifetouch Spring Picture Day (Includes class photos); RAA Spirit Day--Wear something to celebrate your culture and read about a culture or holiday

Wednesday, March 2: RAA Spirit Day--Wear your favorite team's jersey and read about an influential athlete.

Thursday, March 3: RAA Spirit Day--Wear your favorite color and read your favorite book; Two-hour Early Release

Friday, March 4: No school

Wednesday, March 16: Restaurant Fundraiser, Oath Pizza

Wednesday, March 30, 6:30 PM: Virtual Kindergarten Parent Information Session

Thursday, March 31, 3:00 PM-4:15 PM: In-person Kindergarten Orientation 

Wednesday, April 20: International Day