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For a translated version of this newsletter, please visit the Willow Springs website.
May 1, 2022
 Congratulations to our 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade strings students. These musicians showcased their talents at the Spring Orchestra Concert last Tuesday. Thank you to Ms. Aban and Ms. Venne, our WSES strings teachers, for their hard work preparing our children for an evening to remember.
Willow Springs families,
Happy Staff Appreciation Week! Being an educator is a profession that often presents challenges and obstacles, but any WSES staff member will tell you it is one of the most rewarding jobs out there at the end of the day. We are proud of our WSES staff as we celebrate their passion and dedication this week. Our WSES teachers and staff go above and beyond each day for our children, families, and one another. We are grateful to have a team of educators who lead our children with love and empathy. See the information below about how you can show your appreciation alongside our PTA throughout the week.
Last week our WSES students performed in our Spring Orchestra Concert. It was an incredible turnout, and our students have certainly worked hard this year to prepare for an unforgettable event. Thank you to our strings teachers, Ms. Aban and Ms. Venne, for their planning, preparation, and passion.
If you missed it, Ms. Berra hosted our first Meditation and Mindfulness for Children and Families virtual information session last week. This information session provided numerous resources and strategies as we continue our focus on social-emotional learning here at Willow Springs. Please click here to access the slides presented and stay tuned for additional social-emotional opportunities to come.
This week marks the beginning of SOLs for our students in grades 3-6. Please remind your child to eat a good breakfast, get a good night's rest, and come prepared to do their best. The SOL schedule is in the newsletter below, and please reach out to us if you have any questions.
We look forward to a beautiful week with our foxes as we send our 4th-graders off to Jamestown on Wednesday and our 5th-graders host their Medieval Day celebration on Thursday!
Sincerely,
Dylan Taylor, Principal
Lesley Hassen, Assistant Principal
Ipsa Stringer, Assistant Principal
Staff Appreciation Week
The Willow Springs staff has worked tirelessly all year and we would love to shower them with love at our Staff Appreciation Week from May 2nd- May 6th. The PTA has planned activities every day for the staff and we need your help to make it a success. Consider signing up for breakfast items for the staff at https://bit.ly/3LlBsNk. The PTA is also asking for families to recognize their teacher and two other staff members next week.
 
WSES SOL Testing Schedule
Willow Springs Class Assignment Family Input for 2022-2023
The 2022-2023 school year planning has begun! To assist in this process, we would like to invite you to provide some information about your child using our WSES Family Input Form.
Your child's current and upcoming classroom teachers work together with specialists and the grade-level team to prepare class assignments for the next school year. They will review this form and consider the information relevant to the class assignment. Willow Springs has an incredible staff! Please do not request a specific teacher. Please submit the form by May 13.
It’s time for 2022-23 Kindergarten Registration
 Will your child turn five years old by September 30? If so, they are eligible for kindergarten enrollment for the 2022-23 school year. More information can be found on the Willow Springs Website.
Intent to Return to WSES
As we prepare for the upcoming school year, it is very helpful to know if you don’t plan on returning to us. If your child will NOT be attending Willow Springs ES in the 22-23SY, please complete the intention form found here.
Positivity Project Corner
This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Leadership. Leadership means you value each member of your group and inspire people to do their best.
Leadership can be both formal and informal. It is concerned with getting others to do what needs to be done while maintaining group morale to ensure readiness to act in the future. This character strength’s focus is on the personal qualities of leaders rather than the practice of leadership. These qualities include the ability to understand others and inspire them toward a common goal, the capacity to mitigate conflict and mold consensus, and the desire to lead other people.
For individuals, leadership is a way to achieve what you know is important, as groups of people invariably achieve more than individuals. If you want to achieve your vision for the future, you need to inspire others to join you. As an individual’s ability to lead develops, so does that person’s confidence and sense of self-efficacy.
To practice and encourage the character strength of leadership with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.
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Literacy Is For Tomorrow
Fox Frenzy Summer Reading Program
We are pleased to announce that students in grades 1-6 have been invited to participate in this year’s WSES Fox Frenzy Summer Reading Program! Our goal is to put ‘just right’ books of your student’s choice in their hands this summer. The program cost is $36.00.
Click HERE to learn more and access the flyer.
The program includes:
- Six new books at your child’s reading level
- A shopping day in school
- A summer reading log
- Summer reading response journal
- Summer reading celebration in the fall
If you have any questions about our WSES Fox Frenzy Summer Reading Program, please contact Kim Hamilton at kahamilton@fcps.edu .
Forms must be returned by Friday, May 6th.
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ST Math March “Math”ness
Through the month of March classes completed in an ST Math competition. Collectively students completed 183,811 puzzles.
Congratulations to the following winners!
 In Bracket #1 for kindergarten-3rd grade, congratulations to Ms. VanDerHorst’s kindergarten class. They completed 6,703 puzzles.
 Our Bracket #2 winner for 4th-6th grade was Ms. Williams’s 5th Grade class. They completed a total of 27,473 puzzles.
 Finally, our honorable mention goes to Ms. Mott’s 5th grade class for lasting until the very end and having the 2nd most puzzles completed through March. They completed 15,563 total puzzles.
Willow Springs Bluebird Trail
A Bluebird nest box with a camera was installed over winter break with the help of Mike Bishop, Fairfax County Naturalist, Jason Schneider, Willow Springs parent, and Dylan Taylor, Principal. We are looking forward to installing the other nest boxes for the Willow Springs Bluebird Trail soon. Stay tuned for future updates!
The nest boxes and webcam are from a grant awarded to our Steam Teacher, Carley Fisher-Maltese from the Virginia Bluebird Society.
Visit the WSES website for photos, videos, and to learn more.
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MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD for ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL 2021-2022
Thirty-two students from Willow Springs Elementary School were among the approximately 100,000 students worldwide to participate this year in the Math Olympiad Program for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS). The objectives of MOEMS are to teach multiple strategies for out-of-the-box problem solving, develop mathematical flexibility in solving these problems, and foster mathematical creativity and ingenuity. Students participated in a series of five monthly contests with five problems each, from November to March, and weekly practice sessions under the supervision and coaching of Nunik Nishanian. Students were taught to solve unusual, challenging, thought-provoking, and difficult problems that stretched their abilities, helped them think critically and strengthened their foundation for both assessment tests and more advanced studies. The Math Olympiad served over 100,000 students on approximately 3,500 teams nationally and about 50,000 students on 1,00 teams in more than 30 countries.
The WSES team was named to the National Math Olympiad Honor Roll with a score of 194 points, earning a Highest Team Achievement Plaque. A team must be in the 90th percentile to win this ward.
WSES had 25 students who placed in the top 50% of all participants winning national awards for excellence within Division E for grades four-six, congratulations Foxes!
Click HERE to visit the WSES website to learn more.
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Opportunities to Engage with Dr. Reid
Our incoming superintendent, Dr. Michelle Reid, is visiting FCPS this week to learn more about our schools and community. During her visit, there will be a special, in-person event for staff, families, and students on Tuesday, May 3, starting at 7 p.m. More details, including how to register and submit questions, were shared with the FCPS community directly via email.
On Tuesday, May 17, Dr. Reid will join staff, families, and students for a multilingual virtual town hall, starting at 7 p.m. We will share details about this event in newsletters and directly via email.
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Updated Isolation Procedures for Students Effective May 1
Since the start of the pandemic, Fairfax County Public Schools has regularly reviewed and adjusted our health and safety guidance in alignment with recommendations from local, state and national health experts.
As a result, FCPS will be changing current isolation procedures for students who have tested positive for COVID-19. Beginning May 1, 2022, your child may return to in-person instruction and activities, including athletics, when your child has met the following criteria:
- Student has completed at least five days of isolation; AND
- Student is fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication; AND
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Student’s symptoms have improved or resolved
- Student wears a well-fitting mask for 5 additional days (day six through day 10) after the end of the 5-day isolation period, in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance
If students are unable to wear a mask when around others, they are to continue to isolate for a full 10 days at home.
Children who are in isolation will continue to have access to our StreamIn/CheckIn during this time.
The new procedure aligns with the timeline recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD). It also follows improving vaccination rates in the Fairfax Health District, as well as a continued community level of low in Fairfax County.
We continue to balance the need for students to have a high-quality in-person learning experience with student and staff safety. By adhering to our layered prevention strategies and increasing vaccination rates, we are all doing our part to keep schools safe.
Willow Springs Farmer’s Market
The Willow Springs Farmer’s Market has started again for the spring. Enjoy some fresh vegetables while supporting the Garden Club. The Market will be open Fridays from 4-5:30 PM.
Cafeteria Volunteers and Updates
 We are excited to share that we will be returning to our normal cafeteria seating on Monday, May 2. We appreciate all of the families who have volunteered their time to support our students during lunch. We hope to continue to have families help in the cafeteria as we close out this school year.
If you have ANY time during lunch time frame to volunteer, please consider volunteering in the cafeteria. We have slots as short as a half hour and really need your help. It’s a fun way to see your child during the day, too
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!
Watch D.O.G.S.
Have you heard about our Watch D.O.G.S? The Watch D.O.G.S group is our group of men who volunteer at school and help the school as needed during their day. You can be a dad, stepdad, grandpa, or uncle. Sign up for a time that fits your schedule as many or as few times as your schedule allows. See upcoming spring spots at https://signup.com/go/mWNvXOp.
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WSES Spirit Wear
The new Willow Springs PTA spirit wear store is live. Our new store is open 24-7 all year long. We have so many spring options from t-shirts to shorts and hats to protect your head by clicking HERE.
We are excited for our community to show their Willow Pride!
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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.
Support Willow Springs with Amazon
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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