 
Para obtener una versión traducida de este mensaje, haga clic AQUÍ. Luego, haga clic en el icono IDIOMA en la esquina superior izquierda para elegir su idioma preferido.
Dear Woodburn Families,
It has been an amazing first week. We have seen warm and welcoming classroom communities growing throughout the building. Students are building relationships with each other and their teachers and have jumped right into reading, writing, and math routines. We cannot be stopped!
This success would not be possible without the incredible efforts of our teachers and staff. They are laser focused on our students and we hope you will join us in showing appreciation for all they do. You might consider sending an email or Talking Points message to express your thanks.
We also want to thank you, our families and community, for your partnership and the many steps you take to ensure your child comes to school ready to learn and grow each day. We couldn't do what we do without you.
Together We Grow,
Katy & Elizabeth
Dates to Remember:
August 29 - PTA Clean Kitchen Night at Silver Diner
September - National Hispanic Heritage Month
September 2-5 - Labor Day Break
September 8 - PTA Membership Meeting, 6:30pm
September 15 - Back to School Night, 6:00pm (more info coming soon)
September 26 - Student Holiday, Rosh Hashanah
The Power of Persuasive Writing
Last year, our 5th graders wrote persuasive letters and mailed them to people who have power to make changes. This week a student got a letter back from The White House! Join us in celebrating Elsa as she used her voice to advocate for those that need help with housing, clothing, food, and more.
|
Labor Day Break
In honor of Labor Day, there will be no school for students on Friday, September 2 and Monday, September 5.
Wellness Wednesdays
At Woodburn, we value our staff and student's social and emotional health and wellness. Students engage in morning meetings, closing circles, counseling lessons, movement breaks, and other practices to promote wellness. We also celebrate Wellness Wednesdays. On this day, students learn about a wellness topic on the morning news and all are invited to wear workout attire. These are special days and we appreciate our Wellness Team and all they do to ensure we are caring for ourselves and our students.
Buses and Delays
Please be aware that all of us are getting used to new routines at the start of the school year. Thank you for your patience as those routines are established. If a student’s bus is delayed, parents may access the Bus Delay Notification System or use the Here Comes the Bus mobile app to receive the delayed bus report. E-Notify (School Messenger) email messages will also be sent to announce significant bus delays. Contact the Transportation Office at 703-446-2050. For any concerns after hours (after 5:30 p.m.), contact Safety and Security at 571-423-2000.
School Safety Drills
At Woodburn, our number one responsibility is to ensure the safety of our students and staff at all times. We continually work with county leaders to ensure coordinated responses to potential safety concerns and we practice emergency drills on a regular basis throughout the school year.
Fire Drills
We will hold fire drills twice within the first 20 days of school. We will then have one per month thereafter. Only our first fire drill may be announced ahead of time. All subsequent drills must be unannounced ahead of time to students and staff. Our first Fire Drill for this school year took place today, Friday, August 26.
Lockdown Drills
A new Virginia Law (22.1-137.2) requires schools to notify parents at least 24 hours before a school practices a lockdown drill. However, we are not required to share the exact date and time of the drill. We are required to practice lockdown drills two times a year. FCPS lockdown drills do not include any type of active shooter scenario training, they are instruction and classroom based. We plan to have our first lockdown drill the week of September 12th.
Our pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students are exempt from mandatory participation in lockdown drills during the first 60 days of the school year. They will participate in our second and final drill later this school year.
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.
During a lockdown drill:
- All students stay in place with a teacher or staff member.
- Students and teachers remain in locked classrooms, unobservable from outside (lights-off, window blinds closed, door windows obscured with paper) and outside potential lines of fire.)
- Students and staff members disregard fire alarms.
- No one enters or exits the school, except public safety personnel.
- Persons in trailers remain in locked trailers.
Bus Evacuation Drills
Bus evacuation drills are required to be completed at least twice a year. One during the first 30 instructional days of the first semester and the other during the first 30 instructional days of the second semester.
Tornado Drills
Tornado drills are required to be completed once a year during the month of March (second semester).
FCPS Text Messages for Emergencies and Essential Information
Families can receive text messages from FCPS for emergencies and to communicate essential information. To be included, make sure your cell phone numbers are listed in the parent/guardian contact information section on the emergency care information form for each of your children. Parents and guardians can view and update emergency contact information online using weCare@school.
Text messages will be sent in the event of emergencies, delays or school closings, if buses are running more than 30 minutes late, if your student missed the morning attendance deadline, and for other important reminders.
Standard message and data charges may apply for text messages depending on your cell phone service plan. More about text messages is available online.
Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R)
FCPS’ updated Student Rights & Responsibility booklet is now available online and in the ParentVue section of the Student Information System (SIS). The SR&R booklet explains expectations for student behavior, and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment.
Each year, we ask parents to review, sign, and return the SR&R to their child’s school. In ParentVUE, you may now download and digitally sign the SR&R. Every parent/guardian with a ParentVUE account will see the SR&R upon login to ParentVUE until the SR&R acknowledgement has been completed.
Your name in the digital signature box must match the parent/guardian’s first and last name in SIS exactly before the signature will be accepted.
Please take a moment to log into ParentVue in your child’s SIS account to access the SR&R. Signatures are due by September 30, 2022.
Click here for a pdf copy that you can save and print or save and email to dnunez@fcps.edu
Please contact our main office if you are having difficulty accessing the booklet.
Family Life Education Instructional Program Information
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) provides a comprehensive, sequential Family Life Education (FLE) program for students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.
Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms will be included in your child’s back-to-school/orientation packets and are available online for Elementary (K-6), Middle School (7-8), and High School (9-12). Please fill in the opt-out form and return it to your child’s school prior to Family Life Education instruction.
Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Elementary (K-6) , Middle School (7-8) , and High School (9-12). FLE grade level-specific lessons and media that FCPS has streaming rights for are available for parents online in Schoology. Parents/guardians login to Schoology using the same username and password as their Student Information System (SIS) Parent account. Grade level-specific lessons are also available at the City of Fairfax Regional Library (this location does not have media). Grade level-specific lessons and media that is not streamed online are available for review at your child’s school library. Due to copyright permissions, we are unable to stream all media online.
Program questions may be addressed at your child’s school or by contacting Instructional Services at 571-423-4550 or fle@fcps.edu.
Important Forms to Complete
Students were sent home with "First Day Packets" this past Monday. This folder contains forms that we need all families to complete. Many forms can be submitted online and are shared below. Thank you for taking the time to share this important information with us.
The following forms need to be completed. Once completed, you can either drop them off at school or take a picture of your completed forms and email them to dnunez@fcps.edu.
- Identification of Military Connected Students
- Homeless Student Referral
- FC Sexual Harassment Lessons- 6th grade ONLY
The following forms must be completed electronically.
PTA Corner
Welcome Back, Wildcats!
The Woodburn PTA is looking forward to a year full of community and connection. From the Kindergarten Playdates, to two lounge refreshes, to our August 15 Teacher/Staff Welcome breakfast (complete with pupusas and baleadas) and Open House, we have hit the ground running and appreciate all of the volunteers that make Woodburn such a special place. Throughout the 2022-23 school year, we will be providing updates in this weekly Woodburn newsletter. You can also visit our website, Facebook, and Twitter for more information and photos posted after events. We are looking forward to seeing you all soon!
How to Join the PTA as a Voting Member
Thank you to everyone who has already expressed interest in volunteering this year by sharing your contact information! Please be sure to take the next step by officially joining the PTA for the 2022-23 school year. Membership is $10 per voting member ($3.75 goes to National PTA to support our insurance, financial infrastructure, etc., while the remaining $6.25 goes directly to our PTA budget). Membership is valid for one school year, so you will have to renew each year. You can sign up on our MemberHub site or via paper forms coming home in the Thursday folder. Stay tuned for additional ways to volunteer, get involved, and lend your support throughout the year.
Don’t Forget to Reset Your Passive Fundraising
There are a few ways to support PTA programming through your typical shopping routines. Please take a few moments to reset your passive fundraising channels!
-
Amazon Smile: Select “Woodburn Elementary PTA” as your charity. You will need to use the Amazon Smile web address (http://smile.amazon.com) each time you shop for your purchases to apply. If you are using the mobile app, you will need to turn on AmazonSmile in “Settings” twice per year!
-
Box Tops for Education: Using the Box Tops for Education mobile app, select “Woodburn Elementary School” as your current school and use your phone camera to photograph your grocery receipts within 14 days of your purchase.
-
Harris Teeter Rewards Card: Ask your cashier to link your VIC Card to Woodburn Account #5936. You will need to re-enroll annually, starting on August 1!
-
Shutterfly Storefront: Use the Woodburn Shutterfly link to shop on the Shutterfly website (http://woodburnpta.shutterflystorefront.com)
Board Member Spotlight
Each week, our Board Members will take turns introducing ourselves. Come say hello at Membership Meetings or other PTA events!
Name: Katie Sessa
PTA Position: President
Children at Woodburn: Will (3rd Grade), Sam (Kindergarten)
Favorite PTA event? Raise a Reader!
Bulletin Board
Cub Scout Pack 115 (K-5th)
Cub Scouts is a family focused program for boys and girls that offers a variety of fun. Build a Pinewood Derby Car. Explore nature. Help in community service projects. Play games and practice sportsmanship. Learn about something new: woodworking, science experiments, outdoor cooking, dinosaurs, sign language, designing games, performing skits and jokes! With monthly Pack meetings and grade-level Den meetings the kids get to explore different topics while participating in great character developing activities. Learn more about us! pack115annandale@gmail.com
PTA Fall Calendar
The PTA has an updated calendar on our website for the 2022-23 school year. Here are a few upcoming events to mark on your schedule!
August 30 – Clean Kitchen Night Fundraiser, Silver Diner (8150 Porter Road, Falls Church, VA), 5-8pm
September 6 – Lunch Truck, District Small Bites (Woodburn parking lot)
September 8 – 1st Membership Meeting, Woodburn Cafeteria (Dinner: 6:30-7pm, Meeting: 7-8pm with childcare and Spanish translation provided)
September 15 – Back to School Night
September 20 – Clean Kitchen Night Fundraiser, Pupatella (2980 District Ave, Fairfax, VA), ALL DAY, be sure to mention Woodburn
Woodburn School Website
 |
|
Do you want to celebrate a Woodburn employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way, or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone. |
|
