WPHS - News You Choose - 9/9/22

WPHS School Seal

In this week’s WPHS News You Choose:

  • Important Dates
  • Principal Message
  • PTSA News
  • School News Update
  • College and Career Center Updates 
  • ACT/SAT Test Prep
  • Class of ’23 Updates
  • Quick Links/Additional Resources

.


Important Dates

  • September 15: Virtual Back to School Night
  • September 26 –Student Holiday/Teacher Workday, Religious & Cultural Observance Day (Rosh Hashanah)
  • October 5: Student Holiday (Yom Kippur)
  • October 10: Student Holiday (Indigenous Peoples’ Day)
  • October 15: Homecoming
  • October 16: FCPS Annual College Fair
  • October 24: Student Holiday (Diwali)
  • October 28: End of First Quarter – 2-hour early release

Principal Message

Hello Wolverines!

What a great week 3!  We worked to establish a welcoming environment for all our students as well as establish routines and expectations.  Yesterday we had our first fire drill and will have our first lockdown drill next week.  Our students and staff did an excellent job with quick and orderly evacuation of the building for the fire drill.  I am confident we will have the same for our upcoming lockdown drill. 

Virtual Back To School Night (BTSN)

As instruction is ramping up, our virtual asynchronous BTSN will open on Thursday September 15th.  All teachers will provide videos to introduce themselves and their courses.  The videos will be housed on their schoology class pages that you have access to via your Parent Vue and Student Vue accounts.  Here is some helpful information for accessing your accounts.

The SIS ParentVUE Account is the FCPS secure solution for accessing information about your child's attendance, discipline, class performance, and demographic data. Your SIS ParentVUE Account login credentials are also used to access a link to Schoology, where you can see announcements and assignments for all of your student’s classes.

If you do not yet have a Parent Vue account, please use this link to request an account: https://itweb.fcps.edu/itsupport/parent/.

Once you request an account, an activation code will be emailed to you and you will be able to access SIS and Schoology.

If you have a Parent Vue account please reference the information below:

Log in to Schoology here using your Parentvue login and password

Need help resetting your Parentvue password?  

Schoology account information

Differences between parent and student accounts

Helpful videos:

              How do I log in to Schoology?

              What will I find in my account?

              How do I see my child’s account?

If you run into any difficulties with this, please email Ms. Babic jmbabic@fcps.edu

Construction, Kiss and Ride, and Parking Passes Updates

Work continues on our Springbank connector, cafeteria expansion, and kiss and ride.  We are excited to see significant progress and we are getting closer to completion with our Kiss and Ride.  Starting early next week, we will send messaging that will provide maps for our new kiss and ride, bus loop, and student/staff parking routes.  We will have a soft opening which will allow you a weekend to come to the school and ride through the new patterns and observe new signage at your leisure.   At the same time, we will resume parking pass distribution to the students who have been allotted a pass but had to wait until the new staff parking lot was complete.  Those students will receive email messaging with details on how and when to pay and pick up their passes. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dr. Millard

 


PTSA News

We cannot wait to see you at our first WP PTSA General Meeting this coming Monday, September 12th at 6:30 pm in the school library.  The Board will discuss exciting initiatives happening for the year, approve the 2022-2023 budget and answer any questions.  Principal Dr. Millard will make staff introductions and give a discussion on the overall state of the school. 

WPHS PTSA MEMBERSHIP – Join Today

Your membership dues are used to directly benefit our Wolverine community. The PTSA at WPHS acts as the Academic Booster Club and supports our students and teachers throughout the year.  You can join online at https://westpotomacptsa.memberhub.store.   At the site, you can purchase memberships, make tax-deductible donations, and purchase WPHS car magnets.

  • Household Membership: $20 (all adults and WPHS students living at same address)
  • Student Membership: $10 (not necessary if you have a Household Membership)
  • Teacher/Staff Membership: $10
  • WPHS Car Magnet: $5 

You can also join by check payable to “West Potomac PTSA.” Please indicate the following:

  • First and Last Name of Member:
  • Student Name(s) and Year(s) in School:      
  • Email/Phone:
  • Address (if ordering a magnet):

Mail requested information and check to Libby Meares, Membership Chair, 8501 Cyrus Place, Alexandria, VA 22308.  Questions? Contact Libby at MearesTeam@gmail.com.

 

PTA DONATION

Please help support the PTSA this year so that we can provide our students and staff with support this year!  There are 2 EASY ways!

DIRECT DONATION:

PTSA

https://westpotomacptsa.memberhub.com/store/items/735410

AMAZON SMILE:  Did you know that shopping on Amazon can benefit the PTSA?  Just go to smile.amazon.com and select "West Potomac High School PTSA" as your charitable organization.  The PTSA will receive a percentage of all your shopping, which you can also set up on your phone if you have an Amazon app.  Shop away and feel good about it!


School News

How to Receive FCPS Messages in Other Languages

You may wish to read FCPS messages in a language other than English. There are several ways you can receive or view our communications in a different language. 

FCPS This Week is distributed in other languages to parents/guardians who have filled out the Home Language Survey form and selected a language supported by FCPS as their preferred language for communication. Home Language Survey forms are available in the following languages: Amharic | Arabic (العربية) | Chinese (中文) | Farsi (فارسی) | Korean (한국어) | Spanish (español) | Urdu (اردو) | Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt).

Learn more about other communications that are translated. 

Performing Arts News

Annual TAG Day, Saturday, Sept. 10, 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM 

Today West Potomac students from band, orchestra, chorus, and guitar will be out canvassing our neighborhoods seeking donations for our Performing Arts programs. As you may know, FCPS fees that these students pay to participate in these activities do not begin to cover the full cost of operating the programs. Each year the various programs join together to work on this direct donation campaign, TAG Day, seeking funds to help cover the costs.  Your donations and your kindness to our Performing Arts students this Saturday will be greatly appreciated. Donations can also be made online anytime via the Wolverine Band website. Visit www.wolverine band and click the yellow "Donate" button. Thank you for your support. 

Chorus Boosters News

Chorus Boosters will be holding a car wash at Aldersgate Church on Saturday, September 17 from 10 am to 2 pm.  Please spread the word and come out to support the Chorus Program.  All donations are welcome and appreciated!  Proceeds will help support our scholarship program and clinician-provided workshops. Location: 1301 Collingwood Rd, Alexandria, VA 22308.

Dance Team Fundraisers

Mum Sale

The West Potomac Dance Team is having its annual mum sale!  Please see attached flyer and consider supporting our dancers as you beautify your yard and front stoop.  Thank you and good luck with the school year. 

https://forms.gle/RHEz2ufw9NCMxXJUA

Mum Sale

To order, follow this link:  https://forms.gle/RHEz2ufw9NCMxXJUA

Also, there will be a Dance Team car wash at Aldersgate during the pick-up window for the mums.

Cow Bells & Bows

Show your school spirit at West Potomac sports games this year by purchasing a hand-painted cow bell and a beautiful hair bow.  At the game this Friday, check out the display of bells and bows on a table to your left once you enter the football stadium.  Proceeds benefit the West Potomac Dance Team.

Enjoy dinner out on Monday, September 12 at McAlister's!

Support the West Potomac Dance Team and enjoy the delicious offerings at McAlister's in Mount Vernon Plaza this Monday between 4:00 and 8:00 pm.

McAlister

College and Career Center Updates

Do you need help making plans for what you would like to do after high school? I partner with school counselors, teachers, and staff members to help students make informed decisions about post-secondary opportunities.

The CCC is open Monday – Friday from 8 am – 4 pm. Ms. Young is available to meet with students or with students/parents in person, virtually, or by phone.  To schedule - please send an email to Mrs. Young at kbyoung1@fcps.edu or by phone at 703-718-2548.

SAVE THE DATE – Upcoming Fall Events:

*October 16th: FCPS Annual College Fair

*October 17th – 20th: FCPS Virtual Post-Secondary Week

*October 20th: Region 3 Financial Aid Information Night

Please see the September College & Career Center newsletter for additional updates including important upcoming events, scholarship opportunities and enrichment programs.  The attachment includes details on all the following topics.

  • SAT/ACT Support: For students who are interested in a test prep class, Applerouth Test Prep partners with our WPHS PTSA to offer test preparation at a discounted rate for WPHS students. They offer mock tests and group class sessions during the school year. The full schedule and registration can be found on http://www.applerouth.com/schools/8946/
  • College Information Sessions: College Representatives are visiting West Potomac, more than 40 college visits are already scheduled for September, October and November.  See the attachment for registration details.
  • Financial Aid information: The FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid will open on October 1.  See the attachment for details on information and FREE services available to help students complete the financial aid process. 
  • Scholarship opportunities are available to FCPS students to review and apply to through Naviance Student. Students review and apply for scholarships by logging into Naviance Student>Colleges> Scholarship & Money>Scholarship List. See below for a list of scholarships with deadlines through the end of December. This site is updated WEEKLY and students are ENCOURAGED to review on a regular basis as deadline dates are critical. Detailed application instructions for all scholarships listed below are in “Naviance Student.”

SAT/ACT Prep

Fall SAT Prep Class!

Group Tutoring sessions begin 09/10. View all our events and register at applerouth.com/schools/8946/.  Students from other schools are welcome - invite some friends to join you!

Mock ACT now available on 10/1/22!

Scholarship questions? Contact Karen Young, CCC Specialist, kbyoung@fcps.edu


Class of 2023 – Seniors News

Don’t forget to order your yard signs online now!  They look fantastic, thanks to our very own 2023 senior, Peter Rainey.  They are a great fundraiser for our class as well!  Click here to order!

https://westpotomacptsa.memberhub.com/store

Don’t forget to pay your senior dues which are $75.  This money covers their grad cap and gown, two T-shirts and their diploma cover.    https://www.myschoolbucks.com/

We have a Facebook group filled with information with all things pertaining to this year.  Please join here to stay up to date on things!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2375133515962843

Finally, if you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas, please email us at westpo2023@gmail.com.


FCPS News /Quick Links

Quick Links: