|
In this week’s WPHS News You Choose:
- Important Dates
- Principal Message
- PTSA News
- School News Update
- College and Career Center Updates
- Quick Links/Additional Resources
Important Dates
-
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
Happy Rainy Weekend Wolverines,
As we are at the midpoint of quarter 1, I would like to encourage you to connect with your child and discuss how school is going for them. Look over their current progress in Parent Vue and Schoology. We will begin West Potomac Student Support Time (WSST). Starting Tuesday, students will be able to move after advisory to teachers for additional support. This time is a huge advantage for students to get help during the school day. When coupled with late bus days that started a couple of weeks ago, students can effect significant change and improvement in their mastery of content.
We are now two weeks into our new parking and kiss and ride. Things have improved significantly now that people have had time to adjust. Starting next week, we will be looking at the student parking waitlist to offer passes to some. We also have begun mass ticketing of cars that are not authorized to park in student/staff parking areas. Please be sure to park in your designated space. If someone is parked in your space, go to a visitor or staff space at door 1. Go into security and alert them that someone is in your space, and they will follow up with ticketing.
Please stay dry and safe this weekend!
Dr. Millard
PTSA News
Please mark your calendars for our next meeting on Monday, October 3rd at 6:30pm.
Gifts for Good
Gifts For Good Fundraiser: Tuesday, October 4 from 7-10 PM at The Fazackerley's Home (8418 Stable Drive, Alexandria VA).
Supporting, Swapping, Shopping! The West Potomac community and the WP PTSA invite you to the 2nd Annual Gifts For Good, swap-n-shop open house! Join us for a great night of shopping, friendship, fundraising, and live music by Borrowed Players.
Your $25.00 Entry Fee includes the swap-n-shop gift exchange, eight local artisan pop-up shops, snacks, drinks, and more. To purchase tickets: https://westpotomacptsa.memberhub.com/store . FREE Jute shopping bag donated by Blue Atlas Marketplace to the first 50 tickets sold.
Donations/Volunteer needs: Looking to bring new bling to your home but need to make some space, need a reason to find your inner Marie Kondo - this is THE FABULOUS event you have been waiting for. Please check out the flyer for swap decor/items donations needed and click on the volunteer spot for beverage donations, gift cards, sign-ups etc. WPHS students and teachers need our support more than ever. Please help us blow the roof off this event - #WolverineProud#
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0E4FA5A829A57-gifts
The PTSA will be offering a quarterly speaker series "Elevate, Educate and Enlighten" for students and families. Our first speaker is Martha Carucci discussing "The Sobering Power of Choice" on Monday, October 17th at 7PM in the Kogelman Theater.
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:
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
National Merit Semi-Finalists
Congratulations to West Potomac’s Fiona French and Saira Nagda who were named National Merit Semifinalists!
Representing 18 high schools in Fairfax County, 237 students were announced last week as National Merit Semifinalists.
All semifinalists are eligible to compete for 7,500 National Merit Scholarship awards worth nearly $28 million, to be awarded in spring 2023. Semifinalists advance to finalist standing in the competition by meeting high academic standards and other requirements including a recommendation from a high school official. View the full list of semifinalists on our website.
Substance Abuse Prevention
RAINBOW FENTANYL
The DEA has issued a public warning educating the community about rainbow fentanyl. These particular pills are targeted to youth and young adults by its colorful candy-like appearance making them look harmless. Rainbow Fentanyl resembles playground chalk before it is pressed into pills and has been found in 18 states including West Virginia and New York and are sold as low as $17 (Hawaii) per pill making them affordable. In August of 2022 47,000 pills were confiscated at the Arizona border as well as 186,000 “Perc 30’s” or “Blues”, another popular synthetic opioid found in our county.
The trend, as reported by users, is to crush the pills, smoke it off of a piece of aluminum foil, with the theory that it is “safer” than snorting. When burned, it often gives off a distinct odor of burned rubber. While we have not seen Rainbow Fentanyl yet, Perc 30’s or Blues are popular among adolescents and young adults in Fairfax County and the surrounding areas. Fentanyl is also found in counterfeit prescription pills, cocaine, Xanax, and other licit and illicit drugs.
The Medical Examiner from the Virginia Department of Health recently released its 1st quarter data for 2022 stating 483 people have died from fatal fentanyl overdoses in the state. For Fairfax County data and additional information on youth substance use, please see the Fairfax County Youth Substance Trends webinar linked below.
Substance Abuse Prevention Specialists (SAPS) provide Tier 1 support throughout FCPS. Each high school pyramid is assigned a SAPS who conducts brief interventions, psychoeducation, and presentations to students, staff, families, and community members. Topics of discussion include alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD) as well as current trends on substances. For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270.
Sources & Resources:
DEA Rainbow Fentanyl Press Release
DEA Fentanyl Gallery
Narcan Training (English & Spanish)
Fairfax County Youth Substance Use Trends
Homecoming
Homecoming Week is approaching – October 10-15th! Here are some of the week’s events:
Monday October 10th – Indigenous People’s Day – No School
Tuesday October 11th – Field Hockey Senior Night at 7:30 pm (with senior night festivities before)
Wednesday October 12th – Outdoor Movie Night at sundown in the Senior Lot (movie being voted on)
Thursday October 13th – Dig Pink Volleyball Games starting at 5 pm
Friday October 14th – Pep Rally during 3rd period
Friday October 14th – Homecoming Tailgate in the senior lounge area from 4-6 pm
Friday October 14th – Homecoming Football game at 7 pm, Homecoming royalty announced at Halftime
Saturday October 15th – Homecoming Dance from 8-11pm in the Main Gym
Stay tuned for more specific information on the week!
We need CHAPERONES for the dance! Please fill out this signup genius if you are interested: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ba4a72ea7f5c34-homecoming
The SGA is collecting new or slightly used dresses and makeup for the second annual Homecoming Dress Drive! Please consider donating dresses to be distributed to West Potomac students in the weeks leading up to Homecoming. Donation bins will be located in the front office, Gunston lobby, and room 447. We will be collecting donations from September 12-26! For any questions email hocodressdrive@gmail.com. Please use a personal email address instead of your school email.
El SGA está colectando vestidos nueve o poco utilizados y maquillaje para la segunda annual de vestido de Homecoming! Por favor considere donar vestidos y maquillaje para ser distribuidos a los estudiantes de West Potomac en las semanas previas a Homecoming. Las cajas de donaciones estarán en la oficina del frente, el pasillo de Gunston y en el cuarto número 447. Vamos a estar recolectando donaciones desde el 12 de septiembre hasta el 26 de septiembre. Para preguntas por favor mande un email a hocodressdrive@gmail.com , por favor use su email personal y no su email que usa en la escuela.
West Potomac Band
It is competition season for marching band. We’ll be competing this Saturday at The Herndon Showcase at Herndon HS. Come out and see our expanded show, as well as many other marching bands perform. For schedule and other details, click here:
https://www.herndonband.org/showcase
Dance Team Fundraisers
Mum Sale
This Saturday -- Mum Sale and Car Wash!
Stop by the Aldersgate Church Parking Lot on Saturday, September 24 starting at 10:00 am to purchase 8-inch and 10-inch potted mums -- yellow, bronze/orange, pink/purple, and red/burgundy. After your car is loaded up, swing by the car wash and leave for home with wonderful Fall decor and a clean car! Proceeds benefit the West Potomac Dance Team.
FOOD FOR NEIGHBORS: Would you like to help students in our area receive the healthy food they need to succeed in school? We’re partnering with Food For Neighbors to stock the food pantry in our school and supply supplemental weekend food to our students who struggle with food insecurity outside of school hours.
FFN is looking for Red Bag Donors to donate food 5 times per school year, volunteers to drive and pick up the food and sorters to help organize and pack the food on event days. It only takes a few minutes to sign up and can make a huge difference in the lives of local teens! Visit the website at www.foodforneighbors.org/get-involved to donate food and volunteer. Thanks for your support!
Parent Project is a 10-week parenting class that gives tools to our families to build structure and discipline in a loving environment. This program is targeted for parents with children that are 10 years old and up that display strong-willed, negative, or uncontrollable behaviors at home. This class creates outreach opportunities for the school to connect, honor, and welcome the families within your school community.
College and Career Center Updates
ASBC 20th Annual HBCU Festival:
DATE: October 7-8, 2022
LOCATION: University of DC-Van Ness Campus
This event will bring 83 historically Black colleges & universities to the area. For students attending this hybrid event, some colleges will offer onsite admissions decisions, music auditions, scholarships & seminars. There will be giveaways for the virtual audience, too. Pre-registration is required.
FCPS 2022 Look to the Future Week Events:
Students & families are invited to attend these annual FCPS events. Pre-registration is required for all events, including the college fair. Please see flyers for details and to register.
FCPS College Fair:
DATE: October 16, 2022
TIME: 4 PM – 7 PM
LOCATION: Eagle Bank Arena at George Mason University
Approximately 250 colleges will be represented at this annual college fair held on the campus of George Mason University.
 Click to edit this placeholder text.FCPS Postsecondary Week:
DATE: October 17 – October 20, 2022
TIME: 5 PM – 8 PM Daily
LOCATION: Virtual
Students & families can attend virtual events each evening to learn about and better prepare for the different types of post-secondary options students may consider.
FCPS News /Quick Links
Quick Links:
|
