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In this week’s WPHS News You Choose:
- Important Dates
- PTSA News
- School News Update
- College and Career Center Updates
- SAT/ACT Prep News
- Quick Links/Additional Resources
Important Dates
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October 15: Homecoming
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October 16: FCPS Annual College Fair
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October 17: PTSA speaker series "Elevate, Educate and Enlighten" for students and families. "The Sobering Power of Choice" (Kogelman Theater).
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October 20: Paying for College-The Financial Aid Process for Seniors @ John Lewis High School
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October 22: Mock SAT and ACT Test Administered by Applerouth *see details below for registration
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October 24: Student Holiday (Diwali)
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October 27: Michelle Reid is hosting Community Conversations at West Potomac at 6:30 PM
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October 28: End of First Quarter – 2-hour early release
PTSA News
The PTSA encourages all students and families to join us for our first "Educate, Elevate and Enlighten" speaker series where Author and Blogger Martha Carucci will speak on "The Sobering Power of Choice." Admission is free/ Monday, October 17th at 7pm in the Kogelman Theater. See flyer below.
Our next PTSA meeting is on Monday, November 7th at 6:30pm in the school library.
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!
PTSA DIRECT DONATION: Click Here
School News
What You Can Do to Prevent Substance Misuse
It’s true, youth are more inclined to listen to their peers than their parents, this is part of the way the brain develops. When a baby is born, their brain’s sole responsibility is keeping them alive, then as they grow into adolescence, finding their tribe becomes important. Think of your top three happiest memories. What were you doing? How did you feel? Who was there? Each of these memories was likely a shared experience. You were laughing and smiling with loved ones, maybe food was even involved. Now think of your three worst memories. What was going on? How did you feel? Who was there? In each of these memories, you likely were alone or felt alone.
Substance use becomes a problem for some because they either are alone or felt alone. Connection has been shown to be important in our everyday lives, again think of your happiest memories. Fairfax County’s “Three to Succeed” describes protective factors that youth need to achieve their higher selves. If a child has at least three of these protective factors, they are more likely to succeed in life: having high personal integrity, having community adults to talk to, performing community service, participating in extracurricular activities, having teachers recognize good work, and having parents available for help. What you notice is five of the six protective factors involve connection with someone else, the first protective factor describes connection with oneself.
Here’s Some Helpful Resources:
Knowing the Signs: Substance Abuse & Today’s Youth
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Substance Use Prevention & Encouraging Healthy Brain Development
REVIVE Training for Opioid Overdoses
FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270 and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @FCPSSAPS.
 
Superintendent Community Conversations – October 27th at West Potomac at 6:30
Dr. Michelle Reid is hosting Community Conversations across the division to get to know our communities. Events will be held at the high school in each pyramid through November. Each Community Conversation will be held in person, allowing Dr. Reid an opportunity to better connect with participants. If you are unable to attend your pyramid's event, please consider attending another one.
See the full schedule and register.
Homecoming Week
Homecoming Week is approaching! Here are some of the week’s events:
Friday October 14th – Pep Rally during 3rd period (end of the day)
Friday October 14th – Homecoming Tailgate in the senior lounge area from 4-6 pm, food trucks, activities, prizes!
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, tickets are $20 and will be on sale Homecoming week
Dance Team
Have Delicious Food Out and Support the Dance Team!
Head to Tropical Smoothie in the Belle View Shopping Center next Monday or Tuesday from 2:00 to 7:00 pm and enjoy great food with no dishes to wash while supporting the West Potomac Dance Team. Please print a copy of this flyer to bring with you – both black & white and color copies will work.
Fall Clean-Out
Help the West Potomac Dance Team by collecting clean, gently used clothes and household goods into large plastic bags and delivering the bags to the big blue bin around the corner from Springbank at West Potomac on Saturday, October 22 between 8:00 and 10:00 am.
Come Enjoy the Magic of the Holiday Season at the Nutcracker Tea Party!
Dancers from the Alexandria Community Nutcracker will bring this magical and timeless story to life for young guests on Sunday, November 6 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Nutcracker Tea Party guests will also enjoy delicious food and a craft. Proceeds benefit the West Potomac Dance Team.
National Honor Society
National Honor Society applications packets have been posted to the "All Students" Schoology Page. This contains an application packet which students can use as a rough draft prior to completing the online application. The application is submitted online via a Google Form. The National Honor Society is open to juniors and seniors who have a 3.5 or higher GPA. The application is due on Thursday, October 20th by 11:00 am. If you have any questions, please reach out to Jessica Landon (jllandon@fcps.edu) and/or Jean Marie Simpson (jsimpson1@fcps.edu)
Talking Points Roll Out
FCPS has integrated the cell phone number you provided with an application called Talking Points. This application allows teachers to communicate with your cellphone via the talking points application or a text message. Most powerfully, this communication is translated by Talking Points into the home language you provided. You can reply to a teacher’s messages you receive to give them feedback as well. If you would like more information about Talking Points visit the FCPS page here.
Teachers will send a welcome message when they are ready to use the Talking Points application. If you are concerned that the cell phone number associated with you in FCPS records is incorrect please contact your child’s school counselor. For help using the Talking Points application please review this youtube video on the application’s use.
College and Career Center Updates
10/15: Virginia Williams High School Career Forum
The Virginia Williams High School Career Association is excited to host the 7th Annual High School Career Forum for all 9th -12th grade high school students on October 15th from 11 am – 1 pm at the Gum Springs Community Center. A moderated panel will share detailed information about different career options available to high school students after graduation and include a question & answer session. Please see the flyer below for additional details, including how to register by the 10/14 deadline.
10/16 – 10/20: FCPS 2022 Look to the Future Week
FCPS 2022 Look to the FUTURE WEEK begins with a college fair at Eagle Bank Arena on Sunday, October 16th from 4 pm to 7 pm. This college fair is one of the largest in the region designed to connect high school students with opportunities in higher education. It will feature over 200 colleges and universities from around the nation as well as representatives from the U.S. Service Academies.
FCPS 2022 Look to the FUTURE WEEK also includes a four-night virtual event featuring live sessions each night. Students and families are invited to attend virtual sessions on a variety of topics like how to pay for college, dual enrollment, studying abroad, college success for students with disabilities, work-based learning, and many more great topics. Students and families can register for as many sessions as they wish. See the event flyers for details (English & Spanish) Questions? Contact FCPS School Counseling Services at 571-423- 4431 or Pcwhite@fcps.edu
10/20: FCPS Region 3 Financial Aid Night
Representatives from College Access Fairfax will present a financial aid seminar to FCPS Region 3 seniors and families. Learn more about the 2023-2024 FAFSA, grants, scholarships and loan programs to help offset the cost of college. The event will be held at Lewis High School on 10/20 from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Registration is not required. Please see the event flyer for additional details.
10/20: U.S. Service Academies Virtual Admissions Workshop
A Virtual Admissions Workshop for the U.S. Service Academies will be held on Oct. 20th from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Students & families can attend a joint presentation by the Deans & Directors of Admissions and learn about the admissions process and requirements. For additional information or to register, go to Event Registration or https://uscga.edu/serviceacademyworkshop/
Make sure to follow the College & Career Center on Twitter: @wphsccc & Instagram: @westpoccc for important information & updates!
SAT/ACT Test Prep Upcoming Events
Walk-In registration for mocks available as space allows ($28.00).
Mock SAT Date: 10/22/22 Saturday Time: 9:00am - 12:45pm Sign Up
Mock SAT Date: 12/10/22 Saturday Time: 9:00am - 12:45pm Sign Up
Mock ACT Date: 12/10/22 Saturday Time: 9:15am - 1:30pm Sign Up
SAT Group Class First Mock Test: 12/10/22 Sessions: 01/07/23 - 02/25/23
Meets: Saturday (Full Schedule) Max Class Size: 15 Sign Up
The Last Paper PSAT: What You Need to Know by Matthew Kiesner
It’s the last paper-based PSAT. What does this mean for juniors, sophomores, and freshmen taking this year’s PSAT? Read More
Questions? Contact Marilyn Aboff, marilynaboff@yahoo.com
Scholarship questions? Contact Karen Young, CCC Specialist, kbyoung@fcps.edu
FCPS News /Quick Links
Quick Links:
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