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Dear Wakefield Forest Families,
It's hard to believe that we've already completed the first quarter. Every school year has new and unexpected experiences. Renovation has afforded us ample opportunities to be creative and resilient. I have been so proud of our staff and students for navigating an ever challenging landscape at our school. It's exciting to see walls going up for our new addition so we can start to envision what our school will look like once the renovation process is complete.
As you may have seen in the national and local news, schools across the country continue to face extreme staffing challenges. Despite incredible efforts, many FCPS schools continue to be unable to fill their permanent vacancies with qualified staff. WFES has been operating understaffed for the first quarter of the school year. We are excited that our last full time employee will begin next week.
If you haven't already, please schedule a time to meet with your child's classroom teacher in person or virtually. We value the relationship with families and want to ensure you are informed on your child's strengths and areas of focus for the most productive school year possible.
Our staff is working hard every day and your kind words and grace continue to make this a wonderful community in which to serve.
Thank you for your support.
Sharyn Prindle
Principal
October 31st - Teacher Workday / Student Holiday
November 1 - Dia de los Muertos - Religious & Cultural Observance Day
November 2 - Dia de los Muertos - Religious & Cultural Observance Day
November - 8 - Election Day/Student Holiday
November 11 - Veteran's Day/Student Holiday
Our WFES fall book fair will take place in the WFES library from Tuesday 11/1 through Friday 11/4. Students will be able to shop during school hours each day, or may visit the fair with their families on the evening of Thursday 11/3 from 6pm to 8pm.
More details regarding our shopping hours and procedures, as well as a shopping flyer, will be available in Thursday folders on 10/20 and 10/27. Book fair purchases may also be made online via our online book fair shopping site from 10/28 until 11/10 by visiting https://www.scholastic.com/bf/wfes132.
If you will be sending your child to school with shopping money, please keep in mind that we are now required to charge sales tax on all book fair purchases, so please keep this in mind when determining how much to send.
If you are interested in signing up to help set up, pack up, or run the book fair, please visit our Sign Up Genius at https://bit.ly/wfes132. We can’t wait to see you at the fair!
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The Fun Run is one of our school’s biggest fundraisers. Thank you to all who sponsored our students and helped make the Fun Run a huge success.
We made well over our goal of $25,000!
Thank you to our sponsors:
Andrew Gause
Charles Schwartz & Son
Jamie Test - Compass
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Our SCA and Mrs. Vick's Kindergarten class are working together to sponsor Trick or Trash boxes to collect candy wrappers, so they do not end up in a landfill after Halloween! Please encourage your children to save all plastic candy wrappers to add to our collection boxes and help the environment. There will be one box in the cafeteria and one in the Steam lab. Students can deposit their wrappers individually or put them in a plastic baggy. We will collect wrappers from November 1st- November 10th.
Thank you for helping us to teach environmental stewardship and create ethical and global citizens for the future!
https://www.rubicon.com/trick-or-trash/how-it-works/
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In Virginia during October, Disability History and Awareness activities provide an opportunity to create greater public awareness for individuals with disabilities, with the goal of full inclusion in our community. |
LGBTQIA+ History Month is recognized in October nationwide. We acknowledge and celebrate that LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and families are an integral component of our nation. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS. |
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FCPS has discontinued the use of the Care Rooms for students who present with COVID-Like-Illness (CLI) symptoms. All students will report to the school health room where the SHA will review symptoms and decide if the student has any CLI symptoms:
- Fever (Temperature 100.4 or above) or chills
- Cough (Not due to another health condition)
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (Not due to diagnosed respiratory health condition or if different than normal pattern of chronic condition)
- Fatigue (More tired than normal or sudden onset)
- Muscle or body aches (Not due to another health condition or caused by a specific activity such as PE)
- Headache (Not due to another health condition, hunger, stress, or injury)
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat (Not due to another health condition)
- Congestion or runny nose (Not related to allergies or other health condition)
- Nausea or vomiting (Not associated with a chronic condition)
- Diarrhea (Not associated with a chronic gastrointestinal condition)
Following the review of symptoms and provision of any required care (per “flip chart”), the SHA will attempt to separate the ill student as much as possible from others in the health room by placing them in a rest area at least 6 feet away from other students. If this is not possible, and if the student is not in distress, the SHA will work with the school staff to allow the student to be seated in the office or other agreed upon area while awaiting the arrival of the parent or guardian.
The SHA will contact the parent or guardian and advise them of the student’s symptoms and the need for the parent or guardian to pick the student up from school as soon as possible, current FCPS guidance indicates this should be within one hour.
Students leaving school with COVID-like illness will continue to be provided a COVID-19 test kit with a copy of the FCPS Guidance for Student Sent Home with COVID-like Illness form. The BinaxNOW Antigen At-Home Test may be obtained from the Covid Case Manager or the COVID Point of Contact at the school for this purpose.
The FCPS Health and Safety Guidance document and FCPS COVID-19 Negative Home Antigen Test Parent/Guardian Attestation Form will be updated to reflect these changes.
October is Substance Abuse Prevention Month, and Red Ribbon Week is October 23- October 31. Red Ribbon Week, sponsored by the DEA, is when young people pledge to live drug-free lives and show their commitment by wearing a red ribbon. Our 5th and 6th graders will be provided red ribbons to wear if they choose.
The Fairfax County Youth Survey shows that students who say there are caring adults present in their lives are significantly less likely to engage in risky behaviors or report poor mental health conditions. Now that Halloween is approaching, it’s time to remind your students that drugs are often made to entice young people to use (e.g. marijuana edibles, colorful packaging, rainbow fentanyl). The younger a person begins to use drugs, the more difficult it is for them to abstain later in life (NIH).
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.
For further Information & support contact De’Ja Ruffin (McNeil), Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist dsmcneil@fcps.edu.
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In this picture you can see the walls for the new addition going up. The new addition is slated to be completed by the end of summer 2023.
The additional equipment for the playground continues to be on backorder and is not expected prior to February.
Follow the renovation on twitter:
@wakefieldforest @sbprindle
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You may have heard FCPS is developing a Strategic Plan that will serve as the school division’s roadmap for the future. We encourage every parent/caregiver, student, employee, and community member to participate in this important work.
The first engagement opportunity will be an optional survey, which will be open to students in grades 3-12. Knowing what is important to students will be very helpful to Dr. Reid, as she leads the planning of FCPS’ future. All schools, including ours, will schedule a date and time during the school day to administer the survey between November 2-18. If you would prefer that your child not participate, you may opt your child out of taking the survey. Please visit FCPS’ website for more information.
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid.
Returning this form is important, because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
For each school-aged child in your household, please complete, sign, date, and return the survey to your child's school. If Sections 1 and 2 of the survey do not apply to you, just check the box in Section 3. All forms must be signed, dated, and returned by November 4. All responses are confidential.
Watch the video to learn more about this process from Superintendent Michelle Reid and Colonel Joe Messina, Fort Belvoir Garrison Commander
In honor of Veteran's Day, we would like to invite the WFES community to share a picture of a veteran in your family or community with us to display on our WFES Veteran's Day bulletin board. Please send a picture of your veteran(s) and include name, branch of military, and years of service.
If you would like to submit a picture through email, please send your email attachments to both Nancy Garcia-Henderson nagarciahend@fcps.edu and Amy Rapuano alrapuano@fcps.edu.
Mrs. Garcia-Henderson will print out your pictures and information and include them on our bulletin board. Mrs. Rapuano will make a slide show of your veterans to include on the morning news show.
Please send all pictures no later than 11/9. Thank you for sharing, and we look forward to honoring our veterans.
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Families who want to refer for level IV, full day advanced academic program services is due no later than December 15th. Information can be dropped off at the school office, no later than December 15th 4:00 PM or emailed to AWGray1@fcps.edu.
Referral forms for all advanced academic program services.
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Grade 2 Universal Screener Referrals - Students in grade 2 may be identified for screening based on their performance on a universal screening assessment (e.g., CogAT, NNAT); or
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Staff and Family Referrals - Students may be identified for screening based on a direct referral (a request) from their teachers, parent/guardian, or other person who knows and works with the student. This option is accessed by many FCPS parents who seek this level of service for their students. Approximately 70% of the students screened for full-time placement come through this pathway.
For more information, please visit the AAP website for more information.
The W.T. Woodson High School 29th Craft Show is returning this year on Saturday, November 5, 2021, from 10am-4pm (9525 Main St., Fairfax VA 22031).
This exceptional show features juried handmade arts and crafts with a diverse selection that include: fine art, gourmet foods and confections, fabric art and crafts, jewelry, fiber and textile crafts, knitted, crocheted, needle felted and macrame items, acrylic art flow, pottery, wreaths, pet accessories, birdhouses, hand painted home decor items, bath and body products, as well as hundreds of holiday collectibles/decorations.
We have many new exhibitors as well as some returning favorites.
Admission for Shoppers is ALWAYS FREE!
*All proceeds benefit the W.T. Woodson Crew Team.
For more information go to: https://wtwcrew.org/craft-show/
or contact: woodsoncraftshow@gmail.com
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Attendance Phone Line: 703-503-2323
Attendance Email: wakefieldforestelem.attendance@fcps.edu
Heath Room: 703-503-2310
Parent Information Phone Lines/Support for parents who do not speak English as their first language: Parent Information Phone Lines
Parent and Student technology support: IT Support Portal
Principal: Sharyn Prindle sbprindle@fcps.edu
Assistant Principal: Amy Williams alwilliams1@fcps.edu
Follow Wakefield Forest on Twitter
Follow Principal Prindle on Twitter
WFES PTA homepage
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