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Good Afternoon Westgate Families,
I hope this finds you having had another wonderful long weekend. It's hard to believe that we actually have a full week of school after so many holidays this past month. We are excited to continue both exploration and learning with our students this week.
Tomorrow, November 15 @ 6:00 p.m. we will be holding our second PTA meeting of the year. You can join us in-person at Westgate (Room 206) or virtually via Zoom here. Ally Gilmore, our School Based Technology Specialist, will be covering the basics of Schoology and how you can navigate that platform as a parent. We hope to see many of you tomorrow night!
As always, thank you for your continued support of all things Westgate and wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
All my best,
Hallie Demetriades
Principal
Westgate Fall Book Fair is here -November 14 - 18
Questions? Contact Michelle Scherbenske mbscherbenske@fcps.edu
The Fall Book Fair will run November 14 to November 18! There will be a large selection of books, school supplies, and posters available for purchase. Students will visit the book fair to make wish lists and may make purchases during the week.
Book Fair Hours
Monday 9:00am - 3:30pm
Tuesday 9:00am - 3:30pm
Wednesday (Family Night) 9:00am - 7:00pm
Thursday 9:00am - 3:30pm
Friday (closing early) 9:00am - 2:00pm
Shopping and eWallet Information
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Purchases: If you’d like make a purchase, you may send cash or check (to Westgate Elementary) or set up eWallet for your child. Please send money in an envelope marked “book fair”.
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eWallet: Give students a secure, cash-free way to shop by setting up an eWallet account. There is no charge to set up eWallet. Parents simply create an account and authorize a spending limit on their credit card.
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Family Night: You are also invited to shop during our Book Fair Family Night on Wednesday, November 16. The fair will stay open after school until 7:00pm. This is a great time to see the books in person. You may also make online purchases which will be delivered to your home.
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Support Teachers: Contribute to classroom libraries two ways.
- Add funds to your teacher’s ewallet account. Teachers should be contacting you with a link!
- Visit the fair and purchase a book from your teacher’s wishlist.
Visit the Book Fair Homepage for more information, to set up eWallet and to shop online. https://www.scholastic.com/bf/westgateelementaryschool6
Volunteers
Volunteers are needed to make this event a success! Parent volunteers help with everything from setting up the fair to working the cash register to helping shoppers find books. Please consider signing up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E4CA5A72BAA8-westgate3
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PTA Meeting Tomorrow, November 15 @ 6:00 p.m.
Our second PTA meeting for this academic year will be on Tuesday, November 15 at 6:00pm! You can join us in Room 206 or via zoom here.
If you've been thinking about becoming more active in the coming year, our current board members will be available to answer questions.
During this PTA meeting, Ally Gilmore will present information on how Schoology is used in classrooms as Westgate, as well as how parents can use their Schoology accounts.
Zoom Information:
https://myfcpsk12.zoom.us/j/92851130506?pwd=ZWxRbW9oY0d1QUtFVndleGxJV1E0QT09
Meeting ID: 928 5113 0506
Passcode: wolves
Emotional Social Health & Human Growth and Development Lessons
Human Growth and Development Lessons for Grades 4, 5, and 6 will be instructed the week of December 12-16 at Westgate. Parents can access and preview these lessons by logging into their Schoology accounts and selecting Westgate’s All Parents course. If you are having difficulty accessing the lessons on Schoology, please refer to an email from your student’s teacher that will be coming soon.
If you have questions about this instruction, we will be offering an optional virtual coffee on November 21st from 11:30am-12:30pm at this link: https://meet.google.com/cxn-owme-jnc.
If you prefer to opt your student out of these lessons, please return the correct grade level’s opt out form found here: https://www.fcps.edu/node/31710
AAP Parent Coffee - November 29 @ 9:15 a.m.
Are you interested in referring your 2nd - 6th grader for Level IV Advanced Academic services? If so, please join Meg Sutton our AART for a parent coffee on Tuesday, November 29th, at 9:15 in room 237. Mrs. Sutton will review the referral process and be available to support the creation of your referral packet. Feel free to bring work samples for feedback. If you would like to attend, please RSVP using this link.
If you have any questions feel free to email Meg Sutton at mrsutton@fcps.edu
FCPS Calendar Survey Coming Soon!
In an annual planning process, FCPS uses input from the community to help develop the school year calendar for the following year. The Calendar Survey will be sent to parents/caregivers, FCPS employees, and students in grades 7-12 next week.
Our framework for creating the calendar is available online to ensure transparency, as we work to build a calendar that is inclusive and equitable.
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FCPS Strategic Planning that Reaches All
The strategic planning process is a community-wide effort. There will be many opportunities to share feedback or participate in a community meeting. We want our community to stay informed and be involved. You can help!
If you are an active member of a community organization or group who people look to for information, please consider signing up to be a key communicator during the strategic planning process. FCPS key communicators should have an interest in sharing information about the school division and encouraging involvement. Key communicators will:
- Receive regular updates including news, information, future events, and engagement opportunities.
- Share the information they receive with their group in a timely manner.
- Encourage group participation in engagement and feedback opportunities where appropriate and possible.
If you or someone from your organization would like to serve as an FCPS key communicator during the strategic planning process, please submit this form by Monday, November 28.
Zones of Regulation
This year we are excited to have implemented the program, Zones of Regulation at Westgate school wide. This program teaches students how to name their emotions and build strategies to help manage them. Emotions are categorized by blue, green, yellow, and red and each color represents a state of alertness. The green zone is the calmest and a place where we are ready to learn. You can find out more by clicking this here (English) or here (Spanish).
Girl Scouts Opportunity for Westgate Students
Tutor.com
Does your child need homework help or feedback on their writing? How about a practice quiz to get ready for a test? Tutor.com is open to FCPS students in all grades, on-demand, 24/7, at no cost to families. Learn more.
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Staying Healthy This Cold/Flu Season
Although the community level of COVID-19 in Fairfax County is currently low, cases of RSV, the flu, and other viruses are on the rise. It continues to be important to wash your hands regularly, cover coughs and sneezes, monitor your health daily, and stay home if you are sick. For more tips, visit our Return to School website.
Want to Work for FCPS? Subs, Monitors, and Others Needed!
FCPS is always looking for kind and caring substitute teachers and substitute instructional assistants to ensure our students continue to thrive when teachers and instructional assistants need to be out of the classroom. Substitute teaching is a great opportunity for future teachers, stay-at-home parents, retirees, college students, part-time employees, and anyone who wants to make a difference.
FCPS has started offering bonuses for substitutes who are available to teach on high volume days. Additionally, substitutes who work more, will earn extra bonuses when they reach 50, 100, or 150 days worked in a school year.
Substitute Teacher and Substitute Instructional Assistant information sessions are held virtually on Wednesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. Candidates will receive an email link to the virtual information session the Monday before the session. Sign up for an information session.
Feedback Welcome on Proposed Family Life Education Changes
The Fairfax County School Board is reviewing recommended changes to the Family Life Education (FLE) curriculum and invites public feedback as part of the review process. In May 2022, the Family Life Education Curriculum Advisory Committee (FLECAC) presented recommended curriculum changes, to go into effect for the 2023-24 school year. Those changes include adopting gender-combined instruction, and exploring instruction of gender identity, recommended media, and other instructional changes.
The recommendations reflect leading education and child development research and expert advice. According to research cited in the recommendations, these changes will create a more inclusive learning environment, result in higher academic achievement for students, and improve school climate.
Public feedback will be shared with FLECAC and the School Board. FCPS staff and the School Board will consider all feedback but are unable to reply to individuals.
Learn more about the recommended changes on our website. The public feedback form will be available on our website and will be open October 31 through December 1.
Join the PTA Today!
Our PTA is amazing and we would love for you to join and be a part of this great community of Westgate families. Signing up is easy and help us reach our goal and sign up today! You can sign up here.
Amazon Smile - Support our School!
Looking for an easy way to support Westgate? We have an AmazonSmile account! Every time you shop at Amazon and select the Westgate PTA as your designated charity, and .5% of your purchase will be donated to Westgate. You can click here (https://smile.amazon.com/ch/54-1561076) to get started! Just remember, to shop at smile.amazon.com instead of the regular Amazon page each time you make a purchase! Supporting Westgate couldn't be easier!
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