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A Message From Your Principals
Westlawn Community:
February is full of fun and excitement at Westlawn. Last week was National School Counselors Week. We are so very grateful to have the skills and talents of two amazing school counselors at Westlawn, Carole Mullarkey and Isabelle Harris. Thank you for all you do each day to support our student and staff wellness.
Monday we will celebrate the 100th day of school. Classrooms have unique celebrations focusing on number sense, base ten, counting and foundational math skills. We are excited for this milestone in the school year!
Friday marks the return of our annual PTA Bingo Night. We hope you will join us in the cafeteria at 6pm for some BINGO fun to kick off the long holiday weekend as there is no school on Monday, February 20.
We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow for a wonderful week of teaching and learning!
At Westlawn, we soar together.
Individually Unique … Together Extraordinary
We are Westlawn.
Your Proud Principals,
Cindi Choate, Christoph Hill, Anaya Bryson, and Stephanie Carpenter
Upcoming Dates:
February 13: 100th Day of School
February 17: Bingo Night (6:00 - 7:30 PM)
February 20: Student and Staff Holiday (President’s Day)
February 21: PTA Meeting (Link)
February 27 - March 2: Read Across Westlawn Week
March 1: 6th Grade All County Choral Festival Rehearsal #2
March 2: Early Release Day for Students (dismissal at 1:30 PM)
March 3: Student Holiday (Professional Workday)
March 15: FCHS Pyramid Art Show (6:00 PM)
March 24: 6th Grade All County Choral Festival Rehearsal #3
March 25: 6th Grade All County Choral Festival (3:00 PM)
March 30 : Westlawn Spring Choral Concert (6:30 PM; Westlawn Gym)
April 3-7: Spring Break (no school for students)
April 13: Family Adventure Night (evening event)
April 13: Early Release Day for Students (dismissal at 1:30 PM)
April 21: Student Holiday (Professional Workday)
April 28: Westlawn Art Night (6:00 - 7:30 PM)
May 13: TJHSST Techstravaganza (10:00 AM)
May 13: FSO Concert (3rd/4th grades)
May 29: Student Holiday (Memorial Day)
June 5: Westlawn Spring Band/Strings Concert (6:30 PM)
June 16: Last Day of School for Students
Tutor.com - Extra Help for Students at No Cost to Families
With Tutor.com through Schoology, FCPS students are able to get learning help at any time, even from bilingual tutors! Students in FCPS meet with tutors thousands of times each week to practice reading, prepare for an upcoming math test, write computer programs, study for the SAT, or to get feedback on scholarship essays–all at no cost to their families! If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take just a few minutes to connect with a tutor with your child. More info about Tutor.com in FCPS is available here.
Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and IEP Progress Reports in ParentVue
Parents are now able to view their students’ individualized education program (IEP) and IEP Progress Report in the Student Information System (SIS) ParentVue web app. To set up your ParentVue account, visit the SIS ParentVue information page. Please use a strong, unique password to protect your child’s information. IEP documents are not delivered via the SIS ParentVue mobile phone app.
Once logged into SIS ParentVue, click on the “IEP Documents” tab to view your child’s current IEP and the most recent IEP Progress Report. If you do not see the most recent IEP or IEP Progress Report in ParentVue, please contact Silvia Caballero, our registrar.
We will continue to provide copies of IEPs and IEP Progress Reports as a hard copy.
Special Education Enhancement Plan: Feedback Opportunity
Fairfax County Public Schools is developing a Special Education Enhancement Plan to help ensure an excellent educational experience for all students with disabilities. As part of this effort, FCPS is seeking feedback from employees, families, and community members on Part 1 of the Draft Special Education Enhancement Plan. Please complete this form by Friday, February 17, to provide input on FCPS’ priorities regarding special education including vision, mission, core values, goals, and objectives.
Thank you in advance for lending your voice to this important work. Visit the Special Education Enhancement Plan webpage for more information.Click to edit this placeholder text.
Healthy Relationships With People and Substances
Relationships are important components in the development of living a fulfilling life. Valentine’s day occurs in the month of February, causing a frenzy of purchases and planning between loved ones to show appreciation and love. Forming and maintaining healthy relationships is difficult but vital for those in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Healthy relationships are a factor in helping people maintain sobriety (Addiction Center). Bonds and companionship provide emotional support and are effective in increasing health and wellbeing. Emotional support decreases fears and helps people to thrive.
There is value in healthy relationships. Healthy relationships decrease people struggling with addictions from engaging in toxic attachments that create feelings of frustration, stress, and conflict. Negative attachments can bring out the worst in people and create feelings that can lead to increased use of alcohol and substance misuse and abuse. Positive relationships encourage growth, comfort, and the creation of emotional bonds that provide feelings of joy and support. Open communication and commitment are two of the best ways to foster the ideal type of relationships most people strive for.
Common values to develop in healthy relationships include:
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honesty
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reciprocity
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effort
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respect
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safety & security
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laughter
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acceptance
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healthy boundaries
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unconditional love
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friendship
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non-judgmental
As the world celebrates love, it is important to do our part in the creation of positive partnerships, social circles, and healthy connections. Encourage the support and inspiration of those that may be silently vulnerable and struggling to feel safe.
Resources:
Healthy Relationships
Substance Abuse & Intimate Relationships
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270.
Low-Cost Internet for Free and Reduced-Price Eligible Students
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program to lower internet costs for families with children who have been eligible for free or reduced-price meals within the last 12 months. A qualifying household will receive $30 per month toward internet services and a one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet. Families can check their eligibility and register at AffordableConnectivity.gov or by calling 877-384-2575.
February Webinars and Events for Parents
FCPS’ Parent Resource Center (PRC) is dedicated to helping adults support the success of all students. The PRC will present the following webinars in February:
Friday, February 17, and Friday, February 24, at 10 a.m., Supporting Mental Health Through Play
Does Your Child Refuse to Go to School?
Each year, nearly 5% of youth experience school refusal. This refers to a child refusing to go to school on a regular basis or remain in school throughout the day due to significant emotional distress. School refusal includes kindergarten students with relatively mild separation anxiety and more severe cases where a student misses weeks or months of school because of debilitating anxiety or depression.
Read how to get your child back to school in the Healthy Minds Blog or learn more about attendance policies.
Filling Your Child’s Emotional Bank Account
Read the latest Healthy Minds blog to understand why relationships are like savings accounts, and how you can help build trust and security with your children.Click to edit this placeholder text.
Girls on the Run
We are looking for a new Girls on the Run coach for the upcoming Spring season! If you are interested, please contact Stephanie Carpenter, slcarpenter@fcps.edu to express interest.
Community Conversations with Principals
Each week Westlawn Principals host a Community Conversation, designed to connect with families and provide salient information. Our Community Conversations are held each Wednesday at 10:00 am using this link.
Slide decks from each Community Conversation can be accessed on the Get Involved! section of our school webpage.
Family Event Participation
Family partnerships are a cornerstone at Westlawn. It is our goal to involve all our families in events, communications, and other school-related functions. To gauge the number of families attending family events we ask you to complete this brief Google Form to identify events your family attended. Thank you for your consideration.
Portrait of a Graduate at Westlawn
Children at Westlawn engage daily in Portrait of a Graduate skills: Communication, Collaboration, Goal-Setting, Resilience, Critical and Creative Thinking, and Global Citizenship. Check out our First Friday Photos to see these skills in action!
Virtual Learning Resources at Westlawn
In the event that weather events lead to virtual learning we have created a page on our website to support families. Check it out here.
Winter Weather Procedures
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather-related closing decisions are made.
FCPS’ inclement weather procedures will remain the same as last year. The first five inclement weather days will be traditional “snow days” with no school activities. After those five days, we will use the flexibility provided by the Virginia General Assembly to have unscheduled virtual learning days, whenever possible, to maintain the continuity of learning. Virtual learning on these days will be synchronous/live instruction, following the inclement weather virtual learning day schedule (includes a two-hour delay).
FCPS’ website is generally the first mode of communication during emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
FCPS Cares
The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize Westlawn staff for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story, so we can all acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees.
Family Resources
FCPS’ Office of Family and School Partnerships would like to remind families of some of the many resources available to them:
- Bilingual community liaisons support student registrars by providing families with information about school and community services offered in Fairfax County. Liaisons are available to help families speaking Spanish, Korean, and Arabic. Once registered at a school, families can contact their family liaison for assistance.
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Early literacy programs are available to Fairfax County residents for parents of children up to 5 years old. These programs help prepare children for school and build confidence in parents as their child’s first teacher. They also help parents become active partners in their child’s education. Programs are available in African-Heritage, Arabic, Spanish, and Korean.
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Parent Information Phone Lines are available in eight languages for parents who speak languages other than English.
- A Multilingual Family Podcast is produced by the offices of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Family and School Partnerships, and Professional Learning and Equity. It covers important information for parents in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Korean.
- ESOL services are available in Fairfax County not only for students, but also for adults and families. Information on Spring classes will be posted in March 2023.
Visit the Family Engagement webpage for more resources.
Techstravaganza at TJHSST
We will be holding the 19th annual Techstravaganza on May 13, 2023 from 10 AM to 4 PM at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA, and we would like to invite your school’s students to attend Techstravaganza.
Admission is free, food will be for sale. Register for the event here.
 
Sub and Save the Day! Bonus Opportunities!
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.
Parent Advocacy Handbook
The Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee (MSAOC) has created a Parent Advocacy Handbook to provide information and support to families as they navigate the FCPS system for their children. It is designed to be particularly useful for families who may be less familiar with such a large school division and/or with schooling in the U.S.
Contact Hilda Reyes, Westlawn Family Liaison, with additional questions.
Westlawn on Social Media
Westlawn is active on social media, we encourage families to access our Facebook and Twitter accounts for a glimpse into daily school life.
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