Woodson Weekly - February 24th


Woodson Weekly  

Woodson Weekly -
February 24th


Woodson Weekly is published every Friday to provide the community with important information about school life at Woodson High School.


Mission Statement

Woodson High School’s mission is to empower our community to reach their individual potential by creating a healthy environment of mutual respect, responsibility, equity, and inclusion. 


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To read this newsletter in other languages, please visit our website.

Para leer este mensaje en otros idiomas, podrán ver las traducciones automáticas en nuestro sitio web.


Crew Team

Woodson's Crew Club enjoys working out in the spring-like temps after school.


Important Upcoming Dates

Friday, February 24th - International Night, 6:30pm in Auditorium (see story #1)

Monday, February 27th - Resume Writing Workshop, 10:15am in Cav Hall (see story #2)

Thursday, March 2nd - 2 Hour Early Release

Friday, March 3rd - No School for Students; School Planning Day

Saturday, March 11th - Fairfax County Teen Job Fair, 11am-1pm at West Springfield HS (see story #7)

The complete FCPS 2022-2023 School Year Calendar

Woodson's Events & Activities Calendar


2 Hour Early Release

Message from Dr. Floyd

Dear Woodson Community:

Happy Friday!  

I’m looking forward to International Night tonight at 6:30pm in the Auditorium. Please come out celebrate with us!

Have a great weekend,

Dr. Floyd
Principal


In this Issue

NEW News
1. International Night Tonight!
2. Professional Resume & College Resume Writing Workshop
3. Deaf Academic Bowl Earns a Bid to Nationals!
4. Mulch Sale
5. Senior Parents - Cav Cruise Ticket Prices Going Up Soon
6. Counselor Corner
7. 2023 Fairfax County Teen Job Fairs
8. College & Career Center News

PAST News, but still important 
9. Attendance Procedures
10. Mental Health First Aid Training for Parents and Students
11. FCPS Approved Calendar for SY23-24
12. It's College Partnership Recruitment Season!
13. Strategic Plan Engagement Sessions for Students and the Community
14. Apply for Student Representative to the School Board
15. Summer Enrichment Opportunities
16. 2023-24 College Financial Aid Forms Are Available; College Access Fairfax Is Here to Help
17. Tutor.com for Exam Prep
18. Order Your Cavalier Yearbook
19. Class of 2023 News
20. Laptop Tech Support Hours 
21. Woodson's PTSO


NEW News


1. International Night Tonight!

Woodson's For the Culture Club will be hosting the fifth annual International Night tonight, February 24th. Food will be sold beginning at 5:00 pm in Café A and B. Auditorium door's open for the show at 6:15 pm, the show will begin at 6:30 pm.

This night is dedicated to celebrating the diverse backgrounds and culture of all Woodson students and family members. Bring a friend, family member, or your neighbor! We would love for the Cavalier community to attend this event as it promotes cultural appreciation, acceptance, and an opportunity to learn more about the world around us.

Tickets will be sold at the door! A show ticket costs $5 but only $3 for ages 12 and under. Additionally, each plate of food costs $5.

If there are any questions feel free to contact us at wtwforthecultureclub@gmail.com. Food for the potluck will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Café A and B. Bring a friend, family member, or your neighbor. Other opportunities for participation include performing traditional dance or song, or wearing traditional attire in the fashion show.

International Night

2. Professional Resume & College Resume Writing Workshop

Please join us on Monday, February 27th from 10:15–11:15am in Cav Hall to learn how to write a winning resume. Please complete this Google Form to register. Registration closes TODAY, Friday, February 24th. All grade levels are encouraged to participate.

You will learn:

  • How to build up your resume
  • The sections of a resume
  • Resumes for Summer jobs, internships, scholarships, etc.
  • How to draft your College Resume

This workshop is presented by Ann McFadyen. Ann is a professional career coach and resume writer, trained and certified in Federal Resume writing. She has worked internationally as an employment advisor, resume writer, and for college and graduate school counselors as an essay and personal statement editor. With an MFA in creative writing, Ann loves to help clients and students to discover and tell their own stories to advance their personal and professional development.


3. Deaf Academic Bowl earns a bid to Nationals!

Deaf Academic Bowl

Congratulations to Woodson Deaf Academic Bowl students who just returned from Austin, Texas having won 7 of 8 of their matches, placed 3rd in the event, and qualified to go to the National competition at Gallaudet University April 20th -24th to compete against the top 16 schools in the nation.

Not only did they win, they beat other schools by wide margins. All 3 of these sophomore students (Karine Jelalian, Sonan Sahgal, Maggie Smallwood) are Cued Speech students who use the services of Cued Language Transliterators at Woodson. Coaches Shan Pillai and Julie Clinch raised funds, gave hours of trivia/game prep sessions and showered abundant encouragement on the students.  

Stats from the weekend in Austin:
Woodson beat Missouri School for the Deaf  67-44
Woodson beat Arkansas School for the Deaf  73-19
Woodson beat Plano TX School for the Deaf  63-30
Woodson beat Alabama School for the Deaf  52-38
Woodson beat Illinois School for the Deaf  62-9
Woodson beat Pinnalis FL school District  64-41
Woodson’s only loss was to Indiana School for the Deaf  61-67
Woodson beat Texas School for the Deaf  58-39


4. Mulch Sale

The annual Woodson Mulch Sale has arrived.  Freshen up your flower beds and support the Woodson High School Leadership and Sports Leadership Classes at the same time.  The Leadership Classes are once again offering high quality shredded hardwood mulch for purchase. 

Orders for 3-cubic foot bags of mulch must be received by Thursday, March 9th, for pick-up at Woodson or delivery to your home on Sunday, March 19th.  When placing an order for 10 or more bags, delivery is an option.  All mulch will be delivered on Sunday, March 19th, beginning at 8:30am. The proceeds benefit the Woodson Leadership and Sports Leadership Classes and support their activities. For more details or for an order form, please check out our web link. 

This year you can also order and pay on-line at MySchoolBucks.  Browse all items and select the Mulch Sale Fundraiser. 

Need more info?  Send an email to DJSchaefer@fcps.edu


5. Senior Parents - Cav Cruise Ticket Prices Going Up Soon

The Cav Cruise (All Night Grad Party) ticket price will go up to $100 on March 1st. 

Buy your senior their ticket to this AMAZING event by Tuesday, February 28th to secure the $80 ticket price.  Click HERE to purchase your ticket, get more information and participate in Cav Cruise fundraisers!


Cav Kudos

Cav Kudos! These students were recognized for helping Woodson build a great school culture one interaction at a time.


6. Counselor Corner

Over the past three weeks, school counselors have been meeting with 10th and 11th grade students to select classes for next year and are beginning to do make up sessions for anyone that may have missed their initial appointment. Parents and students are able to review course selections for next year through ParentVUE and StudentVUE.

Recently, counselors also visited 10th grade 3rd period Learning Seminars to provide those students with an overview of the academic advising process. Students were reminded about how advising works, heard about new course offerings for next year, and were given topics to think about before meeting individually with their counselors this week. School counselors visited with 9th grade Learning Seminar classes on Thursday, February 23rd to present information before students in those grade levels begin their academic advising meetings with their counselors next week and into early March.

Outside of academic advising, Student Services hosted our Sophomore Information Night on February 8th. We were joined by Erin Slater, Director of Undergraduate Admissions for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Ms. Slater presented practical and compelling information to our audience in attendance and we are thankful for her time and partnership. Sophomores and their parents may find the presentation from that evening posted on our Sophomore Padlet. 

Please take the weekend to look at our academic advising padlet. You can review course offerings and speak with your student about the feedback they received from their mini conferences with their teachers (and their counselors if they already had their academic advising meeting). It is important students are thinking about school/life balance when selecting classes for next year, along with focusing on classes geared towards their interests and aligned with their personal goals.

Academic Advising Padlet     Academic Advising & Curriculum website


7. 2023 Fairfax County Teen Job Fairs

Saturday, March 11 from 11am - 1pm at West Springfield HS! Register below to attend!

The 2023 Fairfax County Teen Job Fairs, hosted by Pat Herrity, Springfield District Supervisor, Connection Newspapers, Fairfax County Public Schools, as well as local chambers and organizations, have been announced. There will be three Fairfax County Teen Job Fairs and Career-Building Workshops. The fairs will run on three Saturdays in March.

The fairs are open to all teens in Fairfax County looking for employment, volunteer opportunities, or tips on building their resume. Free table space will be provided to registered businesses and organizations to advertise their available positions. They will also host resume and career building sessions with Chamber of Commerce partners. Beginning January 24, students and employers may register to attend here:

Student Registration    Business/Employer Registration

Please see the event webpage for dates, times, locations, and all event related details.

Teen Job Fair

8. College & Career Center News

Please mark your calendar for the upcoming events below. Newsletters, Scholarship & Enrichment Opportunities, Military Resources & more can be found in the Woodson College & Career Padlets.

  • Fire & Rescue/EMT Career Presentation on Feb 21
  • Resume Workshop on Feb 27
  • ASVAB Test at Robinson SS on March 7
  • Virtual Paying for College Presentations for 9 – 11 graders by College Access Fairfax on March 14 & 18
  • FCPS Virtual Military Night on March 20
  • Northern Virginia Regional College Fair at George Mason University on April 4

Please access the live Calendar for event information & registration links.

end of February College & Career Center Calendar

PAST News, but still important


9. Attendance Procedures

Please review Woodson's attendance procedures to ensure accurate reporting for your student.  

If your student will be absent from school, a parent/guardian must notify the attendance office. Below is a quick guide for reporting all-day absences, late arrivals, and early check-outs from school.

Attendance Document

10. Mental Health First Aid Training for Parents and Students

Woodson is excited to announce the opportunity for parents and students to receive free Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training.

This course is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers and students how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge, or is in crisis.

The class is limited to 30 members. There will be a waitlist for any registrations over the limit.

Woodson Training Dates and Registration Links:

Parents: Tuesday, April 11th from 8am-4pm in Cav Hall - registration is FULL. Please email Jackie O'Brien at jtobrien1@fcps.edu to add your name to the wait list.

Students: must be able to attend all 3 sessions during Return periods: Wednesday, March 8th (1/3), Friday, March 10th (7/5), Thursday, March 16th (3/3)

Click here to register for the student training. (20 spots left)

MHFA 4 Reasons

11. FCPS Approved School Calendar for SY23-24

The Fairfax County School Board approved a calendar for the 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 school years at their February 9 meeting. Learn more about the approved calendar

The first day of the 2023-24 school year will be Monday, August 21, and the last day will be Wednesday, June 12.


12. It is College Partnership Recruitment Season!

The College Partnership Program is designed to systematically mitigate the impact of barriers to access, opportunity, and attainment and supports students who are from populations that are historically underrepresented on college campuses including:

  • Due to illness, FCPS ACE/Career & Technical Education Info Session cancelled their visit on Monday, February 6th. We will reschedule and send out the new date.
  • Students who are the first in family to attend college in the U.S
  • Black or African American
  • Hispanic, of one or more race
  • Students with disabilities
  • English language learners
  • Economically disadvantaged students

Students Meet Monthly to gain access to different college and career resources, speakers and tours. To apply please fill out this application by Friday, March 10th.

If you have additional questions, please reach out to Jamie Korpacz (jlkorpacz@fcps.edu), Alaina Proffitt (aproffitt1@fcps.edu), and Lizzi Walter (ehwalter@fcps.edu) school counselors & CPP advocates.


13. Strategic Plan Engagement Sessions for Students and the Community

Strategic Plan: Make Your Students’ Voice Count! FCPS is currently seeking secondary students in grades 7-12 who are interested in participating in a Strategic Plan focus group. This focus group provides an opportunity to share feedback in a small group with other FCPS students and a trained facilitator. FCPS is hosting virtual focus groups for secondary students in March:

Thursday, March 16th, 3:30-5 p.m. or 5:30-7 p.m.

Interested students should check their email for a form to sign up for the focus groups. Students will be asked to provide their student ID, so their parents/caregivers can be identified and contacted to ask for consent to participate.

If you have any questions about the student focus groups or you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please contact strategicplan@fcps.edu.  

Register Now to Attend a Community Forum! 

Check out the schedule of Community Forums and register for the one that is most convenient for you. Community Forums will provide every resident an opportunity to participate in and influence the direction of FCPS’ Strategic Plan, prior to its completion and formal adoption by the School Board. Learn more about our strategic planning process.


14. Apply for Student Representative to the School Board

Each year, in accordance with FCPS Policy 1802, FCPS students have the opportunity to apply for the position of the student representative to the School Board.  The student representative is not a member of the School Board but serves in a nonvoting, advisory capacity, representing the interests of the students of Fairfax County Public Schools. 

Students who are currently in grades 9, 10, and 11 are eligible to apply, and they do not need to be current members of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council (SAC).

The application involves 2 components.  Both are required to be considered for the Election.

  • Written Applications are due March 17, 2023. 2023 Student Representative to the School Board
  • A thirty second candidate statement via Flip Video is due March 31, 2023. Candidates will be emailed a link to record their video on March 20, 2023.

The 2023 election will consist of two parts:

  • The first part of the Election is a virtual Primary Election held on April 17, 2023, using FCPS zoom. Candidates have the option to attend the Primary Election. Candidates will be notified by email regarding the Primary Election results.
  • The second part of the Election is a General Election held in person on April 19, 2023, at Thomas Jefferson High School. Candidates who advanced from the Primary Election are required to attend the General Election on April 19, 2023.

Additional information and details regarding both the Primary and General Elections will be shared with candidates.


15. Summer Enrichment Opportunities

Institute for the Arts

CTE Summer Enrichment

16. 2023-24 College Financial Aid Forms Are Available; College Access Fairfax Is Here to Help

It’s time for high school seniors and their families to complete college financial aid forms. Most colleges require that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) be completed by Saturday, March 1st, to receive the maximum financial aid possible in fall 2023. Some schools have earlier priority deadlines, so check the individual college’s financial aid office website for deadlines and specific forms to complete. To begin the FAFSA, you will need to create a FSA ID

A funding opportunity is available for students who are unable to complete the FAFSA—the Virginia Alternative State Aid (VASA) program. Visit the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia website for help in determining which aid option is right for you.

College Access Fairfax's website offers recordings, virtual workshops, and other resources. Their Financial Aid Champions also provide help completing the financial aid forms. To request a one-on-one appointment, please email appointments@collegeaccessfairfax.org.

Families can also contact their high school's college and career specialist or school counselor if they need additional help.  


17. Tutor.com for Exam Prep

Did you know Tutor.com can help with more than just homework? This free, on-demand tutoring service also offers a comprehensive range of resources that include exam prep for AP, SAT, and ACT tests. 

Students can take practice quizzes at any time, and if they struggle in particular areas, they can immediately connect to a live tutor through voice or chat options for help. Learn more on the FCPS Tutor.com website


Yearbook Staff from 2022

18. Order Your Cavalier Yearbook

Purchasing a Yearbook:

Don't miss out - reserve your student's copy of the yearbook today! We print a limited quantity of yearbooks every year and we WILL sell out. Preordering is the only way to guarantee a copy of the yearbook. Go to www.yearbookordercenter.com and type in Woodson's  code - 5278.

Thank you for your support of the Woodson Yearbook! For any questions, please email Staci Vega at slvega@fcps.edu.


19. Class of 2023 News

Want to know all the important news and upcoming events for the Class of 2023? Visit the Senior Class News website for everything you need to know.


20. Laptop Tech Support Hours

If students need FCPS laptop technical support at Woodson HS, please submit a ticket using the FCPS Parent/Student Tech Support Portal.

Our walk-in hours in Room A114 are: 

  • Odd Days during Learning Seminar
  • Monday - 7:45am - 8:10am
  • Wednesday - 2:55pm - 4:00pm (when late buses start)

Any other time you should try to make an appointment using a ticket from the Support Portal.

Thank you, Woodson HS Tech Support Team


21. Woodson's PTSO

Our mission is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. Whether you are a new or returning WTW parent, please get involved in any way that works for you. 

2022-23 PTSO Board -

Miklos Kiss - President 
Lena McGinn - VP Membership
Diane Raffaele - Secretary 
Kyle Durbin - Treasurer
Jill Battaglia - Communications

PTSO website https://wtwoodsonptso.ptboard.com/annlist

We look forward to a great school year! 


Mental Health Resources | 24/7 Emergency Numbers

If you are in crisis, text NEEDHELP to 85511, call 1-800-273-TALK, or dial 911; TTY dial 711

CrisisLink Regional Hotline: 703-527-4077 (CrisisLink is a hotline for individuals in crisis or family/friends seeking guidance for how to help a loved one)

Dominion Hospital Assessment and Referral Line: 703-536-2000

Inova Emergency Services: 703-289-7560

Mobile Crisis Unit: 1-844-627-4747

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-SUICIDE

Merrifield Center Emergency Services: 703-573-5679; TTY dial 711 (The Merrifield Center of the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, offers a range of clinical programming. Emergency Services, staffed 24 hours per day, seven days per week, works with people in psychiatric crisis who need immediate attention.)

Plan D Nova https://www.plandnova.org/ (a website for Northern Virginia teens who suffer from depression: #breakthestigma)