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To read this newsletter in other languages, please visit our website.
Para leer este boletín en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.
Để đọc bản tin này bằng ngôn ngữ khác, xin quý vị truy cập vào trang mạng của chúng tôi.
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A Message From Your Principals
Westlawn Community:
We had another exciting week at Westlawn! Monday morning we had a Teacher Appreciation Pop Up with breakfast treats sponsored by Sherri Foster of Pearson Smith Realty, Kelly Katalinas of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp., and Kristi Krause of Universal Title - Falls Church. On Tuesday, staff and students celebrated Pi Day with relevant classroom activities and games and our staff tasted, voted, and graphed our favorite pies.
Auditions for the Talent Show were amazing! We popped in to see some of your children and were so impressed with their creativity and courage. The return to in-person Talent Show on April 13 is not to be missed!
Our building was sprinkled with green for St. Patrick’s Day on Friday. Lessons and activities connected to the holiday with fractions, graphing and engineering of leprechaun traps in our primary classrooms.
As we reflect and prepare for a new week of teaching and learning, we continue to be grateful for the Westlawn community and the joy your children bring us each day.
We look forward to seeing you all back in the morning,
At Westlawn, we soar together.
Individually Unique … Together Extraordinary
We are Westlawn.
Your Proud Principals,
Cindi Choate, Christoph Hill, Anaya Bryson, and Stephanie Carpenter
.Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow!
This year, spring break is April 3-7. We will be eager to welcome your children back in school on Monday, April 10. Their attendance is very important. Every day, our teachers will be teaching, and students will be learning. Studies have shown that just two absences per month can cause students to fall behind. Let’s finish this school year strong. Visit FCPS’ website for attendance resources.
Important Dates:
March 22: Ramadan Begins
March 24: 6th Grade All County Choral Festival Rehearsal #3
March 24: Movie Night Under the Stars (6:45 PM)
March 25: 6th Grade All County Choral Festival (3:00 PM)
March 28: 2nd grade field trip to the Museum of Natural History
March 30 : Westlawn Spring Choral Concert (6:30 PM; Westlawn Gym)
April 3-7: Spring Break (no school for students)
April 12: Kindergarten Orientation (9:30-10:30 AM)
April 13: Early Release Day for Students (dismissal at 1:30 PM)
April 13: Westlawn’s Got Talent! (5:30-7:30 PM; Westlawn Gym)
April 20: Family Adventure Night (5:00-6:30 PM) *NEW DATE!
April 21: Student Holiday (Professional Workday/Staff Holiday)
April 28: Westlawn Art Night (6:00 - 7:30 PM)
May 1-5: Teacher Appreciation Week (PTA Sponsored)
May 8-12: SOL Testing (Grades 3-6)
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
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Cub Scout Pack 675 will be hosting a movie night under the stars at Westlawn on March 24 at 6:45 PM. The event is free for all community members, and the Scouts will be selling freshly-popped popcorn as a fundraiser. The featured movie is Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Community members are invited to bring blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy a night out! If you have any questions, please contact pack leadership at contactpack675@gmail.com |
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Westlawn Yearbook Sale!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to purchase a yearbook that captures the memories of our 2022-2023 school year!
Link: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/SelectJob
Yearbook ID Code: 13717423
Order Deadline: 04/21/2023
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Observed Holiday, Ramadan
This year, the first day of Ramadan is Wednesday, March 22. Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year, a time for spiritual discipline for Muslims, who believe it was during this month that God revealed the first verses of the Quran to Mohammed. Read more about Ramadan in National Geographic Kids.
Proposed Updates to Student Rights and Responsibilities
The Department of Special Services will be hosting two virtual meetings for the FCPS community regarding proposed updates to the Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) Regulation. Please join one of the meetings below via Zoom (click the date to register):
Participants will have an opportunity to learn about the suggested updates and ask questions via Zoom Chat. Language interpretation will be available in Spanish. A certified deaf interpreter will be available as well.
Beginning Monday, March 20, families and staff will also be able to provide feedback on proposed updates to the SR&R via a short survey. Please stay tuned for details. Visit FCPS’ website for more information.
Do you know a Rising Kindergartener?
Westlawn will be hosting Kindergarten Orientation for all rising K students on Wednesday, April 12 from 9:30-10:30am in our school cafeteria. Spread the word!
Advanced Academic Information Session: Eligible Students & Families
Thursday April 13, from 2:00 - 3:00pm Full Time Level IV AAP Orientation: If your student was referred for Full Time (Level IV) AAP services, notices of eligibility will go out around the beginning of April. If your child is found eligible, please join us for this meeting to learn about Full Time AAP here at Westlawn! Please look for a Talking Points message from us with more details as the date gets closer. Questions?
Email Gretchen Maxwell: gamaxwell@fcps.edu
Jaguar 5K - Saturday, April 22
Falls Church HS will have our 18th Annual Jaguar 5k on Saturday, April 22nd. We would love to have our feeder schools and community join us for a great event!
Attached is our paper registration, online registration and information can be found at www.jaguar5k.com.
Community Meeting on the Dangers of Fentanyl
Monday, March 13, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid and Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis hosted nearly 400 families, staff, and community members for a conversation on the dangers of fentanyl. During this impactful event, audience members heard testimonials from individuals affected by the opioid epidemic and learned facts from medical experts and law enforcement representatives.
The conversation will continue on Monday, April 24, with our next community meeting on the critical topic of fentanyl danger and opioid awareness. More information is coming soon. Visit our Opioid Awareness webpage for updates as they become available.
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.
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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