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Para leer este boletín en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.
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A Message From Your Principals
Westlawn Families:
Westlawn Elementary congratulates all our 2022-2023 high school graduates! On June 8th the Falls Church HS Community came together at Eagle Bank Arena in Fairfax to celebrate as close to 500 seniors received diplomas. We celebrated our Westlawn alum graduates with our annual Senior Walk the day before graduation!
We hope you are able to join us this Tuesday afternoon to play some outdoor games and celebrate a Westlawn legend. Activities will start on the field at 4:15 PM.
And finally, this Thursday at 9:30 AM in the Westlawn Gym we will recognize our 6th Graders at our Promotion Ceremony. Oh, the places you’ll go…
At Westlawn, we soar together.
At Westlawn, we soar together.
Individually Unique … Together Extraordinary
We are Westlawn.
Your Proud Principals,
Christoph Hill, Anaya Bryson, and Stephanie Carpenter
Important Dates:
June 13: Field Day 4-6: RESCHEDULED
June 13: Sports Night With Our Star (4:15 PM on Westlawn Field)
June 15: 6th Grade Promotion Ceremony (Doors open at 9:00 AM, ceremony begins at 9:30 AM)
June 16: Last Day of School for Students (early release, dismissal at 1:30 PM)
Thank Your Teacher on Facebook!
We are looking for students and families to give shout outs to teachers that we can share on Facebook this summer. Submit your thank you.
Last Chance for Yearbooks
We have roughly 20 yearbooks available for purchase for families. The price is $15, payable by cash or check. Come by the front office or call us at 703-241-5100.
Kindergarten: What Every Family Needs to Know
Transition to kindergarten can be an exciting time for children and families. It can also be stressful. Join us to learn more about these important topics:
- Myths about Kindergarten
- What to expect
- Strategies for a smooth transition
- How to support your child's academic and emotional growth
Register Here
Mental Wellness Summer Supports
The FCPS Office of Intervention and Prevention Services will offer virtual Mental Wellness Consultations from June 26 to August 4. Any FCPS parent or secondary student can schedule a 45-minute consultation with a school psychologist or school social worker by phone or videoconference. Consultations will be offered in two ways:
- Directly to parents of students in any grade level. This consultation provides an opportunity for parents to receive guidance on how to support their child’s social, emotional, and academic success. Information about community resources will also be provided.
- Directly to students in middle or high school. This consultation provides an opportunity for middle and high school students to receive guidance and support for concerns related to anxiety, mood, behavior, peer or family interactions, or school transitions and changes. Strategies and tools can also be provided to address academic challenges such as organization and time management.
All parents and secondary students are encouraged to take advantage of this service. Consultations can be requested online or by calling 703-503-2520 and leaving a message
Summer Fun for All! Summer Camps and Adapted Recreation
The Family Resource Center has recently published a list with dozens of summer camps including general camps, camps for students with a variety of needs, and camps for children of military personnel. They’ve also prepared a list of adapted resources, sorted by activity, that are inclusive for children and adults of various physical abilities.
The Family Resource Center (FRC) provides resources and support for all families and school staff. They offer a free library, confidential consultations, and informational webinars. For more information, call 703-204-3941, email frc@fcps.edu or visit their website.
Take Tutor.com on the Road!
Tutor.com continues to be available to all students, at no cost, to continue summer learning. Visit the Summer Access Tutor.com webpage for more information on how to access the online service throughout the summer.
Requesting Donated Toys for Discovery Area
We are requesting gently used toys, appropriate for ages 4-7, for donation to our Discovery Area. Please drop off toys in the front office. Once they are inspected for safety we will add them to our Discovery Area collection!
“What instrument does your child want to play next year?"
Ms. Emery and Mr. Erickson want your children to join the Westlawn Strings or Westlawn Band programs next school year. Signups will happen the first three weeks of school on a Google form that will be sent out. Right now, please show this Google slideshow to your children to see what instrument they’d like to play. Any questions – please email Ms. Emery at aremery@fcps.edu or Mr. Erickson at pgerickson@fcps.edu. (The slideshow can only be viewed through your child’s fcpsschools.net account. Forward this email to their school email address – i.e. 1234567@fcpsschools.net – and make sure they are logged in on their school laptop. Then when they click the link below, it should play for them. Let us know if you have any trouble!)”
STEAM at Luther Jackson
Westlawn partners with Mark Smith and Luther Jackson to provide students access to a variety of different STEAM activities. Check out this article in the Washington Post and read about what some children have accomplished at LJMS.
Summer at Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theater in the Park
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, in partnership with the National Park Service, presents an outdoor performance series for children. It features music, dance, puppetry, and storytelling performances recommended for children ages 2 and up. The summer season runs for 7 weeks from mid-June through early August (Tuesdays through Saturdays). Each show begins at 10:30am and is approximately 45 – 60 minutes in length. Tickets are $12 and free for children under 2 years old. See the full summer calendar here.
State Student Assessment Summary Reports
At the May 25 School Board meeting, Dr. Reid presented information on a new Virginia Department of Education report called Virginia’s Visualization and Analytics Solution (VVAAS) Student Assessment Summary.
Virginia school divisions will be distributing a report to parents showing their student’s past Standards of Learning (SOL) testing data. Reports will be provided, through SIS ParentVUE or by mail, for any student who has an SOL testing history in the state of Virginia as of Spring 2022.
In addition to showing a student’s performance on SOL tests over time, it also shows how that performance compares to other Virginia students who took the same test. This report, along with a companion letter, will be available mid-June.
FCPS uses various data sources to determine student growth and success. The Student Assessment Summary Report is just one piece of information in the larger picture of student assessment in FCPS. Learn more about what to expect regarding assessment reporting practices and timelines.
🥗 Don’t Forget to Check Your Student’s Lunch Balance!
It’s a busy time of year, and we know there are many priorities on families’ plates. As we approach the end of the school year, it is important for families to remember to check their students’ MySchoolBucks account and pay any remaining school meal balance.
Families who earn less than 185% of poverty level qualify for free and reduced-price meals. However, an application must be completed and submitted each school year to receive that benefit. The application for the 2023-24 school year will be available near the end of August.
If families have a current balance and think they may be eligible for free and reduced-price meals, please fill out the FRM application for the 2022-23 school year. Get more information about free and reduced-price lunch.
If you are interested in helping to relieve lunch debt for families currently going through the FRM application process, please donate to Educate Fairfax.
🏃♀️ Middle School Athletics Coming This Fall
FCPS has designated funding in the budget for 2023-24 for middle school spring and fall athletic activities to support student well-being at no cost to students. Pending budget adoption, this will be the first time FCPS has offered middle school students a chance to participate in extracurricular sports programs.
Middle schools will start with cross country this fall. Track will follow in spring 2024.
Any middle school students who would like to participate in athletics will need to have a Virginia High School League (VHSL) pre-participation examination (PPE). The physical exam form must be completed and signed by a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant. Fairfax County public high schools will offer PPEs at a cost of $50 per student through June 17. Students who receive free or reduced meals are eligible to receive an exam at no cost. Learn more about PPE and middle school athletics.
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!
How to Register for Pre-K or Early Head Start
Fairfax County offers pre-K for students 3-4 years old whose parents meet income requirements and Early Head Start is for infants, toddlers, and expectant mothers who meet income requirements. To register, parents or caregivers should:
- Complete the application form.
- Make a copy of the child’s birth certificate and a residency document (lease, dead, or mortgage).
If your child is selected for one of the programs, the following will need to be completed:
- A school physical.
- Dental exam.
- FCPS school registration forms.
Child Find Screenings
Child Find is the process of identifying children with potential special education needs as well as educating the community about child development and the importance of early intervention. Child Find screenings and services are provided by the FCPS Early Childhood Identification and Services program for children ages 20 months through 5 years who live in Fairfax County or Fairfax city. Learn more on the Child Find website.
FCPS Early Childhood and PreK Programs
Fairfax County Public Schools offers programs for the youngest learners:
Community liaisons are available to assist families with the registration process and answer any questions. For more information, visit the Early Childhood Registration webpage.
What Is ParentVUE and How Can You Sign Up?
If you do not already have a ParentVUE SIS account, sign up now to monitor and support your child’s academic success! Through ParentVUE, you are able to monitor your student’s attendance, grades, and assignments at any time. You can also access special reports for your student like progress reports and assessments score reports.
Once you have activated a ParentVUE account for an FCPS student, you will keep the same account until the student graduates. Information about students in the same family can be accessed through the same ParentVUE account. SIS ParentVUE can be accessed using an app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android devices.
Need help creating a SIS ParentVUE account? This video walks you through the steps on how to do so. You can also find out more about SIS ParentVUE on our website.
📝 Tutor.com Offers Live Tutors and Test Prep
Writing help, practice quizzes, and SAT test prep are available to all FCPS students at no cost through Tutor.com. Find out how your child can get these services, in addition to 24/7 live tutoring, through their Schoology account: Elementary School | Middle and High School.
Update Your Emergency Care Information Through weCare@school
Fairfax County Public Schools provides weCare@school (weCare), an emergency care information system, to parents/caregivers who have registered for their own parent account. weCare helps manage emergency medical information by allowing parents to enter and update their children’s medical data online at their convenience. That contact information automatically enrolls parents/caregivers to receive eNotify communications from the district and their child’s school. eNotify is the communications tool for FCPS emergency, transportation, attendance, weather closing and delay, and essential outreach messages. Messages are sent via email, text, and occasionally phone. Click to edit this placeholder text.
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.
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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