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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.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, 11/17: West Springfield v. Lake Braddock Varsity Football Playoffs, 7 pm @ Lake Braddock
Friday, 11/17 & Saturday, 11/18: Sweeny Todd School Edition (Closing Weekend), 7 pm
Wednesday, 11/22 - Friday, 11/24: Holiday (Thanksgiving Break, school offices will also be closed)
NEWS AND NOTES
📜 Paper Federal Impact Aid Surveys Due Friday
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available online in SIS ParentVUE. Families should have also received a paper form from their school. If you have not completed the form online, please fill out and return the paper form by Friday, November 17.
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important. Based on survey information, FCPS receives an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
For more information, watch this video and visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey webpage.
Need to Register for ParentVUE?
Learn how to activate your SISParentVUE account to easily submit your survey online.
🦃 Calendar Reminder: Thanksgiving Holiday
Schools and offices will be closed Wednesday, November 22, through Friday, November 24. Classes will resume on Monday, November 27. See the complete school year calendar.
STUDENT SERVICES INFORMATION
Academic Advising for Students/Families of 10th and 11th Graders
To better serve you during Academic Advising we are asking that students share their student NOVA ID, aka Empl ID, so that we can ensure a smooth Dual Enrollment process.
Students who have not yet created a Nova ID (Empl ID) and know that they will be signing up for a NOVA Dual Enrollment class for 2024-2025 School year please go to: this website to create the ID.
Share the ID HERE once one is created.
Curriculum Night: January 4th
Mark your Calendars. The opportunity for students to select classes for school year 24-25 will soon be upon us. Students and parents will have the opportunity to meet with Departments and Academies on January 4th from 6:30-8:00pm. This event will be held in our Cafeteria. We look forward to seeing you there.
STUDENT CORNER
Class of 2024: Sign up for Senior Formal Yearbook Portraits
On Monday, November 20, 2023, Victor O'Neill Studios will be taking Senior Formal Yearbook Portraits Session D
*There is no charge to have photos taken for the yearbook*
The attire is Tuxedos and Drapes (provided) or you can bring your own formal attire (coat and tie, all black or black and white clothing).
In addition, casual/personality portraits and cap and gown portrait sessions will be provided.
Click HERE to choose our session type and appointment time
Questions, email and mention school name
Spanish 1-3 Boot Camp
Do you need a review from Spanish 1-3? Do you need some extra help with verb conjugations?
Come join us for review of grammar and vocab!
November Dates:
- Thursday, November 30, 3-4pm
Please bring questions to ask our Spanish teachers and Spanish Honor Society students. This session will focus on verb conjugation drills, tips for memorizing vocabulary!
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How to Access Free Resources from Tutor.com
All FCPS students continue to have unlimited access to live, 24/7, one-on-one online tutoring services through Tutor.com at no cost to families. Get more information on the Tutor.com Online Tutoring Services webpage.
Students can access Tutor.com via a link in Schoology. Additional information about how to log in and access a tutor is provided to families via the following: Elementary - How It Works and Middle & High - How It Works.
SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES
🏈 Friday Night Lights: West Springfield v. Lake Braddock
Where: Lake Braddock
When: Friday, 11/17, game starts at 7 pm; gates open at 6 pm
To avoid long lines, GET TICKETS HERE and purchase your tickets before the game.
Avoid the lines and use the upper gate if you have prepaid tickets. The main ticket booth takes cash and card. Adult tickets are $7 and student tickets are $5. Children ages 5 and under, as well as senior citizens 60+ will be admitted free. Visitor fans must enter through the main gate at the top of the stairs. For ADA accommodations, please enter through the ramp entrance located by the ticket booth.
• We are expecting a very large crowd so please plan on coming early. Parking is limited – please park in a legal designated parking spot.
• No outside food or beverages are permitted inside the stadium.
• Whistles, air horns, and similar noisemakers are prohibited.
• Purses, diaper bags, and reasonably sized bags are permitted inside the stadium with adults. However, all bags may be subject to search and inspection. Students are not permitted to bring bags or backpacks into the stadium.
• There will be no access to indoor bathrooms. Port-a-Potties are available for use by the flagpole.
• All spectators are expected to be in the stands. We should not have guests hanging out by the concession stand and hills as well as along the fence line particularly near the team.
• All elementary and middle school students need to be accompanied & supervised by an adult while at the game. High school students who get dropped off must plan to have their rides waiting for them at 9:30 PM.
• Smoking and the use of all tobacco products on any Fairfax County Public School campus is prohibited. This prohibition applies to all individuals while on any FCPS campus, including faculty, staff, students, administrators, contractors, and visitors. Cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, snuff, pipes, and chewing tobacco are not permitted.
Our goal is to create a positive community event. Any behaviors that take away from this goal may result in being removed from the game and not being allowed to attend future games.
GO SPARTANS!
Spartan Sports Calendar, Week of November 17-25
Click the image above for access to the Spartan Sports Calendar.
Athletic Boosters
ANNOUNCEMENT: Grand Opening Online Store Spirit Wear
Announcing the grand opening of WSHS online store operated by BSN. Spirit Wear is now available anytime and shipped right to your home.
Check it out HERE
Order by 11/27 for holiday delivery.
Use the code SPIRIT for 25% off your order. (Exclusions apply to the brands: The North Face, Acrux, and TravisMathew).
Spartans Athletic Boosters Meeting
Meeting is on Wednesday, 12/6 at 7pm at WSHS Room 2223.
Enter Door 5 and make the immediate left. If you go through the double doors you have gone too far! Need additional information?
Check out our website and social media pages at:
Email: wshs.spartans.athletic.boosters@gmail.com
Website: HERE
Facebook: HERE
Student Activities Highlights
 Crew Leaf Raking Fundraiser
Nov 4 -Dec 17 (Sat and Sundays only)
Fee: $15.00/hour per raker
Contact: leafraking@spartancrew.org
Stay in Touch with Spartan Sports!
You can follow WSHS Spartan Sports on social media:
X: @wshssports
YouTube Channels: LINK
Sign Up For the Sports and Activities News You Choose
Performing Arts
Closing Weekend:
Sweeny Todd School Edition
An infamous tale, Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to nineteenth-century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up... and the carnage has only just begun!
Recommended for ages 13+ for adult themes and simulated violence.
Show Dates / Times:
- Fri, Nov 17 @ 7pm
- Sat, Nov 18 @ 7pm
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 We're using a new Activities Calendar this year. Clubs and school organizations are just beginning to post many of their meeting and event dates. Check it out.
Yearbooks and Senior Ads Now On Sale
 Yearbooks and Senior Ads are now on sale! Orders can be placed online at https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/ using school code 4150 and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. We sold out of yearbooks for the past two years, so order yours today! We cannot guarantee books will be available for in-person sales at the end of the year. For questions, please email Ms. Melissa Morgan, Yearbook Adviser, at mmorgan2@fcps.edu.
FCPS INFORMATION
School Board Meeting Scheduled for November 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Due to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, the School Board will hold its next business meeting on Monday, November 20, at 7:30 p.m. Agenda highlights include:
- Baseline Report on Strategic Plan Goal 3
- Facilities Engagement Plan
- Annual Legislative Program
Check Boarddocs later this week to view the complete agenda. Find out how to watch and participate in School Board meetings.
Quick Links
NEWS FOR THE COMMUNITY
🙋 Student Attendance and Engagement
During the Academic Matters segment of last Thursday’s School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid discussed student attendance and engagement. Attendance and absenteeism rates are one measure of Goal 2 for our 2023-30 Strategic Plan.
Chronic absenteeism — which is defined as a student missing 10% or more of school for any reason — is a concern across Virginia school districts. Although FCPS continues to outperform the state average in attendance rates, we are tracking chronic absenteeism closely.
Data shows that:
- Missing just 10% of school — just two days a month — negatively affects a student’s academic performance.
- Only 17% of students who were chronically absent in both kindergarten and first grade were reading proficiently in third grade, compared to 64% of those with good attendance.
- Students who fail to read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely than students who achieve proficiency to drop out of high school.
- By sixth grade, chronic absenteeism becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
Attendance is critical for academic success.
Missing School Over the Holidays
Looking ahead to the holiday season, if missing school is unavoidable, please speak with your child’s teachers in advance to create a plan for making up missed work. But remember, a homework packet cannot make up for the interaction and learning that happens in the classroom.
Visit our website for more attendance resources.
Volunteers Needed: KIDS ENJOY EXERCISE NOW (KEEN)
KEEN VA Programs urgently NEEDS your help this Sunday, November 19th to make our programs a success. Our upcoming program is a critical part of our mission, and your participation can truly make a difference.
Here are the registration links to our VA Programs on November 19th.
Irving Middle School Sports
9:45am-12:15pm
Register here
Kilmer Center Sports
2:00pm-3:00pm
Register here
Kilmer Center Zumba
3:15pm-4:15pm
Register here
For questions, contact: Kiyanna Thomas
Email: Kiyanna.thomas@keengrdc.org
Phone: 301-461-6346
Nominate a Military Child of the Year
This annual award recognizes outstanding young people ages 13 to 18. Recipients will represent a branch of the armed forces for their “scholarship, volunteerism, leadership, extracurricular involvement, and other criteria while facing the challenges of military family life.” As a recipient of this prestigious award, winners will be invited to attend a gala to receive their award and some very generous gifts.
Nominations for the 2024 Military Child of the Year® Award can be submitted now until December 3, 2023, at 11:59PM Central.
For more information regarding the submission process and eligibility requirements, please visit Operation HomeFront or contact militaryfamilies@fcps.edu
🍎 American Education Week
 For American Education Week we celebrate ALL who work in the FCPS community. Learn more from the National Education Association.
Want to recognize someone from your child's school who goes above and beyond? Submit a nomination to FCPS CARES.
Alcohol & the Holidays
Holidays may involve family time, games, movies, food, and possibly drinks. Although loneliness is a cause for alcohol or drug consumption, being around others does not necessarily mean a decrease in unhealthy habits. Alcohol consumption increased during the pandemic and has not decreased after we have returned to a semblance of normalcy. Many people are still trying to figure out how to navigate our “new normal”. We encourage the consideration of a few things as we move towards the end of the year, have time off, and look forward to social interactions.
Questions to consider when drinking with your family:
- What message am I sending if I drink in excess around my underage child?
- Have I had conversations about responsible drinking with my child(ren)?
- Are the conversations I have about alcohol consumption realistic?
- Are the conversations I have with others reinforcing alcohol use as a coping skill during stressful times?
- What messages am I sending my underage child(ren) if I allow them to drink with me or another adult in the house?
Information to consider:
“One-third of Fairfax County students (33.7%) reported drinking alcohol at least once in their lifetime, ranging from 18.8% of eighth-grade students to half of twelfth-grade students (49.4%). One in seven students (15.2%) reported drinking alcohol in the past month, ranging from 4.5% of eighth-grade students to 27.7% of twelfth-grade students.” (FCPS Youth Survey 2020)
“Female students reported higher rates of alcohol use in their lifetime (36.1% compared to 31.2% of male students), in the past month (17.1% and 13.1%, respectively), and binge drinking in the past two weeks (7.3% and 6.5%, respectively)” (FCPS Youth Survey 2020).
Resources:
Holiday Stress
Helpful Info to Quit Vaping
FCPS video on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
Substance Abuse Prevention (Spanish)
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270 and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @FCPSSAPS.
For further information & support contact Mr. Ken Johnson WSHS SAPS.
ALL NIGHT GRAD PARTY - 2024!!
WSHS All Night Grad Party Class of 2024 (WSHS ANGP 2024)
General information HERE
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SAVE THE DATE - CHIPOTLE NIGHT - DECEMBER 6TH!
Where: Chipotle, 6230 Rolling Road
When: Wednesday, December 6, 5-9 pm
What: ANGP (33% of event sales will be donated)
Order online for pickup using code JW2CBWH or show the flyer
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YARD SIGNS FOR SALE
Have you purchased your Class of 2024 Yard Sign yet? Options to personalize! Show your Spartan spirit all year long with a Spartan Class of 2024 or Home of a Spartan yard sign. Yard signs aren’t just for seniors! All proceeds benefit the ANGP for the Class of 2024! Order yours at https://wshs-angp.square.site/signs
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WSHS Social Media
Find WSHS Spartans on:
Need Help? Contact our Family Liaison
If you have questions about navigating the school, learning about FCPS resources, or getting your student setup for success, our Family Liaison can help. Email, or call (703) 913-3830, to set up an appointment.
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