Dear Wolftrap Families,
It was wonderful to see the children back from Thanksgiving break! I hope everyone had a restful time together with family. I’ve enjoyed hearing all the stories as I visit classrooms and the cafeteria and roam the halls.
Please remember that doors to Wolftrap close at 8:30 AM in the front and at Kiss and Ride. I know that it has been challenging with construction and crossing at Beulah. Keep in mind that you are welcome to drop your children off as early as 8:10. They may join their friends in the cafeteria to wait for the bell. We are required to have all student stop in the office after 8:30 so we can verify attendance. This is for safety reasons. Please let us know if we can assist with this process. Thank you for your understanding.
There will be many opportunities to celebrate and gather in the next few weeks. Let’s enjoy this time together.
Our best to you,
Dr. Maggie Grove, Principal
Ms. Lisa O’Donovan, Assistant Principal
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CONGRATULATIONS!!! The results are in, and we are so happy to announce that Ms. Kate Piester is our Wolftrap Teacher of the Year! Ms. Lisa Johnson is our Professional staff member of the year! These ladies will be our school representatives in the next level of pyramid recognition.
Thank you to all of you who took the time to write us about your positive staff experiences. We would also like to recognize those staff members were nominated: Stephanie Burdett, Cynthie Bush, Amanda Hall, Shannon Hardin, Mary Beth Hazelgrove, Eun Kwon, and Lindsay Walsh.
Congratulations to all!
WINTER WEATHER AND RECESS: Ms. O’Donovan and I will monitor the weather for low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories that may prevent children from being outside. We are notified by safety and security if the temperatures gets too low. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately with a warm coat and other cold-weather clothing (labeled with the name!), so they can comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. On the majority of days, students will go outside for recess.
Watch this video to see how weather-related closing decisions are made. FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about 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. Be sure to plan for the winter season.
If you need assistance getting cold weather clothing for your family, please call Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) at 703-222-0880. Their multilingual staff can assist with any challenges you are facing, including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and healthcare.
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AAP REFERRAL WINDOW CLOSING DATE: Window for Full-time AAP Referrals Closes on December 15, 2023: Parents/guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time advanced academic programs may submit the AAP Full-Time (Level IV) Referral Form to Mrs. Newman (srnewman@fcps.edu) no later than December 15, 2023.
The window for families to submit a referral for full-time AAP services is the first day of school through December 15, annually. Forms for full-time and part-time referrals are available on the AAP Forms Page. No late referrals for Full-Time AAP services will be accepted.
Submitting a referral form for full-time AAP will initiate a process that begins at the local school and is then completed at the central office level. Our school will put together a portfolio that includes multiple data which are considered holistically. At the central office level, a committee of six trained professionals from various schools and roles will review the portfolio materials to determine eligibility for full-time placement. Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. Referrals for subject-specific and part-time AAP are screened at the local school and do not have a deadline. For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs website.
November 10th-December 13th: see the Madison HS canned food drive: see link
December 15, 2023: Window for Full-time AAP Referrals Closes (see above)
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Bodhi Day, Friday, December 8, is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni), experienced enlightenment, also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali. The school calendar recognizes many religious and cultural observances (O days) during the school year, including Bodhi Day. There is school on these days, however, the School Board has directed that tests, quizzes, field trips, graduation, homecoming, or FCPS-scheduled athletic events will not be held on these observance days. Learn more about Bodhi Day in this video from the Miami Children’s Museum.
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Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is a holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple and the miracle of a small quantity of oil that lit the Temple’s menorah for eight days.
This year, Chanukah begins at sundown on Thursday, December 7, which will be an evening-only observation day. Major events cannot be scheduled that evening. Learn more about Chanukah in National Geographic Kids.
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STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Have you met Mr. Brian Batsel? He has been teaching at Wolftrap for 15 years! He loves that the Wolftrap community is so supportive of teachers and educating our children. For those of you who do not know, teaching is Mr. Batsel’s third career! He enjoys biking, cooking, singing, and going to concerts, when he is not teaching fourth grade this year. Mr. Batsel is a product of our very own pyramid, and he graduated from Madison. Go Warhawks!
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FCPS NEWS: District News/In Case You Missed It (ICYMI): In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- How FCPS Announces Weather Closings
- Keeping Your Child Warm
- Social and Emotional Learning Screener Results
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving the weekly newsletter, sign up today.
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