 Dear Westbriar Families,
This is a friendly reminder that winter break will soon be upon us. Schools will be closed December 18th thru January 1st, classes will resume on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. In addition, our main office will also be closed during the two week winter break. We want to wish everyone a safe and joyous break and Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Congratulations to our Westbriar Team who competed in this year's Science Olympiad. The competition was held in November at Langley High School in the Virginia Science Olympiad Division A Northern Regional Tournament. Westbriar entered two teams of fifteen 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. They competed against 36 teams from 17 other schools in 25 events that spanned various science and engineering topics. Considering it was everyone’s first Science Olympiad, Westbriar students did well, bringing home 12 medals. Congratulations to those students who represented our school, we are very proud of you and your achievement.
Quick update on possible Korean Immersion Program
I know many people are wondering if Westbriar will be opening a Korean Immersion program in the coming year. I wanted to let you know that this is still under consideration as FCPS Leadership is awaiting the results of the divisionwide World Languages Survey that was emailed to all FCPS families last week. These results, along with the feedback from the Westbriar Community and Staff, will be considered when making the final decision. I would anticipate providing an update upon return from winter break. Thank you for your patience.
Lightspeed Classroom Management
As part of our commitment to creating a safe and focused learning environment for our students, some teachers in our school have started using a new classroom management tool that will help them better connect with student devices during classes. This tool will provide teachers with a number of helpful features:
- Easily view student screens in real time from the teacher console to see which students may need guidance or support.
- Focus student attention on a particular website on their device to minimize distractions.
- Pause student access to the internet to focus on other classroom tasks.
Please note that student devices will not be monitored outside of school hours. The regular filters remain in place on school devices, but once they are home, teachers cannot monitor students. As parents, we would like to encourage you to sign up for your own Lightspeed reports, which will allow you to see how your child is spending time on the computer during and after school hours.
AAP Screening Application Deadline is 12/15
All AAP packets must be submitted to Mrs. Luster on or before December 15th.
Here the reminder Mrs. Luster posted each Wednesday in our virtual folders:
The screening application window is currently open for rising 3rd-7th graders who wish to be considered for the AAP Full-time program for the 24-25 school year. Application materials must be turned in to the office in hard copies for processing. It's recommended to put all items together in an envelope, or clipped together. Each item should have the student’s enrolling first and last name, as well as their student ID number clearly indicated on all pages. The screening application window will close Friday, December 15 at 4pm. Please apply now/early in the application window, if you are interested. Ms. Luster can be contacted for the screening applications, or one can go to the FCPS website at:
https://www.fcps.edu/academics/academic-overview/advanced-academic-programs-aap/advanced-academic-program-aap-forms#aap-level-iv-referral-form
Happy Holiday and see you in the new year!
Sincerely,
Ms. Mary Tam, Principal
Ms. Chris Butzer, Assistant Principal
Mrs. Erin Lear, Assistant Principal
Visit our school and PTA websites to learn more about the school and upcoming events.
https://westbriares.fcps.edu/
https://www.westbriarpta.org/
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