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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:
The 3rd quarter is just underway and our 6th graders are already looking toward next year! This week Luther Jackson Middle School hosted families for an information event on the 30th, then welcomed 6th graders from all feeder elementary schools on Thursday to tour the school and learn about some of the exciting opportunities awaiting them in 7th grade!
Keep an eye on our calendar of upcoming events for February and March!
Community Conversations with Principals will continue in the new year, held virtually each Wednesday morning at 11:00 AM. Check out the recording from this week's CCwP located here.
The Westlawn team is committed to providing a learning experience that nurtures your child’s natural abilities, advocates for growth and excellence, and empowers your child to reach their full potential.
Stay up-to-date with school events by accessing our Westlawn All Families Schoology Calendar. Access an overview of the entire school year, including holidays and cultural observance days, by clicking here.
And be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
At Westlawn, we soar together.
At Westlawn, we soar together.
Individually Unique … Together Extraordinary
Somos Westlawn.
Your Proud Principals,
Christoph Hill, Anaya Bryson, and Stephanie Carpenter
Upcoming Dates:
February 6: Westlawn PTA Meeting (virtual link)
February 7: World Read Aloud Day (with a special visit from the FCHS Girl’s Basketball Team!)
February 8: 100th Day of School
February 12-16: Westlawn Kindness Week (daily themes)
February 19: President’s Day (no school for students)
February 26/27: 6th Grade Field Trip to National Gallery of Art
February 29: Wolf Trap STEAM Parent Workshop (PreK/Kinder only) (Westlawn Cafe 5:00 - 6:00 PM)
March 1: Westlawn Staff and Family Volleyball Game (FCHS Gym @ 5:30 PM)
March 4 - 8: Read Across America Week (different themes each day!)
March 5: Primary Elections (Student Holiday)
March 12: 3rd and 4th Grade Link Up Field Trip - GMU Campus
March 16: Westlawn Day (Westlawn Cafe and Gym from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
March 20: Laps for Learning Event (Westlawn Field during school hours)
March 21: Drama Troupe Performance (5:00 - 6:30 PM)
April 9: Kindergarten Orientation (Westlawn Cafe @ 9AM)
April 17: Falls Church Pyramid Art Show (FCHS Main Gym and Lobby from 5:00 - 7:00 PM)
April 19: Westlawn Art Night (Westlawn Blacktop from 5:30 - 7:00 PM)
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New Bike Rack!
We are proud to announce the installation of our new bike rack is complete! Located just inside the gate by the tennis courts, we hope this new location will allow more children to safely ride a bike to school and lock it securely. Thank you to Grant Maloney and Whitney Reed for their work in securing the funding, Haydee Sanchez for handling the logistics, and David Lopez and the FCPS Facilities’ Team for installation.
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Westlawn Staff and Family Volleyball Game - March 1st @ 5:30 PM
On March 1st we invite families and staff to participate in a Westlawn Community Volleyball game at Falls Church High School! Join in the game or just come and watch! If you and your family are interested in participating please email Ms. Maxwell at gamaxwell@fcps.edu.
Westlawn Kindness Week: February 12 -16
In an effort to promote community wellness, the week of February 12 we celebrate Westlawn Kindness! Each day will have a theme, and children will participate in a variety of different learning activities that highlight the importance of intentional acts of kindness.
Mon, Feb. 12th- Green for Gratitude
Tues, Feb 13th- Blue for Helpfulness
Wed, Feb 14th- Red/Pink Self-Love
Thurs, Feb. 15th- Yellow for Positivity
Fri., Feb 16th- Favorite Color or Kindness Message T-shirt
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Westlawn Spirit Days
We will continue to celebrate Not-So-Secret Staff and Student Spirit Days each Wednesday in the new year. This Wednesday is Twin! Students and staff should find a twin and choose an outfit!
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Drive for FCPS
FCPS continues to actively recruit bus drivers (Westlawn currently has one route without a permanent driver). More information can be found here.
Upcoming Assessments
WIDA Testing Window: January 16 - March 14
Specific information regarding testing for each grade level will be communicated to families. Please contact your child(ren)’s teacher for more information.
Winter Choral Performance
Check out the full recording of our Winter Choral Concert here on the Westlawn website. We thank our amazing Westlawn Chorus, our choral directors Ms. Cutler and Ms. Layton, and Ms. Dushok for making this event possible!
Middle School Prep for 6th Graders
January 30: Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night
- This will be an in-person event with information posted online. We will present curriculum information, as well as general information on school logistics, special education information, and electives will be showcased.
February 1: Westlawn 6th Graders visit Luther Jackson
- Students will visit the middle school, tour the building, and receive information regarding schedules and daily activities
March 1st : Class Registration Forms Due
- Deadline for Rising 7th grade google course selection forms completed
Community Conversations with Principals
Join Mr. Hill, Ms. Carpenter, and Dr. Bryson for Weekly Community Conversations this school year. Weekly sessions will be held virtually on Wednesday mornings at 11:00AM. You can access these sessions using this link. Slide decks and recordings will be posted to the website as quickly as possible after the close of the week’s conversation. Families can access all materials here: https://westlawnes.fcps.edu/get-involved
Superintendent to Present FY 2025 Proposed Budget
Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid will present the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Proposed Budget at the School Board meeting on Thursday, February 8, at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Reid’s presentation, as well as other budget documents, will be available after she presents to the board.
View the meeting on FCPS Cable TV Channel 99 (Verizon Channel 11), the FCPS YouTube Channel, or the FCPS website. To watch School Board meetings dubbed in Spanish, please visit the FCPS en Español YouTube channel.
If you would like language interpretation or American Sign Language support for any School Board meeting, please contact the board clerk. Find your School Board member and how to contact them on the School Board Members webpage.
🚍 Here Comes the Bus
Want to know if your child's bus is on schedule or where the bus is? Here Comes the Bus® is an easy-to-use website and app that enables parents to see the location of their child’s school bus — almost in real time — on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.
Parents can track multiple buses if their children don’t all ride the same bus; know exactly when children arrive at school or the bus stop; and receive customized text and/or email notifications about bus locations, schedule changes, or delays.
To get started, download the app from the Apple iOS or Android app store. Check out the Here Comes the Bus and Frequently Asked Questions webpages for more information.
Already using the Here Comes the Bus app? Send your feedback to HCTB@fcps.edu.
Note: eNotify text messaging will continue to be used for reporting bus delays and bus incidents.
Career Exploration Events for Students
In February, school divisions across the region will team up with Virginia Ed Strategies to host the annual Instruction 2 Industry Career Expo event. This Northern Virginia regional event invites high school students to connect virtually and in person, with more than 60 local industry professionals from in-demand career fields.
These free career exploration events aim to provide students with opportunities to prepare for tomorrow’s workforce today.
Virtual sessions will be held Monday, February 5, through Thursday, February 8, 4-7 p.m., and the in-person Career Expo and Job Fair will be held Saturday, February 17, 1-4 p.m., in the North Hall of the Dulles Expo Center.
Students should register today on the Instruction 2 Industry Events page.
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Do you want to celebrate a Westlawn staff member who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way, or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone. |
Collecting a Student for Early Dismissal
Families are reminded that they should call the main office at 703-241-5100 to arrange to get a student for early dismissal. We do not monitor our TalkingPoints account all day, and we may not receive messages about early dismissals in a timely manner. We ask that families picking up children early do so before 3:00 PM to avoid conflicts with the schoolwide dismissal process.
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.
Bus Delay Information
If a bus is delayed or more information is needed, parents and guardians can access the FCPS Bus Delay Website or contact the Area Transportation Office.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to sign up to receive Here Comes the Bus notifications.
Parents and guardians can be notified by text, phone call and/or email when a bus is delayed 30 minutes or more by indicting these options through their SIS ParentVUE account.
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.
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.
🔍 Lightspeed Parent Report on Child’s Device Activity
FCPS has tools to help parents know more about their child’s activity on any FCPS device. These tools are provided at no cost to families by Lightspeed, the school division’s internet content filtering service.
Parents may sign up for a weekly Parent Report, which will provide a list of the top sites your child visited. The report also offers parents the ability to sign up for free access to the Internet Use Parent Portal. Through the portal, parents may pause their child’s access to the internet on their FCPS device during non-school hours.
Learn more about Lightspeed Parent Reports.
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.
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 Instagram accounts for a glimpse into daily school life.
Falls Church High School Athletics
FCHS offers a variety of athletic opportunities for students - and it’s never too early to get your children interested in different sports! Visit the FCPS Athletics webpage for team information, calendars, and more.
Westlawn 2023-2024 PTA Board
We are excited to announce our PTA Cabinet!
Simone Rose, President
Deirdre Ladd, Vice President
Christine Lusk and Dave Jones, Treasurers
Jordan Kislear, Secretary
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