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A Message From Your Principals
Westlawn Families:
Six school days remain in the 23-24 school year! Lots of fun and learning still to be had, with some big events on the near horizon including Field Days, Spring Concert, 6th Grade Promotion Cermony and Kindergarten Promotion Cermonies. Be on the lookout for communications from your child(ren)'s teacher about individual class-related events as well.
Today's Community Conversation is canceled, we will pick back up with Mr. Hill, Ms. Dushok, and Ms. Reyes next Wednesday at 11:00 AM. Check out the recording from last 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:
June 4: Field Day (Grades K-3)
June 5: Field Day (Grades 4-6)
June 6: Spring Band & Strings Concert (6:30 PM, Howe-Tillett Gymnasium)
June 6: FCHS Seniors Walk the Halls (sometime after 1:00 PM)
June 7: FCHS Graduation Ceremony (Eagle Bank Arena, 2:00 PM)
June 9: Arts Integration Event with Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (bus leaves Westlawn at 2:15 PM; performance at 4 PM @ George Mason University Center for the Arts)
June 11: 6th Grade Promotion Ceremony
June 12: Last Day for Students (Dismissal at 1:30 PM)
July 18: Playground and Popsicles For New Kindergarteners (1:30 - 2:30 PM)
Westlawn Student Attendance Update
Currently 12.6% of Westlawn students are considered Chronically Absent, meaning they have, or are on pace to, miss over 10% of instructional days. Please continue to ensure your child(ren), if healthy, attend school every day. Learning is an ongoing process, and each day is an opportunity!
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra Arts Integration Showcase Concert
Join us on Sunday, June 9th, as Westlawn will be participating in the annual FSO Arts Integration Showcase event at George Mason Center for the Arts. Student work will be displayed in the lobby and available for viewing pre-show. This year’s show is titled Rhapsody in Blue, and students have been engaging with the concert content throughout the year in music, library/tech, and art. If you are interested in attending the concert, please email Mr. Sean Stuebner (sstuebner1@fcps.edu) and Ms. Brett Terrell (baterrell@fcps.edu) to request tickets. Tickets are free-of-charge for the entire family. Please inform Mr. Stuebner and Ms. Terrell of your intent to attend, including number of guests, to ensure an accurate headcount. A bus will be available to take families to and from the event. The bus will depart Westlawn at 2:15PM, leaving from the main entrance.
Date: Sunday, June 9th
Time: Bus departs Westlawn: 2:15 PM
Lobby Display at GMU Center for the Arts: 3:00 - 4:00 PM
Concert Start Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Center for the Arts GMU Fairfax Campus (4373 Mason Pond Drive)
Westlawn Alum Give Back
Check out the attached article, authored by Advanced Academic Lead Gretchen Maxwell, highlighting the power of the Westlawn Community and ways in which former Westlawn students continue to contribute long after 6th Grade Promotion!
Westlawn Alumni Give Back.pdf
Westlawn Beautification Donation Link
With the Spring comes the need to ensure our Courtyard and Discovery Area are properly maintained. We are reliant upon our community to fund upkeep and improvements to our outside spaces. If you are able, we ask for a small donation to beautify these unique areas. The link to donate is below. Thank you for your consideration.
Westlawn Beautification Donation Link
A Message From the Westlawn Library
All Westlawn Library Books are due. Please return them to the library as soon as possible. Please contact Ms. Vu, tnquachvu@fcps.edu, or Ms. Heyer, pdheyer@fcps.edu with any questions. EBooks are still available thru the Westlawn Catalog – Destiny Discover https://search.follettsoftware.com/metasearch/ui/103788.
Visit the Public Library – all Westlawn students are able to check out three books at any FCPL even if they don’t have a library card thru LEAP https://research.fairfaxcounty.gov/education/leap. They just need to let the librarian know that they are a FCPS student at check out. The librarians are also happy to help everyone get a library card (they are FREE). Happy Reading!
Not So Secret Staff and Student Spirit Days!
This Wednesday, May 29, is Teacher/Student Swap! Dress your child(ren) like one of their beloved teachers and join the fun!. A Talking Point message will go out with a reminder.
💪 Let's Finish the School Year Strong! Student attendance at school is important all year long, up to the last day of school. Attendance has an effect on student performance and on school accreditation. See how to:
- Check your child’s attendance record.
- Help your student stay engaged at school.
- Report future absences.
- Understand the FCPS school calendar.
Community Conversations with Principals
This week’s Community Conversation is canceled. We will resume next Wednesday, the final day of the 23-24 school year, at 11:00 AM. 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
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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. |
☀️ Summer Reading Challenge
Summer is around the corner and that means the fantastic FCPL Summer Reading Challenge is, too! This year’s theme is Adventure Begins at Your Library and there are challenges for our youngest students all the way through parents and grandparents!
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Online Campus Summer Registration Closing Soon!
Registration for summer classes with FCPS' Online Campus will close on Friday, June 7. Online campus courses are for students in grades 7-12. Email OnlineCampus@fcps.edu or call 703-503-7781 with any questions.
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Other Summer Learning OpportunitiesChantilly Academy will host an AFA CyberCamp from Monday, June 24, to Friday, June 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. This camp would be a great fit for rising fifth through eighth graders of all skill levels interested in learning more about the importance of cybersecurity and gaining skills to protect themselves and others from cyber threats. Discounts are available for students eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Visit the camp website for more information.
Registration is also still available for the Institute for the Arts (IFTA) and Elementary-IFTA (E-IFTA) arts camps, and Credit Recovery Academy.
SoCo Summer Strings
Exciting news! SoCo Summer Strings is returning this summer! The camp will be hosted at South County Middle School from July 8-19, 8:30am-12:30pm, weekdays only. Camp is open to all rising 5th-9th grade students with at least one year of experience on the violin, viola, cello, or bass. Students will participate in two large ensemble rehearsals, an instrument-specific technique class, and a sectional each day. You can find more information and registration for camp at www.schsorchestra.org/soco-summer-strings. Early registration is open through June 9, so reserve your student’s spot soon!
Register Your Children Online
Online registration is available for new and returning (re-enrolling) FCPS families! Apply today to help us plan for the 2024-25 school year.
Resources for Newly Registered Families
Being connected to your school community helps you stay informed and support your child’s success. Take some time to get familiar with the many resources and tools available to FCPS families, including:
There’s an easy to follow five-step process outlined for parents registering their children for kindergarten. Be sure to register your child as soon as possible!
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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