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A Message From Your Principals
Westlawn Families:
As July comes to a close, we begin looking forward to August and students’ return to school! Our Summer SOAR/Young Scholars/Bridge to Kindergarten programs close today, we are thankful for the leadership and guidance provided by Ms. Gretchen Maxwell and Ms. Laura Colombo, as well as all the amazing Westlawn teachers who facilitated learning each day. The continuity provided by summer programs is imperative to the success of many students, and we saw some amazing gains these past few weeks!
Next Wednesday, July 31, is our second summer installment of Community Conversations with Principals. Join us at 11:00 AM for some school updates and an opportunity to ask questions that may be on your mind. Access the link here.
Take note of some calendar dates below, specifically two dates the week before students return, our first ever Community Walk (more info below), and our 5th Annual Welcome to Westlawn Event!
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:
July 31: Community Conversation with Principals (11:00 AM) (LINK)
August 16: Welcome to Westlawn Event (10:00 AM on Westlawn Field/Blacktop)
August 19: First Day of School (doors open at 8:30 AM)
August 30 - Sept. 2: Labor Day Break
September 16: Three (3) Hour Early Release (12:30 PM Dismissal Time)
September 19: Back to School Night (4:30 PM)
Breakfast and Lunch Free to All Students in 24-25
We are happy to share that Westlawn will be offering free breakfast and lunch to students for the 2024-2025 school year! Students will continue to enter pin numbers when purchasing, but there will be no charge. The process should be identical to the previous school year.
Westlawn Community Walk - August 13th
We are excited to kick off the 2024 school year with a Westlawn Community Walk in the neighborhood of our school. The walk will take place on Tuesday, August 13 from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Our staff will pass by houses, apartments, play areas, the library and the pool so that children and families can see the familiar faces of their teachers in the neighborhood. The community walk is a unique activity that serves several purposes:
- Increases the staff’s understanding of the community in which they teach
- Strengthens teaching and learning in the school by deepening awareness of the community
- Allows the staff to engage with the community and students before the first family event of the year
Signs will be posted along the route and our staff will walk the route in a parade-like format. Bring your families to an area starred on the map and say hello to your Westlawn family!
School Supply Lists
Updated school supply lists for the 24-25 school year can be found on the Westlawn website. Nothing more exciting than school supply shopping with the little ones!
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
Community Conversations with Principals
Our next CCwP will be held July 31 @ 11:00 AM. Use this link to access the session.
Playground and Popsicles
Thank you to all our Kindergarten families that turned out for Playground and Popsicles earlier this month! Children had a blast, families connected, and it was a wonderful reminder how impactful the Westlawn Community can be for every child and family.
Early Release Mondays
Students will release three hours early on select Mondays during the upcoming school year, to provide instructional staff the necessary planning and preparation time to best meet the needs of all students. On the following Mondays, students will release at 12:30 PM:
September 16, 2024
October 21, 2024
November 18, 2024
February 10, 2025
March 10, 2025
April 21, 2025
May 12, 2025
More information regarding Early Release Mondays is available on the FCPS website.
Family Literacy Program at Westlawn
We are thrilled to announce that our Family Literacy Program, a cooperative initiative with the Office of Family Engagement, is returning to in-person classes this Fall! The Family Literacy Program is a place where all families are valued and have access and equitable opportunities to engage in and support their children’s education. The goal is to provide tools that empower families and promote the
children’s success.
Classes are held Tuesdays and Thursdays each week, beginning September 17, 2024. See a program outline and calendar below. Reach out to Family Liaison Hilda Reyes (hreyes@fcps.edu) for more information, or to express interest in the program. There is no cost to families.
Family Literacy Program at Westlawn ES
Fall 2024 Family Literacy Schedule
 
 
Summer Clinics for Physicals and Immunizations
Inova Cares Clinic for Children (ICCC) and Inova Partnership for Healthier Communities (PHC) are now scheduling appointments to provide children ages 5 and up with FREE School Physicals and Immunizations to begin the 2024-25 School Year. This will take place at Inova Cares Clinic for Children in Herndon, Manassas and Falls Church.
Fairfax County Health Department is offering Back-to-School Immunization Clinics with extended hours in August. Open by appointment to all Fairfax County students who need immunizations, regardless of if they have had vaccines in the past, are new to the country, or need a follow-up to be up to date. Appointments are limited. Schedule your appointment by calling 703-246-7100.
Building Updates
If you have been on campus the past few weeks you probably noticed two significant additions: a ramp leading from the blacktop to door 3, and a series of learning cabins fit together to complete our 2nd Learning Quad! If you and your family enjoy the Westlawn outdoor area during the summer, please be mindful of the work still being done, and keep children away from the immediate workspace.
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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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