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 Volume 1, Issue 10
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families:
Digital Citizenship Week has been a big hit! Thank you to all families who supported by dressing in pinks, workout clothes, team gear, and Westlawn Spirit Wear (tomorrow) to encourage safe and responsible use of technology. At Westlawn we have a wide net of technology enhancement supports as we help children learn how to use these resources to enhance and augment the learning experience. Please reach out to Ms. Alanna Dushok if you have any questions around supporting your children at home.
During this week and next, each grade level team will participate in a full-day collaborative planning and data reflection meeting. These days are designed for teams to closely analyze student data and create individualized, small group, and whole group instructional plans to meet the learning needs for all children. A guest teacher will provide instruction for the day within the classrooms while teachers engage in this work.
Next Friday we look forward to welcoming families into the building for Art and International Night! A volunteer sign-up sheet will be sent out for anyone interested in helping facilitate the event. A form to bring food for the event was sent home in your child’s Thursday folder last week, as well as a form for anyone interested in performing at the event. We look forward to bringing the community together next Friday night!
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
 This week we are celebrating National School Lunch Week and highlighting the importance of school lunch. At Westlawn we are proud of the fact that every student is eligible to receive a free school lunch which means every student has access to fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and milk of choice every day.
 Congratulations, Ms. Roundtree!
Ms. Roundtree recently completed professional learning to become a Global Classroom Project educator. Learn more about what Ms. Roundtree has planned for her students as she embarks on this new journey!
Newsletter Survey Feedback
Thank you to those families who filled out our newsletter survey a few weeks ago! Here is some of the feedback we received and what we are doing to address it:
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Fliers: Due to a recent change to the Americans with Disabilities Act, entities like public schools need to ensure that all electronic communication is accessible, meaning that it can be read by a screen reader on a device. Anything written in plain text is readable, but photographs of text, such as an image of a flier, are not. This is a big change for us! This year we are experimenting with sharing information electronically in ADA-compliant ways, while also balancing families’ preferences for receiving information. If you have any questions or suggestions for how we can better meet your needs, please contact Ms. Dushok, who will be very happy to talk with you about her current favorite field of interest.
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Grade Level Newsletters and Curriculum Information: We went back to our staff to learn about newsletters, and discovered that all families with children in grades K-2 should be receiving a newsletter from that child’s teacher or grade level teacher leader. If you are not receiving that communication, please reach out to your child’s teacher. At this time, grades 4-6 are not creating newsletters, and families are encouraged to reach out to their child’s teacher with any curriculum questions they might have. Additionally, all schools within FCPS operate under the same academic standards across all subject areas, and our district-wide curriculum ensures that all teachers at any grade level are teaching the same standards at the same time. Families are encouraged to check out the Family-Facing Curriculum to learn more.
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Recordings of Community Conversations: We have traditionally added the Community Conversations slides to our website, and based on newsletter feedback we are also now going to link the video of the recording and add the AI-generated Zoom Summary.
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Testing Dates at Westlawn: There are many assessments that we give at Westlawn, including the Standards of Learning Exams (SOLs), iReady tests, CogAT, VALLSS, and WIDA. Whenever possible, we try to build the tests into the student’s day so that their schedules remain consistent and they do not miss specials, need recess moved, etc. To make that possible, we give grade level teams latitude in choosing their own testing dates within a provided window, customizing their specific testing schedule to meet their students’ needs. For this reason, we encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher for the specific testing dates for their classroom. For SOLs specifically, we will share the SOL schedule with families as soon as it is available, sometime in the spring. Learn more about the purpose of each test or see a breakdown of which tests happen at each grade level within FCPS.
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Volunteer Opportunities: We do our best to share these opportunities in Community Conversations and in this newsletter under the heading “Engage with Westlawn” (keep scrolling down).
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Weekly Spotlights and Learning More About Teachers: Oh boy! Get ready and keep your eyes on our Instagram and Facebook pages for more great content featuring your favorite Westlawn teachers.
Do you still have questions about the Feather Report or anything we are doing to address this feedback? If so, please email Ms. Dushok.
FCPS News
Are you curious about what’s happening more broadly in FCPS? This week’s In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) FCPS roundup covers:
- Learn About Lexia for Literacy
- Schools Win Exemplar Awards
- Upcoming Community Conversations
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
 October 17: Full-Time AAP Referral Information Session
Please join us for an informational session about the process of screening for full-time AAP services in Fairfax County Public Schools, and here at Westlawn. Students must be in current grades 2-6 to be eligible, but any parent is welcome to join. This meeting will be held on Zoom, with Mrs. Maxwell from 5:30-6:30 PM. It will be translated and recorded. A copy of the recording will go out to the community if you are unable to join us. Please email Mrs. Maxwell if you have any questions.
October 14-18: Digital Citizenship Spirit Week
Westlawn will celebrate Digital Citizenship Week by hosting a Spirit Week from October 14-18. This year’s focus for Digital Citizenship Week will be on the ways in which digital citizenship overlaps with social-emotional learning.
  October 18: TJ Invitational Science Fair Information Meeting
Learn about entering the TJ Invitational Science Fair at this information meeting from 6:00-7:00 on Zoom. Fill out the information form once for each interested student.
October 21: Three Hour Early Release
Students will be released at 12:30 PM today so that Westlawn staff may engage in professional learning.
October 22: School Picture Day
School photos will be taken by LifeTouch. Families can preorder photos on the LifeTouch website, either by signing in or by clicking “Continue as Guest” and entering code EVTN37GW6.
October 23: Wear White to School!
Help our kindergarteners learn their colors by wearing white to school today!
October 25: International + Art Night
This year International Night will be combined with Art Night for a multicultural and visual spectacular from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM! Learn more about attending as a guest or participating and sharing your family’s background and culture. Look for fliers about participating in International + Art Night in today’s Thursday folder.
October 31: Two-Hour Early Release
Students will be released at 1:30 PM today so that Westlawn staff may engage in professional learning.
October 31: Book Character Dress Up Day and Parade
Students are invited to dress up as their favorite book character. Costumes should be appropriate for school and not include masks or weapons. Students in costume will be invited to participate in the annual book character parade.
November 1, 4, 5: No School for Students
November 1, 4, and 5 are holidays for students. We look forward to welcoming students back into the building on November 6.
To see more schoolwide and community events, remember to check out our website calendar! You can also subscribe to our calendar to make it even more convenient.
Volunteer Opportunity: Keep the Paint Shirts Sparkling Fresh
We are looking for a few volunteers to help keep our paint shirts sparkling fresh for students in art! The task involves picking up a basket of paint shirts on Friday afternoon, washing and drying them, and bringing them back to school on Monday morning. If your family would like to help, please contact our art teacher Ms. Terrell.
LAST CALL: Donation Opportunity: Help Fund Sensory-Appropriate PAC Libraries
Our new Preschool Autism Classroom (PAC) program is looking for financial support to fund libraries full of sensory-appropriate books for their students. Donations can be made through the Scholastic website, and both PAC teachers will split the total collected.
Join a Community Conversation
Join us on Wednesday at 11 AM on Zoom to hear the important news from the school from Principal Hill! Community Conversations happen weekly barring school holidays or weather closures. If you miss a Community Conversation, you can catch up with slides and AI-generated transcripts on our website.
 AAP Service Highlight: Twice Exceptionality (2e)
Twice Exceptional students (abbreviated as 2e) are those that are advanced in one or more subject areas and have special education needs. An example of a 2e student is one that might have outstanding critical and creative thinking skills while also requiring teacher support for executive functioning skills like organization and sustaining attention. FCPS trains all teachers to recognize and support our 2e learners. You can learn more about 2e learners through the FCPS website and handbook.
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