|
Dear Westgate Families,
I hope this finds you having a happy and healthy week! Thank you to our wonderful PTA, and those of you who volunteered to make Fallfest a huge success! It is always so special when we get our whole community together for an event.
We also want to make sure that you are aware of the important information below regarding next week's unusual school schedule.
-
Monday, October 28 - 3 hour Early Release at 12:30 p.m. Information concerning how your child will dismiss on this day was sent home last week. Please ensure that any changes to your original plan are communicated to your classroom teacher, and the main office, no later than tomorrow, October 24. Thank you for your partnership in making this day a success.
-
Thursday, October 31 - 2 Hour Early Release at 1:30 p.m. ALL students will dismiss at this time.
-
Friday, Nov. 1, Mon. Nov. 4, & Tues. Nov. 5 - No School for Students.
As always, thank you for your support of all things Westgate and we hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!
Best,
Hallie Demetriades
Principal
From our PTA: Thank You for an Amazing Fallfest!
We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us for this year’s Fall Fest! It was such a great event, and it was so lovely to see so many of our families and students enjoy themselves.
A special thank you goes to all the volunteers who helped make this event possible. We couldn't have done it without you! A huge shout out to Laura, our amazing Fall Fest leader, whose hard work and dedication made the whole event come together.
And of course, we have to give a special mention to Val, who not only manned the cotton candy machine like a pro but also ended up covered in cotton candy herself – talk about commitment!
We also loved having our teachers join us, and the kids were thrilled to see them along the trick-or-treat line. Finally, it was a real treat to have our favorite local band, the Pimmit Hillbillies, perform and bring such great energy to the event.
Thank you again to everyone for making Fall Fest such a success. We can’t wait to see you at our next event!
From our PTA: Stress Free Fundraiser SUCCESS!!
We are thrilled to announce that our stress-free fundraiser is officially complete, and thanks to your incredible generosity, we raised nearly double our original goal—$4,340! Every single dollar will be going to Westgate, and we will be presenting the funds at our next PTA meeting on November 6th.
A big congratulations to the 2nd grade, who won our popsicle party this Friday, October 25! Thank you so much to all those that donated!
Federal Impact Aid Survey
FCPS is asking that all families complete a survey for Federal Impact Aid. This federal grant program is designed to directly compensate local school districts that have been financially impacted by federal activities. The form can be competed by the enrolling parent online in SIS ParentVue. We are asking that families to take a moment to access and complete the form. If you have not activated your ParentVue account, please contact our registrar, Mrs. Tracy Green, at tmgreen@fcps.edu. We appreciate you taking the time to complete and submit the form for your student(s).
Charleston Wrap Fundraiser Spread the Word!
We are one week away from the end of our Charleston Wrap fundraiser! Have you registered yet? www.registercw.com! Can you TEXT 10 of your friends & family right now and help us reach our goal of $2,500? #charlestonwrap #fundraiser #fundraisinggoal #weneedyourhelp
General PTA Meeting - November 6th
We’re more than halfway through October, which means we’re starting to look forward to November! We have a couple of fun events and drives planned, including our next PTA General Meeting, where our amazing Assistant Principal, Ms. Sutton, will be discussing Advanced Academics Screening. Join us on Wednesday, November 6th at 6pm for our General PTA Meeting.
Volunteer for the Book Fair - Nov. 15 - 22
The book fair is just around the corner on Nov. 15 - 22. In order to make the book fair a success, we need parent volunteers. If you are interested in helping our Ms. Ciarcia during the book fair, please sign up below. Thanks in advance for your support!
Book fair sign up genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4DA5A923A7FA7-52267805-westgate
Evening Assembly - Books! The Magic is Real
We’re also excited to announce a school assembly—Books! The Magic Is Real—on November 21st for our students. Joe Romano, the talented magician behind the show, will perform twice during school hours. That evening, he’ll return with a brand-new show for all families to enjoy. This event is free and will take place in the school gym at 6 PM.
Finally, since November is the month of giving, we’ll be hosting a food drive to help our families enjoy the holidays. Read below for more details…
Westgate’s Thanksgiving Food Drive
It’s that time of year again! From Oct 28 to November 21, we are organizing our Annual Westgate Thanksgiving Food Drive! Let’s support our Westgate community by donating Grocery Store gift cards to ensure families in need have resources to supplement Thanksgiving food items.
How you can help:
- Donate a grocery gift card (e.g. Walmart, Aldi or Safeway) to ensure all Westgate families can enjoy a festive meal. $20, $25, $50 increments are recommended.
- Donate small bags of pretzels, goldfish, cheese crackers, graham crackers, nut-free granola bars, Hippeas Chickpea Puffs, and Made Good Granola Bars for teachers to ensure all Westgate students have access to a snack every day.
* Short on time? You can visit our Amazon Wishlist and all donations will be sent to Westgate Elementary School
Where to drop off:
- You or your child can drop off your gift card or snacks at the main office donation box.
- Your child can bring it to school and give it to their home room teacher. Their teacher can drop it off at the main office on their behalf
Every donation counts! Let's come together as a community to spread warmth, kindness and generosity this Thanksgiving.
PTA Membership
All are welcome at our PTA meetings. Joining the Westgate PTA and donating $15 per family amplifies your voice in our school community, gives you the opportunity to vote on PTA-led events and initiatives, and comes with a free, stylish Westgate magnet to drive around OUR neighborhood with. Your membership also helps the PTA create a more dynamic year of programming and advocacy.
To be a part of this thriving community, we invite you to join the PTA. Dues are $15 per family and you can sign up HERE!
Arrival/Dismissal Safety Reminders for Westgate
Please remember to be mindful of our important safety procedures during arrival and dismissal.
- There are NO left hand turns allowed in, or out of, Kiss & Ride during arrival or dismissal.
- There are NO illegal u-turns allowed in front of the school on Magarity Road. Please enter kiss and ride from the correct side (towards rt. 7) and follow the traffic pattern, as we've witnessed both student and staff safety being compromised too often.
- Please ONLY cross your child at the dedicated cross walk (with police officer). Crossing you children at any other location is not safe.
- There is NO parking on either side of Magarity Rd. right in front of the school. Please do not park in these areas.
-
Cars are not permitted in the bus loop between 8:20 - 9:00 a.m. and between 3:00 - 3:40 p.m.
Our number one priority at Westgate remains student safety. Thank you for adhering to these very important safety reminders. Please note that the Fairfax County Police Department will be closely monitoring this situation.
⏰ Limited Early Release Mondays for Elementary Schools
You should have received an email from Westgate via eNotify with a required survey about the Early Release Mondays. Dr. Reid initially communicated the plan for these days in mid-June.
The remaining scheduled dates for Westgate are:
- October 28
- December 9
- February 24
- March 17
- April 28
- May 19
Activating Your SIS ParentVUE Account
The SIS (Student Information System) ParentVUE Account is an online tool parents can use to access information about their child’s attendance, report cards, discipline incidents, health information, and more. In ParentVUE, you can also view student progress reports/report cards and SOL scores.
Your secure SIS ParentVUE Account offers you the ability to use one username/password to login to both the SIS ParentVUE Account and Schoology.
Using the SIS ParentVUE account, parents will also be able to view school information, including teacher e-mail addresses, the FCPS calendar, and emergency contact information. Visit the FCPS website and use the search function and keywords “SIS Parent Overview” for more information.
Many of you have already activated your SIS ParentVUE account with the activation key. If you are unable to login to your account, you may need to reset your password on the SIS Parent Account login page (https://sisparent.fcps.edu):
- Select the “Forgot Password” button.
- Your username is the primary email address you have on file with us in our Student Information System.
- More information is available here.
Newly enrolled families should have received an activation key for your account. If you have not yet activated your account, please reach out to Tracy Green at tmgreen@fcps.edu.
Please take action now to ensure your account is active!
School Meals & Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications
|
Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast will cost $1.75. Lunch will cost $3.25, and milk $0.60. Money can be added to your child’s accounts using www.myschoolbucks.com. You can also write a check to Westgate Food Services and deliver it to our Food Services Manager at Open House. During the school year, you can find the menu for breakfast and lunch here .
|
Free and Reduced-Price Status
Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals will continue to receive these benefits through the end of September. A new application must be filled out each new school year and forms are available online now: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/food-and-nutrition-programs/free-and-reduced-price-meals.
Applications are accepted at any time, but we encourage you to apply or renew your application before the end of September. Call (703) 610-5700 if you need help. This must be completed for eligible students to receive free meals.
Parent Digital Consent System
New this year, families will use the Parent Digital Consent System to complete some forms that have used paper in the past. You will log in using your ParentVUE Account credentials, There, you will be able complete the Digital Resources Consent form for the school year, which is required for all students. You will also be able to find more information about opt-out forms and complete those forms for your student.
Multilingual Parent Information Line
☎️ Parent Information Phone Line Available in Eight Languages
Parents/caregivers who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese may call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS. View the list of phone numbers.
Spanish: ☎️ Línea Telefónica de Información para Padres Disponible en Ocho IdiomasPadres/cuidadores que hablan Amárico, Árabe, Chino, Farsi, Coreano, Español, Urdu o Vietnamita pueden llamar a una línea telefónica de información para obtener información general sobre FCPS. También pueden obtener apoyo para comunicarse con la escuela de su hijo. Vea la lista de números de teléfono.
|
