|
English | Español | አማርኛ | 中文 | 한국어 | Tiếng Việt | العربية | فارسی | اردو
 Volume 1, Issue 11
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families:
At Westlawn we have a lot to be thankful for: world-class educators, a dedicated community, and our children, who continue to amaze time and time again. The school-family partnership can not be overstated, and we are appreciative of every family member and their impact on student learning.
This afternoon our staff will celebrate David Paniagua, a recently retired member of the Westlawn Custodial Team, with over 27 years of service to our school and community. In cooperation with Todd Nelson and the Fairfax County Tree Commission, organized on-site by our own Gretchen Maxwell, a tree will be planted and dedicated to Mr. Paniagua and his years of service. A commemorative plaque will be installed in front of the tree.
This week we are excited to debut a new section of our newsletter: Second Step Program. The goal of this section is to keep you informed of the social-emotional learning initiatives happening at Westlawn, and provide suggestions for things you can do to extend the learning into your home. Each week all Westlawn students participate in a Second Step lesson, designed to engage and build our students social and emotional learning skills. At Westlawn, learning doesn’t stop with academics!
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
 When math and movement work together, magical things happen! Kindergarteners practiced their counting through hopscotch in the crepuscular rays lighting our Discovery Area.
 October is Disability Awareness and History Month
Did you know that approximately 20% of our student population has one or more identified disabilities? Our staff works hard to meet each student’s individual needs and ensure that they receive a robust and appropriate education each day. Learn more about how Westlawn staff meet the needs of students with disabilities, and stay tuned to Instagram and Facebook all week to read about several staff member’s journeys to becoming special educators.
Students and Individual Reading Plans
At the beginning of this year we used VALLSS, a reading screener, to determine each student’s level of risk for developing reading difficulties. Based on their scores, some students became eligible for an Individual Reading Plan. Plans were developed by teachers over the past several weeks and include information about the areas of reading comprehension that students may need, such as decoding, encoding, and language. The instruction provided to students who have an individual reading plan is designed to happen in addition to the regular reading instruction that the student will receive in the classroom as part of the standard program. Learn more about where individual reading plans fit into FCPS’ Equitable Access to Literacy focus area, or email Ms. Baer with questions. Families can also reach out to their child’s teacher via TalkingPoints for information about their child’s specific plan.
Nominate a Westlawn Staff Member for an Outstanding Employee Award
Each year schools across FCPS are asked to nominate staff members to be recognized for their outstanding contributions to their schools. School nominees are then advanced to their pyramid (Falls Church), then the Region (2), and finally to the “finals” where one is recognized across all of FCPS. Even without making it all the way through, just being a nominee is a huge honor. We would like your help to nominate teachers, professional employees, and school leaders! All it takes is a short paragraph from you to start the process. Nominations are due by November 8.
|
New Digital Safety Resource: Thorn for Parents
Thorn is a site focused on the intersection of technology with puberty and sexual development. Their mission is to defend children against threats and sexual abuse. Thorn’s website offers families a robust search tool where they can look for relevant support materials by child’s age, topic, and the adult’s level of comfort with the discussion. Thorn currently has materials to support children between ages 7-17, and there are places on their site to join email lists to be notified when new materials are developed.
Family Compact
As a Title I school, we are required to develop and maintain a Family Compact. This Compact describes the work we intend to do for and with families to ensure that families have opportunities to be meaningfully engaged with the Westlawn community. Our updated 2024-2025 Family Compact is now available on our website. If you have any questions, please email Mr. Hill.
REMINDER: Vaccination Clinics
There are still a few vaccination clinics left, including a new one scheduled for October 29. Learn more about the clinics and how to sign up.
REMINDER: We Are Hiring!
We are still looking to find two more amazing people to join our team! Both of the vacancies are for full-time positions. The links below take you to job descriptions for each position. If you want to submit your resume, or you have questions, please email Mr. Hill.
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:
- FCPS Family Orientation
- Community Conversations
- Immunization Clinics
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
 NEW! October 25: World Series Spirit Day
Game 1 of the World Series is on Friday night, October 25. One of the beautiful things about our community is that we have families from all over the world, and we know we have several staff members and students who are Yankees or Dodgers fans. On Friday we invite everybody to wear their Yankees or Dodgers gear to celebrate each team’s pennant victory. If your child is not a Yankees or Dodgers fan, they are invited to wear their favorite baseball team’s gear, Yankee gray, or Dodger blue clothes.
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 30: Wear Black to School!
Help our kindergarteners learn their colors by wearing black to school today!
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.
November 5: PTA Election Day Bake Sale
Support the PTA Election Day Bake Sale by creating treats to sell, lending a tent to provide shade, or selling baked goods to people casting their vote. You could also support them by taking a walk to buy yourself a treat, too! You deserve it!
November 9: SAVE THE DATE! Westlawn Day
Westlawn Day will take place from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Stay tuned for more details.
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 at International and Art Night
We are looking for a few enthusiastic family volunteers for Friday’s event! Be one of those enthusiastic volunteers.
Volunteer for or at the Election Day Bake Sale
This year we are doubling our locations for the Election Day Bake Sale. We need volunteers to bake, to sell, and to drop off tents to keep the treats and the volunteers shaded. Donate baked goods, share a tent, or sign up to sell goodies.
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: Access to Rigor
FCPS is committed to developing the academic talents of all students through lessons with critical and creative thinking (CCT) and AAP curriculum. All students have access to this rigor if they are in K-2 by attending their CCT special. In addition, all teachers K-6 periodically facilitate lessons that provide opportunities to think critically, reason and problem solve and scaffold as necessary so that students are exposed to this level of thinking. You can try some Access to Rigor at home by using our 9 CCT strategies!
 Social-emotional learning (SEL) is an important part of helping children develop the skills they need to succeed in school and life. This year, we are using Second Step, a research-based SEL program designed to teach students essential skills like empathy, emotional regulation, and problem-solving. Each focus for the week will share recommendations for conversations and activities families can do at home to promote SEL outside of school.
Kindergarten
In this week’s lesson, your child will show what they’ve learned about the importance of paying attention, practicing, and continuing to try after making mistakes. They’ll put these skills to use while learning a rhyme with accompanying movements.
Try This at Home: Ask your child to show and teach you the rhyme they learned, along with the movements, so you can do it together.
1st Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will show what they’ve learned about paying attention, managing distractions, and practicing as they learn to draw Pepito, a character from Second Step Elementary animated videos.
Try This at Home: Ask your child to tell you about their experience learning to draw Pepito. Encourage them to draw a family portrait with Pepito in it as a way to keep practicing.
2nd Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will use what they’ve learned from the unit to give advice to someone who is struggling to learn something new.
Try This at Home: Ask your child what advice they would give you if you were having a hard time learning something new.
3rd Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will make their own practice plan.
Try This at Home: Ask your child to share their practice plan with you. If they brought it home, find a place to display it where they’ll see it every day. Check in to see how their plan is going, and support them if they need help adjusting their plans.
4th Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will practice the full goal-setting process as they work toward a 10-minute goal with a group.
Try This at Home: Work with your child to make a list of 1-week goals you could set as a family. Choose one and make sure it’s specific, challenging, and doable. Follow the goal-setting process to make a plan, check in on how it’s going, and at the end of the week, reflect on how it went and what you could do next time.
5th Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will apply the full goal-setting process they learned in this unit to work toward a 10-minute goal of their choice.
Try This at Home: Ask your child about the goal-setting process they learned in this unit and why it’s important. Encourage them to set a new short-term goal that's right for them and to follow the process they learned. Check in along the way to see how it’s going.
If you have questions about these prompts or ideas, or social-emotional learning in general, please email Westlawn’s SEL Coach, Ms. Andrews. We can work together to create a positive and safe school environment!
|
