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 Volume 1, Issue 14
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families:
Clear your calendars!! Next week Westlawn is serving up an abundance of activities for families to enjoy, both during and after school. On Monday we are excited to welcome the Falls Church High School Spotlight Theatre for the opening night performance of The Phantom Tollbooth at 7PM! On Thursday we welcome families for our Thanksgiving Luncheon during the day, and back into the building in the evening for our Chorus and Instrumental Ensemble fall performance. Then we wrap up our week with Bingo Night on Friday evening presented by our Westlawn PTA. Whew! What a week!
We’d like to thank our families and community for prioritizing student attendance, and using different resources to ensure children attend school every day. Our collective school-wide attendance has increased by over 3% from this time last year, and we look forward to continuing this work together.
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
 Students in the Choral and Instrumental Ensemble are busy rehearsing for the big show! Students are not only performing for the Westlawn community; they are also taking their show on the road! They will be performing for FCPS officials at the central office next Friday.
Welcome, Ms. Yataco!
We are pleased to announce that we now have a second parent liaison, Ms. Ariana Yataco! Ms. Yataco will be joining Ms. Reyes in the parent liaison office and is eager to serve our families.
Contacting the Parent Liaisons
You can contact our parent liaisons by calling the main office at 703-241-5100 and leaving a message. They will return your call when they are able, usually later that same day. You can also send each of the parent liaisons a message via TalkingPoints. If you have the app, you can look up Ariana Yataco or Hilda Reyes. If you do not have the app, either download TalkingPoints from your phone’s app store or call our main office to schedule an appointment for support.
Boundary Review
As a reminder, FCPS has started the process of reviewing school boundaries across the division. This important work will help the district better support student population growth, changes in school capacity, and evolving community needs. Community input is vital to this process. With that in mind, FCPS, in partnership with Thru Consulting, will be hosting a series of community meetings in each of FCPS’ six regions. Participants are encouraged to share their thoughts, ask questions, and learn more about the boundary review process.
Please visit FCPS’ website for meeting dates, locations, and other information. Sign up for the School Boundary Review newsletter for updates.
Tutoring Resources for Families
Is your family looking for resources to help support your child’s academic success? FCPS’ Family Resource Center (FRC) maintains a list of district employees who hold a valid Virginia teaching credential and who are available to be hired as a tutor by parents. FRC maintains this list, but families are responsible for contacting and working directly with tutors. This list is not “approved” by FCPS and is only meant as a resource.
FCPS also partners with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors' services at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests.
LAST CALL: Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available online in SIS ParentVUE. If you have not already filled out the form online, we will provide paper forms in November. Please be sure to return them by November 17.
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important, because information from this survey resulted in more than $4 million in funding last year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers. Learn more about the Federal Impact Aid Survey.
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:
- Fall Testing Results
- Boundary Review Community Meetings
- Resources for Families
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
November 16: IEP Palooza and Resource Fair
The Fairfax County Special Education PTA (SEPTA) will be hosting an IEP Palooza and Resource Fair at Luther Jackson MS from 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM. Learn more about SEPTA and register to attend the fair (and request an interpreter if needed).
November 18: Three Hour Early Release
Students will be released at 12:30 PM today so that Westlawn staff may engage in professional learning.
November 18: The Phantom Tollbooth Performance
The Falls Church High School Spotlight Theatre Company is taking their fall performance on the road! Check out The Phantom Tollbooth right here at Westlawn!
November 21: Thanksgiving Luncheon at Westlawn
Families are invited to join us for the annual Thanksgiving lunch at Westlawn. Lunch costs $4.75 per adult. Learn what time your child has lunch and what is on the menu. Volunteer to help make this beloved event a huge success.
November 21-23: Aesop Live! Performance
Luther Jackson Middle School Drama will be performing Aesop Live! Between November 21-23. Learn more about show times and buy tickets.
November 21: Fall Choral and Instrumental Ensemble Concert
Join us for a night of music featuring our chorus and instrumental ensemble. Doors open at 6:00 and the show starts at 6:30! This is a free program and open to all members of our community.
November 22: Bingo Night
Join the Westlawn community for a wonderful night of fun and games! Bingo cards and pizza will be on sale. Bingo games will start at 6:00 PM and last until approximately 7:30. Volunteer to sell pizza, sell bingo cards, or run an activity.
November 27-29: No School
There is no school in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
December 3: FLE Parent Preview Night
Adults are invited to attend our virtual Family Life Education materials preview night, which will take place on Zoom starting at 7 PM.
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.
Send In Your Restaurant Night Photos!
Did you take any photos at Red Robin Restaurant Night on Wednesday, November 13? Ms. Dushok would love to publish them and share your joy with the community! Send photos via email or by texting them to her at 571-355-2321.
Searching for Basketballs
The Westlawn PE Team is in need of basketballs! If you are cleaning out your garage, they are collecting basketballs in gently used or like-new condition to ensure that all students have quality equipment during upcoming units. You can donate basketballs by sending them into Westlawn to the attention of Mr. Maloney.
Volunteer at the Thanksgiving Luncheon
Volunteer for an hour at the Thanksgiving Luncheon on November 21 to help serve Westlawn families and celebrate the season! We recommend volunteering before or after your child’s lunch time so you can eat with them, too!
Volunteer at Bingo Night
Volunteer at bingo night from 5:45 PM - 7:30 PM on November 22. Volunteers are needed to run activities, sell pizza, and sell bingo cards.
Support the Fall Fundraiser through Charleston Wrap
Westlawn families are invited to support our fall fundraiser through Charleston Wrap. The fundraiser will last from November 6 through November 22. Learn how to join the Westlawn shop and share the shop with your own family and friends.
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 recordings on our website.
AAP Service Highlight: Full-Time AAP
Did you know Westlawn is a Local Full-Time AAP School? This means we have trained staff and AAP services right here in Westlawn to meet the needs of students identified for Full-Time AAP services!
Full-Time Services are for identified students in grades 3-8 who access AAP curriculum on a full-time basis. This programming has increased pace and depth in all academic subjects. How is a student identified for these services? A portfolio of information is collected by the school and submitted to the FCPS central screening committee who makes the decision if a student needs these services. This portfolio includes a referral, work samples, progress reports, test scores, and optional parent questionnaires. Watch the complete information session that was held in October by our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, Gretchen Maxwell. Spanish translations are included.
Learn more information and access forms for full-time AAP. The window for full-time AAP referral is closing in a month on December 15, 2024.
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 learn to use body language and context clues to figure out when someone feels sad. They’ll practice looking at the person’s face and body, as well as thinking about what’s going on in the situation. Try This at Home: Encourage your child to notice when others around them feel sad. Have them practice using body language and context clues to figure out when family members, friends, or characters in books, movies, or on TV might be feeling sad.
1st Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn to use body language and context clues to figure out when someone feels worried. They’ll practice looking at the person’s face and body, as well as thinking about what’s going on in the situation. Try This at Home: Encourage your child to notice when others around them might feel worried. Have them practice using body language and context clues to figure out when family members, friends, or characters in books, movies, or on TV might be feeling worried.
2nd Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that we can feel disappointed when something we want or expect does not happen. Try This at Home: Remind your child that everyone feels disappointed sometimes. Ask them what they can do to feel better the next time they’re feeling disappointed.
3rd Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn words for three degrees of anger: annoyed, angry, and furious. Try This at Home: Ask your child to explain the differences between feeling annoyed, angry, and furious.
4th Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn what it means to rethink a situation and how it can help them calm strong emotions. Try This at Home: Tell your child about a time when rethinking a situation, or thinking about it in a different way, helped you feel better. Encourage your child to talk about times in their lives when rethinking could have helped them.
5th Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will identify signs of stress, situations that can cause them to feel stress, and strategies they can use to manage feelings of stress. Try This at Home: Ask your child what their body feels like when they’re stressed and what things cause them to feel stress. Share your own experiences with stress and what you do to manage it.
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!
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