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November 27-29: Thanksgiving Holidays - No School
December 11: PTA Meeting - Cookie Exchange
December 16: Principal Coffee - Executive Functioning
Green Team Meeting
December 19: Winter Concert - Band/Strings
December 23 - January 3, 2025: Winter Break - No School
Dear Wakefield Forest Families,
As we approach the Thanksgiving season, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your continued support and partnership. Your commitment to your child's education is amazing, and it makes a significant difference in our school community.
I am also incredibly grateful for our dedicated staff. Our staff members go above and beyond to support our students' success.
As I prepare for my own time with family and friends, I always look for a poem or quote to share with my own kids. This year the poem I am sharing is “THE REPUBLIC GIVES THANKS” by Amanda Gorman, which seemed fitting for the end of our Native American month, as well as the Thanksgiving season.
In 1863, deep in the Civil War’s magnitude,
Abraham Lincoln called declared a day of gratitude
Shared by one heart and one voice of America.
A proclamation for a nation in a nightmare,
This Thanksgiving dared Americans
To chime their thanks at a time many believed
That they had no thanks to give.
Yet is this quirky day now about turkey?
About a plate full of food?
Or is it about being grateful In more than just attitude?
The Haudenosaunee/Iroquois remind us
With one mind, to find the words
That come before all else,
because to give thanks is to live it.
It’s not just in speech,
But in each of our daily actions.
It’s reaching across divisions towards a
Vision of a long, strong house and table
Where we’re able to gather together.
If we dream past pilgrims
and the mast of the Mayflower,
It may empower us to bravely learn
From the People of the First Light,
To return to Lincoln’s fight,
To furnish our might by uniting around
Any piece of peace, no matter how small.
We still hear all these first teachers,
Called by the will of those still here on this earth,
Like the Wampanoag, who show us the worthiest
Way to give thanks for our blessings
Isn’t to hog them, but to give them away.
It’s then, full of this feeling,
That healing can begin, because maybe
To be American is to be a kin
To a courageous hope:
The trust that even if just for a moment
We can, we must, close rank as people,
One heart, one voice, one mind, created equal.
Like two vessels meeting at a riverbank anew
Under the sky’s greeting of bright, blank blue,
You’ll begin beside the people who flank you.
We come to these words before and above all dreams,
Saying with more love and restored meaning: Thank you.
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Wishing you and your family a warm and joyful Thanksgiving.
Sharyn Prindle
Principal
sbprindle@fcps.edu
2nd and 3rd grade students enjoy when the Woodson Math Honor Society comes to play fun math games at our school!
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather-related closing decisions are made.
FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and arrange for childcare if needed.
Keep Your Child Warm During Outdoor Activities
We will monitor the weather for low temperatures, wind chill advisories and warnings, and weather advisories which may prevent children from being outside. Make sure your child is dressed appropriately with a warm coat and other cold-weather clothing, so they can comfortably enjoy their time outdoors. See the National Weather Service’s tips on staying safe during cold weather.
If you need assistance supplying your child with cold-weather clothing, please call Fairfax County's Coordinated Services Planning at 703-222-0880. Their multilingual staff can assist with any challenges you are facing, including food, shelter, employment, financial assistance, and health care.
Parents/guardians of students in Grades 2-6 who would like their student to be considered for Full-Time advanced academic programs may submit the AAP Full-Time Referral Form to Tony Gray awgray1@fcps.edu no later than December 15, 2024.
The window for families to submit a referral for Full-Time AAP services is the first day of school through December 15, annually. Forms for Full-Time and part-time referrals are available on the AAP Forms Page. No late referrals for Full-Time AAP services will be accepted.
Submitting a referral form for Full-Time AAP will initiate a process that begins at the local school and is then completed at the central office level. Our school will put together a portfolio that includes multiple data which are considered holistically. At the central office level, a committee of six trained professionals from various schools and roles will review the portfolio materials to determine eligibility for Full-Time placement. Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. Parents may request a copy of the portfolio that was submitted after they have been turned in for central selection by emailing Tony Gray awgray1@fcps.edu.
Referrals for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP are screened at the local school. If you miss this deadline, your student can still be screened for Subject-Specific AAP or Part-Time AAP for the remainder of the year and submit a referral for Full-Time AAP next fall.
For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs website.
All 4th, 5th and 6th graders have been invited to participate in the annual Woodson Pyramid Area Chorus day! The event takes place at Frost Middle School on Saturday January 11th, 9:45 AM-1PM. Students will learn music from the Frost and Woodson Chorus teachers, play games, sing and be served pizza! It is a fun way to meet students from all over the pyramid and have fun singing together as a community! To register, please use this link: https://forms.gle/PGKuJfbjKD8hT8vu6 and pay the $12 fee on www.myschoolbucks.com by December 20th.
Wondering what to gift the grandparent who has everything? Looking to bring a personal touch to a family gathering? If you answered yes, then order your child's art on a keepsake now. Each purchase will benefit the WFES PTA.
Simply search for your child's art using Art Search, and enter state, our school name, and your student's name. Your student's art and code will appear, and you may order!
ORDER DEADLINE EXTENDED to December 3, 2024!!! Thank you for supporting our school! This fundraiser is brought to you every other year by the WFES PTA.
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Have you completed your Impact Aid Form? All families should complete the form whether you are a military family or not. The form is accessible through your SIS ParentVUE account under Online Packets (in the upper right corner after logging in). The form directly affects federal money given to Fairfax County Public Schools so please complete it as soon as possible. Our goal is 100% responses from our families, and we are only at 50%. The amount of money received from the U.S. Department of Education is based on families that have a military connection, home addresses on federal property or work performed on federal property.
If you’ve already filled out your form thank you for your support. If you have any questions contact Sue Holmes at ksholmes@fcps.edu.
For more information, please watch this video on Impact Aid and visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page.
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The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to NEED LINK THAT WORKS HERE so we can all acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees, specifically at Wakefield Forest. |
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We invite you to consider donating a gift or gift cards to support holiday assistance for our community. Donations can be dropped off at the front office or sent with your child to be given to their teacher. If possible, please wrap gifts and include a note describing the item. Unwrapped gifts are also welcome — we’ll take care of the wrapping and ensure the magic is delivered! All donations will be collected until December 13th.
Thank you for your generosity and support!
For questions please contact: Family Liaison - Hana Kim (hkim22@fcps.edu)
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1st and 2nd grade held a balloon parade last week. Fun was had by all!
Attendance: 703-503-2323 or WakefieldForestES.attendance@fcps.edu
Health Room: 703-503-2310
Family Information Phone Lines/Support for families who do not speak English as their first language: Family Information Phone Lines
Technology Support: Resources for Families Using FCPS Technology
Principal: Sharyn Prindle sbprindle@fcps.edu
Assistant Principal: Amy Williams alwilliams1@fcps.edu
WFES PTA Homepage
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