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 Volume 1, Issue 20
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families,
While this has been anything less than a seamless transition back from Winter Break, we are thankful for the flexibility, empathy, and thoughtfulness of our families and community. Your patience during arrival and dismissal and understanding as meetings and events have been postponed and rescheduled (multiple times in some cases) has not gone unnoticed.
This week may have been disrupted a bit, but we can still end on a high note. Bingo Night is this Friday, with doors opening at 5:45 PM and the first game starting at 6:00 PM. Bring the family, eat some pizza, and enjoy an evening with our beautiful community.
No more snow dances in 2024!!
Sincerely,
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
 Students in fourth grade focus on reading music and playing the recorder as part of their music class. For the second year in a row, fourth grade students will also be invited to participate in Westlawn’s spring musical. How many future PIRATES! do you see?
Join the Fundraising Committee
As more FCPS schools are designated as Title I schools, the amount of money that each receives from the Title I grant is reduced. In the past, a significant amount has been set aside for upper grades field trips to places such as Jamestown, Gettysburg, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. We are forming an exploratory committee to identify other sources of funding so that we can continue to keep field trip costs affordable for families. Please consider joining the committee! If you are unable to commit to joining, you are also welcome to email your fundraising idea to Principal Hill.
Extreme Cold Resources on Westlawn Website
We are now sharing resources about handling the extreme cold on our website. If you are in need of winter gear for your family, please contact Ms. Reyes, Ms. Yataco, or Ms. Cortez.
FCPS Family Academy
Looking for resources about co-parenting, webinars about executive functioning skills in adolescents, or how-to documents about navigating Zoom? The FCPS Family Academy website offers it--and so much more, too!
LAST CALL: Westlawn Clothing is Available for Purchase for a Limited Time!
The Westlawn Spirit Wear Store is now open! The shop closes on January 24, and all orders will be printed at that time and delivered shortly after that.
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:
- Dress Children Warmly
- Proposed Construction Projects
- Dual Language Immersion Lottery
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
January 24: Bingo Night
Bingo Night will be held in the Westlawn cafeteria! Doors open at 5:45, and games will begin at 6:00 PM. Pizza will be sold. We can use a few volunteers to make this event a success!
January 29: No School for Students (Teacher Workday)
January 30: Luther Jackson Middle School Curriculum Night
Rising seventh grade students and their families are encouraged to visit Luther Jackson MS to learn about different classes, programs, and opportunities for students in middle school. More information can be found on the Luther Jackson MS website.
January 31: FCHS Youth Basketball Night
Elementary and middle school students get in free to watch the girls’ basketball team at FCHS! The game starts at 7:00.
February 4: Family Literacy Program First Meeting
English classes for adults will be offered at Westlawn again this spring, from 6-8 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Adults can sign up by contacting Ms. Reyes via email, TalkingPoints, or calling 703-241-5100.
February 5: World Read Aloud Day
Wear clothing with words on it to celebrate World Read Aloud Day! Guest readers will be visiting classrooms throughout the school!
February 7: FCHS Youth Basketball Night
Elementary and middle school students get in free to watch the boys’ basketball team at FCHS! The game starts at 7:30.
February 10: 3-Hour Early Release (Staff Development)
February 10 is a 3-hour early release day for students. The remaining 3-hour early release days for Westlawn are March 10, April 21, and May 12.
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 Bingo Night!
Volunteering at Bingo Night is an excellent opportunity to meet more members of the Westlawn community! Pro Tip: Sign up for one volunteer slot, and attend the event with a partner and your child. Swap roles with your partner halfway through so you each have time to soak in your child’s joy while supporting the event!
LAST CALL: Warm Winter Clothing Drive!
Students are collecting new or gently worn adult-sized winter gear for our senior friends at the James Lee Community Center! Please consider donating to this worthy cause! Some of the students will be able to go to drop them off directly and see firsthand the positive impact they have made. Donations of hats, scarves, gloves, and mittens can be dropped off to the collection box in the main office. The deadline for collection has now been extended through January 30!
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.
Explore your area!
We are so lucky to live in such a culture-rich place that offers so many free or low-cost ways to enrich our minds. Here’s a few ways you can venture out and see new things, especially when it’s not tourist season!
- Check out any of the Fairfax County history and nature centers, all of which are FREE. There are often exhibits in the main building then multiple trails or highlights outside, as well as events. The closest to our neighborhood is Hidden Oaks.
- Any of the FREE Smithsonian museums offer a chance to build knowledge in virtually any area of interest from art to space to history. Explore the individual websites where they list free family friendly events, for example at the National Gallery of Art. Don’t forget the Zoo is a part of the free Smithsonian, as is the huge Udvar Hazy Air and Space museum in Chantilly, though both have a parking fee.
- More FREE ideas include: tour the Capitol, explore the fascinating US Botanical Garden, go to the top of the Washington Monument, check out the multiple interesting areas of the US National Arboretum, catch a performance at the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, stroll among the many DC memorials and monuments, and watch one of the free college sports at George Mason University (cross country and track, softball, tennis, golf, swimming and diving, wrestling, lacrosse, rowing). GMU also has low-cost tickets for basketball, soccer, volleyball, and baseball.
If you’ve got a cool free idea to share, tell Mrs. Maxwell and we can share more in a later newsletter.
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