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 Volume 1, Issue 22
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families,
We are delighted to enter the second semester going strong! Our teams have planned big and exciting opportunities for students in the third quarter, and we can’t wait to get started!
Over the next few weeks there are also several opportunities for students and families to engage with Westlawn in ways beyond the classroom. February 10-14 is Kindness Week, where students will have an opportunity to nurture relationships with others and show their school spirit by dressing up for each of the fun clothing days. Then, on February 20, we are excited to welcome the community into the school for Glow Night, otherwise known as Family Adventure Night. Details for both of these events--and more--can be found below.
As always, we continue to appreciate your support as we work together toward ensuring that each day at Westlawn makes an impact.
Sincerely,
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
 Students in our Preschool Autism Classroom start the day with sensory play. Sensory play involves stimulating a child’s senses, and can also include movement, balance, and spatial awareness. Sensory play can help people with autism improve their focus, communication, and social skills, and can help them become more comfortable with their environment.
Fun Clothing Wednesdays Return!
Fun Clothing Wednesdays are returning for the second semester! We encourage you to help your child select an outfit that meets each week’s theme. Upcoming themes will be published on our website, and reminders will be shared on Facebook and Instagram stories on Tuesdays at noon. Here are the next few themes:
- February 12: exercise clothing or sports jerseys
- February 19: farmer clothing (flannels, jeans, overalls, boots, shirts with farm animals)
- February 26: pink clothing
🧸 Kindergarten Registration: It’s as Easy as 1-2-3…
There’s an easy five-step process for parents wanting to register their child for kindergarten:
- Determine eligibility.
- Identify your local school.
- Gather documents.
- Fill out forms.
- Schedule an appointment.
After the appointment at the school (the student and one guardian must be present), the student will be ready for orientation, Popsicles on the Playground, and Welcome to Westlawn! Read more about the registration process. For additional information, please contact Ms. Caballero, our school registrar, at 703-241-5100.
💻 Try Online Registration
Online registration for the 2025-26 school year is open. Parents/caregivers may register their children online for kindergarten through 12th grade. Learn how to begin the online registration process.
When registering, parents/caregivers will need to create or log in to an existing SIS ParentVUE account.
Current families are encouraged to forward this email to friends and neighbors who have children eligible to enroll in kindergarten next year.
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:
- FY 2026 Proposed Budget
- Student-Driven Lunch Menus
- Inclusion Awards Nominations
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
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 8: Reading Opens the World
Get free books at Reading Opens the World, from 10 am - 2 pm at the Lorton Community Center. View the Facebook invitation.
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.
 February 10-14: Kindness Week
Kindness Week takes place from February 10-14 and features a different clothing theme for students and staff each day.
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Monday: Pajamas
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Tuesday: Dress the same way as someone else, or dress like a teacher
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Wednesday: Workout clothes or jerseys
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Thursday: Sunglasses, neon, or rainbow colors
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Friday: Red, pink, or hearts
February 17: No School (Presidents’ Day)
February 20: Family Adventure Night
Family Adventure Night will take place on February 20 from 5:00-6:30! Families are invited to come to Westlawn for games and activities that have to do with reading, math, STEAM, library, art, and more!
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.
LAST CALL: 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.
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.
Access to Rigor in all classrooms!
This week we are diving into the second half of the school year! Teams are celebrating all the ways they’ve used rigorous Advanced Academic curriculum in ALL classrooms in the past quarter and plan to continue in quarter three. Take a look!
- Kindergarten: William and Mary Literature Web, M-squared
- First Grade: VDOE math tasks, William and Mary Literature Web
- Second Grade: DBQ (Document Based Questions), VDOE math tasks, Jacob’s Ladder, William and Mary Literature Web, Clarion science units
- Third Grade: VDOE math tasks, DBQ (Document Based Questions), Socratic Seminar, William and Mary Literature Web, William and Mary Vocabulary Web, mind mapping, Jacob’s Ladder, M-cubed
- Fourth Grade: Open Middle, M-cubed, Jacob’s Ladder, SEM-R questioning, William and Mary Literature Web
- Fifth Grade: VDOE math tasks, DBQ (Document Based Questions), William and Mary Vocabulary Web, M-cubed
- Sixth Grade: Desmos, advanced science pacing, DBQ (Document Based Questions), VDOE math tasks, William and Mary Vocabulary Web, M-cubed, PBL
What makes a curriculum or lesson rigorous? They often involve critical and creative thinking skills, can have multiple solutions, often requires students to do at least some work independently, and asks students to be able to defend or justify their reasoning.
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 practice two kind acts: asking, “Would you like to share?” and “Would you like a hug?” Try This at Home: Encourage your child to offer to share items at home. For example, have them help you make a snack and then offer to share it with other family members. Encourage them to offer hugs to family members or friends when they are tired or sad or need encouragement.
1st Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn and practice two types of kind acts: offering to help someone and inviting someone to join. Try This at Home: Help your child think of a kind act they can do for someone involving offering to help or inviting them to join. Support your child in carrying out the kind act.
2nd Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will practice having empathy to come up with kind acts they could do for others in different situations. Try This at Home: Ask your child how having empathy can help them know how to be kind.
3rd Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that people like to be shown kindness in different ways. Try This at Home: Ask your child what helps them feel better when they feel sad. What helps when they feel embarrassed or angry? Tell them what helps you feel better when you feel those same emotions.
4th Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will practice listening, asking questions, and observing to learn more about another person’s point of view. Try This at Home: Discuss with your child how learning more about someone’s point of view can help you have empathy for them. Encourage your child to think of a time when they had empathy for someone or someone had empathy for them.
5th Grade
In this lesson, your child will practice building empathy for different groups affected by a community problem. Learning more about each group’s point of view will help them find solutions that can work better for everyone. Try This at Home: With your child, think about a problem in your community and make a list together of what you could do to learn more about someone else’s point of view. If possible, try out one of your strategies.
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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