|
English | Español | አማርኛ | 中文 | 한국어 | Tiếng Việt | العربية | فارسی | اردو
 Volume 1, Issue 23
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families,
A snow-filled January has led us into an action-packed February, and we are grateful to see our learners embracing the unique opportunities that this month has to offer, including today, the 100th day of school this year! It’s hard to believe we’ve been together for 100 days already! This week is also Kindness Week, with one more fun clothing day tomorrow: hearts, red, and pink.
Also coming up this month are two of our most popular events for families: Family Adventure Night is on February 20, and Westlawn’s Got Talent is on February 28!
We continue to appreciate your partnership in ensuring that your children are in attendance every day on time, and look forward to connecting with you at our family events and our PTA Meeting on February 18.
Sincerely,
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
 This week is Kindness Week, and Tuesday’s theme was twin day! We have enjoyed seeing students’ school spirit as they participate in the themes each day. Tomorrow’s theme is hearts, red, and pink.
Westlawn Recognized for Social Media!
Westlawn was recognized by the FCPS Office of Communications for our post about Ms. Heyer’s Groundhog Day lesson. If you are not yet doing so, please follow us on Facebook or on Instagram for an inside glimpse into the wonderful world of Westlawn!
Congratulations to Our Outstanding Staff!
Westlawn recently recognized several staff members for their amazing contributions to their community. Their nomination packets will now be submitted to Region 2. Westlawn’s nominees are:
- Ms. Baer (Outstanding Professional Employee)
- Ms. Carpenter (Outstanding School Leader)
- Mr. Luis (Guerra) (Outstanding Operational Employee)
- Ms. Schneider (Outstanding New Teacher)
- Mrs. Thomas (Outstanding Teacher)
PTA Meeting Rescheduled
The PTA Meeting for February has been rescheduled to Tuesday, February 18. You can join the meeting on Zoom.
Reminder: 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 19: farmer clothing (flannels, jeans, overalls, boots, shirts with farm animals)
- February 26: pink clothing
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:
- Proposed Budget Progress
- Apply for Dual Immersion and Magnet Lotteries
- Black History Month Event
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
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.
-
Friday: Red, pink, or hearts
February 17: No School (Presidents’ Day)
February 18: PTA Meeting
The meeting will be on Zoom at 6:30 PM. All are welcome!
February 19: Fun Clothing Wednesday
Today’s theme is farmer clothing in recognition of Future Farmers of America Week.
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!
February 22: Falls Church High School Heritage Festival
The FCHS Heritage Festival will take place from 1-5 PM at Falls Church HS.
February 26: Fun Clothing Wednesday
Today’s theme is pink clothing in recognition of National Pink Shirt Day, an anti-bullying campaign.
February 28: Westlawn’s Got Talent
Save the date! Westlawn’s Got Talent will be February 28. Come out to cheer on Westlawn’s amazing students!
March 3-7: Read Across Westlawn Week
Save the date!
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.
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.
Teacher Highlight: Sharelle White, 5th grade full-time AAP teacher
Hi there! I’m Ms. White, your full-time fifth-grade AAP teacher! I’ve been a teacher for fifteen years, and next year will be my fifth year at Westlawn. I’ve taught lots of different grade levels, but I especially love teaching third and fifth grade.
One of my favorite things about the AAP curriculum is our weekly math challenge! Each week, students work with partners to solve tricky math problems in different ways. Want to know why I love it so much? Because sometimes, even I learn something new from all the amazing strategies my students come up with!
|
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 different ways they can show kindness at school. The class will share ideas for kind acts they could do for one another. Try This at Home: Ask your child to tell you about the kind acts they and their classmates have been doing for one another at school this week.
1st Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will role-play doing kinds acts in response to different scenarios. Try This at Home: Ask your child to tell you about the kind acts they and their classmates have been learning about at school this week.
2nd Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will use empathy to come up with a kind act they could do for a person in their school community. Try This at Home: Ask your child what member of their school community they had empathy for and what kind act they chose to do for that person.
3rd Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will practice asking questions to help them understand how someone else is feeling and what they can do to help. Try This at Home: Ask your child what questions they can ask to find out how someone feels and what they may want or need. Discuss how checking in on someone’s feelings is a great way to show you care about them.
4th Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that better understanding someone’s point of view can change your own point of view and how you act. Try This at Home: Ask your child to describe a time when learning more about a different point of view changed their own thoughts or actions. Tell your child about a time when this happened to you.
5th Grade
In this lesson, your child will evaluate possible solutions to a community problem by thinking about the points of view of the people who are affected by the problem. Try This at Home: Point out a problem in your neighborhood that affects other people. With your child, make a list of possible solutions to the problem. Ask your child how different groups in the community might feel about each solution.
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!
|
