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Westgate Families,
I hope this finds you having a fantastic week! We are certainly enjoying the spring like weather which reminds us that warmer days are ahead. Along with spring, comes so many exciting events and opportunities for our students and families. Make sure you see all the updates below so you don't miss out.
As always, I appreciate your support of all things Westgate, and wish you and your family a wonderful rest of your week and weekend ahead.
All my best,
Hallie Demetriades
Principal
Kindergarten Registration & Orientation
Do you have, or know of a rising kindergartener scheduled to come to Westgate next year? All students that turn five by September 30, 2025 are eligible to attend Kindergarten this fall. Please spread the word that registration is underway as we are excited to meet our newest Wolves. Please consider registering asap since our staffing reflects the number of registered students. Registration information for kindergarten and new students can be found on our website here.
Also, we will hold our annual Kindergarten Orientation for parents and students on Tuesday, April 1 at 9:00 a.m. This will provide an overview of our kindergarten program and gives an opportunity for both parents and students to meet teachers, families, and other staff. We hope to see many of our new wolves and their families at Westgate that day! You may also contact our main office at 703-610-5700 or tmgreen@fcps.edu if you have additional questions.
Family Folk Song Project
March is Music in Our School’s month. To help celebrate this exciting month, as well as the amazing diversity we have here at Westgate, all students are encouraged to participate in the Family Folk Song Project. This is a project that is geared towards sharing music from the many different cultures, families, and languages we have here in our Westgate community. Please see the attached flyer here to learn more about this great opportunity. For any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Schubert at vjschubert@fcps.edu or Ms. Jennelle at cjennelle1@fcps.edu.
Student Fasting Meal Kits for Feb 28 - Mar. 28
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has issued a new, first-time waiver allowing students fasting during the school day from February 28 to March 28, 2025, to request take-home breakfast and lunch meal kits. The Office of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) will provide meal kits reflecting the school menu. Meals will be kept cold and must be heated at home. Students may claim one breakfast and one lunch kit per day. If a student purchases breakfast or lunch at school, they cannot pick up a kit that day. Meal kits must be picked up by students at the end of the school day—adults cannot collect them. Parents or guardians must submit a weekly request form via the FCPS FNS website by the deadlines:
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February 24, 2025, for February 28 and the week of March 3, 2025
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March 3, 2025, for the week of March 10, 2025
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March 10, 2025, for the week of March 17, 2025
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March 17, 2025, for the week of March 24, 2025
Forms must be submitted on time to receive meal kits for the following week.
Read Across America Spirit Week - March 10 - 15
🎉 Bingo Night is Almost Here! 🎉
Join us for a fun-filled Bingo Night on March 14 at 6:30 PM in the school cafeteria!
🔹 Bingo Boards: $5 per board – reusable for all rounds! Boards are rented for the night and must be returned at the end. Buy as many as you’d like HERE! (pre-orders available until 5 PM on March 12) 🔹 Special Deal: Pre-purchase 4 boards for just $15 HERE (available until 5PM on March 12). 🔹 Pizza: Whole pies available for $20 each HERE – perfect for a family dinner! Must pre-order by 5PM on March 12.Limited quantities will be sold that night. 🔹 50/50 Raffle: Take a chance to win big! Half the pot goes to the winner, and the other half supports our school! The raffle starts NOW and the winner will be announced at Bingo Night. Enter HERE.
We Need Volunteers! These events are only possible—and successful—when our community gets involved! We’re looking for volunteers to assist with check-in, board rentals, and more. If you can lend a hand, please sign up HERE.
🚀 Calling All Future Engineers: Design Palooza 2025 is Here!
Design Palooza will happen on March 27th- you must register in advance to participate by March 4th.
Ready for an egg-citing challenge? This year's Design Palooza is taking engineering to new heights – literally! Your mission (should you choose to accept it): Create an out-of-this-world landing craft that will keep an egg safe during a daring drop. Think you've got what it takes to be the next NASA engineer? Whether you're a kindergartener with big dreams or an 6th grader with brilliant ideas, we want YOU to join the fun!
But wait, there's more! We're also on the hunt for an amazing t-shirt design that captures the spirit of this egg-straordinary event. Got artistic flair? Put your creativity to work and submit your design by March 4.The winning design will be immortalized on t-shirts worn by all our brave egg-stronauts!
🎨 Submit your t-shirt masterpiece to: designpalooza@westgatewolvespta.com T Shirt design submissions due by March 4th
Ready to crack this challenge and participate in Design Palooza sign up by March 4th? Click here to sign up for Design Palooza which will happen on March 27th and join the scramble for glory!
Where science meets fun, and eggs learn to fly!
PTA Meeting - March 12 @ 6:00 p.m.
Join us for our upcoming PTA Meeting on March 12 @ 6:00 p.m. We hope to see many of you in-person, but if you can't make it please log into Zoom here.
PTA Restaurant Nights
March:
Crust Pizzeria
10% of event sales will be donated to the PTA!
Location: 8415 Old Courthouse Rd, Vienna, VA 22182
Date & Time: March 17 & 18
Mention Westgate
April:
🌯 Chipotle Fundraiser for Westgate Elementary PTA 🌯
25% of event sales will be donated to the PTA!
Date & Time: Tuesday, April 22nd 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: 8461 Leesburg Pike Ste A Vienna, VA 22182
Prefer to order online? No problem! Just use the code YMP6ELR when placing your order for pickup, and a portion of the proceeds will still benefit our cause.
Join Our Volunteers at Westgate
We hope you had a wonderful winter break and are reaching out as we need your support. The PTA has upcoming events such as BINGO, Volleyball and others that we can only make happen with the support of volunteers. We are looking for individuals to chair these events in partnership with a board member who has run these events in the past. Chairing these events are a great way to get involved and to be sure they can continue to happen at Westgate and the kids love seeing their parents help at school. If interested in getting involved or learning more, please reach out to president@westgatewolvespta.com
Month of the Military Child
April is the Month of the Military Child, a time to honor and celebrate the resilience, courage, and contributions of FCPS military-connected children.
To show our support, FCPS will celebrate Purple Up! Day on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Please note that this date has been adjusted to align with our spring break schedule. On this day, school staff and students are encouraged to wear purple, symbolizing unity and support for military families across all service branches.
Purchase the FCPS Purple Up! T-shirt and/or hoodie between now and March 7 to wear on Purple Up! Day!
Eating Disorder Parent Information
The Code of Virginia, 22.1-273.2 requires schools provide, on an annual basis, parents/guardians educational information regarding eating disorders for students in grades five through twelve.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA 2023), Eating disorders are serious but treatable mental and physical illnesses that can affect people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights. In the United States, 28.8 million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. There is no single cause of an eating disorder. Rather, it is a complex combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors that converge and set off an individual’s predisposed genetic vulnerability.
In collaboration with the Fairfax County Health Department, FCPS has developed a web page with detailed information and resources to be provided to parents and guardians of Fairfax County Public Schools. This information may be found at Eating Disorders.
VDH Immunization Packets for Rising 7th Graders
As required by the Code of VA, parents or legal guardians need to provide proof of immunizations for their child to attend at a Virginia public school.
In addition, all students entering 7th grade are required to receive one dose of each of the following immunizations:
- Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis booster (Tdap) given at age 7 or older;
- Meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY) given at age 10 or older;
- A complete series of 2 doses of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
- After reviewing educational materials approved by the Board of Health, the parent or guardian, at the parents or guardians sole discretion, may elect for the child not to receive the HPV vaccine.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to plan ahead by scheduling an appointment with your child’s healthcare provider now to avoid the rush this summer. If your child does not have a healthcare provider, please visit the FCPS Immunizations Resource page to find out where to get an immunization.
Please review the Virginia Department of Health Information Packet for more information on rising 7th grade immunization requirements.
Paquetes de vacunación del VDH para alumnos que ingresan al 7.º grado
Según lo requerido por el Código de VA, los padres o tutores legales deben proporcionar una prueba de vacunas para que sus hijos puedan asistir a una escuela pública de Virginia.
Además, todos los estudiantes que ingresan al 7.º grado deben recibir una dosis de cada una de las siguientes vacunas:
- Una dosis de refuerzo de la vacuna contra el tétano, difteria y tos ferina (Tdap) administrada a los 7 años o después.
- Una dosis de la vacuna antimeningocócica (MenACWY) administrada a los 10 años o después;
- Una serie completa de dos dosis de la vacuna contra el virus del papiloma humano (HPV)
- Después de revisar los materiales educacionales aprobados por la Junta de Salud, el padre, la madre o el tutor legal puede, a su entera discreción, elegir que la niña no reciba la vacuna HPV.
Se recomienda a los padres y tutores legales que programen una cita con el médico de sus hijos para evitar apresuramientos este verano. Si sus hijos no tienen un médico, por favor visiten la página de Recursos de FCPS sobre vacunación para averiguar dónde obtener vacunas.
Por favor, revisen el Paquete de Información del Departamento de Salud de Virginia a fin de obtener más información sobre los requisitos de vacunación para los alumnos que ingresan al 7.º grado.
Literacy Resources for Families
FCPS has created a literacy resource page for families as we have embarked on a new Benchmark curriculum. Families may access these resources here. Please reach out to your child's classroom teacher if you have specific literacy questions.
PTA Membership
All are welcome at our PTA meetings. Joining the Westgate PTA and donating $15 per family amplifies your voice in our school community, gives you the opportunity to vote on PTA-led events and initiatives, and comes with a free, stylish Westgate magnet to drive around OUR neighborhood with. Your membership also helps the PTA create a more dynamic year of programming and advocacy.
To be a part of this thriving community, we invite you to join the PTA. Dues are $15 per family and you can sign up HERE!
Arrival/Dismissal Safety Reminders for Westgate
Please remember to be mindful of our important safety procedures during arrival and dismissal.
- There are NO left hand turns allowed in, or out of, Kiss & Ride during arrival or dismissal.
- There are NO illegal u-turns allowed in front of the school on Magarity Road. Please enter kiss and ride from the correct side (towards rt. 7) and follow the traffic pattern, as we've witnessed both student and staff safety being compromised too often.
- Please ONLY cross your child at the dedicated cross walk (with police officer). Crossing you children at any other location is not safe.
- There is NO parking on either side of Magarity Rd. right in front of the school. Please do not park in these areas.
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Cars are not permitted in the bus loop between 8:20 - 9:00 a.m. and between 3:00 - 3:40 p.m.
Our number one priority at Westgate remains student safety. Thank you for adhering to these very important safety reminders. Please note that the Fairfax County Police Department will be closely monitoring this situation.
⏰ Limited Early Release Mondays - Westgate Dismisses at 12:30 p.m.
The remaining early release dates for Westgate are:
Activating Your SIS ParentVUE Account
The SIS (Student Information System) ParentVUE Account is an online tool parents can use to access information about their child’s attendance, report cards, discipline incidents, health information, and more. In ParentVUE, you can also view student progress reports/report cards and SOL scores.
Your secure SIS ParentVUE Account offers you the ability to use one username/password to login to both the SIS ParentVUE Account and Schoology.
Using the SIS ParentVUE account, parents will also be able to view school information, including teacher e-mail addresses, the FCPS calendar, and emergency contact information. Visit the FCPS website and use the search function and keywords “SIS Parent Overview” for more information.
Many of you have already activated your SIS ParentVUE account with the activation key. If you are unable to login to your account, you may need to reset your password on the SIS Parent Account login page (https://sisparent.fcps.edu):
- Select the “Forgot Password” button.
- Your username is the primary email address you have on file with us in our Student Information System.
- More information is available here.
Newly enrolled families should have received an activation key for your account. If you have not yet activated your account, please reach out to Tracy Green at tmgreen@fcps.edu.
Please take action now to ensure your account is active!
School Meals & Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications
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Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast will cost $1.75. Lunch will cost $3.25, and milk $0.60. Money can be added to your child’s accounts using www.myschoolbucks.com. You can also write a check to Westgate Food Services and deliver it to our Food Services Manager at Open House. During the school year, you can find the menu for breakfast and lunch here .
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Free and Reduced-Price Status
Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals will continue to receive these benefits through the end of September. A new application must be filled out each new school year and forms are available online now: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/food-and-nutrition-programs/free-and-reduced-price-meals.
Applications are accepted at any time, but we encourage you to apply or renew your application before the end of September. Call (703) 610-5700 if you need help. This must be completed for eligible students to receive free meals.
Parent Digital Consent System
New this year, families will use the Parent Digital Consent System to complete some forms that have used paper in the past. You will log in using your ParentVUE Account credentials, There, you will be able complete the Digital Resources Consent form for the school year, which is required for all students. You will also be able to find more information about opt-out forms and complete those forms for your student.
Multilingual Parent Information Line
☎️ Parent Information Phone Line Available in Eight Languages
Parents/caregivers who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese may call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS. View the list of phone numbers.
Spanish: ☎️ Línea Telefónica de Información para Padres Disponible en Ocho IdiomasPadres/cuidadores que hablan Amárico, Árabe, Chino, Farsi, Coreano, Español, Urdu o Vietnamita pueden llamar a una línea telefónica de información para obtener información general sobre FCPS. También pueden obtener apoyo para comunicarse con la escuela de su hijo. Vea la lista de números de teléfono.
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