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 Volume 1, Issue 36
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families,
As we look ahead to the final weeks of school, we remain focused on learning and growth each day. Students are participating in exciting activities like field trips, field days, and special after-school events that bring our community together. We are also continuing to support students who are preparing for round 2 of SOL testing through small group remediation. Your partnership makes a big difference! Please take a few minutes to complete our family communications survey—your feedback helps us improve how we share information with you. Thank you for being an important part of our Westlawn family!
Sincerely,
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
 Westlawn staff and students celebrated World Day for Cultural Diversity on May 21 by dressing in clothing to celebrate their cultures. Staff and students wore a variety of items to celebrate culture, including traditional outfits worn for heritage celebrations, sports team jerseys, and clothing featuring various flags or their colors.
Communications Survey
We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to communicate with you in a way that is timely, useful, and life-giving. Please fill out this communications survey to let us know what you love and what you think we can change. We will use your feedback when we analyze our processes, procedures, and products this summer.
A Soccer Field at Westlawn?
If you went to yesterday’s Community Conversation, you heard the great news that we are working toward turning our open field into a soccer field for our students! We are now in Phase 2 of gathering pricing and exploring ideas with local contractors, including the installation of goalposts with fences behind them to trap errant balls. This work would not be possible without generous donations from members of our community, and we are so very grateful!
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Subscribe to the Luther Jackson MS Newsletter
Families with sixth graders: we encourage you to subscribe to the Luther Jackson MS newsletter so you can keep up with your child’s big transition! Subscribe here by entering your email address.
Early Release Wednesdays in 2025-2026
In 2025-2026, certain Wednesdays will be 3-hour early release Wednesdays to provide staff with additional time for planning and collaboration. Learn more about this program on the FCPS website. At this time, the dates of 3-hour early release Wednesdays for Westlawn will be:
- September 10
- October 8
- November 12
- December 10
- February 18
- March 18
- April 22
- May 13
Reminder: Phase 2 Community Boundary Review Meetings
Families, staff, and community members will soon be able to explore and visualize potential boundary scenarios using a customized Boundary Explorer Tool. The tool will be accessible from the FCPS website. You are also invited to participate in another series of community meetings in order to review and reflect on the initial draft scenarios before the start of summer break.
Each meeting will be hybrid, meaning that you may attend in person or via Zoom. Childcare for in-person participants and language interpretation/translation for all participants will be available as needed. Registration links will be shared soon. Another round of community meetings will be held in the fall.
Visit FCPS’ Comprehensive Boundary Review page for more information.
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:
- Celebrating Students
- Stop Arms Issue Tickets
- Next Steps in Budget Process
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
May 26: No School
There is no school on Monday, May 26 in observance of Memorial Day. School will resume on Tuesday, May 27.
May 28: Fun Clothing Wednesday
This week’s Fun Clothing Wednesday theme is flip flops to celebrate National Flip Flop Day! We encourage all staff and students to participate, and to bring sneakers for recess and PE for safety reasons. Also, after the school day is over, head to Tropical Smoothie Cafe until 7 pm for a free 12 oz. Sunrise Sunset smoothie to celebrate National Flip Flop Day!
 NEW DATE: May 29: Family Sports Night Under the Stars
This event has been postponed due to rain in the forecast!! New date is May 29. Join us for Family Sports Night Under the Stars from 4:30-6:00 PM on May 29! There will be soccer, lawn games, and Popsicles!
June 3: Volunteer Breakfast
We invite you to our library from 7:40-8:30 on June 3 for a celebratory volunteer breakfast! We would love to thank you in person for everything you do for Westlawn staff and students!
June 3 and June 5: Field Days
June 3 is Field Day for students in K-3, and June 5 is Field Day for students in 4-6. Students should wear sneakers and clothing that is suitable for a high level of physical activity. Students are encouraged to bring hats and water bottles. If you want your child to wear sunscreen, please apply it before sending your child to school. Westlawn staff are not able to apply sunscreen to your child.
June 4: Fun Clothing Wednesday: Exercise Clothes
All staff and students are invited to celebrate Global Running Day by wearing your favorite outfit to exercise in!
June 4: Band and Strings Spring Concert
The community is invited to the evening performance of our Band and Strings Spring Concert at 6:30 PM in the Westlawn gymnasium.
June 10: Sixth Grade Promotion Ceremony
The Sixth Grade Promotion Ceremony will take place in the Westlawn Gymnasium from 9:30-11:00 AM. Families are encouraged to dress for the event and to be mindful when inviting guests so that we have space for every student’s family.
June 11: 2-Hour Early Release and the Last Day of School
Wednesday, June 11 is the last day of school this year and is a 2-hour early release. Students will be released at 1:30 PM for summer vacation!
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.
Families: when we ran this column last week, it ended up getting a shoutout in one of FCPS’ internal newsletters for school communicators! We are running it again one more time in case you missed it last week!
The Importance of Being Bored
As we near the end of the school year, students might have a little more free time available very soon! With the prevalence of screens, children in this generation are used to constant stimulation and instant gratification. As parents we want to be sure our kids are kept busy and engaged all the time; however, this might be a disservice to them. Studies show that students lack the patience and attention spans they used to have. Not only that, but the ability to solve problems creatively can be affected as well.
When we allow our children to be bored--not fill every moment with something to do--they may certainly complain at first! But given time you should find them creating games, art, or sports; reaching out to others and creating new social connections; learning methods to help self-regulate emotions; building important independence; or asking for help to cook, build, or discover something new.
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