Notes from the Nest 🪶

Dear Westbriar Families,

We hope your week is off to a great start! Below are a few important updates and upcoming events at Westbriar.

🏫 PTA Virtual Meeting – Wednesday, October 8 at 7:00 PM

Please join us for tonight's Virtual PTA Meeting at 7:00 PM.
Our guest speaker will be Melanie K. Meren, Hunter Mill District Representative on the Fairfax County School Board. Ms. Meren will share updates on key FCPS priorities, including:

• The 2025 FCPS Bond Referendum and how it supports local schools

• The Comprehensive Boundary Review, including its purpose and timeline

📅 Date/Time: Wednesday, October 8, 7:00–8:00 PM
💻 Zoom Link: Join Here
Meeting ID: 891 2174 5799 | Passcode: 130428

🧡 SOAR in Action

We are proud of our students for continuing to SOAR each day by:

• Showing Respect

• Owning Responsibility

• Acting Safely

• Reaching for Excellence

Ask your child if they’ve been recognized with a Falcon Feather this month!

🧑‍🍳 Davis Career Center Partnership

We’re excited to continue our partnership with the Davis Career Center Crew this year! Their students will visit Westbriar daily to support projects around the school—from recycling and cafeteria support to special initiatives.

📅 Important Dates

• Wednesday, October 8 – Virtual PTA Meeting, 7:00 PM

• Friday, October 10 – Picture Day

• Monday, October 13 – Parent/Teacher Conferences (No School for Students)

• Monday, October 20 – NO SCHOOL (Holiday)

• Wednesday, October 29 – Early Release Day with a 1:05 PM Dismissal

• Friday, October 31 – Dress as Your Favorite Book Character Day AND Early Release Day with a 2:05 PM Dismissal

Thank you for your continued partnership and for helping our Falcons SOAR every day!

Warm regards,

The Westbriar Administrative Team

Dr. Sallie Burch, Principal

Mrs. Erin Lear, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Katie Blomquist, Assistant Principal

📅 Upcoming October Dates

• October 8 - PTA Meeting at 7:00 PM (Virtual)

• October 9 - Walk & Bike to School Day

• October 10 - Walk & Bike to School Day AND Fall Photograph Day

• October 13 - NO SCHOOL (FCPS Professional Development Day)

• October 17 – Field Day (K–3: 9:30–11:45 AM | 4–6: 1:30–3:15 PM)

• October 20 – NO SCHOOL (Holiday)

• October 24 - PTA Halloween BINGO at 6:00 PM at Westbriar Elementary

• October 29 - Early Release Wednesday (Dismissal at 1:05 PM)

• October 31 – End-of-1st-Quarter & Early Dismissal (Dismissal at 2:05 PM)

Staffing Updates

We’re celebrating several staffing changes at Westbriar! Our Student Information Assistant, Isu Revelo, has accepted a promotion to Longfellow Middle School, where she will join Mr. Chris Butzer, former Westbriar Assistant Principal and now Principal of Longfellow MS. We are so proud of Isu and wish her continued success in her new role!

We also welcome Caroline Dana to the Westbriar team as a Public Health Training Assistant (PHTA) supporting students receiving special education services. Additionally, an offer has been extended for our Dining Assistant position, and we look forward to welcoming the new team member soon.

Behavior Solutions & SOAR Update

Westbriar continues to strengthen our school-wide behavior systems in partnership with Region 5’s Behavior Solutions initiative. Through multi-day professional learning sessions, our staff created a unified behavior matrix that promotes proactive, consistent expectations across classrooms.

Our SOAR model guides student behavior every day:

• S – Show Respect

• O – Own Responsibility

• A – Act Safely

• R – Reach for Excellence

During the first two weeks of school, students reviewed SOAR expectations through video announcements, and administrators met with every 3rd–6th grade class during Student Rights & Responsibilities (SR&R) lessons. We’re proud of our Falcons for showing SOAR behaviors across the building!

Assessment Data: Reading Trends

Initial i-Ready Reading data for Grades 3–6 provides valuable insight into student progress.

• Trends: Most students (79–88%) scored at or above the 40th percentile.

• Strengths: Phonics and fiction comprehension remain strong areas.

• Growth Areas: Vocabulary development, particularly in informational text, is a focus.

• Next Steps:

  • Provide targeted vocabulary instruction across subjects.

  • Use WIDA “Can Do” Descriptors to guide planning for Multilingual Learners (MLs).

  • Identify supports for long-term MLs and Students with Disabilities.

Upcoming data discussions will focus on Math and growth measures later in October.

Parent/Guardian Engagement

📚 Uncovering Characters in Language Arts 📚

Benchmark Unit 2 in Language Arts is right around the corner! Our students will be learning, reading, and writing about different characters in stories and their own personal sense of character.

Connect with your child’s learning at school with these fun questions and hands-on activities at home:

• Question: How does the way you act change the way you think about yourself?

• Activity: Draw a new cover for a favorite book featuring the main character in a key moment.

At the end of the unit, your child will bring the unit magazine home. The magazine includes an activity calendar with fun ways to help students build on what they’re learning at each grade level. You can also find information on how to support your child’s reading at home on the Benchmark Families website.

New Webinar Offerings for Parents

Supporting Your Child with Dyslexia: October 15, 10-11:30 a.m.

Join us for an informative webinar on Dyslexia Awareness, designed for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) families. This session will provide essential information about dyslexia and the resources available within FCPS to support students with this learning difference.

What You'll Learn:

• Understanding Dyslexia: Gain a clear understanding of what dyslexia is, its common signs, and how it can affect students' reading, writing, and spelling.
• FCPS Support Systems: Learn about the various supports and interventions FCPS provides, including evidence-based, structured literacy approaches and the role of reading specialists.
• Virginia Literacy Act: Discover how the new Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) and FCPS's Equitable Access to Literacy (EAL) Plan are changing literacy instruction to benefit all learners, especially those with dyslexia.
• Resources for Families: We'll share practical tools and strategies you can use at home to support your child's literacy development and partner effectively with their school.
• This webinar aims to empower families with knowledge and resources to help their students with dyslexia succeed.

Register here

Reading Plans and Your Student: October 22, 10-11:30 a.m.

This 1.5-hour webinar is designed to help parents and caregivers understand the new reading plans in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).

Parents will learn about:

• What a reading plan is: A reading plan is a support system for students who are not meeting literacy benchmarks. It outlines specific, evidence-based instruction and interventions to help them improve their reading skills.
• Who requires a reading plan: All students from kindergarten through eighth grade who are identified as needing additional support based on literacy assessments will receive a reading plan. This is part of a broader effort by FCPS to implement the Virginia Literacy Act.
• How schools will support students: The webinar will explain how FCPS is using a science-based reading approach and will discuss the role of reading specialists, the curriculum used, and the assessments to monitor student progress.
• Resources and tools for parents: Parents will leave with practical resources and tools they can use at home to support their child's literacy development. The webinar aims to empower families to be active partners in their child's reading journey.

Register here

📷 School Picture Day is COMING!

📅 Date: Friday, October 10, 2025

📸 Pictures Available: Approximately two weeks after photo day

🛒 Pre-order Online: www.strawbridge.net CODE: FM484694

📧 Questions about Ordering? All children will have individual photos taken.

🎯 Field Day is Coming Soon!

Mark your calendars—Westbriar’s Field Day is Friday, October 17! Students will enjoy an exciting day of outdoor fun, teamwork, and school spirit.

The day will be split into two sessions:

• Grades K–3: 9:30–11:45 AM

• Grades 4–6: 1:30–3:15 PM

Classes will rotate through a variety of activity stations, spending about seven minutes at each. Many of the games and challenges are ones students have already practiced in their P.E. classes, making the day both familiar and fun-filled. Teachers will travel with their classes to help with transitions and support student engagement throughout the event.

🦅 Falcon Families in Action

PTA News & Events

💻 PTA Meeting – TONIGHT! Wednesday, October 8 at 7:00 PM (Virtual)

Please join us for the Virtual PTA Meeting at 7:00 PM.

Our guest speaker will be Melanie K. Meren, Hunter Mill District Representative on the Fairfax County School Board. Ms. Meren will share updates on key FCPS priorities, including:

• The 2025 FCPS Bond Referendum and how it supports local schools

• The Comprehensive Boundary Review, including its purpose and timeline

👉 CLICK HERE to Join (Passcode: wespta)

🎃 Halloween BINGO & Trunk-or-Treat – Friday, October 24 at 6:00 PM

Get ready for one of Westbriar’s favorite community traditions — Halloween BINGO and Trunk-or-Treat Night! Join us for a fun-filled evening of games, costumes, and community connection. The event begins at 6:00 PM in the Westbriar cafeteria and parking lot. We need volunteers and donations of small prizes to make this event a success!

Your support helps us create a memorable night for our students and families.

👉 CLICK HERE to Sign Up or Donate

🥇 Feed the Falcon 2025 – Sponsorship Opportunities Now Open!

Our Feed the Falcon campaign is underway, and we’re inviting local businesses and community partners to join us in supporting Westbriar Elementary! Sponsorships help fund classroom resources, school events, and student enrichment opportunities throughout the year.

If you own or know of a business that would like to be part of this impactful initiative, we’d love to connect!

👉 CLICK HERE for Sponsorship Information

🎤 Save the Dates: Community Conversations with Superintendent Reid

Your voice matters, and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid wants to hear from you! At FCPS, parents are partners, working with us to set our students up for long-term success at school and in life.

Join us for a series of Community Conversations that will be held across the school division to discuss current challenges and future opportunities for the school division. You may also share your thoughts with Dr. Reid and ask questions.

Events are planned for the following dates from 6 to 8 p.m.:

• Friday, December 5, from 6:30 PM-7:30 PM, at Churchill Road Elementary School

• Tuesday, December 9, from 6:30 PM-7:30 PM, at Fairhill Elementary School

• Thursday, December 11, from 6:30 PM-7:30 PM, at Bull Run Elementary School

Click on the date to register. Additional locations and registration links will be shared soon. Child care and interpretation services will be provided. Events are open to all.

Ensuring Student Safety: Register for Volunteer FCPS

At Westbriar, our volunteers are a vital part of our school community. We deeply value the time and care they give to our students. Recent updates to our volunteer process focus on one primary goal: keeping students safe.

These updates — such as checks against the sex offender registry and, in some cases, criminal background checks — are safety measures that will help us maintain a secure and supportive learning environment for every student in our care.

Volunteer FCPS ensures a safe, consistent, and welcoming environment at all of our schools. All volunteers must be registered in Volunteer FCPS. This includes individuals who volunteer to chaperone on field trips, work at book fairs, and help out regularly in classrooms, libraries, or cafeterias. Volunteers who work unsupervised with students will also be required to undergo a background check.

We understand these changes may seem disruptive, especially for long-time volunteers. Our intent is to ensure that our students feel safe and supported with each and every person they encounter at school.

As a reminder, all volunteers — and visitors to a school — are required to sign in by scanning their ID at our visitor kiosk. Visit the Volunteer FCPS Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more.

Referendum on Ballot Tuesday, November 4th

The $460 million School Bond Referendum — supporting the division and county’s commitment to providing safe and welcoming learning environments for all students — will be on the Tuesday, November 4th, general election ballot.

The funding provided by voter-approved bonds is expected to fund projects identified in the FY 2026-30 Capital Improvement Program, which was approved by the School Board in February.

The building and renovation of our schools is not funded through the division’s operating budget. Voter-approved bonds allow payment for these projects over time. Read more about the 2025 Bond Referendum. Watch this video that explains, “What Is a bond?”

Make sure you have a voting plan! Learn more about registering to vote.

FCPS News

In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:

• FCPS Welcomes Military Families

• October Community Boundary Review Meetings

• Community Conversations

Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.

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