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The Feather Report
Volume 2, Issue 14
 āTis the season for music at Westlawn! Students across grade levels are playing with myriad instruments in music classes, including the orff instruments pictured here. Many students in grades 5 and 6 are also preparing for the fall choral and instrumental concert on Tuesday, and a select group of sixth grade students were even selected to perform at the Virginia Music Educators Association conference in Norfolk at the end of next week!
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families,
I donāt think Iāve ever been more excited for a full week of uninterrupted teaching and learning!Ā These past few weeks have been interspersed with student holidays and early release dates, next week we get to have students every day!Ā And oh boy, itās a busy week!
On Tuesday evening we welcome families to join us for An Evening of Music concert, directed by our first-class music department headed by Ms. Layton and Ms. Cutler. And on Friday itās time for our Thanksgiving Luncheon. We welcome all families to join their child(ren) for lunch. Learn more about how to join your child on that day.
The weather is getting colder outside, but weāre only heating up!Ā Take a few minutes to review the information below to ensure you arenāt missing out on any of the wonderful upcoming community events!
In partnership,
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, Shana Curtis, Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
News
Thanksgiving Luncheon at Westlawn
Our annual Thanksgiving Luncheon at Westlawn will happen next Friday, November 21. Adults who wish to purchase a Thanksgiving meal from the cafeteria need to bring $5 per adult meal and exchange it for a meal ticket in the lobby. Purchasing the Thanksgiving meal is not required, and adults who do not want to buy a meal can bring food from home and join their child for lunch at no cost. Student meals--as usual--will be free.
Due to the anticipated popularity of the event, we have adjusted lunch times for that day as follows:
- 4th grade: 10:00-10:35
- 3rd grade: 10:30-11:05
- 6th grade: 11:00-11:35
- 5th grade: 11:30-12:05
- 1st grade: 12:00-12:35
- 2nd grade: 12:35-1:10
- Kindergarten: 1:10-1:45
- PAC and PreK: check with your childās teacher
Families are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early if they need to purchase meal tickets in case there is a line. Families are also encouraged to carpool or walk to Westlawn because there is extremely limited parking. Families are not allowed to park in the bus lane because it needs to remain clear for emergency vehicles.
SNAP and VENA Updates
While we hopefully have a full and final resolution for restoring SNAP soon, VENA benefits have been posted to all eligible families. Fairfax County is sharing routinely-updated information about VENA for families. Families with questions about VENA should call the information line created by the state of Virginia at 804-726-7000.
Westlawn Students Selected for All-Virginia Orff Ensemble!
Westlawn studentsāCassandra Sahami, Emmy Veas, Sophia Guevara, Austin Glazner, and Jackson Plevniakāwere selected to perform in the 2025 All-Virginia Orff Ensemble!
This prestigious event, held as part of the annual Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) Convention, brings together outstanding young musicians from across the state to create music through singing, movement, and instruments.
Westlawn Music Teachers, Mrs. Becky Layton and Mrs. Kristal Cutler, will accompany students to the event. Mrs. Layton will assist and direct with the Guest Director for the concert, while Mrs. Cutler and the other directors will play accompanying roles at this event!Ā This all takes place November 19ā20, 2025, in Norfolk, VA.
We are so proud of Cassandra, Emmy, Sophia, Austin, and Jackson for representing Westlawn and demonstrating excellence in music. Congratulations to these outstanding young musicians on this remarkable achievement! Read more about FCPS students selected to perform at the VMEA conference.
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Reminder: Nominate a Westlawn Staff Member for an Award
We are soliciting nominations of Westlawn staff members to advance to compete against their counterparts in other buildings for the annual FCPS Excellence awards! Categories for nomination include:
- Outstanding Teacher
- Outstanding New Teacher
- Outstanding Principal
- Outstanding Leader
- Outstanding Professional Employee
- Outstanding Operational Employee
To submit a Westlawn staff member for consideration, families are asked to write 1-2 brief paragraphs explaining why they believe the person should represent Westlawn. Families may submit one nomination per category. For example, families can submit one Outstanding Teacher and one Outstanding Professional Employee, but they cannot submit two Outstanding Teachers. Also, if you are not sure about which category an employee belongs in, just submit them for the category you think fits best! We would rather have a nomination in an incorrect category than have no nomination at all! Submit your nomination(s) now. Nominations are due by November 19.
Scouts Needed!
The following troops are looking to add more Scouts to the mix! Please contact the troop leader for details about joining. Note that financial help is available for dues/fees and troop leaders can help you with that process.
Military Community Updates
We welcome you to check out our new wall of Westlawn community veterans and active duty service members in our lobby. We also published an article about achieving Purple Star School status on our website.
LifeTouch Photo Reminder
If you want to order photos, there is still time! LifeTouch sent us a code for 10% OFF your order: F2510OFF. Order now. Picture retakes will happen in December.
Reminder: Fun Clothing Wednesdays are Coming
Even after we teach our kindergarteners their colors, we will keep up with our themed Fun Clothing Wednesdays throughout the year! Here are some upcoming ones:
- November 19: Hoodies
- December 3: Pajamas
- December 10: Clothing with Animals
The themes are always optional. We will continue to announce them on social media, and we sent home a paper flier in next weekās Thursday folder with the themes through the end of January.
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Please Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey
FCPS is asking all families to complete a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets, which is in the upper right corner of the screen after logging in. Please complete the survey as soon as possible.
Our school will provide paper forms to families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE. For more information, please visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page or watch this video about why Impact Aid matters.Ā Ā
Register for ParentVUE
Learn how to activate your SIS ParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey and have access to other helpful information about your childās education at FCPS. Call Ms. Caballero in the main office at 703-241-5100 to get your activation code.
FCPS News
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- Celebrating Student Awards
- The Future of AI at FCPS
- Immunization Events
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
Dates and Events
November 18: A Night of Music Chorus and Instrumental Ensemble Concert; show starts at 6:30 PM
November 19: Fun Clothing Wednesday: Hoodie Day
November 20-22: Aliceās Adventures in Wonderland at Luther Jackson MS (buy tickets and get more information about showtimes)
November 21: Thanksgiving Luncheon, times depend on grade level
November 26-28: No School - Thanksgiving Break
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. Click on the little calendar icon in the top right corner of the calendar page of our website to add all current and future events to your cell phone calendar.
Engage with Westlawn
Volunteer at the Book Fair
The Book Fair is coming! The fair will run from December 8-12. Volunteers are needed for the duration of the fair, and for setup during the Friday before the fair. The heaviest volunteer needs are as follows:
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Monday, December 8 and Tuesday, December 9 while kindergarteners and first graders are creating their wish lists. Students often need help writing the titles of the books they are interested in buying and recording the price.
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Wednesday, December 10, from 1:00 through 6:15 PM during the Friends and Family event to ensure the event runs smoothly.
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Friday, December 12, from 8:15 AM through 10:00 AM during the last morning of the fair. Typically there is a large influx of students at this time who want to spend the rest of their money. Students especially need help finding items that fit their budget and counting their money. Volunteers ensure we can quickly get students checked out and back to class for learning!
That said, the entire fair runs on the support of our volunteers, and we are grateful for any time you can give! The schedule for classrooms visiting the fair is now available. Sign up to reserve your volunteer spot today.
Seeking Hermit Crab Hosts
Ms. Winters is searching for a family who would like to take care of two hermit crabs over winter break! The two hermit crabs are easy to care for and Ms. Winters will provide their food, habitat, and directions for their care. Students are able to handle and play with the hermit crabs. Interested families must be able to pick up the hermit crabs before break and return them after break. If your family is interested in hosting hermit crabs, please contact Ms. Winters via TalkingPoints or email.
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PTA Fundraiser: Charleston Wrap
Help the PTA raise funds by participating in the Charleston Wrap fundraiser! Shop directly through Westlawnās store, or share our special link with family and friends and encourage them to support Westlawn with their holiday shopping.
Join a Community Conversation
Join us on Wednesdays at 11 AM on Zoom to hear the important news from the school from Principal Hill! If you miss a Community Conversation, you can catch up with slides and recordings on our website.
Volunteering in FCPS in 2025-2026 requires you to fill out an online application, and then select the school(s) where you want to be. Learn more and apply today!
Mind Matters
Exploring Passions: Second Grade Learning Launched
Sometimes students just want to dive deeper into a topic of their choosing! This year we are excited to expand on this idea in second grade as they explore a year-long pilot of enrichment clusters. Enrichment clusters are when students are grouped based on an interest survey and where students AND teachers get to choose something to learn that interests them beyond the grade curriculum! This year students are learning about dogs, gymnastics, international foods, writing/publishing, and building/crafting. The only skills needed are an open mind and curiosity! Check out the hands-on activities happening this past week:
    
Tech Talk
FCPS Digital Resources
What can students do with their laptops at home each night? One option is to explore the various FCPS Digital Resources. The FCPS website offers a handy guide of digital resources by grade level, and includes links to access the resource and a brief description of what the resource offers.
Here at Westlawn there are three main resources we use with students:
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Lexia: Lexia is a resource designed to help students learn to read by supporting their development with phonics, spelling, and other discrete reading skills. Like video games, Lexia has levels, and students are generally very excited to pass a level and move on to the next one. Lexia also offers a robust database of information for teachers, including resources that can be used with students to practice specific reading skills.
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ST Math: ST Math is a puzzle-based game designed to help students practice math concepts. ST Math is unique in that it features almost no text, so it is intentionally designed to be accessible regardless of a studentās ability to read directions. That said, it is also a different way to learn math than many of us may have experienced when we were children! If your child gets stuck on a puzzle and you canāt figure it out either, just reach out to your childās teacher for support.
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Summit K12: Summit K12 is new for us this year, and is a program designed to help students learn English. Only students learning English have access to Summit K12. We are curious to see how Summit K12 will help our multi-lingual learners this year! Families with questions about Summit K12 are encouraged to reach out to their childās teacher.
Is there a technology topic you want us to tackle in a future issue? Email your questions to Ms. Dushok (school based technology specialist) and Mr. Dinkins (technology support specialist).
Soaring Staff Spotlight
This week the Soaring Staff Spotlight is on Stephanie Carpenter!
Ms. Carpenter is an assistant principal here at Westlawn. Letās learn more about Ms. Carpenter!
What is your favorite thing about working at Westlawn?
The love that the staff and the students have for the school and the community; it's collaborative, joyful and student centered.
Whatās the best piece of advice you've ever received?
When your body is tired, exercise your brain; when your brain is tired, exercise your body!
What is your favorite memory from elementary school?
Visiting my second grade teacher's dairy farm and learning how to milk a cow.
What is your favorite color?
The colors of the sunrise.
If you could instantly learn a new skill, what would it be?
I would instantly learn all the carpentry skills I needed for home improvement projects.
Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
Coffee!
What is one thing that always makes your day better?
A bright smile and a big hug.
Is there someone you hope to see featured in an upcoming Soaring Staff Spotlight? Tell us by text to 571-355-2321.
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