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The Feather Report
Volume 2, Issue 19
 Welcome back, Westlawn Eagles! The fun and joy continues this month at Westlawn! Fun Clothing Wednesdays continue this month, with exercise and workout clothing being the theme next Wednesday to celebrate National Take the Stairs Day. Families are encouraged to keep track of events on our school calendar available on our website and linked below!
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families,
Walking back into Westlawn this week felt a lot like coming home. After winter break, it was truly heartwarming to see our hallways buzzing again with laughter, conversations, and the familiar energy that makes our school such a special place. From the smiles at morning arrival to the joyful reconnecting in classrooms, it was clear that our students and staff were happy to be back together as one Westlawn community!
I am so proud of how smoothly our students transitioned back into routines and learning. Whether it was classmates catching up, teachers welcoming students with open arms, or staff jumping right back into supporting one another, this week reminded me how strong and caring our community truly is. There was a wonderful sense of belonging in the buildingāone that reflects the partnership we share with our families and the dedication of our incredible staff. It was especially meaningful to see our youngest learners settling back in so confidently and our older students modeling kindness and responsibility throughout the school.
As we move forward into the heart of winter, we are excited for all the learning, celebrations, and moments of connection ahead. Thank you, families, for your continued support and for helping make the return from break such a positive one. I am grateful every day to be part of a community that values togetherness, growth, and joy. It feels great to be backāand even better to be back together!
In partnership,
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, Shana Curtis, Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
News
Testing Season is Coming Soon
Believe it or not, the start of the new year means testing season is right around the corner! (Or at least it certainly can FEEL that way.) All students in grades 3-6 will be taking SOL exams, and we will have that schedule available soon. In the meantime, we are beginning to collect parent permission for retakes. Students who earn a close-to-passing score are eligible to retake the SOL after reviewing with their teacher. In elementary school, we are required to get parent permission to make this opportunity available for each student. If you want your child to review and retake an SOL test if their score falls into the eligible range, please grant permission online through the Parent Consent Portal. Log in with your ParentVUE credentials. If you need access to ParentVUE, contact Ms. Caballero at 703-241-5100.
6th Grade Families: LJMS Curriculum Night is Coming Soon!
Students are meeting with their counselors to discuss course selection for the next school year. Sixth grade students and their families are invited to Luther Jackson Middle Schoolās Curriculum Night on January 21. Families can learn more about course offerings and programs at these events.Ā School-life balance is an important consideration for students as they strive for academic and personal success. You may contact your studentās school counselor Ms. Jacoby via email, TalkingPoints, or 703-241-5100 with questions.
Healthy Habits to Reduce the Spread of Flu and Other Germs
Fairfax County is seeing very high levels of influenza (flu) illness. Visits to emergency departments and urgent care centers for flu-like illness have increased, especially among children, and multiple flu outbreaks have occurred in our community and school settings.
Consider these tips from the Fairfax County Health Department to help reduce the spread of flu and other germs.
Apply for Your Child to Learn in Two Languages
FCPSā 2026-27 Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program lottery opens on Monday, January 12. The program offers students in kindergarten and first grade the opportunity to learn in English and another language ā French, German, Japanese, Korean, or Spanish ā for half of each instructional day.
The online, countywide lottery is open to Fairfax County residents. Families must have a SIS ParentVUE account. Students not currently enrolled in FCPS should register at their base school before applying for the immersion program.Ā
Families applying for first grade must do so by Thursday, February 12, at 4 p.m. Those applying for kindergarten must do so by Monday, March 2, at 4 p.m.
Informational meetings will begin in January. View dates and details on the FCPS calendar. If you have questions, please contact Brigid Williams at 571-423-4600.
Reminder: Outdoor Weather and Recess
Students are allowed outside for recess up to 30 minutes unless the National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory, and up to 15 minutes unless the NWS has issued a wind chill warning. If you need help getting winter clothing for your child, we can help!
- Parent Liaison Mrs. Reyes (email or TalkingPoints)
- Social Worker Ms. Cortez (email or TalkingPoints)
- Main office: 703-241-5100
Reminder: More Cold Weather News
We are building a collection of cold-weather links and pieces of information on our website. On that site announcement, you can find:
- Diagrams of how to dress in different types of cold weather
- Links to Winter Break resources and activities for families
- Information about how FCPS makes the decision to close school for wintry weather
We will maintain this announcement throughout the winter so you can reference it at any time!
FCPS News
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- The FCPS Budget Process
- Course Selection
- Language Immersion Lottery
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
January 14: Fun Clothing Wednesday: Athletic or Exercise Clothing
January 14: PTA Meeting via Zoom from 6:00-7:00 PM
January 14: Restaurant Night at Tropical Smoothie Cafe from 5:00-8:00 PM
January 15: Summit K-12 Webinar for Families of Multilingual Learners from 9:00-10:00 AM
January 19: No School (MLK Jr. Day)
January 21: Fun Clothing Wednesday: Silly Sock Day
January 21: Curriculum Night for Rising 7th Graders at Luther Jackson MS
January 23: Restaurant Night at Chuck E. Cheese in Fairfax
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
Parents in 3-6, HELP WANTED
Do you look forward to checking out your childās agenda every day? Do you find it helps you connect to whatās going on in school and in your childās classroom? Then we want to talk to you! Please email Mrs. Maxwell or send her a TalkingPoints message! Sheās looking for some AVID testimonials and this is a big part of it here at Westlawn. Thank you!
Reminder: Donation Request: 3T-5T Bottoms
Ms. Lentz is about to start potty training with students in her PAC classroom, and she is in need of 3T-5T underwear and pants so that children can be changed into fresh bottoms when they have an accident. If you have items to donate, please bring them to Ms. Reyes and she will pass them along to Ms. Lentz.
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
STEAM Academy Spring Clubs
Has your student ever joined one of our STEAM Academy clubs? We are so lucky to be able to offer these clubs for FREE to our grades 2-6 students thanks to our partnership with Northrop Grumman! The unique Westlawn STEAM Academy is the brainchild of our fantastic STEAM teacher, Meghan Winters. Westlawn staff, student alums, and other partners such as Virginia Tech, sign up to teach clubs in an area that interests them: like Coding, Green Team, Strategy Games, or Engineering Design. In the fall we had an enormous group of students (almost 200!) and hope to have a similar size this spring.
We are in the process of creating our clubs and making the flyer: It will go home in a few weeks.Ā
- Calendar NOTE: STEAM Academy will run on Tuesdays again, beginning February 10 and ending on March 24.Ā
- Process NOTE: For equity reasons, we are abandoning the āfirst come first servedā process and turning instead to a lottery with all forms turned in by the deadline.
ALSO! Mrs. Maxwell is busy collecting your studentsā completed CCT Bingo from Winter Break! Keep sending them in to classroom teachers and a fun prize will be awarded!
Tech Talk
Set Up for Tech Success
Did you spend part of winter break decluttering and organizing your space? We did! This is a great time of year to take stock of spaces and systems and consider how they might need to be changed to meet your familyās needs. When it comes to organizing technology--and the spaces where it lives--here are some tips to consider:
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Devices donāt belong in bedrooms: help your child build healthy habits with technology by insisting that devices remain outside of bedrooms, especially for charging. You can help your family stick to this guideline by creating a device charging station in a common area. Westlawn families have creatively used surge protectors, wire baking racks, and even plastic drainboards to provide cord control and slots for storing charging devices!
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Create motivation with punch cards: a trend we are seeing to help with goals in 2026 is low on technology and big on impact: punch cards! People are creating punch cards to help them build healthier or more frugal habits, such as having āno spendā days, completing workouts, and intentionally disconnecting from technology. All you need to create a punch card is a small rectangle of paper and markers or colored pencils. We encourage you to make some punch cards with your family this week!
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Goal start dates are within your control: even though we associate resolutions with January 1, the truth is that you can (and should!) start working toward goals at any time! If you are feeling overwhelmed with life right now, consider starting a healthy habit whenever it better fits into your life. The work you take toward improving your life, or your childās life, matters far more than the date you begin that work!
Cool Tech Opportunity for Adults
FCPS has an entire program dedicated to adults and community members called ACE, which stands for Adult and Community Education. ACE provides adults in Fairfax County with opportunities to learn everything from cooking to specific career skills, and they are excited to debut a series of classes for the spring that use virtual reality goggles to help people learn specific skills used in careers in manufacturing and skilled trades. Students in these courses will be able to borrow the VR goggles from ACE and use them to complete coursework. Interested students can learn more on the ACE website or by calling 703-658-1201.
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 Kara McElveen!
Mrs. McElveen is the Instructional Coach at Westlawn. Letās learn more about Mrs. McElveen!
What is your favorite thing about working at Westlawn?
The people!
What was your favorite subject in school?
Art
What is one talent or skill that you have that most people donāt know about?
I can do a lot of different accents - which is one reason I love reading aloud!
If you werenāt in education, what other job would you want?
Iād want to be a childrenās game show host.
What is your favorite memory from elementary school?
Going on the ropes course field trip in 6th grade.
What is your favorite family-friendly video game?
Mario Kart
If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?
Florence, Italy
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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