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The Feather Report
Volume 2, Issue 28
 Photo of the Week: mentors and mentees enjoyed some fun this week with our Minute to Win It event! Games included stacking marshmallows, threading Froot Loops, and moving an Oreo from your forehead into your mouth using only your facial muscles!
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families,
As we look ahead to the final stretch of the school year, I want to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to our entire community for your flexibility and partnership during Monday’s early release due to the forecasted storms. Moments like these remind me just how strong and responsive the Westlawn community is. I also want to echo the message shared earlier this week—our students and staff handled the tornado watch with calm, focus, and care. Students followed protocols, listened closely to staff, and continued learning even as we adjusted spaces to prioritize safety. I could not be more proud of how everyone came together with student well-being at the center of every decision.
As we move forward, we have several important dates on the horizon. Quarter 3 will come to a close on Thursday, March 27, which will be a 2-hour early release day. This leads directly into Spring Break from March 30 through April 3, followed by a teacher workday on Monday, April 6. When we return, we will begin the final quarter of the school year—a time filled with both important academic milestones, including standardized assessments, and many of our most cherished community events like the spring musical, talent show, field day, and spring concert.
We are excited for all that lies ahead and look forward to celebrating these moments together. As event dates are finalized, they will be added to our website calendar, and I encourage families to check regularly when planning appointments or other activities. Thank you, as always, for your continued support and partnership—it makes all the difference for our students!
In partnership,
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
News
Illness and Attendance Trivia
Test your knowledge about illness and attendance!
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True or false: your child should stay home for 24 hours after starting antibiotics if they are diagnosed with strep throat.
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True or false: if your child vomits, even once, then they must stay at home until at least 24 hours have passed since the last episode of vomiting.
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True or false: if your child has lice, they must stay home for the duration of the entire treatment.
Believe it or not, the answer to all of these trivia questions is false! Many of the general standards for illness and absence that we adults experienced as students are outdated. Medical science and research have provided us with a better understanding of antibiotics and their efficacy, childhood illness, and the duration of infectious periods. FCPS continually monitors this research and implements the recommendations that come from the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics. You can check out the latest guidelines for illness and attendance on the Can My Child Go to School? webpage.
Bookmark Design Contest
Educate Fairfax has a bookmark design contest happening through April 17, open to students in K-12. The theme is Today’s Reader, Tomorrow’s Leader. There are categories for K-2, 3-6, middle school, and high school. There are prizes! Learn more and get the template.
Make Someone’s Day with an FCPS Cares Award!
March is a hard month for educators. Snow days end, testing ramps up, and so many people seem to catch “Spring Fever.” Did a Westlawn staff member make you (or your child) smile this month? Submit them for the FCPS Cares to thank them for going above-and-beyond!
FCPS chooses one winner per region each month, and each month’s winners go on to compete for a quarterly award, which includes a surprise visit from the Superintendent! All nominations are shared on the FCPS website. Read about last month’s winners and nominate a Westlawn staff member. We are Region 2. If you need the full name of a staff member text Ms. Dushok at 571-355-2321 and she can help!
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Reminder: Family Engagement Survey
📩 The bi-annual FCPS Family Engagement Survey arrived in your email on Monday morning! This is your chance to give feedback on your school's welcoming environment, communication, and other topics. At Westlawn we use the survey results to set schoolwide goals and make changes to the ways we welcome families, communicate with families, and work with families each and every day. Please take the survey now.
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Reminder: Encuesta de Participación Familiar
📩 ¡La Encuesta de Participación Familiar de FCPS, de carácter semestral, llegó a su correo electrónico el lunes por la mañana! Esta es su oportunidad para brindar sus comentarios sobre el ambiente de acogida de su escuela, la comunicación y otros temas. En Westlawn, utilizamos los resultados de la encuesta para establecer objetivos a nivel escolar y realizar cambios en la manera en que damos la bienvenida a las familias, nos comunicamos con ellas y trabajamos junto a ellas día tras día. Por favor, complete la encuesta ahora.
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Reminder: Countdown to Kindergarten: Supporting a Smooth Transition
Is your child heading to kindergarten this fall? Join FCPS staff for Countdown to Kindergarten, a virtual event designed to help families prepare for this exciting transition! The webinar will take place on Friday, March 27, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Register to receive the event link. Also visit our kindergarten registration and orientation announcement for more details and tips!
Summer Camp Time
It’s time to register for summer camps! We will keep track of all summer camp-related information in one place on our website. Recently added:
- Camp Fairfax
- Natural Leaders
We will keep re-running this News item, and will replace the listed camps with any new camps that we add to the announcement on our site over the course of the week.
Reminder: Reading-Themed Fun Clothing Wednesdays
March is Reading Month at Westlawn in honor of Read Across America Day on March 2. We’ll be celebrating the joy of reading all month long with special literacy activities and a series of reading-themed Fun Clothing Wednesdays. Join us as we show our school spirit and our love of books!
March 25, 2026 – Hat Day: Hats Off to Reading 🎩📚 Top off our reading celebration! Wear any school-appropriate hat or headband as we give a big “hats off” to readers everywhere.
Dates and Events
March 13 - March 29: Free theater tickets to the 12 Dancing Princesses are available to Westlawn families from our partners at Creative Cauldron. Claim your free tickets by selecting your preferred performance and entering the code WESTLAWN at checkout.
March 24: Grade 5 Writing SOL
March 25: Fun Clothing Wednesday: hats
March 26: Math Path Workshop with Ms. Dushok from 12:00-12:30 PM on Zoom. All families are welcome, and 5th and 6th grade families are highly encouraged to attend! Families will learn about the different math pathways available to their children as they continue their journey into middle school and high school.
March 27: Smooth Transition Webinar for New Kindergarten Families from 10:00 - 11:30 AM
March 27: 2-Hour Early Release; students dismiss at 1:30 PM
March 30 - April 3: Spring Break
April 6: No School for Students; Teacher Workday
Save the Date! The Special Education Family Conference will take place at Marshall HS on April 18. Learn more, register, and register for free childcare.
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
Reminder: Help the PTA President Get Back on Her Feet
Our wonderful PTA President, Simone Rose, will soon be undergoing hip replacement surgery. Jenny Erwin has organized a meal train for Simone and her family. If you are able to support Simone with a meal or gift card, it would be greatly appreciated.
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!
Tech Talk
Tracking Books and Other Reading Tips from Our Families
A few weeks ago we shared reading tracker tips from our Westlawn staff as a way to celebrate reading this month! We asked families to share their best tips, and we heard back from a few of you!
“I use Libby and Goodreads! Effie and I are currently competing in our 2026 challenge and she’s going to have to up her game to have any chance at beating me. Cozzy loves listening to audiobooks through Libby so we use that to track her reading.” -Jenny Erwin
“I am an expert in tracking down books, a skill that I developed in response to the requests from my three readers! Besides using the library (and Libby), I also like to visit local thrift stores such as Unique. They have many popular new releases and a large kid’s section with great deals! I also enjoy popping out of my car when I spot a Little Free Library to see what’s available!” -Lindsey Williams
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 Sydney Riffe!
Ms. Riffe is a 5th grade classroom teacher at Westlawn. Let’s learn more about Ms. Riffe!
What was your favorite subject in school?
Writing! Which is now my favorite subject to teach.
What is your favorite children’s book?
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, or Front Desk by Kelly Yang (the entire series is awesome).
What is one talent or skill you have that most people don’t know about?
I am an intensely competitive crafter. I wouldn't exactly call myself crafty in general, but when it becomes a competition, I am 150% on every detail. Halloween costumes, Easter eggs, cookie decorating, you name it. I've been known to spend hours decorating a single Christmas cookie for my family cookie competition.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Ask for the help you need.
If you weren’t in education, what other job would you want?
In a perfect world, I would be living in a Mediterranean climate teaching pool-side fitness classes at a resort, then running karaoke nights in the evening.
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What is your favorite holiday?
MY BIRTHDAY! I am a huge birthday diva, no apologies.
What is your favorite family-friendly video game?
MarioKart. Original green Yoshi. Choco Mountain.
If you could instantly learn a new skill, what would it be?
I LOVE singing. Love it. But I'd love to be GOOD at it. So does learning to have a good singing voice count? I also wish I could play every sport proficiently. Not at an expert level, but enough to join a pick up game.
What is one thing that always makes your day better?
Exercise! A full workout or a long walk outside- getting my body moving always boosts my mood.
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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Connect with Westlawn
- Contact the main office: 703-241-5100
- Submit an absence: 703-241-5151 | email the absence box | using ParentVUE
- Contact Ms. Caballero (student information assistant): email Ms. Caballero | 703-241-5100 | TalkingPoints: Silvia Caballero
- Contact Ms. Reyes (family liaison): email Ms. Reyes | 703-241-5125 | TalkingPoints: Hilda Reyes
- Contact Ms. Cortez (social worker): email Ms. Cortez | 703-241-5190 | TalkingPoints: Pamela Cortez
Westlawn website | Westlawn Instagram | Westlawn Facebook | TalkingPoints
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