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The Feather Report

Volume 2, Issue 35

Families had a wonderful time creating together at Art Night at the Thomas Jefferson Library this past week! Did you miss Art Night? It’s OK! We have many more events coming up before the end of the year! Check out our website calendar to stay on top of it all!

Leadership Ledger

Westlawn Families,

As we move deeper into May, there is definitely a sense that we are entering the home stretch of another wonderful school year! This past week, students in grades 3–6 completed the bulk of their SOL testing with math assessments, and we continue to be so proud of the focus, perseverance, and effort our students have shown throughout the testing season. We are now entering our remediation and retake windows, where eligible students will receive additional support in math or science before having another opportunity to demonstrate their learning. Thank you to our teachers and staff for the tremendous care they continue to provide for every child during this process, and thank you to our families for your ongoing encouragement and support at home!

We also wrapped up our final early-release Wednesday of the school year this week. As many families may have heard, FCPS is still determining plans for next year’s calendar, including possible early-release days following a recent School Board resolution. At this time, we simply know there will likely be fewer early-release days next year, and we will be sure to share updates with our community as soon as we receive more information from the district.

Finally, thank you to the many families who joined us for Art Night at the Thomas Jefferson Library this past week! It was wonderful to see so many students proudly showing their creativity and enjoying time together as a community. Looking ahead, please remember that students will not have school May 25–27 for the extended Memorial Day weekend. Once we return, we will quickly roll into many of the special end-of-year celebrations and activities that make this season such a memorable one. Thank you, as always, for your partnership and support—we are excited to finish the year strong together!

In partnership,

Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss

Proud Principals

News

Reminder: Substitute at Westlawn!

FCPS is changing the way they assign substitute teachers to schools. Now people can apply to be substitutes for a specific pyramid. This means they will only be a substitute at one high school and the middle and elementary schools that feed into it. If you want to substitute at Westlawn, we encourage you to apply for the Falls Church pyramid!

FCPS News

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

• 2027 Budget Updates
• New Cell Phone Policy
• Stay Up-to-Date with the Mobile App

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

May 16: Techstravaganza is from 10 AM - 4 PM at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Lunch is available for students in Title I schools (that’s us!) from 12-1 PM in the cafeteria. Techstravaganza website.

May 19: Restaurant Night at Panda Express goes from 9 AM - 10:30 PM at the Mosaic Panda Express. If ordering online, use code 3855808 in the app. If ordering in person, show the cashier the restaurant night flyer.

May 20: Fun Clothing Wednesday: wear red

May 25-27: No school for students

May 28: Last day for library checkout!

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

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

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

You may be thinking: technology and mental health do not always go well together. In some ways, that is true. We are learning more about how tools like social media are designed to keep our attention for long periods of time.

At the same time, technology is part of our everyday lives, and it is not going away. As parents and caregivers, our goal is not to remove technology completely, but to help children learn how to use it in healthy and balanced ways.

During the month of May, we will explore simple, practical ways to use technology to support our well-being, while also setting healthy limits so it does not take over our time and attention.

Tech Talk: Using Technology to Support Mental Health

Technology can be more than entertainment. When used with purpose, it can also support children’s well-being.

There are many positive ways children can use technology. They can listen to music to relax, follow movement or exercise videos, practice mindfulness, or use creative tools to draw, build, and share ideas. Technology can also help children stay connected with family and friends.

Encouraging children to create, learn, and connect can help make screen time more meaningful. Small choices can turn technology into a helpful tool instead of a habit.

Healthy use is not about adding more screen time. It is about making better use of the time children already have.

Try this at home: Ask your child to show you something they created or learned using technology this week.

At Westlawn, we are here to support you and your family. If you have questions about your child’s well-being or would like mental health resources, please reach out to our Wellness Team. If you would like to talk about technology or healthy tech habits, Ms. Dushok is happy to help.

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 it’s a double feature!

This week the Soaring Staff Spotlight is on Casey Davidow! Ms. Davidow is a reading coach at Westlawn. Let’s learn more about Ms. Davidow! What is your favorite thing about working at Westlawn? The community (staff, students, and families!) and the beautiful outdoor spaces.  What is your favorite children’s book? The Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo and the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems. What is one talent or skill you have that most people don’t know about? I can eat ice cream very quickly.  If you weren’t in education, what other job would you want? Journalist  What is your favorite memory from elementary school? Participating in a puppet show in 2nd grade.  What song always makes you smile? Baianá by Bakermat (I associate it with my husband dancing in the kitchen with my kids). What is one thing that always makes your day better? Kids being goofy.

This week the Soaring Staff Spotlight is also on Erin Theiss! Ms. Theiss is an assistant principal at Westlawn. Let’s learn more about Ms. Theiss! What is your favorite thing about working at Westlawn? The best part of working at Westlawn is undoubtedly the vibrant community that surrounds us. It’s a rare gift to work in an environment where students, families, and staff are so deeply interconnected.  Whether it's the energy the students bring to the classroom or the unwavering support from our families and fellow teachers, that sense of shared purpose makes every day rewarding. At Westlawn, you aren't just part of a school; you’re part of a family.   What is your favorite children’s book? Anything written by Jacqueline Woodson.  If you weren’t in education, what other job would you want? Interior designer What is your favorite snack? Chips! What is your favorite season of the year? Summer - I love the heat!   What is your favorite hobby? Taking walks with my dog and going to yoga.  What is one thing that always makes your day better? Seeing our students thrive!

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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