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The Feather Report

Volume 2, Issue 39

Our kindergarten students celebrated the end of kindergarten with a promotion ceremony and a class picnic!

Leadership Ledger

Westlawn Families,

What a wonderful and event-filled week at Westlawn! (Until today! Thank you for your attention to our dismissal and your flexibility in picking up your children quickly. And thank you to Falls Church High School for hosting our staff and students!) As we near the finish line of another incredible school year, our school community has come together to celebrate so many special milestones and accomplishments. We cheered on our kindergarten students during their promotion ceremonies and classroom picnics, enjoyed an outstanding spring concert featuring more than 220 band and strings students, and had a fantastic time during our K–3 Field Day activities. We also proudly recognized the growth and achievements of our multilingual learners on the WIDA assessment, including an impressive 60 students who have fully exited the program. Congratulations to all of our students for their hard work and perseverance!

As a reminder, due to the heat advisory, our Grades 4–6 Field Day has been rescheduled to Monday, June 15. We appreciate your flexibility as we prioritize the safety and well-being of our students and staff.

Looking ahead, we are excited to continue building connections throughout the summer. You’ll find dates for Playground and Popsicles as well as Welcome to Westlawn Day in the Dates and Events section below. If you know a family who is new to Westlawn, please consider sharing this newsletter so they can subscribe and stay informed about upcoming opportunities to connect with our school community.

We have one more newsletter coming next Friday before our summer schedule begins. During the summer months, email will remain the best way to receive updates and important information from Westlawn while many staff members are on leave. Thank you for your continued partnership and support—it is truly what makes Westlawn such a special place to learn and grow together!

In partnership,

Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss

Proud Principals

News

Summer Resources

We have a variety of resources to share with families.

• Student and Family Resources for Summer: this set of resources from FCPS acts as a directory to help families with summer childcare, food and nutrition, health and safety, and more! Resources are organized by topic.
• Summer Learning Resources: this set of resources is organized by grade level and helps families decide how to use FCPS devices over the summer to build students’ background knowledge and help them be ready for the next grade. There is also help for families about logging into programs on student devices.
• The FCPS Puzzle Hunt: this is a bike- and pedestrian-friendly way to explore sites in Fairfax County and get out of the house!

Free Breakfast and Lunch for Students and Families This Summer

New this summer: both students and adults can eat breakfast and lunch for free at certain elementary schools. The two closest elementary schools to Westlawn that offer meals are Braddock Elementary School (about 17 minutes away) and Glen Forest Elementary School (about 20 minutes away). Learn more about free meals this summer.

Early Release Wednesdays for 2026-27

FCPS will continue with limited early release Wednesdays for elementary schools during the 2026-27 school year. The number has been reduced from eight to four days. 

Early release Wednesdays provide elementary teachers with a dedicated block of time to prepare lessons, participate in professional development and training, and collaborate with their peers. A well-supported and continuously improving teaching staff leads to better educational outcomes for students. 

Westlawn’s early release Wednesdays:

• September 30
• November 18
• January 13
• April 7

Visit the FCPS website for more information about early release Wednesdays, including the list of early release dates.

Student Testing Results Coming Soon

Through June, you will receive your child’s spring assessment results. If you aren’t sure what assessments your child took this year, you can view a list of tests by grade level on the FCPS website. 

Most scores are available in SIS ParentVUE. Visit FCPS’ website for additional information about how test results are reported to families. 

Websites for each test provide report translations and help with understanding test results. Please contact our front office with any testing questions or for additional information about how our school and teachers use test results to support student success.

Support Your Child’s Success in SIS ParentVUE

Signing up for a SIS ParentVUE account helps you to support your child’s academic success! Caregivers can view important information like attendance, grades, progress reports, and assessment scores through ParentVUE. 

Once you have activated a ParentVUE account for an FCPS student, you will keep the same account until the student graduates. Information about students in the same family can be accessed through the same ParentVUE account. It is available online and as a mobile app for Apple and Android devices. 

Need help creating a SIS ParentVue account? This video walks through the steps. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE.

If you already have an account, be sure your contact information is up to date. Parents/guardians can update their phone numbers or email addresses in the Parent/Guardian section. View additional details about ParentVUE.

Activate Your ParentVUE Account to Stay Connected

On Wednesday, July 29, FCPS families who haven't activated their ParentVUE account will receive an email with the subject “Fairfax County Public Schools ParentVUE Activation Letter.” 

The email will include instructions to activate a ParentVUE account. If you don’t have an account and don’t receive the email, please check your spam folder or open a Parent Support Request. After July 29, families may also contact Silvia Caballero at 703-241-5100 to request a printed activation letter or a new activation key, if needed.

All families are encouraged to activate their accounts as soon as possible to ensure they receive immediate access to important student information and school communications.

For assistance activating your account, please contact our front office. For technical support, create a Parent Support Request.

School Medication Reminder

If your child has medication at school, you will need to pick it up by the last day of school, June 17. Otherwise, it will be destroyed. Medication cannot be stored over the summer.

FCPS News

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

• Celebrating Graduates
• Early Release Days for Next Year
• SAT School Day Accommodations

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

June 16: The 6th Grade Promotion Ceremony will take place in the Westlawn gymnasium from 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM.

June 17: The last day of school! Wear Westlawn clothing or Westlawn colors (red and blue). School will be dismissed at 1:30 PM.

July 29: Playground and Popsicles from 10-11 AM. Rising kindergarteners and their families are invited to meet the Principals, learn about the PTA, and make new friends!

August 21: Welcome to Westlawn from 10-11:30 AM. All Westlawn families are invited to meet the teachers, drop off school supplies, and catch up with friends you have not seen in awhile!

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

Be Prepared to Volunteer in 2026-2027!

FCPS now requires many volunteers to pass a background check. If you want to volunteer in 2026-2027, we recommend that you start the application process now. Then you can complete the background check over the summer and be ready to volunteer when school starts back up in August. Apply now to become an FCPS volunteer.

Westlawn Mentor Program: Supplies are Needed

Unfortunately we have lost the funding for our student mentoring program for next year. We will still have a program, and we need your help to make it as special and successful as possible. If your budget allows, the Wellness Team has compiled an Amazon wish list of items they want to use with students in the mentoring program next year. We are grateful for any support you can provide directly, or through sharing this wish list with friends and family members.

Tech Talk

Summer is a Lab, Not a Break

When we think about summer, we usually think about it as a break. We think about long, lazy days by the pool, staying up late, the occasional vacation, and a life with fewer rules.

What might happen if we reframed our thinking, though? Instead of seeing summer as a break, we could instead treat it like a lab: a chance for children to practice all of the skills they learned during the year outside of the academic setting.

Dr. Karla Lee wrote about the concept of summer as a lab on her blog recently. As a pharmacist who is a neurodivergent mother with neurodivergent children, Dr. Lee considers the issue with respect to medicating children during summer break. However, the concept of summer as a lab can apply to all children and all families, regardless of neurodivergence or medication.

If you are curious about treating summer as a lab and not a break, technology can help! Students can:

• Practice their oral language skills by sending voice messages to faraway friends and relatives.
• Use mindfulness or breathing apps to start their day or take a break during the day to get regulated.
• Experiment using calendar apps to track summer commitments.
• Create and share stories about summer adventures using creativity apps and products.

Instead of asking, "How much screen time should my child have this summer?" try asking, "What can we learn about how technology supports my child?"

Summer can be a season of observation and experimentation—a technology lab where families discover tools, accommodations, interests, and routines that can carry into the next school year.

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

Our last Soaring Staff Spotlight of the year is a double feature!

This week the Soaring Staff Spotlight is on Michelle White! Ms. White is the heath and social-emotional learning (SEL) eacher at Westlawn. Let’s learn more about Ms. White! What is your favorite thing about working at Westlawn? The Community!  What is your favorite children’s book? Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.  What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? My Nana used to tell me, “Everyday, try to learn something new and do something to earn your keep.” Who inspired you when you were growing up? Famous person: Mary Lou Retton, the American gymnast. Not famous: my dad, Retired Gunnery Sergeant Tyson. What is your favorite memory from elementary school? Being able to attend 5 elementary schools in 3 different states. I made many lifelong friends in elementary school. ❤️  What is your favorite color? Eggplant Purple, Bubblegum Pink, and Sapphire Blue  If you could instantly learn a new skill, what would it be? Learn another language. It’s something I’ve struggled with for years. What is your favorite family-friendly video game? Super Mario Brothers What is one thing that always makes your day better? Getting a smile or a hug from a student. ❤️

This week the Soaring Staff Spotlight is also on Andre Jackson! Mr. Jackson is an instructional assistant at Westlawn. Let’s learn more about Mr. Jackson! What is your favorite thing about working at Westlawn? I love the atmosphere and the kids. What is your favorite children’s book? Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Editor’s note: both Ms. White and Mr. Jackson loved this book! If it isn’t on your summer reading list yet, there is still time to add it! What is one talent or skill you have that most people don’t know about? I'm pretty good at memorizing things.  If you weren’t in education, what other job would you want? I wanted to be a lawyer/judge. What is your favorite memory from elementary school? When I was the judge in the school play.   What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving, all about family. If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go? Japan or Taiwan What song always makes you smile? You Are My Friend by Patti LaBelle. What is one thing that always makes your day better? A smile and of course some mint chocolate chip ice cream.

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

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