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The Feather Report

September 4, 2026

Photo of the Week

This week in Ms. Chan’s class, students were paired up to examine primary sources (newspaper articles) about the sinking of the Titanic. Students worked with their partner to examine questions such as “Why was this source written?” as they work to build critical thinking skills.

Leadership Ledger

Westlawn Families,

It’s hard to believe we have already wrapped up our second week of school! It has been wonderful to see our students settling into their routines, building relationships, and showing us each day what it means to live the Westlawn Way. There is so much positive energy throughout our building, and I am incredibly proud of the way our students, staff, and families have helped us start the year on such a strong note!

This year, we are especially excited about a new tradition taking shape outside our cafeteria: our “Look Who’s Making a Positive Impact” wall! Throughout the week, staff members recognize students whose actions make Westlawn an even better place—whether they are helping a new student feel comfortable, cheering on a classmate, lending a helping hand, or demonstrating another positive behavior that strengthens our community. Each week, our principals will present these students with Positive Impact certificates, take their photos, and proudly add them to the wall. I can’t wait to watch it fill up with the faces of students who are making a difference every day!

As we head into the holiday weekend, please remember that there is no school on Monday. I hope everyone enjoys the extra time with family and friends, and we look forward to welcoming our students back to Westlawn on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. Thank you, as always, for your partnership and for helping make Westlawn such a special community. We are off to a great start!

In partnership,

Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss

Proud Principals

News

Welcome New Staff Members!

Over the next few weeks we will introduce you to the newest faces at Westlawn!

We are delighted to welcome Ms. Arlyn to Westlawn as an Enhanced Autism Classroom Instructional Assistant! Drawn to Westlawn by the warmth and kindness of our school community, Ms. Arlyn brings a special gift for connecting with others and ensuring every student feels seen, valued, and cared for. A lifelong fan of Social Studies, she loves the crisp fall weather, celebrating Halloween, sipping tea, and enjoying tacos. In her free time, she treasures spending quality time with her family, eating delicious local meals like Lomo Saltado from La Granja De Oro, and hopes to learn photography to capture special travel memories. Above all, nothing brightens her day faster than smiles and warm greetings from our students! Please join us in giving Ms. Arlyn a big Westlawn welcome!

We are excited to welcome Mrs. Harrington to Westlawn as a HIT Tutor! Mrs. Harrington comes to us after a wonderful 31-year career in teaching and coaching, and she is thrilled to bring her experience and passion for working with students to our Westlawn community. Inspired growing up by her own 2nd-grade teacher—who made every student feel cared for—she strives to bring that same joy and warmth to school every day. Her favorite color is purple, and when she isn't at school, you might find her enjoying a meal at El Tios or Silver Diner, or spending quality time with her family. Above all, nothing brightens her day more than getting a hug from her daughters, Amelia and Lizzie! Please join us in giving Mrs. Harrington a warm Westlawn welcome!

Please give a warm welcome to Ms. Nutan, who is joining our school community as an Instructional Assistant in a Preschool Autism Classroom! A passionate educator whose favorite subject growing up was science, Ms. Nutan loves sharing great stories with students like Pete the Cat. Off-duty, she is an early bird who enjoys cooking up delicious meals, sipping tea, and heading to the mountains, especially during her favorite season, fall. Her favorite color is yellow, and you'll often find her enjoying a banana, a slice of pizza, or a salty snack!

We are thrilled to officially welcome Ms. Moss to the team as a 2nd Grade Classroom Teacher! Many students and families will recognize Ms. Moss from last year when she served as a long-term substitute in second grade, and she is delighted to return to Westlawn full-time alongside her teammates. When she was in school, her favorite subject was art. In her free time, she loves grabbing a slice from Andy's Pizza, and nothing makes her day better than an Oreo McFlurry with extra Oreo! Please join us in giving Ms. Moss a warm welcome to her 2nd-grade classroom.

We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Waller to our school community as our new PHTA (Public Health Training Assistant)! Ms. Waller is excited to join our school family and work with students across different grade levels. She brings a wonderful mix of creativity and tech skills to our team—in addition to loving painting, she enjoys computer science and knows how to code! Her favorite children's book is A Bad Case of Stripes, and her ideal treat includes a warm cup of tea alongside white chocolate covered pretzels. Outside of school, Ms. Waller loves spending time with her son, listening to music by BTS, and dreaming of visiting Seoul, South Korea. Please join us in giving Ms. Waller a warm welcome!

Putting the T in PTA

Westlawn is committed to families and teachers working together to create the best possible learning outcomes for each student. This year Westlawn is sponsoring all teacher memberships to the PTA, an investment of $777! When you join the PTA, you will be partnering with every teacher at Westlawn to help sponsor field trips, get extra equipment for classrooms, and fulfill dreams! Join the PTA today.

Safety Drills During the School Year

Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for FCPS. Each school has an emergency preparedness plan to respond to incidents such as fires and extreme weather. Schools are required by state law to practice emergency drills, including lockdown drills, each year. Schools are also required to notify parents and guardians at least 24 hours before a school conducts a lockdown drill. However, schools are not required to give the specific date and time of the drill in advance. 

The first lockdown drill of the school year must take place within the first 20 days of school. Preschool and kindergarten students are exempt from practicing the first lockdown drill. 

Your child may come home and talk about their experience during the drill. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Please review these frequently asked questions to support your child before and after school lockdown drills.

⚠️ Know Our Security Terms

FCPS uses specific terminology to describe the actions school staff and students should take to ensure safety in a variety of situations. It is important for staff, families, and students to understand what the different terms mean and how they impact school operations.

Watch this video to learn about safety terms including lockdown; secure the building; and stay put, stay tuned. 

If students, staff, or families have a safety concern at school (that is not an immediate emergency), they should submit a tip to the FCPS Safety Tipline. In an emergency, please call 9-1-1.

Reminder: Join the Westlawn Band & String Orchestra!

Registration is now open for Band (grades 5 & 6) and Strings (grades 4, 5, & 6) groups! Follow the links below to sign your student up to play an instrument this year. Also: we have scholarships available for families who need financial assistance! Let Ms. Emery, Ms. Riddle, or Ms. Susens know that you are interested and they will help! Money is not a barrier for students who want to join the band or string orchestra! We will make sure of it!

• Band/strings interest form (English)
• Formulario de interés para banda y cuerdas (español)

FCPS News

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

• Save the Date: Community Conversations With Superintendent Reid
• A Look Back at the First Day of School
• FCPS SOL Results Maintain Strong Student Achievement

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

September 7: No School for extended Labor Day Weekend.

September 10: Join us for the first PTA meeting of the year, including an ice cream social! Ice cream scooping starts at 5:30 PM. Childcare and interpretation will be provided.

September 14: Join the Scouts for a Community Cleanup in the Discovery Area from 5:00-7:30 PM! Anyone can help, whether they are a Scout or not. Volunteers should bring gardening gloves, and are also invited to bring tools such as wheel barrows, extension cords, and weed whackers. Only adults will be allowed to use power tools.

September 17: Back to School Night takes place from 4:30 - 6:00 PM, but the party doesn’t stop there! Kona Ice will be on campus until 7:00. All proceeds go toward helping the 6th graders fund activities such as the 6th grade field trip!

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 the (Community) Conversation!

Each Wednesday at 11 am, join Mr. Hill and Ms. Dushok to hear the latest news from Westlawn! Community Conversations are held via Zoom and we do our best to share the 2026-2027 Community Conversation Zoom link each week before the meeting. Archives of the three most recent Community Conversations are available on our website.

Reminder: Be Prepared to Volunteer in 2026-2027!

Like last year, some volunteer roles in FCPS require background checks and fingerprinting. If you plan on regularly volunteering anywhere in FCPS, please sign up as a volunteer through the FCPS volunteer portal. The portal will require you to make an account, and then you can access the account to check the status of your background check, fingerprints, etc.

Mind Matters

FCPS’ Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Philosophy

Did you know that there is a Virginia state mandate to provide advanced academic opportunities to students? FCPS takes the mandate one step further and prioritizes developing the strengths and talents of ALL students! In the FCPS Advanced Academic Program Philosophy it states that all students deserve engaging learning experiences and a rigorous education that meets their personal needs. At Westlawn, our Advanced Academics Resource Teacher Mrs. Maxwell works tirelessly to ensure that every student has access to rigor through the AAP continuum of services. The staff at Westlawn is constantly looking for new ways to expand our students’ opportunities and background knowledge.

Keep a look out in next week’s take home folders for a newsletter from the AAP office that explains the program in detail. Also, I encourage you to join me and learn more by attending our AAP information session on Wednesday, September 23 from 5:00-6:00pm in the Westlawn library. Translation will be available!

Fall Full-Time AAP Referral Window for Students New to FCPS Closes on October 15 

The Advanced Academic Program (AAP) fall referral window is only for students in Grades 3 to 8 who are new to FCPS since January 1, 2026. Parents and guardians who would like their student to be considered for Full-Time AAP services must submit the Full-Time AAP Referral Form to Gretchen Maxwell, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, by Thursday, October 15. Late referrals will not be accepted.

For students who are not new to FCPS, the spring Full-Time AAP identification window is open to students in Grades 2 to 7. Families interested in referring their student for consideration during the spring window must submit a referral by Tuesday, December 15.

Once a referral is received, our school will compile information related to the student. Then, a committee of trained professionals from across the county will review materials to determine eligibility for Full-Time AAP services.

Other Advanced Academic Services 

At the elementary level, all students are screened each spring for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP services. Families may also refer their student for consideration for Subject-Specific or Part-Time AAP at any time during the school year. Eligibility decisions are made at the school level, and families are notified of the decision within 30 school days of the referral. The Full-Time AAP referral deadlines do not apply.

At the middle school level, honors courses are open to all students. 

For more information, please contact Gretchen Maxwell, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, come to the meeting at Westlawn on September 23, or visit the Advanced Academic Programs webpage.

Gretchen Maxwell is Westlawn’s Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, and she is passionate about creating opportunities for each Westlawn student to soar. You can email Mrs. Maxwell or reach her via TalkingPoints.

Tech Talk

FCPS Answers to Tech Questions

It seems like everywhere you look these days, educational technology is in the news. Just this week New York City Public Schools announced the most sweeping ban on AI in K-12 education in the country. New mandates and warnings pop up every day. And, due to the nature of the technology itself, decisionmakers are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions with very little time to consider the research--if the research even exists. If you are concerned or confused about the role of technology in education, you are not alone!

At Westlawn we strive to use technology in meaningful ways and in places where it makes sense, and where it can enhance a student’s experience in a positive and meaningful way. The way we use technology in our school mirrors the best practices supported by Fairfax County Public Schools.

Recently we became aware that FCPS has created a series of web pages to share these best practices and philosophies with the community. We have highlighted them below for your Labor Day Weekend reading!

• Education Technology in FCPS: An overview that contains the vision for technology use in FCPS and details about what that looks like in the classroom.
• Digital Literacy in FCPS: Information about the FCPS digital literacy curriculum, and why being digitally literate is such an important skill for everybody.
• Educational Technology Review Committee: information about the newly-formed ETRC, including meeting dates, agendas, and decisions reached.
• AI Guidance for FCPS Faculty and Staff: an overview of the expectations we have for staff using AI in FCPS.
• Student Guide: Artificial Intelligence: Expectations for student use of AI in FCPS. Note that although FCPS does not approve or provide access to general purpose generative AI on student devices, we recognize that students may access AI on other devices.

Digital Resource Consent Update

At the time of this writing (Thursday morning, September 3), we have received consent from over 95% of our families, with only 27 students left for whom we have not yet been able to collect consent to use certain digital resources. Ms. Dushok and classroom teachers have been following up with those families, and we are hoping to be able to finalize this task very soon. We are currently in second place across all FCPS for percent of consent collected, behind only Flint Hill Elementary School!

TalkingPoints Tip

Did you know that you can set TalkingPoints to create a “group chat” with both parents/guardians and the teacher? Just like in a text group chat, all people in a TalkingPoints group chat can see what each other is saying. You will need the TalkingPoints app to make this work. Here’s how:

1. Click in the top right corner where you see the initials for each family member.
2. Turn on “share messages” to see each other’s messages and responses. 

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).

Zoom into the Room

First grade is off to an energetic and heartwarming start in Ms. Barry’s classroom! These first few weeks are dedicated to laying a strong foundation—learning daily routines, practicing expectations, and building a supportive classroom community where every child feels safe, valued, and ready to take learning risks. Ms. Barry’s focus is on fostering an environment where students grow not only as scholars, but as thoughtful, independent, and caring individuals who support one another like a family.

Academic learning and hands-on discovery are already in full swing:

• Math & Community Graphing: Students explored math concepts through a delicious taste test of red, yellow, and green apples. After choosing their favorite flavor, students colored their own apples and created a collective picture graph, which now proudly hangs in the hallway alongside other collaborative charts celebrating who they are as a class.
• Literacy & Sentence Building: Following a shared reading of Laura Numeroff’s If You Take a Mouse to School, the class brainstormed ideas together on the Smart Board before heading to their desks to write sentences about what a mouse might bring to class.
• Tech Independence & Peer Support: First graders took a big step forward in their technology skills by transitioning from iPads to laptops. Demonstrating wonderful patience, they practiced logging in to access ST Math puzzles, with designated student helpers stepping up to offer guidance and encouragement to classmates who needed a hand.

With new friendships blossoming, routines taking root, and students eager to cheer each other on, Ms. Barry’s classroom is well on its way to a joyful, growth-filled year of learning together.

Top: A student writes a sentence about the thing he thinks a mouse might bring to school. Middle: A student giggles after taking a bite from a red apple. It was so sweet! Bottom: One student looks over at another student as she logs into her laptop for the first time. Using real keyboards is such a change from the iPads that students used in kindergarten!

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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