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The Feather Report

October 2, 2026

Photo of the Week

We kicked off our mentoring program for the year with board games, card games, and doughnuts in the cafeteria this week. Students and staff love the opportunity to build strong relationships and have fun together through mentor and mentee meetings throughout the year.

Leadership Ledger

Westlawn Families,

There is a lot to look forward to at Westlawn as we head into October! From preparing for fall conferences to getting ready for Westlawn Day, I am grateful for all the ways our families, staff, and PTA continue to come together to make our school such a special place.

As a reminder, there will be no school for students on Monday, October 12. We are also beginning preparations for fall conferences, and your child’s teacher will soon be reaching out with available dates and times. Our goal is to connect with every Westlawn family! These conversations are such an important part of our partnership, giving us the opportunity to celebrate your child’s progress and talk together about how we can continue supporting their success. Translation services will be available for families as needed.

And finally, Westlawn Day is almost here! Our wonderful PTA is working hard to make this a fantastic event for our entire community. A donation box is now available in the main office, and families are encouraged to check out the PTA’s Amazon Wish List for items that will help make the day a huge success. Please also join us for the PTA meeting on October 8 in the Westlawn library. There will be a baked goods raffle, fun for the whole family, and plenty of opportunities to get involved and help shape Westlawn into a school that truly reflects the hopes and ideas of our community.

Thank you for continuing to show up, participate, and support one another. That partnership is what makes Westlawn such a wonderful place to learn and grow!

In partnership,

Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss

Proud Principals

News

What Do You Think of Our School Innovation and Improvement Plan?

Each year every school in FCPS is required to write a School Innovation and Improvement Plan, which we call the SIIP. The plan identifies the areas in which we want to grow and the steps to get there. We publish a modified version of the plan on our website for families and community members to see, and this year we are asking for your feedback on the plan! View the 2026-2027 SIIP, and provide feedback on the 2026-2027 SIIP.

Free National Parks Pass for Fourth Graders

All fourth graders are eligible for a free National Parks pass that allows the fourth grader, all children under age 16, and up to 3 adults to have access to hundreds of National Parks sites for free during the eligible child’s fourth grade year. To get your free pass, sign up at the Every Kid Outdoors webpage. Note that you will need a printer to print the paper certificate, and then exchange the paper certificate for the laminated pass at one of the designated locations. We hear that they do want the paper certificate and generally do not accept a screenshot.

Reminder: Join Us for Play Club at Westlawn Elementary!

We are excited to introduce Play Clubs, a new activity designed for students to enjoy free play, make friends, and build key life skills. Running from October 5 through November 23 on the school field/playground, Play Club gives children the opportunity to create their own fun. While adult supervisors are present, they do not manage games or settle everyday peer disputes.

Weekly Schedule & Grade Levels:

• Mondays (3:45 PM – 4:45 PM): Grades K–3 only
• Wednesdays (7:45 AM – 8:30 AM): Grades K–6
• Thursdays (3:45 PM – 4:45 PM): Grades 4–6 only
• Fridays (7:45 AM – 8:30 AM): Grades K–6

Please note that sessions are canceled if it rains.

How to Participate: To sign up, please complete the Play Club Permission Form and return it to your child's teacher (it was sent home in Thursday folders).

If you have questions or would like to volunteer as an adult supervisor, please email Ms. Davidow.

Reminder: Free Family Literacy Program

The Family Literacy Program is a FREE family engagement program for multilingual families!

Parents can participate in beginning English classes, while their children in kindergarten through 7th grade enjoy fun and educational activities led by two instructors.

The program helps families:

• Build confidence using English
• Understand and navigate the school system
• Access community and educational resources
• Advocate for their children’s success

The program will take place from 6 PM- 8 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Falls Church High School in rooms 1080 and 1082 (through the main entrance). Sign up to participate!

Calendar Change: Eid al-Fitr

FCPS will mark the beginning of Eid al-Fitr with an evening-only observance day on Monday, March 8. There will be school on this day, but major school-sponsored events and activities (such as auditions or tryouts) will not take place. 

Tuesday, March 9, will be a holiday for students and staff. 

Wednesday, March 10, will be an observance day. There will be school on this day, but certain activities that cannot be made up (major tests, field trips, or mandatory events) will not take place on this day. 

A new school year calendar has been published, which includes this change. Please note that holidays and observances on the calendar may shift due to anticipated lunar sightings.

Safe Routes to School Parent and Caregiver Survey

As part of the Fairfax County School Board’s Annual School-Based Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Assessment, the FCPS Office of Safety and Security and Safe Routes to School program are inviting parents and caregivers to share their experiences traveling to and from school.

The Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Survey asks about walking and biking routes, traffic near schools, kiss and ride experiences, accessibility, and other safety concerns. 

Your feedback will help FCPS identify common issues. Your responses will be kept confidential and shared with school administrators and the Office of Safety and Security. The five-minute survey is open through Thursday, October 15. 

Be sure to identify the school related to your feedback and include specific locations where you have observed a safety issue. If you have students at different schools in FCPS, please complete a different survey for each school. 

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact SafeRoutestoSchool@fcps.edu.  

FCPS News

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

• College Prep Resources
• Life in the Community Fair
• Calendar Update: Eid al-Fitr

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

October 6: First day of STEAM Academy clubs.

October 7: Color Days: Wear Blue!

October 7: Walk, Bike, and Roll to school to celebrate going places with people power!

October 7: First day of Drama Club Rehearsal.

October 8: The October PTA meeting will be in person at Westlawn in the library and starts at 6:00 PM.

October 10: Westlawn Day Festival is almost here! Join us on Saturday from 10 AM–12 PM for a fun morning celebrating our Westlawn community! Wristbands and raffle tickets are available for preorder online. All preordered items will be sent home with students on October 8.

October 12: No School for Students

October 14: Color Days: Wear Purple

October 15: Patrol Officer Ceremony

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: Volunteer to Cheer Students on the Move

Volunteer to cheer on students who walk, bike, or roll to school on October 7!

Reminder: Volunteer at Westlawn Day

🙋‍♀️ The PTA still needs your help! Families can support the festival by volunteering during the event or donating a needed item through the Amazon Wish List. Every volunteer and donation helps make Westlawn Day a fun and successful event for our students and families. 🦅 We hope to see you there!

Ongoing Opportunities: Join Mr. Hill and Ms. Dushok for Westlawn’s Community Conversation each Wednesday at 11 a.m. via Zoom, and visit our website for archives of the three most recent conversations. If you plan to volunteer regularly in FCPS during the 2026–2027 school year, please register through the FCPS volunteer portal to complete any required background checks and fingerprinting.

Mind Matters

AAP Service Highlight: Full-Time AAP 

Did you know Westlawn provides access to full-time AAP services? This means we have trained, AAP endorsed staff and AAP curriculum to meet the needs of students identified as eligible in grades 3-6. This programming has increased pace, depth, and rigor in all academic subjects.

How do you know if your student needs these services? Consider reaching out to their teacher and/or our AART, Mrs. Maxwell to discuss this. If you suspect your student needs more challenges in all subjects, consider submitting a referral. A portfolio of information is then collected by the school and submitted to the FCPS central screening committee who makes the decision if a student needs these services. This portfolio includes the referral, work samples, progress reports, test scores, HOPE ratings, and optional parent questionnaires. A complete virtual information session is coming up at the end of the month! Join the Zoom and hear Mrs. Maxwell explain the process and answer questions on Monday October 26 from 6:00pm-7:00pm.

To access information and forms for full-time AAP, please click here. The window for full-time AAP referral opens on the first day of school and closes on December 15 every year. 

FCPS Seeks Community Input on Middle School AAP Centers

FCPS is exploring a plan to offer Full-Time Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services at every middle school. Under the proposal, students who qualify could attend their neighborhood middle school and take advanced classes with other AAP students. The School Board has approved community engagement at Franklin, Hayfield, Holmes, Key, and Whitman middle schools, where programs could open for the 2027-28 school year. The proposal is still under consideration, and the School Board is expected to make a decision in December.

Each community meeting offers in-person and virtual participation. Upcoming meetings are scheduled for:

• Franklin Middle: Monday, October 5, at 6 p.m.
• Holmes Middle: Thursday, October 15, at 6 p.m.
• Whitman Middle: Thursday, October 22, at 6 p.m.

Current middle school students will remain at their assigned AAP centers through middle school. Learn more and find meeting sign-up forms on the Middle School AAP Centers page.

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

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and we will do our part by sharing information with you about keeping your child’s information safe online. Like with all things technology, the best practices of cybersecurity are constantly evolving. For example: while password complexity used to be the most important aspect of a strong password, now the strongest passwords are simply the longest ones. Keep your eyes on this column for more tips and information about cybersecurity this month!

What is MFA and why does it matter in FCPS?

MFA stands for multi-factor authentication, and it is essentially an extra layer of security to make it harder for hackers to get into your online information. It matters for FCPS families because ParentVUE is undergoing a big change, and part of the change is introducing optional MFA for families to use to add an extra layer of security for their child’s data. Here’s more information about the change to ParentVUE:

The new ParentVUE mobile app is available in the Apple and Google App stores. This new app provides parents and caregivers with a more secure sign-in. Families must download the new app by December 2026 to ensure they have continued mobile access to their ParentVUE account. The previous app will be deactivated at the end of 2026.

In the new app, families can enroll in multi-factor authentication (MFA) for FCPS Single Sign-On. While enrollment is optional, we strongly recommend that everyone enable this security feature. Learn more about installing the new ParentVUE app. Parents needing assistance should submit a Parent Support Request.

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

Top: Students present about hydropower to their classmates. Middle: A student uses colored pencils and a regular pencil to take math notes about the parts of an algebraic expression. Bottom: Ms. Grijalva helps a student focus on the most important parts of his notebook as he works on his science one-pager in preparation for an upcoming assessment.

This week in Ms. Grijalva’s fifth-grade classroom, energy and enthusiasm are in high supply as students engage in dynamic learning across math and science. In math, students are diving into algebraic reasoning, tackling variables, and learning how to translate word phrases into algebraic notation. Meanwhile, science lessons are brought to life through Total Physical Response (TPR), with students using interactive physical motions to reinforce their understanding of various forms of energy.

Collaboration and communication take center stage as students work in small groups to research energy sources and present their findings to their peers. Beyond sharing scientific facts, student presenters practice public speaking fundamentals—such as clear enunciation and facing their audience—while the rest of the class practices active listening by logging key details and identifying each energy source as renewable or nonrenewable. To wrap up the week and prepare for an upcoming assessment, students are crafting AVID one-pagers. This creative strategy allows each learner to synthesize unit vocabulary, class anchor charts, and reading materials into a personalized mind map tailored to their own unique learning style.

Ms. Grijalva loves teaching fifth grade because of the deep relationships she builds with her students over the school year. She cherishes the unique perspective each child brings to the room, delighting in watching their personalities shine as they learn to balance hard work with classroom fun. With the supportive collaboration of Special Education teacher Mr. Honnold alongside team members Ms. Youssef, Mr. Rowland, Ms. Torres, and Ms. Ampula, every student receives the individualized encouragement needed to stretch their thinking and achieve together.

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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