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The Feather Report

October 9, 2026

Photo of the Week

On Wednesday we celebrated Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day! Not only did many of our students participate, but so did several of our staff! Some staff members chose to meet with students and walk together, and others decided to create a bike train! We love it when our staff are just as invested as our students in the special opportunities and celebrations we have throughout the year!

Leadership Ledger

Westlawn Families,

Great things continue to happen at Westlawn, and one of my favorite things to see each day is the growing number of students being recognized for their kindness! Our Positive Behavior initiative continues to gain momentum as students are “caught” doing good things for others. The picture wall outside the cafeteria keeps growing, and it is wonderful to see so many of our students being celebrated for making Westlawn such a caring and welcoming place. We are proud of our Eagles!

Get those outfits and haircuts ready because Picture Day is coming on October 22! All students will have their pictures taken so that we can update our school databases, and families will also have the opportunity to purchase photo packages. Paper order envelopes will be sent home in Thursday folders. If you choose to order using the paper envelope, please send in exact change for the package you select. Families can also order online at mylifetouch.com using the code EVTP29TVG. We look forward to seeing all those smiling faces!

Finally, I want to share some bittersweet news. Unfortunately, we have lost another valued staff member due to FCPS staffing changes. We are sad to say goodbye to Ms. Samantha Juarez Sevilla, who has been serving as an instructional assistant in Ms. Diana Meredith’s Early Autism Classroom. Although Ms. Sevilla joined Westlawn just this August, she has already made a wonderful impact on our students, staff, and school community. She will certainly be missed, and we wish her nothing but the best as she moves to Fairhill Elementary School. Thank you, Ms. Sevilla, for everything you have done for our Eagles!

As always, thank you to our families and staff for the kindness, support, and partnership that make Westlawn such a special place to learn and grow!

In partnership,

Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss

Proud Principals

News

No Smart Watches, Please!

As a reminder, students cannot wear smart watches during the school day this year. The ban on smart watches is across the state, not specific to Westlawn (or even to FCPS). We understand that some brands of smart watches are able to be “turned off” during the day and function just as digital watches. Even so, students are not allowed to wear them during the day. If teachers see students with smart watches, they will ask them to remove the watch and put it into their backpack.

We understand why families might want students to have a smart watch. (In fact, several of us have gotten smart watches for our own young children for the same reasons!) Unfortunately, because this requirement is coming from the state Board of Education, there is no wiggle room. We urge families who use smart watches as GPS trackers to consider other options that can be kept in your child’s backpack 24/7, such as Apple AirTags and similar technology. Families who feel strongly about this policy (or any other policy set forth by the Virginia Board of Education) are encouraged to contact the Board.

Children with smart watches or cell phones may still keep those items in backpacks during the school day, and only get them out and turn them on after school. However, please note that Westlawn is not responsible for items that get lost or damaged.

Free Trees

Fairfax County residents can get a free tree to plant on their property through the Arbor Day Foundation. Trees are noninvasive, native to Northern Virginia and won’t need much maintenance once they are established. Fall is an excellent season to plant a tree! Families who apply to get a free tree early will also have their choice of various native trees.

Reminder: 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.

Reminder: 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. 

Immunization Events for FCPS Students

FCPS, in partnership with Inspire Health Alliance, will be providing school-required immunizations and optional flu shots for all FCPS students, ages 18 and under, with no out-of-pocket costs. Multiple events will take place at designated FCPS locations. 

Additional dates will be made available throughout the school year. Parents or guardians may view upcoming events and schedule an appointment for their student. Participation is voluntary. Additional immunization resources are available.

Westlawn Pro Tip: if your insurance covers vaccines, check out local businesses that give out coupons or other deals in exchange for getting your vaccines in their in-store pharmacies. For example, Safeway Pharmacy offers a 10% off up to $200 in groceries for every vaccine they deliver, and they carry a wide selection of vaccines. Note that--especially with children’s vaccines--local businesses may not defrost them automatically, so you might need to call ahead to ensure the ones you need for you or your family are ready when you arrive.

Share Your Feedback on Traveling to and From School

The FCPS Office of Safety and Security and Safe Routes to School program are asking families to share their experiences traveling to and from their child’s school. The feedback will help inform the Fairfax County School Board’s annual assessment of traffic and pedestrian safety near schools. 

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:

• Safe Routes to School Survey
• Immunization Events
• Celebrating Our Principals

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 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

October 21: Color Day: Wear Pink

October 22: Fall Picture Day

October 23: Help support the PTA through dining at Chuck E. Cheese in Fairfax from 3 PM - 9 PM! Westlawn can earn up to 25% back! Students will bring home coupons in next week’s Thursday folder.

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

LAST CALL! 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: Subject-Specific and Part-Time Services

At Westlawn we are very proud of our ability to flexibly meet the needs of students. Meeting students by “name and need” means that we individualize services for each student in all things– including AAP curriculum. The continuum of AAP services offered in elementary schools in FCPS and here at Westlawn include two separate part-time programs.

• Students in grades K-6 can be found eligible for Subject-Specific AAP services which means they have an academic strength and require more challenging work beyond their peers in one or more subjects. These students receive small group instruction or differentiation in their areas of strength from their classroom teacher. Our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, Mrs. Maxwell, partners with teachers as needed by directing them to opportunities to infuse AAP curriculum in the classroom.

• Students in grades 3-6 can be found eligible for Part-Time AAP services which means they have an overall multi-subject need for advanced curriculum beyond their peers. Many of these students receive the same services as Subject-Specific students, but also participate in a weekly pull-out group with Mrs. Maxwell that focuses on CCT skills as well as challenging curriculum in all subjects. Some part-time students access the AAP curriculum daily in their subjects of strength in the full-time AAP classroom.
• A note about Advanced Math: Advanced Math is a separate identification that may or may not tie in to their AAP eligibility. In other words, a student could be accessing advanced math and not have an AAP designation, and the opposite is also true: they could have an AAP designation and not be placed in advanced math. They sometimes relate and sometimes do not, it all depends on what the student needs.

All students are screened for these services in the Spring, but a parent can refer at any time by filling out the subject-specific or part-time services referral form and sending it in to your teacher. 

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

Cybersecurity and Social Media Surveys

If you’re of a certain age, you probably grew up sharing those long “tell me about yourself” surveys through email. Maybe you waited desperately for one from your crush so you could study their favorite color and wear nothing but that for the next week in a bid for their attention. (Maybe that was just me?! Anyway.)

These days, you may see those same surveys making the rounds on social media. They seem innocent enough—and even fun! Who doesn’t like sharing random facts and connecting with a friend?

But there can be a darker side. Questions about your first car, childhood street, or favorite teacher might reveal information someone could use to guess the answers to your account security questions. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that scammers may use online quizzes to collect answers to those questions. And even if a survey isn’t malicious, sharing personal details publicly can make it easier for someone to impersonate you or target your accounts. (FTC: “Don’t answer another online quiz question until you read this”)

You can see the problem: sharing those answers could make it easier for someone with bad intentions to get into your accounts. If a website asks you to set security questions, consider using answers that aren’t easy to find or guess—and turn on multifactor authentication when it’s available.

So the next time you see one of those surveys on social media, I have a challenge for you. First, don’t repost it, much less with your own answers. Second, if you know the person who posted it, send them a private message and invite them out for coffee. Why coffee? I believe people share those surveys because they’re looking for connection with others. You could certainly share what you know about the cybersecurity risks, but it’s even better to recognize the hope behind the post by responding to that very human desire for connection and friendship.

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: During small group time, students do a variety of activities. Some meet with a teacher, and others use the time to complete units in Lexia or in Summit K12. Groups rotate periodically. Middle: Ms. Thomas has a table where she meets with students, both as small groups or as individuals who need additional support. It’s a great way to help students catch up with missing work when they are out with illness! Bottom: All of Ms. Thomas’ students attended a field trip to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC this week. As students went through the Hall of Presidents, they had a chance to touch replicas of Abraham Lincoln’s hands and skull.

In Ms. Thomas’s sixth-grade Language Arts classroom, students are engaging in deep, analytical thinking as they explore both language comprehension and writing. This week, students are reading about various conservationists while honing key literacy skills like summarizing, analyzing central ideas, and comparing how different authors present information. In writing, sixth graders are composing explanatory essays about Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai, analyzing how her childhood experiences shaped her choices as an adult—an engaging process that builds essential graphic organizer and evidence-gathering tools to prepare them for middle school success.

Using classroom agendas to build daily routines and independence, students move seamlessly between whole-class lessons, small-group instruction, and independent work time. Ms. Thomas loves witnessing her students' independence and the depth of their thinking as they step into leadership roles and share insightful, thoughtful observations during class discussions. With additional small-group support from Dr. Jackson and Mr. Slyngstad, every learner is empowered to succeed, and the class had a wonderful time taking their learning beyond the classroom with a field trip to the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday!

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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