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 Volume 1, Issue 27
Leadership Ledger
Westlawn Families,
We hope everyone has adjusted to Daylight Savings Time and are enjoying the extra hour of daylight in the evenings! My wife and I even took our girls on a walk last night. First time since the fall! We encourage families of walkers to enjoy the Westlawn playground after dismissal, this is a great time for students and parents to connect with other members of our community.
ParentVUE, an app that allows easy access to educational documents, absence creations, and much more, is an excellent way to stay up-to-date with your child’s educational experience. If you do not have the ParentVUE app, visit the FCPS website for more information, or call our front office and ask to speak with Ms. Caballero.
The coming of spring brings not only warmer weather and longer nights, but also an increase in community events. Please keep a close eye on Westlawn Events and bring the family to some of the upcoming engagement opportunities!
Sincerely,
Christoph Hill, Stephanie Carpenter, and Erin Theiss
Proud Principals
 Dr. Suh from George Mason works with a second grade student on a math project. Second grade teachers were recently awarded a Mathical grant and have been working with Dr. Suh to design lessons that incorporate their new books! We will share more about their experience on our social media in the coming weeks.
STEAM Clubs are Coming!
Today your child should bring home a sign-up form for spring STEAM clubs. We are excited to share that we have more available seats than ever before! Please check your child’s backpack for the sign-up form and return it as soon as possible. We will start filling clubs on Friday afternoon and continue until they are full. Here are the available clubs this round:
Engineering Design Challenges
Ms. Burke (grades 2-3)
Do you love to design and build things? Students in this club will use the Engineering Design Process to explore a variety of fun building challenges each week.
Future Doctors
Ms. Rezcallah (grades 2-3)
Have you ever thought about working in the medical field when you grow up? There are so many different positions like doctors, nurses, x-ray techs, phlebotomists, pharmacists, and more! If you feel inspired to learn more about the human body and how it works, this class is for you! We will learn about the bones, skin, eyes, ears, muscles, and organs like your heart, lungs, and brain!
Junior Strategists
Ms. Granados (grades 3-4)
Love to play games? How about games where you get to use your best creative and critical thinking skills? Come join us to learn and play games like Sequence, Blokus, Rush Hour, and more!
Designing Vehicles with Lego Spike
Mr. Stuebner (grades 3-4)
Do you like Legos, vehicles, and robotics? Use your building skills and problem-solving to create some new ways of getting around with our Lego Spike kits.
Coding and Robotics
Falls Church High School students (grades 4-6)
Do you like robots and want to build your own to compete with? In this club we’ll apply the engineering design process and fundamental coding skills in order to build robots. After successfully assembling and coding the robots, we’ll put them head-to-head in a fun, competitive game!
Tech Titans
Mr. Maloney (grades 4-6)
Calling all innovators in grades 4-6! Unleash your inner Tech Titan in this after-school club where creativity meets cutting-edge technology. Build awesome projects, learn about the amazing world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and explore the future of tech. Join us and become a digital creator and AI explorer!
Green Team
Ms. Chan (grades 4-6)
Are you interested in saving the environment? We will focus on our community by planting a garden, preventing food waste in our cafeteria, and cleaning up our outdoor space.
Cardboard Arcade Club
Ms. Riffe & Ms. Grijalva (grades 5-6)
Ready to unleash your inner game designer? Join our Cardboard Arcade Club, where you'll craft and build your own arcade games using just cardboard, duct tape, and imagination! Get ready for endless fun as you create, play, and challenge your friends with your very own arcade creations.
Drone Club
Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation (grades 5-6)
Students will code and program drones, race drones through obstacle courses, and have fun! They will be able to incorporate loops, conditionals, variables, and more into their code using Blockly.
Engineering Explorations
Falls Church High School students (grades 5-6)
Have you ever wanted to build a tower, catapult, or perhaps even your own car? Look no further! We build a fun, new project every week! Hosted by Westlawn Alum students from Falls Church High School, young engineers can participate in engaging building projects while learning engineering principles!
Help Us Build a Bench from Recycled Materials!
Did you know that we can build a bench from recycled materials? It’s true! We need to collect 1,000 pounds of soft plastics to create the bench. Soft plastics are things like bread bags, Ziploc baggies, and bubble wrap. We encourage Westlawn families to collect clean, dry soft plastics in plastic grocery bags and bring them to the main office for Mrs. Maxwell. See the full list of soft plastics we can collect for the bench.
School Bus Safety
Earlier this week, Dr. Reid sent a letter to families about a new program involving cameras on school buses that will ultimately begin to cite people who drive past the bus when the stop sign is extended. Here is what she shared:
Cameras have been installed on the stop arms of 50 of our school buses, to identify drivers who pass stopped school buses while children are entering and exiting the bus (called a “stop arm violation”). Warnings for drivers will begin on Wednesday, April 9. After a 30-day warning period, citations will begin to be issued on Thursday, May 8.
We appreciate our law enforcement partners for working with us to improve road safety and reduce accidents. More information about the stop arm cameras and all of the ways that we work with our county partners to keep students safe on their way to and from school can be found on this webpage.
Last Call: Help Us Celebrate Adults in Our Community Who Read!
We are a community of readers, both staff and families alike! We are asking for grown-up book recommendations from staff and families so we can create a Westlawn recommendations list. The list will be shared the week of March 24 so that families and staff can acquire titles that sound good to make sure their spring break is fully booked. Recommend one (or more!) grown-up books today!
Reminder: Families of Students in Grades 3-6: We Need Your Consent for Retests!
If you have a child in grade 3-6, they may be eligible for an SOL retake depending on the score of their first exam. Students who qualify will receive remediation by Westlawn staff before the retake, and we also need to collect permission for the retake from a parent or guardian. Families are encouraged to decide whether they want their child to retake the SOL or not, and provide their answer via the online portal.
Instructions about using the portal and SOL dates can be found on our website. Families who need support to create a SIS ParentVUE account may schedule an appointment with a parent liaison by calling the office at 703-241-5100.
FCPS News
Are you curious about what’s happening more broadly in FCPS? This week’s In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) FCPS roundup covers:
- A Strong Academic Foundation
- 70th Annual Regional Science Fair
- New Breakfast Options
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
March 17: A Toast to Teachers
We will have a toast bar for staff on March 17 and need donations of food items and time, and we would also like to borrow some toasters. Please sign up if you are able to support in any way!
March 19: Fun Clothing Wednesday: Sports Jersey Day
March 20: SOL Testing
Students in Grade 5 will be participating in the Integrated Reading and Writing SOL on March 20. Please help your child succeed by making sure they get plenty of rest and a good breakfast!
March 28: Laps for Learning
Laps for Learning is our annual fundraiser where students run laps around our field and raise money for Westlawn. This year Laps for Learning will take place on March 28, and we need volunteers!
March 31-April 1: No School
There is no school on Monday, March 31 or Tuesday, April 1.
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.
PTA Opportunities
Join a Community Conversation
Join us on Wednesday at 11 AM on Zoom to hear the important news from the school from Principal Hill! Community Conversations happen weekly barring school holidays or weather closures. If you miss a Community Conversation, you can catch up with slides and recordings on our website.
Teacher Highlight: Christy Stephenson, 6th grade full-time AAP teacher
Greetings, Eagles! This is Ms. Stephenson, your sixth grade full-time AAP teacher! I am in my 22nd year of teaching and this is my 10th year at Westlawn. Working with Westlawn students and families is the absolute BEST!
There are so many reasons why I love teaching sixth grade! It's so rewarding to see the progress that students make from the beginning to the end of the year. I enjoy seeing students develop a love for learning, tap into their strengths and creativity, and begin to think about their futures! Getting students ready for middle school and beyond is my favorite thing about teaching sixth grade!
It's difficult to pinpoint a favorite part of the AAP curriculum as there are so many aspects that I enjoy! Giving students opportunities to share their thinking, look at texts from multiple perspectives, make connections among different content areas, expand on their writing, and work with partners in Math to share their different strategies is what I love! It’s also so fun when I hear or see students get creative with their sense of humor!
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Correction
Last week we said that Mrs. Boyd was a 4th grade full-time AAP teacher. Mrs. Boyd is actually our 3rd grade full-time AAP teacher. Thank you to folks who pointed that out!
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is an important part of helping children develop the skills they need to succeed in school and life. This year, we are using Second Step, a research-based SEL program designed to teach students essential skills like empathy, emotional regulation, and problem-solving. Each focus for the week will share recommendations for conversations and activities families can do at home to promote SEL outside of school.
Kindergarten
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that taking time to feel calm before reacting is a helpful first step to solving a problem. Try This at Home: Let your child see you taking a moment to feel calm at home when things are busy or stressful. For example, say, “Today was a really busy day. I’m going to take a few slow breaths to help me feel calm.” Invite your child to join you.
1st Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn helpful ways to respond to a problem caused by accident. They’ll practice phrases for apologizing: "I’m sorry. It was an accident. Are you okay? How can I help?" Try This at Home: When accidents occur at home, take time to apologize and encourage your child to do the same, using the new phrases they learned at school this week.
2nd Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will learn that thinking of more than one way to solve a problem can help them find one that works better or that they like better. Try This at Home: Ask your child to explain why it can be good to think of more than one way to solve a problem.
3rd Grade
In this week’s lesson your child will learn how to say a problem by thinking about what each person wants or needs. Try This at Home: Ask your child how they would say a problem respectfully, without blaming anyone.
4th Grade
In this week’s lesson, your child will begin to learn a process for solving interpersonal problems. They’ll learn how to say the problem respectfully and without blame. Try This at Home: Talk with your child about an interpersonal problem they’ve had at home. Help your child think about each person’s point of view, and then work together to say the problem respectfully.
5th Grade
In this lesson, your child will consider when, where, and with whom it would be best to work on an interpersonal problem. Try This at Home: Ask your child why it’s important to think about when, where, and with whom it would be best to work on an interpersonal problem.
If you have questions about these prompts or ideas, or social-emotional learning in general, please email Westlawn’s SEL Coach, Ms. Andrews. We can work together to create a positive and safe school environment!
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