Home Current News Subscribe/Unsubscribe to "Westfield High School PTSA" News You Choose Recent Newsletters WHS PTSA E-Blast 1-14-16
Westfield HS PTSA
Home of the Bulldogs
"Parents are KEY to Bulldog Success"
PTSA E-Tidbit News
PTSA E-blast 1-14-16
Please “LIKE” us on Facebook (Westfield High School PTSA)
KEY DATES (complete calendar at ptsa.westfieldhs.org):
1/15: Final Day for the Children’s Book Challenge (see #2 below)
1/18: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
1/19: Teacher Workday; No School for students
1/21: PTSA Meeting, 7 pm
1/29: “The Teenage Brain” seminar, 8:30-10:30 am
Here are several updates from around the school:
- PTSA Membership: Please join the PTSA this year—it’s not too late! You can sign up and pay online at PTSA webpage or download the membership form and send it, along with payment, to the main office. It takes many people joining and helping in the mission of success for all students at Westfield. Please be one of those people – your participation matters.
- Children’s Book Challenge: Tomorrow, Friday, 1/15, is the final day of the Children’s Book Challenge. Students and families are invited and encouraged to participate in the creation of a new library for the ever increasing numbers of English for Speakers of Other Languages. Please bring a new or gently used children’s book to school next week and leave it in one of the boxes that will be located at doors 1, 11, and 13 or in Subschool 1. Please write a personal note, your name and/or graduation year in the book and be a part of this lasting legacy that will help students learn for years to come. The goal is for every student to participate – Please help us meet that goal! Thank you! Questions? Please email Mr. Van Trees at hwvantrees@fcps.edu (Books will still be gratefully accepted in Subschool 1 after Friday)
- Upcoming History Day Volunteers Needed: Westfield’s 3rd Annual National History Day Fair is Thursday, February 4th. A few more judges are needed for the fair. Judges will evaluate projects created by Honors History students. Come be part of the gallery walk and watch documentaries created by the students. If you are interested in being a judge, please sign up here. There are multiple categories and you may not judge a certain category if your son/daughter or a relative has an entry in that category. Questions? Please contact Ms. Santiago at jmsantiago@fcps.edu
- The Teenage Brain Seminar: If you are interested in learning more about how your teen thinks, please join us for a parent coffee on Friday, January 29th from 8:30-10:30 am in the Lecture Hall. Neil McNerney, M. Ed. (LPC, educator and author) and Dr. Kiran Iqbal (child and adult psychiatrist) will lead this presentation. Neil has spent over twenty years working with families in our community and knows the challenges we face. He is joined this year by Dr. Iqbal who brings her expertise in brain neurology to the discussion. For more information on Neil McNerney, please visit his website, http://neilmcnerney.com/ We hope to see you there.
- PTSA Meeting: This month’s PTSA meeting will be in the library on Thursday, January 21st. At the meeting, among other topics, there will be a proposal and vote to amend the budget categories and dollar allocations for the All Night Graduation Party budget, in order to accommodate the new venue and other plans for the event.
- 2016-2017 Academic Course and Advising Schedule: The link to the 2016-2017 academic advising calendar and the course catalogs, which may vary based on when your student began 9th grade, can be found here. Please encourage your students to take this process seriously, as changing classes after the deadline is difficult and often times, it is not possible to switch into some courses because they are full. Staffing decisions are based on student enrollment.
- Economics and Personal Finance Class: Did you know that the in-school Economics and Personal Finance class meets the following graduation requirements: taking an online course (there is an online component), industry credential test (which can also be used as a verified SOL credit), and the CTE requirement? The class can also be taken completely online, but for a fee. Students can talk with their guidance counselors for more information about this required course and the course options.
- Mulch Sale: The annual mulch sale will begin soon. Please keep the WHS Mulch sale in mind as you plan your spring mulch needs. Delivery weekend is April 9th. More information will follow soon.
- Mulch Committee Chair Openings (seeking volunteers to “shadow” this year): Several mulch committee chair positions will open in the next year or so and we seek volunteers to "shadow" current committee chairs. These include: mulch chair, publicity, routes, sales, and hospitality. Please be involved with this annual community event – there is a short busy period associated with this event. Please contact Julie Glowacki at glowackimulch@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to hear about the positions. Thank you!
- PTSA Board Opening - Treasurer: The PTSA seeks someone to become the PTSA Treasurer beginning in July. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Meg Crossett at ptsa_president@westfieldhs.org No experience is needed, though a financial background is helpful. The current treasurer will provided training, if needed.
- Practice Test Thank You: Thank you to the Practice Test Chair, Hari Chadeva, and parent Nancy Loebl for doing such a great job at the practice SAT/ACT last weekend. We appreciate your time and effort!
- Congratulations to senior Sara Sturm! Sara, a current WHS senior, successfully auditioned for American Idol and will be moving on to the next round. See her audition here Good luck Sara!
- Budget Update: Dr. Garza presented the Fiscal Year 2017 budget on January 7th. For information, please click here. Please continue to be involved as the process continues. The school board will hold a public hearing on January 25th with a budget work session scheduled for Thursday, January 28th. Important dates can be found here. The budget process is far from over and public input will continue to be needed.
- Superintendent Garza’s Listening Tour: Dr. Garza will hold 5 listening tour meetings in the coming weeks. The closest meeting to Westfield will be at Centreville High School on February 29th at 6:30 pm. Other dates and information can be found here. If you plan to attend, it is requested that you register here.
- WeSTEP is coming: Seniors interested in an internship in June are invited to be part of WeSTEP! Needed is 2.5 or higher GP and strong attendance. WeSTEP applications are available on the Westfield website under the “Seniors” link or can be picked up in room E101. Mrs. Lee can talk with seniors about internship placements as well.
- WeSTEP Community Sponsors Needed: Westfield High School is looking for business partnerships for the 2016 WHS WeSTEP Internship Program. The program runs from June 6th through June 17th. All interns satisfy high standards, including grade, attendance and discipline records reviews. To participate, your organization should be able to offer an intern a minimum of 60 hours of work. We seek paid and unpaid internships and seek to add new opportunities for students in a law firm or other law related careers, animal preservation (a zoo maybe), and finance. The program was such a success last year that at least 23 of our seniors were offered summer employment! Please contact Patricia Lee at PYLee@fcps.edu for additional information about the program and to see if we can help you find the perfect intern(s). Your collaboration is an important part of the education of our seniors, and we look forward to working with you.
- All Night Grad Party: Plans are underway for the 2016 All Night Grad Celebration. Please watch your email for information. It will be available soon. If you are interested in being part of the planning process, please email the committee chairs, Anne Hanover and Sarah Bermingham, at angp@westfieldhs.org. There are a few committee chair openings - security, decorating and volunteer coordinator. If you are interested or have questions, please contact the chairs.
- Senior Parents – FAFSA Workshops: Have you started the FAFSA and need help? College Access Fairfax is hosting several FAFSA workshops. For information and/or to register, click here.
- SOL Retakes: Some SOL retakes will continue through next week. Students who need to test have received letters and they will receive passes to their test(s), as long as they are in school the day before their test. They can check in the Student Services Department or with their counselors if they aren’t sure about retaking a test. Students need to pass a certain number of SOLs to graduate. For the days when specific tests will be administered, please visit here. Please encourage your student to review for their test if they need to retake one. Past tests, which have been released by the Virginia Department of Education can be found here.
- Yearbook Orders: Yearbook sales are ongoing. The current price is $70. Over 60% of yearbooks that will be printed have already been sold. Don’t wait until June – the price will be higher and the yearbook might be sold out. To order, click here and use code 5577.
- Giant Food Apples for the Students Program: Our coordinator, Bhavani Koneru, has solved the Giant Bonus Card issue and Westfield is an option when registering your bonus card. Please register yourself and anyone else you can for the program! All money earned goes directly to the school and is used to support the students and staff. To register, please click here. Westfield's code is 03798 Thank you!
- Harris Teeter Education Program: If you shop at Harris Teeter, please register your VIC card for the “Together in Education” program. Westfield’s code is 8134. You must reregister each year. Thanks!
- Target Education Giving Program: Target’s “Take Charge of Education” program is ending in May 2016 but until then, they will continue to donate funds to Westfield if you register your Red Card for the program. Westfield’s code is 11684 Thanks!
- Amazon.com Ordering: If you order from Amazon.com, please access the website through the link on the right side of the PTSA webpage Every order placed earns the PTSA much needed funds, at NO cost to you! Thank you.
- Donations of Magazines Request Continues: The ESOL Department has requested donations of magazines. Preferred titles/subjects are: Sports Illustrated, News Magazines (Time, U.S. News, etc), Teen magazines, Teen music, Video Gaming, Technology/Mobile Phones, Readers Digest, Soccer magazines, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Magazines in other languages (any). Please send any donations to the main office, attention: Mrs. Kuchno, ESOL Teacher, Room A116.
- Turbo-Tutoring: The next Turbo-Tutoring session will take place on January 20th at Briar Woods High School from 6:30-9:00 pm. For information and to register, please click here
- BITS Tutoring: BITS tutoring in January will be on the 23rd and 30th. There is no BITS this holiday weekend.
- FCPS Crisis Text Line: The Crisis Text line is available on the FCPS Mobile App or by sending a text message to 85511 and enter the keyword NEEDHELP. This is a 24-hour resource to support anyone in need.
- Silent Auction Donors: For a complete list of the 2015 donors to the Bulldog BBQ and silent auction, visit here . We appreciate our sponsors!
The Westfield High School PTSA
This newsletter/Eblast was sent to Visitor ()
You may Unsubscribe to Westfield HS PTSA newsletter/Eblast anytime.