1/29/17 PTSA E-Blast

Please “LIKE” us on Facebook (Westfield High School PTSA)!

KEY DATES (complete calendar at ptsa.westfieldhs.org):

2/2 – WHS Science Fair, judges needed

2/3 – End of Quarter, 2 hour early release

2/6 – Student Holiday/Teacher Workday

2/8 – National History Day Fair, judges needed

2/10-2/12 – Theatre’s “The Laramie Project”

2/11 – BITS Free Tutoring

2/15 – “A” Day Celebration during lunches

2/15 – Neil McNerney presentation of “The Teenage Brain”

 Here are updates from around the school:

1. 2017 Mulch Sale and Delivery:  The annual mulch sale has begun! Delivery will take place on April 21st and 22^nd.  To order online, click here.  To download the order form, click here.   Bags are $5 each, with $2.60 of each bag ordered being tax deductible (if applicable to your specific taxes). The mulch spreading service is being sold and is available for customers who purchase mulch through the mulch sale. Both the mulch and the spreading service sell out each year. Order early!  Free delivery is available for orders of 15 bags or more to WHS boundary addresses and parking lot pick up is available at Westfield for orders under 15 bags and those outside WHS boundaries.  
2. Practice SAT or ACT, February 25^th:  The PTSA and Kaplan are sponsoring a practice test on Saturday, February 25^th. Students register to take a full-length test of either the SAT or the ACT. Scores are for student use only, and are not reported to the test companies. The cost is $20, with payment made to the PTSA. To register, click here or use the link at the bottom of this e-blast.
3. Science Fair Judges Needed on February 2nd:   Are you interested in encouraging students’ understanding of and interest in science? Do you work as a scientist or engineer? Or do you have a hobby or interest in another science related field? If so, please consider volunteering a few hours of your time to judge the WHS Science Fair. On Thursday, February 2^nd, students will participate in our school science fair. This is a valuable experience and for many, this is their first independent research experience. The fair gives students an opportunity to see what their peers have done and to gain experience of presenting to and getting feedback from knowledgeable adults.  You do not need an advanced degree in the field. We will ask you to assess the students’ abilities to communicate their understanding of their experiment, as well as their scientific thought and process. Please complete the following survey if you can help:  http://tinyurl.com/WestfieldSFJudging
4. National History Day Fair: The fourth Annual National History Day Fair at Westfield High School is Wednesday, February 8^th! Do you want to be a part of history? If so, volunteer at our National History Day Fair!  The Social Studies department is in need of a few more judges to evaluate the History Day projects created by the honors students at our school. Come be a part of our gallery walk or watch amazing documentaries created by our students. If you are interested in becoming a judge please follow the link to sign up: http://tinyurl.com/o9929rk  You may not judge your own students category. Questions? Email Jennifer Santiago  jmsantiago@fcps.edu
5. Reflections Contest District Level Winner:  Congratulations to Pauline Lee whose photography entry into this year’s Reflections contest won 1^st place – Outstanding Interpretation at the District level and has advanced to the Regional competition. This year’s theme was, “What is your story?”
6. Westfield has some fantastic artists!  Congratulations to the following students (and their teachers) who were recently recognized for their outstanding art in the Regional Scholastic Art competition. These students’ works were selected from over 2,500 entries and the gold key winners will advance to the national competition. The gold and silver winners will be on display at NVCC on February 10^th. For information, click here.  Congratulations to the following: GOLD KEYS – Joanne Ahn (7 keys!), Salem Al-Hussaini, Cailin Berry, Katherine Hemsworth, Al-Noor Ikram, Derek Knodt (3 keys!), Kelly Mackmin, Lexi Tanner.  SILVER KEYS – Joanne Ahn, Omar Davis, Veronica Hall, Alexandra Hicks, Rachel Jackson, Derek Knodt, Aarushi Mohanty, Vivan To, Abigail Wiser.  HONORABLE MENTIONS – Joanne Ahn, Alison Chu, Nicholas Drury, Julie Frappier, Katherine Hemsworth, Al-Noor Ikram, Chinmai Muskari, Stephanie Perry.
7. New for the 2017-2018 school year: WHS will be offering two new science courses-Genetics and Biotechnology! Please have your student talk to his/her counselor soon for more information and to sign up! 
8. Neil McNerney Presentation, February 15^th at 7 pm:  On Wednesday, February 15^th, Neil McNerney, a well-regarded and respected counselor, author, and speaker, will present “The Teenage Brain – Temporary Insanity”. Please invite friends and neighbors!  Neil McNerney
9. WHS Theatre Presents “The Laramie Project”: Come see some of Westfield’s amazing thespians perform their latest work! The show runs February 10^th and 11^th at 7:30 pm and February 12^th at 2:00 pm.  Tickets are $10 in advance and with a student ID and $12 at the door.  For more information and to purchase tickets online, click here.
10. Congratulations to Mrs. Constantino who was recently re-certified as a National Board Certified Biology Teacher!
11. College Partnership Program:  Applications for the College Partnership Program are being accepted now. The College Partnerships Program assists students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education such as first generation, African American, American Indian, Alaskan native, Hispanic, limited English proficient, students with disabilities or economically disadvantaged students. See Mrs. Campbell, Maggie Craig, or Bobby Snyder, CPP advocates, for more information or to request an application. Or, visit here.   Applications accepted January 18 – March 31, 2017. 
12. BITS Tutoring - Free!  BITS runs up to 3 Saturday mornings per month. Student tutors are needed and earn service hours for their time! To be eligible for tutoring, students must attend Westfield or any of the schools that feed to Westfield (elementary and middle). For information and to see the required forms, click here   Everyone must arrive on time. No late arrivals will be admitted. February 11th is the next BITS tutoring date.
13. Service Learning Hours: Are you a student (or parent of a student) who needs volunteer hours? Would your student like to earn the ability to wear a black service cord at graduation? If yes to both, students in grades 9-12 need to earn 40 documented volunteer hours during their high school years. Through volunteering, students learn about themselves, develop new skills, define their interests and build self-esteem, help the community, and building on their experience for college or future jobs. For more information about FCPS Service Learning visit here.  There are many local opportunities in our community and search engines you can create a profile with to start out, such as Volunteer Match or Volunteer Fairfax.   For more information, students may see Mrs. Campbell in Student Services (next to the clinic) to pick up a verification form and view the volunteer binder or log on to Family Connections (via Blackboard) and click on the X2VOL tab. Mrs. Villars, in the Career Center, also has a volunteer opportunities bulletin board. One big option coming up soon: Mulch Weekend! Students can earn many hours while participating in this fantastic community event!

14. Turbo-Tutoring: Saturday, February 4^th is the next ACT prep class and March 8^th is the next SAT class, plus classes through the summer have been scheduled. To see the calendar and to register for a one-day seminar for SAT or ACT prep, click here or see the flier attached at the bottom of the e-blast.
15. Scholarships 101:  College Access Fairfax is offering a free presentation called Scholarships 101 on Monday, January 30^th from 7-9 pm at Herndon High School. Presented will be information about applying for scholarships, application tips, websites to search, and other scholarship source information. This presentation is open to all grade levels and no registration is required.
16. Gap Year Fair: Learn about what a gap year between high school and college is about and learn about specific gap year programs. The fair is on February 7^th, with a speaker from 7-7:45 pm and the fair being from 7:45-9 pm and is at George C. Marshall High School. Preregistration is required and this is a free event. To register, visit usagapyearfairs.org/fairs
17. Understanding Financial Aid Award Letters:  On March 11^th from 9-11 am at Oakton High School, College Access Fairfax will present “Make a Wise Decision: Understanding Financial Aid Award Letters”. Space is limited.  To register, visit here.
18. Senior Parent Meeting:  Senior Parents – please mark your calendars for the “70 Days Until Graduation” Senior Parent meeting on April 6^th at 7 pm. Come learn about everything related to graduation (June 15^th at 7:30 pm), including ticket information (yes, tickets are required), rehearsal information (required for all students who will be graduating), prom information (May 13^th), Mulch Day (April 21-22), All Night Grad Celebration, and much more! 
19. WHS Football Champion Spirit Wear:  A new “Back2Back” WHS Football spirit wear design is on sale now, with orders being taken through February 9^th. Click here to order.  If you ordered items in December and haven’t picked them up yet, they are in the Activities Office. Please pick them up asap!
20. Sully District “State of the Station”: On February 8^th from 7:30 – 9:00 pm, there will be a citizen’s advisory committee meeting where attendees will hear a presentation about the past year’s crime trends and community outreach efforts, plus a discussion about ongoing plans. The meeting will be at the Sully District Station, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd.
21. Superintendent Search Survey: Interested in providing your input to the search for the new FCPS Superintendent? Please complete the survey found at this link.
22. FCPS Parent Resource Center:  There are many resources available at the FCPS Parent Resource center. For information and to register for classes, visit here.  
23. WeStep Community Sponsors Needed Please: Westfield High School is looking for business partnerships to participate in our WeStep Internship Program from Thursday, May 25^th through Friday, June 9^th. All interns meet high qualifications including a review of grades, attendance, and discipline records. You would have an intern for a minimum of 60 hours in your organization. We seek both paid and unpaid internships in a wide range of fields. The program was such a success last year that over 36 of our seniors were offered summer employment! Please contact information on the program and how we can help you find an intern(s). Your collaboration is an important phase of the education of our seniors and we look forward to working with you.
24. FCPS Summer Classes:  Information regarding a wide variety of summer classes through FCPS is available here.  Many registration windows open February 1^st.
25. News You Can Use: If you haven’t already done so, please consider registering to receive PTSA updates through the FCPS News You Can Use program. It’s a bit cumbersome to register but this is the main way the PTSA will be able to send messages (other than the eblasts and Facebook).  To register: Go to FCPS.edu; Scroll to the bottom then click on the mustard yellow banner “Stay Updated with What’s Happening at FCPS with News You Can Choose; Click the “Sign Up Now box; Enter your email address and click “submit”; Find the button for “High Schools” and select “Westfield”; Choose first line “News and Announcements” then choose second line “PTSA” and click submit. You will see a green banner with a check mark and “Subscriptions Updated”.  While in the system, you can opt for other areas of interest as well.
26. Athletic Teams Calendar:  To see the games/matches/meets for all WHS athletic teams, click here!  
27. 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!
28. Silent Fundraisers:  We participate in several store school support programs, such as Giant’s A+ School Rewards and Harris Teeter’s Together in Education program. You DO have to relink your Harris Teeter card each year but you do not have to relink your Giant card (but please check to ensure that you’ve designated Westfield!)  Please check out this link for more information!
29. Have something about a club, team, or class at Westfield that you’d like in the e-blast? Send a request to cpisarcikptsa@cox.net  It has come to our attention that some requests have not been delivered through our website email. We apology for any missed notices. 

Congratulations Boys Indoor Track Team! Concorde District Champions!