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Welcome from Dr. Burch
Dear Westbriar Families,
Welcome to a new and exciting school year at Westbriar Elementary! I am thrilled to extend a warm greeting to each of you as we embark on this journey together. This year promises to be filled with enriching experiences, new discoveries, and opportunities for growth. Our dedicated team of educators and staff are eager to support and inspire your children, fostering an environment where they can thrive academically and socially. We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is essential for our students' success, and we are committed to working collaboratively with you to ensure a positive and fulfilling year ahead.
As we set out on this new academic adventure, I encourage you to stay engaged and involved in your child's educational journey. Whether it’s attending school events, participating in classroom activities, or simply staying in touch with your child’s teachers, your support plays a vital role in their development. Together, let's make this year one of exploration, achievement, and joy. Thank you for being a part of the Westbriar community. Here’s to a fantastic school year!
Warm regards,
Dr. Sallie Burch
Assistant Principal Search
We are excited to announce that Chris Butzer has been appointed as an assistant principal at the middle school level—congratulations, Ms. Butzer! As we move into the new school year, we want to update you on our search for a new assistant principal. We are diligently working through the process and are committed to selecting a candidate who will contribute positively to our school. Our intent is to be able to announce the new assistant principal by the end of September. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Erin Lear for her exceptional efforts in preparing us for the 2024-2025 school year, and we are grateful to Carol Larsen for her invaluable support as our interim assistant principal. With over 30 years of experience in education, Mrs. Larsen brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to our community. We look forward to her continued contributions as we navigate this transition.
Coffee and Conversations: A New Way to Connect
We are excited to introduce "Coffee and Conversations," a new series of virtual sessions designed to foster open dialogue and keep you informed about key aspects of our school. Each month, these sessions will provide parents and guardians with the opportunity to explore various topics such as curriculum and instruction, discipline, assessment, and more. Our goal is to create a welcoming space for you to ask questions, share your thoughts, and gain valuable insights into how we are supporting your child's education.
Our first Coffee and Conversations session will take place in September and we will be discussing the Virginia Literacy Act. Be on the lookout for more information and details on how to join. We look forward to connecting with you and working together to enhance our school community.
Open House: Thursday, August 15
We cannot wait to see everyone at Open House on Thursday, August 15 anytime from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This is an opportunity for students and families to meet their teacher and see the classroom. Feel free to drop off supplies. If you already ordered supplies through the PTA, they will be waiting in your child’s classroom.
Parking is limited in the front of the building in the Westbriar parking lot. Parking will be available in the neighborhood. See Parking section below for more information.
Back-to-School Night: Thursday, August 15
Please join your child’s teacher for Back to School Night. This session will focus on curriculum, specific grade level information, and Family Life Education information.
Here is the schedule for the evening:
·Session 1: 6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
·Session 2: 7:05 p.m. – 7:35 p.m.
·Session 3: 7:40 p.m. – 8:10 p.m.
This is an adult-only event; we ask that you arrange childcare for your children so you can attend fully to the information being presented.
Early Release Mondays
The Early Release Mondays planned throughout the school year for elementary schools are essential to allow educators time for planning and professional development. Students will be dismissed 3 hours early seven times throughout the school year and are encouraged to return home via their normal route. However, we understand there may be a childcare hardship because of the early release Mondays for many of our families. To resolve these concerns, student supervision will be available for families who need it.
The following dates are planned for Early Release Mondays throughout the school year:
- September 23
- October 28
- November 25
- February 24
- March 17
- April 28
- May 19
To help plan for our school’s childcare needs during the early release Mondays, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/A742nVausEfXjMe9A for each of your children who are enrolled at Westbriar Elementary. The form covers the first two early release Mondays, scheduled for September 23, 2024 and October 28, 2024. If you have multiple children, you will need to submit multiple forms. Staff will confirm the after school supervision plan for each student.
You can access more information about the scheduled Early Release Mondays using the following link: Early Release Mondays.
School Meals and Free/Reduced Lunch Applications
Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast will be $1.75. Lunch will be $3.25, milk $0.60. Money can be added to your child(ren)’s accounts using www.myschoolbucks.com. You can also write a check to Westbriar Food Services and deliver it to our Food Services Manager at Open House. During the school year, you can find the menu for breakfast and lunch at LINQ Connect - Making Schools Stronger
Free and Reduced-Price Status
Students eligible for free or reduced-price meals will continue to receive these benefits through the end of September. A new application must be filled out each new school year and forms are available online now: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/food-and-nutrition-programs/free-and-reduced-price-meals. Applications are accepted at any time, but we encourage you to apply or renew your application before the end of September. Call (703) 813-4800 if you need help. This must be completed for eligible students to receive free meals.
Westbriar School Supply List
Here is the information for the School Supply Lists this year. If you ordered a kit from Sprout, the kit will be waiting for your child in his/her classroom at Open House.
Parking at Westbriar
Parking at Westbriar is very limited during large school events. On a daily basis, we ask families to park in our parking lot. During large school/grade level events, we coordinate with Fairfax County Police Department to allow for parking on the neighborhood streets around Westbriar. Please be courteous to our neighbors, do not block driveways and please abide by all Fairfax County parking laws. When advertising events, we will communicate if the parking in the neighborhood has been coordinated.
Emergency Care Card Forms
Emergency Care Card Forms are important in helping us contact you in case of an emergency. Parents can help by assuring that the school has the most up-to-date information.
Please update any information by using the ParentVue/Online Verification Update system. To read more about the OVU, visit the OVU page on the FCPS site. To access your ParentVue to update/verify, visit the ParentVue Login page.
Emergency Care updates are due the first day of school.
Activating Your SIS ParentVUE Account
The SIS (Student Information System) ParentVUE Account is an online tool parents can use to access information about their child’s attendance, report cards, discipline incidents, health information, and more. In ParentVUE, you can also view student progress reports/report cards and SOL scores.
Your secure SIS ParentVUE Account offers you the ability to use one username/password to login to both the SIS ParentVUE Account and Schoology.
Using the SIS ParentVUE account, parents will also be able to view school information, including teacher e-mail addresses, the FCPS calendar, and emergency contact information. Visit the FCPS website and use the search function and keywords “SIS Parent Overview” for more information.
Many of our Westbriar families have already activated their SIS ParentVUE account with the activation key. If you are unable to login to your account, you may need to reset your password on the SIS Parent Account login page (https://sisparent.fcps.edu):
- Select the “Forgot Password” button.
- Your username is the primary email address you have on file with us in our Student Information System.
- More information is available here.
Newly enrolled families should have received an activation key for your account. If you have not yet activated your account, please reach out to Isu Revelo ([email protected]) or Sheryl McGrady ([email protected]).
Please take action now to ensure your account is active.
Parent Digital Consent System
New this year, families will use the Parent Digital Consent System to complete some forms that have used paper in the past. You will log in using your ParentVUE Account credentials, There, you will be able complete the Digital Resources Consent form for the school year, which is required for all students. You will also be able to find more information about opt-out forms and complete those forms for your student.
What is Schoology?
Teachers can use Schoology to post their classroom materials online; to provide a safe forum for students to discuss their ideas and collaborate on projects; and to assign and collect homework electronically.
Parent Accounts
A Schoology Parent Account gives you access to:
- Your child’s upcoming assignments (note: Parents can not see FCPS Google Workspace items using their parent account)
- School, class, and group announcements.
Parent accounts will be available in mid-August. To access Schoology, parents will need to have an active SIS/ParentVUE account.
More information on how to login and use Schoology is available online.
Join Our Team
We are looking to hire Classroom Monitors and Substitutes! If you are interested in any of these positions, please reach out if you have any questions or if you want more information. Here is a link to FCPS’ application portal.
Classroom Monitors: Monitors will work every day students attend throughout the 2024-2025 school year, and will directly support classrooms by providing additional supervision to students during lunch or in the classroom. The pay is $17.88/hour. Teachers will provide directions/assignments for monitors and students to complete. Please apply here and email me at [email protected] so we can schedule a time to talk more. Please share this opportunity with others who might be interested.
WE NEED YOU!
We warmly invite parents to get involved and make a difference by volunteering for PTA and school events during the 2024-2025 school year. To make volunteering easier and more manageable, we are excited to offer the 2-Hour Power Volunteer Program, where you can contribute just two hours of your time to support our school community. Your participation, whether helping out with events, assisting in the classroom, or supporting other activities, is invaluable. Please complete the Google Form to indicate your areas of interest and availability. We look forward to your involvement and the positive impact it will have on our school.
Here are some ways in which you can serve:
- Room Parents: Support your students' classroom teacher by serving as a liaison between families and the teacher.
- Day of Volunteers for Fall Festival: Help us kick off the school year at our Fall Festival where students and families enjoy food trucks, carnival and field games, music, and our cake walk. We are looking for day of volunteers to help with logistics.
- Co-Chair and Day of Volunteers for Book Fair: We are looking for a co-chair for our annual Book Fair held in the library the week before Thanksgiving to help with planning, coordination with our vendor, and week of logistics as well as volunteers during the week to help students find books, restock items, and work the checkout.
- Co-Chair and Day of Volunteers for Cultural Heritage Night: Cultural Heritage Night occurs in January and is a celebration of the diverse cultural backgrounds of our community through a potluck, games, and student presentations. We are looking for co-chairs to lead this event and day of volunteers to help with logistics.
- Day of Volunteers for Halloween Bingo: Held the Friday before Halloween students come dressed in costumes to play bingo and walk our trunk or treat. We are looking for day of volunteers to help with logistics.
Please complete the 2-Hour Power Volunteer Form to contribute to the success of Westbriar for the 2024-2025 school year!
Westbriar Elementary PTA
We hope you join our amazing PTA! If you are interested in volunteering to be a class parent, volunteering in our cafeteria or library, OR just looking to stay connected with the great work of our PTA, you can fill out a survey that will be sent out once class placements have been communicated.
More information about the PTA is available on their website.
1741 Pine Valley Dr., Vienna, VA 22182 | Main Office: 703-937-1700
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