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What's Happening in February 2008

• President's Message
• Minority Achievement News
• Tidbits
• ANGP News
• Booster News
• Hospitality News
• Reflections News
• Clinic News
• FCPS Newswire
• Community Programs
• Events Calendar
• Links of Interest

• Fairfax County Public School
• Fairfax County Council of PTAs
• Northern Virginia District PTA
• Virginia PTA
• National PTA
• US Department of Education
• Safe VA Highways
• VDOT Snow Removal Information
• Alliance for Virginia Students

• FCPS Family Gram
• FCPS Parent Resources
• FCPS Inclement Weather Plans
• Sign up for FCPS Keep In Touch

• Athletic Boosters
• Band Boosters
• Choral Boosters
• Guitar Boosters
• Orchestra Boosters
• Theatre Boosters
  
  

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President's Message

We've come quickly to mid-year!  Please look for the student report cards, which will be mailed from school around February 1st. On February 6th at 7pm, parents and students are encouraged to attend the school's Curriculum Night. It will give you a chance to see what classes are offered and give you the opportunity to ask questions. This will prepare you for when students will be choosing their class schedule for next year towards the end of February.

     The West County Boundary discussions are still taking place. The School Board Public Hearings take place on January 30 & 31, and February 9, and is televised on FCPS' Channel 21. The School Board Work Session will be on February 11, with a decision going forward around February 28, 2008. For more detailed information, and to contact the School Board members about your concerns, go to West County Boundary Study Homepage and FCPS School Board Contact List. 

     Sully District School Board Member Kathy Smith is holding an informational meeting about the FY2009 school budget on Wednesday, February 13, 7pm at Rocky Run Middle School's Little Theater.

     Please join us and other supportive Westfield adults in the community at our ANGP Monte Carlo Night on Friday, Read more below

     SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, February 28th, 7:00. The PTSA is co-sponsoring a forum and panel discussion on gun safety, in the WHS Lecture Hall. The panel will discuss gun legislation in Virginia, particularly legislative bills requiring background checks for unlicensed dealers participating in gun shows and another allowing the Board of Visitors to retain the right to decide whether guns are allowed on campus. This panel discussion was initiated by Angel, a fund begun by Joe and Mona Samaha, who lost their daughter Reema, at Virginia Tech on April 16. Both Reema and Erin Peterson were graduates of Westfield. The mission and goals of Angel are provided on the fund's web site at www.angelfundva.org. To see a tentative list of possible speakers:

1. Dr. Roger Depue, Ph.D., member of the Virginia Tech panel and founder of the Academy Group, Inc
2. Robert Ricker, president of the American Hunters and Shooters Association
3. Captain Cindy McAlister of the Sully District Police station
4. Joe Samaha, father of Reema Samaha, founder of Angel (www.angelfundva.org, a fund to educate and advocate.
5. Andy Goddard, father of Colin Goddard, wounded at Virginia Tech, and the president of the Richmond chapter of the Million Mom March

     Mark your calendars for the PTSA and Westfield Community Coalition's Annual Saturday Night in the Suburbs (SNITS) on Thursday, March 13, 7pm in the Lecture Hall. Hear about what teens are doing when they are out and about in your community!

     Planning is currently under way for the senior All Night Grad Party (ANGP). What is All Night Grad? It is a national trend, intended to keep our teens safe on graduation night by offering a fun. alcohol and drug-free alternative. Westfield High School has provided an ANGP for the seniors since the school opened. Other area schools have the wonderful tradition of underclass parents giving their gift of time, so that parents of seniors can spend time with their families and out of town relatives. If you can start helping now, before your child is a senior, and we get more parents to do the same thing, think of how much better if would be when graduation arrives for your child! We still want and need senior parent involvement, but more hands make the work lighter and more fun! Please contact angp@westfieldhs.org, or solijarpta@aol.com, if you wish to help in anyway. Most jobs take place in the evening or weekend hours, so if you have a full-time job, it won't be a problem. We will fit the task to your availability!

     One ANGP activity we need assistance with is the All Night Grad Party Mulch sale on April 19th. The weather promises to be warmer, there will be free food all day and our high school kids can earn BULLDOG BUCKS for their ANGP: how can anyone loose? This event has been continually improved and the "How-To's" for helping out have been documented, so we are ready for someone to just slip into those shoes and run with it! Contact buldogmulch@westfieldhs.org if interested in helping before or on April 19th. Mulch Order forms will be coming out soon!

     The PTSA needs volunteers for our nominating committee. The committee has the brief mission, over the next couple months, of recommending candidates to fill upcoming PTSA vacancies. If you'd like to assist with this short term role , or better yet, if any positions interest you, please contact me. Thanks!

Sincerely,
 Jennifer Campbell, WHS PTSA President
ptsa_president@westfieldhs.org

Minority Achievement News

The Chantilly Pyramid Minority Student Achievement Committee (CPMSAC) hosted its Annual Dr. Martin Luther King JR Celebration on Sunday January 13, 2008 at Centreville High School.  The audience was entertained with a number of musical, dance and poetic performances as the committee once again paid homage to one of America's great leaders.  Representatives from Westfield's International Club and casts from the Westfield's play, "The Wiz" presented outstanding performances.  We are very proud of our students and their continue commitment to this special occasion.
     The Minority Achievement Committee (MAC) is in the planning stage for our Spring Parent Coffee which will be held on Wednesday March 12, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in the Lecture Hall.  Please put this date on your calendar now as we will status the current achievement gap at Westfield.
     If you have not done so recently, please visit the MAC web site under the PTSA link on Westfield's home page.  We have updated the site with current committee happenings, including monthly meeting minutes, newsletters and also some very important information on scholarship opportunities.

The International Club will host its annual International Night on Saturday February 2, 2008 in the auditorium from 7-9 PM. Tickets are $8.00 at the door.  Advance tickets can be purchased for $5.00 from Carmen Danies in room A115, through International Club member students, or in the cafeteria until Jan 30th. After Jan 30th tickets will cost $8.00.  Please come out and support this wonderful program.

2008 Scholarship Resource Guide

Sincerely,
Mark Richardson, MAC Chairperson
Minority Achievement Homepage

Tidbits

• Westfield HS is awarded Governor's Award for Educational Excellence 2007-2008
• BITS tutoring is looking for gently used donations of "quiet" games and puzzles to occupy students on Saturdays when they have completed their work and are waiting for pick up. Games can be dropped off at the main office to Carol Jasper's attention or brought to the Saturday morning BITS program.
  Interested in helping your peers? Want to share your knowledge? Do you need service hours? Then Bulldog Instructional Tutoring Services (BITS) is for you. We are looking for volunteers!! BITS meets 3 Saturdays a month from 9:15 am to 11:30. If you are interested, please visit the WHS web site for scheduled sessions and come by on Saturdays. We would love to have you participate in our program. For more information, please contact BITS committee chair Carol Jasper at bits@westfieldhs.org 
• FCPS Superintendent Presents Proposed FY 2009 Budget Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Jack D. Dale has proposed a school system budget of $2.3 billion for FY 2009 that reflects cuts of $45.6 million and approximately 521 positions throughout FCPS and, for the second consecutive year, includes no new programs. The FY 2009 proposed budget represents a 3.3 percent increase over the FY 2008 approved budget. Read more In addition, FCPS Releases New Ten-Year Capital Improvement Plan
• New Antivirus Software Available for FCPS Staff Members and Students' Home Use FCPS recently adopted new software, McAfee VirusScan, to provide desktop and laptop computers with antivirus protection. As in the past, FCPS will offer the use of this product to employees and students for their home computers at no charge. Due to the licensing agreement with McAfee, all copies need to be accounted for. A student may check out a copy from his or her librarian. Questions about the process should be directed to the IT Service Desk by e-mail at ITServiceDesk@fcps.edu, or by phone at 703-503-1600.
• Save the Date Feb 4, 2008 - Virginia PTA DAY at the General Assembly
  The Richmond City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Richmond VA
    Virginia PTA Day is when PTA members from around the state come to Richmond and meet with their state representatives to advocate for issues important to the PTA and Education.
    We encourage all PTA and PTSA members to come to this event. Members of the District and State PTA will walk you through the steps of what to say and do. We are looking for parents and students to attend this year. Students would have to be accompanied by a responsible adult. SGA students are encouraged to participate.
    For more information, contact David Edelman, Education Chair (education@novadistrictpta.org)  
• Feb 13, 2008 7PM FCPS Budget Q & A Please spread the word that Sully District School Board Member Kathy Smith is holding an informational meeting about the FY2009 school budget. Rumors abound, predictions sound dire, and the subject is on everyone's minds. This is a great opportunity to better understand budgeting issues facing the county and the schools, and learn more about the complete budget process and calendar. Kathy has invited FCPS Assistant Superintendent for Financial Services Deirdra McLaughlin to present the budget to you and to provide insight into FCPS's position. There will be an opportunity for you to ask questions, and you will learn how an individual can have a voice to impact the process. Your school will be affected and you owe it to your children to understand how.
• Feb 10-16, 2008 Get connected to your child's school experience! Participate and Celebrate PTA's "Take Your Family to School Week". This event embodies one of PTA's founding principles: When it comes to children's education, the best way to get involved is to become part of the school community.
• High school seniors can apply for scholarships March 1 is deadline
  Virginia PTA scholarships are open to high school seniors who are residents of Virginia and who attend a Virginia high school that has a local PTA/PTSA that is in good standing. Applications are available on the Local Unit Resource Guide CD mailed to local and council PTA presidents last summer and on the VAPTA web site. Scholarship entries must be on the official application form and sent to the Virginia PTA state office, postmarked by March 1. Faxes will not be accepted. Contact Virginia PTA Vice President, Debi Abadie at vp@vapta.org or the state office at info@vapta.org.
  

ANGP News

Monte Carlo Night February 8, 2008

Like to play Black Jack? How about Roulette or Craps? Is Texas Hold'em your game? Then come to the Westfield High School Monte Carlo night. Our event will be held on Friday, February 8, 2008 at the Westfield Marriott. The fun filled, adult only evening will begin at 7:30 pm. The All Night Grad Party (ANGP) committee is sponsoring the auction. All proceeds will be used to help our seniors have a safe, drug free and alcohol free place to celebrate with their friends after graduation.
  Advance tickets are $40 for admission, light hors d'oeuvres, and gaming while the ticket price at the door will be $50 per person. Light hors d'oeuvres will be served and there will be a cash bar. Tickets may be ordered using the online form. Ticket information may also be obtained by contacting Terry Schweinhart (TerrySchweinhart@aol.com). Chips will be exchanged for raffle tickets. Put all your raffle tickets towards a single prize or spread them around. Winners will be announced at the end of the evening. You get to have fun playing games without having to travel to Atlantic City or Vegas and we get to raise much needed funds for our students. Everybody wins!!

Next Monte Carlo Night Meetings:
 Feb. 5, 7:30pm

Next ANGP Meetings: (6:30pm)

 Feb. 20, 6:30pm

 Mar. 26, 6:30pm

 Apr. 9, 6:30pm

 Feb. 5, 6:30pm

 May 14, 6:30pm

 Jun. 4, 6:30pm

April 19 ANGP MULCH Day

Terry Schweinhart
ANGP Monte Carlo Night chair

Students in All grades can earn Bulldog Bucks for their Class All Night Grad Party. Learn how.

Tracy Porter

ANGP Chairperson

Booster News

Theatre Boosters

One Act Showcase Dinner Theatre The Westfield Theatre Boosters are hosting a night of dinner and theatre on Saturday, February 9, 2008. Dinner begins at 6 pm, and theatre begins at 8. Cost for the dinner and show is $20.00 and can be purchased either online or in the Black Box. Please check the Booster website for the list of plays, where to purchase tickets online, the menu and more: http://www.westfieldtheatreboosters.com

Hospitality News

We have been busy this fall semester with entertaining the custodians for "Custodian Week". They were served DAVE'S BARBEQUE for lunch. The teachers were treated to BUAN APPETITO for lunch at the end of the first quarter.

     Coming up is Valentine's Day- so we will be invading the school with sweet treats! Our next feast will be in March when the staff will be treated for lunch during TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK.

     Just to let everyone know that Cindy Alls and Nancy Hutchison will be leaving WHS with our senior boys! Anyone interested taking on Hospitality, please let us know as we have all the info you will need. It is a lot of fun and the staff loves it.

~Cindy Alls, Nancy Hutchison Co-Chairs Hospitality

Reflections News

The results are in for the District level where artwork was judged with entries from Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, and all eight clusters of Fairfax County.

• Literature: Megan Smith, 11, Award of Excellence (2nd place)
• Music Composition: Sarah Crossland, 12, Award of Excellence (2nd place)
• Photography: Stephanie Watson, 12, Award of Merit (3rd place)
• Dance Choreography: Sarah Crossland, 12, Outstanding Interpretation (1st place). Sarah's entry has been forwarded to the state level where it is being judged with others from the entire state of Virginia.

Westfield has done very well in Reflections this year. ALL of our entries have been recognized in some way at EVERY level.

     Next year's theme (2008-2009) has just been announced. It is, "Wow!" Get to work on your artwork for next year!!

~Michele Ford Reflections co-chair

Clinic News

Red Cross Club will be collecting items to put together personal disaster kits for people who are homebound, in nursing homes, and homeless shelters. These kits are designed to get a person through one night of a disaster. We will be collecting items at the girls' basketball game on Feb. 12th and boys basketball game on feb.15th. There will be boxes in the front office and clinic during the month of Feb. The following items are needed....package of tissues, water bottles, flashlights, batteries, granola bars or peanut butter crackers, sanitary wipes, Band-Aids, pens, and note pads. Please contribute to this worthwhile community service project. Any questions, contact Nancy Bennett 703 488-6310.

BEWARE of "Strawberry Quick" Meth

A new and dangerous form of the drug methamphetamine. This new form of the drug has a strawberry flavor and has a bright pink coloring. It is called "strawberry quick" and is designed for the young crowd. It has no connection with the popular Nestle QUIK flavored milk products now renamed Nestle Nesquik. Chris Harrison, a chemist at the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, says that meth is bitter to the makers and so they try to take that edge off any way they can and have used lollipops, sodas, candy, and anything else they can to make it easier for first-time users. Even if the child just touches the drug, some may get into their system. Please talk to your children and remind them not to talk to persons they do not know and to never accept anything offered to them. It also comes in chocolate, peanut butter, cola, cherry, grape and orange. It looks just like pop rocks. The Strawberry meth has been reported in several states including Missouri, Washington State, Wisconsin, and Texas, Nevada, and California.

FCPS Newswire

Community Programs

Prom Dress Drive and Give-a-Way

The Reston Community Center is hosting its annual prom dress drive and give-a-way during the months of January - March. We are collecting gently worn formal wear, prom wear and accessories (i.e. shoes, jewelry, etc.) for young girls who otherwise would be unable to buy these items. The actual give-a-way event will be held April 12-13. Please pass the attached information onto your school for those who would like to donate, or for those who could benefit from that give-a-way event. In addition, there are options listed below for how any clubs/programs can assist us in this event: Please note this is just two ways your organization can help. If there is another way they wish to help, please let us know.
 The club/program can hold a "Mini Prom Dress Drive". The Reston Community Center will provide color flyers for advertisement, collection box, and an information letter explaining the purpose of the event that could be distributed by the club/organization and tax-deductible receipts for those individuals that donate. Please note that the schools/clubs/organizations that have chosen this option in the past, have collected dresses for a two-week period, at which point, a staff member from the Reston Community Center Teen Department pick them up. Once the prom dress give-a-way occurs, we place an ad in a local paper or provide a press release, thanking the individuals, companies, schools and restaurants who helped us this year. Download more information.

Westfield Community Coalition

Underage drinking parties can be reported anonymously to the police at 703-691-2131 where they will disperse police assistance, or 703-246-2333 for the "Shut it Down" Hotline, to report date, time, and location of an underage drinking party. To report WHS security concerns, contact Ray Clements at 703-488-6307 or Ray.Clements@fcps.edu

Under Age Tip Line 703-691-2131. Underage drinking parties can be reported anonymously to the police at this number. They will disperse police assistance.

Shut It Down Hotline 703-246-2333, to report date, time and location of an underage drinking party if you hear about it ahead of time.

Leslie Churn, MA, Substance Abuse Counselor for Westfield HS - Contact 703-488-6308 or at Leslie.Churn@fcps.edu for a free and confidential assessment.

Ethics Day at Westfield HS (Cluster 8; Westfield HS)
Sophomores learn valuable lessons about decision-making and consequences. (5:15)http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/streaming/is8_ethicsday.asx

Parents Who Host Lose the Most (Safe and Drug Free Youth; All Clusters)
Interview with Diane Eckert, Safe and Drug Free Youth and Tim Thomas, Westfield HS. (4:26)  http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/streaming/is8_int_hostlosemost.asx

Westfield Community Coalition Coordinator: Jennifer Cooper (jalcooper@aol.com) 703-966-8304. Contact Jennifer to be on the email list to receive free information about prevention programs and upcoming events:
   Western Fairfax Community Day, Free Event
   Saturday April 19, 10am-3pm
   Stone Middle School Yard
   Entertainment-International acts, local students and more; Free food donated by local corporations booths of all the Fairfax agencies that can assist those in need. Fire department with truck, Police with Robot and more. Additional parking will be available at the Park n Ride on Stone with a shuttle bus running the 5 hours.

Parent Guide to Personal Safety for Youth

Because of the exceptional popularity of the KidSafe Virginia parent guides, the Governor's Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (GOSAP) recently worked to revise, update, and combine the previous parent guides into one guide. The purpose of the new publication, Prevention Comes First: Parent Guide to Personal Safety for Youth, is to educate parents about some of the potential safety threats children may face and to assist parents in communicating with their children about personal safety.
   The topics covered in the guide include: fire safety, internet safety, driving safety, bullying, gangs, inhalant abuse prevention, and underage drinking.
   Beginning December 1, 2007, the parent guides will be available at fire and rescue stations and Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices throughout the Commonwealth. To locate your nearest visit DMV office homepage.
   Copies of the parent guide may also be downloaded from the GOSAP Web site.
   Questions may be addressed to Jacklyn Varela, special assistant to the Secretary of Public Safety at (804) 692-2568 or by e-mail: jacklyn.varela@governor.virginia.gov.

DonorsChoose.org

The Madison Project, JMU's first all-male a cappella sensation,

SIGN UP FOR GIANT BONUS Bucks

You can turn your grocery shopping into cash for Westfield through Giant’s A+ BonusBucks program. Sign up for the program and designate Westfield High School. Go to A+ Bonus Bucks Homepage, click on A+ Bonus Bucks ["designate your schools"], and provide the first three letters of your last name and your 12-digit card number (if you already have one) with no spaces. To designate Westfield High School enter the School ID number 03798. You can designate up to three schools and your Bonus Bucks will be divided equally among them. If you don’t have a Bonus Bucks card, you can pick one up at any Giant grocery store. The program runs from October 5, 2007 through April 3, 2008. Even if you have signed up in the past, you must do this each year to allow Giant to designate funds to the school of your choice.

Office Depot 5% Back to School Program

Every time parents, students, faculty, and other Westfield High School supporters make purchases at Office Depot, the school receives 5% of the qualifying purchases to use for free supplies. All you need to do is tell them at the cash register when checking out that you want Westfield High School to get credit for the purchase. They will look up the Back to Schools ID number for our school and enter it into the system at check out.

GoodSearch.com

Search the Web? Westfield can earn a penny every time you searched the Internet. GoodSearch.com is a search engine (similar to Google) that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it’s powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results. Go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Westfield High School PTSA, Chantilly VA as the charity you want to support. Just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year without anyone spending a dime! And, be sure to spread the word to family and friends who want to support our high school.

Watch D.O.G.S. (Dad’s of Great Students)

WATCH D.O.G.S.® (Dads Of Great Students) is the safe school initiative of the National Center for Fathering that involves fathers and father figures to help create a more safe and secure learning environment in our nation's schools. A great starting point to explore ways to get more men involved in PTA.

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