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What's Happening in April 2008

• President's Message
• Minority Achievement News
• Tidbits
• ANGP News
• After Prom Party
• Booster News
• Earn Volunteer Hours
• Reflections 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
• 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
  
  

Your feedback is important to us. Send to newsletter@ westfieldhs.org comments or suggestions to make your PTSA better

President's Message

Our PTSA program, Saturday Night in the Suburbs (SNITS) and the events of the previous week were certainly a wake up call for many parents in the community. I was so proud of our hand picked group of Westfield students, Stephanie McGuire, Lindsay Thomas, Zach Gulsby, Kent Bailey, Greg Callas, Kyle Johnson, Taylor Bikowski, Jeff Park, and Emily McClelland. The kids were forthright, honest, and adorably candid about the issues- even for teenagers! The goal of the program was to increase awareness of ongoing teen issues in the community and to consider how to better communicate with our teens about drugs, alcohol, parties, and other eye-opening topics. My thanks to Eric Johnson & Nancy Bennett, who worked with me to put together the program as well as Tim Thomas for his support and frank response to parent questions. If you missed our program and wanted to attend, you'll have a second chance. A similar SNITS program will be held on Monday April 21, 7pm at the Chantilly High School Media Center.

The timing of such a program couldn't have come at a more opportune time. A synopsis of the program can be found in the Centreview, March 20 issue, and over the next few weeks. The unfortunate death of a 2007 graduate, due to a heroin overdose has sent reverberations through the community. Many parents have been questioning the school in regard to this event. Unfortunately, drug use in the school community is not new. Not all teens are doing it, but it is out there. Fairfax County Youth surveys focused on the rate of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use by adolescents in 2001, 2003, 2005, and this past February for students in sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth grade. View the results.

In talking to Leslie Churn, our school's Substance Abuse Counselor, as well as the Sully Police, it is apparent that while drug and alcohol abuse has always been present in the community, the recent rise in heroin use is new. Dealers are now lacing marijuana with heroin, while giving it to unsuspecting users who quickly become addicted. Users don't know what they are getting, immediately get hooked and can experience an unintentional overdose.

The school is doing its part to deal with the ongoing substance abuse issues. The rest is up to us - the parents. Each of us who wonders why we have a problem in our community needs to examine our own actions. Parents need to stop minimizing or enabling their kids' behavior:  "It's only cigarettes" . .  "It's only pot"  . . or "The drinking age was 18 when I was in high school." Parents who allow their kids to drink or smoke while knowing it is against the law or who leave their teens unsupervised while they are away from home need to look hard at what this is tells our kids about their behavior. We all need to educate ourselves about the issues and establish clear rules for our children. Stay involved in their lives- this is your last chance before you send them out into the adult world!  Get to know your kids' friends, know where they are and what they are doing when they are out of the house. Compare notes with other parents - including your children's friend's parents, investigate suspicious behavior, talk to your kids about these issues and set a good example of drug-free living at home.

Here are some signs to look for with Substance use from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Personality: Becomes disrespectful - verbally and physically abusive, is angry a lot, acts paranoid or confused, experiences extreme mood swings, seems depressed and less out-going than usual, is secretive about activities, is stealing or losing possessions he used to value, seems to have a lot of money or is always asking for money, withdraws from family and activities. Physical Appearance: neglect of hygiene and grooming, sleep disturbance - too much or too little, loss of appetite, change in weight, too hyperactive or too little energy. Social activity/School Performance: Drops old friends and activities, skipping school, loses interest and motivation, getting low grades, sleeping in class, losing concentration, has memory issues.

Contact Leslie Churn, MA, Substance Abuse Counselor for Westfield High School- Contact 703-488-6308 or at Leslie.Churn@fcps.edu for a free and confidential assessment for Westfield students or your student's guidance counselor if you have concerns.

Please post and circulate the following tip lines that can help parents or kids address unsafe issues in the community:

• 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.
• Crime Solvers - 703-691-8888- For Fairfax County activities. Confidential. They do not take your name unless you want an investigator to contact you.
• Crime Solvers Regional Tip Line- 1-866-411-TIPS A confidential tip line for activities happening anywhere on the entire East Coast.

Ray Clements, Security, Westfield High (703) 488-6307 or Ray.clements@fcps.edu to report tips or concerns at Westfield.

We need to talk, and work together as parents and as a community if we are going to keep our kids safe. The school is taking reasonable steps to eliminate tobacco, alcohol, and drugs by our students. The rest is up to parents. Healthy values and drug-free living begin at home. We need to deal with the issue - set aside the excuses!! Parents who aren't paying attention - wake up!!

You learn more about the school, parents and kids by talking to your kids, and by volunteering at the school. Please support our efforts to have a safe prom and graduation season. There are always numerous ways to get involved. Upcoming events include our 5Krun for Scholarships on this coming Saturday, 4/5, ANGP Mulch Day 4/19, and our ANGP on 6/18. More information is available within this newsletter.

There has been a change in our next monthly PTSA meeting. It has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 22 at 7pm. School Board member Kathy Smith will be present to talk about FCPS budget issues. All are welcome to attend! 

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

5K Run Information

2008 5K RUN FOR SCHOLARSHIPS The Tradition Continues... Plan to join us April 5th, 2008 8am. Online Registration now available or download application. Read more about how you can participate. Same day registrations will be accepted.

Minority Achievement News

COLLEGE SUVIVAL 101 On Sat. April 19th the Northern Virginia Urban League Young Professionals Network will host the 2008 "College Survival 101" program on the campus of Northern Virginia Community College-Alexandria Campus. This program is designed to prepare minority and disadvantaged high school seniors for the challenges of college life. Students will attend workshops in three areas: Academic, Social and Financial. The program is free for students and $20 for parents. Registration forms are available in the Career Center. For further information call 703-534-1731.

2008 Scholarship Resource Guide

Sincerely,
Mark Richardson, MAC Chairperson
Minority Achievement Homepage

ANGP News

Plans are well underway for Westfield High School's 7th All-Night Graduation Party, which will be held on June 18th, 2008. This event will be drug and alcohol-free and will include a casino, music, games and food for the seniors to participate in. It will be held from 11PM to 5A.M. at Westfield High School. Valuable prizes will also be given away throughout the evening and morning to entice the graduates to stay.
     We need your assistance in the form of donations to make this a successful evening. All donations are tax deductible and we do have a tax-exempt number for your use. The members of the ANGP (All-Night Graduation Party) committee are asking local businesses and community members to help with any of the following:

• A cash donation with checks payable to ANGP and mailed to Westfield High School, ANGP Donations, 4700 Stonecroft Boulevard, Chantilly, VA. 20151.
• A gift certificate for food or other items sold at your place of business.
• A door prize that can be given away to teenagers such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, sports equipment, dorm/apartment items, etc.

All types of donations will be gratefully accepted. No donation is too small. If you wish, you can contact me, Jan Guthrie, at 703-830-5744 or e-mail at angp@westfieldhs.org. We would be delighted to pick up your donation. All contributors will be recognized in our local newspaper and at the registration desk on the evening of the party. Please help make the 2008 ANGP a safe, fun and wonderful celebration. We thank you in advance for your support.

Next Meeting Dates:

 Apr 1, 6:30pm

 Apr 9, 6:30pm

 May 14, 6:30pm

 Jun 4, 6:30pm

April 19 ANGP MULCH Day

   Trucks are needed and that Mulch Day starts at 8am

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

Tracy Porter Jan Guthrie, co-chairs
ANGP, Westfield High School

After Prom Party

The After Prom Party, which is included in the Prom ticket cost, will be held at Bowl America Chantilly from 12:30 to 4:30 am (the wee hours of June 8, right after the June 7th Prom). Parent volunteers are needed to help purchase/solicit prizes, to help at the check-in desk, to serve as chaperones for all or part of this special late night, an annual tradition since WHS opened.

     The Party will include free cosmic bowling; free ice cream sundaes, sodas and breakfast; disc jockey; and prize drawings throughout the event, including grand prize flat screen HDTV -- all to keep our sons/daughters safe and drug/alcohol free during this memorable evening. For safety reasons, students may not leave and re-enter the bowling alley.

     With financial support from the Westfield Community Coalition, local police officers will provide security, but parents assist here too. Some of you have already signed up and provided us your email addresses, but for those who missed that earlier opportunity, here's your chance to be part of the fun.

     If you are interested in helping at After Prom, please contact Sue Kiely or Nancy Kruchko: afterprom@westfieldhs.org. Your time and effort will be greatly appreciated.

Tidbits

• April 19, 2008 Western Fairfax Community Day 2008. The purpose of this event is to bring the community together in the western part of Fairfax County for a day of celebrating who we are and all that we have in common. It is our hope that this community event will build strong ties and foster lasting relationships among community residents, schools, county agencies, private non-profits, businesses and the faith community. Read more.
• Academic Celebration of Excellence & Special Education Scholarship applications are now being accepted. Deadline May 5, 2008 by the end of the school day. The PTSA is offering 2 $1,000 and 4 $500 scholarships to graduating seniors. PTSA scholarship applications are available in the WHS Career Center or you can down load them from the PTSA website. Applicants need to be a current member of the PTSA.
• Erin Peterson Fund: Erin Peterson Leadership Award and Erin Peterson Commit to Excel Award and First Annual Erin Peterson Golf Tournament. Read more
• Fund Raiser for Breast Cancer - Foster's Grille in both Chantilly & Ashburn will be hosting a fundraiser on Tuesday, April 29th to support an upcoming Breast Cancer Walk to Empower on Mother's Day. Westfield students Erik and Zack Jensen have put together a team to raise money for the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization to honor their mother who was recently diagnosed and being treated for breast cancer. The funds raised for the event will benefit the Y-ME organization which offers free-of-charge program and services for breast cancer survivors in our local area. Foster's Grille, where Erik works, will be donating a portion of their sales on April 29th to support Erik and Zack's team. For more information, please visit Erik's web site.
• Transportation Task Force in support of later school start times submitted their report to the FCPS School Board on March 10. The School Board will announce dates for meetings to provide wider community feedback and discussion later this year. View see the TTF Report. Read the FCCPTA related letter
• Coming Soon: New and Improved Keep in Touch System Fairfax County Public Schools will soon be introducing a completely new and improved Keep in Touch (KIT) system. The goal is the same: to keep you informed about what is happening in FCPS, your school, and of course, emergencies (including delays and closings). Along with a new vendor to provide improved services, some changes will be implemented based on past experiences, as well as the best practices already tried and tested by other large K-12 school systems.
• 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 9:30 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 

Booster News

News From the Guitar Boosters

GUITAR - AWARD WINNING PERFORMANCE

The Westfield Guitar Ensembles traveled to New York, NY in March to participate in the Performing Arts Consultants National Freedom Festival. The students performed at the Staten Island Community College before a panel of adjudicators. The Bulldog Classical Guitar Ensemble received a Gold rating from the judges and was awarded a first place trophy, the Steel String Guitar Ensemble earned a Silver rating and were awarded a first place trophy, and the Bulldog Jazz Guitars received a Gold rating and a first place trophy and were awarded the festival Grand Champion trophy for Instrumentals. Congratulations to our outstanding musicians!(read more)

     For more information about the guitar program, please visit our web site at

www.westfieldguitar.org, contact the director, Ken Hall at Kenneth.hall@fcps.edu, myself at: president@westfieldguitar.org

Kym Sunday

President, Westfield Guitar Boosters

Earn Community Service Hours

Landscaping Committee

"Keep Westfield Beautiful" and Our Streams Clean, Too

• Dates: Saturdays, April 5 & 26; 10 AM - 1 PM (All dates are weather permitting; cancelled in case of heavy rain.)
• Place: Front of the school, across from the flag pole. Spring landscaping.
• Families, service groups, kids (under 12 must be supervised by an adult), students (any one needing community service hours). Bring wheelbarrows, rakes, brooms, work gloves, and garden tools.

Contact Mona Miller at landscapeCoord@westfieldhs.org for further information.

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

FCPS Newswire

The Fairfax County School Board voted to adopt the staff recommendation of the West County Boundary Study at its business meeting on Thursday, February 28. For complete information, the boundary information can be accessed by going to the FCPS School Board Web site. Current 9th graders and older will be "grand-fathered" into their same school, and stay until they graduate. In other situations, the schools may consider pupil placements for siblings of current students. There is an application that needs to be filled out by a parent or guardian, and approved by the principal of both schools. For further guidance, speak to your guidance counselor, especially if you have questions regarding the process.

Community Programs

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month - the perfect time to become a CASA volunteer!

Pathways to Success: Alternatives to Four Year College Resource Fair The PTSAs of Lake Braddock Secondary School, Robinson Secondary School and West Springfield High School Invites You

• When: May 8, 2008 Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
• Where: West Springfield High School Cafeteria 6100 Rolling Road, Springfield, VA 22152 Explore the endless career & training opportunities that are available to students after high school graduation.
• This is a fabulous opportunity to guide yourself down the road to a successful future as you meet with representatives from area apprenticeship programs, companies, two-year residential colleges, technical schools, organizations & associations to learn about the endless post-secondary career opportunities that await you. For additional information, download the flyer http://www.fcps.edu/ss/prc/workshops/Pathways2Success.pdf or contact Margaret Fisher by email jrosenthal2@cox.net or phone (703)968-2971.

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 min) 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

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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