12/4/16 PTSA E-Blast

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

12/5 – Deadline to order football state game spirit wear, 11:59 pm

12/6 – Pie and Punch for teachers/staff (Donations needed please)

12/8 – Chorus Candlelight Concert, 7:30 pm

12/10 – Book Fair at Barnes & Noble

12/10 – State Playoff Football game at Hampton University, 4 pm

12/12 – Jazz and Concert Band Concert, 7 pm

12/13 – Foster’s Grille Fundraiser for Band, 4-9 pm

12/13 – Symphonic and Wind Symphony Band Concert, 7 pm

12/15 – PTSA Meeting, 7 pm

12/15 – Orchestra Concert

12/16 and 12/17 – Theatre’s Ho Ho Holiday Show

 Here are several updates from around the school:

1. Pie and Punch Dessert Donations Still Needed Please!  The PTSA is sponsoring the 2^nd annual Pie and Punch Dessert Hour on Tuesday, December 6^th! A variety of desserts have been requested and please deliver to the office by 2 pm on Tuesday. To see what is needed and to sign up, please click here. If you have questions, please contact Jennie Joiner at hospitality@westfieldhs.org  Let’s show our teachers and staff how appreciated they are! Thank you!
2. Football State Game Spirit Wear: Orders are being taken through 11:59 pm Monday (12/5) for state football game spirit wear. The team plays Oscar Smith in a rematch of the 2015 state game. The link to order is https://vastates2.itemorder.com/sale .  Please put your student’s name in the player spot. Orders will be delivered during WHS lunches on Friday. Go Bulldogs!
3. Kids in Crisis Gift Card Collection:  It is the time of year when requests to help individual WHS students and families in need increase greatly. The Kids In Crisis program helps counselors provide help to our students and families.  If you are able, please consider donating a gift card or two. Please keep the balances on the cards to $25 or less from stores such as Wal-Mart, Shoppers, Giant, and Target. Many of our students do not have access to cars and walk to the closest stores. Please send any donation to the main office to the attention of Meg Crossett. Thank you for supporting the Westfield community.
4. Barnes & Noble Book Fair: Please support the WHS Library! The Library is sponsoring a book fair at the Fair Lakes Barnes and Noble on Saturday, December 10^th from 1-5 pm. Westfield students will have artwork on display and will perform in music ensembles during this time. They will also be hosting activities for children – book mark making, face painting, and story time. The Westfield Bulldog will be making an appearance too!  Come support our Library and our students! Barnes and Noble will donate a percentage of the profits from customers who mention Westfield at check-out. They will also credit online purchases made between December 10^th and 15^th when the very small box at the bottom of the check-out page is checked and the ID# 11785557 is entered. Please join us on December 10^th and please share this information with friends, family, and neighbors! Questions? Contact Mrs. Koenig at amkoenig@fcps.edu
5. Chorus Concert and Collection for Katherine Hanley Family Shelter:  The Chorus Candlelight Concert will be Thursday, December 8^th at 7:30 pm in the Auditorium. There will be a collection of diapers, baby wipes, bath soap, full size shampoos, conditioners, and lotions for all ages to benefit the Katherine Hanley Family Shelter.
6. Theatre’s Ho Ho Holiday Show: Westfield Theatre presents their annual Ho Ho Holiday show featuring 5 student directed stories to get children from 1-99 in the holiday spirit. Stories include How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Twas the Night Before Christmas, A Muppet Christmas Carol, and Back to the Future Hanukkah Story. Shows are Friday, December 16 at 7 pm and Saturday, December 17 at 11 am and 2 pm. Tickets are $5 at the door and seating is general admission.
7. 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 Patricia Lee at pylee@fcps.edu for additional 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.
8. Junior Night, January 24^th at 7 pm: Learn from a panel of college professionals about the college process, what students should be doing now, how colleges make decisions, how to manage the process, financial aid/scholarships, and the community college option. There will be time for questions at the end of the program. This program is for Juniors and their families and will be held in the auditorium.
9. Library Volunteers Needed:  The WHS library seeks volunteers!  Please email Mrs. Lesser at jtlesser@fcps.edu and/or Mrs. Koenig at amkoenig@fcps.edu with questions and to volunteer! Please include your availability when you send your message. Thanks!
10. BITS Tutoring!  BITS tutoring for 2016-2017 has started!  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.
11. Practice SAT or ACT in February: For planning purposes, we are letting you know that there will be a practice SAT or ACT (your choice) test on February 25th. This test is sponsored by the PTSA and Kaplan and scores are for the student use only, to help with preparing to take the real test. The registration form is attached to the bottom of this message.
12. Turbo-Tutoring: ACT and SAT prep classes will resume in the new year and spots are already filling up. Students can reserve spots now and pay later. To see the calendar and to register, click here or see the flier attached at the bottom of the eblast.
13. 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.
14. After School Concessions Volunteers Still Needed:  Are you looking for a regular (every-other week) volunteer spot? There are several openings for the after school concessions stand which runs through May! Please contact Amanda Bremer with questions or to volunteer.
15. Yearbook Orders:  Save $10 by ordering a yearbook by December 31^st!  For details, visit here
16. Athletic Teams Calendar:  To see the games/matches/meets for all WHS athletic teams, click here!  
17. 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!
18. 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!
19. Have something about a club, team, or class at Westfield that you’d like in the e-blast? Send a request to newsletter@westfieldhs.org  

Good luck to the Football Team as they play for that state title against Oscar Smith on Saturday, 12/10, at 4 pm at Hampton University!

Go Bulldogs!