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Westfield HS PTSA
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PTSA E-blast 6-22-14:
KEY NOTE:
If you are a current WHS PTSA member (for the school year 2013-2014), please reply to this email with a yes/no vote for the following 2014-2015 WHS PTSA Executive Board. An email vote is needed as a quorum of members was not present at the June 19, 2014 PTSA meeting. The slate was presented at the May 15, 2014 PTSA meeting.
President: Cathy Pisarcik
1st VP: Meg Crossett
2nd VP: Open
Treasurer: Mark Cutlip
Secretary: Kelly Roberts
Thank you.
Here are several updates from the PTSA and others around WHS:
- PLEASE HELP support WHS by volunteering for a 2014-2015 WHS PTSA vacancy! The time commitment varies for each position with some being minimal and others needing a little more time. The following positions are available: Mulch Chair/Co-Chair (late winter-spring), Directory Chair (early in school year), Bulldog BBQ Co-Chair (summer—NEEDED asap—learn how it’s done from an experienced co-chair), Legislative Representative (yearlong), and Parent Programs Coordinator (plan 2 events per year). Please consider donating a little of your time to helping make Westfield a success! Rising 9th grade parents are encouraged and invited to volunteer – what a great way to get to know the school.
- THANK YOU to everyone involved with this year’s ANGP! A special thank you to co-chairs Ellen Ryder, Mary Coleman and Kim Nguyen, as well as committee chairs Takako Rodriguez, Meg Curry, Nicole Ohanian, Debbie Wilson, Jeannie Donahue, Karen Fiala, Veronica Delaney and Kelly Roberts! A special thank you to Mr. Thomas, Mr. Bour, Officer Munoz, Office Lawson, Ms. Keeder, Ms. Jones, Mrs. Donohue and Mrs. Kaulback for their presence and/or assistance. Thanks to the many volunteers who helped make it all possible, whether putting together the amazing selection of prizes, hanging decorations and lights (both planned and unexpected!), being a dealer for the casino, checking students in, running the games, monitoring prizes and all of the other tasks! A thank you also to all of the generous businesses and individuals who made donations (prizes, money, time) to this year’s event. A detailed list will be published soon.
- To see some fun ANGP photos , please visit the following link: http://kevindelaney.smugmug.com/share/krvtNRZP9g3mQ Thank you Veronica Delaney!
- Recent graduate parents: The link to see graduation photos is: https://vando.imagequix.com/1299019766
- Congratulations Class of 2014!
- Congratulations to the PTSA’s Volunteer of the Year Kelly Roberts! Kelly has served as a board member for several years, as well as co-chairing the Bulldog BBQ multiple times, serving as the Directory Chairperson for several years, serving as Volunteer Coordinator and helping with many PTSA events. Kelly always volunteers with a smile and has great insight. Thank you, Kelly, for all you do for Westfield students, families and staff!
- Congratulations to this year’s PTSA Scholarship recipients: Joe Callas, Joey Castro, Kendra Coleman, Craig Edwards, Serena Emanuel, Blake Feichtl, Amanda Nelson, Mike Sander, and Morgan Tweddle. Thank you to everyone who applied for the scholarships.
- The 2014-2015 Bulldog BBQ is being planned now for Tuesday, August 26th. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in donating an item or a service to the silent auction, please email Usma Johnson at usma_4697@hotmail.com or Becky Martin at bocm61@cox.net
- Westfield Reads Program announced: This summer, Peak by Roland Smith has been selected as the book for all students and staff to read. For more information on Westfield Reads and other summer assignments, please visit the WHS website: http://www.fcps.edu/WestfieldHS/index.html
- Ordering from AMAZON? Please go to the PTSA website and click on the Amazon link that is on the right side of the page, about half-way down. Once you click, you’ll be taken to Amazon and can order as usual. A percentage of your order total will be donated to the WHS PTSA – at no cost to you!
- Class of 2018 Bulldog Bootcamp registration is ongoing. Information available at: http://www.fcps.edu/WestfieldHS/academics/summerassignments/summerassign/bootcamp.pdf
- The annual Bulldog Algebra Refresher Camp will be held August 11th-15th from 9 am to 11:30 am. The registration form is available at: http://www.fcps.edu/WestfieldHS/academics/summerassignments/summerassign/algebrarefresher.pdf Please register by June 25th. This camp is free for all current WHS students and rising freshmen.
- Summer Sports Camps/Information: Information is available at http://www.westfieldathletics.org/ regarding summer basketball camps. Lots of information available about all Westfield sports at this website.
- Summer Assignment Information can be found at: http://www.fcps.edu/WestfieldHS/academics/summerassignments/summerassign.html
- Changing school start times is in the final stages of discussion by the School Board and FCPS. The school board will hold a meeting in July to discuss and vote on the options. At-Large School Board Member Ted Velkoff stated that he reads and considers every “well-written” letter he receives, noting that concise, to-the-point letters have great value. Ted.Velkoff@fcps.edu As it has been presented, there will be a change in the start times for FCPS schools, beginning in the 2015-2016 school year. Please be informed and let your opinion be heard. There are pros and cons to both sides of the issue. The cost for the transportation changes alone will be several million dollars ($2MM to $7MM, depending on the approved plan – according to FCPS published information). The total cost for the changes is not known, according to a FCPS representative at the Centreville HS community meeting. Let all members of the School Board know your thoughts. For more information on the four possible changes to the FCPS start time schedule, please visit http://www.fcps.edu/news/starttimes.shtml Contact information for the school board members can be found at: http://www.fcps.edu/schlbd/members/bdmembers.shtml
- Centreville HS meeting on Changing Start times update: At last week’s community meeting at Centreville HS regarding changing the start times, the majority of people voted for option #5, which was written in as an option. Option #5 is “no change at all to the current start times”. A presentation was made by the Children’s National Medical Group that performed a FCPS school board sanctioned study. In the presentation, statistics were presented about the impact of lack of sleep on teenagers. However, when questioned, the speaker and other representatives revealed that the statistics were not presented fully and completely and some numbers were included without full representation for what they stood for. One example was a figure of 1800 accidents in Fairfax County involving young drivers during a sample period. When asked, the presenter could not specify what time of day these accidents occurred, whether they were attributed directly to lack of sleep or if lack of experience or other issues may have been factors. Additionally, the presenter could not identify a school system as large as FCPS, or close to the size of FCPS, that has made a change such as this that will impact as many people as this will (185,000 students/1,000,000 family members, staff, etc). While no one seems to be suggesting that kids can’t use more sleep, the majority in attendance did not agree that changing start times was the answer. Impact research needs to be done and accurate data on the total cost of the proposed change needs to be figured. As Montgomery County, MD just realized as they cancelled their plans to change start times, the total cost is most likely significantly higher than the transportation costs outlined in FCPS options #1-#4. Please complete the survey (link above, #6) and make your voice heard.
- Budget Impacts at Westfield: While the plans to change start times and add millions of dollars of expenses to FCPS are underway, there are budget shortfalls that have and will directly affect Westfield. Class sizes will increase, several teaching positions have been eliminated, and the attendance office will be closed, to name a few.
FINALLY, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE THIS YEAR SUCCESSFUL FOR ANY AND ALL STUDENTS AT WESTFIELD! Thank you teachers, administrators, staff members, volunteers, business partners, coaches, and the students too! Your hard work and dedication were the key to success. Happy summer!
The Westfield High School PTSA
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