News from our President, Mary Coleman
February 2012

View Archived Messages

It doesn’t seem possible but we are already at the end of the first semester of the school year! Report cards will be distributed via 3rd period classes during Bulldog Block on Monday, February 6th. Please ask your student to review it with you. Remember if your student is having problems with a subject, it is not too late to improve their performance for the remainder of the year. There is free tutoring available through the PTSA BITS tutoring program. Go to http://www.fcps.edu/WestfieldHS/student_services/bits.htm for more details. BITS takes place on Saturday mornings and all of our students are welcome.

Please join us for our next PTSA meeting at 7 PM in the library on Thursday, February 16th. Kathy Smith, FCPS School Board member will speak to us about issues that matter to us regarding our children’s education. We will hold a brief business meeting before we open the floor to Kathy. I encourage you to attend.

Thank you to the volunteers that helped make the school’s Blood Drive a success. Also Junior Night held January 10th was a success with many parents in attendance.

We recently received tickets for selected teachers to attend the George Mason University Men’s Basketball game on January 21st. The tickets were part of the “Super Teacher Night” promotion by the Virginia Lottery, the Northern Virginia District PTA and George Mason University. The evening is designed to pay tribute to our educators. This is just one more way to say “thank you” to Virginia’s dedicated teachers. Read more details.

Senior Parents Save the date: Graduation is coming soon. Would you like to have the answers to all the questions you have about this important event for your family? Parents and students please join us March 21st at 7 pm in the cafeteria for the PTSA/Westfield sponsored 90 day meeting. Administrators will be on hand to give you all the details and help prepare you for graduation.

We will hold our Princeton Review SAT/ACT combination test at Westfield High School on Saturday, February 4th. The test will include both SAT and ACT questions to assess which test is better for students based on their strengths. The test will be administered by the Princeton Review. A follow-up session with Princeton Review staff will be held for parents and students at Westfield HS on Tuesday, March 6th at 7 pm. The test is ideal for juniors who haven’t yet taken the SAT. Please keep this test in mind for next year, if you have a current sophomore. My thanks to Cathy Pisarcik for chairing this event.

I am sure you have heard by now. The Fairfax County School Board voted to offer an additional five English and social studies honors courses in high school during its January 26 business meeting. The following courses will be offered to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students in time for the 2012-13 school year: English 11 Honors, World History and Geography 2 Honors, English 12 Honors, Virginia and U.S. History Honors, and Virginia and U.S. Government Honors. I am hopeful we will gain more information about this decision when Kathy Smith attends our next PTSA meeting.

At the January 12 Fairfax County School Board meeting, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Jack D. Dale released the school system’s FY 2013 Proposed Budget of $2.4 billion, an increase of 9 percent, or $202.3 million, from the FY 2012 Approved Budget. The FY 2013 budget includes 721.3 new positions, most of which are being added to address rising enrollment—projected to be 181,608 students in FY 2013—and student demographic changes. FCPS is projecting an increase of more than 3,900 students for the 2012-13 school year. Since FY 2008, the district’s enrollment has grown by more than 15,000 students. The budget also includes funds to expand Pathways to the Baccalaureate, part of the College Success program, to four additional schools—Centreville, Chantilly, South County and Westfield High Schools. The program works to develop college readiness and provide ongoing support to students who enroll in Northern Virginia Community College with the intent of transferring to a four-year Virginia college to earn a bachelor’s degree. Stay informed about the budget process by reading The Bottom Line.

The PTSA needs to form a nominating committee to fill PTSA board slots for the upcoming school year. If you are interested in being on the nominating committee or stepping up for any PTSA position, please contact me.

The planning for the All Night Grad Party and the Mulch fundraiser for the ANGP is well under way. Please stay tuned to our PTSA calendar for upcoming meetings. We would love to have you join us!

Happy Holidays! See you in the New Year.

Mary Coleman, PTSA President