President's Message

Octobr 2015

Hello Westfield Bulldogs!

I hope that your students are in full “school mode” and are having a successful first quarter!

First, thank you to everyone who has already volunteered time this year! Your help has made things such as the Bulldog Café, Vision/Hearing Screenings, Staff Lunch and the Bulldog BBQ go well. Ongoing volunteer needs will always be posted on our sign up genius page (http://www.signupgenius.com/go/whsbulldog), we have a request from the ESOL teacher to help make booklets for her which would help the children.

Upcoming Dates/Events (for a complete list of events, see the calendar online)

• Vision and hearing screening 10/6,7
• BITS tutoring begins: 10/17
• Homecoming Week: 10/4-10/10

*Spirit Days, Parade (10/9) 4 pm start time, Football Game (10/19),

Dance (10/10)*Dance tickets pricing and sales schedule is posted on the PTSA calendar

• Student Holiday 10/9
• Columbus Day Holiday: 10/13
• PSAT/Readiness Exam Date: 10/14– Early Dismissal
• Senior Class Meeting: 10/14 (Attendance Mandatory)
• PTSA Meeting: 10/15 – Social Media Presentation by Ms Joann Lesser, FCPS Educational Technology Specialist. (7 pm-Library)
• Reflections Contest Ends: 10/24
• End of First Quarter: 10/30 – 2 hour early dismissal
• Student Holiday 11/2,3

Please join us for the Thursday, October 15th PTSA meeting. Following a very brief business meeting, there will be a Social Media presentation by Ms Joann Lesser, FCPS Educational Technology Specialist. Come learn about various social media sites, how to navigate them and see what your students are doing/seeing in the ever-changing world of social media. Please invite community members. Everyone welcome.

The following is from the Fairfax Council of PTAs please consider giving your input:

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is using an extensive community engagement process in the development of the FY 2017 budget.  

Because projected costs for items such as enrollment growth, state mandated retirement, health insurance costs, and employee salary increases are increasing more than projected revenues, FCPS anticipates a significant budget shortfall for school year 2016-17 (FY 2017). To balance the budget, FCPS may have to cut, reduce, or redesign current programs.

As part of the budget process, ideas on what to cut, reduce, or redesign as well as how to increase revenue through fees have been developed by the Budget Task Force with input from the community. FCPS invited stakeholders to submit budget suggestions through the FCPS website this summer, and is now asking for their ideas on how to address the projected budget shortfall.

Beginning September 9, community members will be able to submit proposals www.fcps.edu/SaveFCPS. to help balance the budget using a "Budget Proposal Tool". The proposals submitted via the Budget Proposal Tool will be shared with the Budget Task Force for their review prior to making a recommendation to the Superintendent in October. The information will also be shared with the Superintendent and School Board.

For a complete list of businesses and individuals who donated to this year’s silent auction, please visit us online. We greatly appreciate the support of our business community and ask that you consider supporting these businesses that support us!

Go Bulldogs!

Meg Crossett
Westfield HS PTSA President