Wild Cat ROAR! September 14, 2025

Our first grade teachers are: Alexis Brace, Brittany Coffman, Shannon Escario, Maelee Rariden, Annie Hendricks, and Caroline Machak. Mrs. Rariden joined the Weller team this year coming from Charlottesville City Schools. This veteran team is planning an exciting year for our Cheetahs!

The Virginia Department of Education has released the 2024-2025 Accreditation Data. Schools are designated as: Distinguished, On Track, Off Track, In Need of Support. To be recognized as Distinguished, a school must receive a rating of 90% on the Mastery Index. This is a matrix that includes student performance on the SOL exams, EL student performance on WIDA, student growth, and student attendance.

Weller received a rating of 88.1%. Areas of strength are math, WIDA, growth in science, Virginia Studies, and areas that we are focusing on include reading and attendance. Last year our Chronic Absenteeism rate was 14.5%. The goal is to have fewer than 10% of our students identified as chronically absent.

Our School Improvement Plan also focuses on Reading. We have received additional teachers to provide reading interventions for students who need extra support.

More information regarding all schools can be found on the Virginia Department of Education website:

https://www.doe.virginia.gov/home

Weller Raw Data Results:

Gr 3 English Reading 67

Gr 4 English Reading 91

Gr 5 English Reading 86

Gr 4 VA Studies 86

Gr 3 Mathematics 95

Gr 4 Mathematics 96

Gr 5 Mathematics 89

Gr 5 Science 77

Teachers Joe Wood (School Based Resource Math Teacher) and Alexis Brace, First Grade) presented to the Weller PTO last week. They introduced the new math curriculum (Kiddom) and the new online program, Magma. Students have online resources, but they will also be using math workbooks. Mr. Wood and Mrs. Brace encouraged parents to help their children by practicing math facts, addition, subtraction skills for the younger grades and multiplication, division, and fractions for the older graders. We want students to enjoy math and to understand its every day applications.

Mrs. Mazza and Mrs. Zane are teaching all science and social studies to 5th grade students this year. Students have already been experimenting, working together, making connections and having fun.

Thank you to everyone who attended the first in-person PTO meeting of the year! It was great to connect with so many new families. We may have set a new attendance record! Thank you especially to Mrs. Brace and Mr. Wood for their presentation on the new math curriculum. If you'd like information about the meeting or their presentation, please reach out to Krysti Lloyd at lloyd.krysti@gmail.com.

Thank you also to the many parents who have signed up as volunteers. We are working to get you connected to a committee and will be in touch soon. The door is always open to join the PTO!

We have more exciting events lined up. Please save these dates!

• Sep 17: Spirit Night at Big Buns One Loudoun: Dine at Big Buns and mention Steuart Weller. A portion of the sale will come directly to Weller!
• Sep 19: Riverside homecoming parade: Weller has a float in the parade. You and your student are welcome to walk alongside the float but please RSVP by emailing infoswespto@gmail.com by Wednesday Sep 17th. We are also looking for candy donations! Drop off bags of candy at the main office or send it with your student.
• Sep 24: Teacher & staff appreciation luncheon: Please sign up to help with set-up, clean-up, dessert, or financial contributions.
• Oct 24: Costume party! Save the date for this fun event! Students are welcome to dress up in a Halloween costume and join in the fun - dancing, games, and concessions available for purchase. A flyer with more details will be sent home soon.
• Nov 12: PTO meeting at 6:30 pm featuring Dr. Lindsey Hoskins, a clinical therapist specializing in family counseling. She'll address the topic of bullying. What is bullying vs. meanness? As parents, how do we prevent bullying and how do we support victims? We hope you'll join to learn more about this important topic.
  

If you have any other PTO-related questions, please reach out to me anytime.

Best regards,

Krysti Lloyd -- lloyd.krysti@gmail.com

All students who participated in the Free and Reduced-Price Meal (FARM) program during the 2024-2025 school year are granted a 30-day grace period for 2025-26. Benefits end in October for all 2024-25 benefits. Parents/Guardians can apply online or come to school in person; Mrs. Palomino can help you complete the paper application.

If you have already applied, please check your email for your eligibility letter.

English: https://aptg.co/DshQz4

Spanish: https://aptg.co/gycsFq

We encourage all interested families to apply for Free & Reduced Meals. The following link contains resources including menus, applications, cost of meals, how to pay for student meals, etc: https://www.lcps.org/o/lcps/page/school-nutrition

The school menu can be found: https://linqconnect.com/public/menu/243AAV?buildingId=7069ad18-bada-eb11-a2c4-babb11d0075f There are always choices for students!

If you want to restrict your student from purchasing snacks or ice cream, please email our cafeteria manager: Teresa Fernandez. Teresa.fernandez@lcps.org

If you child has dietary restrictions, please contact our school nurse, Sabrina Evangelisti, 571-252-2360.