WRES Knight's News

Dear Team Westridge,

As we close a magical December, thank you for your kindness, responsiveness, and unwavering care for our students and each other. Please enjoy a safe, restorative Winter Break with loved ones - you’ve earned it!

We return Monday, January 5, 2026. Our collective focus is a strong, joyful start - warm welcomes, engaging lessons, and clear goals for growth.

Grounded in our commitments to Learning & Achievement for All, Positive Climate & Culture, and Family & Community Engagement, our 2026 work will continue to be guided by these Strategic Priorities:

1. Increase Reading achievement for ELLs & SWDs
2. Increase Math achievement for ELLs & SWDs
3. Increase Overall Science proficiency
4. Strengthen Students' sense of Belonging and Social-Emotional skills
5. Elevate Academic Clarity & Transparency for families

Thank you for the excellence you model every day. We’re proud to serve alongside you - and excited for the meaningful growth ahead in 2026!

With gratitude,

-Steven and Mia

Monday, December 22 to Friday, January 2 - Winter Break (No School)

Tuesday, January 13 - PAC Meeting 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Thursday, January 15 - PTA Meeting 6:00pm- 7:00pm

Friday, January 16 - PTA Movie Night

Monday, January 19 - Martin Luther King JR. Day (No School)

Thursday, January 22 - End of second quarter

Friday, January 23 - Teacher Workday (No School)

Monday, January 26 - Conference Day (No School)

• Thank you Lisa Samluk, Kayla McNamara, Tenneil Baxter, Lori Miller, Meredith Ames, Shannon Harper, and Josh Greenberg for sharing your UFLI and Foundations lessons during Todd Hartman and Melissa Edmonds' walkthrough visit.
• All Staff - Thank you all for attending the thoughtful baby sprinkle that Linda, Martha, Marci, and Katie planned. It was so beautiful and nice to spend time with you all! My family is so grateful for the support you showed us as we prepare to welcome our newest addition 💙 We can't wait to share him with you when he arrives! Hopefully he has a name by then!

• Jim Steimer - Bravo on a joyful Winter Concert Tuesday and a spirited school sing‑along today. Your musical leadership brought our community together!

• Scott Wilkins - Thank you for a wonderful Winter Concert and for your steady work helping our strings students grow. Your impact shows in their confidence and sound!
• Becky Terrigno, Marian McNally, Trudi Rabak, Dana Hashem, Gabriella Loar, Mia Simpson, Liz Saunders and everyone who supported in the Auxiliary Gym during arrival this morning - Your quick, coordinated actions kept students safe and supported. We appreciate you!
• All Westridge teachers - From purposeful planning to going the extra mile for student needs, your collective effort makes Westridge shine. We’re grateful for you - today and every day!

Life brings both celebrations and challenges, and we want to ensure our Westridge family feels supported through it all. Please use the Staff Tears & Cheers Form to share when a colleague may need encouragement - whether due to a loss, illness, natural disaster, or other significant life event. Your submissions help us respond with care and compassion as a community.

This effort is led by our Sunshine Committee, who will work together to provide thoughtful support and ensure no one feels alone during life’s ups and downs.

January 26 is a divisionwide professional development (PD) day. Staff must register for and attend the specific professional development designated for their grade level, content, and/or role.

Staff can view information about PD days on the Professional Learning Days Launchpad page and the 2025-26 Professional Development Plan Launchpad page.

For questions, please contact the Professional Learning Department at PLDInfo@pwcs.edu.

Thank you to those that attended our first PTA meeting! We would love for more to join! Please see the below incentives to support the PTA.

50% Membership Complete: When 50% of all the teachers in your grade level team enroll in the PTA, your team will receive a delicious candy bar! A sweet treat for sweet progress!

75% Membership Complete: At 75% membership, get ready for a popcorn bar extravaganza! Your team will enjoy a variety of flavors as you celebrate involvement.

90% Membership Complete: Achieve 90% membership, and your team will be treated to a special delivery of delicious treats. Expect some surprise delights to energize your day!

100% Membership Complete: The first two teams to reach 100% membership, will enjoy a catered lunch. It’s our way of saying thank you for your outstanding commitment and collaboration!

**Reminder, by PTA membership participation we mean all teachers in your grade level NOT all students in your grade level.**

We look forward to working with you and supporting Westridge during the 2025-2026 school year.

Many thanks,

PTA 2025-2026

The WRES PTA is pleased to offer teacher give backs to our staff this school year (2025-2026). Each teacher will be given a specific amount of money to use towards their give back. Staff members will gain approval from Mrs. Simpson before submitting the give back to the PTA for purchase. Submission deadline is March 31, 2026.

CRITERIA:

● Money CAN be used for classroom supplies related to students’ educational or social emotional outcomes

● Money MAY NOT be used for incentives or rewards

● Money MAY NOT be used for professional development

● All applicants must commit to serving as a volunteer for at least 4 hours at a PTA sponsored event during the year.

November 21, 2025 - George Mason University ACE-STEM is now accepting proposals for projects at the school or class level that promote multilingual family engagement through use of the home language(s) for literacy learning.

For more information and how to apply, visit the Call for Proposals webpage.

Check out past projects:

• Heritage Night: Benton Middle School Loves to Read!

• Storytelling Night: Graham Park Middle School

View and download the printable PDF: Multilingual Family Transliteracies Project

For questions, please reach out to GMU at acestem@gmu.edu.

American Heart Association Grants

• PWCS Assessment Calendar
• PWCS Portal update: Important information on access and QuickCard printing

• Elementary Science Newsletter | SY 2025-26 | Issue #2 | September 5th, 2025

• Mastery Connect Accommodations

• Hispanic Heritage Month Teaching and Learning Resources

• Momentum User Guide

Math Department Updates

FAQ Document

This document is updated on an ongoing basis: https://bit.ly/FAQ25-26

Momentum Data for Transfer Students

For students who transfer classes or transfer from another PWCS school, their data will transfer with them. It is vital that the new student opens the math book from the Canvas course to roster themselves in the teacher's course first, then follow these directions to view the data.

https://help.learningservicestechnology.com/realize/en/Instructor/Content/Instructor/Assignments/as…

https://support.savvas.com/s/article/Realize-How-to-Share-Student-Data-on-Class-Transfers#-1

Lexia Usage Guidelines

Robots & Computer Science Integration Opportunity Starting January 2026

PWCS Definitions of Engagement

In "The Disengaged Teen" by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, the authors identify four distinct types of engagement that students exhibit in their learning journey:

1. Resister: struggles silently with feelings of inadequacy or invisibility, often ignoring homework, playing sick, skipping class, or acting out
2. Passenger: does the bare minimum and complains that classes are pointless; need help connecting school to their skills, interests, or learning needs
3. Achiever: consistently get high grades and show up for their work, but their self-worth can become tied to high performance, making their disengagement invisible and putting them at risk for mental health challenges
4. Explorer: are driven by internal curiosity rather than external expectations, investigating questions they care about and persisting to achieve their goals

Understanding these engagement types is crucial for parents, caregivers, and educators to help teens develop a meaningful connection to learning and foster their academic and emotional flourishing.

If you have any questions about a course, please contact the office or department that hosts the course. If you have general questions about the professional learning catalog, the page, or the Professional Development Plan, please reach out to the Professional Learning Department at PLDInfo@pwcs.edu.

1. Getting Started with Savvas enVision

https://pwcs.truenorthlogic.com/ia/empari/pdAdmin/courseSearch/viewPdCourseDetails?courseId=38147&a…

1. Getting Started with Bridges Intervention

https://pwcs.truenorthlogic.com/ia/empari/pdAdmin/courseSearch/viewPdCourseDetails?courseId=38146&a…

1. Getting Started with Magma Math

https://pwcs.truenorthlogic.com/ia/empari/pdAdmin/courseSearch/viewPdCourseDetails?courseId=38145&a…

1. Getting Started with Building Fact Fluency

https://pwcs.truenorthlogic.com/ia/empari/pdAdmin/courseSearch/viewPdCourseDetails?courseId=38148&a…

This Special Education TA Empowerment Professional Learning will: Support and empower teaching assistants working with students with disabilities to help them understand and support challenging student behaviors. The opportunity aims to provide TAs with strategies, resources, and targeted professional learning to help TAs increase their skills and knowledge as effective team members in a special education classroom.

ALL SESSIONS ARE OFFERED VIRTUALLY!

Three 90-minute sessions offered on each of the dates below:

January 26, 2026 –

· 9:00 AM – Discrete Trial and Natural Environment Training Part 1: Structured and Naturalistic Approaches to Skill Acquisition

· 11:00 AM – Discrete Trial and Natural Environment Training Part 2: Structured and Naturalistic Approaches to Skill Acquisition

· 1:00 PM – Structured Skill Development: Shaping & Chaining

April 6, 2026 –

· 9:00 AM – Functions of Behavior

· 11:00 AM – Data Collection for FBA/BIP & IEP Goals

· 1:00 PM – Generalization & Maintenance of Skills

Register in the PWCS Professional Development Catalog (course number 37540) with the QR Code pictured above!

*Only for those employees who are non-exempt or hourly

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) introduced new federal tax benefits effective January 1, 2025, including deductions for qualified overtime compensation and qualified tips. These provisions apply for tax years 2025 through 2028.

Please note that 2025 W-2 forms will not reflect these changes, however, you remain eligible to claim these deductions when filing your 2025 tax return in 2026.

Overtime Deduction Details

Eligible Amount:

Deduction limits:

• Up to $12,500 for single filers

• Up to $25,000 for married filing jointly

• Deduction phases out for incomes over $150,000 (single) or $300,000 (joint)

Eligibility:

• Non-exempt W-2 employees who earn overtime under FLSA rules

Action Required:

Your qualifying amount is $_______. Please ensure this amount is entered in Box 14a on Form 1040 and follow the instructions through to line 21:

Westridge Staff Resource Hub