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Dear Westridge Families,

What an inspiring week it has been at our school - a true testament to our community’s dedication, collaboration, and passion for excellence! I am continually blown away by the warmth, responsiveness, and thoughtful contributions from our entire community.

It gives me immense pleasure to announce that 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Kristen Hao has been chosen as a finalist for the 2025 Teacher of the Year Award! This honor is a well-deserved recognition of her exceptional commitment to our students and the high standards of excellence we strive for at Westridge. Mrs. Hao's compassionate approach, collaborative spirit, and keen insight into effective teaching makes her an invaluable asset to Westridge, and we are immensely proud of her achievements! Please join me in congratulating Mrs. Hao on this remarkable honor and in continuing to support her inspiring journey.

Lastly, I’m excited to share with you my feature in the “Meet the Principal” video below, which celebrates the vibrant, caring, and collaborative spirit of our school community. I invite you to watch the video and see firsthand the remarkable energy that drives our school forward.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Your trust and engagement empower us to create an environment where every student can thrive. Wishing you a restorative and joyful weekend.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Steven Wilson

Proud Principal - Westridge Elementary

• Friday, February 21 - PTA Movie Night
• Saturday, February 22 - All-County Elementary Chorus Concert
• Tuesday, February 25 - 3rd Grade SOL Parent Night

In partnership with The Hershey Company and Hershey’s Heartwarming Project, YSA will award Hershey Heartwarming Young Heroes GYSD Grants for Youth Service Month & Global Youth Service Day 2025 projects. Youth changemakers - aged 5 to 25 - in the U.S. and Canada are eligible to apply for these grants to lead and engage their peers in awareness, service, advocacy, and philanthropy projects that build more inclusive, empathetic, and kind communities.

Youth may apply for grants of either $250 or $500 depending on the number of youth who will be participating as volunteers (project planners, project leaders, and day-of volunteers). $250 grantees will be required to engage at least 25 other youth as volunteers while $500 grantees have a 50 youth volunteer minimum requirement. A total of $50,000 in grants will be awarded.

Projects may address any issue or community need that is important to the youth project leaders and their peers. All proposed projects should engage a diverse group of youth volunteers from different social backgrounds and provide opportunities for those youth volunteers to create meaningful connections with their peers, caring adults, and community partners, while developing social awareness and relationship skills.

What are we looking for?

• Proposed projects must be youth-designed and youth-led;
• Projects must take place during Youth Service Month (April 11-May 11, 2025), with some activity on Global Youth Service Day (April 25-27, 2025) strongly encouraged;
• Projects must take place in and impact the community where the youth applicant lives;
• Youth applicants must engage youth from different social backgrounds as volunteers as well as first-time volunteers;
• Youth applicants must engage their peers as volunteers throughout all facets of their proposed project—from planning and implementation to celebration and recognition.

All youth ages 5-25 in the United States (including U.S. territories and military bases & DoD schools) and Canada are eligible to apply

The concert will feature fifth-grade student musicians representing elementary schools from throughout Prince William County. Student singers have been working with their music teachers to learn challenging concert literature in preparation for this enriching experience.

Charles J Colgan Sr High School

13833 Dumfries Rd,

Manassas, VA 20112

February 22, 2024

Snow Date – March 1, 2025

Concert begins at 3:30 p.m.
Auditorium doors open at 3 p.m.

We look forward to having you join us for this exciting musical event.

Thank you for your support!

Your 5th gr Honors choir (2025 All County Elementary Choir) students:

-Parker Beard

-Olivia Bain

-Marini Simmons

Just a friendly reminder that our Spring Enrichment programs are starting soon on March 17! We are thrilled to offer a variety of fun and educational activities for your children.

Classes will run for 6 weeks, every Monday and Wednesday from 4:15 PM to 5:15 PM at Westridge Elementary. All programs are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so make sure to sign up today!

Here’s what’s on offer:

Mondays:

• March 17, March 24, March 31, April 7, April 14 (NO CLASS SPRING BREAK), April 21 (NO CLASS), April 28, May 5
• 🥳 Cheerleading: Only 3 spaces left, Register Here
• 🏀 Basketball: Only 6 spaces left. Register Here

Wednesdays:

• March 19, March 26, April 2, April 9, April 18 (NO CLASS SPRING BREAK), April 23, April 30
• 🥋 Karate: Only 11 spaces left. Register Here
• 🏐 Volleyball: Onl 10 spaces left. Register Here

Don't miss this opportunity for your kids to learn, grow, and have fun!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. We can't wait to see your kids there!

Best regards,

Your Westridge PTA

Local hospitals and health organizations are partnering with PWCS through the Community Health Assessment Survey to ensure your voices are heard and that programs are responsive to your needs. We warmly encourage each of you to take a few moments to complete the survey by Friday, February 28, 2025. Your feedback is a vital part of our approach to building a stronger, healthier future.

Survey Link: Community Health Assessment Survey

February School Lunch Specials

February’s Local Harvest of the Month is Butternut Squash! We are serving Roasted Butternut Squash on the School Lunch Menu in February. Be sure to check the Lunch Menu to see when it will be served for lunch! Don’t miss this classic and seasonal flavor!

Strawberry Milk will be served on Friday, February 14th as a Valentine’s Day treat! Did you know that the milk served at PWCS, including the special strawberry milk served on Valentine’s Day, is locally produced? Our milk is supplied through Dairy Maid Dairy located in Frederick, Maryland just 50 miles from our county! In addition to the milk being local, we also ensure the flavored milk we offer such as Strawberry Milk does not contain artificial colors or dyes. Have fun celebrating Valentine’s Day with this fun and healthy treat!

February is American Heart Health Month!

In February, the United States celebrates the importance of heart health! PWCS Nutrition promotes heart health by providing students with daily menu choices featuring lean proteins, whole grains, low-fat milk, and unlimited fruit and vegetable options! Meals also are low in sodium and added sugars. Many of the school lunch menu items are made from scratch which allows the Division to better control what goes into the food served to students. Try one of PWCS Nutrition’s scratch-made, vegetarian entrees: Rosé Bolognese! This recipe is made with whole-grain rich pasta, vegetarian “sausage” crumbles, marinara sauce, low-fat dairy products, and fresh basil! Here is the recipe prepared in all PWCS kitchens!

Prince William County Public Schools is participating in the statewide SNAP in Schools Initiative to address chronic absenteeism. George Mason University’s Learning Laboratory for Community Health, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), is conducting a parent/guardian survey to uncover the root causes of student absences in Virginia’s public schools.

Your insights are critical to helping us support students, families, and schools. The survey takes about 10 minutes, is completely anonymous, and will be open until February 28, 2025.

Please take a moment to share your thoughts and help create meaningful change for our students: Take the Survey Here

Varsity Tutors for Schools platform is a FREE online resource for grades K-12 designed to support your students’ academic growth. This platform offers:

• 24/7 On-Demand Chat Tutoring
• Essay Review and Coaching
• Live Group Classes
• Test Prep Classes
• Enrichment Classes
• Celebrity-Led Star Courses and more.

Students access Varsity Tutors by logging into Clever using their PWCS email address (for example, username@pwcs-edu.org) and password (this is the same password students use to log into their PWCS issued device). Once logged into Clever, you can find the link for Varsity in the PWCS Resources section. For more information please visit: https://www.pwcs.edu/departments/instructional_technology/online_tutoring/index

Watch Video

PWCS recognizes that this time of year can be particularly challenging for many students. To ensure that every student has access to the support they need, we would like to remind parents that free mental health telehealth services are available to all PWCS students through Hazel Health – at no cost. Together, we can make a significant difference in the mental well-being of our students now and beyond.

Visit the PWCS Hazel Health webpage for more information.

For more information or questions, please contact Francesca Knight, coordinator of social work services, at KnightFW@pwcs.edu.

Registration Link