Wild Cat ROAR! November 16, 2025

This week we are featuring our front office staff! We are delighted to introduce our team. On the left is our Allied Security Monitor, Selsela Haidari; Registrar, Bonnie Fila, and our Financial Technician, JiYun Choi. The office staff places a high priority on student safety, so we appreciate your understanding when we ask for identification at the door!

The Riverside High School club Future Business Leaders of America is sponsoring a drive for Shine Kits. These kits are to specifically designed to support teens and young adults with cancer. Donation boxes will be set up at Weller next week through December 5. We appreciate your participation in dropping off items for the kits. Our goal is to assemble 135 Shine Kits this year, and we are collecting new items that include mini blankets, fuzzy socks, coloring books, colored pencils and pens, pop-it fidget toys, journals, and chapsticks. All items must be new and unused.

Elementary report cards will be changing this year. Instead of personal comments being made by teachers, parents are encouraged to note the characteristics of learning assessments on the report card. In addition, parents can view grades throughout the quarter in ParentVue.

The school doors open at 7:10am. If you are dropping off your child, it is critical that you use the car loop on the gym side of the building. Once again we are having children dropped off on Exchange Street. Please consider the safety of all children and use the car loop for drop off and pick up unless you are walking! If you are a walker, please use the cross walks. The car loop will close at 7:30. If your car is not in the loop by 7:30, you need to come to the office to sign in your child.

Breakfast is available starting at 7:10.

If your child has an outstanding bill on their account, they will not be able to purchase additional items. If you need meal assistance, please contact our Family Liaison, Gladys Palomino.

Or you may submit an online application for free or reduced meals. The online process can be approved typically within 72 hours. The paper application is available in the office, but it takes longer for the approval process.

Use this link: https://linqconnect.com/public/meal-application/new?identifier=243AAV

The SWES PTO is offering the second round of the After School Activities Program.

Registration will begin on November 17 and close on December 19. Visit the school website to Sign up!

Upcoming Class Offerings

Tuesday

Introduction to the Urdu Language

Dance Party with Mr. Fickbohm

Science Exploration

Wednesday

K-3 Lego Creators

Dance and Yoga

4-5 Co-Ed Basketball League

Friday

Volleyball

3-5 MineCraft Builders

Canvas Painting with Ms. Johnson

Thank you to everyone who came out to hear Dr. Lindsey Hoskins present at the PTO meeting this past week! Her presentation was called, "Understanding Bullying: What it is, what it isn't, and how parents can help." We talked about identifying the differences between conflict, meanness, and bullying. Dr. Hoskins shared how parents can support and model behavior for their kids and create a safe space for them to open up. If you would like a copy of the slide deck or handout, please email infoswespto@gmail.com.

The PTO needs your support!!! Please consider helping with these opportunities:

• Teacher & staff appreciation lunch (Dec 3rd): we need help with set-up and clean-up, desserts, and financial support to cover the meal costs. Sign up here!
• Gift cards for families in need: Support Weller families by providing gift cards to use towards groceries and essential needs this holiday season. Purchase a gift card yourself and drop off at the school, or donate through this link and the PTO will buy the card on your behalf. Sign up here!
• Snacks for the teachers lounge: Donate items like chips, granola bars, nuts, treats, gum, and soda or sparkling water. Drop by the office at your convenience.

And, don't forget...

• Spirit Night - Nov 19th - Grab dinner at Silver Diner on Wed, Nov 19th and 25% of your purchase will go to support Steuart Weller.
• Staff favorites: wondering what your student's teacher might enjoy as a gift? Use these favorite lists to help with your shopping. Staff favorite lists here!

If you have any PTO-related questions or would like to help out, please contact us at infoswespto@gmail.com.

Krysti Lloyd, PTO president

We are so proud to annouce that a former student of Mrs. Pepin nominated her to receive a SHINE award. SHINE hopes to tell the stories of all the amazing work happening across the division each day by our LCPS employees. Here is what the student had to say:

The person I'm nominating for SHINE is Mrs. Pepin. Mrs. Pepin was the best teacher I've ever had. She always helped us and went all out; she made learning fun and motivated us to keep on going. I would do anything to have her as my teacher for another year. Whenever I went into that classroom, I knew we would have fun.

This submission has been added to the Employee Recognition webpage under "Inspirational Stories" and is eligible for the monthly prize given by Loudoun Education Foundation, valued at $500.

This fall, LCPS is reviewing the attendance boundaries for 18 elementary schools in the Ashburn and Dulles North area – including Steuart Weller. A dedicated webpage (www.lcps.org/2025ESBoundaries) has been established and will provide all data and information as it is shared with the School Board.

Adopted attendance zone changes will take effect in the fall, with the start of the 2026-2027 school year.

The next School Board to discuss the attendance zone is on November 24 at 6:30pm at the LCPS Administration building.(21000 Education Court, Ashburn). These meetings will also be broadcast live on Comcast channel 18 or 1070 (HD) and Verizon Fios channel 43 as well as streamed via simultaneous webcast on the LCPS website.

Written comments and questions can be sent to the LCPS Planning & GIS Services office at lcpsplan@lcps.org; all received correspondence will be shared with the School Board.

K: Encourage your child to notice when others around them feel sad. Have them practice using body language and context clues to figure out when family members, friends, or characters in books, movies, or on TV might be feeling sad.

1: Encourage your child to notice when others around them might feel worried. Have them practice using body language and context clues to figure out when family members, friends, or characters in books, movies, or on TV might be feeling worried.

2: Remind your child that everyone feels disappointed sometimes. Ask them what they can do to feel better the next time they’re feeling disappointed.

3: Ask your child to explain the differences between feeling annoyed, angry, and furious.

4: Tell your child about a time when rethinking a situation, or thinking about it in a different way, helped you feel better. Encourage your child to talk about times in their lives when rethinking could have helped them.

5: Ask your child what their body feels like when they’re stressed and what things cause them to feel stress. Share your own experiences with stress and what you do to manage it.