First Friday Photos: September 2022
Greetings, Westlawn community members! We are here with a gallery of photos in honor of First Friday. In many areas, the term First Friday refers to any number of various public events, usually centered around the arts. We are adopting the term to refer to the visual art of photography, as well as to highlight our commitment to our schoolwide Portrait of a Graduate attribute of Creative and Critical Thinker. As you enjoy the images below, consider how each student:
- Engages in problem solving, inquiry, and design of innovative solutions to overcome obstacles to improve outcomes.
- Uses information in novel and creative ways to strengthen comprehension and deepen awareness.
- Demonstrates divergent and ingenious thought to enhance the design-build process.
- Expresses thought, ideas, and emotions meaningfully through the arts.
- Evaluates ideas and information sources for validity, relevance, and impact.
- Reasons through and weighs evidence to reach conclusions.
And, if you'd like to see more photos throughout the month, we encourage you to follow us on social media where we post regularly! You can follow us on our new Facebook account or on Twitter. Leave us a comment there to tell us what you're enjoying!
Students in Ms. Barry's class had a combined art and library class where they had the chance to be creative AND choose library books. Remember to return them on Mondays!
Students in Ms. Crossey's class, while attending music with Ms. Pivetta, used an egg shaker to help sound out the syllables in their names.
Mrs. Heyer created her own people-powered bookmobile to bring the library to the people during Westlawn Welcome Day.
Dr. Bryson welcomed students to Westlawn during Westlawn Welcome Day.
The football team from Falls Church HS helped us set up and tear down for Westlawn Welcome Day, and we were delighted to share a meal with them to celebrate its success.
Ms. Cuevas offers all students a variety of ways to be greeted and enter their room in the morning. Fist bump, anyone?
Ms. Filicetti reconnects with a student whom she has not seen since last school year. The first few weeks back are so full of smiles when friends reunite!
Mrs. Feldman uses myriad strategies to help her new class of kindergarteners adjust to school. One of the most important steps in that adjustment is learning everyone's name, and learning how to be loud and proud when stating your own!
On the first day of school, kindergarteners celebrate their new status as elementary school children by decorating paper crowns.
On the first day of art class, fourth graders created portfolios and made some initial drawings of entire people. Students will learn how to refine their drawings as part of their learning in art this year.
Sixth graders practice teamwork and communication by seeing how many bean bags their teams can keep in the air at once. This activity helps students remember each other's names quickly!
When the first day of school is chicken finger day, it's guaranteed to put everyone in a good mood!
Principal Hill takes every opportunity to get to know students and help them however he can. Pop quiz: what's your lunch number?
Sixth graders learn organization skills with an agenda booklet and planner. We want to help students embrace and adopt the organizational skills they will need before moving on the middle school to maximize their chances for success.
Students in Ms. Stephenson's classroom set up divided binders during the first week of school in order to ensure that every paper has a place it belongs.
Whenever the cafeteria serves bananas... students ALWAYS use them to place calls. Bananaphone!
Mr. Maloney, in his new role as PE teacher, gets students moving in a drill designed to get them to learn to freeze at one whistle and sit down at two whistles.
Mrs. Fillman assures all of her second graders that, yes, they WILL all be able to count to 120 by the end of the year!
When the food is gone, it's time to play and socialize in the lunch room. Rock, paper, scissors, anyone?
Fifth grade students in Ms. Grijalva's non-band/strings class learn about each other and work collaboratively to piece together a puzzle made from pentagons that they designed themselves.
In Ms. Stoops' room, second graders practice communication and social skills by sharing buckets of materials during center time at the end of the day.
Students in Mrs. Lambert's fourth grade classroom enjoy a beautifully sunny spot on the carpet to get lost in some great books.
Our courtyard is FULL of turtles, and they love watermelon just as much as we do!
In third grade, students in Ms. Williams' room became some of the first in the school to dig into our new reading software, Lexia. We are excited for the possibilities!