October 9th, 2026 Edition

Important Dates

October 9th - Homecoming Parade, Tailgate & Football Game

October 10th - Homecoming Dance

October 12th - School Planning Day (Student holiday- no school)

News From WSHS

October is Principal’s Appreciation Month!

October is Principal’s Appreciation Month. This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and celebrate the leadership, and support our principal provides to our school community.

Thank you, Dr. Patrick, for all you do!

Great News About WSHS

West Springfield High School has been recognized as “Distinguished” under Virginia’s School Performance and Support Framework (SPSF). This rating, based on data from last school year, shows that our school is exceeding expectations set by the state for student performance.

The state system provides information about our school’s performance on academic and readiness measures. The framework places emphasis on standardized test results, alongside student growth, graduation, and readiness measures that vary by school level.

West Springfield High School has an overall framework score of 98.91, which falls into the “Distinguished” state performance category.

I want to be clear in saying that our students are much more than the results of standardized tests and point systems. Every day in our classrooms, our amazing educators are leading moments of joy in learning. This recognition reflects the strength of our entire school community. Our strong performance stands out and is something to celebrate.

We will continue building on this success. Our team is committed to keeping high expectations for learning, supporting each student’s unique strengths, and creating a school environment where every child feels welcomed, challenged, and cared for. We are also grateful for the support we receive from families. Your involvement makes a difference, and it plays an important role in helping our students succeed.

Thank you for being such an important part of our community. Together, we will continue helping every student at West Springfield High School thrive.

Warmly,

Jim Patrick

Principal

West Springfield High School

Student Holiday

Monday, October 12, is a student holiday and school planning day for Indigenous Peoples' Day. See the complete school year calendar.

2027 National Merit Scholarship Program - Semifinalists & Commended Students

We are proud to recognize our students named Semifinalists and our students named a Commended Student in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. The program recognizes students across the country for outstanding performance on the PSAT/NMSQT. Semifinalists may continue in the competition for scholarships, while Commended Students are honored for their academic promise.

Congratulations to all of our students on this national recognition! We wish our Semifinalists the best as they complete the next stage of the scholarship application process.

Underclass Makeup Portraits and Retakes

Date: Friday, November 6th

Time: 8:00 am-2:30 pm

Location: Spartan Hall

You will need to coordinate with one of your teachers that day to go take your makeup photo or retake. Please talk to them in advance concerning assignments and assessments.

Please note:

If you had your photo taken at the first photo day in September and are retaking your photo, you will not be issued a new student id.
If you are taking your photo for the first time (makeup photo), you will be issued a student id card.
If you are retaking your photo, that photo is the one that will be included in the yearbook.

2027 Virginia Summer Residential Governor's School (SRGS)

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) offers the opportunity for 10th and 11th grade students to apply to attend summer residential Governor's schools in Academics and Visual & Performing Arts (VPA). Students who are accepted into one of the programs will live in residence halls in one of the state colleges in VA for four weeks in the June - late July timeframe. To learn more about SRGS opportunities and the application process, visit the VDOE website.

To be considered for an academic or VPA Governor's school, students must complete the steps below:

Complete the interest form linked below for either Academics or VPA. The form is a required part of the application process and is due October 30th. No late entries will be accepted. When completing the form, enter a personal email address and do NOT use an fcpsschools.net email address. VDOE cannot send communications to the fcpsschools.net domain.

Academic Interest Form

Visual & Performing Arts Interest Form

Attend our school interest meeting for academic applications which will take place on 10/26/2026. Attendance at the meeting is optional but strongly encouraged.

Date: 10/26/2026

Location: Library, College and Career Center/Room 2000B

Time: 4th Period Advisory - 9:47AM - 10:30AM

Complete the application for the specific program you wish to apply to and return to your school counselor who is supervising the Governor’s School application process by the due date on the FCPS website.

Please contact Ms. Fleming or Mr. Montero with any questions!

Ms. Fleming - msfleming@fcps.edu Mr. Montero - lfmontero@fcps.edu