May 4, 2016
Good evening, Lane parents & guardians!
Happy May! As we move into this new month, you may notice that activities calm down a bit. After tomorrow night’s Chorus Concert, Friday’s Invention Convention, and next Thursday’s Strings Concert, the number of special events does, indeed, take a dip. That’s because we are sharpening our focus on lessons learned throughout the year so far in preparation for our state-mandated Standards of Learning (SOL) testing, which will take place in grades 3 through 6 from mid-May through early June.
If you have a child in third through sixth grade, please be sure you are familiar with his or her testing schedule. You can find a complete schedule posted on our school website. You can help your child be prepared for these tests by ensuring that he or she has a good night’s sleep the night before, eats a healthy breakfast in the morning, and comes to school with a positive attitude. We also ask that you avoid scheduling appointments that will take your child out of school on test days; testing is stressful enough without adding the additional pressure of a make-up test.
Once our testing is over, the calendar will explode with many special events and activities. It’s more important than ever that you keep reading newsletters and information from the classroom to keep up with all the latest news as the year winds down. It’s also important to keep the focus on learning throughout these last weeks, and to keep your child’s routine as regular as possible. The learning continues right up until the final bell rings on the last day of school, June 23!
As we start to look ahead to the coming year, some parents have inquired about placement for their child. You are welcome to share your thoughts with us, preferably in an e-mail, about the type of learning environment you believe would be best for your child. Be sure to include any social, emotional, and/or educational needs or other individual or personal traits that you feel are significant characteristics of your child. Please bullet your ideas and be as brief as you can. Please note: Requests for specific teacher will not be accepted. Please send your e-mail to one of us by June 17, 2016. E-mail addresses are posted on our website.
Finally, we would like to say “Thank You!” to all of the families who have been so generous and supportive so far this Staff Appreciation Week. All of us at Lane are so proud and honored to be part of such a caring community!
Have a great week and Happy Mothers’ Day to all of our Lane Lion Moms!
Eleanor Contreras, Principal
Katie Reynolds, Assistant Principal
News & Announcements
Join Us for the Spring Concerts the Next Two Thursdays at 7 p.m. – Chorus, May 5th; Strings, May 12th
The halls will be filled with music on Thursday nights for the next two weeks, as two of our student music groups – Chorus and Strings – present their Spring Concerts. Our Fifth and Sixth Grade Choruses will perform tomorrow night – Thursday, May 5th – at 7 p.m. All three groups of Strings students – fourth, fifth, and sixth graders – will play their program on Thursday, May 12th, also at 7 p.m. All Lane families are welcome to attend!
SCA “Career Day” Spirit Day This Friday, May 6th!
All students are encouraged to participate in this Friday’s SCA Spirit Day by dressing as what they’d like to be when they grow up. Please make sure all clothing is school- and weather-appropriate, and remember that no masks of any kind will be allowed.
Invention Convention This Friday, May 6th, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Our Advanced Academics teacher, Mrs. Moore, will host Lane’s annual Invention Convention from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. in the Cafeteria this Friday. Parents are invited to come check out the students' creative designs on display.
Multiage Information Night – Thursday, May 19th, 6 p.m.
Are you a kindergarten or first-grade parent who’s interested in learning more about our Multiage Program for first- and second-grade students? If so, please join us for an Information Night on Thursday, May 19th at 6 p.m. in the Library. The presentation will include information from Multiage teachers as well as current and former Multiage parents and students.
Spring Screening for Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) School-Based (Level II-III) Services
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) offers a continuum of advanced academic services for all students in grades K-8. Learning experiences are designed to develop higher-level thinking through enrichment, acceleration, and extensions of the Program of Studies (POS). Teachers, administrators, and advanced academic resource teachers (AARTs) work together to provide the following levels of school-based services in each elementary school:
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Critical and Creative Thinking Lessons, Grades K-6 (Level I)
All students in kindergarten through grade 6 receive level I services which consist of model lessons that are designed to teach critical and creative thinking skills. The lessons are modeled in all classrooms by AARTs and the thinking strategies are then used throughout the year by classroom teachers and other teachers who work with students. Student responses to these model lessons are used as part of the identification process for AAP services. Parents may also practice the thinking strategies during family conversations and activities. A description of the nine critical and creative thinking strategies can be found at http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/level1.shtml.
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Differentiated Lessons in Areas of Academic Strength, Grades K-6 (Level II)
The AART collaborates with classroom teachers to provide additional challenge through lessons and resources that extend and enrich the POS. Level II services are part of a talent development pool. Students are rescreened annually to make decisions about the need for this level of service.
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Part-Time Advanced Academic Programs, Grades 3-6 (Level III)
Students identified by a local school screening committee for part-time advanced academic services are challenged through models and strategies designed to extend and enrich the POS in the four core subject areas. Students receive direct instruction from the AART at the local school using curriculum from the AAP Curriculum and Resources to Support the Differentiated Framework. Students identified for Level III services continue to receive level III services through grade 6.
Screening for school-based services can happen at any time during the school year but is done schoolwide in spring to determine services for the next school year. Multiple criteria are used to screen students for all levels of AAP services. Parent/guardian AAP School-Based Services (Level II-III) Referral Forms were due this past Monday. Parents or guardians who submitted a referral will be notified by Lane ES of their student’s eligibility status by June 15, 2016.
If a parent or guardian wishes to appeal an ineligible decision, they may submit an appeal with new data for consideration by the local school screening committee. This new information should be submitted to Lynn Moore, Lane’s Advanced Academic Resource Teacher.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Moore at lrmoore@fcps.edu.
Tdap Booster Vaccine Required for All Rising Sixth Graders Prior to Starting School in September 2016
Effective July 1, 2014, all students in Virginia must receive a booster dose of Tdap vaccine prior to entering sixth grade.
If you are the parent of a current fifth grader, please check your child’s immunization records carefully. If your child is required to have a Tdap booster, we ask that your child receive it and that you provide documentation to the school prior to June 17, 2016. This documentation can be a copy of your child’s immunization record, or a note on letterhead from your health care provider listing the date, month and year of your child's most recent Tdap booster shot.
The Tdap booster can be obtained from your child’s health care provider. Immunizations required for school are also available at the Fairfax County Health Department. Clinic locations and walk-in hours are available online at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/hdclinicsite.htm or call 703-246-2411. Students receiving immunizations at the Health Department must be accompanied by an adult, and students should bring their immunization records to the Health Department clinic with them.
It is most important that you attend to this matter soon. Sixth graders cannot begin school in the fall without documentation of having had the Tdap booster. Please contact our Public Health Nurse, Laura Lux, at 703-924-7710 or our Registrar, Barbara Hummelt, at 703-924-7701 if you have any questions.
Upcoming Events
A full calendar of upcoming school events is available on our website.
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