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In looking at the parent communication of some of our regional schools, Westfield HS has a wonderful question and answer section that we are emulating this week. Below are Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that often occur in middle school. For families who have had more than one student go through Lanier, many things about FCPS and our school are known and understood. We turnover a half of our student body each year; therefore, we hope this helps you understand some questions you may have. Remember, we gave out Parent Handbook resources at Eagle Fest that are also on our website to help you throughout the year.
1. Please explain block scheduling.
Block scheduling means that a course does not meet daily instead it meets for 90 minutes every other day. This allows time for teachers to re-teach/review previous material, teach new material, and give time for students to practice new material that was taught. Our students go to all classes on Mondays, then to periods 1,2,4, and 6 for block days on Tuesday and Thursday, to periods 1,3,5, and 7 on Wednesdays and Fridays. Since 1st period only meets for 45 minutes, it occurs every day.
2. What is Teacher Advisory (TA) and Learning Seminar (LS)? What can my student expect?
Once a week (usually Mondays), students meet in Teacher Advisory where they will build community, set goals and support one another to achieve academic success. TA teachers serve as a mentor, cheerleader, and coach.
LMS embeds time within the school day to best meet our students’ needs. We offer many enrichment and intervention opportunities to prepare all of our students for high school and beyond. By incorporating Portrait of a Graduate skills into academic activities, we are preparing our students for the rigors of HS and responsibilities of citizenship. The LS time allows for a school-wide intervention and extended learning time. LS rotations occur about every 5-6 weeks to allow for students to have more enrichment opportunities and to get help in more academic areas.
3. Speaking of schedules, are there any early release dates or special events that we should know about?
- Student Holidays November 4 & 5, 2019
- Special Events like our upcoming Digital Citizenship Night will be spotlighted in these weekly announcements.
4. What should I do if my student will be late or absent? Is it the same procedure if I need to pick him/her up early?
Resources regarding absences, late check-ins and checkouts can be found on the Lanier website by going to the homepage, clicking on the “Full Menu”, select “About” and click on the arrow listing the “Attendance” option. You may report absences, tardies and early dismissals online and avoid having your child come to the office with a note.
5. What does it mean if I get a phone call / text /email that my student has been marked absent? …especially if I know they are at school.
If a parent is getting a call that a student has been marked absent it means that the teacher determined that the student is not in class. Many teachers take attendance in the beginning of the period and have the ability to change it later. Teachers do not immediately update attendance each time a student comes into the classroom as it takes away from instruction. It is important to be in class on time so accurate attendance is taken. If a student needs to go somewhere other than their assigned class, it is best to check-in with the teacher first, then proceed to approved location. If you notice and error, please call the office at 703-934-2400.
6. What forms are required for every student? When do they need to be updated and re-submitted? Who is the contact person at LMS for my student’s forms?
Forms required of every student:
Emergency Care Form & Health Information Form
Updated/Resubmitted:
Both forms need to be submitted at the start of each school year OR if there is a change in information (health, residence)
Contact: Forms are collected at the main office (Emergency Care/Health – shared with Clinic)
7. Where / how can I find my student’s ID number?
Student ID number can be found when you login to SIS ParentVue under Student information. As a reminder, student id number does not change as a student moves through FCPS.
8. What do families need to know about the student laptops issued by FCPS?
With the FCPSOn initiative, over 1,000 laptops have been distributed to Lanier students. Along with the laptops came 1 charger. Students are expected to come to school every day with a fully charged laptop, it is not recommended that the student bring the charger to school. It is only to be used for educational purposes. More Information
- The laptop is only for student use. Family, friends, etc. should not be using the device.
- A support fee will be charged to high school students More Information
- Internet Content Filtering- Students will receive the same filtering at school and at home. More Information
- Repairs- tech support is provided at the school. Please do not take to a retail store.
- If lost or stolen please alert school staff ASAP
- Cost of replacement:
- HP Probook Laptop $355
- Dell Latitidue Laptop $395
- Cost of replacement power adapter
- Laptops & chargers will be collected at the end of the school year.
- Students will be reissued the same computer the following school year.
9. What is MySchoolBucks and how is it used? Is it just for cafeteria funds?
MySchoolBucks is an ecommerce website that FCPS utilizes for three different purposes:
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Lunch Accounts – load money for your student to purchase meals *this is run through Food & Nutrition Services and not the individual school*
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School Store – Allows for credit card and e-check payment for items available within the store. Product examples from our store include gym clothes and Team Shirts. All items in the store are created when the teacher for each item requests to have it set up in the store.
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Class Fees – Allows for credit card and e-check payment for class fees. Any student enrolled in a class that has a course fee will be invoiced via email and that invoice will appear when you log on to MySchoolBucks until it is paid.
If a parent is new to LMS and never used it before:
- Go to www.MySchoolBucks.com
- Add your students using Lanier Middle School, and either their student ID or birthdate
You will receive a confirmation email that your account has been established.
If you participate in the free or reduced lunch program, you must reapply each year.
10. How do we find out about after-school activities, clubs and activities?
You can find helpful information for all after-school at https://lanierafterschool.wordpress.com/
11. What do I need to know about dropping my child off at Lanier in the mornings?
As the temperatures are getting lower every morning and it remains dark outside, we want to remind you about our morning drop-off procedures. Because staff are not present until 7:00, students are not invited into the building until 7:00 every morning. For their safety, we do not allow students in the building prior to having adults stationed to monitor the hallways. Students may enter the building from busses to the café at 7:05 or through door 1 at 7:00 where they may wait in the lobby until 7:10. We ask that you not drop students off prior to 7:00 AM.
For the safety of our staff and parents visiting the building in the morning, we also ask that you follow the Kiss & Ride protocols. Please do not drop off students or park in the staff parking lot. When parents drive through the lot to let their children out of cars, this causes unnecessary confusion and safety risks. Only staff members should be walking on the approved crosswalk in the student unloading zone. Along with the colder temperatures, we have darker mornings as well. We only have to staff members available to supervise Kiss & Ride and monitor parking lot safety during official drop off times. We thank you in advance for partnering with us for the good of the community by following our requests.
Specifically regarding how to drive through to the drop off area, you can drop students off starting at 7:00 AM, please no earlier as has been beginning to occur. The directions to use Kiss & Ride as intended are to take the first right into our parking lot and follow the Kiss & Ride road around to the front of the building. Pull up all the way to the orange Kiss & Ride sign before stopping your car to keep the flow of traffic moving. The sign is posted to allow two cars between the sign and the cross walk. If you are the third car, please stop before the crosswalk. Please be mindful of the staff directing Kiss & Ride traffic and pedestrians in the crosswalk. This is a single line of traffic, so please do not pass the cars in front of you. Again, you should not be dropping students off in the staff parking lot to use the staff crosswalk. Thank you for keeping all of our Eagles safe.
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