September 21: FLE (Family Life Education) Information Meeting at 6:00PM
September 21: Lanier PTA Virtual Meeting at 7:00PM
September 29: 8th Grade Virtual Back to School Night 6:30PM - 8:30PM
September 30: 7th Grade Virtual Back To School Night 6:30PM - 8:30PM
October 12: Indigenous Peoples' Day - Student Holiday
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Dear Lanier Families,
We loved welcoming our students back to school this week! Overall we have had an excellent start and continue to solve any challenges that arise. With that being said number this week's News You Choose is long. It contains Q&A's of information you wondered through out the week!
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REMINDER FOR 7th GRADE FAMILIES WHO HAVE NOT TURNED IN UPDATED VACCINATION RECORDS: The TDAP Immunization is a mandatory requirement for all 7th graders attending Fairfax County Public Schools. In order for your child to attend school on the first day, an updated immunization card/sheet must be turned in to Ms. Holmes, aholmes@fcps.edu by October 8, 2020. An exemption note from your child’s pediatrician is required for verification. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Holmes. You can also fax the forms to 703-934-2497 for your convenience.
Please note, FCPS is providing no-cost Grab and Go breakfast and lunch meals from 8AM-12:30PM, Monday through Friday at Daniels Run ES. The meal distribution area will remain outside Daniels Run ES (close to entrance #1) and under a canopy. Available for families to walk up or receive curbside service in vehicles. All FCPS students (regardless of age) are eligible for no-cost Grab and Go, as well as other county children, under the age of 18. Adults picking up meals for children should let staff know how many children's meals they need. Adults may pay $2 for the meals as well.
Lanier Middle School has decided all teachers will use a rolling (cumulative) gradebook. A rolling gradebook allows for progress towards a final mark that captures the total picture of student grades, regardless of length of quarter or number of assignments in each quarter. We believe it is important to utilize a gradebook type that provides maximum flexibility and ensures equitable grading practices to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of all students.
With a rolling gradebook, grades for individual assignments from each quarter carry over and build upon the previous quarter; therefore, quarter grades are a snapshot of a student’s current progress in the course and demonstrate performance to that date, not just for that quarter. Final grades are determined from all assignments and assessments throughout the year, regardless of the quarter the work was completed.
A rolling gradebook is an approved gradebook type per Secondary Grading & Reporting Policy and numerous FCPS schools/teams/teachers already utilize a rolling gradebook.
Benefits associated with using a rolling gradebook include:
- Allows time for demonstrating mastery of content and opportunities for remediation, completing make-up work & retakes (following established school, department or collaborative team policies)
- Helps students maintain positive mental health when setbacks occur
- Reports long-term progress to students as the year progresses, not just short-term achievement in each quarter
- Provides a more accurate reflection of the student grade at any given point in time
- Reduces number of tests or large projects due at the same time over multiple classes (usually at end of quarter)
- Negates imbalance of quantity of assessments within each quarter and timing challenges at certain times of year
- Encourages content units to end naturally and not get rushed due to quarter breaks
To learn more details about a rolling gradebook to include how it will look in SIS Student/ParentVUE, please take time to review the following video. Teachers will communicate grading design and policies via the course syllabus. Students/parents are encouraged to reach out directly to the teacher with additional questions.
Tammy Hanna
Principal, Lanier Middle School
https://lanierms.fcps.edu/
Was my communication helpful? FEEDBACK PLEASE
@DrTammyHanna
Tech Check
Below you will find supports and details to help with some of the challenges you and your child may have faced yesterday in accessing BBCU. Please take a moment to view the links below.
Video – CLICK HERE
Spanish version - CLICK HERE
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Attendance
Attendance: Students will use BBCU links to attend classes according to the schedule below
 Monday Attendance Is Required For ALL Students
Please note that starting Monday, September 14, at 9:15AM ALL students will go to 4th period. Attendance in 4th period on Monday is required. Students will start the day with their 4th period TA (Teacher Advisory) check-in before beginning their asynchronous work. Directions for Monday assignments can be found in Blackboard on the Learning Grid for each class, or in teachers' Google Classroom. In addition, teachers may invite students for extra help on Mondays, or students can email their teachers and request academic support on Mondays. If invited to a Monday academic support session, attendance is required.
Student Attendance for the 2020-21 School Year
FCPS welcomes new and returning families for the 2020-21 school year.
In Virginia, public school students aged 5-18 are required to attend school regularly. That is true whether FCPS is offering distance learning or in-person instruction. Teachers will take attendance during learning sessions and ensure that all students are counted. Parents can assist with this process by doing the following:
- Ensuring that their student(s) logs in to classes on time, and throughout the day.
- Calling or emailing the LMS school attendance line if their student(s) are unable to participate:
- Returning phone calls or emails when notified that their student(s) did not participate that day.
- Ensuring that your student(s) submit activity logs as directed.
If your child is unable to login to live, face-to-face online instruction with their teacher, the teacher will be recording the class and posting the video within Blackboard/Google Classroom so it can be viewed at a different time. The video can also be used to provide review for all students.
If a parent calls and indicates their student will not be there for a certain class period, they are excused for the class period. Accessing the material later will not change the status of the absence.
If there is no parent contact, and the student failed to log in, the student is unverified for that class period. FCPS bases attendance for secondary students on “present” one or more periods of the day, and reports which periods a student did not appear in class.
FCPS staff members will work with parents to ensure that the transition to virtual learning is as smooth as possible. Help us to help you set your students up for success.
Difficulty logging into FCPS? The Parent Technology help desk may be able to assist: 833-921-3277 or https://itweb.fcps.edu/itsupport/ Communicating any concerns to the school, such as difficulty logging in or having access to FCPS classes.
More information about attendance is available online.
Spanish Parent Liaison
Si necesita comunicarse con nuestra enlace de padres, por favor llame al 703-934-2454 y deje un mensaje con el nombre de su estudiante y numero de telefono. Tambien puede comunicarse con ella por email a: ajmaxey@fcps.edu
Student Services
4th period Teacher Advisory (TA)
Curious about what your student is doing during 4th period? FCPS asked all schools to set aside a class period to provide instruction on social emotional topics using a new and existing curriculum. FCPS instructional staff participated in professional development that focused on understanding mental wellness and appropriate tools to support students.
At Lanier, 4th period, Teacher Advisory (TA) will be used for school-wide and division-wide lessons, such as Academic and Career Planning, Career Investigations, and SR&R review. In addition, Teacher Advisory serves as a “homeroom” where students will consistently check in with a Lanier Staff member, participate in team and community building activities, and take part in County-directed social-emotional lessons to help strengthen student resiliency. 4th period TA meets Monday for a brief check-in before independent work time, and Wednesday and Friday for a full class period. Below is a description of the first few lessons. We will provide periodic updates on lesson topics - ask your student about them!
Lanier will also offer Sustained Silent Reading during TA, so please be sure your student has a book handy. In the very near future, Lanier will share plans for how students can access library books virtually and from the actual Lanier Library!
- Intro to Teacher Advisory (TA) lesson, begin to build community so that TA can be a supportive place to have safe conversations. Lesson to learn about Teach Tools, the best way to manage Virtual Learning, Using a Digital Planner and Google Calendar.
- Honoring and remembering 9/11 and discussing what student cans do post-9/11; Clarity on the SR&R behavior expectations
- Intro SOAR traits, setting expectations and routines for the first Monday check in, instructions on how to make the most of independent work time on Mondays.
Parent Accounts
SIS ParentVUE - Use this to check your student’s schedule, attendance, and grades.
Blackboard (FCPS 24-7 Learning) - Use this to view Learning Grids for your student’s classes. Learning Grids are a weekly overview of what your student will be doing in class.
Google Classroom - Only students are able to join Google Classroom with their FCPS Google account. Teachers post material and assignments for students to complete on Google Classroom.
- Students log in with username = StudentID@fcpsschools.net, same password as everything else
Lanier Middle School Virtual Landing Page
Please note the link below is only accessible when students are logged on to the FCPS Google account. Please take an opportunity to access our brand new Lanier Middle School Virtual Landing Page found at CLICK HERE . This site is designed to help students transition into a virtual learning environment while continuing to promote our best educational practices. What makes our Eagle’s site stand out are the videos from our caring teachers, staff, and administrators welcoming students back with a little information about themselves in order to begin building those very important connections and relationships. Pay particular attention to the Student Services section that highlights wellness resources and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) content..
REQUIRED FORMS
Due to the virtual start for this school year, all forms, required and optional, will have to be completed and submitted electronically. All forms can be found on our website: Return to School Forms. It is more important than ever that parents have their own Parent SIS Account. If you do not yet have an account, you can learn more about how to obtain one at ParentVue New Account Registeration
Parent and Student IT Support Portal
The Parent and Student IT Support Portal is a way for parent and students to submit a ticket for technology help, including parents to submit a ticket for help with your parent account in SIS, FCPS 24-7 Blackboard. When your student need help with their student device, student accounts, or student virtual learning, please click: Parent/Student Portal. They are open 7:00AM - 11PM, 7 days a week.
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We Need Your Consent for Select Digital Resources
At Lanier Middle School, our teachers will use a variety of digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. You can find our school’s list of the resources that require parental consent here: https://lanierms.fcps.edu/adopteddigitalresources
Included on this page is also a link to a form where the enrolling parent or guardian will need to indicate whether or not their student is allowed to use the list of digital resources this year. This page also provides more information about how FCPS carefully reviews digital resources for approval and why we must request your consent before using certain tools. We encourage you to complete the parental consent for digital resources form as soon as possible, as your child will not be able to use the digital resources until we have received your permission. Please reach out to your child’s teacher or Kelsea Owens (kfowens@fcps.edu) if you have questions or concerns about the digital resources we’ve chosen to use this year.
Important Information About Receiving Communication from FCPS
FCPS communicates all emergency and essential information to parents via email. The information is also translated into eight languages: Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Information communicated via email includes:
- School closings and delays
- Attendance
- Emergencies at school
- Power, phone, or internet outages at school
- Bus delays
- Testing dates
When providing an e-mail address to FCPS, please avoid using an educational (.edu-including fcps.edu), military (.mil) or government (.gov) email addresses. The security settings on government servers often block messages from FCPS. It is a best practice to not use work related email addresses; therefore, it is important to use an email address from another internet service provider such as Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc.
Parents can receive text messages for emergencies and essential information. Please make sure your parent cell phone numbers are listed in the "cell telephone" fields in the parent/guardian contact information section on the emergency care information form for each of your children.
Parents and guardians can view and update emergency contact information online using the weCare@school feature of FCPS24-7 Learning. Standard message and data charges may apply for text messages depending on their cell phone service plan. More information.
If you have a question or concern, please use the chart below to determine who to direct your inquiry to. Contact information for all staff members is listed on our website-just click on the name of the person you wish to contact to be redirected to their email address: LMS Staff Directory |
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Do you want to celebrate a Lanier employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way, or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone. |
Please visit HERE to find compilation of Dr. Brabrand's messages to the community. |
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