The Weekly Roar - September 24, 2021

The Lion’s Roar

September 24, 2021

 


 

Upcoming Events

  • Wednesday, 9/29 – Thursday, 10/7 - Registration open for PTA enrichment classes
  • Tuesday, 10/5 – Fall Picture Day
  • Tuesday, 10/5 – PTA Meeting, 6:30 p.m., in-person in the cafeteria and on Zoom
  • Friday, 10/8 – PTA Fall Beautification Day & Community Fair, 4:30 p.m.
  • Monday, 10/11 – Student Holiday (Indigenous Peoples Day)
  • Monday, 10/11 – EL Connections, ESOL Parent Night, 6:30 p.m.
  • Friday, 10/29 – Last day of the grading quarter; 2-hour early release at 2:05 p.m.
  • Monday, 11/1 & Tuesday, 11/2 – Student Holidays/Teacher Work Days

 


 

In This Issue

  • Fall Picture Day – Tuesday, October 5th!

  • “EL Connections” ESOL Parent Night – Monday, October 11th

  • Parent Consent for Use of Digital Resources Needed!

  • Testing Updates: iReady Retakes for Math Coming Soon; New Virginia Growth Assessment Testing for Grades 3 Through 8

  • PTA News: Registration for Fall Enrichment Programs Next Week; Meeting on Tuesday, October 5th



News & Notes

Fall Picture Day – Tuesday, October 5th!

Have your child start practicing his or her best
smile because Fall Picture Day is coming to
Lane on Tuesday, October 5th! More information
will be sent home soon.

 

picture day

“EL Connections” ESOL Parent Night – Monday, October 11th, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

All ESOL (English as a Second Language) parents and guardians are invited to attend a special presentation at the school on Monday, October 11th at 6:30 p.m. At this event, which will be presented in Spanish, Arabic, and Amharic as well as English, participants will have the chance to learn about the structure of the ESOL program and how it supports their children’s learning .

They’ll also have the chance to literally get connected to what their children are learning at school by signing up for ParentVUE accounts and getting help with using Schoology, the school system’s new learning management system.

If you have children in the ESOL program at Lane watch for a special invitation from your child’s ESOL teacher with more details soon!


Parent Consent for Use of Digital Resources Needed

Fairfax County Public Schools uses a variety of resources to support student learning. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year require parental consent. FCPS requires that the vendor adhere to the security and privacy requirements specified in a confidentiality agreement included in their contracts.

Click here to view a list of digital resources at Lane ES that require parent consent.

Click here to access the form to grant or deny consent for your child to use digital resources.

Please fill out this form as soon as possible. You will need your child's Student ID Number, which can be found in Parent VUE or on past Progress Reports.

Thank you to those who've already completed this form. If you have any questions, please contact our family liaison, Melanie Crosby Hardy, at macrosby@fcps.edu.


Testing Updates


iReady Math Assessment Retake for Grades 3 – 6

Earlier this week, the FCPS Office of Communications and Community Relations sent out an email indicating an error with the math portion of the iReady test for students in Grades 3 through 6. We are aware of this error and have begun the process of rescheduling a test retake for the end of October/early November.

We recognize that the start of the school year is always a challenging time for classrooms, families, and students and that this comes in an especially challenging year. While retesting will demand additional class time up front, the gain will be having valid results that will help teachers identify students with potential needs to provide timely supports. Having the accurate fall iReady data will also benefit our division ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund) monitoring as we seek to meet the educational needs of our students this school year. Thank you for your continued support.

If you have any questions about this assessment for your student, please contact one of the school test coordinators at Lane Elementary, Allen Dickens at adickens@fcps.edu or Alexis Byam at avbyam@fcps.edu.


New Virginia Growth Assessment Testing for Grades 3 Through 8

Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) is a new test required for students in grades 3-8. The state legislature introduced this requirement to measure student growth and progress within the school year in reading and mathematics.

For fall 2021, VGA will address content that was taught in the previous school year. The purpose of this fall’s VGA is to identify potential learning gaps resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no “passing” or “failing” outcome for the VGA. Results will provide a starting point to measure growth and will offer information about areas of strength and areas for growth in reading and mathematics.

Students enrolled in grades 3-8 will generally take an assessment in both reading and mathematics. However, elementary and middle school students enrolled in a high school credit-bearing math course, such as Algebra 1, will not take a VGA for mathematics.

The following points may help you and your student better understand this assessment.

  • The VGA must be taken in-person at school.
  • This online, computer-adaptive test is about half as long as the spring SOL test.
  • Questions use Standards of Learning (SOL)-like items to measure current knowledge and skills in the content area.
  • Student results will be used to help school staff plan for instruction and supports.

Across Fairfax County, elementary and middle schools will give students the VGA in September - October.

If you have questions about this state assessment for your student, please contact the school test coordinators at Lane Elementary, Allen Dickens adickens@fcps.edu and Alexis Byam avbyam@fcps.edu.

 



PTA News & Events

 

Registration for Fall Enrichment Classes Begins Next Wednesday, September 29th!

In-person before- and after-school enrichment programs from Enrichment Matters are back! Check out the flyer below (click to view larger) or visit http://enrichmentmatters.com/lane to view the offerings and register.

Registration begins next Wednesday, September 29th, at 9 a.m. and ends Wednesday, October 7th at midnight. Don’t miss your chance. Sign up today!

Lane PTA Enrichment program

October Meeting on Tuesday, October 5th!

Please join the Lane PTA for its October meeting on Tuesday, October 5th, at 6:30 p.m. It will be held in person in the Lane Cafeteria, but the meeting will also be streamed via Zoom. It would be great to "see" you either way. Stay tuned for more details on the agenda next week!


To join via Zoom:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88420669031?pwd=WE9NRFJEKzRCTjFCRlRnZXlmYSt0QT09

Meeting ID: 884 2066 9031

Passcode: 323869

 



Community News & Events


Become a Girl Scout Family – Start the Fun Today!

A parent information session will be held Thursday October 7, 2021, at 6 p.m. in the Lane Elementary Cafeteria.

Girls of all ages that attend Lane ES are welcome to participate. Join existing Girl Scout leaders to learn more about Girl Scouting and how to get involved.

If you cannot attend the meeting and would like to become a Lane Girl Scout – please contact Jennifer Shotlander at jshotlander@gmail.com.

Girl Scouts is building girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.