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To read this newsletter in other languages, please visit our website.
Para leer este boletin en otros idiomas, visite nuestro sitio web.
يرجى زيارة موقعنا الألكتروني لقراءة هذه النشرة الإخبارية بلغات أخرى
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The Lion’s Roar
December 2, 2022
The annual Lane Book Fair Family Night was back full force on Wednesday night, when hundreds of Lane lions of all ages visited the school library to browse the shelves and pick up some new reads. A percentage of all purchases will be donated directly back to the library to bring even more new books to the Lane community! We’d like to thank everyone who supported the fair for their generosity, and everyone who attended Family Night for their patience with the packed house. The online fair will be open through Monday at http://www.scholastic.com/bf/lanees. Happy reading!
Upcoming Events
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Monday, 12/5 – Friday, 12/9 – Inclusive Schools Week/”Walk in My Shoes," includes the following Spirit Days:
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Monday, 12/5 – “Come as You Are” Day (Be comfortable as your everyday self)
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Tuesday,12/6 – “Our Future Is Bright” Day (Wear bright colors or tie-dye)
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Wednesday, 12/7 – “Lane Lions Are Inclusive” Day (Wear Lane spirit wear)
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Thursday, 12/8 – “Be Unique” Day (Wear mismatched socks/patterns/clothes)
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Friday, 12/9 – “Be a Part of the Team” (Wear your favorite sports jersey or athletic gear)
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Tuesday, 12/6 – December PTA Family-Friendly Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Cafeteria
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Wednesday, 12/7 – Yearbook Activity Group and Classroom Candid Pictures
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Thursday, 12/8 – Bodhi Day (cultural observance day; school is in session)
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Friday, 12/9 – New Family/Student Ambassador Family Cookie Exchange, 4:15 p.m.
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Monday, 12/12 & Tuesday, 12/13 – PTA Restaurant Days at Stone Hot Pizza
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Thursday, 12/15 – Advanced Academics Program Referrals due to Ms. Simon
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Monday, 12/19 – Monday, 1/2 – Winter Break
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Tuesday, 1/3 – School reopens at the regular time
In This Issue
- Volunteers Still Needed for Inclusive Schools Week Next Week! Spirit Days Planned for Each Day!
- Bodhi Day is December 8th
- Full-Time Advanced Academics Referrals Due Thursday, December 15th! Quick Review Guide Available
- Parent Resources: IEP Palooza this weekend; school meals account-restriction requests; special education engagement survey; and more!
- PTA News: Next meeting for the whole family, sharing joy, and more!
- FCPS News and Announcements: ESSER Funding Community Conversation
News & Notes
Volunteers Still Needed for Inclusive Schools Week Activities Next Week! Spirit Days Planned for Each Day!
Next week – December 5th through 9th – is Inclusive Schools Week at Lane. The theme this year is “Unity within Our Community—Inclusion Around the World.” We will hold an inclusion-themed spirit day for each day of the week and special activities during P.E. classes based on the Walk In My Shoes (WIMS) curriculum.
WIMS' empathy-building activities are interactive and hands-on and enable students to experience the perspectives of individuals with visual, communication, fine motor, and sensory differences, along with individuals with food allergies and English Language Learners. The goals of the activities are to increase knowledge, shift perspectives, and teach the importance of supportive and inclusive environments as we all experience the world in our own unique way.
We are very grateful for all of the supplies that have already been donated and the volunteers who have signed up. We could still use some volunteers on Thursday and Friday at the following times:
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Thursday, December 8th
- 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Need 13 people (2 dual-language)
- 1:45 – 3 p.m.: Need 10 people (1 dual-language)
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Friday, December 9th
- 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: 8 people (2 dual-language)
- 12:40 – 4 p.m.: 7 people (2 dual-language)
You can sign up to volunteer here: https://bit.ly/iw_volunteer.
If you have any questions, please contact Jee Deogracias (inclusion@lanepta.org) or Claire Kurtenbach (clkurtenbach@fcps.edu).
Check the updated flyer for more details.
Here is the list of Spirit Days scheduled for next week:
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Monday, December 5th: “Come as You Are” (Be comfortable as your everyday self)
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Tuesday, December 6th: “Our Future Is Bright” (Wear bright colors or tie-dye)
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Wednesday, December 7th: “Lane Lions Are Inclusive” (Wear Lane spirit wear)
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Thursday, December 8th: “Be Unique” (Wear mismatched socks/patterns/clothes)
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Friday, December 9th: “Be a Part of the Team” (Wear your favorite sports jersey or athletic gear)
All students are encouraged to participate.
Thank you for helping to make this important event a success!
Bodhi Day Is Thursday, December 8th
Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Shakyamuni), experienced enlightenment, also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali.
The school calendar recognizes many religious and cultural observances (O days) during the school year. There is school on these days, however, the School Board has directed that tests, quizzes, field trips, graduation, homecoming, or FCPS-scheduled athletic events will not be held on these observance days.
Learn more about Bodhi Day in this video from the Miami Children’s Museum.
See the complete 2022-23 school year calendar.
Full-Time Advanced Academics Referrals Due Thursday, December 15th; Quick Review Guide Available
If you wish to refer your child for full-time Advanced Academics Program (AAP) placement, don’t forget that you must complete the referral form and accompanying documentation and email it to Lane’s Advanced Academics Resource Teacher Linda Simon at lesimon@fcps.edu no later than Thursday, December 15th at 11:59 p.m. No referrals will be accepted after this time.
Please let Ms. Simon know in advance if you plan to refer your child, even though you have until December 15th to submit the referral. This allows her to prepare paperwork to accompany the referral.
Resources are available to help with completing the referral form.
Please contact Ms. Simon if you have questions.
Parent Resources
IEP Palooza and Community Resource Fair TOMORROW – Saturday, December 3rd, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Annandale High School
Presented by FCPS and SEPTA (the Special Education PTA), this event will dig into many different aspects of the IEP process and offer a variety of resources to support students with special needs. Information is geared towards parents, school staff, and students aged 14 and up. Register for free here.
See the flyer below for details.
(Flyers are also available in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.)
Did You Know That You Can Limit Items Purchased on Your Child’s School Lunch Account?
Are you worried your child isn’t making healthy choices at lunchtime? Does your family follow special dietary guidelines? If so, you can request that items be limited to lunch only with no snacks or a la carte items, or that your child only chooses vegetarian options.
The FCPS menu system – available online at https://fcps.nutrislice.com/ – clearly outlines ingredients in all foods served. To find this information just pull up a menu for the month, click on the item, and review the window that pops up.
Ingredients that are common allergens or part of certain religious dietary guidelines are also highlighted with easy-to-understand icons.
“Starting the Conversation” Virtual Presentation by FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist – Thursday, December 8th at 6:30 p.m.
Are you looking for ways to start a conversation with your child about drugs and other dangerous substances, but aren’t sure how to do it? If so, plan to attend this upcoming presentation designed primarily for parents of elementary-aged students (but it is appropriate for all parents).
Check out the flyer for more information in either English or Spanish. There will be a Spanish interpreter as well.
FCPS Resources for Families
FCPS’ Office of Family and School Partnerships would like to remind families of some of the many resources available to them:
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Bilingual community liaisons support student registrars by providing families with information about school and community services offered in Fairfax County. Liaisons are available to help families speaking Spanish, Korean, and Arabic. Once registered at a school, families can contact their family liaison for assistance.
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Early literacy programs are available to Fairfax County residents for parents of children up to 5 years old. These programs help prepare children for school and build confidence in parents as their child’s first teacher. They also help parents become active partners in their child’s education. Programs are available in African-Heritage, Arabic, Spanish, and Korean. (Lane hosts an in-person Early Literacy Program for Arabic and South Asian families taught in English on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact our family liaison Melanie Crosby Hardy at macrosby@fcps.edu if you’d like more information.)
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Parent Information Phone Lines are available in eight languages for parents who speak languages other than English.
- A Multilingual Family Podcast is produced by the offices of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Family and School Partnerships, and Professional Learning and Equity. It covers important information for parents in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Korean.
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ESOL services are available in Fairfax County not only for students, but also for adults and families. Information on Spring classes will be posted in March 2023.
Visit the Family Engagement webpage for more resources.
2022 Parent Involvement Survey for Special-Education Families
All parents of school-aged children and youth with disabilities who receive special education services in Virginia are encouraged to complete the Virginia Department of Education’s annual Parent Involvement Survey. The survey will remain open through December 16, 2022.
If you have questions concerning this survey, please contact Chiquita Seaborne, Family Engagement Specialist/Special Projects Coordinator, via telephone at (804) 225-3898 or via email, at Chiquita.Seaborne@doe.virginia.gov.
Parent Involvement Survey-English
Parent Involvement Survey-Spanish
SchoolQuest Offers Solutions for Military Families!
SchoolQuest from the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) is a free, easy-to-use interactive tool that can save hours of time and can help eliminate the academic challenges that many military-connected families face transferring records. It’s just one of the supports MCEC offers to military-connected families.
PTA News
Join Us for the Family-Friendly December PTA Meeting Tuesday, December 6th, 6:30 p.m.
The December PTA meeting is next week – Tuesday, December 6th at 6:30 p.m., in person, in the cafeteria, and it's going to be SNOW-MUCH-FUN! (Hopefully there's not actually snow yet, but it will absolutely be fun!)
All families are invited to attend and bring the kids! Yep, you read that right! 'Tis the season to BRING THE KIDS! The PTA wants to help students see the awesome work that is happening for their school and understand how decisions are made.
They'll have notes pages for the older kids and coloring sheets for the younger ones, and all ages will have opportunities to participate during the meeting. We know their enthusiasm will definitely make for a fun meeting. There may even be a sweet treat to take home at the end.
We’d love to see you in person on Tuesday, although if you prefer the virtual option, that will still be available as well.
Share Your Joy on the PTA Bulletin Board!
We are heading into the winter holiday season, a time of great joy and sharing. Please share what you’re joyful for the next time you visit Lane by leaving a message on the new PTA bulletin board. Thanks to 2nd VP of Communications Katie Clemmons for her wonderful artistic talents!
FCPS News and Announcements
ESSER III Community Conversation on December 13th
Thanks to everyone who provided input in October on ESSER III funding–federal funding which was allocated to FCPS to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and student learning. Community feedback indicated that there is a general unawareness of the impact of ESSER funding and a perceived lack of communication around how the funds are being used.
To help address this, Superintendent Reid and Sloan Presidio, chief academic officer, will host a Community Conversation on ESSER on Tuesday, December 13th at 6:30 p.m., at the Gatehouse Administration Building in the Café. Please stay tuned for more details. Visit BoardDocs for a detailed update on ESSER.
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