The Weekly Roar - Friday, March 24, 2023

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


 

The Lion’s Roar

March 24, 2023

 

STEAM Heats Up with Building Challenges!

Students across several grade levels put their design and engineering skills to good use this week during STEAM time to design towers and models of iconic buildings using limited everyday items such as popsicle sticks, plastic cups, and index cards. The materials might have been limited, but the possibilities and the imagination certainly were not!

 

Students building towers in STEAM

Students building towers in STEAM

Students building towers in STEAM

Students building towers in STEAM

Students building towers in STEAM

Students building towers in STEAM

Students building towers in STEAM

Students building towers in STEAM

Students and their STEAM towers


Upcoming Events

  • Monday, 3/27 – Spring Picture Day (individual and classes)
  • Monday, 4/3 – Friday, 4/7 – Spring Break
  • Tuesday, 4/11 – PTA Meeting, 6:30 p.m. on Zoom
  • Thursday, 4/13 – End-of-quarter 2-hour early release at 2:05 p.m.
  • Friday, 4/14 – Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
  • Friday, 4/14 – Kindergarten Orientation for Fall 2023, 9 a.m.
  • Monday, 4/17 & Tuesday, 4/18 – PTA Restaurant Nights at Kumo Asian Bistro
  • Monday, 4/17 – Thursday, 4/20 – Month of the Military Child Spirit Week (see details below)
  • Friday, 4/21 – Eid al Fitr Holiday, School and Office CLOSED

 

In This Issue

  • Spring Picture Day Is Monday!

  • Volunteers Needed for Lunchtime Support During Ramadan

  • Spring Break Coming Soon – Monday, April 3rd through Friday, April 7th!

  • April Is the Month of the Military Child!
  • Student Intention Survey for the 2023 – 2024 School Year – Please Let Us Know Your Plans!
  • Update Your Emergency Care Information Through weCare@school
  • PTA News: Spring enrichment enrollment starts next week; 2023-2024 Executive Board nominations and election
  • Parent Resources: FCPS PreK and Early Head Start enrollment; multilingual podcasts; upcoming Special Education Conference and webinars
  • Community News & Announcements: Hayfield Craft Fair to Support the Class of 2023
  • FCPS News & Announcements: SR&R update meeting news; strategic planning feedback survey

 


 

News & Notes

 

Spring Picture Day Is Monday!

Professional photographers will once again visit Lane on Monday, March 27th to take individual portraits of every student. Class group pictures will also be taken. Information on how to order was sent home in this week’s Wednesday Folder.

Picture Day is March 27th

 

Volunteers Needed for Lunchtime Support During Ramadan

During Ramadan, many of our students fast during the day as part of their observance of this holy time in their culture. To support them, we provide an alternative space during lunchtime so they do not need to sit in the cafeteria with their classmates who are eating.

We are in need of volunteers to help monitor this room for the next few weeks, particularly between 12:30 and 2 p.m. each day. If you are available and would like to help, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E094CA8A69-ramadan. Activities for the students will be provided.

If you have questions, please contact one of our family liaisons, Melanie Crosby Hardy (macrosby@fcps.edu) or Lupe Fuentes (LEFuentes@fcps.edu).

Thank you in advance for your support!

 

Spring break graphic

 

Spring Break Coming Soon – Monday, April 3rd through Friday, April 7th!

Just a quick reminder that Spring Break is a little more than a week away! School and the office will be CLOSED Monday, April 3rd through Friday, April 7th. School will reopen and instruction will resume at the regular time on Monday, April 10th.

Please make sure you have this schedule change noted on your calendars

.

Month of the Military Child

 

April Is the Month of the Military Child!

April is the Month of the Military Child, and here at Lane we are planning several special activities to celebrate the strength, spirit, and resilience of the many young military-connected lions we have in our community.

  • We will have a spirit week, highlighted by “Purple Up!” Day on Wednesday, April 19th when the whole school will “Purple Up!” their wardrobes. Here’s the list of spirit-day themes:
    • Monday, April 17th: Yellow Day – Wear yellow to show support for our troops
    • Tuesday, April 18th: Service Branch Color Day – Wear your favorite camo, red, green, or blue to represent your favorite military branch
    • Wednesday, April 19th: “Purple Up!” Day – Wear purple to honor all military kids and all branches working together
    • Thursday, April 20th: RED Day – Wear red to Remember Everyone Deployed

 

themes for Month of Military Child spirit week April 17 - 20

 

  • On Monday, April 17th, we will host a small morning reception for our military families – “Muffins for Our Military Lions” in the cafeteria from 8:30 to 9 a.m. (If the weather is nice, we may hold this event outside.) All military families – students and their parents – are invited to come to school a little early that morning to enjoy a sweet treat. Please RSVP here and let us know how many will be attending.
  • Throughout the week, we are encouraging military students to share their experiences as military children with their classmates during morning meeting. If your child would like to participate, please sign up here.
  • To continue our “Purple Up!” theme, we will be creating purple paper chains to decorate our school. All students will have the chance to celebrate members of the military and/or military children by dedicating a “link” to them. Watch for more details on this project after Spring Break.

Those activities are still a couple of weeks away, but there is one part of the celebration we want to get a head start on – creating a slide show featuring our military students! If you are a military family and would like us to include your child(ren) in the slide show, please email pictures to our family liaison, Melanie Crosby Hardy, at macrosby@fcps.edu by Thursday, April 20th. Please let us know that it is OK to use the family name in the show (i.e. – The Smith Family).

The slide show will not be shared publicly; it will only be shown at school. Please also note that we will only use up to three photos per family in the presentation; you may send more, but we will choose only three.)

Finally, as we plan our celebrations, we want to make sure we have a complete list of these students so we can celebrate them. Many students of active-duty and reserve families are listed in our enrollment system, but we know there are other military-connected or formerly military-connected families out there in our community that we may have missed. If you are a military family (current or former) and would like to have your child recognized during Month of the Military Child, please complete this form. Thank you!

 

Update Your Emergency Care Information Through weCare@school

Fairfax County Public Schools provides weCare@school (weCare), an emergency-care information system, to parents/caregivers who have registered for their own ParentVUE account. The system helps manage emergency medical information by allowing parents to enter and update their children’s medical data online at their convenience. In addition, the contact information stored in weCare automatically enrolls parents/caregivers to receive eNotify communications from the district and their child’s school, which include FCPS emergency, transportation, attendance, weather closings and delays, and essential outreach messages. Messages are sent via email, text, and occasionally phone.

It’s critical that we have your current contact information on file. If yours has changed, please update it through weCare as soon as possible.

Learn more about updating your emergency care information.

 


 

PTA News

 

Registration for Spring Enrichment Programs Begins Monday, March 27th!

The PTA has organized another entertaining and educational line-up of before- and after-school enrichment programs for the spring. Take a look at the offerings below and get ready to register beginning next week. Registration will open Monday, March 27th at 10 a.m. and close at midnight on Sunday, April 9th at 11:59 p.m.

Check out the offerings on the flyer below (click to view full-size) or visit the website at http://bc-ffx-lane.jumbula.com.

 

Lane PTA enrichment flyer

 

Lane PTA Needs Your Help! Nominations Now Open for Next Year’s Executive Board

The Lane PTA is looking for parents/caregivers or staff members who are interested in joining the PTA Board for the 2023 – 2024 school year. Key PTA Board positions will be open, including President; Co-Vice President, Communications; Vice President, Fundraising; Secretary; and Treasurer. All of the current officeholders for these positions have served the two consecutive terms allowed under the organization’s by-laws or are leaving Lane. Two key committee chair positions are also open – Membership/Volunteers and Restaurant Nights.

The positions of President and Treasurer must be filled in order for the organization to continue to exist.

Elections will take place at the April PTA meeting on Tuesday, April 11th.

To put your name in the running, visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4aada722abfbc25-ptaboard or scan the QR code on the flyer below. (Click to view it larger.)

Thank you in advance for your support!

 

Lane PTA board nominations flyer

 

Parent Resources

Youtube video about prek


Does Your Child Qualify for PreK or Early Head Start?

FCPS PreK and Early Head Start Programs provide a quality preschool experience with no cost to qualifying families who live in Fairfax County. Your family may qualify for PreK or Early Head Start if you:

  • have a child who will be age 3 or 4 by September 30th,
  • receive free or reduced-price school meals, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Social Security Income, and/or are considered homeless per definition of the McKinney Vento Act, or
  • receive resources from a shelter and/or the FCPS homeless liaison office.

Though many families may qualify, spaces are limited. Selection is based on need, not “first come, first served," with PreK priority given to 4-year-olds. It is important for all families to apply as soon as possible.

Early Head Start is for children 2 years of age and younger, and pregnant women who live in the Reston, Herndon, and Springfield areas.

Visit the PreK and Early Head Start webpage for more information, or call 703-208-7900 (English) or 703-208-7901 (Spanish).

 

2023 FCPS Special Education Conference – Saturday, April 29th

If you have a child with special needs or want to learn more about the special-education process and supports available, plan to attend this year’s virtual FCPS Special Education Conference on Saturday, April 29th. More information is available at www.fcps.edu/Special-Education-Conference.

FCPS Special Education Conference April 29th

 

Multilingual Podcasts Available

Did you know that FCPS hosts a monthly podcast on important topics in multiple languages? In addition to English, the series is offered in Spanish, Arabic, and Korean. The podcasts are produced in conjunction with Family and School Partnerships and the Offices for ESOL Services and Professional Learning and Equity, with the support of Digital Learning Resource Services.

On the latest podcast, Joash Chung, manager of Tutor.com, is the featured guest. Listen to learn about the features and accessibility of this online tutoring service. Students have unlimited access 24/7 to on-demand service at no cost to families. Students can connect online any time, any place, and in most K-12 subjects. Tutoring is focused instruction provided to students in a one-on-one format (voice and/or text chat). Tutoring services may be accessed before, during, or after school hours and/or weekends.

Here are the language-specific links to listen and subscribe:

 

Upcoming Webinars from the Parent Resource Center

 

Unlocking the Mysteries of Sleep and the Developing Brain

Scientists have long recognized that getting enough sleep during childhood can benefit developing brains. Join us for this series on the importance of sleep and the developing brain.

Webinar highlights:

  • Define sleep and understand the importance of sleep for children’s healthy development
  • Provide an overview of the sleep and wake cycle
  • Identify common sleep concerns and sleep disorders in children and adolescents and how to approach them
  • Illustrate the consequences of insufficient sleep
  • Recognize some developmental aspects affecting sleep in children and adolescents

Part 2: March 28th, 1011:30 a.m.

View the individual event page if you would like to share this event with others.

Presented by Dr. Shu Buckley, Director of the Sleep Disorders and Neurodevelopment Consult Service at National Institute of Mental Health, and Dr. Concepcion Zayas, child and adolescent psychiatrist in the Sleep Disorders and Neurodevelopment Consult Service at National Institute of Mental Health

Register for Unlocking the Mysteries of Sleep and the Developing Brain

 

SIBSHOPS: An Exciting, In-person Workshop for Brothers and Sisters of Children with Special Needs!

The Sibshop workshops are for children in grades 2-6 enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools who have siblings with special needs to:

  • Meet other siblings in a relaxed setting.
  • Celebrate the many contributions made by brothers and sisters of children with special needs.
  • Share sibling experiences and receive peer support.
  • Play games and have fun!

Friday, April 14, 2023, 9 a.m. noon at Providence Community Center

Presented by FCPS School Social Work Services

Register for SIBSHOPS: An Exciting, In-person Workshop for Brothers and Sisters of Children with Special Needs!

View the individual event page if you would like to share this event with others.

 

Find more upcoming webinars, recordings of past presentations, and tons of helpful resources for families on the Parent Resource Center website!

 


 

Community News & Events

 

Hayfield Craft Fair – Saturday, April 15th, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

On April 15th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Hayfield All Night Grad Party will be hosting a Craft Fair at Hayfield Secondary School (7530 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22315). There will be over 100 vendors selling goods, an amazing silent auction, Kidcreate studio, face painting, and more!

Proceeds go to help support the Hayfield Class of 2023 All Night Grad Party event.

There is no cost to attend the craft fair. Please come out and support the local vendors and also the Hayfield class of 2023!

 


 

FCPS News & Announcements

 

Proposed Updates to the 202324 Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R), and Feedback Opportunities (Update)

Last week, we shared information about the Department of Special Services’ virtual meetings regarding proposed updates to the Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) Regulation for the 202324 school year. The meeting scheduled for Monday, March 27th, 6:30-7:30 p.m. is currently on hold. Please check the event webpage for updates. Please stay tuned for details. Visit FCPS’ website.

 

Registration Open for Virtual Strategic Planning Community Forums

We invite parents/caregivers, students, employees, and community members to join us for a virtual community forum to discuss the first draft of proposed goals for the new Strategic Plan.

Forums are scheduled for Monday, April 10th at noon; Tuesday, April 11th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (in Spanish); and Monday, April 17th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Click on the date to register for the event.

Your participation is important to this work that will help ensure a thriving future for each and every FCPS student. Get more information on our Strategic Planning webpage.