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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
September 15, 2023
Colors, Characters, and Community!
What a terrific week we had at Lane! We started off the week on Monday honoring Patriot Day, wearing red, white, and blue; kicked off our Read-a-Thon on Tuesday with storybook characters filling the halls during the day and bounce houses, frozen treats, and loads of Lane Lion fun filling the fields during the evening; lit up a rainbow throughout the week wearing colors for our kindergarteners; and wrapped it up today with not one, not two, but THREE spirit days – Bring a Stuffed Animal and Your Favorite Book to School Day, Creative Reading Day, and Kindergarten Blue Day. The stuffed animals and creative reading opportunities happened because the generosity of our community skyrocketed us past two Read-a-Thon goals in just three days!
Check out these scenes from Tuesday's excitement!
“Shanah tovah!” to our Jewish community celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which began at sundown tonight. Meaning “head of the year,” Rosh Hashanah is one of Judaism’s holiest days and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of introspection that ends with Yom Kippur on Monday, September 25th, a holiday for all FCPS students and staff.
Upcoming Events
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Friday, 9/15 – Sunday, 10/15 – Hispanic Heritage Month
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Monday, 9/18 – Friday, 9/22 – Kindergarten Color Week 2
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Monday, 9/18: Yellow
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Tuesday, 9/19: Pink/Brown
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Wednesday, 9/20: Orange
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Thursday, 9/21: Black/White
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Friday, 9/22: Rainbow/Favorite Color
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Monday, 9/18 – 4th Grade Math VGA Test
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Tuesday, 9/19 – 5th Grade Math VGA Test
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Wednesday, 9/20 – 6th Grade Math VGA Test
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Thursday, 9/21 – 3rd Grade Math VGA Test
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Monday, 9/25 – Yom Kippur Holiday – School and Office CLOSED
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Tuesday, 9/26 – Blue Star Welcome Week “Muffins for Military Families” Reception, 8:30 a.m., Cafeteria
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Friday, 9/29 – PTA Read-a-Thon ends
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Monday, 10/2 – Friday, 10/6 – Fall Picture Week 1 (See article below for details)
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Wednesday, 10/4 – Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day
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Thursday, 10/5 – Virtual Parent Coffee: Special Education at Lane, 6:30 p.m. on Zoom
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Monday, 10/9 – Indigenous People’s Day – Student Holiday/Teacher Workday
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Friday, 10/13 – Field Day
In This Issue
- Lane Readers Rock! PTA Read-a-Thon Tops $12,000 in Just Three Days!
- Fall Picture WEEKS Start October 2nd!
- Help Wanted: Still Seeking Dining Assistant and Student Monitor
- Hispanic Heritage Month: Share Your Culture with Your Lane Family!
- Blue Star Welcome Week “Muffins for Military Lions” Breakfast Reception – Tuesday, September 26th
- Spotlight on Special Education Virtual Parent Coffee – Thursday, October 5th, 6:30 p.m.
- Advanced Academics Program Parent Information Session Presentation
- Keep the Colors Coming for Kindergarteners!
- Save the Date! Field Day 2023 Is Friday, October 13th!
- PTA News: Read-a-Thon details, first meeting news, Restaurant Night reports
- Parent Resources: Substance Abuse Specialists, free webinars
- Community Events & Activities: Upcoming meeting about Girl Scout troops at Lane
- FCPS Events & Announcements: Information session for substitutes and instructional assistants, county bond referendum
News & Notes
Lane Readers Rock! PTA Read-a-Thon Tops $12,000 in Just Three Days!
Our Lane Lion readers are off to a roaring great Read-a-Thon start! We are nearing the $13,000 mark for funds raised, and the stories we are hearing of all the reading happening at home are fantastic!
As we've noted in previous newsletters and messages, our PTA is shooting for the stars this year. The goal is to only ask for financial support this one time. If the Read-a-Thon can raise $75,000, they have promised not to ask for any further donations this year, AND they guarantee that every child will receive $10 to use at the Lane Book Fair in November. AND (yes, there's more!) they will be able to purchase shade structures for the school playground in addition to the many other school requests for support!
Has your child registered? If not, click here to register. They must be registered to get credit for donations. Check the PTA News section below for more details on getting donations.
Is your child reading and tracking their minutes? Make sure your child is logging the minutes they read at home! On October 2nd, they will need to turn in their minutes log from home at school to submit their total number of minutes read. The minutes log and other resources, like a reading challenge calendar, are included in the Read-a-Thon packet that was sent home in Wednesday Folders. You can also download a PDF copy of the packet here.
Thank you for all of your generous support so far!
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Fall Picture WEEKS Start October 2nd! Volunteers Needed! |
Yes, you read that right. This year we are having Picture WEEKS rather than just a Picture Day. The reason is that we are trying something new. This year will be taking our fall student portraits in house rather than having a photography company come for the day to take them. This means that all families will receive a digital copy of their student’s photo for FREE! Once you receive it, you can use it to have prints – or other objects – made at local photo product retailers.
Students’ individual Picture Day during Picture Week will be their class library day. Most students will have their pictures taken the week of October 2nd through 6th, although some classes will be the following week. Here is the schedule:
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Monday, October 2nd: Kindergarten and 3rd Grade classes
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Tuesday, October 3rd: 2nd Grade classes
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Wednesday, October 4th: 1st Grade, Ms. Black’s and Ms. Gill’s classes only; 5th Grade, Mr. Benzelock’s and Mr. Morris’ classes only
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Thursday, October 5th: 6th Grade, Mr. Crocamo’s and Ms. Wilson’s classes only
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Friday, October 6th: 4th Grade and 1st Grade, Ms. Hartbarger’s and Mrs. Kaine’s classes only
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Tuesday, October 10th: Mrs. Ferguson’s, Mr. Holmes’, and Ms. Scott’s classes
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Wednesday, October 11th: 5th Grade, Ms. McGregor's and Ms. Benton’s classes only
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Thursday, October 12th: 6th Grade, Ms. Sperry’s and Ms. Fitzgerald’s classes only
Thursday, October 19th will be a make-up day for students who were absent on their assigned class day.
We will still need some volunteers, as we usually do, to help this process run smoothly. If you are available to assist on one of the days, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B45A9A72CABF85-2023.
Help Wanted: Still Seeking Dining Assistant and Student Monitor
We are still in need of one dining assistant for our cafeteria. The job is 3.5 hours a day (approximately 10:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.), Monday through Friday. Duties include monitoring students, assisting them as they clean up and clean tables, and interacting with them in a positive way to assist them with their social skills.
We are also searching for one student monitor who can travel to various classrooms and other school locations to help assist students as needed. This position is full-day, Monday through Friday. The minimum requirement is high school graduation.
We are looking for dedicated people who can be patient, caring, structured, and fair. Would you like to join our team? If so, please contact Kelly Tolley at kltolley@fcps.edu.
Hispanic Heritage Month: Share Your Culture with Your Lane Family!
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The celebration starts today and runs through October 15th.
We would like to mark this special month in two ways:
First, we invite our students who identify as Hispanic to share something from that culture with their Lane friends and families. Students are encouraged to bring in an item to put on display throughout Hispanic Heritage Month. The item must be:
- Specific to a Hispanic culture
- No larger than a lunchbox or heavier than 10 pounds
- Unbreakable (to protect the item when taking it back and forth to school)
- Appropriate for elementary-aged students.
Sharp items or weapons of any kind are prohibited.
Each item must be accompanied by a large index card or half-sheet of paper that includes the following information:
- Student’s name
- Student’s teacher’s name
- What the item is
- What country/culture the item is from
- One or two sentences about why this item is important to the student and/or how it relates to the particular Hispanic culture.
Items will be displayed in the glass case outside the Lane Library until October 15th. Items without written information will not be displayed. Please note that Lane and FCPS are not liable for loss of or damage to any item brought in to display.
Second, we will end our Hispanic Heritage Month in October with a slide show featuring our Hispanic students. If you would like for us to include a picture of your child, please email it to our family liaison Melanie Crosby Hardy at macrosby@fcps.edu no later than Friday, October 6th. The slide show will be shown in the school after October 15th.
We hope your student will participate and look forward to learning more about your family and culture!
Blue Star Welcome Week “Muffins for Military Lions” Breakfast Reception – Tuesday, September 26th
Blue Star Welcome Week is a nationwide initiative to ensure military families feel a sense of belonging to their school communities. We are honored to have many military-connected lions in our school community and look forward to celebrating them during this special week.
On Tuesday, September 26th we will host a Blue Star Welcome Week “Muffins for Military Lions” reception before school from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. in the cafeteria. At this event you’ll be able to learn about resources and supports both here at Lane and throughout the county, meet military family specialists from FCPS and Fort Belvoir, and connect with other Lane military lions. All military families are welcome – parents and students.
If you plan to attend this event, please RSVP here. This will ensure we have enough food and drink for everyone. We hope you’ll be able to join us!
Spotlight on Special Education Virtual Parent Coffee – Thursday, October 5th, 6:30 p.m.
Are you interested in learning more about special education services at Lane and in FCPS? Do you have concerns about how your child is learning, but aren’t sure where to turn? Would you like to meet other special education parents?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, please plan to attend our virtual parent “coffee” focusing on special education on Thursday, October 5th at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. Lane’s principal Christine Prahl and special education lead Dr. Patrick Ledesma will join us to provide an overview of special education at the school; Lane PTA Inclusion Committee Chair Jee Deogracias will discuss upcoming PTA-sponsored inclusion activities; Emily Sachdev from Special Education PTA (SEPTA) will talk about the organization and their initiatives and supports; and the manager of the FCPS Family Resource Center will present information about their wide array of supports and resources available to families for free.
There won’t actually be coffee at this event (unless you make your own at home), but important information will definitely be brewing!
Advanced Academics Parent Meeting Presentation
If you were not able to attend last night’s Advanced Academics Program (AAP) Parent Meeting with Ms. Simon, you can view the full slide presentation here. Please reach out to Ms. Simon with any questions, lesimon@fcps.edu.
Keep the Colors Coming for Kindergarteners!
What a colorful week we’ve had! It was wonderful to see so many students in other grade levels wearing the color of the day to support our littlest lions who are learning their colors. The vibrant fun continues next week, and we hope all students in all grades will continue to join in. Here is the schedule for the remaining color days:
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Monday, September 18th: Yellow
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Tuesday, September 19th: Pink/Brown
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Wednesday, September 20th: Orange
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Thursday, September 21st: Black/White
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Friday, September 22nd: Rainbow/Favorite Color
Save the Date! Field Day Is Friday, October 13th! Volunteers Needed!
Our annual Field Day event will be held on Friday, October 13th during the school day. Students will have an hour to rotate through different stations with their classmates. Here is the grade-level schedule:
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9:45 – 10:45 a.m.: 5th & 6th Grade
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11:20 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.: 3rd & 4th Grade
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12:50 – 1:50 p.m.: Kindergarten
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1:55 – 2:55 p.m.: 2nd Grade
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3 – 4 p.m.: 1st Grade
Students in multiple-abilities classes will attend with their inclusion class or during Small-Group P.E. Classes Field Day on Monday, October 16th.
Volunteers are needed to help with our Field Day stations throughout the day. If you’re available, and would like to help, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C44ACAE2BA6FA7-field1#/.
Watch for more Field Day information coming soon!
PTA News
Read-a-Thon Starts with a Roar!
Thank you, Lane! Within the first three days of our Read-a-Thon, we already achieved TWO school rewards! Today, students brought in a stuffed animal and got to creatively read in their classrooms. Look at all of those stuffed animals!
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The next school reward is $15,000. If we reach it, students can bring in a fidget to show their class. Hopefully we can celebrate that level on Monday!
Please ensure your child is registered and then ask family and friends to support them and Lane Elementary! Your child can make a video, write a letter, or have you email a note. Video chat with a grandparent and read a story to them for $20. Or, for every $50 donated, have your child read for an hour. There are so many options to also spark their reading! Get creative on how the fundraising piece can pair with the reading piece!
Don't forget ... The PTA gets 100% of the money raised during the Read-a-Thon, and it will be invested right back into our school in many different ways.
If each child at Lane sets a goal of raising $100, the PTA will definitely reach their goal!
Read-a-Thon Kick-off Event Success!
WHAT A NIGHT! As you can tell from the pictures above, Lane came alive Tuesday night. It was incredible to see all the families with kids running around from bounce house to bounce house! All the teachers and staff in attendance made it even more special! We hope this event sparked a new level of excitement in your children to read for our school so that we can continue to support our kids and families!
The PTA would like to send a big THANK YOU to the Read-a-Thon Kick-off sponsors: Big Country Amusements, Rita's, Sign Gypsies, and Three Wishes Bookshop. Without them (and the food trucks!) this amazing event wouldn't have been as fun and magical as it was!
First PTA Meeting Notes
After getting together for the Read-a-Thon Kick-Off Event, the PTA business followed in an email. We are really pleased with the response to our Google Form voting method and love that we saved our parents and teachers an hour-long meeting! Our PTA members voted to approve the 2023-2024 Lane PTA budget and voted to financially support the new Bus Loop Garden initiative, as well as some needed items for our classrooms.
Restaurant Nights
Our Lane Lion community is certainly showing up for Restaurant Nights!! Hangry Burger was THE place to be on September 6th and 7th! Our school raised $753, and the restaurant even asked if they could partner with us again in the spring! Way to go, Lane families!
Parent Resources
Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist (SAPS) Introduction
Each school pyramid has a Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist (SAPS) assigned to provide substance abuse prevention, education, and intervention services. Substance Abuse Prevention Specialists are part of the FCPS Office of Student Safety and Wellness. Like school social workers, school psychologists, and school counselors, they do not provide treatment services but do support students while they are in the buildings.
Key roles of a Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist:
- Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug education for students, parents, staff, and the Fairfax County community
- Intervention services upon violation of the Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook or suspected substance use involvement
- Assessing a student’s level of substance use and, if appropriate, making referrals to the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board for additional services or other community resources as appropriate
- Group and individual interventions for students and in addition prevention services for students, staff, parents, and the Fairfax County community
- Most importantly, building positive relationships with students to provide support and encouragement.
Resources:
Free Virtual Parent Support Group
Free Online Narcan Training for Opioid Overdoses (English & Spanish)
Free Lock Boxes for Medications & Firearms
Spiritual Support by Phone for Adults
Spanish Podcast: Tips on How Parents Play an Important Role in Substance Abuse Prevention
Juvenile Court Parent Support Group
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270.
For further information and support, contact Bryan Villalobos, Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist, at bvillalobos@fcps.edu
FREE Family Resource Center Webinars
The FCPS Family Resource Center (FRC) offers free webinars for parents and families each month. Here is the remaining line-up for September.
Who's the Boss? 5 Ways for Families to Help Kids with Big Emotions
- Do you have a child who is bossy, melts down over changes in plans or transitions?
- Acts like a sore loser when playing games?
- Wears the same clothes and eats the same foods?
- Likes to say, "That's not fair!" and won't stop following you until they prove a point?
Calm Parenting podcast founder Kirk Martin explains why all of these behaviors have the same root...and similar solutions.
Friday, September 29, 2023, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Register for Who's the Boss? 5 Ways for Families to Help Kids with Big Emotions
October webinars have been released and are now registering. Visit the Family Resource Center website for details and watch this newsletter for highlights!
Community Events & Activities
Girl Scout Troop Information Meeting – Thursday, September 28th, 6 p.m.
FCPS News & Announcements
Information Session for Substitute Teachers and Instructional Assistants
Learn more about becoming a substitute teacher or instructional assistant at a virtual information session on Wednesday, September 20th from 2 to 3 p.m. Register for this session. Visit the Recruitment Events calendar for a list of all FCPS job fairs.
School Bonds Benefit Students
A bond referendum to benefit Fairfax County Public Schools will be on the ballot this election season. The building and renovation of schools are not financed through the school system’s operating funds, but through bonds.
Similar to an individual or a family obtaining a mortgage on a residence to spread the cost of home buying over several years, bonds spread the cost of major capital improvements over a number of years. This ensures that current and future residents and users share in the payment. The county’s bonded debt is not likely to be a contributing factor to any increase in local taxes.
Hear from teachers how FCPS prioritizes safety with bond funding.
Read more about the FCPS 2023 Bond Referendum. Learn about registering to vote. Vote on Tuesday, November 7th.
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