Last Friday, Lisa Russell received the FCPS Cares Award. The FCPS CARES Program is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. We invite you to submit your story here, so we can all acknowledge the good work of FCPS employees.

The following was shared about Lisa:

Our librarian, Lisa Russell, is opening the TLES library during the summer to our community to not only checkout books but she has also set up makerspace activities and games for our students. Lisa is always trying to find ways to make the library an accessible space both during school time and after school. Lisa does all of this on her own time and never seeks recognition. Lisa deserves to be recognized because she truly embodies all of the attributes of the FCPSCARES program.

Everybody associated with TLES knows that Lisa is so deserving of this award and that she does so much for our school every day. Lisa truly does care. We are so appreciative of all you do, Lisa. 

This week we celebrated the important work school psychologists do to help all students thrive. TLES is lucky to have one of the best School Psychologists, Rebekah Haile. Rebekah, thank you for all you do. 

Originally from Asheville, NC, Ms. Haile spent some of her middle and high school years in Virginia before moving to Southern California to study psychology. After substitute teaching and working as an instructional assistant in inner city Los Angeles, she decided to pursue a career in school psychology. Ms. Haile is passionate about building safe and supportive relationships with students that allows them to succeed in spite of any obstacles they may face. This is her sixth year in Fairfax County and second year at Timber Lane. She enjoys supporting students’ social-emotional learning at TLES, partnering with teachers, parents, and staff to help all students thrive and reach their potential.

Learn more from the National Association of School Psychologists .

November 8 was STEAM Day and students across grade levels participated in a variety of integrated STEAM activities utilizing robotic and engineering challenges this week. 

Students coded ozobots to trace letters and polygons, designed towers to hold weighted objects,& coded micorbits to measure temperature, sound, & light. 

Our STEAM Team, Louise Nelson, Alyssa Grabel, Torrye Lanzaro, & Jenny Collins, facilitated & guided activities across grade levels at TLES. Additional information & photographs will be posted to our website.  

Nominations close today for the FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for a Timber Lane ES Outstanding Employee in one of the categories below, please complete the nomination through the Google form link below: note that each category has a different google link in the name.  You may nominate one employee at our school or multiple employees (one individual may only nominate one employee per category.)  All nominations are due by November 10, 2023. 

All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category. The google form link has more information regarding the criteria for each of these awards and the eligibility requirements are below.

Outstanding Teacher  

Eligibility: Has at least three years of experience as a teacher (in any school/school district); librarians are included in this category

Outstanding New Teacher

Eligibility: Has up to three years of experience as a teacher (in any school/school district);

Outstanding Principal

Eligibility: Has at least three years of experience as a building principal (in any school/school district)

Outstanding Leader 

Eligibility: At least one year of experience in their current position as a Schedule-C or School-Based Administrator scale employee (that is not the building principal):

Common positions in this category: Assistant and Associate Principals, Director of Student Activities, Director of Student Services

Outstanding Professional Employee 

Eligibility: At least one year experience in current position as a Schedule-B employee or other non-instructional employee in a school that supports school leadership

Common positions in this category: School-Based Technology Specialist, Technology Support Specialist, Assessment Coach, Career Center Specialist, Instructional Coach, Psychologist, Social Worker, School Counselor, Safety and Security Specialist, Resource Teachers that serve in an administrative role in a school 

Outstanding Operational Employee

Eligibility: At least one year of experience in current position as Schedule-A or Classroom Instructional Support Scale employee

Common positions in this category: Administrative and Office Staff, Safety and Security Assistant, Custodial Staff, Food Service Staff, IA, PHA, PHTA, All Parent Liaisons (regardless of how they are paid)  

The deadline to submit a nomination is November 10,2023. 

If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Davis at atdavis@fcps.edu

November 11 Veterans' Day

November 12 Diwali

November 15 Thanksgiving Lunch

November 22 - 24 Thanksgiving Break - Student Holidays

Happy Diwali to all those who celebrate this day and the victory of light over darkness. This year's Diwali artwork was created by Chantilly High School student Rijuta D. as part of the FCPS Observance Design Challenge for Students.

We are excited to announce the return of Thanksgiving Lunch at TLES. Join you student for Thanksgiving Lunch on November 15. 

Tickets for this event go on sale tomorrow, November 7 at 9AM, and will remain on sale through November 14. Tickets cost $4.75 and can be purchased at the front office. All family members joining TLES students for this event will need a ticket.

  Thanksgiving Lunch Schedule

Thank you to the Fairfax citizens who supported the 2023 Bond Referendum. Roughly 67% of those voting in the 2023 election supported the $435 million bond referendum, continuing a long history of school bond approvals in Fairfax County. 

Stay engaged as we build our future. Keep up-to-date on construction and capital improvements across FCPS by visiting our Capital Improvement Project webpage

FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available online in SIS ParentVUE. If you have not already filled out the form online, we will provide paper forms in Wednesday Folders. Please be sure to return paper forms by Friday, November 17. The electronic form will continue to be available in SIS ParentVUE until January 2024. 

Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important, because information from this survey results in an additional $3 million in grants each year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.

Please watch this video and visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page for more information. 

Helping students to complete Algebra 1 by eighth grade is part of our Strategic Plan (Goal 3: Academic Growth and Excellence). Algebra Access Network Improvement Community (AANIC) is working to increase the diverse representation of students who take advanced math classes and succeed in them. This video shares more about the AANIC cohorts at Kilmer and Key middle schools and lets students explain why Algebra matters to them.

Passing Algebra 1 earlier allows for students to take more advanced classes like Dual Enrollment courses, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. These advanced courses help students succeed in college. A recent study from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) found that completing Algebra 1 by grade eight led to 30% more ninth graders and 16% more 11th graders taking advanced courses. 

Sometimes kids need a change of clothes at school. A quick change of clothes can get them back to class and help them not miss out on valuable instruction time by needing to go home to change. Thank you, to everyone who has already donated in support of this cause! We are in need of pants. Check out this link for ideas: 

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/OJBYKY1KUCWQ?ref_=wl_share