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The Weekly Roar

Monday, October 27, 2025

Math + STEAM = Learning Fun!

Thanks to all of the families who came out last Thursday night to enjoy a night of fun, family-friendly learning at our Math & STEAM Night. Lane Lions of all ages were able to experiment, build, create, count, and code. We even launched a rocket on the blacktop! We'd like to also thank Mrs. Sperry, Mrs. Christopher, and Mrs. Cohen, who worked so hard to put this special night together. Check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for even more photos and a video of that rocket launch!

PTA Trunk Event Was a Real Treat!

Families were also treated to a great spooky-season social event on Sunday when the PTA hosted its Trunk or Treat in the school parking lot. Thanks to all of the families and staff members who decorated their cars with fun themes and handed out candy to costumed trick-or-treaters of all ages!

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday, 10/28 – SCA Spirit Day: Crazy Socks vs. Crazy Hair Day
• Wednesday, 10/29 – SCA Spirit Day: Tie-Dye vs. Camo Day
• Thursday, 10/30 – SCA Spirit Day: Backwards vs. Inside Out Day
  
• Thursday, 10/30 – Full-Time Advanced Academics Program parent meeting, 6 p.m., Lane Library
• Friday, 10/31 – End-of-Quarter 2-Hour Early Release, dismissal at 2:05 p.m., no afterschool care for students available
  
• Friday, 10/31 – SCA Spirit Day: Black vs. Orange Day
• Monday, 11/3 & Tuesday, 11/4 – Student Holidays, Students DO NOT report
• Thursday, 11/6 – PTA Meeting, 6:30 p.m. (virtual)
  
• Friday, 11/7 – Veterans Day Celebration Breakfast and Classroom Visits (see the article below for details)
• Tuesday, 11/11 – Veterans Day Holiday, School and Office CLOSED
  

In This Issue

• End-of-Quarter Spirit Days Continue This Week!
• Upcoming Schedule Changes: End-of-Quarter 2-Hour Early Dismissal October 31; Student Holidays November 3 & 4
• Important Attendance Policy Updates and Reminders
• Advanced Academics Program (AAP) Full-Time Screening and Timeline Parent Meeting This Thursday, October 30, 6 p.m.
• Attention FCPS Families! The Federal Impact Aid Survey Now Available to Complete Online
• 2025-2026 Yearbook Cover Contest Now Accepting Entries
• Fall Portrait Distribution
• Honoring Our Lane Lion Veterans and Active Military Service Members for Veterans Day on Friday, November 7
• FCPS Outstanding Staff Awards Nominations are Open!
• Dia de los Muertos and All Saints' Day/All Souls' Day This Weekend
• PTA News: November meeting, membership information
• Parent Resources: Upcoming free webinars
• Community Events & Activities: Hayfield Secondary Music Honor Society Trunk or Treat
• FCPS News & Activities: Bond Referendum

News & Notes

End-of-Quarter Spirit Days Continue This Week!

It’s hard to believe that the first grading quarter comes to an end this Friday. To celebrate this benchmark and the colors of season, SCA is sponsoring a week of school Spirit Days. It kicked off today with “Football vs. Baseball Day” where students dressed to support their favorite sport in a spirited competition. 

Here are the themes (and fun competitions) for each of the remaining days this week:

• Tuesday, October 28: Crazy Socks vs. Crazy Hair Day
• Wednesday, October 29: Tie-Dye vs. Camo Day
• Thursday, October 30: Backwards vs. Inside Out Day
• Friday, October 31: Black vs. Orange Day

We hope your child will join the fun and participate!

Upcoming Schedule Changes: End-of-Quarter 2-Hour Early Dismissal October 31; Student Holidays November 3 & 4

Don’t forget that there’s an extra-long weekend for students coming at the end of this week.

Students will be dismissed two hours early at 2:05 p.m. this Friday, October 31.

Please note that this is our standard end-of-quarter early release day and no child-care options will be offered.

On Monday, November 3, and Tuesday, November 4, students will have the day off for staff professional workdays. These days give staff time to wrap up paperwork and grading for the first quarter and to participate in important professional development. The office will be open regular hours.

School will reopen at the regular time on Wednesday, November 5.

Important Attendance Policy Updates and Reminders

Regular attendance is crucial for the academic success of all students. Studies have repeatedly proven that students with better attendance records perform better in school and are more likely to graduate high school on time.

Did You Know?

• Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
• Missing 10% (or about two days per month) can make it harder to learn to read.
• Attending school even if your student arrives late is valuable for their academic success.

We understand that there may be obstacles preventing students from attending school regularly, such as illness or personal circumstances. That’s why it is so important for our school team to work together with our students and families to remove any barriers.

The Virginia Department of Education is monitoring student attendance across the state and has issued guidelines that we are required to follow. All absences – regardless of whether they are excused or unexcused – are now tracked and reported. If your child is absent for more than five days, you will receive a phone call from our staff to work together to develop an attendance plan to help prevent future absences. If your child exceeds 10 absences, you will have an attendance conference with a school administrator and clinical team member. Your child’s Progress Reports will now include comments about attendance.

How You Can Help

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Don’t let your children stay home unless they are truly sick. Keep in mind that complaints of a stomachache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home. (Visit the FCPS website for more information on when to keep your child at home.)
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make them feel comfortable and excited about learning.
• Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.
• Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

Please encourage your student to arrive on time every day and maintain regular attendance until the last day of school. Together, we can work toward increasing school attendance rates and improving academic outcomes for all our students.

Advanced Academics Program (AAP) Full-Time Screening and Timeline Parent Meeting Thursday, October 30, 6 p.m.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) offers a continuum of advanced academic services for all students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Full-time Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services begin in 3rd grade. Parents of 2nd through 6th graders who would like their child considered for full-time services for the 2026-2027 school year must submit a parent referral form no later than December 15 at 11:59 p.m.

If you wish to submit a parent referral for your child, you do not need to wait until December 15 to do so. Referrals are being accepted now. Please email Lane’s Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, Linda Simon, at lesimon@fcps.edu to let her know you plan to submit a referral so she expects it.

Ms. Simon will host a meeting this Thursday, October 30, at 6 p.m. in person in the Lane library for parents of students in grades 2 through 6 to explain the screening process, timeline, screening file components, and parent responsibilities for Full-time AAP eligibility and placement.

Please Note: The December 15 deadline applies to all grade levels, including 6th graders screening for 7th grade even though middle school course selection does not take place until January/February 2026. If you want to have your child screened for services in middle school, please be sure to submit the referral by December 15.

Attention FCPS Families! The Federal Impact Aid Survey Now Available to Complete Online

The Federal Impact Aid program provides money to districts that enroll federally connected students. Help FCPS secure funding from the Impact Aid Program by helping us identify:

• military families,
• federally connected families,
• families living on a military base.

Please complete one form for each child in your household. Remember that only the parent that registered the student with FCPS (the ‘enrolling parent’) can fill out the Impact Aid Survey form.

For families without access to ParentVUE, a paper copy of the form will be sent home with your student starting November 12. Your information will be kept strictly confidential.

Your support will ensure that we receive the resources for which we are eligible.

2025-2026 Yearbook Cover Contest Now Accepting Entries

Have a budding artist at home? If so, encourage your child to enter this year’s yearbook cover-art competition. It’s open to all grade levels.

An overall winner and grade-level winners will be selected. The overall winner’s work will appear full-size on the front cover of yearbook, which will be distributed at the end of the year. Grade-level winners’ works will appear in a reduced size on the back. You can find entry guidelines on the flyer sent home last week in Wednesday Folders.

This artwork should be done by your child alone. Any entries that are obviously drawn by parents or older siblings will be disqualified.

All entries must be turned in to the office by next Friday, November 7. Late entries will not be accepted!

Please Note: The contest flyer mentions an Artwork Release Form, which was supposed to be copied on the back of the entry form but was not. Please have your child turn in the entry form with their completed artwork. A release form will be sent to the parents of all students who apply once the entry art is received. We apologize for any confusion this error may have caused.

Fall Portrait Distribution

Fall Picture Days are complete! We are working on cataloging and finalizing the pictures and getting them ready to send home to families. Each family will receive a digital copy of their child’s portrait for FREE and can have it printed however they choose at local retail outlets. Our family liaison and yearbook coordinator, Melanie Crosby Hardy, will be emailing the individual portrait files to families next week. They will be sent in batches by grade level.

We will be offering a Retake Day on Thursday, December 11. More details will be sent to families after the portraits have been emailed out.

Honoring Our Lane Lion Veterans and Active Military Service Members for Veterans Day on Friday, November 7

We are honored to have so many military families – currently active and veteran – in our school community. If you or other family members are active-duty, reserve, or veteran service personnel, we would like to honor you this Veterans Day by inviting you to visit our school on the morning of Friday, November 7. (Veterans Day itself—November 11—is an FCPS holiday, and school will be closed.) There will be two events: a military family breakfast and classroom visits where family members can share their stories of service and sacrifice.

The family breakfast will be held before school in the cafeteria from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. If your family would like to attend, please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/WaCC7CUFZ5XJtxMX7. Be sure to tell us how many in your family will attend (including you).

If you would like to visit classrooms on November 7, please sign up using one of these methods:

• Sign up online: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E094CA8A69-59575607-veterans
• Fill out the paper form in last week’s Wednesday Folder and return it to our family liaison, Melanie Crosby Hardy, no later than Wednesday, November 5.
• RSVP to Mrs. Crosby Hardy via email at macrosby@fcps.edu.

We will schedule you for two different classrooms, one of which will be that of the student to whom you are connected. This is to ensure that all classrooms have at least one visitor. Be sure to tell us which grade level is preferred for the second session. (If you are connected to more than one child at Lane, we will place you in those classrooms.) Classroom presentations will be about 15 to 20 minutes long.

We Need Your Photographs! As part of our Veterans Day celebration, we would also like to create a “Gallery of Honor” slide show featuring photographs of the active-duty and veteran members of the military in our school community. Please send a photo of your military family members by Monday, November 3, to be included.

You can send a hard-copy photo in to school with your child (please be sure to label it with your child’s name and teacher’s name) or e-mail a digital copy to our family liaison Melanie Crosby Hardy at macrosby@fcps.edu.

Please note: These photos will be included in a video that will be featured on our school news show. The video will be housed on YouTube; however, only people with the link will be able to view it. It will not be shared publicly. Please let us know if it is OK to include your family’s name with your photo in the slide show.

Thank you for participating in this very special event and thank you for your service! We hope to see you on November 7!

FCPS Outstanding Staff Awards Nominations are Open!

Each year, FCPS looks to honor several staff members for outstanding excellence in their roles:

• Outstanding Teacher (has at least three years of experience)
• Outstanding New Teacher (has less than three years of experience)
• Outstanding New Principal (has less than three years of experience as a building Principal)
• Outstanding School Leader (has completed at least one year as an Assistant Principal, Director of Student Activities, or Director of Student Services)
• Outstanding Professional Employee (Counselor, Psychologist, Social Worker, School Based Technology Specialist (SBTS), Technology Support Specialist, Instructional Coach, Assessment Coach, Special Education Department Chair, Assistant Director of Student Activities (ADSA), Athletic Trainer, Safety & Security Specialist)
• Outstanding Operational Employee (Administrative and Office Assistants, Finance Technician, Student Services Registrar, Custodial Staff, Operating Engineer, Food Service Staff, Instructional Assistant, Family Liaison, Safety & Security Assistant)

We believe that our staff is truly exceptional and that the work we do for our students deserves celebration beyond our school.

You may submit this form more than once. You do not have to nominate for all categories. For your nomination, you will be asked to write at least a paragraph explaining how your nominee meets or exceeds the criteria for the award.

Our Lane Elementary School winners will be submitted for consideration at the pyramid, region, and division levels. If your nominee is chosen as the Lane ES winner, you will be asked to complete the nominator statement form that is included in the official packet for consideration in the next round of the competition.

Thank you for celebrating the wonderful work done at Lane ES by highlighting some of our amazing staff members!

Click here to nominate your favorite Lane staff for an award. All nominations must be submitted by 8 p.m. on Monday November 10, 2025.

Don’t worry if you nominate someone for the wrong category. Our award liaisons will sort everyone into the correct category before the committee votes. If you have questions, please contact April Stephens at astephens1@fcps.edu.

Día de los Muertos and All Saints' Day/All Souls Day This Weekend

Two cultural and religious observances – Día de los Muertos and All Saints' Day/All Souls' Day – are on the calendar this weekend.

Celebrated primarily in Mexico and Latin America, Dia de los Muertos on Saturday, November 1, and Sunday, November 2, offers an opportunity to remember and celebrate the lives of departed loved ones.

These days coincide with All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2), which are celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans, and some Protestants worldwide to honor those who have died and gone to heaven (All Saints' Day) and those who may still be in purgatory (All Souls' Day).

To learn more about Día de los Muertos, watch this video. You can find more information about All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day here.

The school calendar recognizes many religious and cultural observances 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.

See the complete school year calendar.

PTA News

November Meeting on November 6!

All Lane families are invited to join the PTA for its November meeting on Thursday, November 6, at 6:30 p.m. Discussion will focus on some exciting events on the horizon, along with opportunities for you to get involved and join the fun. This meeting will be completely virtual. The link will be sent out next week.

It’s Not Too Late to Join the Lane PTA!

We may be nearing the end of the first grading quarter, but it’s never too late to join the Lane PTA. The cost is just $10 per adult member. Visit their website to join today!

Parent Resources

Free Webinars from the Family Resource Center

Listening Beyond Words: How to Hear What Your Twice-Exceptional (2E) Child Is Really Saying

Friday, November 7, 10 – 11:30 a.m.

Families will learn how to recognize and interpret the underlying emotions and needs behind their 2e child’s words and behaviors and practice strategies to build trust and open communication at home.

Register here

Family Engagement in the Special Education Process

Friday, November 14, 10 – 11:30 a.m.

This webinar will support participants to better understand:

• Parent/guardian’s role in the special education process, ensuring their right to participate.
• Parent/guardian’s rights, as outlined in federal and state regulations regarding parental participation in these processes.
• Where and how parent/guardian’s input is recorded during local screening, eligibility, reevaluation, and individualized education program (IEP) meetings.

Register here

The Power of Restorative Justice Practices to Support Students and Families in Schools and at Home: Part 1

Wednesday, November 19, 10 – 11:30 a.m.

Come join this webinar to learn about Restorative Justice (RJ) Practices in FCPS! You’ll learn about what’s available to students and families in schools and how RJ Practices support students and families feeling empowered and connected to their school communities. We will also share how you can implement a simple restorative justice practice to create connection in your family.

Register here

Improving Routines: Morning, Evening, and In Between

Friday, November 21, 10 – 11:30 a.m.

You know things run more smoothly when you have morning, evening, and in between routines. But how can you maintain routines when your days all look different or when your kids push back? In this workshop, you'll learn how to create effective routines that reduce drama and resistance in your family – even when life is unpredictable or chaotic.

Register here

Community Events & Activities

Hayfield Secondary Music Honor Society Hosts Trunk or Treat October 30

Hayfield Secondary’s Tri-M Music Honor Society invites all elementary students to participate in its Trunk or Treat event from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 30, in Hayfield's Senior Parking Lot in the front of the school. They’ll have candy and showcases from members of the Honor Society, so younger students can see their older peers perform! All are welcome!

FCPS News & Activities

Bond Referendum on the Ballot: How Bond Projects Are Selected

Each year, the School Board and FCPS staff members work with the community to develop an updated, five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for school building and renovation projects. To develop the CIP, the school system assesses changes in expected enrollments, academic programs, and facility conditions to determine priorities for new construction, renovations, and other capital facility projects. The School Board then evaluates the affordability of these school needs against other countywide requirements to determine the bond proposal.

Because of this, while FCPS and the School Board generally try to follow the CIP, changes can be made year-over-year depending on the evolving needs of the school division.

The School Board is committed to protecting the community’s investment in schools and other buildings, which have a combined present value approaching $9 billion. Not only do these facilities wear out over time, but they also become outdated, both technologically and instructionally. FCPS renovates its schools to ensure that students, countywide, have effective and efficient learning environments to thrive and grow.

Read more about the FCPS 2025 Bond Referendum. Learn more about registering to vote. Make a voting plan and vote on Tuesday, November 4.

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