Saratoga Connection

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/21/2026 06:00 PM EDT

đź“° The Saratoga Connection

Summer Edition

Principals' Corner

Our buckets were overflowing with joy as we welcomed so many of you to Open House yesterday! The halls were buzzing with laughter as students reconnected with friends and met their new teachers. We can’t wait to kick off an amazing year when school officially starts on Monday, August 24!

Arrival & Dismissal

  • Morning Arrival: Doors open at 9:05 a.m. To keep our building safe and secure, families will say goodbye outside, and students will enter independently. Plenty of staff members will be in the hallways to help every child find their classroom smoothly!
  • First-Day Photos: Stop by the two PTA photo backdrops set up outside to snap a special First Day memory!
  • Dismissal: Dismissal begins at 4:05 p.m.

Building Our Community

  • School Expectations: At Saratoga, we focus on three core values: Be Safe, Be Caring, Be a Community. We will spend our first weeks learning what these expectations look and feel like all around the school.
  • Campus Murals: Check out the two beautiful new murals installed by our PTA! They bring so much color and energy to our halls. We look forward to adding even more murals throughout the year and giving our students opportunities to provide input and help create them.

Important Device Policy Update

  • Per a new FCPS School Board requirement passed on July 16, students must use FCPS-issued devices only for digital activities during the instructional day.
  • Personal devices—including personal laptops, tablets, smartwatches, smartphones, bluetooth headphones, and similar electronics—may not be used during school hours.
    • Please do not send your child to school with any of these devices. 

Next week, we will return to the Saratoga Connection making its way into your mailbox on Thursdays at 6:00p.m.

Have a great weekend and get a good night’s sleep on Sunday!

Be the Change, 

Ragan, Lower, and Perry

Student ID Cards for Saratoga Bus Riders

We will begin distributing student ID cards to all our students who ride the school bus or use FCPS transportation services.

We were hopeful to be able to pass student ID cards out at Open House and unfortunately, they have not arrived yet.  We will share more information about how these will be distributed once we have them.  

Students who have student ID cards should begin tapping as they board and exit the bus. Only students who use FCPS transportation services will be provided with a student ID card at this time.

We ask for your patience! Bus drivers will begin checking in students next week and may need some extra time at each bus stop while they do this. The transportation team is working hard to minimize any potential delays.

Learn more about the bus navigation and student ID cards.

Help Your Child Navigate the Lunch Line

Check out some tips to help your child get through the lunch line quickly and have more time to eat:

  • Teach your child their student ID number to receive meals at school.
  • Sign up for and add money to MySchoolBucks to purchase meals at school.
  • Apply for free and reduced-price meals. Students who were approved for free and reduced-price meals last year are eligible for the first 30 days of school this year (or until a new application is processed). Families should submit a new application as soon as possible, so eligible students continue to receive meals at no cost.

If your child has any food allergies, learn how to submit accommodations for dietary restrictions and allergens. 

Access menus for breakfast, lunch, and other school meals, as well as allergen and nutrition information.

You Can Manage Student Web Access at Home

At Saratoga, we acknowledge that parents are our students' first and most important teachers. Parents now have greater control over their child’s FCPS-issued device outside of school hours through Lightspeed Parent Portal.

 

In addition to monitoring weekly internet activity, parents can now also customize web access at home on FCPS devices through Lightspeed using Schedules and Web Rules.

 

With Schedules, you can set tailored times to automatically pause or restrict internet access. This makes it easier to enforce rules around homework time, family dinners, weekends, or bedtime.

 

In Web Rules, you can create Custom Block Lists to block specific, individual websites they do not want your child accessing at home. This allows parents greater control over what is happening online, under their own roof.

 

These new custom controls take effect at home, outside of school hours, and when the device is off the FCPS network. They will not override standard district filtering policies during the instructional day.

 

Customize Your Lightspeed Settings

All parents should be receiving weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report emails. To set up these new features, click the “Log in or Register” button at the bottom of your weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report email.

 

Visit the FCPS Lightspeed Parent Portal Guide for more information. If you have additional questions, submit a Parent Technology Support Ticket.

 

Parents are encouraged to discuss internet boundaries with their children so that they can understand the reasoning behind any limits and the differences between access at home and at school. Get tips on talking to your children about technology safety.

SEL Screener Parent/Guardian Notification

The Spring Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener will be administered to students in grades 3 through 12 in October. Students use the SEL Screener twice a year to share their perspectives on how well their school and community help them develop skills they need to succeed. The screener works by asking questions or presenting statements that students can think about and respond to. This gives students a way to share how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.

 

After each screening, results are available in the Documents tab of SIS ParentVUE and mailed to families without a ParentVUE account. For more information, including SEL Screener questions and opt-out information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage. 

 

Band and Strings

Attention 4th-6th grade parents! Sign your child up to learn a band or string instrument this year! Band and strings class is during the school day. Strings is open to all 4th, 5th and 6th graders and band is open to all 5th and 6th graders. Learn an instrument, make friends, and play in concerts!

 

Students will have to choose either band or strings or neither- they cannot do both band and strings in one year.  

 

Band sign up link: https://forms.gle/uvhruYayt48391Ki7

Strings sign up link: https://forms.gle/kbYHkTCpX82ZzYMs8