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Principal's Note |
Dear London Towne Community,
What an incredible first week of school! Our halls were filled with energy; reconnecting old friends, and forming new relationships. Smiles were everywhere as we kicked off the school year together.
Here are a few key highlights and updates as we head into Week 2:
First Week Highlights
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Safe & Efficient Arrival/Dismissal: Thank you for your patience and for following our arrival and dismissal procedures so carefully. Your cooperation made a huge difference in keeping our students safe and traffic moving smoothly.
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Bus ID Badges: The rollout of our new bus ID badges was a great success! Thank you for helping your students remember to scan on and off the bus each day.
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School Pep Rally: We celebrated our very first pep rally of the year by revisiting what it means to ROAR as a member of the LTES community. Seeing 600+ students, 50+ staff, and Leo all doing the Cha Cha Slide and shouting our school chant was nothing short of spectacular!
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Attendance & Punctuality: A big thank you to our families for ensuring on-time arrivals and consistent attendance all week long. Starting off strong sets the tone for the entire year.
Quarter 1 Focus: Respect & The "PAWsitive Link Challenge" Our core focus for Quarter 1 is Respect—specifically using kind words, a kind tone, and kind actions. We encourage you to talk with your child at home about what respect looks and sounds like in different settings. Ask them about the "PAWsitive Link Challenge" to see how they can earn recognition for showing respect at school!
Student Rights & Responsibilities (SR&R) Visits This week and next, our administration team is looking forward to visiting every grade level. We will be sharing age-appropriate updates and reminders about Student Rights & Responsibilities to ensure every child feels safe, supported, and ready to learn.
Save the Date: Back to School Night – Thursday, September 17th Please mark your calendars for Back to School Night! We are excited to welcome you into our building to connect with our staff and learn about the year ahead.
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Dinner & Childcare: Both dinner and childcare will be provided for families in attendance beginning at 5:30pm.
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Grade-Level Sessions: Each grade level will offer two identical sessions to accommodate families with multiple children, with one session presented entirely in Spanish. Session schedule will be shared next week.
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Admin "Town Hall": Join the administration team for a Town Hall session in the cafeteria where we will share details about what it means to be a Title I School, present our LTES school mission and vision, review county-wide updates, and gather your valuable input on our Title I Family Compact and School Improvement and Innovation Plan.
Thank you again for your incredible partnership and support during this opening week. We are looking forward to another fantastic week ahead!
Warmly,
Shele Banford, Principal
Jordan Moore, Assistant Principal
Lucy Zamora, Assistant Principal
Save the Date!
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🌞Friday, September 4: No School - Labor Day Weekend
🌞Monday, September 7: No School - Labor Day Weekend
📚Tuesday, September 8: VALLSS Reading Screener Begins (Grades 1-6)
🧮Wednesday, September 9: MAP Math Screener (Grades 3-5)
📚 Tuesday, September 15: iReady Reading Screener (Grades 3-6)
📚 Wednesday, September 16: iReady Reading Screener (Grades 3-6)
🧮Wednesday, September 16: MAP Math Screener (Grade 2)
🧮Thursday, September 17: MAP Math Screener (Grade 1)
🍎Thursday, September 17: 5:00 p.m. FLE Parent Preview
🍎Thursday, September 17: 6:00-7:30 p.m. K-6 Back to School Night
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Predictive Assessment Pilot Program |
In the 2026-27 school year, select FCPS schools, including London Towne, will be participating in a predictive assessment pilot program. The goal of this program is to help students master grade-level standards. The pilot uses short reading and/or math assessments to help teachers understand where students are strong and where they may need extra help. Results will give teachers a personalized roadmap for student support.
Schools participating in this pilot substitute short predictive assessments for some or all systemwide common assessments in Grades 3-8 English/Language Arts courses. In some pilot schools, including London Towne, predictive assessments also substitute for systemwide common assessments in Grade 5 Mathematics and Grade 5 Advanced Mathematics courses. If you have questions about this pilot, please contact the central support team at PredictiveAssessmentPilot@fcps.edu.
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Advanced Academics Programs |
Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to challenging all students through talent development and differentiated instruction. A continuum of Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services is available to students in Grades K to 12 and is designed to match services to each student’s unique academic needs.
⭐ Identification for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP services occurs throughout the school year. Full-Time AAP services have two identification cycles:
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Fall identification: Students in grades 3 to 7 who have enrolled in FCPS since January may be referred by October 15.
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Spring identification: Any FCPS student in Grades 2 to 7 may be referred by December 15.
⭐FCPS uses ability testing as one consideration in the holistic identification process for AAP services:
- All students in Grade 2 take the Naglieri General Ability Test (NGAT).
- Students in Grades 3 to 6 who do not have a multi-domain ability test score take the NGAT.
- Students in Grades 3 to 6 may retake an ability test one time. Families may request the ability test retake by contacting Rachel Lanier at relanier@fcps.edu, school testing coordinator or Maddie Sirota at masirota@fcps.edu, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher by September 30.
⭐ Families are invited to attend two AAP information meetings led by Maddie Sirota our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART):
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AAP Continuum of Services: Wednesday, September 23rd at 5:30 in London Towne ES Library. Families will learn about the continuum of advanced academic services available to FCPS students.
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Full-Time AAP Identification: Wednesday, November 18th at 5:15 p.m. in London Towne ES Library Families will learn about the referral and identification processes for Full-Time AAP services.
For more information, please contact our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART), Maddie Sirota, at masirota@fcps.edu or visit the FCPS Advanced Academic Programs webpage.
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Meet Our New Staff! |
We are excited to welcome 8 new staff members to the Towne this year! We will feature several each weekly newsletter, so you can learn a little about them! This week, we welcome our paraprofessional, Denise Darrah, who has supported us for several years already as a Classroom Monitor, Cafeteria Hostess, and small group Tutor. We also welcome the newest member to our Custodial Team, Sari Flores!
🥪 London Towne Lunch Visitor Expectations 🥪
We are so excited to welcome you to join your child for lunch at London Towne Elementary! To help ensure a safe, positive, and enjoyable experience for everyone, please follow our ROAR guidelines:
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Respect: Use kind words and a welcoming tone, follow cafeteria directions promptly, and keep photos or videos focused solely on your own child to protect student privacy. Students are NOT permitted to use cell phones, smart watches, or personal electronic devices at any time during the school day.
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Own Your Actions: Remember to sign in and out at the front office while displaying your visitor badge, stay seated with your child throughout your visit, and schedule any conversations with teachers for designated conference times outside of lunch.
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Advocate for Yourself and Others: Keep all food and drinks exclusively with your child, alert cafeteria staff right away if a student needs help, and let school staff handle student discipline.
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Ready to Learn: Help your child return to class on time when lunch ends and say your goodbyes in the cafeteria so teachers can smoothly transition back to instruction.
🏫 London Towne Back to School Night 🏫
All families are invited to join us for our Back to School Night to learn about the school year ahead on Thursday, September 17!
All teachers will provide one session in Spanish. Childcare will be provided!
- 5:30 -6:00 p.m.: Dinner served for families
- 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.: Grades K-6
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PTA News and Happenings |
Follow the LTES PTA on Instagram to stay to date with all the fun, upcoming events!
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SEL Screener Family Notification |
The Fall 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.
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Back to School Family Checklist |
🍎 Everything You Need to Do in SIS ParentVUE!
Are you working your way through back-to-school forms and checklists? Make sure you have a SIS ParentVUE account for your family and log in to find important forms and updates.
- Be among the first to know about weather closings, bus delays, and other critical communications from your school and FCPS by providing your cell phone number and email in ParentVUE. To update your contact information in ParentVUE, click the “Online Packets” tab in the upper right of the screen, then click the “Online Verification/Update” icon.
- Submit daylong absences by clicking “Report Absence.”
If you do not have a ParentVUE account, contact your child’s school for an activation code and follow the directions on the SIS ParentVUE Account webpage.
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New Student ID Cards |
FCPS is launching a new bus navigation system, which includes student ID cards for students who ride the bus. Students will use the cards to tap on and off the bus, helping FCPS and families know exactly which students are riding which buses.
We are distributing student ID cards to all our students who ride the school bus or use FCPS transportation services.
ID cards should be attached to your child’s backpack and brought to the bus each day.
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 are checking in students 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.
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2026-27 Early Release Wednesdays |
FCPS will continue with limited early release Wednesdays for elementary schools during the 2026-27 school year. The number has been reduced from eight to four days.
Early release Wednesdays provide elementary teachers with a dedicated block of time to prepare lessons, participate in professional development and training, and collaborate with their peers. A well-supported and continuously improving teaching staff leads to better educational outcomes for students.
Our school’s early release Wednesdays:
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October 21
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December 2
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February 10
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May 5
Visit the FCPS website for more information about early release Wednesdays, including the list of early release dates.
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Parent Digital Tools Consent |
Families can now easily grant consent for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. This online tool can be accessed using your SIS ParentVUE account login. Parents can easily opt their child in or out of a variety of resources, including online educational tools, school counseling services, and more.
Visit the Parent Digital Consent webpage to access the system. Watch this video to see how to use the tool.
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Help Your Child Navigate the Lunchline |
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.
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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.
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Student Rights & Responsibilities Update |
Families are encouraged to review the updated FCPS Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) document, which explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses in order to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment.
Updates for the 2026-27 school year include new Universal Grade Matrices (UGMs). UGMs are charts that show behavior expectations and school responses by grade level (K-3, 4-8, and 9-12). These at-a-glance resources (in Appendix D of the SR&R) are designed to make it easier for parents and caregivers to understand how schools respond to different types of behavior concerns.
Visit the SR&R webpage for more information and to review additional updates to the SR&R for the 2026-27 school year.
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Volunteer FCPS Update |
💗 Register Today With Volunteer FCPS
Volunteer FCPS allows individuals to search and register for volunteer opportunities. It helps ensure a safe, consistent, and welcoming environment here at [School]. All volunteers must:
- Create a profile in Volunteer FCPS.
- Register for opportunities through Volunteer FCPS.
- Sign in and out of schools using the visitor kiosk.
At the Volunteer FCPS site, you can complete a volunteer orientation. Visit the Volunteer FCPS Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Friday, September 4, and Monday, September 7, are Labor Day holidays for all FCPS employees and students.
Virginia legislation requires that schools opening prior to Labor Day must be closed the Friday immediately preceding Labor Day. We hope everyone takes the long weekend to celebrate a strong start to the school year and enjoy time with family and friends. See the complete school year calendar.
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