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Principals' Updates

Dear TLES Families,

We are excited to welcome all TLES parents & caregivers to Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 9, from 5:30–7:00 p.m.!

⭐ ALL PARENTS BEGIN IN THE CAFETERIA AT 5:30 P.M. ⭐

Please plan to arrive by 5:30 p.m. We will begin the evening together in the cafeteria with an important welcome, school updates, and information from our TLES Administration Team from 5:30–5:55 p.m.

Following our administration presentation, families will transition to classrooms for two grade-level presentation sessions, each approximately 30 minutes:

5:30–5:55 p.m. | ALL FAMILIES – Cafeteria
Welcome & Important Information from the TLES Administration Team

5:55–6:25 p.m. | Grade-Level Session #1

• Kindergarten – Bilingual Presentation

• Grade 1 – Bilingual Presentation

• Grade 2 – Bilingual Presentation

• Grades 3–6 – English Presentation

• Enhanced Autism Classrooms – Ms. Julia, Room #20 & Ms. Libby, Room #18

• Specials – Cafeteria

6:30–7:00 p.m. | Grade-Level Session #2

• Kindergarten – English Presentation

• Grade 1 – English Presentation

• Grade 2 – English Presentation

• Grades 3–6 – Bilingual Presentation

• Enhanced Autism Classrooms – Ms. Julia, Room #20 & Ms. Libby, Room #18

• Specials – Cafeteria

📍 Classroom Locations: Grade-level presentation room numbers will be provided to families upon arrival.

🚗 Parking: Families may park in both school parking lots as well as along the sidewalk side of the bus loop for Back to School Night.

Back to School Night is an important opportunity to hear directly from our administration and your child’s teachers, understand grade-level learning and expectations, and learn how we can work together to support a successful school year.

Please join us promptly at 5:30 p.m. in the cafeteria to begin the evening together!

We can’t wait to see you!

Timber Lane Elementary School 💙💛

Ben Chiet, Sarah Buchanan & Lindsay Duch

Lunch Family Visitor Expectations

We love welcoming families to join their children for lunch! Family members are welcome to join students for lunch during their assigned grade level lunch time.  To help ensure that lunchtime remains a safe, positive, and enjoyable experience for all students, we are introducing a new procedure for family lunch visitors.

Beginning this school year, families visiting for lunch will be asked to review our Lunch Family Visitor Expectations when signing in and follow these expectations throughout their visit. Having shared expectations helps us protect student safety and privacy, support our cafeteria routines, and create a welcoming environment for everyone.

When visiting for lunch, we ask families to:

1. Follow cafeteria expectations and directions provided by school staff.
2. Remain with your child for the duration of your visit.
3. Do not share outside food or drinks with other students. Outside food may only be consumed by your child. This helps protect students from known or unknown food allergies.
4. Model our school-wide behavior expectations by using appropriate language and demonstrating respectful behavior.
5. Follow visitor safety procedures by signing in at the front office, wearing your visitor badge, and signing out before leaving.
6. Allow your child to return to class independently at the end of lunch. Students should follow their normal cafeteria dismissal procedures and say goodbye to family members inside the cafeteria so they can return to the classroom with their teacher & classmates.
7. Refrain from taking photos or videos that include other students in order to respect student privacy.
8. Keep lunchtime focused on enjoying time with your child. Conversations about academic progress, concerns, or other school matters should be scheduled with your child's teacher or appropriate staff member outside of lunchtime.

We value having our families as part of our school community and appreciate your partnership in following these expectations consistently. Together, we can make lunchtime a safe, welcoming, and enjoyable experience for all of our Tigers!

Your Child’s Presence at School Matters

The beginning of the school year is the best time to develop strong attendance habits! Students who attend school regularly are more likely to perform well in reading and math, develop strong social and emotional skills, and graduate from high school on time. Help prepare your child for future success by helping them build good habits. 

If you or your family need any kind of support, please reach out to our front office. We are here for you! Visit FCPS’ Attendance webpage for tips and strategies.

Get to Know Our School Health Staff

Our school nurse at Timber Lane is Marilyn Harris. Contact them at meharris@fcps.edu school health webpagefor health plans, medication drop-offs, or questions about chronic conditions. Visit our school health webpage for forms, illness policies, and tips to keep your student healthy!

Safety Drills During the School Year

Keeping students and staff safe is a priority for FCPS. Each school has an emergency preparedness plan to respond to incidents such as fires and extreme weather. Schools are required by state law to practice emergency drills, including lockdown drills, each year. Schools are also required to notify parents and guardians at least 24 hours before a school conducts a lockdown drill. However, schools are not required to give the specific date and time of the drill in advance. 

The first lockdown drill of the school year must take place within the first 20 days of school. Preschool and kindergarten students are exempt from practicing the first lockdown drill. 

Your child may come home and talk about their experience during the drill. We encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of being prepared for emergencies. Please review these frequently asked questions to support your child before and after school lockdown drills.

⚠️ Know Our Security Terms

FCPS uses specific terminology to describe the actions school staff and students should take to ensure safety in a variety of situations. It is important for staff, families, and students to understand what the different terms mean and how they impact school operations.

Watch this video to learn about safety terms including lockdown; secure the building; and stay put, stay tuned. 

If students, staff, or families have a safety concern at school (that is not an immediate emergency), they should submit a tip to the FCPS Safety Tipline. In an emergency, please call 9-1-1.  

Fall Full-Time AAP Referral Window for Students New to FCPS Closes on October 15 

The Advanced Academic Program (AAP) fall referral window is only for students in Grades 3 to 8 who are new to FCPS since January 1, 2026. Parents and guardians who would like their student to be considered for Full-Time AAP services must submit the Full-Time AAP Referral Form to Katie Hardy, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, at khhardy@fcps.edu by Thursday, October 15. Late referrals will not be accepted.

For students who are not new to FCPS, the spring Full-Time AAP identification window is open to students in Grades 2 to 7. Families interested in referring their student for consideration during the spring window must submit a referral by Tuesday, December 15.

Once a referral is received, our school will compile information related to the student. Then, a committee of trained professionals from across the county will review materials to determine eligibility for Full-Time AAP services.

Other Advanced Academic Services 

At the elementary level, all students are screened each spring for Subject-Specific and Part-Time AAP services. Families may also refer their student for consideration for Subject-Specific or Part-Time AAP at any time during the school year. Eligibility decisions are made at the school level, and families are notified of the decision within 30 school days of the referral. The Full-Time AAP referral deadlines do not apply.

At the middle school level, honors courses are open to all students. 

AAP Info Nights

• September 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Topic: Continuum of Services
• October 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Topic: Full Time AAP Identification

For more information, please contact Katie Hardy, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher, at khhardy@fcps.edu or visit the Advanced Academic Programs webpage.

Save the Date: Community Conversations with Superintendent Reid

Your voice matters, and Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid wants to hear from you! At FCPS, parents are partners, working with us to set our students up for long-term success at school and in life. 

A series of Community Conversations will be held across the school division. You are invited to share your thoughts with Dr. Reid and ask her questions. Events are planned for the following dates at 6:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted):

• Wednesday, September 16, 6:45 p.m., at McNair Elementary School
• Monday, September 28, at Riverside Elementary School
• Monday, October 19, at Spring Hill Elementary School
• Monday, October 26, at Beech Tree Elementary School
• Thursday, October 29, at North Springfield Elementary School
• Friday, November 13, at Colin Powell Elementary School

Registration links will be shared soon. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided. Events are one-hour long and open to all. Find out about other opportunities to connect with Dr. Reid.

Celebrate McLean - 2026

Please save the date for September 10th for Celebrate McLean. It will run from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the practice football field, prior to our football home opener vs Falls Church. We will have games, food, DJ and tables from our clubs and sports. We look forward to another amazing day!

🍦PTA ANNUAL ICE CREAM SOCIAL

Join the PTA for our annual back to school celebration on September 23 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the playground! Families, teachers, students and staff are all welcome to join us for free ice cream and an opportunity to connect with new and old friends. We can't wait to see you there!

🔬Science Night — October 15

Help support Science Night, sponsored by the Children’s Science Center, from 5:15 to 7:45 p.m. Volunteers will help make this fun, hands-on evening a success for our students and families.  The Children’s Science Center will send out information to volunteers as the event gets closer.

Sign up to volunteer:  Science Night Volunteer Signup

Election Bake Sale — November 3

Our Election Bake Sale is a great PTA fundraiser, and there are two ways to pitch in:

• Bake or donate treats for the sale Sign up: Volunteer to Bake
• Volunteer to sell at the bake sale Sign up: Volunteer to Sell Baked Items

CONNECT WITH THE PTA

Please consider renewing your PTA membership for the 26-27 school year (or joining for the first time!) by visiting our website: www.timberlanepta.com.

PTA Members now also have the option to subscribe to the PTA calendar and have calendar updates pushed automatically to their personal calendars!

You can now follow the PTA on Instagram and Facebook.

Save the Date: First PTA Meeting

Please join us for our first PTA meeting of the year on September 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria, immediately following Back to School Night.

Simultaneous translation will be available during the meeting so that more members of our Timber Lane community can participate. We hope you’ll join us!

Upcoming Dates

2026-2027 Standard School Year Calendar

🏫September 

• Sept 4 and 7 - NO SCHOOL (Labor Day Holiday)
• Sept 9: Back to School Night (5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.)
• Sept 9: PTA Meeting (7:00 p.m.) in TLES Cafe
• Sept 21: NO SCHOOL (Yom Kippur Holiday)
• Sept 23: PTA Ice Cream Social from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Sept 29: AAP Info Night from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Sept 30: 3-Hour Early Release at 12:35 p.m.

🎃October

• Oct 5 to 16: Fall Read-A-Thon
• Oct 12: NO SCHOOL (School Planning Day)
• Oct 15: Science Night from 5:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
• Oct 21: Fall Picture Day (more info soon to come)
• Oct 29: AAP Info Night from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Oct 30: 2-Hour Early Release at 1:35 p.m. (End of Q1)

2737 West Street Falls Church, VA 22046  | Main Office: 703-206-5300
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