Timber Lane Times 10/4/26

Fairfax County Public Schools sent this bulletin at 10/04/2026 12:00 PM EDT

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Principals' Update

Dear Timber Lane Families, 

Exciting news! Timber Lane is getting ready to celebrate one of the most powerful things our students can do: read!  The PTA’s Read-a-thon is an exciting opportunity to bring our school community together around books, imagination, and a love of learning - and it starts on Monday, October 5th!

Reading builds vocabulary, strengthens comprehension, sparks creativity, and opens the door to new ideas and adventures.  This month, we are turning reading into a school-wide celebration.  Students will have the chance to set reading goals, challenge themselves, share their favorite books, and watch as our entire school works toward a shared goal. 

I can’t wait to see the excitement grow throughout Timber Lane as our students fill their reading logs, discover new stories, and cheer each other on!  Every page counts, every reader matters, and together we’re going to make some reading magic! 

Together with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), we’re aiming to read 100,000 minutes and raise $18,000 to support our students, classrooms, and school programs. Your students will bring home materials this week with instructions to sign up – but I wanted to provide the important details to you directly! 

Read-A-Thon Dates: October 5–23 Final day for donations: October 29, 2026 Students will need to wait until October 5th to begin logging minutes, but it's a good idea to get their page set up today!

If you registered last year:

- Simply click here, login with your username and password, and select the green button labeled "Add to current event". You'll complete this process for each child you are registering. 

If you did not register last year:

- Click here

- Enter our School Identifier: 68b892fd3b5a1 - Create your profile and follow the prompts to set up your child’s reading tracker and fundraising page.

- You'll complete this process for each child you are registering. 

Once your child’s fundraising page is set up, share their link with family and friends by email, text, or social media.

 Every minute read and every donation helps us reach our goals. Students will have opportunities to earn fun individual prizes and milestones as they log reading minutes and collect donations.

Let’s get ready to READ, READ, READ!! 

Sincerely,

Timber Lane Elementary Administration Team

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🔬Family Science Night - October 15

Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Bring the whole family for an evening of fun, discovery, and science learning! Try different hands-on activities related to science, technology, engineering and math! Brought to you by the Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation.  Please enter through Door #2.

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📸Picture Day - October 21

Say cheese, Picture Day is October 21. Access Victor O'Neill Studios to order your student's portrait. Use your student's ID number as the online code. Orders placed by October 21 ship free! Not ready to order? Images are usually online 2 to 3 weeks after picture day. Access the link anytime to view and order.

🗓️Calendar Change: Eid al-Fitr

FCPS will mark the beginning of Eid al-Fitr with an evening-only observance day on Monday, March 8. There will be school on this day, but major school-sponsored events and activities (such as auditions or tryouts) will not take place. 

Tuesday, March 9, will be a holiday for students and staff. 

Wednesday, March 10, will be an observance day. There will be school on this day, but certain activities that cannot be made up (major tests, field trips, or mandatory events) will not take place on this day. 

A new school year calendar has been published, which includes this change. Please note that holidays and observances on the calendar may shift due to anticipated lunar sightings.

🗓️Save the Date: Community Conversations with Superintendent Reid

Join Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid for a Community Conversation. Students, families, staff, and community members are invited to ask questions, share concerns, and discuss what matters most to them. Everyone is welcome! Click on the date to register for any of the following events:

Registration is not required, but it helps with planning.

🚌Safe Routes to School Parent and Caregiver Survey

As part of the Fairfax County School Board’s Annual School-Based Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Assessment, the FCPS Office of Safety and Security and Safe Routes to School program are inviting parents and caregivers to share their experiences traveling to and from school.

The Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Survey asks about walking and biking routes, traffic near schools, kiss and ride experiences, accessibility, and other safety concerns. 

Your feedback will help FCPS identify common issues. Your responses will be kept confidential and shared with school administrators and the Office of Safety and Security. The five-minute survey is open through Thursday, October 15. 

Be sure to identify the school related to your feedback and include specific locations where you have observed a safety issue. If you have students at different schools in FCPS, please complete a different survey for each school. 

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact SafeRoutestoSchool@fcps.edu. 

FCPS Seeks Community Input on Middle School AAP Centers

FCPS is exploring a plan to offer Full-Time Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services at every middle school. Under the proposal, students who qualify could attend their neighborhood middle school and take advanced classes with other AAP students. The School Board has approved community engagement at Franklin, Hayfield, Holmes, Key, and Whitman middle schools, where programs could open for the 2027-28 school year. The proposal is still under consideration, and the School Board is expected to make a decision in December.

Each community meeting offers in-person and virtual participation. Upcoming meetings are scheduled for:

  • Franklin Middle: Monday, October 5, at 6 p.m.
  • Holmes Middle: Thursday, October 15, at 6 p.m.
  • Whitman Middle: Thursday, October 22, at 6 p.m.

Current middle school students will remain at their assigned AAP centers through middle school. Learn more and find meeting sign-up forms on the Middle School AAP Centers page.

🧠Growing Together: Talking About Social-Emotional Learning at Home

Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps children develop confidence, resilience, self-awareness, and other important skills that support their success in school and throughout life. Join a workshop for parents and caregivers to:

  • Understand your child’s Fairfax County SEL Screener results.
  • Use the results as a starting point for meaningful conversations at home.
  • Support your child’s social and emotional development.
  • Build confidence, resilience, and lifelong skills together. 

Learn practical ways to talk with your child about their social and emotional well-being and support their continued growth at home. Events will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, at Skyview High School and Wednesday, October 21, at Kingstowne Regional Library. View additional dates on the FCPS Family Academy webpage. 

Childcare will be available. Interpretation services are available upon request. For more information, contact the Family and School Partnerships office at 703-204-4300 or FamilyEngagement@fcps.edu.

PTA Announcements

Read-A-Thon: October 5 to 23

The PTA is ready to bring back the Timber Lane Read-A-Thon for another year! This year’s theme is: ✨ Reading Is Magic! ✨ and registration is OPEN now! 

Final day for donations: October 29, 2026

Students will need to wait until October 5th to begin logging minutes, but it's a good idea to get their page set up today. 

 

If you registered last year:

- Simply click here, login with your username and password, and select the green button labeled "Add to current event". You'll complete this process for each child you are registering. 

 

If you did not register last year:

- Click here

- Enter our School Identifier: 68b892fd3b5a1 - Create your profile and follow the prompts to set up your child’s reading tracker and fundraising page.

- You'll complete this process for each child you are registering. 

Once your child’s fundraising page is set up, share their link with family and friends by email, text, or social media.

Together, we’re aiming to read 100,000 minutes and raise $18,000 to support our students, classrooms, and school programs. Every minute read and every donation helps us reach our goals. Students will have opportunities to earn fun individual prizes and milestones as they log reading minutes and collect donations. We’ll also have whole-class incentives to keep the excitement going!

 

🍔RESTAURANT NIGHT @ LAZY MIKES

Join us for dinner at Lazy Mike's in Falls Church (7049 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22046) on Thursday, October 8th. 10% of all sales from 5-8pm will be donated back to TLES! Purchase a sundae and an extra $3 will be donated back to the school as well. You must request the special fundraiser sundae in order to qualify for this part of the deal :) Not applicable to orders placed through third party delivery apps like UberEats or DoorDash.

 

🌱UPCOMING GARDEN GREEN-UP DATES

Roll up your sleeves and join the PTA for a day of fun beautifying the Timber Lane grounds at this year's annual Garden Green-Up Days! No green thumb required - just bring your enthusiasm (and garden gloves if you have them)!

Saturday, October 10 from 9:00 - 12:00pm - Click here to sign up

Sunday, October 25 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm - Click here to sign up

 

🔬Science Night — October 15

Help support Science Night, sponsored by the Children’s Science Center, on October 15 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:

 

SUPPORT TLES TEACHERS

Looking for an easy way to show some love to our amazing TLES teachers and staff? The PTA has gathered teacher Amazon Wish Lists and DonorsChose projects in one convenient place. Pick a classroom - or a special - and help provide items our students and teachers need. Every contribution, big and small makes a difference. Click here to explore opportunities.

 

🛒TURN YOUR GROCERY TRIPS INTO CASH FOR TLES

Did you know you can earn money for Timber Lane just by buying products you already use? By scanning your grocery receipts after you shop you can automatically contribute donations to TLES, and it costs you nothing but 30 seconds of your time. Download the Box Tops for Education app and use the referral code BEGU5P8I - TLES automatically earns $4 per person on your first scan!

 

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.

Upcoming Dates

2026-2027 Standard School Year Calendar

🎃October

  • Oct 5 to 16: Fall Read-A-Thon
  • Oct 7: Walk and Roll to School Day
  • Oct 8: Family Market from 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
  • Oct 10: PTA Garden Green Up from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
  • Oct 12: NO SCHOOL (School Planning Day)
  • Oct 15: Science Night from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Enter Door 2)
  • Oct 21: Fall Picture Day
  • Oct 25: PTA Garden Green Up from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • 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)

🍂November

  • Nov 2: NO SCHOOL (School Planning Day)
  • Nov 3: NO SCHOOL (Teacher Workday) Election Day Bake Sale
  • Nov 12: Family Market from 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
  • Nov 13: McLean Pyramid Chorus Concert from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
  • Nov 19: ROAR & Explore form 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • Nov 20: Thanksgiving Luncheon
  • Nov 25 to 27: Thanksgiving Break