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Fall Holidays and Cultural Celebrations Take Center StageLast Thursday, Lane celebrated its first Cultural Awareness & Recognition Event (CARE) Night, which invited families to explore and learn about cultural holidays and traditions recognized and celebrated by FCPS during the fall. Displays and activities were dedicated to Hispanic Heritage Month, Dia de los Muertos, Indigenous Peoples' Day, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali, and Disability History and Awareness Month. There were interactive crafts, tasty treats, and lots of music and dance. Thanks to all the families who shared their culture with us, and to all those who attended. A second CARE Night is in the works for the winter, in conjunction with Celebration of Cultures Night. Stay tuned!
     "Breakfast Bites" Return with 3rd & 4th Grade GatheringOur popular grade-level "Family Friday Breakfast Bites" resumed last week with a delicious breakfast buffet for 3rd and 4th grade families.    Fun, Fitness, and Friendship at Field DayClasses celebrated friendship and teamwork as they worked their way through fun fitness stations during our annual Field Day last Friday.       Upcoming Events
In This Issue
News & NotesAdvanced Academics News: Full-Time Screening and Timeline Parent Meeting October 24th, 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 to be considered for full-time services for the 2025-2026 school year must submit a parent referral form no later than December 15th. Lane’s Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, Linda Simon, will host a meeting on Thursday, October 24th 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. The meeting will be in person; there is no virtual option. Note: The December 15th deadline applies to all eligible grade levels (2nd through 6th), including 6th graders screening for 7th grade even though middle school course selection does not take place until January/February 2025. If you want to have your child screened for services in middle school, please be sure to submit the referral by December 15th.
Honoring Our Lane Lion Veterans and Active Military Service Members for Veterans Day on Friday, November 8thWe 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 8th. (Veterans Day itself – November 11th – 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/wKamkNkd3yj7ReUq9. Be sure to tell us how many in your family will attend with you (including you). If you would like to visit classrooms on the 8th, please sign up using one of these methods:
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.
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 parent 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 8th!
Final Family Friday “Breakfast Bites” This Friday for 5th and 6th Grade!Our new grade-level Family Friday “Breakfast Bites” events will come to a close for the fall this Friday, as we serve up some morning food and fun for 5th and 6th grade families from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. in the cafeteria. We just ask that each family bring a breakfast dish or item to share (muffins, donuts, casseroles, etc.). If you are a 5th or 6th grade family that would like to attend, please RSVP here and let us know what you’ll be bringing.
End-of-Quarter Spirit Days Coming Next Week!It's hard to believe that the first grading quarter of the 2024-2025 school year, but next Thursday, October 31st, is, in fact, the last day of the quarter. To celebrate this milestone, SCA is hosting Spirit Days Monday through Thursday. (School will be closed on Friday, November 1st for the Diwali holiday.) Here is the list of themes for each day: Monday, October 28th: Switch Day! Students dress like teachers and teachers dress like students! Tuesday, October 29th: Pajama Day! Because, why not? Who doesn’t love a pajama day? Wednesday, October 30th: Twin Day! Dress like a friend or a BUNCH of friends! Maybe even the whole class! Thursday, October 31st: Black and Orange Day! Celebrate the season by wearing these colors. We hope your child will participate! Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screening Continues This WeekFCPS is committed to supporting the mental wellness of all students. The Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener helps our students share their perspectives on how their schools and communities support them and help them develop the skills they need to succeed. The screener is offered to all students in grades 3 through 12 in the fall and spring. It addresses skills such as achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions. Students also share how successful their school and community are at making them feel valued, included, and supported. Screener data is used to plan programming for the division, schools, and individual students. After each screening, results will be available in the Documents tab of SIS ParentVUE and mailed to families who don’t have a ParentVUE account. For more information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage. Families who wish to opt their child out may do so by completing the opt-out form in the Annual Notice packet or SIS ParentVUE. For more information, please visit the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener webpage or contact our front office. Please note that the SEL Screener is not the same as the anonymous Fairfax County Youth Survey, which will take place later this fall. Here’s the schedule for screening by class:
Student Information for Providers Outside of FCPSParents/guardians can ask teachers to complete forms or provide information to providers who are outside of FCPS. We first need the parents/guardians to complete the Consent to Exchange Confidential Student Information Form, and we will provide this form for you upon request. Once that form is complete, teachers can complete the form for the parents/guardians and will send the form directly to the provider. Parents/guardians can always request a parent-teacher conference or a conference with the provider who is requesting the form for additional information.
PTA NewsRestaurant Days at Smyrna Tuesday, October 22nd and Wednesday, October 23rdJoin the PTA for its monthly restaurant fundraiser on October 22nd and 23rd at Smyrna, a relatively new restaurant in our area that celebrates the Aegean kitchen, crafting Greek and Turkish dishes filled with the flavors of the region. Check out their menu here. All Lane purchases from the entire day both days will help send a percentage of total back to our school. Watch Wednesday Folders for flyers (required for your purchase to count).
Lane Trunk or Treat October 27th, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.Join us on Sunday, October 27th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for our first-ever Lane Lion Trunk or Treat. It's just like trick or treating but in our school parking lot! The PTA is excited to offer this safe and friendly event for our students, but they need your help! Please have your kids bring a bag of candy to our “candy monster” located in the bus entrance hallway, or sign up for a spot during our event from 5:30 to 7:30! You can sign up with the link here: https://signup.com/go/qjvrbQY. Reminder: This is not a drop-off event; parental supervision is required.
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Parent Resources
Upcoming FREE Webinars from the Family Resource Center
SIBSHOPS: An Exciting, In-person Workshop for Brothers and Sisters of Children with Special Needs!
Presented by FCPS School Social Work Services, Sibshop workshops are for children in grades 2-6 enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools who have siblings with special needs. They will:
- Meet other siblings in a relaxed setting.
- Celebrate the many contributions made by brothers and sisters of children with special needs.
- Share sibling experiences and receive peer support.
- Play games and have fun!
Tuesday, November 5, 2024, 9 a.m. – noon at the Pulley Center, 6500 Quander Rd., Alexandria, VA
SIBTEEN: An Exciting, In-person Workshop for Brothers and Sisters of Children with Special Needs!
Attention FCPS parents! From the same people who brought you Sibshops, we are excited to introduce SibTeen!
Presented by FCPS School Social Work Services, SibTeen is a community-building group for middle school siblings of children with disabilities. We have fun activities, both recreational and art-based, as well as discussion activities. It’s a unique opportunity for students to share about their lives and support each other while normalizing their life experiences. SibTeen is a place where participants will feel validated and understood and can build upon their community of support. And…. there will be food!
Tuesday, November 5, 2024, 1 – 4 p.m. at the Pulley Center, 6500 Quander Rd., Alexandria, VA