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The Weekly Roar

Monday, October 12, 2026

It's National School Lunch Week!

This week we are celebrating the great things about school lunches, and one of the best things about our school lunches at Lane is the great Cafeteria staff that serves our students (and other staff members) every day. If you see them this week, please be sure to thank them for all of their hard work! You can find more information about National School Lunch Week below.

Pictured below from left to right: Ms. Imseeh; Mrs. Jawaid, Cafeteria Manager; Ms. Tran; Mr. Lungiwala; and Ms. Zeratsion.

Upcoming Events

• Tuesday, 10/13 – Family Life Education (FLE) Curriculum Preview Night, 6 p.m. on Zoom
• Thursday, 10/15 – Deadline for Full-Time Advanced Academics Program referral for students in grades 3 through 7 who have enrolled in FCPS since January
• Friday, 10/16 – “Breakfast Bites” for 5th & 6th Grade Families, 8:30 a.m., Cafeteria
  
• Wednesday, 10/21 – 3-Hour Early Release Wednesday, students dismissed at 1:05 p.m. 
• Thursday, 10/22 – Full-Time Advanced Academic Program Services screening process information meeting, 6 p.m., Library
• Sunday, 10/25 – PTA Trunk or Treat, 5:30 p.m., Main Parking Lot
• Friday, 10/30 – End-of-Quarter 2-hour early release, all students dismissed at 2:05 p.m.
• Monday, 11/2, and Tuesday, 11/3 – Student Holidays/Teacher Workdays, students do not report
• Friday, 11/6 – “First Friday” Family Coffee with the Principals, topic: Creating a Positive Culture: What Responsive Classroom Looks Like at Home, 8:30 a.m. on Zoom
  
• Tuesday, 11/10 – Math & STEAM Night, 5 to 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, 11/11 – Veterans Day, school open, SACC CLOSED
  • Veterans Day Breakfast, 8:30 a.m.
  • Veteran Class Visits and Presentations, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

In This Issue

• Fall Picture Days Continue This Week; Make-Up Day on October 20
• Family Life Education (FLE) Curriculum Preview Night TOMORROW, October 13, 6 p.m. on Zoom
• First Early Release Wednesday Is October 21
• Fall Food Drive Continues Through October 20
• 5th & 6th Grade “Breakfast Bites” Coming This Friday, October 16!
• Hayfield Pyramid Virtual Session: Helping Students Build Healthy Digital Habits
• Celebrating the Power of School Lunches
• Referrals for Advanced Academics Program (AAP) Full-Time Services for Students New to FCPS Due This Thursday; Screening and Timeline Parent Meeting for All 2nd to 6th Grade Students Next Thursday, October 22, 6 p.m.
• PTA News: Fun Run Thanks, Trunk or Treat, Chuck E. Cheese Day
• Parent Resources: Social-Emotional Learning workshop, immunizations, Special Education Conference, free webinars from the Family Resource Center
• FCPS News & Events: Safe Routes to School caregiver survey, Superintendent Community Conversations

News & Notes

Fall Picture Days Continue This Week; Make-Up Day on October 20 We are into the final days of taking fall portraits of all of our students. There are just a few classes left to have their chance to show off their smiles. Here is the remaining schedule, by grade level.

5th Grade

• Kipkemboi – Wednesday, 10/14
• Lopez – Wednesday, 10/14

6th Grade

• Lewis homeroom – Thursday, 10/15
• Wilson homeroom – Thursday, 10/15

EAC & ID/IDS Classes

• Acoine (Part 2) – Thursday, 10/15
• Khalid (Part 2) – Tuesday, 10/13

After Picture Days are complete, all families will receive a digital file of their child’s portrait for FREE! (Photos are usually sent in early November.) Once you receive this file, you can use it to have prints made in any size or style you choose. There are many professional portrait studios in the Alexandria/Springfield area that families can visit if they wish to have a professional portrait taken.

Family Life Education (FLE) Curriculum Preview Night TOMORROW, October 13, 6 p.m. on Zoom

All parents and caregivers are invited to attend an evening opportunity to preview the Family Life Education media and lessons and to talk with school staff about the program. The meeting will be held virtually tomorrow evening (Tuesday, October 13) from 6 to 7 p.m. All program materials and media for all grade levels will be available for your review at this time. Please use this link to join the session.

First Early Release Wednesday Is October 21

This school year includes four 3-Hour Early Release Wednesdays. The dates for Lane are October 21, December 2, February 10, and May 5. Our dismissal time will be 1:05 p.m. on these days. Lunch will be served as usual.

We encourage all parents/caregivers to have their student take their normal route home or to daycare (bus, walk, kiss and ride) on these days. If this creates a child-care hardship, please complete this form by this Friday, October 16.

PLEASE NOTE:

• If you do not fill out this form and we do not hear from you, we will send your child home at 1:05 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, by their usual transportation method.
• We will follow these dismissal plans on Early Release Wednesdays throughout this year unless you let us know a change needs to be made.

Fall Food Drive Continues Through October 20

Thank you to the families who have already made a donation – in cash or in kind – to support our Fall Food Drive, sponsored by the Student Ambassadors.

Food insecurity continues to increase in our community during these difficult economic times. Lane’s Student Ambassadors are hosting a food drive this month to collect specific items to create weekend food bags for those in need in our community.

The drive will run through Tuesday, October 20. Each grade level has been assigned one item to donate, but you can contribute as many of those items as you’d like. Here is the list:

• Pre-K and Kindergarten: 1-lb. or 2-lb. bag of rice
• 1st Grade: 1-lb. or 2-lb. bag of beans (any type)
• 2nd Grade: Single-serving instant oatmeal packets (box of 6-12 or larger, any flavor)
• 3rd Grade: Microwave popcorn bags (box of 6 -12 or larger)
• 4th Grade: Applesauce cups or squeeze pouches (box of 6-12 or larger)
• 5th Grade: Granola/fruit bars (box of 8 -16 or larger)
• 6th Grade: Fruit snack pouches (box of 8-12 pouches or larger)

To add a little flavor to the food drive, we’re adding some friendly competition. The grade level that collects the most items will win an extra recess! (Items will be counted by bag or box of the number of items listed, not by individual items in a box. For example, one bag of rice would be equal to a box of 6 to 12 oatmeal packets. Larger bulk boxes will be counted based on the number of items listed here. (A box of 48 oatmeal packets would count as four items.)

You can send your donations to school starting October 8. Drop boxes will be located in the bus lobby. Or, if you prefer, you can place an order on Amazon and have items shipped directly to the school. Our Amazon Wishlist also includes some larger/more expensive items, if you’d like to contribute a bit more.

If you’d like to just make a cash donation to support our food drive, you can donate through the PTA website.

PLEASE NOTE:

• Please purchase only the items listed.
• Do not create smaller bags of bulk items (rice and beans) from larger bags.
• All packaging must be original and sealed.

Thank you for supporting our Student Ambassadors and helping our local community! If you have questions, please contact our family liaison and Student Ambassadors sponsor, Melanie Crosby Hardy, at macrosby@fcps.edu.

5th & 6th Grade “Breakfast Bites” Coming This Friday, October 16!

Our final “Breakfast Bites” will be held on Friday, October 16, for 5th and 6th grade families, who are invited to join us from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. in the cafeteria to share some food and fellowship before the school day begins. We just ask that each family bring a breakfast dish or item to share (muffins, donuts, casseroles, etc.). Families with students in these two grades can RSVP here.

Hayfield Pyramid Virtual Session: Helping Students Build Healthy Digital Habits

Thank you to the Hayfield Pyramid families and caregivers who joined FCPS Instructional Services and the Hayfield Pyramid principals for a conversation about helping students build healthy digital habits on Thursday evening.

The session explored practical ways to navigate social media, gaming, and screen time, including setting healthy boundaries while fostering independence, establishing device routines at home, and hearing students’ perspectives.

If you were unable to attend, you can watch the: recording using this link or view a PDF of the presentation. Passcode: zh4KMcu3#t

Celebrating the Power of School Lunches Multiple studies show that school lunches are important in supporting overall student health by improving students’ diets and combating food insecurity. Students who eat school lunches consume more fruit, vegetables, and fiber than their peers.

This National School Lunch Week, FCPS Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) reminds families that they are dedicated to providing delicious, healthy, sustainable, and student-focused meals. New menu items have been launched this year based on student feedback.

Want to know what’s for breakfast or lunch? View the Nutrition Services menus.

Referrals for Advanced Academics Program (AAP) Full-Time Services for Students New to FCPS Due This Thursday; Screening and Timeline Parent Meeting for All 2nd to 6th Grade Students Next Thursday, October 22, 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 students in 3rd through 6th grade who have joined FCPS since January 2026 who wish to refer their child for screening for full-time AAP services during this current 2026-2027 school year must submit a referral by this Thursday, October 15, at 11:59 p.m.

Parents of 2nd through 6th graders who would like their child considered for full-time services for the 2027-2028 school year must submit a parent referral form no later than December 15 at 11:59 PM.

If you wish to submit a parent referral for your child, you do not need to wait until December 15 to do so. Referrals are being accepted now. Please email Linda Simon, our Advanced Academics Resource Teacher, at lesimon@fcps.edu to let her know you plan to submit a referral so she expects it.

Ms. Simon will host a parent information meeting next Thursday, October 22, 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.

Note: This deadline applies to all grade levels, including 6th graders screening for 7th grade even though middle school course selection does not take place until January/February 2027. If you want to have your child screened for services in middle school, please be sure to submit the referral by the December 15 deadline.

PTA News

A Message from the Lane PTA President

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Lane families, staff, volunteers, and community for the incredible support shown throughout our recent fundraiser. From donations and volunteering to sharing, encouraging, and cheering on our students, every contribution helped make it a success!

It has been wonderful to see our school community come together, and I’m incredibly grateful for the time, energy, and enthusiasm so many continue to give to support our Lions.

As we move into another busy month, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read through the updates from our PTA team below. There is always something happening, and we appreciate you staying connected, involved, and supportive of the work we’re doing together.

Thank you for continuing to make Lane such a special community!

Connecticut Wilson-Familoni
Lane Elementary PTA President

Join the PTA Today!

The PTA Pride keeps growing! As of October 2, there are 219 PTA members. Are you one of them?

While the group’s membership drive has officially ended, they are still working toward their goal of 250 members. It’s never too late to join the PTA!

Thank you to everyone who has joined and helped support our school community!

Lane PTA Trunk or Treat on Sunday, October 25, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Join the Lane PTA for Trunk or Treat at Lane Elementary on Sunday, October 25! There are only 50 parking spaces available for you to set up a table or decorate your vehicle and hand out candy, so reserve your spot now at the signup link.

Please remember that this is not a drop-off event; parental supervision is required.

Want to participate, but can’t attend? Drop off candy at Lane or send in candy with your student any time before the end of the school day on Thursday, October 22. (Look for the hungry candy monster…she loves candy.)

Join the PTA at Chuck E. Cheese—Friday, October 16, 4 to 9 p.m.

On Friday October 16, families are invited to come play with other Lane Lions at Chuck E. Cheese on Richmond Hwy from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. No signup is required, and 20% of Lane sales will be donated back to the Lane PTA.

Please note that this is NOT a drop-off event. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Parent Resources

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.

A session will be offered right across the street from Lane at the Kingstowne Regional Library from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21. You can register here.

Child care 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. View additional dates and locations on the FCPS Family Academy webpage.

Immunization Events for FCPS Students

FCPS, in partnership with Inspire Health Alliance, will be providing school-required immunizations and optional flu shots for all FCPS students, ages 18 and under, with no out-of-pocket costs. Multiple events will take place at designated FCPS locations.

Additional dates will be made available throughout the school year. Parents or guardians may view upcoming events and schedule an appointment for their student. Participation is voluntary. Additional immunization resources are available.

Annual Special Education Family Conference: Registration Open, Call for Volunteers

Join us for the annual Special Education Family Conference: Connected Communities, Thriving Students on Saturday, November 14, at