January 22, 2026

January 22, 2026

From the Principal’s Pen

Dear Laurel Hill Families,

The end of the second quarter (the first half of the school year) is next Wednesday, January 28. Our students have been working hard to demonstrate their learning, and our staff continue to support them in making meaningful academic progress. The early release day and teacher workday/staff development day provide time for teachers to prepare learning reports for families and engage in professional development. Progress reports will be sent home during the second week of February.

As the district prepares for potential winter weather, please review the information below to stay up to date on FCPS communication regarding delays or school closings. We encourage families to monitor official FCPS communication channels for the most accurate and timely updates.

Please be safe this weekend, stay warm, and thank you for your continued support of our students and staff.

Sincerely,

Janice Dalton, Principal

Addison Smith, Assistant Principal

Thmeaka Traylor, Assistant Principal

Save the Date

Jan 28 Quarter Ends/2-hour Early Release

Jan 29 Staff Development Day (No School for Students)

Jan 30 Teacher Work Day (No School for Students)

Feb 16 Presidents Day-No School

Feb 17 Teacher Workday (No School for Students)

Feb 25 3-hour Early Release Wednesday- School ends 1:05pm

2025-26 school year calendar

Weather video is linked here.

In the case of emergency for a weather-related closing, delay, or early dismissal, the FCPS website will be updated first, and will automatically include an alert at the top of each page with the appropriate information (see sample alert below). This information will remain posted until normal operations have resumed, or you click "Close This Alert" to remove it. If you have closed the alert, a red exclamation mark will remain (highlighted by red circle below) to indicate that the alert is still active.

FCPS provides information about closings and delays in many ways including:

Posted to www.fcps.edu.
Posted to FCPS social media accounts:

❄️ County Flu Letter

Healthy Habits to Reduce the Spread of Flu and Other Germs

Fairfax County is seeing very high levels of influenza (flu) illness. Visits to emergency departments and urgent care centers for flu-like illness have increased, especially among children, and multiple flu outbreaks have occurred in our community and school settings.

Consider these tips from the Fairfax County Health Department to help reduce the spread of flu and other germs.

Health Highlights

As we approach flu season, to keep your family safe, the Health Department recommends the following:

Monitor your child and keep them home if sick. Watch for signs of illness in your child. If your child has a fever or severe cough, keep them home. They should stay home, except for medical visits, until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without medication, feel better overall, and are able to participate in school activities. After they return to school, parents may choose to have them wear a mask at school and during other indoor activities for 5 days after symptoms improve. This will further reduce the chance that they may spread illness to someone else.
Get your child tested. Consider getting your child tested for respiratory illness if they are sick. You can get COVID-19 tests to use at home, and testing for flu can be done by your healthcare provider.
Teach your child to wash their hands for 20 seconds with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Be sure to set a good example by doing this yourself. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer.
Cover coughs and sneezes. Have your child use a tissue to cover their mouth and nose when they cough and sneeze. Throw tissues in the trash after use. If they do not have a tissue, they should cover coughs and sneezes with their upper sleeve.
Remind your child to avoid touching their face, like eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Improve your air quality at home. If it’s not too cold, open doors and windows or move activities outside to get fresh air.
Get vaccinated. Vaccines are highly recommended to protect your child from COVID-19 and the flu. Updated vaccines available each fall are needed for the best protection to prevent serious illness.
Talk to a healthcare provider about treatment. Talk to your child’s healthcare provider if you have questions or concerns, especially if they have a chronic illness or take long-term medications.

Critical Attendance Information

Please let us know if your child will be absent or arriving to school late.

Report all absences through:

Online: Parent Vue

Email: LaurelHillElem.Attendance@fcps.edu

Call Attendance Line: 703-551-5353 (24/7 Recorded Line)

https://laurelhilles.fcps.edu/about/attendance-reporting

If we are not notified by 9:30am, it is possible that you will receive an automated attendance call from the County.