Activities Sponsored by Laurel Ridge

Laurel Ridge offers a variety of activities for the enjoyment, growth, and enrichment of our students.

Military Kids Club

Laurel Ridge sponsors a Military Family Program to meet the needs of our Laurel Ridge military families. The program's goal is to connect military-affiliated families and students with each other and our school community. As part of the program, Laurel Ridge offers a Military Kids Club, which meets once a month. In addition to the Military Kids Club, the program offers a variety of activities throughout the year including a family potluck dinner and Purple Up Day.  Susan Waring, LRES School Counselor, is your Military Family Liaison. Please contact her for military family-related questions or if you have questions concerning the Military Kids Club.

Safety Patrols

Safety Patrols play a vital role in daily life at Laurel Ridge, helping to keep the school a safer place for everyone.  Over sixty 5th and 6th grade students are selected by our Patrol Sponsor, Mr. Quincy, and are assigned to positions within and outside of the school building, on school buses, and at school crossings. They also assist kindergarteners to and from class each day, raise and lower the flags, and assist with silent dismissal on the closed circuit TV system.

Student Leadership Organization (SLO)

The Student Leadership Organization (SLO) is made up of teams of sixth graders who do the work of planning for the school in 5 areas: Spirit, Events, Technology, Kindness, and Service. Sponsored by Mrs. Waring and Ms. Gates, the teams will develop a system for sharing with representatives from each class in grades 3-6. The SLO is a leadership and service organization that conducts service projects and promotes school spirit through leadership projects. Each Leadership Team meets once a month to plan and work on these projects.

WLRS

WLRS, "Window on Laurel Ridge School" is the morning news television program at Laurel Ridge. It airs on a private streaming link at 9:10 a.m. Sixth graders apply for positions on WLRS, and news crew members are selected each grading period by WLRS advisor, Mrs. Giba, in consultation with teachers.

The crew members operate the camera, two computers, as well as the audio mixer and the digital video mixer. There is a director who is in charge of the production.  News anchors lead the Pledge of Allegiance and read any announcements on the teleprompter. There is also a Joke of the Day segment. Sometimes there are special announcements made by the administration or other Laurel Ridge staff members. WLRS is a great way to start the day at Laurel Ridge!

Activities Sponsored by the PTA

The Laurel Ridge Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is excited to support two kinds of enrichment opportunities: Enrichment classes (fee-based) provided by various vendors, and PTA-sponsored clubs planned and run by PTA volunteers. 

The fee-based after-school enrichment classes are typically offered in two or three eight-week sessions throughout the school year and take place two days a week after school at Laurel Ridge from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. We partner directly with class vendors to provide classes in art, yoga, chess, sports, and more! There's something for everyone. Additional PTA-sponsored clubs are explained below in greater detail. For more information about current or upcoming enrichment classes, please visit the Laurel Ridge PTA Website.

Lightning Lions

The Lightning Lions is our LRES performance jump rope team offering a safe, fun, and positive team opportunity for students interested in the sport of jump rope. The team is open to LRES Grade 6, 5, and 4 students and meets before school to exercise, practice jump rope skills, and prepare for performances. Throughout the school year, Lightning Lions perform in front of local audiences to demonstrate their jump rope competency and delight friends, families, and the community. In addition to the team, there is a jump rope club open to upper grade students for improving skills and an introductory program for 3rd Graders, Thunder Cubs. All programs are managed and facilitated by Laurel Ridge parent/caregiver volunteers. More information concerning jump rope programs can be found on the LRES PTA Website. Email @email with questions. Consider joining or volunteering this year!

Amigos 

Amigos is an after-school Spanish Club at Laurel Ridge Elementary School. The club was created to give opportunities for LRES students to speak, play, and learn in Spanish while having lots of fun!  Amigos is part of Laurel Ridge's PTA and open to all students from 1st to 5th grade, regardless of Spanish language experience. Our goal is to provide students with a place to explore Spanish language and culture. Children listen to stories, try authentic food, play games, and create crafts, all while learning and practicing Spanish.  We do not provide explicit Spanish literacy instruction but will instead introduce vocabulary and topics through fun, interactive activities. We hope students will continue to practice what they learn after the Amigos meetings and share their experience with their friends and family. For more details, please visit the Amigos website.

Amigos is only possible because of the participation and efforts of our incredible volunteers. Grandparents make great volunteers too!  We need both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking volunteers to make our sessions successful!  If you are interested in volunteering, please email @email. 

Science Olympiad 

Science Olympiad is a non-profit organization that aims to improve science education and increase interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. It has 3 divisions based on grade levels: Division A is for 3rd-5th grade, Division B is for 5th-middle school, and Division C for high school.  At Laurel Ridge, we started our pilot program in 2024 for a Division A team with much success. We hope to expand it to Division B next school year. The regional tournaments are held in late October and early November for Division A and late March or early April for Division B. The Division B team may advance to state and national levels, if it places well at the regional tournament.

Each year, "a portion of the events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering, and technology. By combining events from all disciplines, Science Olympiad encourages a wide cross-section of students to get involved. Emphasis is placed on active, hands-on group participation. Through Science Olympiad, students, teachers, parents, principals and business leaders bond together and work toward a shared goal." Being part of the Science Olympiad team requires preparation, commitment, coaching, and practice throughout the year. For more details about the program, please visit the Science Olympiad website.  Questions? Email @email.

Disclaimer

Opportunities offered by organizations other than Fairfax County Public Schools are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, or a specific school. These opportunities may utilize technology tools that have not been assessed by the Fairfax County Public Schools Department of Information Technology. Students should gain permission from their parent or guardian before engaging in any non-FCPS enrichment opportunity and families should review the Terms of Service, User Agreements, and Privacy Policy for any technology platform that the enrichment opportunity may use before participating.