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Stallion P.R.I.D.E.
Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and
Excellence
From the Principal
Family,
As always, I want to thank you for sending us your children
to work with. Another week in the books
and, another great week! As we progress,
I am continuing to see the same student engagement, and it is gratifying that
students seem to be excited about their learning. As I poll teachers about how classes are
going, they are surely stating that the work is hard, but it is that way
because of the results they are after.
As I shared in my community meetings early on, we are
working to re—establish a culture of Family.
And just as I asked the staff to spend time getting to know the
students, I have also asked them to get to know one another. We spent the first part of our professional
development on the day of our 3 hour early closing introducing a couple of
departments to the entire staff. The
staff used their creative juices in developing their introductory messages and
we had a good time as we got acquainted with one another. I truly believe that building relationships
will assist down the line when it comes time to collaborative
conversations. This will then translate
into more meaningful learning for our students!
Speaking of our 3 hour early release day, I was very pleased
to see the engagement of our staff during the professional development sessions. Our Literacy Team and the FCPSOn
Team delivered professional development to the entire staff. Teachers appreciated the time spent learning
how we can better reach our students through literacy strategies, and also how
we will begin to prepare for a broader platform of digital learning and
instruction in and outside of classrooms.
Next month, we will continue with professional development in Cultural
Responsiveness. This fits well with our
belief that not only is every child valuable, but that each of us is
responsible for the success of every child.
I received a few inquiries regarding the FCPS dress code
message I shared with you a couple of weeks ago. To provide clarity on
the issue, the Fairfax County School Board in June
updated the dress code language in the Student Rights & Responsibilities
regulation. The School Board voted to remove gendered language in the dress
code and require that dress code conversations be held in private to respect
the dignity of students.
FCPS respects students’ right to
express themselves in the way they dress. It is important, however, that their
appearance is appropriate for a K-12 school setting.
As outlined in the dress code, any
clothing that interferes with or disrupts the educational environment is
unacceptable. Clothing with language or images that are vulgar,
discriminatory, or obscene; or clothing that promotes illegal or violent
conduct, such as gang symbols, the unlawful use of weapons, drugs, alcohol,
tobacco, or drug paraphernalia; or clothing that contains threats is
prohibited.
More information about the dress code is available in the
FCPS Guide for Families section which has been updated since the original print
version was distributed and can be viewed here:
If you have any questions about
the dress code, please feel free to contact my office.
We are continuing to practice
safety in our building. Our weekly fire
drills are getting better every day and we are able to empty the building in
times that will surely save lives should we ever have a real emergency. The same is true of our school-wide lockdown drills. We are also ensuring that teacher
accountability is in place for students, and that students understand the
seriousness of the need to participate in these drills through conversations. I really appreciate the manner in which our
students have been responding. Please
take time to further discuss with your student the importance of these
practices.
Thank you once again for your
continued support. I look forward to
seeing you at an upcoming event like any of our upcoming sporting events, or
the Twilight 5K Run/Walk. Please take
care of yourselves and have a great weekend.
Gary Morris
National Honor Society
Students eligible for
membership in the South County Chapter of National Honor Society will receive
letters in the mail starting late September. If your student earned a
cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher as of the end of the 2017-2018 school year and
is currently a sophomore, junior or senior, they should receive a letter. This
letter will contain all the details for how to be an active and informed member
of our NHS chapter. Please direct questions to Mrs. Brody at kbbrody@fcps.edu.
Partners for Safe Teen Driving Program
Presented by SC High School Driver’s ED Program
SCHS Auditorium
October 17th (Wednesday)
November 29th (Thursday)
February 11th (Monday)
April 9th (Tuesday)
As a part of classroom driver education instruction, students and
their parent/guardian are required to attend a 90-minute traffic safety
program. This requirement must be met before a student will receive a Classroom
Driver Education Certificate of Completion (DEC-District 8).
These programs will be held at South County High School four (4)
times during this school year. Parents and students should attend the program
during the quarter in which they are enrolled in driver’s education, but may
attend other programs. Please be aware that you and your student only need to
attend this program one time.
Programs will take place on the following dates: October 17th, November
29th, February 11th, and April 9th. The doors will open at 6:45PM with the
programs beginning promptly at 7:00PM in the Auditorium. No registration is
required for SCHS students currently enrolled in 10th grade Health &
Physical Education (H&PE).
The legislative requirement is for a 90-minute program; therefore,
doors will be shut at 7:00PM. No one will be admitted after the doors have been
closed. If you are unable to attend any of these programs, additional program
dates and locations can be found on the Fairfax County Public Schools website
at www.fcps.edu.
If you have any questions, please contact Erich Gunderman,
H&PE Department Chair, via email at Erich.Gunderman@fcps.edu.
Thank you for your attention to this important requirement.
Hollywood Homecoming
Information
- Homecoming Parade:
Thursday, October 11th 4:30pm
- Homecoming Dance:
Saturday, October 13th 8-11pm
- Ticket Sales Going on
Now During All Lunches! $20 per ticket.
- Questions? Email Kaitlyn
Price at kaprice1@fcps.edu or
Kelley Peck at kapeck@fcps.edu
Attention Seniors
Portraits
Lifetouch will be at South County every Saturday in September from
9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. to take Senior Portraits for the yearbook and for parents to
purchase. Seniors who have not had their pictures taken need to do so
ASAP. The last day to get your portrait taken and be in the yearbook is
November 1.
Please call 1-800-445-1189 if you need to schedule a sitting.
Senior Quotes
Students who want a senior quote in the yearbook must submit them
by October 1, via https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Pf_FeIOZF1h6wZGavCsFuWSzJAka0v5arbukAneApYE/viewform?ts=5b7b74ac&edit_requested=true
Students will be asked to verify their quotes through English
classes.
Senior quotes are optional and will only be included if they are
APPROPRIATE and turned in BEFORE OCTOBER 1. Quotes should reflect something
about the individual and it should uplift the book. In the past, students have
chosen a favorite lyric, a line from a poem, an inspirational saying, a
religious quote, etc.
Quotes that use profanity or are inappropriate (make
drug/alcohol/sexual references, threats, racist comments, demeaning statements,
etc.) WILL NOT be included. Students have one opportunity to submit a
quote, so please think carefully before doing so. No replacement quotes
or late quotes will be accepted—No exceptions.
Yearbook editors will make the final decision on what is included
in the yearbook based on editorial policy regarding appropriateness described
above.
Senior Yearbook Ads
Parents can buy senior ads for their students at yearbookforever.com.
These are sold first-come, first-served. There is a limited amount of room, so
act fast.
Questions or concerns? Email Jennifer Delinski at jldelinski@fcps.edu.
From the PTSO
For Junior/Senior Parents
Catalyst Prep
Catalyst Prep will be holding an ACT
Bootcamp at South County on Saturday and Sunday,
September 29 and 30, from 9am-1pm.
Tuition is just $195 for both days; the PTSO receives a
portion of the proceeds. To enroll,
call 800-235-0056 or go to:
https://catalystprep.com/bootcamp_su
Don’t delay--the registration deadline is September
26.
Help Wanted
The PTSO has
a number of open volunteer positions. Most
notably, we are looking for someone to be the coordinator with Catalyst Prep
for the SAT bootcamps and the ACT/SAT practice exams. We also need people to help with the academic
letter ceremony at the end of October.
Finally, we need a few people to help with All Night Grad Party—someone
to plan the activities for the night, someone to make arrangements for food,
and someone to co-chair the party. We do
have one senior parent who has offered to be the co-chair, but she needs a partner
in crime.
Club Day: September 27
The PTSO is excited to sponsor SOCO's annual Club Day, to be
held Thursday, September 27th during student lunches. This day features Stallion Clubs including
academic teams and honor societies. We
hope that students find something they are interested in, with choices such as
ECO SOCO to Model UN! Faculty sponsors
or student officers will be on hand to answer questions and provide more
information. In addition, flyers will be
available for many of the clubs. Please
encourage your child to visit the tables during lunch.
FCPS Mental Health and Wellness Conference
Plan Now to Attend the FCPS Mental Health and Wellness
Conference on September 29 at Fairfax High School
The fifth annual FCPS Mental Health and Wellness Conference will
be held on Saturday, September 29, at Fairfax High School from 8 a.m. to
1:30 p.m. Dr. Amy Przeworski, associate professor in the Department of
Psychological Sciences at Case Western University, will give the keynote
presentation, Using Stress to Your Advantage in Achieving Academic Success and
Emotional Well Being.
For the first time, the conference will also include an Our
Minds Matter Teen Summit for middle and high school students, sponsored by
the Josh Anderson Foundation.
Participants in this conference will be able to choose from a wide
variety of breakout sessions, and there will be many resource tables available,
representing public and private offices and agencies providing services within
the schools and community.
More information is available online.
Fundraisers
Basketball:
Crew:
 
Childhood Cancer Awareness:
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Recognizing South County HS Staff
FCPS Cares is an opportunity for parents, staff, and community members
to recognize FCPS employees for going above and beyond to help others and show
they care. We invite you to submit your story so we can all acknowledge the
good work of our South County High School Staff.
https://www.fcps.edu/careers/employee-recognition-programs/fcps-cares-program
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PSAT Pre-Survey
At the beginning of the PSAT, students are presented with a
voluntary pre-survey that asks questions about a variety of topics. Parents
have the opportunity to preview the survey administered at the beginning of the
PSAT, and to opt out, if they choose to do so. Parents/guardians may view the
pre-survey questions and access further information about this option on the
PSAT Pre-Survey Opt-Out Policy public webpage at: https://www.fcps.edu/node/36639. Pre-survey opt-out forms must be returned to the
Student Services Office by Friday, September 28, 2018. If you choose to opt
your student out of the pre-survey, please be sure your student knows they
should not answer the pre-survey questions at the beginning of the test and
will sit quietly during those directions.
News You Choose Submission Deadline this next week will be
Thursday at noon. Please send all submissions to DBoullianne@fcps.edu.
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