Stallion P.R.I.D.E.
Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Excellence
From the Principal
Family,
If you happen to be in the neighborhood grocery store and run into your random South County Assessment Coordinator, please give her a huge hug! I would like to give a great big shout out to Cameron Mathison for doing an absolutely outstanding job this year with our assessment schedules and the carrying out of those plans. This is a huge undertaking which requires planning, goal directed persistence, exceptional communication, and tons of collaboration and organization. Cameron has been masterful with using these executive functioning skills to do her job. So if you happen to see her in your travels, tell her thanks. Believe me, the stress levels that are avoided for both students and staff by her work is unbelievable!
I had the opportunity to see my first JROTC Retreat Ceremony over at Edison High School on Wednesday. This was such a treat to observe our South County Delta Company perform. I was very proud to see the culmination of their work from an entire year. If your child was a part of this exercise, I know you are just as proud.
Speaking of our students that are involved in opportunities in the academy programs around the county, I would like to congratulate Ms. Angie Bernal Ocamp who is in the Medical Assistant Program at West Potomac for being named the programs Student of the Fourth Quarter and Student of the Year!
Look out for a letter to come from FCPS concerning the FCPSOn fee associated with the FCPSOn Initiative which is the 1:1 (student to computer) initiative for the SY 19-20. If you have not heard information concerning this initiative, Please visit FCPS' website to learn more about FCPSOn.
I would like to thank the parents who were able to attend the PTSO Meeting on Thursday to receive the presentation from Ms. Julia Ross who spoke to the attendees about getting into college. I hope to be able to offer more opportunities for parents to be able to attend these types of events. I would also like to thank Mrs. Nannette Henderson, our PTSO President for organizing such an informative evening, as well as for being such a great president all year long.
Looking into next month’s calendar, I just wanted to mention that June 11th will be Election Day here at South County. I wanted to ensure that I shared that I expect a heavy voting turnout, therefore traffic patterns will vary a little from the norm.
I would like to thank all of you who have been flexible with the change in the checkout system during our testing window. We know we haven’t reached everyone with this messaging, but we have made great strides in this process and we have had far less interruptions to classes and testing sessions. Thank you very much!
Even though we had previously sent out the last day of school schedule, there were discussions about a possible change to the length of the day. We have gotten the final word that the schedule for the last day of school for high schools will be a 2 hour day while middle and elementary schools will operate on a 3-hour early release schedule. As some school bus routes are scheduled to deliver late elementary bell students to school through 9:20 am, buses for some high school routes may be delayed in arriving for dismissal. Transportation supervisors will communicate directly with those affected schools.
Information for the last day of school schedule has been updated on the standard school year calendar posted online – (https://www.fcps.edu/calendars/2018-19-standard-school-year-calendar).
I would like to give a shout out to all of our sports teams who are still competing. I am very appreciative of the hard work that the athletes, coaches, and parents have done to get our student-athletes to be able to play at such a high level. Keep up the great work, and I hope to see you all at some of these playoff games!
South County's Odyssey of the Mind problem solving competition team is the 2019 Virginia State Champion and will be competing in WORLD FINALS against 38 states and over 30 countries at Michigan State University over Memorial Day weekend. This is the second consecutive year that the team is representing South County at the World Finals. The kids will be competing against teams from all over the United States as well as countries such as China, Poland, Canada, South Korea and Mexico! We wish the Odyssey of the Mind team the best of luck - congratulations to Valmik Rai, Siena Martin, Sally O'Connor, Addie Cameron, Harrison Ponczak, Maryanna Valencia and Katya Martino.
In case you have not heard, we will be losing a staple in the South County HS community. Our very own Mike Pflugrath has been selected to serve as the new instructional leader and Principal at Osbourne HS. It will be bitter sweet to have him move on to his new journey. Mike and I opened this building back in 2005 and he has been a solid shoulder for me to lean on since I returned. The good news is that he will be with us through the end of the year, so I will be dumping all the work his way before he gets out of the door. If you happen to see him out and about, please congratulate him. He is so very deserving of this opportunity, and I know that he will be a great leader in Manassas City. He knows that he is forever a Stallion!
Finally, I ask that you continue to encourage your children to maintain their work habits. While we still only have a few weeks left, our students are generally very focused on their work and continuing to be their best in classes. These final weeks can be the difference in a letter grade and we want students to walk away from the year knowing they finished up on a good note. Encourage them to eat breakfast whenever possible, get plenty of rest, and to communicate with their teachers about anything related to class. If you have questions, please reach out to your child’s teachers and counselors for insight.
Thank you once again for this opportunity. Have a great weekend. #OneStallion
Gary
Early Checkouts From School
The Attendance Office will not be able to accept calls for early checkouts thru the end of the year. This is due to AP, SOL, and final exam testing and staff not being able to interrupt those testing sessions. All students MUST present a note from a parent to the Attendance Office at the beginning of the day to receive a checkout pass at that time.
Testing Calendar/Exams/Awards Ceremonies
Testing calendar for South County High School can be found here.
Exams and Awards Ceremonies Schedule can be found here.
YEARBOOKS
Yearbook online sales ended on May 12.
The cost at this point is $85, cash, until our extra books run out.
Yearbooks will arrive next week and will be delivered during the school day to seniors who preordered.
Underclassmen who pre-ordered will receive their books beginning Tuesday, May 28.
Also, if underclassmen would like to pick up their books early, they can do so starting AFTER SCHOOL on Friday, May 24.
For students who have not bought them yet, they will go on sale starting AFTER SCHOOL on Friday, May 24. Sales will continue during lunch shifts until books run out.
Minority Achievement Committee
The Minority Achievement Committee will have the MAC Scholars End of Year Celebration on June 1st at from 10 am to 12 pm in SCHS cafeteria. We would like to thank all of the students, educators, parents, and staff for helping us to achieve another successful year. We invite all program participants to join us for the celebration. The celebration will also include a panel discussion from previous South County MAC Scholars graduates.
South County MAC events are open to all SCHS and SCMS students and parents! We invite parents and students of all backgrounds and demographics to join and attend MAC events. If you are interested or need additional information regarding MAC please contact us at SouthCountyMAC@gmail.com.
From the Student Activities Office
Spring Physical Night -- May 21, 2019 @ 5:30 – 7:30pm in the Cafeteria
Come have your physical completed and filed for all activities in the ‘19-20 school year!! This includes summer conditioning, Green Days, tryouts and sports participation. Please use the link provided to schedule your appointment: https://wwgw.fcps.edu/athletic.preparticipation.screenings.
Fall Meet the Coach Night – May 30, 2019 @ 7pm in the Gymnasium
Interested in participating in Fall Sports? If so, it is highly encouraged that your family attend our annual Fall Meet the Coach Night. This event will start in the gym were you will hear from the Principal, DSA and ATC, followed by individual breakout sessions for each sport.
Varsity Letterman Night – June 3, 2019 @ 7pm in the Gymnasium
All South County students and families are welcome to join us as we remember and recognize the 2018 - 2019 individual and team athletic accomplishments!
 |
|
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 HS Staff. Just click FCPS CARES. |
From the PTSO
All Night Grad Party Ticket Price Increase
Ticket prices for the All Night Grad Party are increasing to $75 after this coming Monday, May 20. The best way to purchase is online at https://southcountyptso.membershiptoolkit.com. Paper forms (“commitment contract”) are available in the cafeteria, and on Monday night, May 20, the forms can be returned in person with a check (or cash) from 6pm-8pm in the lobby area outside of the library. (This is also where we are doing lawn sign pickup, for those of you who bought lawn signs.) You must turn in the money with the commitment contract by May 20 in order to qualify for the $50 ticket price; we cannot accept payment without the commitment contract. If you do not turn in the commitment contract with the check by May 20, you will have to pay the $75 ticket price.
Students who need financial assistance to receive an ANGP ticket should talk to their counselor. Financial assistance is only available through June 1, so do not wait until the last minute.
Volunteers needed on June 7, June 8
We still need many volunteers to pull off this year’s All Night Grad Party party, which is on a Friday night (June 7)—so most of you will not have to get up and go to work in the morning the next day. Please sign up for a volunteer shift; we are especially short in the 1am-4am timeframe. College students who graduated from high school in 2017 or earlier are also welcome to sign up for certain shifts. To sign up, go here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0545AEA723A3F58-angp
Baccalaureate
The PTSO is hosting the Baccalaureate Ceremony honoring our graduating seniors on Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 7 pm at St. Bernadette Church, 7600 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, VA 22152. Light refreshments will be served immediately following the ceremony. We invite underclassman parent volunteers to give the Class of 2019 a great send off by donating cookies and water as well as serving the refreshments after the ceremony. Cookie and water drop off will be at the South County HS main office on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (June 3rd - 5th). Refreshment help will be needed from 7:30 - 9:30 pm on June 6th. Thanks for your help!
The link to sign up is here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4CABA72BA13-2018
For seniors: Invitations to Baccalaureate went out before spring break, but all senior families are welcome and encouraged to attend. The link to RSVP is: https://goo.gl/forms/YSTEIX9veTzfwUKu2
New PTSO officers for 2019-2020
Congratulations to the new PTSO officers for 2019-2020.
President--Nannette Henderson
1st VP--Carla Olivo
2nd VP--Patty Klunder
Treasurer--Julie Hopkins
Recording Secretary--Jennifer Thibodeau
Corresponding Secretary--Cassy Gilmore
SOCO 2018 Summer Basketball Camp
Two Sessions: June 24-28 and July 8-12
9am-3pm
South County HS Gym
Cost: $185 (Save $20 if you sign up for both sessions)
Who: Basketball Enthusiasts ages 7-15 What: Boys Basketball Camp
- Daily Skill Instruction from SC Coaches & Players
- 5 on 5 League Play & Championship Tournament
- 1 on 1 Tournament
- Hot Shot Contest
- Free Throw Contest
- Individual & Team Awards
- Free Camp T-Shirt
Registration Online at http://www.schscamps.com/
13th annual South County Golf Tournament
Attention All Community Members: The South County Athletic Booster Club and PSTO would like to invite you to participate in the 13th annual South County Golf Tournament fundraiser. This year’s tournament will be held on June 10th @ Laurel Hill Golf Club starting with lunch at 11am and a shotgun start promptly at 1pm golf. *NEW* The school-based team/club/organization with the most participation will be awarded a $2500 check towards their program! We look forwarding to seeing you out there.
https://scgolfclassic.com/
School Nutrition Account
Please remember to add money to your child’s school nutrition account. All accounts must be brought current before the end of the school year in June.
Parent Feedback Wanted on the FCPS 2020-21 School Year Calendar; Deadline to Complete Survey Is May 23
Want to weigh in on the development of FCPS' 2020-21 School Year Calendar? Now’s your chance! Earlier this week you should have received an email from fcpssurvey@fcps.edu with a link to the FCPS Calendar Survey. The survey is also available in other languages.
We encourage you to check your email for the survey and complete it at as soon as possible. The deadline to complete the survey is Thursday, May 23. FCPS employees have been invited to take a similar survey as well. The survey results will be used to inform and support FCPS staff as well as FCPS’ School Board as they work to adopt the 2020-21 calendar. All responses are confidential. If you have any questions, please email FCPSsurvey@fcps.edu.
Calendar Reminder: Schools and Offices Closed on May 27 for Memorial Day Holiday
As a reminder, schools and offices will be closed on Monday, May 27, for the Memorial Day Holiday. Classes will resume on Tuesday, May 28. See the complete 2018-19 school year calendar.
Heads Up: 2019-20 School Year Calendar Changes; Notable Dates
New Virginia legislation requires that schools opening prior to Labor Day must be closed the Friday immediately preceding Labor Day. As a result, FCPS’ 2019-20 Standard School Year Calendar has changed and Friday, August 30, is now a holiday for students. In addition, the Board voted to move the March school planning day to Tuesday, March 3, 2020, to accommodate the 2020 presidential primary.
Other notable dates include the first day of school, August 26; Thanksgiving break, November 27-29; Winter break, December 23, 2019-January 3, 2020; Spring Break, April 6-10, 2020; and the last day of school, June 12, 2020. See the 2019-20 school year calendar.
Mark Your Calendars
Monday, May 27th - Holiday/Memorial Day
Friday, June 7th - Graduation
Thursday, June 13th - Last day of School/ 2 hour day
News You Choose Submission Deadline this next week will be Thursday at noon. Please send all submissions to DBoullianne@fcps.edu.
|
