From the Principal
Family,
Well it is only a few more days until we reach the Thanksgiving Holiday Break. The South County staff has been working diligently to make sure that students are in a good place as we head into the stretch of disrupted days of school. We hope that you and your family are able to enjoy time with family and friends over the next week.
Wednesday afternoon I accepted an invitation from one of our Key Club advisors to come in and see the work being done by the club members. Despite the middle school students not coming on this day, we had 100+ students in the cafeteria creating, painting, and sorting winter holiday decorations that will be donated to families in need. It warmed my heart to see our students working together happily for others. If your student is looking for a way to give back to others, this club is an excellent place to start. I want to thank those students already involved for their spirited efforts on Wednesday afternoon, and for living out what it means to be a South County Stallion.
To add on to the “club” topic, I was also excited to hear from our FCA sponsor that we had 39 students to show up at the flag pole on Tuesday. The InterFaith club reported that they had to move their meeting out of a classroom and into the cafeteria because of the number of students who attended the meeting. These are signs that our students are finding awesome ways to interact and share their voices.
I hope that you had time this week to come up to the school to see our talented students perform in our fall play, Radium Girls! Mrs. Rumberger and the students have been working extra hard to put on fine performances. Mrs. Rumberger shared with us that:
- Cast members/stage management has been in rehearsals 3 times a week since the third week of September.
- Since last week, students have put in about 40 hours of work outside of the regular school day so they’re essentially working a full-time job while also balancing being a student.
- In addition to 20 cast members, roughly 30 students are helping out behind the scenes on run or sound crew, hair and makeup, etc.
This is an incredible effort and I know that they are so proud of their work. I had the pleasure of attending the 2:00pm show on Saturday, and I was blown away with the show! If you happen to see a cast or stage management member, please be sure to congratulate them on their impressive work!
Just a little bit of business here. In an attempt to arm you with some facts, the South County Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist (SAPS) and our School Resource Officer (SRO) in concert with our PTSO, will be presenting information on Vaping and Other Drugs on December 4th here at South County High School in the Library at 7:00pm. This presentation is open to parents only, but also to adults in our pyramid. I hope to see you there.
I don’t write this to say that everything is always moving in the right direction at South County every day, because I get my fair share of “concerns” to come across my desk. But I can say that the efforts put forth every day by our staff and students are done so with the proper intentions in mind. And because we do believe in the work we are doing, and our students, your children, are by in large buying in, I am THANKFUL for what is happening within these walls.
I will not be sending a message out next week. So take care of yourselves, and each other and know that we are THANKFUL for this opportunity to work alongside you and your children. Have an awesome Thanksgiving Holiday break. #OneStallion
Attendance Office
THANKSGIVING Attendance
If you already know your student will not be here in the days leading up to or after Thanksgiving or even an early dismissal during those days, please don't wait. Send those notes in now. This will alleviate the strain on our attendance office and will assist you in making sure your child's attendance is marked correctly and expediently. Thank-you for your assistance!
Early Dismissals
Please send a note with your student in the morning to give to the Attendance Office, first thing upon arrival, so that they can receive a pass for an early dismissal. Phones calls should be reserved for sickness, late arrivals, and unscheduled events. Not only does this ensure your student will dismissed on time but it also does not interrupt instructional time for other students as the pass is delivered. Please be considerate of all students.
From the PTSO
Vaping Information Night—December 4
Save the date—the PTSO is hosting a vaping information night on December 4, at 7pm in the library. See the attached flyer for details.
White House ornaments
We sell White House ornaments for less than you will find in most places—only $20. You can order now and pick up at the Craft Show on December 7, or they can be delivered earlier in the immediate area. These make great gifts! Ornaments can be ordered here: Http://bit.ly/WHO19
Parent Coffee with the Principal—December 6
There will be an informal coffee for parents with Principal Gary Morris on Friday, December 6 at 9am in the cafeteria. Coffees usually run for about an hour.
Volunteer hours for students (and adults)—on the weekends
Service hours are available to high school and middle school students. The Lorton Holiday Extravaganza & Craft Show at South County needs help with distributing flyers at local craft events. Hour-long slots are available almost every weekend.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0949acaf2baafd0-publicity
Craft Show Volunteers Needed on Day of Show
Our annual craft show is just 2 weeks away! We need help with set up the night before the show, as well as help during the day of the show. Some slots are suitable for high school volunteers. Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d4ca5ab29aafb6-ptso1 Thanks!
PTSO Academic Award Winners
Congratulations to all of the South County students who received a PTSO Academic Award at the ceremony in October! The awards recognize those students who achieved an annual GPA of 3.8 or more during the 2018-19 academic year. If you are a Sophomore or Junior and were not able to attend the ceremony, please pick up your award from Holly Biehl in the College & Career Services Center as soon as possible. If you are a Senior, awards will be presented at the Senior Awards ceremony in June. The PTSO thanks the Administration and the volunteers for their help with this event.
4th Annual Candy Cane Fun Run
Registration is open for the 4th Annual Candy Cane Fun Run. Kids are invited to join Santa on the football field on Dec. 7. The Lorton VFD will bring Santa in on one of their fire trucks to kick off the race. Registration includes free admission to the Holiday Extravaganza for each a runner and an adult. Spread the word about the Fun Run to all your friends and neighbors with kids 12 and under. Proceeds benefit the South County Swim and Dive team. Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/candy-cane-kids-fun-run-2019-tickets-75843192029
South County Crew
SOCO Crew Holiday Wreath Fundraiser
Who couldn't use a jump start on holiday shopping and gift giving? South County Crew Club is making it easy for you this year! All you have to do is go to: https://ThreeRiversFundraising.com/fund/sccrew-wreath2019
Support your crew team & have wreaths, garland, swags and more delivered to your door! These also make beautiful gifts to send to your friends, neighbors, and family too! It really doesn't get any easier than this! Be sure to submit your order by November 30!
Santa's Book Emporium
South County Crew is collecting all genre of new and like new books for Santa's Book Emporium at the Lorton Holiday Extravaganza & Craft Show at South County High School. It's so easy to donate! Simply bring it to the Santa's Emporium drop off boxes located outside the main office at the high school. We are also accepting donations of baskets and ribbon to use as packaging as well as coffee mugs, hot cocoa, coffee, tea, bookmarks etc. If you need to arrange for an alternate donation pick up, or have any other questions, please send an email to: sococrewbookemporium@gmail.com.
Follow South County Crew on social media! @rowsocorow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Thank you for your support!
Important Upcoming Dates:
November 27-December 1 Thanksgiving Holiday
December 23-January 5 Winter Break
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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. |
News You Choose Submission Deadline this next week will be Tuesday at noon. Please send all submissions to DBoullianne@fcps.edu.
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