From the Principal:
Family,
Thanks to everyone who attended the Vaping and Other Drugs presentation put on by the PTSO on Wednesday evening. There was a great deal of information that was shared and I am sure that so many walked out of the presentation with tons of knowledge. Our Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist along with our School Resource Officer were on hand to share some of the latest information about vaping and other drugs. We had a special guest to join us as well. The Demand Reduction Outreach Coordinator from the office of the DEA also shared information with us. I want to thank those parents who were willing to share their experiences and their questions about their concerns. We are all much smarter about this increasingly dangerous topic and are better armed to protect our students. The plan is to replicate the presentation some time in the spring, so be on the lookout for that information.
Here is something that I could really use your assistance on. For the purposes of safety and security, we are a no head gear school which includes hats, hoodies, doo rags, etc. unless for religious or medical reasons. We have been experiencing an uptick in students disregarding this policy. This can at times result in a power struggle between students and staff which then can disallow a relationship to be built later. While we understand that this can be seen as a very petty rule by some of our students, it is a policy that we have to enforce so that we are able to identify students on the fly when necessary. So, if you wouldn’t mind, please have the conversation with your child about the necessity of this rule and please ask them not to wear their head gear inside the school building.
We had another good conversation at the parent coffee on Friday. Our numbers were up/down from previous coffees. I hope that you all are at the very least feeling welcomed to come out and speak with us. The time that we hold them surely isn’t ideal for those of us with bills and children to feed, but I want to make sure that you at least feel as though you are welcome to attend and be a part of some of these conversations. If it is that you can’t take the morning off, then please try to make it out to the next evening coffee which will be some time in the spring. Please look for this in the PTSO parent letter and my communications prior to the event.
We had another week of our students showing off their talents as the band, chorus, and guitar ensembles all put on winter concerts on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. I can say for sure that the work our students put in to prepare to perform must be endless because they sounded absolutely amazing. A huge thanks to those who were able to come out and support these students as well as the teachers. And thanks to the teachers and boosters who give their time to ensure the students have everything they need to put on incredible shows.
As I shared at the parent coffee, days of academic emphasis where teachers have conversations with their students to discuss what their next course could be, is right around the corner. Please begin to have these conversations with your children. Please create a safe space during that conversation so that they can be comfortable about being honest about limits, fears, or even aspirations they may have as it pertains to what they feel they can or cannot do. We want to expose our students to rigorous content so that they are prepared, but we definitely don’t want them to over extend themselves and find themselves having to pull out of courses next year that were completely over their heads. Know that we will be encouraging them to expand their learning no matter where they are.
Finally, I would like to thank the PTSO for their tireless efforts in putting together the Craft Fair this weekend. These folks have been in school preparing for this event almost as much as the students have been. I think I may have asked a few of them if they were in the halls without a pass mistakenly a few times. Seriously, this is always a great event and they ensured that there was something for everyone and the energy in which they expended to put this together this year is truly worth noting. Thank you all for another week of me living the dream. It's never all perfect, but it's always “all good”. Have a great rest of your weekend, and stay warm! #OneStallion
Gary
Yearbooks
Looking for the perfect holiday gift?
Give your student the gift of Memories!
Have you bought your yearbook yet? Buy before the end of the year and save $10. All pre-sale books must be bought online at www.yearbookforever.com. Presales end in March. Type in South County High School and follow the prompts.
SENIOR PARENTS- Senior ads must be bought by March. Get yours today before space runs out. Remember, ads can be bought for individual seniors or for friends/groups. Ads should be bought online at www.yearbookforever.com.
Questions? Contact Ms. Delinski at jldelinski@fcps.edu.
Attendance Office
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.
It's never to early to let us know about absences or early dismissals
for the fast approaching Winter Break!
Important Upcoming Dates:
December 20 FULL SCHOOL DAY
December 23-January 5 Winter Break/Offices Closed
January 20 Holiday/Martin Luther King Holiday
January 24 End of 2nd Quarter
January 27 Student Holiday (Teacher Workday)
January 28 Student Holiday (Staff Development Day)
February 17 Holiday/President's Day
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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 next week will be Thursday at noon. Please send all submissions to DBoullianne@fcps.edu.
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