 THE MUSTANG WEEKLY
MAY 25th, 2020
During the FCPS closure, some of our communications will continue to be sent to our community via the eNotify system. However, we want to also send out our Mustang Weekly with information specific to the SCMS community.
Dear South County Middle School Community,
We recently received guidance from FCPS regarding the protocols put in place for the pick-up of student belongings from school lockers. Throughout this process, our top priority is the safety of our students, families, and staff members. Here are the details about the process South County MS will implement for a curbside pick-up of student belongings. Additionally, if there is any student medication in our Health Room, instructions for pick-up are listed below. Students will also have the opportunity to drop off school-owned materials (library books, textbooks, cameras, instruments, etc.) on these days.
Our curbside locker item pick-up will occur on Monday, June 1 and Tuesday, June 2.
Monday, 6/1
9am – 11am – Students with last names beginning A-D
12noon – 2pm – Students with last names beginning E-K
Tuesday, 6/2
9am – 11am – Students with last names beginning L-P
12noon – 2pm – Students with last names beginning Q-Z
All student items contained in hallway lockers and PE lockers will be bagged and labeled for curbside pickup in the kiss & ride lane. Artwork and class materials may also be included. Below is an outline of the pickup process (please refer to email sent on Friday, 5/22/20 for the detailed Kiss & Ride map.):
- Students and families should arrive on their designated pickup day at any time in the time frame given.
- Drivers should enter the school campus and follow the cones/map through the kiss & ride lane
- At the radio spot, please provide to a SCMS staff member your student’s last name, first name and student ID number.
- Families will only be able to pick up the belongings of their own student(s).
- In our ongoing effort to promote healthy practices and to promote social distancing, vehicle occupants must remain inside their cars until pickup/drop-off location.
- Cars will then pull up to the pick-up spots, labeled 1, 2 and 3, and the items will be dropped at that spot for one person to get out of the car and retrieve the bag.
- If families have items to drop off (textbooks, library books, instruments, etc.), please pull around near the rock and drop the items in the designated spots
- If families have medication to pick-up from the clinic, please park in the bus loop and walk to door 1 to meet staff. Only one person should approach the medication pickup at a time, and a mask is required. Please also follow social distancing guidelines. Students who are unable to pick up their bagged items on the dates above should email their grade-level administrator to make other arrangements.
- 7th grade administrator: Jon Mitchell – jshaltermanm@fcps.edu
- 8th grade administrator: Miranda Hendershot – mehendershot@fcps.edu
Thank you for partnering with us during this unprecedented time, and for your patience during item retrieval which we are sure will be busy. If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me (pakownacki@fcps.edu) and I will respond to you as soon as I am able. I am grateful for your ongoing support and encouragement during this challenging time.
Sincerely,
Peter Kownacki, Principal
South County Middle School
@PAKownacki
SOME GOOD NEWS FROM OUR MUSTANG COMMUNITY:
Seventh graders, Akul Dixit (Red Team) and Riley Williams (Purple Team - see photo above), raised over $1,557 in April to assist the Foundation for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) with providing meals to children without access to their school meals due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Akul’s family non-profit, Magic of Mothers (MOMs), gave them the platform to capture the donations and to provide donation receipts. They collaborated virtually to design the flyer and to create a fundraising strategy. Calls, emails, and Facebook posts to family, friends, and the SCMS family allowed them to surpass their original goal of $1,000 in just a few short weeks.
If you would like to support FCPS students by donating to the Foundation for FCPS please click this link: https://fcpsfoundation.org/support-students-in-need-while-schools-are-closed/
REMINDERS FOR STUDENTS:
- Students should be checking their FCPS Gmail account (that ends in @fcpsschools.net).
- Staff email addresses and other information is posted on the SCMS web page
- More information about grading and report cards can be found in our April 27th Mustang Weekly on the main SCMS web page: https://southcountyms.fcps.edu/aggregator/sources/1
- Order your yearbook today. Supplies are limited but will be mailed directly to students. See below.
IMPORTANT DATES:
- June 1st and 2nd. Contact-less pickup of locker items. See below.
- The last day for students is June 12th.
- Virtual VIP registration – signups begin in early June. More info soon. See below.
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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, JR STREAMING THIS WEEKEND:Go to the SCMS drama web site: https://scmsdrama.org to access the links to watch on Friday, May 29th or Saturday May 30th at 7:00 p.m. .
VIRTUAL VIP SUMMER CAMP SPONSORED BY THE AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM:
The Middle School VIP program will be going virtual for the summer! During these
unprecedented times of social distancing and virtual learning, we want to offer your child a summer experience that is safe and full of fitness, friends, fun and enrichment. FCPS and Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (DNCS) have teamed up to offer a 5- week virtual program for rising 6th, 7th and 8th graders in Fairfax County. We will also be extending this invitation to our rising 9th graders to help keep them connected this summer.
Participants will have the opportunity to engage in virtual activities in the arts, music, STEM, physical fitness, cooking, games, puzzles, literature, and more – things students can do at home. The program is led by FCPS After-School Specialists and DNCS Teen/Community Center Staff.
Dates: June 29th through July 30th - Mondays through Thursdays
A mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities
- Synchronous – staff and students are online working together at the same time
- Asynchronous – activities that students can work on at any timeCost: FreeWe hope you will consider Virtual VIP this summer!
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- Registration Process: The Online Registration will be available by the beginning of June. We will send another "News You Choose" email with a link to the application. Participants will receive further details/instructions in mid-June.
- Location: Virtual
JOIN THE SOUTH COUNTY MS AFTER-SCHOOL @ HOME GOOGLE CLASSROOM:
Click this link to start: South County MS After-School @ Home
Watch for Blackboard announcements. SCMS students can access the virtual after-school activities by joining the "South County MS After-School @ Home" Google Classroom. The classroom code is: Qkj7iuo
If you or your student have ideas for other activities, please email our After-School Specialist, Chris Woodby, at cwwoodby@fcps.edu or use the "FCPS MS @ Home Interest Form" located on the classroom home page.
Be Safe! Be Active! And know that we are here for you and your family!
ESOL ONLINE SUMMER PROGRAM:
Amharic Arabic Chinese Farsi Korean Spanish Urdu Vietnamese
Join us online this summer to practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English. All Middle School and High School English Learners (levels 1-4) are invited to participate! This free program is called ESOL Language and Literacy Connections and is three weeks long. Classes will meet from June 22-July 14, 2020. Each day, you will participate in one hour of online learning with a teacher and one hour of independent work. You can choose a class in the morning or in the evening.
- Morning: 10:30am-11:30am
- Evening: 7:00pm-8:00pm
For more information and to register, contact your ESOL Teacher: Ms. Zinke at rszinke@fcps.edu and Ms. Bradinova at msbradinova@fcps.edu. We hope to see you!
ESOL SUMMER SCHOOL FLYER:
Summer School Flyer( English) Summer School Flyer (Spanish)
Summer School Flyer (Arabic)
PTSO NEWS:
Congratulations to the incoming board of the 2020-21 SCMS PTSO!
VP, 8th Grade: Lizbeth White
VP, 7th Grade: Amy Griffith
Treasurer: Jeannette Liu
Secretary: Catherine Apergis
The President position is still vacant and the incoming board will discuss the next steps. The 8th VP will serve as acting President until a President is appointed.
YEARBOOK UPDATE:
As the world adjusts to change, one thing that remains constant is the yearbook tradition. The 2020 yearbook will capture the story of our unique school year. Copies are limited! Please order your yearbook online. Now, more than ever, is a great time to buy a yearbook at Jostens.com! The price is still $40. Please contact Ms. Bolton at jrbolton@fcps.edu with questions.
All yearbooks will be mailed directly to students from Jostens. ORDER
www.jostens.com
ARE YOU MOVING SOON?
Parents, if you know that your student will be moving before the end of the school year, please contact the registrar, Ms. Perper, to complete the withdrawal process. Students must be officially withdrawn in order to send records to their new school. You may contact Ms. Perper at slperper@fcps.edu.
A MESSAGE FROM SOUTH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL’S ACTIVITIES OFFICE:
Click the link below for information regarding fall athletics at South County High School.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd0j9FVs_44
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES:
Students may continue to reach out to their counselors via email for support. Please check the SCMS website for counselors’ email addresses.
Numerous resources have been developed to support families, including the Healthy Minds Blog, Student Voice videos, and a Learning from Home webpage for families. Please click on this link to review resources for families regarding school-based social emotional learning and wellness resources during distance learning: Social-Emotional and Wellness Resources for Families.
CRISIS HOTLINE:
Students and families may use the PRS CrisisLink Phone Line: 800-273-TALK (8255), text “CONNECT” to 855-11, or use Lifeline Chat: SuicidePreventionLifeline.org/chat for after-hours assistance with mental health issues. The lines are safe, confidential and manned 24/7.
We encourage you to visit our school website frequently for updates and announcements. For more detailed information on all school matters, please visit our website at http://www.fcps.edu/southcountyms/
To update or modify your News You Choose preferences, please visit https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/VAEDUFCPS/subscriber/new?qsp=VAEDUFCPS_1
Parents of FCPS students may update contact information online through weCare@School http://www.fcps.edu/news/wecare.shtml a feature of FCPS Learning (Blackboard) or by contacting the Student Information Office at SCMS to have the contact information updated in the student information system.
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