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September 28th, 2020
The Mustang Newsletter
Dear SCMS families,
We had another great week of learning at South County Middle School! It is hard to believe that September is coming to an end. We continue to be encouraged by the innovative instructional practices exemplified by our teachers and how students are supporting and collaborating with each other in the virtual learning environment.
This week SCMS celebrates the retirement of our beloved Administrative Assistant, Maria Perry on September 30! Maria is a charter member of the Mustang family, serving our community since the school’s founding in 2012. Her dedication, humor and organization helped to create the warm and welcoming culture that is synonymous with South County Middle School. We are fortunate to have worked with her and better as a school because of her contributions. We will truly miss her seeing her every day but wish her well in the next steps of her adventure! Please join me in thanking Maria for everything she has done for South County Middle School over the past 8 years. Her contributions are immeasurable!
I welcome your feedback, suggestions and questions. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me.
Sincerely,
Peter Kownacki
Principal
@pakownacki
Upcoming Dates:
- October 11th. Monday. School Planning Day. Student holiday. No school for students.
- October 30th. End of first quarter. Two-hour early release.
- November 2nd. School Planning Day. No school for students.
- November 3rd. Teacher Workday. No School for students.
- November 11th. Two- hour early release. Veteran’s Day
- November 25th-27th (Wed-Thurs-Fri) Thanksgiving Holiday. No school for staff or students.
MONDAY PROCEDURES:
All SCMS students will connect with teachers each Monday by noon. This is a required activity for all students! Students will connect/check in either by attending the 8:00-8:30 AM Check and Connect session (via link from 3rd period teacher) or by filling out the Google question they received from their 3rd period teacher. Each Monday teachers will share important school announcements and check in with students to support their learning for the week. Teachers at SCMS are asked to enter all student attendance by noon on Mondays so we ask that each student check in with their teachers by noon as well.
Individual teachers will hold additional office hours for student support Mondays. Students should check their teachers' schedules and procedures for attending office hours.
SIS Weekly Progress Reports to Parents Set to Start Monday, 10/5/20
Due to the delayed school opening and virtual start, SIS weekly progress reports to parents are now set to begin on Monday, October 5, 2020. Please note this is a change from the original start date of September 21, 2020; therefore, middle and high schools may want to include the following notification and instructions for parents in their newsletters:
If you have registered for SIS ParentVUE and have a primary email address recorded in ParentVUE, you can receive your student’s Weekly Progress Report via email. For the 2020-21 school year, Weekly Progress Reports are scheduled to begin on Monday, October 5, 2020. This report provides a summary of your student’s grades for the current quarter. To activate the Weekly Progress Reports via email, login to your SIS ParentVUE account and verify that you have a primary email address within the system. It is listed under the “My Account” tab.
If it is blank, enter the email address where you would like to receive the progress reports, and click on “Update account.” Once your email is confirmed, return to the “My Account” tab to activate and select your preferences for receiving these reports. Emails will be sent according to your selected preferences. Weekly Progress Reports for all of your middle and high school students will be included in one email. For additional help, refer to the quick reference guide for FCPS parents/guardians.
Parents can also access student grades through ParentVUE via the Grade Book tab.
SCMS Library Offering Curbside Pickup:
Readers rejoice! Students can now check out books to take home from the South County Library. We're offering curbside pickup every Monday from 7:30-10:30 AM and 3:30-6:30 PM. Requests are made in advance: books selected by Thursday night will be ready the following Monday. Students must log into our library catalog (instructions here) with their fcpsschools account to place a hold.
All pickups will take place at the school, so be sure students can get a ride or can get there independently. Curbside will take place behind the school at Entrance 6, and we'll have signs out to help direct you. Books can also be returned to the school during curbside hours.
Go Paperless Report Card Option:
Parents click on GO PAPERLESS in ParentVUE to get your online report card. Please log into ParentVUE, then go to “My Account” and select "Go Paperless". This will not impact other FCPS mailings. Parents who do not choose this option or who have not yet set up their ParentVue account will continue to receive a paper copy of their child’s report card by mail this year.
Grab and Go Food Sites and Breakfast Bus Routes:
All FCPS students (regardless of age) are eligible for free grab and go breakfast and lunch, as well as other county children, under the age of 18. Adults picking up meals for children should let staff know how many children meals they need. Adults may pay $2 for the meals as well. The service will be available Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM only.
New for this fall: breakfast and lunch meals for Saturdays will be distributed at all sites and bus routes each Friday.
South County area Grab and Go centers are Burke School, Lorton Station ES, Oak View ES, South County High School.
In addition, FCPS has some breakfast bus routes set up for students in some areas. Please click on this link to see bus routes for the South County Community Service time for buses are between 6:00 and 8:30 AM.
https://www.fcps.edu/return-school/food/bus
Parent and Student Technology Support Portal:
To support families who are working with their children during distance learning, FCPS has launched a Parent Technology Help Desk. The help desk can be reached at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS) and will be answered by staff members between 7:00 AM and 11 PM seven days a week.
FCPS has also set up a Parent and Student Technology Portal at https://itweb.fcps.edu/itsupport/ to allow older students and parents/guardians to request technology help directly. When a support ticket is entered through the portal, it is auto-routed to the Tech Team at the appropriate site to expedite service.
Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology
APPLICATION DATE CHANGE: Thomas Jefferson’s application availability will move from August 31st to September 14th, 2020. The window will be open for three weeks until October 2nd instead of September 25th. This change reflects the shift of school opening on September 8. As any other changes become available, we will advise you on our school website and other news email to families. You may always check TJ’s website, https://www.fcps.edu/registration/thomas-jefferson-admissions for current information.
SCMS Thomas Jefferson HS Liaison: Jennice Johnson: JLJohnson2@fcps.edu
QUICK LINKS:
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/
For further information on planning and events sponsored by the PTSO, please visit their website at http://www.scmsptso.org/
Parents of FCPS students may update contact information online through weCare@School http://www.fcps.edu/news/wecare.shtml, a feature of FCPS 24-7 Learning (Blackboard) or by contacting the student information officer at their child’s school to have the contact information updated in the student information system.
The News You Choose subscription service is a self-subscribing, self-updating, and self-unsubscribing service. To update your contact information and/or topic selections, or to unsubscribe, go to http://www.fcps.edu/kit/index.shtml#update for instructions. Schools and offices cannot update or delete subscribers.
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