From The Principal
Family,
Can you believe that in a couple of weeks we will be at the Thanksgiving break? Well I am here to express my thanks early. I want to first thank all of you who endure these newsletters that can run on for what seems like days as I am writing them. So thank you to all of you who take a moment to humor me by writing me to tell me that you enjoy them. Your words do mean a great deal to me. I wish that I could tell you that I was giving you all a break this week and sharing a short message with you for once. Maybe next week!
Keeping with the theme of giving thanks, I want to thank the families who have entrusted their children to be with us as a part of Groups 1 – 5. I have had the opportunity to drop in on these classes and I have been impressed with the engagement of these students. They appear to be happy to be in the building with their teachers and I can say that our teachers are also happy to be with them.
I would like to further thank the Families who were able to make it up to school on Wednesday at O’Dark Thirty for the Veterans Day Ceremony. Even though we were light this year in terms of attendance, it was once again a touching event. I was honored to share a poem and then remarks that once again caused me to well up a little. I am gonna just stop speaking so that I can stop crying. A huge thanks to our local Boy Scout Troop #688 who did our flag raising, and to La'Nia White for her beautiful rendition of The Star Spangled Banner. Thank you to the parents who helped to organize the event, specifically Mrs. Elena Jordan (I’m gonna get punched in the gut for calling her out), as well as our Neighborhood Starbucks (Ox Road) for donating the coffee and hot chocolate. We are blessed to have you all as a part of the Family. I would also like to thank Mrs. Deb Boullianne for the work she continues to put in to create a visual display of our veterans. And of course thank you to all of you who shared a photograph or two of yourselves or your loved ones to be displayed. I only wish that the attendees had an opportunity to see the work Mrs. Boullianne put into creating the display. Mr. Carrington will be putting together a video of the display which we will share out in the near future. Finally I am thankful to Mother Nature who held off the rain just long enough for us to get through the ceremony before coming down like cats and dogs!
I would like to thank our teachers who have been working with our technology folks to work out some of the kinks in advance as we prepare for the grand reunion. A few of our teachers have tested out classroom setups to see what might work best for their learning environments. This is indeed extra work on top of the time they are putting in to ensure that students are getting the instruction they need. If you happened to tune into the School Board meeting this week you probably heard about the number of hours that teachers across the county are putting in. I was talking to a teacher and a parent on Friday and the teacher shared with me that in her 25+ years of teaching, she has never worked harder than she has had to this year. She can’t wait for students to return and I know that this is the sentiment of all of our teachers. And I know that the same goes for our students. Their efforts are also very much appreciated. They have provided us with much needed information and suggestions on how we can do this job better. Give both groups a huge hug if you see them. You know you have no excuses for not hugging your own children… LOL!
We are still in the hunt for classroom monitors who will be responsible for supervision only of classes where a teacher is not able to return to the building due to health concerns, but will still be delivering content from their homes. If you would like more information about these positions, please review the job description and qualifications online and apply if interested. Please feel free to share information about this opportunity with anyone else you think may be interested. Finally, if you do apply, please let me know so that we can ensure that we are able to look for you specifically when we are in the process of actually doing our hiring.
For those of you who have children involved in winter sports and co-curricular activities, we have gotten the thumbs up to continue with the plan to march forward. I am asking that you all keep your fingers crossed as we bring those participants into the building beginning this week. They are a continuation of the testing of the school environment. We will do our part to keep them safe while they are with us. We ask that you do the same on your side of the school property line so that we can invite the rest of our students into the building as soon as possible.
I am excited to announce that we are moving forward with Senior Parking Spot painting. To paint a spot, Seniors will have to pay $30 plus their cost for paint. This activity is being run through our activities office, so please check out the activities page for more information. To add to that, we likely will not be charging for parking this year. However, students will have to register their cars in order to park on school grounds. Look for more information in the near future.
Okay, as I wind this thing down, I want to speak to you from the “Daddy” voice. I heard it through the grapevine last week that over the Halloween weekend, there were allegedly a couple of parties that were had and attended by SoCo students. I know that students have this need to be around one another and I sincerely understand that. However, we have to make sure they understand the potential impacts of coming together in these social environments. Please stay in your child’s ear about how a spike could impact our building, as well as the district's plan to bring students back as a whole. I am sure that no one is intentionally putting people at risk, but any gathering without proper precautions is a potential disaster.
Alright, so I didn’t keep it as short as I thought I would have. But know that it is because I am so thankful for what you all bring to the table. Thank you again for allowing me to serve in this role, and to be able to work with you as we traverse this crazy time. Have a great rest of the weekend and please continue to be safe. Tell your children that we miss them dearly and please, if you get the chance, reach out to a teacher and tell them how much you appreciate their work. They can’t hear those words enough right now! #OneStallion
Gary
Virtual Tag Day
South County HS Performing Arts VIRTUAL Tag Day : Nov. 2-Dec. 6. We can’t knock on your door this year, but we still need your support! To donate via PayPal or Credit Card, visit: www.schsbands.org . To Mail donations, make checks payable to SCHS BAND BOOSTERS and mail to SCHS – Attn. Kevin Engdahl, 8501 Silverbrook Rd. Lorton, VA 22079. All donations directly support the SCHS Performing Arts Department. Thank you for your support. SCHS Band Boosters is a 501(c)(3) organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by the law.
SAT scheduled for Saturday, December 5
South County is now available as a testing site for the SAT on Saturday, December 5. Those who wish to register (either for the first time or to change registration to relocate to South County) may do so through College Board. For information about registration and deadlines regarding the December 5 SAT, go to https://www.collegeboard.org/.
From the Activities Office
Virtual Interest Meeting
The Activities Office is planning to hold a virtual interest meeting on November 19 at 7 p.m. for any parent and/or guardian of a student interested in trying out for Winter Sports: boys basketball, girls basketball, indoor track, wrestling, swim/dive, and gymnastics. You must fill out the pre-registration form to receive the virtual meeting link - REGISTER HERE. Topics will include: COVID-19 protocols, transportation, activity registration, schedules, tryout processes, and more!
New Online Student Registration System
Beginning Monday, November 2, FCPS activities and athletic programs will transition to a new online student registration system. This new system offers a host of benefits for schools and community members including:
- One stop shop for registering your student for athletic programs and many common activities occurring throughout the school year
- Electronic submission of the emergency care card and weight room waiver- only have to fill these out once!
- A new home for the state-mandated concussion education program
Each family will create an account, and from this account, can register their student(s) for various activity and athletic opportunities. While registering does not guarantee a spot on the team, this information will help to ensure your student is ready to go on the first day of tryouts. Students can be registered for one or more activities throughout the year and families can sign in as needed to update information.
Please note the following:
- You will still need to submit a valid VHSL Pre-participation Exam Form (physical) directly to the school prior to your student’s participation; all other requirements will be completed through this registration process.
- Families who have already submitted their concussion education verification form will be asked to verify completion again as part of the registration process. We do apologize for any inconvenience- please bear with us as we make this change
The new registration site is available here:
https://southcounty-ar.rschooltoday.com/
Yearbook Info and Links for Seniors
Senior Quotes
The yearbook is now collecting senior quotes. These quotes are run
under seniors’ pictures in the yearbook as a way to share one’s
personality. They are due on December 1. No late quotes will be
accepted.
A few things to consider:
- Students can only submit ONE TIME, so please be thoughtful of
what you submit. You can not change it once it is in.
- If there is a quote that the editorial board deems inappropriate,
if it uses bad language, or if it is questionable, the editors will
pull it.
- Lastly, the yearbook does not print websites or time stamps in
videos- so students who choose that, will not have a quote
printed.
- If you have any questions, please email Jennifer Delinski at
jldelinski@fcps.edu
All quotes should be submitted through the link below, which is
attached to your student ID
https://forms.gle/wmGZcHp8xYBS1XNy7
Senior Photos
Seniors who have not had portraits taken can do so at the
make-up sessions in late November/early December. Specific
details and notifications for those dates will be communicated
in mid-November. Further questions? Contact Lifetouch
Customer Service team at 800-445-1189.
Purchasing Yearbooks
and Senior Ads
Yearbooks and Senior Ads can be purchased online:
Yearbook
Sharing Photos
The yearbook is looking for photos! If you would like to share
photos of your activities use the link for purchasing yearbooks
(above), Click on Community Upload, and then enter the Code
SOCO2021
If you have any questions regarding yearbook or school pictures, please contact Jennifer Delinski at jldelinski@fcps.edu
Yearbook Info and Links for
Freshman-Juniors
Purchasing Yearbooks
Yearbooks can be purchased online at the link below:
Yearbook
Sharing Photos
The yearbook is looking for photos! If you would
like to share photos of your activities use the link
for purchasing yearbooks (above), Click on
Community Upload, and then enter the Code
SOCO2021
If you have any questions regarding yearbook or school pictures, please contact Jennifer Delinski at jldelinski@fcps.edu
Stallion Spirit Store (Kiosk) goes Virtual!
South County’s Stallion Spirit Store is back and now open virtually! Items are available to order online through a Google Form with invoicing to follow after order is fulfilled. All items can be shipped directly to your home for a fee or pick up can be arranged at the school. To order items, please use this link - Stallion Spirit Store.
Visit our website and please consider giving us feedback on new merchandise options!
Thank you in advance for supporting the Entrepreneurship & Marketing program as well as the Work and Transition program here at South County. The students from these programs typically work the Spirit Kiosk at lunches to build customer service skills as well as count inventory and review financial records. These work-based learning opportunities allow students to connect classroom lessons to actual scenarios. This year, the students will still review the financial records and inventory while virtual as well as create promotions and research new merchandise options.
From the Library
Curbside Pickup
Does your student need a print book for class or personal reading? South County HS Library is beginning curbside and contactless pickup of library books on Mondays 8am-4pm beginning September 28th. Please see the 24/7 Blackboard South County HS Library Course for details on how to request and pick up books. Masks must be worn when picking up books.
Virtual Librarian Support
Does your student need book recommendations, homework support, research help on assignments, or help proofreading their assignments? They can schedule a virtual meeting with one of the librarians for support. Please see the 24/7 Blackboard South County HS Library Course for details about how to schedule a time.
Please contact Emily Strong erstrong@fcps.edu or Lisa Muir lkmuir@fcps.edu with any questions.
South County Athletic Booster Club
The South County Athletic Booster Club (SCABC) has created some great ways for the community to show your STALLION PRIDE. Order now STALLION STRONG yard signs, car magnets, and HOLIDAY spirit wear clothing. You can access ordering these items via the athletics website: https://southcountyhs.rschoolteams.com/
Go Stallions!
South County Athletic Booster Club
Class Rings
Herff Jones will be on campus
November 18
3-6pm, Door #1
for you to order your class rings!
You may schedule an appt. at
https://book.appointment-plus.com/ck2jngpv/?&e_id=5313#/
Walk-ins are welcome also!
From the PTSO
PTSO Membership
Consider becoming a PTSO member! Our biggest source of financial support is membership dues. This year dues are down almost 70%. These dues are important to help fund Academic Awards, Spirit class shirts, club support and much more.
Login to https://southcountyptso.membershiptoolkit.com/home to find out more.
This same site has a calendar of PTSO/school events to which you can subscribe, lists volunteer opportunities, and lets you buy stallion walk of fame brick and car magnets.
Finally, we use several methods to keep in touch. Please follow us or sign up with at least one of the following:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoCoPTSO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthCountyHighSchoolPTSO
Support the SCHS Class of 2021 by making a purchase at the Lorton Holiday Extravaganza & Craft Show Online MarketPlace!
Please support these local businesses as you do your holiday shopping! We need ALL Stallion families to share the online MarketPlace with friends and neighbors. Please retweet and share our social media posts. We will be adding new items every day! The shop is open now through Nov 30! Go to Lorton Holiday Extravaganza and Craft Show on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/LortonHolidayExtravaganza/
All proceeds benefit the South County PTSO and Class of 2021.
2020 White House Ornaments have arrived!
SCPTSO is continuing its tradition of selling the Annual White House Ornament to benefit the All Night Grad Party. Visit https://southcountyptso.membershiptoolkit.com for online ordering. Inquiries can be directed to Jennifer Megan at JMegan2560@aol.com or Dawn Martinos at DAMartinos@fcps.edu.
Distance Learning Town Hall
The South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Distance Learning Town Hall next week, Nov 18 at 7pm. SCHS Principal Morris is among the panelists along with Karen Corbett Sanders and others.
For the community to register: Distance Learning Town Hall
Lorton Community Action Center
Help feed our families this Thanksgiving
Visit LortonAction.org to learn more about volunteering, helping a child/teen
this holiday, and our Thanksgiving and Christmas outreaches!
In Need of Help During These Difficult Times?
Do you know of someone in the area that may need help? Fairfax County has non-profits throughout the county that work in specific zip codes to help folks in need. In South County’s area, the Lorton Community Action Center (LCAC) provides food, emergency financial assistance and educational programs to help families and seniors in the community. You can learn more here: https://lortonaction.org/need-help/
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