In this issue:
- From The Principal
- Select Digital Resources
- Schoology
- PSAT/NMSQT Testing
- Masking
- Class of 2022 Parent Information Session
- Activity Office News
- From The PTSO
- Stallion Spirit Store
- Emergency Care Information
- FCPS Cares
From The Principal
Family,
Week one is in the books and as a staff we are looking at how things have gone inside the building. Next week, I will be sharing a survey with you all to let us know your perspective on how things have gone. I want to thank you all for the support we have received so far. Each of you are very much appreciated.
It has come to our attention that we are handing out a number of masks to students as they enter the building. While I don’t mind and will provide students with masks if they need them for the protection of our students and staff, we cannot continue to do this at the rate that we are doing so. Another issue related to this is that if they are not wearing masks when they arrive, they are in many cases in cars and possibly on busses without a mask which puts others at risk.
Please strongly encourage your child to keep their masks on them. If we are in the position where we were out of masks, we could not allow your child to be in school. I thank you in advance for your cooperation.
The first week is the first week and with that comes the first week issues. The issue that I need to address with you all is that we truly need your support in following the appropriate traffic patterns in our parking lot. I understand that many of you are dropping your child off in an attempt to have them in a “safer environment” than being on the bus. Or that you really need to give them that hug and kiss before going on your way each morning. In any instance, it is imperative that we obey the traffic patterns and abide by the appropriate areas to drop your child off.
We have an official “Kiss-N-Ride” area for Families to drop off their students. Please use this. I truly understand that at times it can be a wait, but having the additional cars in the parking lot many new and along with many inexperienced teen drivers can create problems. Please do not park in student parking spaces. Students and Families have paid for these parking spaces and it can be frustrating to arrive at school and not have their parking spaces available to them.
I had a conversation with our department chairs and we have determined that on September 9th, we will have Schoology sites up and ready for parent purposes. Students will of course be able to navigate the Schoology sites immediately.
Along the lines of Schoology, if your child is in the unfortunate situation where they cannot be in school, they would be able to see what has gone on in class through their Schoology sites. This will allow them to keep up on content that is being covered daily. Teachers will also have either a calendar of upcoming activities or information to be covered, or some form of a pacing guide that will provide the same information.
Family, one of the battles we have annually, twice a year is around the dress code. It usually happens in the beginning of the year and at the end of the year. The matter revolves around the portion of the SR&R that states:
Clothing and accessories should not:
• Display vulgar, discriminatory, or obscene language or images
• Promote illegal or violent conduct
• Contain threats or gang symbols
• Promote the unlawful use of weapons, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or drug paraphernalia
• Expose private parts or show an excessive amount of bare skin (see-through clothing)
The latter bullet point is the one we are having to deal with most at the present time. We have addressed this matter with the student body, and I wanted to ensure I reached out to you all as well. Please encourage your child to abide by this policy so that all of our focus can remain on instruction and our culture of Family in our building.
We have received a number of calls to the attendance office or to the assistant principals from Families who have a student who has been required to remain home due to a possible COVID exposure asking when their child may return. Unfortunately (and actually thankfully) that is not our call here at the school level. Only the Health Department can verify your child’s vaccination status or to release them to be able to come back to school.
We are looking for monitors again this year to assist around the building in a variety of ways. If you are interested in serving as a monitor, please contact me.
Thank you once again for sending your children to us and entrusting us to care for and educate them. We are back at it tomorrow and we look forward to the task. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and please continue to take care and be safe! #OneStallion
Gary
Consent for Select Digital Resources
SCHS Families, We Need Your Consent for Select Digital Resources:
At South County High School our teachers will use a variety of digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. You can find our school’s list of the resources that require parental consent here: Digital Resources at South County High School. Additionally, you can find more information about approved digital resources in FCPS here: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/digital-resources.
Included on this page is the link to the Parental Consent form where the enrolling parent or guardian will need to indicate whether or not their student is allowed to use the list of digital resources this year. If you need support with filling out the parental consent web form, please access How to fill out the application permission form.
Schoology
We have distributed the majority of laptops to our students, many students are now beginning to access their Schoology accounts. Schoology is FCPS’ newly adopted learning management system which serves as a learning space that enhances face-to-face and distance learning through communication, collaboration, and personalized learning.
All students have a Schoology account where they will access classroom materials, assignments, class/school-based announcements, and much more. All parents/guardians must have a Parentvue account set up first and then the same username and password can be used to access their Schoology Account. Visit the Schoology Parent/Guardian Resource Kit , to learn how to log into your Schoology account and to access basic navigation features.
Below are some additional video resources to demonstrate what parents/guardians can see and do in Schoology – if you are able, please take a moment to view them:
Parents/Families Video: Welcome to Schoology
Schoology Support Video: What do Parents/Guardians See in Schoology
Testing Corner
From: South County High School
Sent to: All Parents of Rising Tenth and Eleventh Grade Students
Subject: PSAT/NMSQT Testing
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is pleased to announce plans to offer the Preliminary SAT (PSAT)/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) to students in grades 10-11 this fall. The test will be administered on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, and will be free of charge to enrolled FCPS students. A PSAT/NMSQT Testing Notification letter is posted online. The purpose of this letter is to provide general information about the PSAT/NMSQT School Day opportunity.
The PSAT/NMSQT is a standardized test that measures mathematics and evidence-based reading and writing. The test focuses on reasoning skills, knowledge, and comprehension. It is designed to promote college readiness while preparing students for college entrance assessments. Information about test content and format can be found on the College Board PSAT/NMSQT webpage (https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/inside-the-test/key-features). The PSAT/NMSQT is co-sponsored by the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. While only students in grade 11 are eligible to compete for National Merit Scholarships, students in grade 10 who take the PSAT/NMSQT gain excellent practice for the PSAT/NMSQT in grade 11 and the SAT college entrance assessment.
- Students will NOT need to register for the test in advance – a test will be available to every 10th and 11th grader at South County High School on October 13.
- Information on activities for 9th graders for October 13th will be forthcoming.
- PSAT/NMSQT administration begins in the morning, according to regular school start times.
- High school academy courses are not held on October 13; high school academy staff will support base school activities, and all high school shuttles are cancelled on this date.
- FCPS transportation is available to all students who regularly use FCPS bus transportation.
We will share exam day schedules and additional details in the coming weeks. If you have questions about the PSAT/NMSQT administration at South County High School, please contact Chris Bird, SCHS School Test Coordinator, at cwbird@fcps.edu or at 703-446-1643.
Masking
We begin the new school year with a mask requirement in place for everyone indoors on school properties and buses. Any student who does not comply with the mask requirement, and is not exempt from the requirement as outlined in Regulation 2109.1, will not be allowed to participate in face-to-face learning. Students who refuse to attend school due to a refusal to wear a mask, will receive an unexcused absence. Intentional removal of or refusal to wear a face covering will be treated as a violation of the FCPS dress code policy (Regulation 2613).
Please talk with your child before school begins about the importance of wearing masks at school to protect each other against the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, and the consequences of refusing to wear a mask. I appreciate your help in encouraging students to do their part to contribute to a safe school environment.
Class of 2022 Parent Information Session
Senior parents, mark your calendars! Wednesday, September 1st, at 7 p.m. Student Services will be hosting a Class of 2022 parent information session. The program will be virtual over Zoom. The link and more details will be provided in the near future. This program covers much of the same information that counselors will be going over with our 12th grade students during Advisory that same week. We will discuss the various components of the college application process and other post-secondary planning topics. We look forward to working with your seniors throughout this year as their plans come into focus.
Activity Office News
All Access Pass
The South County Athletic Booster Club (SCABC) is excited to share with you that we have merged what we formally called "Booster Passes" with the new digital ticketing system, E-Tickets. Now available online is our 2021 - 2022 All-Access passes for the upcoming school year! This pass(es) purchase will give you admission to ALL home regular season athletic events. Please click the link below to check out which package is right for you, your student(s), and family.
All-Access Passes: https://www.etix.com/ticket/m/5817/south-county-athletics
Once you purchase your pass(es), you will receive an eight-digit personalized code to redeem the number of purchased tickets to any scheduled home regular-season event for the upcoming school year. You may redeem your tickets by visiting South County's home E-tickets page - https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/18639/south-county-high-school-athletics
All this information and more is located on South County's Athletic Home Page - www.stallionnation.com.
From the PTSO
Hello Stallion Family! We hope you all had a wonderful first week of school! We are excited to connect with you and have some fun this year! Would you please join us?
Please click here to learn more about us.
Please click here to join the PTSO.
We also have several volunteer opportunities available. If you have any questions, please email pres@southcountyptso.org.
Please click here to sign up for a PTSO Committee.
Please click here to sign up for The All Night Grad Party (ANGP) Committee.
Finally, we use several methods to keep in touch; please follow us or sign up with at least one of the following.
Our app: Look for "Membership Toolkit" in the Apple Store or Google Play Store. This is an amazing app that allows you to look at any email the PTSO sends out plus their calendar of events.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoCoPTSO
PTSO general page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthCountyHighSchoolPTSO/
PTSO Military Connections on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2103122980014708/
Save the dates:
General membership meeting Monday, September 13 at 7 pm in the school library.
All Night Grad Party (ANGP) meeting Wednesday, September 15 at 7 pm in the school library.
Parent Principal Chat (for freshmen parents & new parents) Friday, September 17 at 9 am in the Cafeteria.
Parent Principal Chat (All parents) Friday, October 1 at 9 am in the Cafeteria.
Fall Festival Craft Fair Saturday, September 25 between 9-2, school parking lot
Announcements:
The Lorton Fall Festival & Craft Show presented by the South County PTSO is open for vendor applications. The event will be held outside in the Bus Parking area on Sept. 25, 9a-2p. Rain date is Sept 26. Direct marketers and those who DO NOT make handcrafted items are asked to email craft@southcountyptso.org BEFORE registering. We are filling up fast so DO NOT DELAY!
The registration link: https://southcountyptso.membershiptoolkit.com/form/m/152281
If you are interested in sponsoring the event, "Stallion Supporter" sponsorships are available to local businesses for $300. For more info, email SCHSCraftShow@gmail.com
SoCo Merchandise Available at the Stallion Spirit Store Website, Kiosk and Vending Machine!
South County’s Stallion Spirit Store has a variety or ways you can purchase items for the school year. We have a website where you can browse our spirit wear and find a PDF Order Form for download; invoicing for payment on MySchoolBucks will be sent after your order is fulfilled. You can also find our kiosk in the cafeteria during lunches on odd days (5th period) as well as in the gym lobby by way of a retail vending machine!
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, review financial records and create promotional plans. These work-based learning opportunities allow students to connect classroom lessons to actual scenarios.
Update Your Emergency Care Information Through weCare@school
Fairfax County Public Schools is committed to ensuring that the climate in all FCPS facilities is safe and secure. In support of this goal, FCPS provides weCare@school (weCare), an emergency care information system, available to FCPS parents and guardians who have registered for their own Parent account.
weCare helps manage emergency medical information by enabling parents to enter and update their children’s medical data at their convenience online. Contact information provided automatically enrolls parents to receive eNotify communications from the district and their child’s school. eNotify is the communications tool for FCPS emergency, attendance, and essential outreach messages. Messages are sent via email, telephone, and text messages.
Get more information about updating your emergency care information.
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. See how you can acknowledge an FCPS employee who has gone above and beyond.
|
