In this issue:
- From The Principal
- FLE Opt-Out
- Schoology
- Senior Pictures Announcement & Yearbooks
- Lorton Fall Festival & Craft Fair
- TAG Day
- Select Digital Resources
- PSAT/NMSQT Testing
- Activity Office News
- From The PTSO
- SOCO Gold Out
- Stallion Spirit Store
- Emergency Care Information
- FCPS Cares
From the Principal
Family,
I want to open with a huge thanks to everyone for helping us to keep a very safe and healthy school over the past two weeks. The challenges that COVID has manifested as a huge distraction and had not allowed us to focus on the things we really want to as it relates to instruction. But I am happy to report that we experienced a week free of new COVID cases. On top of that, the Health Department has closed out all of our previous cases. You are a big part of this success through your conversations with your children about what might be the most appropriate actions your child can take while out and about, as well as making sure that the vast majority of our students have been vaccinated. Thank you.
Building off of this, you may have already received information from our district offices informing you that beginning on September 25th, students who have been paused for an extended period of time, on or before the 3rd consecutive day out of school, that child’s teacher will either allow for live streaming into their classroom during whole class instruction, or will record and post any whole class instruction. Please know this is only for students who have been paused for COVID-related reasons at this time.
I would like to thank parents of our 9th graders who were able to come into the building on Friday for the Freshmen Parent’s Principal Chat. It was a great time to have some time to speak with them and to answer questions they had. I am looking forward to our next chat which will be open to all parents. Please be on the lookout for information concerning upcoming opportunities to pepper your favorite high school principal with questions in the near future from me or Ms. Ann Wilikie, our PTSO president.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have come together to work on the upcoming Lorton Fall Festival & Craft Show. The PTSO has been joined by the South County Crew Team and Swim & Dive Team to put together a fantastic day of events. And the local community has gotten involved too! The South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce is holding a donation drive to re-stock the pantry at LCAC and the Emma Jordon Kids Fighting Cancer Foundation will host a Gold Out booth. Even Santa couldn't miss this great community event! He's making an early appearance this year since he couldn't visit last year. The Lorton Fire Volunteer Fire Department is sure to catch your attention when they deliver Santa with lights and sirens blaring. I hope everyone comes out to support this great fundraiser and community event!
Thank all of you for your cooperation and flexibility during the crisis we had involving the unfortunate image that had been posted on social media last week. I received some very good feedback about how I could have communicated better with our community and believe me I take it all to heart and will apply it should we be faced with anything like this in the future. As I have shared in the past, your voice is critical in the development of our culture and the direction our school travels. I also wanted to state that we had a number of students who did exactly what we needed them to do along the lines of reporting the matter to a trusted adult. Thank you for your support of your children.
I am going to need some additional conversations had with your children around this Tik Tok “mess” that is happening. For those of you who aren’t among the cool kids, there has been a challenge put out to students to steal school items from school and to then post their bounty online. Over the course of the last couple of weeks, we have experienced vandalism mostly in our bathrooms where soap dispensers have been pulled from the walls, or toilet paper has been taken from the bathroom stall. All of this creates a very unhealthy environment for our students and staff. If you find that your home is the new home for something that looks like school property, please return that item to school. We cannot afford to have our students’ health be at risk due to a prank. Any assistance you can provide to help us keep our building safe is appreciated.
I am going to wrap things up there and ask that you take a moment to smile at your child today and walk away. The curiosity will only make them ask why, and then you can get close to them and sneak in a hug. We all need one these days. Thanks again for all you do. I will chat with you again next week!
#OneStallion
Gary
Schoology
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
Family Life Education (FLE) Opt-Out Forms
If you wish to opt your student out of FLE, please fill out the appropriate form and return it to the subschool 1/2 at South County High School.
Senior Announcements and Yearbooks
Senior Quotes
Senior quotes are due NO LATER than November 23. Once submitted, they will be looked over by editors. We will not accept links, time stamps, or any questionable material that is not school appropriate. Students can only submit ONE time and cannot change their quotes once submitted. To submit your quote, use the google link below:
https://forms.gle/TgJwBSmRjeLnpso49
Senior Portraits- New Dates
We would like to apologize for the confusion regarding senior portraits. Lifetouch has added more dates for portraits over the next three months. The new dates to get portraits taken (for the yearbook and to buy) are as follows:
October 16, 23,30 - Multipurpose Room - Door #13
November 6, 13, - Multipurpose Room - Door #13
December 1, 2, 3, 11- Multipurpose Room- Door #13
To register, visit https://prestigeportraits.com.
Students will need an eight digit code they received in the mail to register (if you do not have your code, please email jldelinski@fcps.edu).
Students who have previously taken a photo and want to schedule a retake, should email crocca@lifetouch.com
Purchasing Senior Ads and/or Yearbooks for 2021-2022
Yearbooks and senior ads can be purchased online at https://yearbookforever.com/
Yearbooks for 2020-2021
If you would like to buy a yearbook for the 2020-2021 year, you may bring $85 to Jennifer Delinski in room D108 to purchase a book.
If you pre-ordered a book last year but did not pick it up, please see Jennifer Delinski in room D108.
Picture Retakes
Underclassmen-- Picture retakes will be on October 28 during advisory.
Lorton Fall Festival & Craft Show
Get An Early Start to Your Holiday Shopping
While Supporting the Class of 2022!
More than 50 craft vendors and artisans will offer their one-of-a-kind handcrafted items for sale at the Lorton Fall Festival & Craft Show, an outdoor market in the bus parking lot at South County High School on Saturday, September 25.
Santa will be making an early visit to Lorton this year! The Lorton Volunteer Fire Department will bring Santa to the Festival on a fire truck at 9:20a! He will hang out for the Candy Cane Kids Fun Run at 9:30a, a run sponsored by the South County Swim & Dive Team - register for the Run here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/167483600959
Following the run, Santa will be available for socially distanced photos with children from 10a-12n. My Yard Greetings has graciously donated a beautiful sign so parents can take their kids’ photos with Santa!
We have many opportunities to volunteer including students to earn service hours. Please go to the signup genius link here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0949acaf2baafd0-lorton
We also need gift baskets for our raffle. Please go to the signup genius link here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D4EABAB2D6-fall
Additional Lorton Fall Festival & Craft Show Events 9a-2p
-
Santa's Book Emporium -featuring gift baskets and bundle of used books, benefitting the South County Crew Team
-
Greetings for the Troops - write and color a greeting to be sent to deployed US Military troops. Hosted by the SCHS Military Connected Youth
- Decorate a pumpkin (for donation) at the Emma Jordon Kidz Fighting Cancer Foundation booth.
- The South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce will host a booth to collect much needed pantry items for the Lorton Community Action Center. Donations of:
- Baby wipes
- Canned fruit
- Dried beans
- Canned tomatoes
- Snacks – individual, kid-friendly
- Proceeds from the Lorton Fall Festival & Craft Show will help to fund the Class of 2022 Final Stampede. For more information, go to the PTSO website www.southcountyptso.membershiptoolkit.com or the event Facebook page: @LortonHolidayExtravaganza.
TAG Day
You’ve been Tagged!
Saturday was Tag Day … the biggest fundraiser for the year for the South County Performing Arts Department. It takes thousands of dollars more than the fees that are charged for each group to run a complete band, orchestra, choir or theater program. To keep our fees low and keep the arts in our schools we depend on contributions from our incredible community.
Student teams came to your door Saturday asking for tax-deductible contributions to “Support the Music.” Thank you to everyone who donated to our Performing Arts department! But … if you weren’t home, you were tagged, or a self-addressed envelope was left on your door. If you would still like the opportunity to donate to our Performing Arts programs, please include a donation in the envelope and drop it off at the school or mail the it to us. Either way, don’t forget to keep the tag as the receipt for your tax deductible donation.
Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you at all of our music and theater productions here at SCHS.
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.
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.
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.
Senior Ads in Fall Sports Program
Celebrate your Senior participating in Football, Field Hockey, Cross Country, Volleyball, Golf, Cheer, Dance, or Marching Band with a Senior Ad in the Fall Sports Program! The deadline has been extended to September 13th! Please contact Elena Jordon at 703-302-0197 or elenajordon@gmail.com for more information.
From the PTSO
Hello Stallion Family! We had our first General Membership meeting Monday night and it was wonderful seeing people and making connections. I shared how the past year and a half have been really hard dealing with COVID and the isolation that comes with it and that we would love the PTSO to be a place to reconnect with each other and build relationships. We would also love to hear more voices from staff, parents, guardians, and students. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with your questions, concerns, or ideas on how we may serve you by emailing pres@southcountyptso.org.
To view the minutes from this General Membership meeting, please click here.
Speaking of connecting, we have several ways 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/
All Night Grad Party (ANGP)
The ANGP planning has begun and we have several volunteer opportunities available. If you would like to get involved with ANGP or have any questions about the ANGP or a committee position please email the chairs at angp@southcountyptso.org. Click here to sign up for ANGP Committee.
Want to support an ANGP fundraiser? Go to SCHS PTSO MembershipToolkit here and scroll down for our store. We currently have 2021 White House Ornaments, class and student driver magnets, graduation lawn signs, graduation seat raffle, and Flock a Friend available to purchase. You can also make an ANGP donation.
Join the SCHS Class of 2022 Facebook group to get information on upcoming events. This group is for parents of SOCO 2022 parents only.
15th Annual South County Golf Classic
The South County High School Athletic Boosters and PTSO are hosting our 15th annual South County Golf Classic fundraiser. This year’s tournament will be held on October 4th at Laurel Hill Golf Club. There are many ways to be a part of this community event and have fun while supporting South County High School. We are looking for sponsors, golfers, and volunteers!
Please click here to be a sponsor and/or register to golf.
Please click here to volunteer and/or donate a gift basket.
We appreciate your support!
SOCO Gold Out
More info coming soon about planned Gold Out Events
in support of Emma Jordon Kidz Fighting Cancer Foundation.
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.
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