Weekly News From South County High School

In this issue:

• From The Principal
• From the PTSO
• Edison Academy Open House
• SCHS DECA District Champions
• Stallion Spirit Store
• Masks
• Attendance Office
• Food Deliveries   
• Learner's Permit Testing

From the Principal

Family,

As we inch toward the winter break, I want to share that we are still in the grind every day. We all need the break from that grind but I also need to ensure that every student stays vigilant with respect to arriving to school and classes on time, as well as staying up on the work they have. The return to in-person learning has been a bit of a struggle, but it is one we must endure and overcome if we want to reach our goals. So I am going to thank you in advance for the quick reminders and conversations with your children about the importance of keeping their heads down and pushing forward.

Our teaching staff is forever ready to work with your students during the advisory periods and after school provided they have made connections with them in advance to stay after. Please ensure your students are taking advantage of the opportunities to check in and connect with their teachers regularly.

This past week, I had to be away from the building so I was unable to make the holiday concerts put on by guitar, the band, and orchestra. I was really upset because I had been invited to be the guest conductor for one of the numbers and did I ever have a treat planned for you all! But hey, there is always next year right? We will make it happen. I hope that you were able to make it out to the concerts to take in the talents of our phenomenal students. I know that they put on a great showing because I was able to observe some of the practice and rehearsal sessions, not to mention the many times you walk anywhere near the classrooms or auditorium leading up to the concerts. Nothing but fantastic sounds in the air.

I want to thank all of you who took time to nominate some of our staff for educator awards at the school level. We will be sharing that information with our students and the community next week. These teachers who have been nominated are so deserving of the recognition. I again thank you for your efforts to let them know.

I would like to go back in time if I could, but that isn't quite possible. So I ask that you just think back to about 3 weeks ago when our cross country athletes who qualified participated in states. Well, one of our athletes did an amazing job of representing our South County HS program by finishing as the State Runner-Up this year. Mr. Issac Garcia not only finished 2nd out of 104 runners in the class 6 competition, he also broke the 10 year old cross country record this year. His finish is the highest in South County's history as well as being the only South County district champion. So if you happen to be walking or jogging somewhere in Lorton and see a blur pass you, it very well may be Issac on a quick run! Congratulations Issac!

Well, that is all I have for you this weekend. Thank you once again for helping me get to this point of the year. I definitely cannot do this alone and your assistance is most definitely appreciated. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend and please continue to be safe. #OneStallion

Gary

From the PTSO

Our Lorton Holiday Extravaganza & Craft Show was a huge success! Thank you to Carla Olivo, Renee Flynn, and Elena Jordon for taking the lead. Thank you to Principal Morris, Administration, and the many volunteers, vendors, shoppers and participants. We are truly grateful.

Our Holiday Extravaganza not only brings the community together but also supports many activities at SCHS including our All Night Grad Party (ANGP), PTSO Scholarships, classroom funding, Band Boosters, Choral Boosters and the Athletic Boosters. ANGP will be held at The St. James Sports Complex again this year for all seniors to have a safe and fun way to celebrate graduation.

If you’d like more information on all that the PTSO supports, please join us at our next Parent Principal Chat this Thursday, December 16 at 7pm in the high school cafeteria, visit our website at https://southcountyptso.membershiptoolkit.com/ or email us at pres@southcountyptso.org.

All Night Grad Party Ticket Sale - $50/person Buy Your Ticket Here

The perfect stocking gift for your senior! Order by December 18 and receive a SOCO All Night Grad Party Gift Certificate to use for a gift and have your name entered to win a gift card! Questions? Email angp@southcountyptso.org

Edison Academy Open House

Edison Academy invites you to attend our in-person Open House event on Saturday, January 8, 2022 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM.  We are located at 5801 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA.  Our entrance is located at Door #13. You will have the opportunity to tour our state-of-the-art facilities, meet our instructors and current students, and learn more about our incredible courses!  Please feel free to contact Cassandra Deedy at (703) 924-8101 or cjdeedy@fcps.edu if you need any additional information.  Thank you and we’ll look forward to meeting you on January 8th.

South County DECA District Champions!

On December 1, 2021, 44 members of South County DECA competed in the 2021 FCPS DECA Virtual District Leadership Conference. These students competed in a situation role play for the event they chose and most also had a comprehensive exam covering business, marketing, hospitality and finance exam.

South County had 26 members qualify for State competition to join the 20 students who are writing business plans for state competition! Please see the attached list of students recognized from South County as Overall District Winners in their categories as well as a few who earned honors in one of their event areas; we look forward to these young professionals representing our chapter at the State competition in Virginia Beach, VA this coming March!

SoCo Merchandise Available at the Stallion Spirit Store

Website, Kiosk and Vending Machine!

Great Holiday Gift Ideas

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.

 MASKS, MASKS, MASKS

Please help your student adhere to our mask policy. Masks are still worn at all times by both staff and students indoors and on school buses, but are not required when eating or when outside during recess, PE, or other activities.

Students should be sure to leave home with a mask as they head out to school

and a spare back-up in their backpack would be a great idea.

Please help us keep all students and staff safe!

From the Attendance Office

Will your student be out or leaving early? Please plan ahead and send a note with your student first thing in the morning, email or call the attendance line at 703-446-1625 as soon as possible so we can insure timely attendance and dismissals.

Also as a reminder, if you send a note, email or call, you do not need to come into the building. Your student will meet you at the curb at your requested time.

Outside Food Deliveries

We have been experiencing an uptick in students ordering food and having it delivered to school via Uber Eats and other delivery means.  We do not allow this as a part of our safety and security measures because we want to ensure we know who is coming to our building, and because students have been opening unauthorized doors to receive their deliveries.  Please be sure to have the conversation with your student about this violation.  With minimal numbers to secure our building as is, we really can’t afford to have access being granted to strangers by the student body.  Please know that if students are found having food delivered, that food is confiscated until the end of the day and returned to the student at that time.

Learners Permit Testing at South County

Dates:  January 13^th, 2022, 2/17/22 and 3/9/22

Time:   3:15 p.m.

Location- SCHS- room F107

POC:  Ms. Saale      mgsaale@fcps.edu

How do I register:

Please register at both the DMV and ACE sites below.  YOU MUST REGISTER AT BOTH.   If you are having trouble with the ACE site it is recommended to call them at the number on the web site.

Registration links….

ACE: https://aceclasses.fcps.edu/SubjectListing.aspx?CategoryID=10643&ProgramID=28&ProgCatgName=DMV+Learner%27s+Permit+Test+(HS+students+only)&IsCourse=1&SubjectID=11088&AreaName=DMV+Learner%27s+Permit+Test+(HS+students+only)

DMV: https://vadmvexam.com/AT_Remote/ApplicantPortal/ApplicantPortal.aspx

You must register at BOTH sites. ( You may have to copy and paste the first link) 

Please bring parental consent form with you on the day of testing AND your school issued laptop.

Parental Consent form: 

https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/pdf/dts41.pdf

If you have any questions please contact Ms. Saale

8501 Silverbrook Road, Lorton, VA 22079 | Main Office: 703.446.1600
Attendance: 703.446.1625 | Web | Twitter