Mustang Weekly, February 25, 2022

Dear Mustang Community,

We wrapped up another week (and month) at South County Middle School! This week we got a taste of spring weather for a few days this week and it was awesome! I can’t wait to have 70 degree days as the norm. Just a few more weeks to go….

It is important that all parents continue to screen their child(ren) for illness before sending them to school, and thank you for your continued partnership in keeping SCMS open for in-person learning.

As Dr. Brabrand shared Friday, you may choose for your child to opt out of the division’s mask requirement starting March 1. There will be no formal process to let us know your choice– no notes or documentation will be needed. We strongly recommend that students continue to participate in universal masking to help protect their classmates, teachers, and staff who have health concerns. The ability to not participate in universal masking only applies to students. We will continue to follow our roll back plan, shared earlier this month, which will be implemented when we reach moderate transmission, and remain there for seven days. This week, we saw our community transmission level drop into the substantial category and we anticipate we could be at or very close to moderate community transmission as early as next week. FCPS will formally announce when we are ready to make this transition.

Please talk with your child before March 1 about your family’s decision about wearing masks in schools. Families of special needs children who may need additional consideration for health reasons should work with their IEP or 504 teams. I assure all students and families that SCMS will remain a caring and supportive place to learn.

This week we also recognized our hard working custodial staff for Custodial Appreciation Week. We are lucky to have such a dynamic and hard-working staff that commits to keeping our building and facilities the best in the county. The importance of their work has been magnified during the COVID pandemic, and we cannot recognize their dedication enough!  

Lastly, I want to congratulate six Marvelous Mustangs who competed in the Mathcounts Competition. SCMS had 3 students place in the Top 5 of the competition! Owen Chu placed 1st; Nathan Park placed 4th; and Benjamin Yi placed 6th! All three of these scholars will advance to the state competition, along with Lizzie Spencer, Aditi Bhat, and Sneha Mayya. The entire Mustang community is proud of their achievement. Way to go!

Have a great weekend and please reach out with any questions.

 Sincerely,

Peter Kownacki

Principal

South County Middle School

Twitter @pakownacki

DATES TO REMEMBER 

• March 3, Early Release, 12:15 PM
• March 4, Staff Development & Student Holiday

Here is this week's news show:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKOOFN1vtZg

Tardy Sweeps

South County Middle School has noticed an increase in the number of students arriving late to classes.  Being on time is essential to creating a positive learning environment and minimizing distraction. Therefore, SCMS will begin to institute random tardy sweeps beginning the week of February 28.   

Students who are late to class will receive a tardy/pass that must be signed by a parent/guardian and returned to SCMS front office.  The first tardy sweep will result in a lunch detention.  Future tardy sweeps may result in after school detention and/or after school community service.  

Please discuss with your student(s) the importance of arriving to each class on-time. Families can see students’ attendance through ParentVUE.  If you do not have access, please request an account here: https://itweb.fcps.edu/itsupport/parent/ 

 We appreciate your support of SCMS.

The South County Middle School Administrative Team

Student Services

Academic Advising

Counselors met with 7th grade students this week through their science classes. Please make sure that your student returns their course selection sheet to their science teacher before Monday, February 28th.

Please contact your child’s counselor if you have any questions.

Maxwell, ZAKIYYA K  @  zkmaxwell@fcps.edu

Spingler, Maggie  @ mmspingler@fcps.edu

Harris, Michael W @ mwharris1@fcps.edu

Johnson, Jennice L.2 @ JLJohnson2@fcps.edu

2nd Semester Check-In

Mustang Parents did you know that there are 14 weeks left in the school year?  Now is a perfect time to sit with your student to reflect on 1st semester, and check on the status of 2nd semester.  Take an opportunity to review progress from quarters 1 and 2.  Then check the student’s current progress through the SIS Student Vue. Things to look for:

• Is my student maintaining excellent progress in all classes?
• Are there any missing or late assignments due in any classes?
• Are there any classes where my student was passing, but now is trending downward?
• Are there any classes where my student is in jeopardy of failing for the year?

Now is the best time to assess how your student is doing, and what needs to be done to ensure that the student successfully completes the school year.

Immunization clinic

The Fairfax County Health Department will be hosting a Back To School Immunization clinic on Saturday, March 12, 2002 from 8 AM - 12:00 PM at the Annandale District Health Office, 7611 Little River Turnpike, #400-E,  Annandale, VA  22003.  Appointments will be required.  Please see the flyer for additional information.