Dear Mustang Families-
Turkey Day is rapidly approaching and I could not be more thankful to be part of the South County community. In keeping with the theme of gratitude and thankfulness that is inherent to the month of November, I want to take this opportunity to recognize and celebrate our amazing staff at SCMS! The Mustang staff continuously shows resilience, compassion, grace, and innovation. I am truly lucky to work with such a dedicated group of educators. I am also grateful for each and every student in the Mustang community. Our students continue to amaze me in and out of the classroom as engaged, global-minded collaborators. Finally, I am thankful for the continued support of the community. The partnership built on trust and communication enables the students and staff and to focus on academic inquiry.
Over the Thanksgiving break, I encourage students and staff to remember to take a break from work, and spend time with family, friends and loved ones! Personally, I will be staying local and enjoying dinner with my extended family at my in-laws house on Thursday. No doubt my time off will be spent watching plenty of football, cheering on Team USA in the World Cup.
As always, thank you for your continued partnership and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions. I look forward to seeing you at SCMS soon.
Peter Kownacki
Principal
South County Middle School
703-690-5507
@pakownacki
Dates to Remember:
November 15-21 - NJHS Food Drive
November 18 - TJHSST Application Due
November 21-22 – Hidden In Plain Sight Presentation (HIPS Presentation Flier 2022)
November 23-25 – Student & Staff Holidays, No School
December 3 – Winter Craft Fair at SCHS (SCHS Craft Fair)
December 6 – Winter VGA, Reading
December 12 – Winter VGA, Math
December 21-January 2 - Winter Holiday
SCMS News Show 11-17
|
SCMS Career Fair Update
Calling all SCMS Parents and Guardians! Do you have an interesting career that you would like to share with our Mustang students? The Student Services office is accepting video submissions to be uploaded to a virtual Career Fair google site that students will explore at their own pace. Videos should be brief (2-5 minutes in length) and include the following information:
- Your job title
- How long have you worked in this industry?
- What education or professional training did your job require?
- What is the best part of you job? What is the most challenging part?
- What advice would you give to a student considering pursuing a career in your field?
- Any other helpful background information, fun facts, previous jobs, etc.
Submission Deadline is Friday, Nov. 18
Please e-mail your submission to Michael Harris at mwharris1@fcps.edu. If you are unable to e-mail your file, you can also upload it to a google drive or YouTube and share the link with Mr. Harris via e-mail. If you need any assistance with your video please e-mail or call Mr. Harris at 703-690-5605. We need your help to make this experience the best and most informative it can be for our students! Thank you for your consideration!
Sincerely,
SCMS Student Services
|
 |
 |
|
CONGRATULATIONS to our Horse Card Winners for week #11 – C. Mulcahy, J. Newton, F. Hofmann, & R. Agyare. Not pictured - L. Nasim & J. Smith |
Dear SCMS Families,
It is getting close to the holiday season once again. SCMS will be sponsoring Holiday Gift Assistance for the upcoming holiday season. With the holiday season quickly approaching, we understand that some of our students and families may need assistance with holiday gifts and/or food. In this Season of Giving, South County Middle School wants to assist those families who do not qualify for support through local, community agencies.
Your personal information will remain anonymous to donors. If your family needs some assistance with holiday gifts and/or food, please complete this form no later than December 5th.
If your family would like to donate or support our holiday drive, please contact the student services staff members below.
Please contact Mrs. Ramirez and Mrs. Nelson, our Student Services Staff members, at sjramirez@fcps.edu; fenelson@fcps.edu if you have any questions.
*𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮. 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱.
|
Absences & Tardies
Unexcused Tardies
Recently, we have noticed an increase in unexcused tardies across class periods. Being on-time and present in each class is an essential part of learning and overall success. We expect all students to exhibit ownership and respect by being on-time to each class period. When students accumulate 5 or more unexcused tardies in one quarter, they will participate in a tardy reflection to help identify habits and choices that support on-time arrival. All tardies and absences can be monitored in ParentVUE and StudentVue.
Absences
Being present in school supports students’ academic success and sense of belonging. As the winter season approaches, we encourage all students to be present each school day. If your student is absent, be sure to call the attendance line (703-690-5555) or email SouthCountyMiddle.Attendance@fcps.edu. If you are aware of a future absence, please complete the FCPS Request for Prearranged Absence Form and turn it into the office.
When a student is absent, missed assignments are posted on Schoology. The FCPS makeup work policy can be viewed here. Please review the SCMS Attendance Procedures page if you have any questions.
Used Book Collection
The South County Crew Team is collecting gently used books to be sold at the SOCO Craft Fair on Saturday, December 3rd. Please drop the books in the bin in the South County Middle School Lobby.
NJHS Food Drive
NJHS is sponsoring a Food Drive this Thanksgiving so that we can give back to our community. Please donate non-perishable food items in the boxes located around the school. Items include: cookies, popcorn, oatmeal, pasta, canned food, cereal, diapers and pull ups of any size, canned meat, etc. These items will go to the LCAC, which is an organization that seeks to provide low-income individuals, senior citizens, and families residing in Fort Belvoir, Lorton, Newington, and other portions of southeast Fairfax County. Please turn in your donation by Monday, November 21st in the boxes located throughout the school. Thank you for your contribution.
|
Post-Thanksgiving COVID Diagnostic Testing
COVID diagnostic testing will be available for FCPS teachers, staff, and students at five locations across the county November 28-30 from 5 to 8 p.m. This testing is for those who are either experiencing COVID symptoms or have been exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID. Appointments are not required, but registration must be completed before testing. Visit the COVID testing webpage for more information.
|
