Important Upcoming Dates
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09/23-10/01- Blue Star Welcome Week
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09/25/2023 - Yom Kippur (Holiday) (No School)
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09/28/2023 - Late Buses Starting
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09/29/2023 - SR&R Sign & Return Signature Sheet
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10/02/2023 - Make up Picture Date (Auditorium)
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10/07/2023 - Homecoming Dance @SCHS
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10/31-11/03- 3:15 pm (Cafeteria) Senior Portraits
Message from Dr. Khoshaba
Welcome to the Fall season, SoCo Nation!
The weather is cooling down, but we have a lot of hot news for you! Let’s get to it.
Last week there was a great review of our SoCo football team in the Washington Post. You can read it here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/09/14/south-county-fairfax-virginia-football/. I know Coach Pannoni and his staff are working hard with the team to maximize the results they want to achieve.
In my classroom observation of Ms. Ward, students worked collaboratively in groups to present their plot diagrams to the class. As you know, we have two instructional focus points this year (i.e., Building Student Self-Efficacy and having high Student Engagement). This project addressed both goals in such a positive way. Several students saw me in the halls after that observation and shared how excited they are to have her as their teacher. Ms. Ward is one of the kindest and most knowledgeable teachers I’ve ever worked with, so it’s great to hear from students that they feel the same. Here’s a picture from one of group’s presentations of how the plot progressed in the movie, Cars.
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Toward the middle of the week, I had the chance to work alongside one of our fantastic Assistant Principals, Mrs. Tolan, as we presented Core Values awards. A few years ago, our students identified Honesty, Trust, Curiosity, and Hope as the core or main values that should be seen and recognized at SoCo. Whenever students are embodying one or more of these traits, teachers can nominate students to be officially recognized for their outstanding behavior. Mrs. Tolan and I went to four classrooms to award this week’s recipients with a Core Values t-shirt, describe why they earned it in front of their peers, and post their pictures on our website and café tv’s.
Our SoCo family celebrate Constitution day was this past Tuesday. The Social Studies department hosted a luncheon for our staff, which was a great way for ALL Stallion faculty members to be included in this celebration.
This week saw our first planning meeting for International Night. On full display were some of our greatest student leaders along with representatives from numerous clubs. I was impressed to see how well students behaved and how well the student leaders were able to bring the conversation back in focus after group discussions were facilitated. The International Night date has not been set yet, but we’re estimating that it will occur sometime between February and March 2024.
Speaking of International Night, I love our school spirit at SCHS! Check out how many clubs are holding meetings. It’s great to see our students being so involved.
Volleyball on Tuesday night was phenomenal! The freshmen and JV girls teams played well together, and you can tell that there is a genuine family-feel to each team.
And yes, even our parents were getting into the action! Watch out Hype-Squad! I think you have some competition for who can be the most school spirited at a SoCo event!
This year’s Homecoming dance is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7 from 8:00-11:00pm. Tickets will go on sale this coming Tuesday, Sept. 26 through Friday, Oct. 6 during lunches. Payments can only be made via cash or check. MySchoolBucks will not be an option to pay.
For parents who are picking up students after school, please use either of our Kiss and Ride locations. Please refrain from driving into the faculty parking lot and waiting in the lanes or spaces. We are prioritizing the safety of students by eliminating vehicular traffic in that area. We appreciate everyone’s support in adhering to this expectation.
We had a fantastic PTSO meeting Thursday night! As we discussed our State of Our School information, we had a wonderful exchange of ideas and solutions. Thank you to everyone who was able to be in attendance.
As a gentle reminder, this Monday, September 25, school will be closed in honor of Yom Kippur.
Stay safe, and we look forward to our students returning to school on Tuesday, September 26.
Respectfully,
Kambar
Together As One
#OneStallion
It’s Cookie Time! 🍪
Help Support South County DECA by ordering Frozen Cookie Dough from Mrs. Fields! All profits directly support student costs on field trips, competitions, and leadership conferences. Bit.ly/DECACOOKIES or the attached QR code.
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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 Mrs. deKanter in the SCHS Athletics Office.
Have You Completed These Important Forms?
During the first weeks of the year, caregivers receive many forms to complete. Several of the most important ones are below:
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Digital Resources Consent: Some FCPS-approved digital resources require parent/caregiver consent before they can be used by students. Find the list of resources which require consent on the Digital Resources - Parent Consent page. This page also includes directions on how to provide permission.
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Student Rights and Responsibilities: This document explains expectations for student behavior and adult responses. Parents using SIS ParentVUE will be prompted to sign the document when they log in to that platform. A printable version of the document with a signature sheet is available on the SR&R webpage.
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Opt-Outs: The Opt-Out Booklet is online or available from your child’s school. It contains information on:
- Parents’ rights to inspect and consent or opt out before their child participates in certain surveys.
- Parents’ rights to inspect instructional materials.
- Rules regarding student records and disclosure of student information (including photo/video of students) and the right to opt out.
- Parents’ rights to opt out of the Social Emotional Learning Screener, physical exams not required by state law, career or social emotional counseling, Library Equity Access Pass Project, and/or Tutor.com.
- The process by which complaints may be filed if parents or students believe their rights have been violated.
Paper forms can be signed and returned to school.
🧪 STEAMOLOGY STEM Fest Offers Hands-On Activities for Students
Students are invited to participate in STEM FEST on Saturday, October 14, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at South County High School. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade can participate in robotics demonstrations, coding experiments, and more. High school students are invited to volunteer. Visit the STEAMOLOGY website for more information.
PTSO
South County High School PTSO is partnering with Seasonal Roots, a local online farmers market, to bring healthy, delicious food to our community, to support local farmers and artisans, and to raise money to support the All Night Grad Party for our seniors!
Seasonal Roots is an online farmers market that delivers “dirt to doorstep” to families in Maryland and Virginia. Each week the market offers more than 150 items that are all grown and produced locally, sustainably, and ethically. Market items include fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, vegan specialties and more.
As part of this fundraiser for ANGP - new customers can join Seasonal Roots for 50% off the membership fee (a $25 savings!)
PLUS for every new customer who signs up, a $20 donation will be made to South County PTSO! WIN-WIN for everyone! Be sure to use promotional code SOCOANGP at https://www.seasonalroots.com/socoangp.
Make at home pizza kits! Starting today and for the next 4 weeks, we’re selling make-at-home Little Caesars Pizza Kits, In-Store Meal Deals and cookie dough to raise money for South County High School Class of 2024 All Night Grad Party. Pizza Kits and cookie dough will be delivered directly to your house via FedEx for make at home family fun!
https://fundraising.littlecaesars.com/products?support=a28ed951-6f9a-49d8-9990-02965917418c
National Hispanic Heritage Month
From September 15 to October 15, FCPS recognizes and celebrates the histories and cultures of the members of our community who trace their heritage to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS. Learn more about National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Fairfax Fiesta Fairfax County's inaugural Hispanic Heritage Celebration, the Fairfax Fiesta, is taking place on Saturday, Sept. 23, from noon to 5 p.m., at the PARC at Tysons (8508 Leesburg Pike). The free event, presented by the Fairfax County Government and Celebrate Fairfax!, aims to provide an extraordinary experience for all ages and backgrounds. Learn more about Fairfax Fiesta.
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South County ATHLETICS
Important SoCo and FCPS Resources
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