Important Upcoming Dates
Message from Dr. Khoshaba
Happy Fall season, SoCo family!
This past four-day school week went by way to quick! In addition to being off this past Monday, I was out of the school half of Wednesday and all of Thursday for out-of-building meetings. I enjoyed the meetings, but I’ve really missed being around our students and staff. Speaking of students and staff …
I had a great classroom visit with Ms. Morrison’s AP Government class. Her students were conducting presentations on issues they saw problems within public education. The topics ranged from education censorship to SAT’s as entrance criteria for colleges to the stress on students caused by SOL testing. These students had exceptional presentations that were based on research. After the students worked in multi-person groups on one topic, the groups split up and presented their topics to members of other teams. I was most impressed, to say the least!
Earlier in the week, I was delighted to see our Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) club meeting Wednesday morning before school. The students enjoyed refreshments and fellowship before starting the day. It was such a positive and upbeat collection of Stallions. It certainly was a huge highlight of the week for me!
For those of you who have 12th graders in your home, this is a reminder that senior dues at all is $100 per student. This is a county-wide rate. Payments can be made at MySchoolsBucks.
In the Be Nice to Your Device section …
We have had several Chromebook’s brought to the tech office with broken screens due to negligence, including graffiti. Below is a repair cost list from field services.
These are brand new Chromebooks, so this type of misuse of these new devices is concerning. Please talk with your student about the appropriate care they should exercise with their school device.
In these situations, our policy is that the student will be receiving one of last year’s laptop as their replacement for broken screens and graffiti. Also here are the repair costs for our Chromebooks:
Top cover $30.00
Bottom cover $30.00
Palm rest/ Keyboard $52.00 (all in one)
Screen $89.00
On Monday, October 2 we will have our First 23-24 Student-Principal Advisory Meeting. These meetings are meant to be a place where students can come and hear from me about the priorities of the school as well as bring questions and concerns. I'm looking forward to meeting with our students.
Finally, our first Parent Advisory Council meeting is this Wednesday, October 4 at 6:00pm in the library. This is an opportunity for me to hear directly from parents about how they and their students are experiencing school this year. Use this link to sign up.
Respectfully,
Kambar
Together As One!
#OneStallion
Phone: 703-446-1625
OPTION 1- ALL DAY ABSENCE
OPTION 2- LATE ARRIVAL
OPTION 3- EARLY RELEASE
(CALL OR EMAIL FIRST THING IN THE MORNING TO REPORT EARLY RELEASE)
- Handwritten notes are acceptable*
- Call/email/note must come from parent/guardian, NOT the student*
- Please always leave a message, they are checked constantly*
MILITARY TAILGATE
Friday October 6th 5:00 pm-6:30 pm.
All Military Families Welcome.
Please RSVP to assist us with planning and sign up to contribute.
bit.ly/MilitaryTailgate
DINNER AT FIVE GUYS: THURSDAY 10/5 🍔
SCHS Theatre Boosters is sponsoring Five Guys Night on Thursday, October 5th from 4-8pm at 8971 Ox Road in Lorton. 20% of the proceeds will go to our Theatre Boosters to support the fall play, spring musical, end of year banquet, and other SCHS Theatre activities and purchases. We hope to see you there!
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.
|
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.
🧪 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.
The South County High School All Night Graduation Party (ANGP) Committee has secured a year long (school year) fundraiser with our local Papa John's! EVERY Thursday from now until June, if you use the coupon Code SCSS4010, you will get 40% off your order and the ANGP will get 10% of all sales. This is for our local Papa John's only (Off Silverbrook Rd).
So save this coupon code and use it every Thursday you are in the mood for Pizza! This is a great way to support our local Papa John's AND support the ANGP at the same time!
Enjoy!
Your ANGP Planning Committee
Fall Sports Concession Stand Sign-Up
Fall Sports are underway and we need your help! In order for us to keep our concession stand up and running we need volunteers to assist us on game nights. The revenue generated through concession serves as the SCHS Athletic Booster Club's primary source of funding. The money earned goes right back to the sports teams to cover the costs of equipment, uniforms, and field maintenance! Any family can volunteer! You do not need to have a student participating in Fall Sports to make an impact! Visit the link below or the QR code and consider helping us out one night! You're assistance is greatly appreciated.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B48ABAB22A5FD0-20231
|
|
Enrique (Kiki) Camarena was a Mexican-American man working for the DEA after formerly serving in various positions such as the Marine Corps, as a reman, a police officer, and a deputy sheriff in California. In 1985 he had been on assignment in Mexico for four years. And he was on the trail of the country’s biggest marijuana and cocaine traffickers. He was getting close to exposing a multi-billion dollar drug pipeline until he was kidnapped that February. He was headed to lunch with his wife when he was last seen being thrown into a van by masked men. His body wasn’t discovered until a month later.
After his death, “Camarena Clubs” were launched in his hometown of Calexico, California. Hundreds wore red ribbons and pledged to lead a drug-free life in his honor. President Ronald Reagan was in office at the time. The club members presented a proclamation to First Lady Nancy Reagan which brought the red ribbon pledge national attention. The campaign became official in 1988 by the National Family Partnership, President Reagan, and the “Just Say No” creator, Mrs. Reagan, as honorary chairpersons. Red Ribbon Week is now celebrated annually from October 23-31st.
Check out this Google Earth video on “The Life of DEA Special Agent Kiki Camarena”.
Sources & Resources:
DEA
Fairfax CSB Opioid Info
REVIVE Training for Opioid Overdoses
Medication Disposal
Teen Substance Use
FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program
DEA Drug Take Back Day
For general questions about the FCPS Substance Abuse Prevention Program, please contact the Office of Student Safety & Wellness at: (571) 423-4270 and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @FCPSSAPS.
For further Information & support:
Catric W. Marshall, MS., LPC
Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist cwhaleymarsh@fcps.edu
The South County Police Station and Animal Shelter (SCPSAS) will official open Saturday, October 28th.
To commemorate this day, we are planning an Open House Celebration in conjunction with the Building Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.
In attendance at the Ribbon Cutting ceremony will be the Chief of Police, command level officers, the County Executive , the Board Supervisors, Senator(s), Congressmen, and other County Officials.
This event will be highly publicized and covered by both the County and Police Department Public Affairs Offices.
I also expect other various news organizations (Connection News Paper, Washington Post, etc.) to cover the ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will begin at 10:00 AM; followed by the Police Department and Animal Shelter Open House from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
At that time, the Police Department and Animal Shelter will invite the Lorton Community into the new facility where we intend to stage the back station parking lot with a host of police, fire, and INOVA displays, along with the shelter pet adoption, therapy dogs, and many other vendors who will be provide entertainment, games, and food for the attending community parents and their children.
Awareness Month
National School Principals Month
Each October, National Principals Month recognizes the essential role that principals play in making a school great.
Principals are among the hardest working, yet often least recognized individuals in education. Principals set the academic tone for their schools, and it is their vision, dedication, and determination that provide the mobilizing force for achieving student success. Each October, NASSP, NAESP, and AFSA seek to honor these unsung heroes for their tireless efforts in pursuit of excellence in education.
National Principals Month is a widely recognized celebration of the principalship, marked by national and state resolutions supporting the event, as well as acknowledgements from U.S. Senators and Representatives, and top government officials. However, the most important National Principals Month celebrations are the ones that take place in schools and communities across the country.
See National School Principals Month.
|
Disability History and Awareness Month
In Virginia during October, Disability History and Awareness activities provide an opportunity to create greater public awareness for individuals with disabilities, with the goal of full inclusion in our community.
|
LGBTQIA+ History Month
LGBTQIA+ History Month is recognized in October nationwide. We acknowledge and celebrate that LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and families are an integral component of our nation. Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.
|
National Bullying Prevention Month
October is National Bullying Prevention Month. To help develop a common understanding of Bullying, below is the FCPS definition.
Bullying in Students Rights and Responsibilities is defined as: “Any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate, or humiliate the victim; involves a real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor or aggressors and victim; and is repeated over time or causes severe emotional trauma. “Bullying” includes cyberbullying. “Bullying” does not include ordinary teasing, horseplay, argument, or peer conflict.”
For more information on how FCPS handles a bullying situation please visit the FCPS Bullying Prevention and Intervention webpage. Our goal is to ensure all students feel safe and welcome at school. If you have questions and/or concerns about something that is going on at school, please contact the front office so that they can support you and most importantly your student.
|
Walk and Roll to School Day
FCPS will participate in International Walk and Roll to School Day on Wednesday, October 4, in an effort to promote physical activity and reduce traffic congestion and pollution near schools.Students and employees are encouraged to bike or walk to school and work where safe to do so on October 4. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school, and to work with their school and PTA or PTO to assemble bike trains or walking groups for the event. Schools are encouraged to register online with Walk and Bike to School. Get more information about Walk to School Day.
Free Covid-19 Tests
Every U.S. household can place an order for four free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home.
You can review the health and safety guidance for schools to stay up to date on the best ways to prevent the spread of disease.
South County ATHLETICS
Important SoCo and FCPS Resources
How to Stay In Touch
Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:
Quick Links
|