Important Upcoming Dates
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01/29/2024- SoCo Basketball Gold Out
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02/01/2024- Night grad party tickets go up to $75 on Thursday
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02/05/24-02/09/24- National School Counseling Week
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02/07/2024- Crossing Guard Appreciation Day
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02/15/2024- School Resource Office Appreciation Day
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02/19/2024- Presidents Day (No School)
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02/22/2024- School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
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03/05/2024- Student Holiday- School Planning Day for staff
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03/22/2024- Deadline for Senior Dues
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03/25-03/29- Spring Break
Message from Dr. Khoshaba
Greetings to all SoCo families,
Returning to a full week of school this past week was an adjustment for both students and staff alike. Despite the wet weather outside, we had a wonderful week of memorable events in various departments. Let’s review these experiences together!
Parents Remain a True Strength at SoCo!
This week, we hosted our second Parent Advisory Council meeting of the year. These sessions ALWAYS provide me with wonderful insight about how parents are experiencing being part of our Stallion Nation. We had great discussions about school safety, our focus in 2024 (Relationships, Behavior, and Safety), and where they see “average” at our school. Thank you again to all of you who were able to participate. For anyone else interested in joining us at the next meeting, we come back together on Thursday, March 14 at 6:00pm.
Spectacular Events
We hosted a wide array of exceptional events this week. Wednesday night, we held our annual Curriculum Night for our rising 9th grade students and their families to learn about choices in classes they had for next year. We had a packed house of future high school students and families learning about the vast array of courses we offer.
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Thursday night, I marveled at the way Mr. Engdahl collaborated with ALL of our feeder schools to host one of the most impressive Band concerts I have ever witnessed. Students from our elementary, middle, and high schools performed in the gym in front of a standing-room-only crowd. What was so impressive to me was not only the collaborative effort it took to pull this together, but it was the uniqueness of the music that was so special. From songs that were performed with “alternative instruments” (like the dry erase markers used as drumsticks) to the cross-curricular coordination of having various music programs playing in unison, I couldn’t have felt any prouder of our musicians. Way to go, Stallions!
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Friday night, we held our Girls Basketball game at home. Our Stallions players played incredibly well, and in the end, we ended up winning 57 to 26 against Fairfax High School. But what I enjoyed more than the point spread was the teamwork displayed among the players and the support from the parents and community members in the stands. From beginning to end, this was a night of special memories. As I walked in the school that evening, the hallways, gym, and post-game banquet room were decorated in an ultra-classy manner for Senior Night. I then saw the JV Girls team win in a commanding way by more then 25 points. And of course, the “main event” was seeing our Varsity Girls play as one solid unit. It’s amazing to see the growth in this team in only one year. Last year, despite great efforts we ended up in last place in our division. This year, we’ve ended up in second place, with a trip to the play-offs! Congratulations to everyone in this organization for making this a Cinderella story. And the best part is that there are more games to play! I’m including several pics of the different aspects of this event. They say a picture says a thousand words, so I hope you enjoy this collage. Go Stallions!
Decorations:
A Trip to “The House”
I had an incredible opportunity this past Thursday evening. As a member of a national principal’s association, I was asked to join administrators from across the country to discuss school safety, with a focus on eliminating guns on school property. The best part? We met at the White House! This was only the second time in my life that I was able to visit “the House,” so it took all I had within me to not “fan out.” To open, we were surprised to receive a visit from our First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden. Following her remarks, the US Secretary of Education, Mr. Cardona, led the discussion about the importance for all of us to keep firearms out of schools. We heard several stories from and/or about principals who experienced real shooter situations at their schools. In the end, the message to all of us was clear: let’s prioritize safe storage of firearms with cable locks, triggers locks, and lock boxes, as well as ensuring that we keep a focus on responsible gun ownership. After the event concluded, I was able to get a colleague to take a picture of me behind the podium that had the White House sign posted on it. I guess I couldn’t hide my excitement about being there after all!
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Meeting About Instruction and Culture
As many of you would guess, I’m regularly attending meetings ABOUT students, but I much prefer to be working WITH them and our staff. However, this week, I had three particularly positive and insightful groups with whom I enjoyed meeting. First, FCPS has established various Affinity groups for staff to join. This is the first year I took advantage of this by joining the Middle Eastern Affinity group. As you likely know, my family is originally from Baghdad, Iraq, so meeting with other Middle Eastern educators was an exciting opportunity for me.
I was also able to join our Math department for a great discussion about our expectations for student behavior and engagement in 2024. Our math teachers are some of the very best educators with whom I’ve EVER worked in my 27-year career. I continue to learn so much from them about instruction, assessment, and data disaggregation every time I have the chance to join them in team meetings.
Finally, our High School Principals Association (HSPA) meet monthly, and this week we ventured out to Annandale High School. Their principal, Mr. Shawn DeRose, inspires me with his knowledge, humor, and passion for education. During a portion of our meetings, we were able to conduct learning walks, which entailed groups of principals walking into classrooms for brief periods of time and observing the ways that students and staff were working together. Some of the greatest take-aways I observed were the hands-on activities, the sharing of resources (i.e., presentations) among teachers, and the choices given to students about resources they could use to meet an objective. Our HSPA are regularly one of my greatest resources, as they provide support, creativity, and advice on ways to continually grow professionally. I’m thankful to work with this uniquely talented group of leaders.
I hope all of you enjoy a relaxing weekend, and I look forward to this final week of January.
Kambar
#OneStallion
Together As One!
The annual SCHS Theatre Arts Student-Directed One-Acts are on February 1, 2, and 3 at 7 PM! Each night features different short plays that have been directed by advanced theatre students. Over 100 students are participating in the one-acts, so you don’t want to miss them! Tickets are available at schstheatre.com or at this link. Questions? Please e-mail Molly Rumberger at mdrumberger@fcps.edu.
February 1st we will be hosting the annual Science Fair for all Honors Science and other interested students to participate in. They have worked hard to prepare for this event, and it is one of the largest student participation events. We would like your help to get these students fed during the Science Fair! Please see the link below to signup to help get this accomplished. Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0E4FA8A92FAAF85-47491786-soco
Edison Academy Open House
Edison Academy invites you to attend our in-person Open House event on Saturday, February 3, 2024 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM (snow date is Saturday, February 10). 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 February 3rd.
See attached flyer
CTE Summer Academy
See Attached Flyer
Visit bit.ly/FCPS_CSA for more information!
For questions, please contact Beth Mehr at bgmehr@fcps.edu
Senior Dues are $100 and help to cover the costs of Graduation and are due by March 22.
The easiest way to pay is through My School Bucks.
Cash or checks are also accepted and can be made out to South County High School and can be given to Mr. Kingston in A125 or Mrs. Hill in Room A119.
Senior Dues need to be paid in order for students to attend prom or the Senior trip to King’s Dominion, or Graduation.
The South County High School Athletic Booster Club
The South County High School Athletic Booster Club hosts their Annual Golf Classic to raise funds to support our athletic programs. It is also a great way to network with fellow community members and supporters of SCHS!
Our 17th Annual Golf Classic will be on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at Laurel Hill Golf Club, across from South County High School.
Are you interested in being a sponsor this year? Please check out the sponsorship options or register to play on our website: https://birdease.com/schsgolf.
FOOD FOR NEIGHBORS PARTNERSHIP WITH SCHS
This holiday season, let's come together to make a difference in the lives of food-insecure students in our community. Food For Neighbors plans to provide local families with Holiday Meals at Thanksgiving. Visit the FFN website today and learn how you can help students and their families experience the joy of gathering for a holiday meal. Every $50 donation provides a meal for a family. Your generosity can make a world of difference for local students!
PTSO
Happy 2024 South County families!
A South County Senior and his sister (Sophomore) have initiated another fundraising campaign to raise funds for Seniors at South County who are unable to meet the financial obligations of their senior year. This includes graduation dues and ANGP tickets.
All funds will be requested through school counselors in order ensure anonymity. All funds raised by these two exceptional students will be donated to the PTSO and earmarked for the financial support of Seniors with a demonstrated need.
Funds are being raised through the following go fund me site if you are interested in making a donation. https://gofund.me/7816e416
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.
Save this code SCSS4010
EVERY Thursday from now until Jun 2024 Papa John's is supporting a restaurant night to support the ANGP.
We raised $70+ in Sep. Let's keep the momentum
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
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*
South County ATHLETICS
Important SoCo and FCPS Resources
How to Stay In Touch
Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:
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