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Hello Mustangs,
First and foremost, Happy (early) Veterans Day! We are truly grateful to all our veterans, including those who serve on our staff. As a reminder, the school will be closed on Veterans Day, and there will be no school. Additionally, the first "live" week of our Weapons Detection System has gone very well. Our students have adjusted to the process and have found great success with being prepared before they walk into the building. Thank you for your patience and reassurance as we have navigated the transition of fully implementing this division initiative. As always, thank you for all you do for our school community, and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, feedback, or concerns. We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday!
Justin Simmons | Principal | South County Middle School
UPCOMING DATES
November 10 - Vision and Hearing Screening
November 11 - No School, Veterans Day
November 12 - Vision and Hearing Screening
November 14 - Youth Survey
November 24 - Picture Make-Up Day
November 26-28 - Thanksgiving Holiday Break, No School
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Impact of Federal Shutdown on Local Community
Fairfax County is home to around 80,000 federal employees and thousands of federal contractors. Its Federal Workforce Resource Hub is intended to help navigate current and future issues for residents, government employees, active military/veterans, contractors, nonprofits and businesses who may be affected by actions, changes, or disruptions to federal services or employment.
Community Resources for Families in Need
If your family is affected by the shutdown or you know someone looking for help, the Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning (CSP) provides centralized information for community-based organizations and other Fairfax County agencies. CSP can provide information, referrals, and advocacy to help individuals connect with services, including: basic needs (food, shelter, clothing), financial assistance, health care services, and referrals to services and resources.
Visit the CSP website or call 703-222-0880 for assistance.
How to Access Food or Donate to Those in Need
Use the Emergency Food Access Providers webpage to find where to access food or donate to your local food bank.
Tutoring Resources for Families
Some families may be looking for additional resources to help support their child’s academic success. The FCPS Family Resource Center (FRC) maintains a list of FCPS employees who hold a valid Virginia teaching credential and who are available to hire as tutors. This list is a resource offered by the FRC, but families are responsible for contacting and working directly with the tutors. This list is not approved by FCPS and is only meant to be a resource to families.
FCPS also partners with Varsity Tutors to provide students and families with extra resources for learning. Every student can take advantage of Varsity Tutors' services, at no cost, including weekly live online classes, on-demand 24/7 chat tutoring, essay editing, and study resources such as recorded content, practice problems, and diagnostic tests.
Please Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets, which is in the upper right corner of the screen after logging in. Please complete it as soon as possible.
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important. This year, FCPS expects to receive approximately $4 million in Impact Aid funding. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
For more information, please visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page.
Join us on November 21st anytime between 11am-10pm for another Ledo Pizza fundraiser. Mention the fundraiser when ordering. If you order online make sure you use the code: "Fundraiser"
Download the New FCPS Mobile App!
The FCPS mobile app offers a customized platform to help keep families connected and informed, directly from their smartphones. You can download the Fairfax County Public Schools mobile app by going to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and searching for FCPS
Every Day Is a Stepping Stone to Success
Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child later in life. It’s a good habit to build now that will help them graduate on time and help them with time management. Parents and families can play a big role in helping kick-start good attendance habits.
Please take a look at the FCPS Calendar. Try to schedule any trips or family events on weekends and school holidays. Keep in mind that absences add up quickly. Students who are absent 10% of the school year (or just two days per month) are considered “chronically absent.”
When possible, schedule appointments for your child outside of school hours. If your child needs to miss school because of an illness or appointment, you must report the absence to our school. Visit the SCMS Attendance webpage for more information.
Volunteer Registration Update
Due to the overwhelming response from our community, FCPS is temporarily pausing fingerprint requirements for most Level 3 volunteers.
If you are scheduled for an upcoming fingerprinting appointment, please cancel your appointment unless you are a mentor, host parent, or non-parent volunteer having frequent, direct, and unsupervised contact with students, which will still require fingerprinting. FCPS will be charged if individuals miss a fingerprinting appointment without canceling in advance.
Those who have already been fingerprinted will be processed to be eligible for all Level 3 opportunities.
Field trip chaperone opportunities will now be classified as Level 2 (not requiring a background check).
To ensure continuous safety, all new volunteers are required to sign a Volunteer Certification Statement. This statement is a legal attestation confirming you have no history of violent felonies, physical/sexual crimes against children, or crimes of moral turpitude.
Want to volunteer? Visit Volunteer FCPS to find and sign up for volunteer opportunities. Contact Volunteers@fcps.edu with any questions.
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