Mustang Weekly, September 22, 2023
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Hello Mustangs,
It was a phenomenal week at South County Middle School. On Wednesday, we participated in the Reading Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) as an entire school; it was the best testing experience ever. I might be biased on that one. Nevertheless, the Math VGA will occur on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, and we look forward to another great day of testing. As always, please contact us to share any feedback, questions, or concerns. Enjoy the weekend, and we look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday
Justin Simmons | Principal | South County Middle School
September 25: No School - Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement (Judaism) *Begins sundown September 24, fasting and work restriction start sundown September 24 and continue through September 25.
September 27 - Math VGA - see schedule change below.
September 28 & 29 - Picture Day Information Pictures will be taken during your student's PE class.
Yom KippurAll FCPS schools and offices will be closed on Monday, September 25, for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
May all in our Jewish community observing Yom Kippur have an easy and meaningful fast. According to Jewish tradition, Yom Kippur is when God decides each person’s fate, so Jews are encouraged to make amends and ask forgiveness for sins committed during the past year. #OurFCPS
Learn more about Yom Kippur on Brittanica.com.
VGA Testing
Next Wednesday, September 27, students in Math 7 and Pre-Algebra will be taking their Math VGA and students in Algebra and Geometry will be taking their Math Inventory. We will have a flipped bell schedule that day – please take note of the changes to classes and help ensure your students are here on time at 7:30 for testing.
7:30 AM - 9:15 AM Testing Block 9:20 AM - 10:25 AM 7th Period 10:25 AM - 10: 40 AM Recess 10:45 AM - 12:45 PM 5th Period 12:50 PM - 2:15 PM 1st Period We All Belong at SchoolEach one of us is unique, and every student matters. If your student is having a difficult time attending class, please speak with a trusted adult at school. There are solutions.
Watch this video to see how everyone belongs at school. Visit our Attendance webpage for resources on attendance. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!
Student Rights & Responsibility (SR&R)FCPS’ updated Student Rights and Responsibility (SR&R) booklet is available online and in SIS ParentVUE. The SR&R booklet explains expectations for student behavior, and adult responses to enhance school safety and to create a fair, equitable, and supportive school environment.
Each year, we ask parents/caregivers to review and sign the SR&R. The SR&R will be visible upon logging in to SIS ParentVUE until the SR&R acknowledgment has been completed.
Signatures are due by Friday, September 29. Please contact our front office if you are having difficulty accessing the booklet. Visit the SIS ParentVUE Account Overview webpage for help logging in to your account.
Spirit WearIf you did not have the opportunity to purchase spirit wear through our PE Department, then you are in luck. The PTSO is selling spirit wear and it can be found at this link. It is available through October 8, 2023, and will have a 2 to 3 week delivery time.
Movie NightThe PTSO presents Movie Night! Save the date for October 13th. Pizza, Snacks, Drinks and Popcorn will be available for sale. Students are voting on what movie will be shown. The doors of the cafeteria will open at 6:30 pm and the movie will begin at 7pm. Tickets are on sale now! SCMS Movie Night Tickets
SEL ScreenerFCPS is committed to supporting all students’ mental wellness and social and emotional learning. FCPS approved a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener that students use to share their perspectives on how well their school and community help them develop skills they need to succeed. These skills include achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions. Students also share how successful their school and community are at making them feel valued, included, and supported. These factors are critical to positive academic, social, and emotional success. All students in grades 3-12 have the opportunity to participate in the screener twice a year, in the fall and spring. The SEL Screener elevates the voices of our students by making sure their perspectives are considered in decision-making. Screener data is used to plan programming for the division, schools, and individual students. Division and school level results, which do not include individual student information, may be used by staff to improve SEL and mental wellness practices and to inform strategic plans. Division and school level results may also be shared with the community to describe the needs of our student body and provide opportunities for partnership. Individual students’ Screener data will only be accessible to teachers, administrators, and staff with legitimate educational interests. Results will be maintained in secure files and databases accessible only to these individuals. In partnership with families, staff review this data alongside other information to plan interventions for students with identified needs. Parents and guardians will receive an individualized report regarding their student’s screener results following each assessment window. South County MS will be giving the SEL screener to all students during seminar on Tuesday October 24th. If you do not want your child to take the SEL screener, please complete the attached parent opt-out form and return it to the school no later than Tuesday October 17th. The opt-out will last the whole year, so your child will be opted out of the fall and spring SEL screeners.
SEL Notification of Testing - English
SEL Notification of Testing-Spanish
Every year, approximately 600,000 active-duty and transitioning Veteran families—or roughly 33% of the All-Volunteer Force—relocate. Many have school-aged children. The majority of these moves take place during the summer. What’s more, according to the 2022 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, only 33% of military family respondents reported feeling a sense of belonging to their local community. But did you know that when a military child feels welcome and like they belong at a new school, everything else improves—mental and physical health, and so much more? That’s why we’re joining Blue Star Families and Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) to help military children all over the country feel welcome in their new schools. To show military families how great South County Middle School is, we’re proclaiming September 23rd - October 1st as Blue Star Welcome Week!
Learn more and get involved today at https://www.bluestarwelcomeweek.org/!
TJHSST Student Science FairWe are TJ Investigative Science Outreach, a student-led organization at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. We will be hosting our 11th annual science fair on March 16, 2024 and we would like to invite 5th-8th grade students to participate. Admission to the science fair is completely free.
Participants will complete a research project of their choice and present at the fair in-person on March 16, 2024. We help students prepare for this fair by holding multiple sessions to teach them important skills in STEM like brainstorming, collecting data, presenting, writing an experiment summary, using statistics, creating an experimental diagram, etc.
Our first interest/brainstorming session is Friday October 6th, 2023 at 6:00 pm. We will be holding this session in-person at TJHSST. During this session we will go over the goals and guidelines of this fair and introduce students to a multitude of project ideas. All interested students should sign up using the form at the link: https://forms.gle/RMfQYuvACK3YajRw8
If you have any questions or concerns, please email us back. Feel free to also check out our website at tjsciencefair.wordpress.com or email us at [email protected].
8700 Laurel Crest Drive, Lorton, VA 22079 | Main Office: 703-690-5500
Attendance: 703-690-5555 | Web