SVHS Green and Gold
Community Edition
BACK TO SCHOOL EDITION 2022-2023
Newsletter Summary from Dr. Cohen
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Welcome to the 2022-2023 School Year
On behalf of the Seneca Valley High School (SVHS) staff, it is our pleasure to welcome you to the 2022-2023 school year. We hope that you are healthy, rested, and ready for the new school year. At Seneca Valley, your voice matters. We look forward to hearing from each of you as we continue to build our school culture together.
Coming Soon...
In this edition of the Green and Gold Newsletter, we have tried to anticipate the questions you have at this stage of the summer. Each Sunday, we will send an updated newsletter with additional information on topics including, transportation, bell schedules, student schedules, drop-off procedures, and much more. But don't be shy. If you have a question that you feel cannot wait, or one that you would like to see covered in the next newsletter, please use this link to make a suggestion.
- Student schedule availability and how to request a schedule change
- Opening week procedures
- Student drop off and pick up procedures
- Lunch procedures
- Grading and reporting expectations
- Summer assignment reminders
- Opening class meetings
- Opening spirit week and pep rally
- And much more.
Class T-Shirts On-Sale Now!!!
These official class t-shirts are only available for a limited time, so please act soon if you want one for your student.
Join Dr. Cohen and Guests for Monthly Coffee/Tea Breaks
Click here to RSVP to the first Virtual Coffee/Tea Break of the 2022-2023 School Year.
MCPS IS HIRING!
MCPS is a Great Place to Work!
Montgomery County Public Schools hires the best teachers, administrators and support professionals to work with our more than 160,000 diverse students and 210 excellent schools. If you know an individual who would be a great fit for our students and schools, encourage them to visit www.MCPSCareers.org and apply. We offer exciting careers working for one of the highest-performing school systems in the nation!
Join us for our next Information Job Fair on August 2. It is a virtual opportunity from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. visit https://meet.google.com/heu-kytv-fpq to join the live event and find out more about working for Montgomery County Public Schools.
9th Grade and New Student Orientation - This is a Student only event.
9th Grade and New Student Orientation will be held on Thursday, August 25, 2022 from 7:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. School bus schedules for orientation will follow a normal morning pick-up schedule and return students home on a three-hour early dismissal schedule. There is no flexibility on the dismissal time as school buses serve multiple schools. If your child is a walker, then he/she should walk to and from school or you may drop off/pick up students at the car-rider loop in front of the school building.
This program will give students:
An opportunity to meet school staff and classmates
A chance to become familiar with the school building (finding classrooms and offices)
An overview of the academic program
Students will begin arriving at approximately 7:20 a.m. and should report directly to the auditorium by 7:45 a.m. There will be staff members stationed at various points throughout the building to help students find their way.
Welcome from partner parent organizations
Information from the SVHS Boosters
Join Now!
Boosters
Club Website
Students and Parents: We Want to Hear from You!
Students: Please complete this brief, three-question Student Survey by August 12.
Parents: Please complete this brief, three-question Parent Survey by August 12.
Mark Your Calendar - Back to School Night - Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Dads on Duty Returns
Recently, our Dads on Duty program was recognized by Montgomery County Public Schools as an exemplar of parent involvement and our parent leaders are now helping other schools in the district to grow their own programs.
We welcome new dads for the upcoming school year. Your little bit of time is more rewarding than you think and has more impact than you know. Join us!
In the coming weeks, please be on the lookout in this newsletter for how to get more involved. This will include a sign up genius. We are hoping that each of our dads volunteers at least once during the year.
Dads on Duty volunteers must complete BOTH the online child abuse and neglect training and the COVID attestation process. They WILL need to check-in and check-out of the main office and scan their driver's license/identification cards through the Visitor Management System (VMS).
Thanks in advance.
Introducing our School Administration
Click here to learn about each member of our administrative team. Please make note of your specific administrator. You can reach out to your administrator in regards to any items and/or concerns.
Introducing our School Counselors
Click here to find out who your child's counselor is and how to reach them. To learn about the rest of our counseling services team, please visit our counseling services website.
August Update from Counseling Services
The Seneca Valley Counseling Services department hopes all of our students and families have been enjoying a happy, healthy and rejuvenating summer!
Our counseling team is super excited about the upcoming year and has been hard at work all summer getting ready! We are still here to help you throughout August. Our office is open every business day from 8 AM to 3 PM. For enrollments and withdrawals, we highly recommend calling our office at 240-740-6420 to schedule an appointment time. For other questions we highly encourage making an appointment with your student's counselor, as counselors do not work every day in the summer.
Our College & Career Center has been hopping this summer with in-person and virtual college workshops! Seniors, as you work on your Brag Sheets, college applications, and FAFSA, please visit our website for helpful information and a listing of upcoming college workshops and summer sessions: https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/svhscccenter/home
There's still time this summer to make an impact in your community by earning Student Service Learning (SSL) hours. Find opportunities near you by visiting this SSL Finder.
Not sure if you have summer assignments to work on? Visit the Seneca Valley Summer Assignments page.
The Seneca Valley Counseling team continues to grow! In addition to several new staff, we are thrilled to congratulate our School Psychologist Mrs. Madison Buckholz and her husband who welcomed their first child, Trace Joseph Buckholz, on July 6th. Trace and family are doing great!
- Ms. Gabrielle Harriston, School Counselor for students with last names Kel-Mie, is coming to Seneca Valley from Snowden Farm Elementary School. She earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees from Liberty University. She loves singing, listening to music, and is currently writing a book!
- Ms. Jehan Khanni, School Counselor for students with last names Boy-Cha, is coming from Roberto Clemente Middle School. She earned her bachelor's degree from Northwood University and her master's degree from Nova Southeastern University. She is currently pursuing her LPC at Johns Hopkins University. She is Jamaican, but grew up in the Middle East. She loves theatre and photography and plays the flute.
- Mr. Merwyn Singh, School Counselor for students with last names Plus-Sir, is coming from Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Charles County. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and his master's degree from Bowie State University. He enjoys traveling, going to the beach, and cooking food from different cultures.
SVHS has added a school-based social worker (Mr. John Robertson) to our team in order to serve our students who may need support with:
Behavior
Wellness
Mental Health
Mr. Robertson will:
Create groups as needed for possible risk or support categories and create individual student treatment plans for ongoing support.
Make additional referrals and provide resources as needed.
Consult and share with the well-being team as ethically allowed.
Counselor caseloads are shown below, for more information please visit the SVHS
Counseling website at: https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/svhs-counseling/home
School Counselor Caseloads - Who do I call?
SVHS Wellness Center - Making a Difference, One Student at a Time
Visit our Virtual College and Career Center
Seneca Valley - College & Career Center
Parents and students can make an appointment with Mr. Nalda in the College & Career Center for help on getting started on a college, career or scholarship search. This is especially important for eleventh graders.
The College & Career Center holds a wealth of information and resources for students as they ponder "life after high school." Students planning to attend a post-secondary school, whether it is 2 year, 4 year, or Technical/Trade, should visit the College & Career Center.
IB at SVHS
Welcome back, SVHS Screaming Eagles! We had a fantastic 2021-2022 school-year with our International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs at Seneca Valley High School. As highlighted below, we continued our tradition of excellence as well as our growth as a wall-to-wall IB school offering IB-aligned teaching and learning to every student. We are incredibly proud of the hard work and accomplishments of our students with the support of teachers, administrators, counselors, parents, and guardians.
Click here to read more about IB in action at SVHS.
The IB Programs at SVHS believe that all of our students have the ability to soar into college and careers. We also know that we must actively and purposely work to identify and dismantle systems that result in opportunity disparities for our students. Being an IB World schools is an integral part of this work at SVHS.
Click here to read about how SVHS uses an Anti-Bias Anti-Racism (ABAR) lens to analyze all levels of teaching & learning.
Restorative Practices at SVHS
Seneca Valley High School strives for community building, self-care and conflict resolution as outlined on MCPS' page, Student and Family Support and Engagement. Extracurricular Activities (ECA) will be available during and after school to promote student well-being and build a strong community. A few of these include yoga club, Minority Scholars Project, Girls of Color Alliance, Gender & Sexuality Alliance, among others. The digital bulletin boards throughout the school will display the variety of ways students may get involved in ECA. The mindfulness room will be available for students during lunch. Students also have access to the Wellness Center located on the first floor near the health room in the 1500 hallway.
Questions about Restorative Practices may be directed to Ms. Phalia West in the counseling office or Ms. LaDonna Crawford, assistant principal. Other members of the team are Mr. Ian Yarmus, Resource Counselor, Mr. Brady Markel, Resource Teacher for PE & Health, Ms. Rebecca Hanford, Resource Teacher for Language Acquisition, Ms. Lisa Sprehn, Resource Teacher for English Language Development, LCDR Suzan Hernandez, NJROTC and Ms. Sharon Gardner.
Please update - Student Emergency Information
Student Emergency Information should be updated through ParentVUE. Each year parents/guardians are required to complete the Annual Verification of Information through the Online Registration portal (in the right corner of your ParentVUE home screen). Please complete this information by August 19, 2022. It is critically important that we have accurate parent contact information on file with the school and system.
Here are links to the ParentVUE Support Guide and directions for completing the annual verification of information.
APPLY NOW FOR FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE MEALS!
ONLINE FARMS APPS ARE AVAILABLE NOW!
www.MySchoolApps.com
is NOW OPEN for parents to complete and submit
the 2022–2023 Online application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals!
FAMILIES CAN APPLY NOW & AVOID LONGER PROCESSING TIMES IN THE FALL!
Register for SchoolCash Online today
Dear Parent/Guardian,
Montgomery County Public Schools has transitioned to a new online payment system called SchoolCash Online as its preferred method of payment for school-related fees such as fundraisers, field trips, obligations, etc. (Please note that the new payment system is NOT related to school cafeteria accounts)
SchoolCash Online helps parents/guardians and community members pay school-related fees safely, quickly, and easily. SchoolCash Online will help increase efficiency and security at schools by making payments directly into schools’ bank accounts and eliminating the need for teachers to handle money. In addition, once registered, you will be immediately informed about school activities!
Powered by KEV Group, SchoolCash Online is the industry leader in the management of school fees. The new system puts all of the school-related fees online for purchase so users can make purchases online using a credit card or e-check. A processing fee will be included on all items available for purchase, regardless of the type of payment used on SchoolCash Online or at the school.
Parents/guardians can register now at - https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com/
Senior Portraits
Senior Portrait Days are August 11, 12, and 18 in the Seneca Valley High School auditorium. Have you received your personalized appointment postcard? If not, please contact Freed Photography to make an appointment at your preferred time and date.
SESSION FEE: $30 and includes a 5x7 of the yearbook photo. The session fee can be paid through the SVHS online store: https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/2972/354/False/True or at the business office by cash or check made payable to Seneca Valley High School.
WHAT TO WEAR
SENIOR PORTRAITS: Solid colors and collared shirts photograph well. For drape photos please wear a scoop or v-neck shirt. Feel free to bring a change of clothes, a sports uniform
or prop to personalize your senior portraits.
HOW TO ORDER
All ordering will be entirely ONLINE! You will be able to choose from many wonderful photos. Parents will receive an e-mail alert with a link to the student’s gallery when it becomes available.
Questions? Contact support@freedphoto.com
Freed Photography | 4931 Cordell Ave. Bethesda, MD | freedphoto.com | 301.652.5452
Update from Athletics
Clubs and Activities
If you like to build, sing, strategize, compete, connect, act, lead, travel, knit, paint, dance, read, debate, imagine, volunteer, speak world languages, prepare for college and career, make a difference, or just plain hang out with likeminded individuals, Seneca Valley has a club to meet your interests!
Check out our Extracurricular Activities at https://bit.ly/SVHSeca. Complete the interest form at the top to receive information from club sponsors and invitations to beginning-of-year events and activities.
Email Ms Chilcoat Fellows at joanna_c_Fellows@mcpsmd.org for more information about our Extracurricular Activities.
Denial of Consent and Release
During the school year the webmasters at Seneca Valley High School post candid and posed photos on the school website of students participating in activities such as sports, clubs, assemblies, field trips, class projects, homecoming, prom, and other school events.
Unless you return this form to the school, we will assume that you give consent for the nonprofit use of your student’s likeness to be used on the school website with or without the use of the student’s name. No other permission will be forthcoming.
YOU ONLY NEED TO COMPLETE THIS FORM IF YOU DENY CONSENT!
STUDENT PARKING INFORMATION
MCPS Code of Conduct and Student Rights & Responsibilities
The MCPS Code of Conduct and A Student's Guide to Rights & Responsibilities will be distributed to all students in September. They are also online at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/students/rights.
SVHS Student and Family Resources Page
Click here for a list and links to resources and supports available for students and families in the Seneca Valley Community. SVHS Student and Family Resources Page
Seneca Valley High School
Twitter: @SenecaValleyHS
Instagram: @SenecaValleyHSWebsite: www.senecavalleyhighschool.com
Location: 19401 Crystal Rock Drive, Germantown, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-6400