Heritage Weekly Update-December 9
The news you need from the Home of the PRIDE!
December 9, 2022
Traduccion en Espanol
-Cuando llegue aqui haga clic en la flecha que apunta hacia abajo y escoja el idioma "Spanish"
Principal's Message
I hope this Update finds you and those you care about safe and well. There are a lot of great things coming up in the next week, like our first annual Craft Show on Sunday (it's gonna be huge!), our Winter Choir Concert (it's gonna be exceptional!), and games, including our first Unified Basketball game (it's gonna be exciting!)! The information about these events and more can be found in this Update. Please contact us if you have any questions. As always, we are here to help and can help think of possible solutions if a student is struggling for whatever reason. Please reach out to us!
Interim Superintendent Named
- As many of you are aware, Dr. Scott Ziegler is no longer the Superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools. The School Board met last night and approved Dr. Daniel Smith as Interim Superintendent. Dr. Smith sent an email message to all staff and families last night explaining his role and his hopes to establish and rebuild trust among all members of the Loudoun County Public Schools community.
From the Testing Office
- If your child took the PSAT 8/9 or PSAT/NMSQT on October 12, 2022, their score is now available through their College Board account. If your child has difficulty accessing their score, please have them contact Kelly Gresh.
Winter Break Schedule
- Monday, December 19-OPEN 9-2
- Tuesday, December 20-OPEN 9-2
- Wednesday, December 21-OPEN 9-2
- Thursday, December 22-OPEN 9-2
- Friday, December 23-CLOSED
- Monday, December 26-CLOSED
- Tuesday, December 27-CLOSED
- Wednesday, December 28-OPEN 9-2
- Thursday, December 29-OPEN 9-2
- Friday, December 30-CLOSED
- Monday, January 2-CLOSED
- Tuesday, January 3-CLASSES RESUME
Spanish Honors Society
- The National Spanish Honors Society is now accepting applications. All application materials must be submitted by December 14th. Please reach out to Ms. Biggers with any questions.
PTSO and All Night Grad Party
-
It's that time of the year, the HHS Teacher & Staff Goodie Giveaway!!! The Goodie Giveaway is an event for our teachers and staff to take home Holiday Treats for them and their families. We cannot do this without your support and donation. Please consider donating. The cookies can be homemade or store bought, all are appreciated!!!
Here's the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c44acad2fa4fb6-20222
- ANGP - Seniors! The All Night Grad Party registration is now open! This is a fun "lock-in" event for the seniors to celebrate graduation with their classmates. There will be music, games, food, prizes and so much more! For more information, email PTSOheritage.pride@gmail.com.
Names in Yearbook and Graduation Program
Please note the following:
- Due to printing constraints, yearbook pictures and names cannot be changed after midnight on December 9th. Names will appear in the yearbook as they do in StudentVUE/ParentVUE, using the preferred name entered.
Senior names will appear in the Graduation Program as they do in StudentVUE/ParentVUE, using the preferred name entered.
- Use this link to purchase the 2022-23 Yearbook. The price is $75.
From the College and Career Center
PARENT INFORMATION SESSIONS - 2023 WINTER ADMISSIONS CYCLE
Saturday, January 14, 2023
Heritage High School (Library)
10:00 - 11:00 AM
Thank you for your continued trust and support.
ROAR PRIDE!
Jeff Adam
Principal
Heritage High School
#wearethepride
#hhspridestrong
Important Dates
December 11-Heritage Arts and Crafts Show (see below)
December 13-Choir Concert, 7 PM; Athletic Boosters, 7 PM
December 14-Equity and No Place for Hate Town Hall, 6PM-7 PM
December 19-January 2, 2023-Winter Break (schools closed)
January 14-Academies of Loudoun Information Session, 10 AM
January 20-International Baccalaureate application window closes (only for those outside of Heritage Attendance Zone)
February 21-Academies Application Window closes
February 20-Spring Athletic Tryouts begin
Wednesday, May 31-Heritage Graduation 2023
Competitions
Friday, December 9
5/6/7:30 PM Home 9/JV/V Girls and Boys Basketball vs. Lightridge HS
Saturday, December 10
3 PM Swim @ South Riding Rec Center
Monday, December 12
5/6/7:30 PM Home 9/JV/V Girls and Boys Basketball vs. Loudoun Valley HS
Tuesday, December 13
5:30 PM Home Wrestling Jamboree
Wednesday, December 14
5/6/7:30 PM Away 9/JV/V Girls and Boys Basketball @ Stone Bridge HS
Thursday, December 15
5/6/7:30 PM Home 9/JV/V Girls and Boys Basketball vs. Broad Run HS
Approximately 6:45 PM-Unified Basketball v. Broad Run HS
5:30 PM Away Gymnastics @ Stone Bridge HS
Saturday, December 17
6 PM Swim vs. Park View HS @ Ida Lee
Tuesday, December 20
5:30/5:30/7 PM Home Girls Basketball v. Millbrook HS
If you have any questions regarding Athletic evetns, please reach out to Mr. Totaro, Heritage Athletic Director, or Ms. Ziegler Heritage Assistant Athletic Director.
Heritage Athletics Update
If you are looking for schedules or additional information, go to www.heritagepride.org and search the 'Winter" or 'More' tabs in the top ribbon.
To purchase season passes or individual tickets for upcoming events, visit www.ticketspicket.com and search 'Heritage' or download the TicketSpicket app. Remember that only the LCPS All-Access Pass gets you into home AND away games. All other passes are only good at regular season HOME events.
As a reminder, Spring Tryouts are Feb 20 - schedule TBD. Be sure to get VHSL physicals in before that date. Information can be found at www.heritagepride.org and click MORE for additional details.
Reminder: See Something, Say Something and Safe2Talk
Safe2Talk is a free downloadable app that allows users to choose the school where the issue is occurring and the type of incident. The user is provided options through drop-down menus for incidents such as alcohol and drug use, dating violence, weapons, sexual misconduct, graffiti, hate crimes, physical abuse, suicidal behaviors, or any other actions that threaten a student’s safety or the safety of others.
All reports through the app are monitored 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week by dispatchers in the Loudoun Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center. In cases of imminent threats, LCSO patrol deputies or LPD patrol officers and School Resource Officers are immediately dispatched to the threat.
You can find more information about the app at sheriff.loudoun.gov/safe2talk.
We can all play a part in keeping safe. You can report suspicious activity directly to the Heritage Administration, to the Leesburg Police Department 24/7 via our non-emergency dispatch line at 703-771-4500 or at 9-1-1 for emergencies, or via the Safe2Talk App.
Remember, if you see something, say something!
STEP UP LOUDOUN
Now more than ever, it is important to meet our county youth where they need us, for that reason we are asking you to support your students by helping us promote this program.
The Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition presents middle and high school students an opportunity to identify an issue in their communities and implement a solution as they contribute to the world around them.
In the past few years, we have seen projects delve deep based on things already being done in school as part of Project Based Learning and Personalized Learning methods. These provide the perfect place for students to make their project work public by explaining, displaying and presenting it to people beyond the classroom. This year, students will create a team video due March 1, 2023, and then the top 20 teams will present live to judges on March 22, 2023. The Finals and Awards Ceremony will be on April 13, 2023, where the top 10 teams will be invited to present for cash prizes.
Registration for the Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition is now open. You will find information about SULYC and the link for the application at: www.loudounyouth.org under Programs: Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition.
For our Seniors...
Senior Order Form Class of 2023
Senior PRIDE In Our Community Information
Join the Senior Class Remind
- Text @hhspride23 to 81010
Ordering Information
- Deadline: September 30, 2022 for all items
- All ordering is a 2 step process:
- Complete the Senior Order Form Class of 2023
- Pay using the payment portal (link will be given after submitting your order)
- Orders are not confirmed and spaces are not reserved until payment is received
- If cost is an issue, waivers are available. Please reach out to Ms. Knapp or your student's counselor for more information.
Caps and Gowns
- Cost $55
- Includes cap, gown, tassel, and sash
- Need to include height and weight when ordering
- Distributed at Heritage in March or April
Senior T-Shirt
- Cost $15
- Designed by senior class officers
- Includes all senior names on the back
- Distributed at Heritage in May
Elementary School Walks
- Students wear cap/gown/sash/tassel and visit their elementary school
- All walks are from 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
- Permission slip is required
- All students must ride the bus to and from Heritage
- Frances Hazel Reid: Monday, May 22, 2023
- Tolbert: Tuesday, May 23, 2023
- Cool Spring: Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Senior Trip to Hershey Park
- Thursday, May 25, 2023 (7AM - 9PM)
- Cost: $100
- Includes: transportation, admission ticket, and catered lunch
- There is space for 250 seniors
- All students must ride the bus to and from Heritage
Pool Party
- Tuesday, May 30, 2023 (11:00 AM - 2:30 PM)
- Cost: $25
- Includes: transportation, Ida Lee water park, and lunch
- All students must ride the bus to and from Heritage
Graduation Rehearsal & Panoramic Picture
- Panoramic Picture-Tuesday, May 30 in stadium at 9:00 AM (wear cap & gown)
- Mandatory Graduation Rehearsal - Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at 9:30 AM
- Tickets to graduation (only in the event of inclement weather) will be distributed after the rehearsal
Graduation
- Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 7:30 PM in the Heritage Stadium
- Seniors wear cap/gown/sash/tassel/honor cords
- Seniors MUST meet in the main gym at 5:00 PM
- Gates open for visitors at 6:30 PM
- We are on the field rain or shine
- No ticket requirement if outside
- If there is really heavy rain and we cannot have the ceremony safely outside, we will adjust and every graduate will receive 4 tickets for the inside ceremony
Please reach out to Ms. Knapp, Senior Class Sponsor, for more information.
Parent Organizations
Heritage PTSO
PTSO meeting, Wed. 9/14 @ 7pm in the library. This will be our first PTSO meeting of the 2022-2023 school year.
Music Boosters
To join and find out more, just click here.
Theatre Boosters
The HHS Pride Productions Association is a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting our award-winning theatre program. Our membership fees provide costumes, technical equipment, master class opportunities and so much more!
To join and find out more just follow this link.
Athletics Boosters
Names in Yearbook and Graduation Program
Please note the following:
- Due to printing constraints, yearbook pictures and names cannot be changed after midnight on December 9th. Names will appear in the yearbook as they do in StudentVUE/ParentVUE, using the preferred name entered.
Senior names will appear in the Graduation Program as they do in StudentVUE/ParentVUE, using the preferred name entered.
LCPS Secondary School Attendance Zone Change Process
The following message was sent to families on Sunday, September 18, 2022, and I wanted to be sure you had seen it:
"The Loudoun County School Board has scheduled a series of meetings to facilitate the review of Ashburn, Central Loudoun and Eastern Loudoun area secondary school attendance zones.
The current boundaries for Broad Run High School/Farmwell Station Middle School, Dominion High School/Seneca Ridge Middle School, Heritage High School/Harper Park Middle School, Loudoun County High School/J. Lupton Simpson Middle School, Park View High School/Sterling Middle School, Potomac Falls High School/River Bend Middle School, Riverside High School/Belmont Ridge Middle School, Stone Bridge High School/Trailside Middle School and Tuscarora High School/Smart’s Mill Middle School will be reviewed in the attendance zone process.
The meeting dates are:
- Thursday, October 13, 2022 (6:30 p.m.) - School Board Attendance Zone Overview
- Tuesday, October 18, 2022 (6:30 p.m.) - Staff Briefing & School Board Attendance Zone Public Hearing
- Tuesday, November 1, 2022 (6;30 p.m.) - School Board Attendance Zone Work Session
- Wednesday, November 9, 2022 (6:30 p.m.) - Staff Briefing & School Board Attendance Zone Public Hearing
- Monday, November 14, 2022 (6;30 p.m.) - School Board Attendance Zone Work Session
- Tuesday, November 29, 2022 (6:30 p.m.) - School Board Review of Secondary School Attendance Zone Change Recommendations (in conjunction with a Regular School Board Business Meeting)
- Tuesday, December 6, 2022 (6:30 p.m.) - Staff Briefing & School Board Attendance Zone Public Hearing
- Tuesday, December 13, 2022 (6:30 p.m.) - School Board Adoption of Secondary School Attendance Zone Changes (in conjunction with a Regular School Board Business Meeting)
The meetings will be held at the Loudoun County Public Schools Administration Building (21000 Education Court, Ashburn) and broadcast live on Comcast channel 18 and Verizon Fios channel 43, as well as viewable via simultaneous webcast on the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) website.
All attendance zone information and data, as it becomes available (including potential attendance zone plans being considered or reviewed by the School Board), will be posted on the Fall 2022 – Secondary School Attendance Zone Change Process webpage.
Throughout the attendance zone change process, all correspondence and information received from the public will be shared with the School Board. Written remarks should be submitted to the LCPS Division of Planning & GIS Services at lcpsplan@lcps.org or 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, Virginia 20148.
School Information
No Place for Hate Program
Based on ongoing conversations with our students, and with the goal of decreasing incidents of insensitive remarks and hate speech, Heritage has registered with the Anti-Defamation League to be a “No Place for Hate” School. ADL’s No Place for Hate initiative is a school climate improvement initiative that provides PreK-12 schools with an organizing framework for combating bias, bullying and hatred, leading to long-term solutions for creating and maintaining a positive change. ADL encourages schools to find a student-centered approach to combat hate and discrimination in their school communities. Schools receive their designation by creating a committee of students, staff and family members, signing the No Place for Hate pledge and planning and implementing school-wide activities that address school-based issues. If you are interested in helping out with this program, please email myself or one of our staff coordinators: JJ Totaro (Athletic Director) and Danielle Davis (Heritage Equity Lead). If you would like to find out more about the No Place for Hate program, you may go to any of the following resources: No Place for Hate Promotional Video; No Place for Hate National Video; or No Place for Hate website.
I want to emphasize that students are at the center of this program. I am looking forward to engaging students in this journey toward a more positive, welcoming, affirming, and inviting school culture, which reflects our Vision: “Heritage High School readies all students for future success. Graduates are respectful of others, invested in their communities, and prepared for a changing world.”
Credit Through Testing
LCPS offers a Credit throught Testing option in World Languages. If you are interested in registering for this opportunity or want to find out more, just follow this link. The deadline for registration is Ocober 21st.
Tutor.com
Tutor.com can be accessed through a student's Schoology account. Connecting with a tutor is near-immediate and is available wherever a student has computer access. There is no limit to the number of times a LCPS student can connect with a tutor. Students can also drop off their written work and receive detailed feedback from a tutor within a day. In addition, the platform provides access to self-guided resources, including Advanced Placement videos and SAT/ACT Essentials courses from the Princeton Review.
Please check out the documents linked below for more information and encourage your students who would benefit from tutoring assistance to utilize this service:
Bell Schedule
The Bell Schedule has been posted to the website. You can find it here.
Doors open at 8:30
Unless they are involved in an activity, students will not be allowed to enter the building until 8:30 AM, as we cannot provide adequate supervision until that time.
School Hours
School begins at 9:30 AM this year and Dismissal occurs at 4:18 PM. Please note: Students are considered tardy to class if they are not in their first or fifth block class when the 9:30 bell rings.
Food Deliveries
As both a security measure and matter of practicality, we do not allow students to have food delivered to Heritage during the School Day. If a parent/guardian/family member needs to bring food to a student, they can, but students cannot have food delivered directly from restaurants or delivery services. If there is an emergency or special situation, please reach out to the Heritage Main Office and we can help work through the situation.
Cell Phones
When used appropriately and with explicit permission from the teacher, cell phones can be powerful technological tools for researching, engaging with a lesson, providing feedback to peers, participating in classroom surveys, and more. However, we, along with many schools throughout Loudoun and the country, noticed a severe increase in unauthorized student use of cell phones during class last year. This resulted in students missing important instruction, distracting classmates, and often disregarding teacher requests or expectations. I want to be clear that all Heritage teachers and staff have the support of the administration to determine when and how cell phones will be used in their respective classrooms. Our school wide expectation is that students honor and respect the electronics rules outlined by each of their teachers. When students make the decision to not honor the explicitly stated expectations of their teachers, the school will issue disciplinary actions to address the behavior. Please have a conversation with the students in your care about these and your expectations regarding appropriate cell phone use in class and at school. Please also be assured that if there is an emergency or you need to get a message to your student, the Main Office will be able to assist you.
Arrival/ Dismissal
After experiencing record numbers of car riders last year, we settled on a winding path through the parking lot for both (picture below) for those driving on campus for arrival and dismisal.
When driving on campus, please keep in mind the following:
- Follow directions of school staff that are present in the parking lot.
- Remind your student to wait at the front of the school for you to pick them up.
- Keep your speed slow and watch for pedestrians.
- Be kind to other drivers, student and adult.
- Pull up to the front of the pick-up/drop-off zone and within the white striped area.
- Do not cut through parking spaces and rows.
- Do not encourage your student to come to you in the middle of the parking lot or at another location.
- Do not move cones or signs.
- Do not block cross intersections in parking lot
- Do not switch drivers/passengers while in the pick-up line.
- Do not use your cellular phone while in the Parking Lot.
- Do not cut through parking spaces.
Facebook and Instagram
Heritage has an official Facebook page (https://business.facebook.com/Heritage-High-School-VA-108558541340022/) and a new connected "official" Instagram account (HeritageLCPS). The PTSO is still running their "Heritage Parents" page, but we will use these new Heritage accounts to spread the word about the awesome things going on at Heritage.
Behind the Wheel
Need "Behind the Wheel"? If interested, contact Mr. Soroush by email: ebi.soroush@lcps.org.
Heritage Mission Statement: The Heritage Community works together to foster continuous personal and academic growth of the whole student in a caring and engaging environment
Heritage Vision: Heritage High School readies all students for future success. Graduates are respectful of others, invested in their communities, and prepared for a changing world.