LCPS Pre-IB Program at Loudoun Valley High School

Information for current 8th grade students at BRMS and 9th grade students at LVHS

If you have not already done so, we ask all students/ families of students currently in 8th grade at Blue Ridge Middle School or 9th grade at Loudoun Valley High School to please complete the following LCPS Pre-International Baccalaureate Student Interest Survey.

Hello,

This message is for students currently in 8th grade at Blue Ridge Middle School and 9th grade at Loudoun Valley High School interested in the LCPS Pre IB Program. We invite students and families to an optional drop-in work session on Thursday, January 26th from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in the Loudoun Valley High School Library where Michael Skvarch (IB Coordinator) and Paul Hall (Counseling Director) will be available to answer questions and assist students/families with questions they might have pertaining to student course request in preparation for next year.

We are excited to be one of the first schools in Loudoun County to be undergoing the process of becoming an IB World school. Once we are authorized as an IB school, students starting with the classes of 2026 (current 9th grade students) and 2027 (current 8th grade students) will have access to unique International Baccalaureate (IB) classes starting their junior and senior years and will have the ability to pursue a full IB Diploma. For more information visit our website at https://www.lcps.org/IB or visit the official website of the IB: ibo.org.

Students who would attend Loudoun Valley as their home high school will automatically have access to the Loudoun Valley High School International Baccalaureate program. The official start of the program would begin a student’s 11th grade year, however we have specific course request recommendations for students who want to pursue the IB Diploma.

For those students and families interested in the full IB Diploma, we will have an LCPS Pre-IB Student Schedule Work Session on Thursday, January 26th from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in the Loudoun Valley High School Library. This is a drop-in event where Michael Skvarch (IB Coordinator) and Paul Hall (Counseling Director) will be available to answer questions and assist students/families with questions they might have pertaining to student course requests in preparation for next year.

Please bring a device that will allow you to access StudentVue.

We look forward to connecting with you!

Sincerely,

Michael Skvarch(IB Coordinator) and Paul Hall (Counseling Director)

**Heritage and Loudoun Valley High Schools are candidate schools* for the Diploma Programme. These schools are pursuing authorization as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy- a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education- that we believe is important for our students.*Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer the Diploma Programme (DP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit http://www.ibo.org.

Ms. Stecura is Loudoun Valley’s School Testing Coordinator. Her office is located in the main office. The best way to contact Ms. Stecura is through email at melissa.stecura@lcps.org.

The LVHS Testing Website has more information about testing.

AP Testing information and schedule.

Attention: The deadline to submit accommodation requests through College Board for AP testing is January 18, 2023.

AP Exam fees will be collected via SchoolCash Online. Any required fees will be posted to your student’s account beginning November 15, 2022. Payment should be made as soon as possible, but no later than March 15, 2023. If payment is not received by March 15, 2023, LCPS may cancel your student’s exam(s).

If you have already registered for SchoolCash Online, you can sign in after November 15, 2022, and pay any applicable AP Exam fees.

If you have not yet registered for SchoolCash Online, directions on how to register can be found here. Once you have registered and attached your student to your account, you will be able to pay any applicable AP Exam fees.

Online payments can be made by Mastercard, Visa, or eCheck. Online payments are preferred.

If payment needs to be made by cash or check, you can submit payment at your student’s home school. Exact change is required for cash payments. Checks should be addressed to “Loudoun County Public Schools”.

Please contact your school’s Testing Coordinator with questions about this process.

What is Teacher Cadet?

The Teacher Cadet program is a “grow our own” initiative that consists of two dual-enrollment (DE) courses offered to high school students in Grade 11 and Grade 12 who may be interested in pursuing a career in education.

Interested students who are eligible to participate are enrolled in the following courses:

• Grade 11 – Teacher Cadet I DE

• Grade 12 – Teacher Cadet II DE

The Teacher Cadet program is designed to attract high school students to the field of education as a potential career “through exposure to a world-class curriculum and hands-on experience that focuses on teaching,” (Virginia Department of Education, n.d.).

Program Benefits

Teacher Cadet students earn dual-enrollment (DE) credit through Shenandoah University.

• Teacher Cadet I DE = EDUC 210 (3 credits)

• Teacher Cadet II DE = EDUC 310 (3 credits)

Teacher Cadet students are also immersed in real-world, project-based learning experiences. Students complete an internship with LCPS teachers and interact with LCPS students at the elementary and middle school levels during observations.

Teacher Cadet students who successfully complete the program receive a letter of intent (LOI) from the LCPS Department of Human Resources and Talent Development (HRTD).

Submitting an Interest Form

The online interest form is available to all LCPS students currently enrolled in Grade 10 with a minimum 2.7 GPA or its equivalent. Eligible students should express their interest in the Student Opportunities portal (LCPS Go) between September 14, 2022 and January 27, 2023.

The student interest form requires a student-created response (i.e., presentation, essay, drawing, video, etc.) and two recommendations. Students will need to provide names and email addresses for two recommenders.

The interest form must be completed and submitted by 11:59 PM on January 27, 2023. Student directions are viewable here.

Tentative Timeline

September 14, 2022

The interest form becomes available in the Student Opportunities portal (LCPS Go).

January 27, 2023

The deadline for current Grade 10 students to submit an interest form via LCPS Go.

February 10, 2023

All letters of recommendations are due (responsibility of the student to follow up).

February 13, 2023 - March 10, 2023

The committee convenes to review interest forms.

March 27, 2023

The committee communicates accepted and deferred students to stakeholders (students, families, counselors, principals, teachers, etc.).

After April 1, 2023

School Counseling may schedule accepted students in the Teacher Cadet I DE course to begin in the 2023 – 2024 school year as Grade 11 students.

Twitter: @LVHS_Counseling

Instagram: @valleyschoolcounseling

This website offers comprehensive mental health services, support and resources provided by our Unified Mental Health Teams (counselors, psychologists, social workers, school nurses, and student assistance specialists) who can assist and direct families to the right level of services or interventions.

Available information includes:

• How to contact your school’s Unified Mental Health Team
• Resources for parents
• Suicide prevention resources
• LCPS mental and behavioral health services
• Substance use prevention and intervention services
• Resources for families of LGBTQ+ students and families
• Community resources

To access the mental health website created by the Department of Student Services, please visit: www.lcps.org/MentalHealthServices

MEET YOUR UNIFIED MENTAL HEALTH TEAM

As we approach Mental Health Awareness Month, Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) and the Unified Mental Health Team (UMHT) at Loudoun Valley want to remind you of the opportunities and resources available to students and families. The Loudoun Valley Unified Mental Health Team supports the mental health of all Loudoun Valley students.

A former LCPS student tells her story about vaping and recovery after being hospitalized. We encourage you to watch this video with your child and have a discussion about vaping. The presentation below contains her video and resources for parents about how to talk to your child about vaping along with some other resources related to drugs/alcohol. If you have questions please contact Amy Emery, Student Assistance Specialist, at amy.emery@lcps.org.

Parents will find support and valuable resources this month as we prepare a full schedule of resilience-based programs for teens launching in January.

All programs can be found here:

https://www.ryanbartelfoundation.org/programs

2022-2023 ASVAB Test Registration

The ASVAB test is open to all LCPS students, grades 10-12. Please arrive 15-20 minutes prior to the start time of the test for check-in. If you have any questions, contact the Mrs. Krone, Career Center Assistant at LVHS.

The ASVAB Career Exploration Program can help young adults identify and explore potentially satisfying occupations and develop effective strategies to realize career goals.

The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is one of the most widely used, multiple-aptitude tests in the world, developed and maintained by the Department of Defense. More than half of all high schools nationwide administer the ASVAB test to students in grades 10, 11 and 12 (sophomores cannot use their scores for enlistment eligibility).

The ASVAB consists of the following eight individual tests:

-General Science
-Arithmetic Reasoning
-Word Knowledge
-Paragraph Comprehension
-Mathematics Knowledge
-Electronics Information
-Auto and Shop Information
-Mechanical Comprehension

Students are provided with scores on each of these individual tests and three Career Exploration Score composites: Verbal Skills, Math Skills and Science and Technical Skills. The battery takes approximately three hours to complete, and test results are returned to schools in a few weeks.

The Military uses students’ ASVAB scores to identify the occupations that best suit their abilities. Junior, senior and post-secondary school students can use their ASVAB scores for enlistment for up to two years after taking the test.

Additional information (dates and testing sites) and registration is available at:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeoLyX9CTLrPuEUzP03jenUsVhriYaYT2gBLfW8E40nmz4Aig/viewform

NASA’s Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) is excited to share that the application window is now open for our FREE summer residential STEM program for current 8th and 9th grade students in Virginia!

Building Leaders for Advancing Science and Technology (BLAST) is ideal for students who have a passion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and have not yet had either the confidence or the opportunity to participate in experiential STEM programs before now. We are asking for your help to ensure every qualified student in Virginia knows they can apply.

The Academies of Loudoun will be hosting their second Skilled Trades Fair on Wednesday, January 25, 2023 6:30-8:30pm. The Skilled Trades Fair will be held at the Academies of Loudoun and will be a public event open to all Loudoun County students in grades 9-12. Students will have an opportunity to speak with industry leaders about careers, apply onsite for Academies of Loudoun admission, and network to explore job opportunities after high school. Students will need to register before January 20th for this event using the link: https://forms.gle/UdQGz6s6evogsjPc9 . We look forward to you joining us for a night of networking!

Wednesday, January 18th at 1:00 p.m. we will be hosting Chef Raj with the West End Wine, Bar and Pub to discuss careers in culinary arts. Sign up on your Naviance account.

On Wednesday, December 14, science teacher Taryn Langmead and three members of the LVHS Science Honors Society provided an astronomy lesson for the students of all grades at Lincoln Elementary. The students were Katelyn Miller, Izabella Hortega, and Clay Grisius. With the guidance of Ms. Langmead, the students used the various curriculums for each grade to create an exploratory lesson. Each student took a turn, leading a discussion with some very eager and energetic minds!

Please return or renew any overdue library books before the Thanksgiving break. Students can use the link below to see how to check their library account.

If you have money to put on your account, you can bring it to the cafeteria in the mornings.

LCPS will be using Ticket Spicket digital tickets for all high school athletic regular season events. Tickets can be purchased using the Ticket Spicket website or app.

Please Note: Tickets can not be redeemed prior to the event. Tickets must be presented to the event staff before being redeemed.

2022-23 Ticket and Annual Pass Prices

• Tickets for regular-season events: $7 per ticket
• All LCPS Access Pass: $500 provides access to home and away regular season athletic competitions held at any LCPS high school (each member in the immediate household will receive a pass with purchase of this package)
• Family Pass: $250 provides entrance to all regular season home games for the selected school (each member in the immediate household will receive a pass with purchase of this package)
• Individual Adult Pass: $125
• LCPS Student Pass: $100

Additional information along with helpful resources about Ticket Spicket can be found at LCPS.org.

Parents - We want to see your athletes in action! Please send pictures and updates to pr@lvboosters.org

We are sponsoring a volunteer event to provide books and reading materials to promote literacy in underserved children. This event is Saturday February 4th 11AM - 3PM. Lunch will be served and volunteer hours rewarded. Please sign up below to help us reach our goal. Please message Jessica Scalzo secretary@lvboosters.org with any questions. Below is the link to sign up to volunteer.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4DA9AD2CAAF58-volunteer

Do you want to learn something new and different?? Come join Loudoun Valley Track and Field Throwers. Join the track team and come learn how to throw shot put and discus. If you would like more information please contact Coach Gildersleeve at 480-861-2481.

Our next Athletic boosters meeting is Monday Feb 13th at 7PM in the library. Everyone is invited!

Thank you!

Jessica Scalzo

Secretary

Loudoun Valley Athletic Boosters

https://linktr.ee/LVBoosters

Direct Links for Students to Instructional Tools

TOOL: Google

LINK: https://drive.google.com

HOW TO SIGN IN: Google: student email address IDnumber@lcps.org, i.e. 000000@lcps.org

TOOL: Schoology

LINK: https://learn.lcps.org

HOW TO SIGN IN: Google

TOOL: Google Meet

LINK: https://meet.google.com/ OR the link you created for your class

HOW TO SIGN IN: Google

TOOL: Clever (for app integrations)

LINK: https://clever.com/

HOW TO SIGN IN: Student ID and Password

TOOL: StudentVue

LINK: https://portal.lcps.org/

HOW TO SIGN IN: Student ID and Password

FAQs

I've used the links and received sign-in errors. Is my password wrong?

Sometimes an LCPS Go outage is limited to LCPS Go, and other times it may be a network problem affecting multiple sites. In this instance, a password or other sign-in error may or may not reflect the actual problem. Wait and try later, refresh your browser window, and clear the cache if needed.

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