Husky Highlights Newsletter
September 2022
Principal's Message
I'd like to take this opportunity to recognize some of the events that kick-started this 2022-2023 school year on an energetic note!
Thank you, parents, students, and families for coming out to meet the Tuscarora staff during Student Orientation and Back-to-School Night. We appreciate you for taking the time to stop in, meet the staff, and get connected with the school.
Thank you, Tuscarora Band Students and Band Director, McKenzie Durgin, for the lively and energizing music that filled our halls and greeted students as they returned for the first day of school!
Thank you, PTSO, for the wonderful snacks and treats you provided staff to help keep us energized as we worked diligently during the teacher work-days. Your consistent and ongoing support is greatly appreciated!
Thank you, HABC and the entire Tuscarora Community, for the amazing support and turnout at the Tailgate on Friday, September 26th. The friendship, food, and fun was had by all. The football win was truly the icing on the cake!
This newsletter is packed with lots of great information to keep you informed and connected with the school.
As always, please reach out to me or any of my staff for assistance.
Pamela Croft
Principal
Free Tutoring Assistance
ATTENTION PARENTS AND STUDENTS!!
LCPS is partnering with Tutor.com to provide all students with free, online tutoring. Tutor.com, which is a service of the Princeton Review, is personalized to meet the individual needs of students. Tutor.com’s tutors are available 24 hours a day and can provide tutoring support in a wide variety of subjects. This service will be available to LCPS students starting Tuesday, September 6.
Tutor.com will 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:
Important Reminders from Our Attendance Office
We strongly encourage you to use ParentVue to report attendance for your student. You are able to use ParentVue to report your student as "Tardy", "Absent", or to request an "Early Dismissal". By using ParentVue, you help us keep lines at the attendance office moving more expeditiously, minimizing missed instructional time.
Please submit requests for "Early Dismissals" by 11:30AM that day. This provides us with sufficient time to document the request and communicate with teachers and your student. Using ParentVue to request "Early Dismissals" will expedite the process.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Nicole Shannon at our Attendance Office, THSabsentee@lcps.org.
Senior Class News
The Senior Class Sponsors will hold a Virtual Senior Parent’s Question and Answer Session on August 31st at 6:00 P.M. If parents are unable to make it, the recorded video and Q&A answer sheet will be posted on the Senior Schoology Page as well as the Senior page on the THS Website.
🍃🏵 Updates from Our Testing Office🍃🏵
PSAT
Students taking the PSAT 9 MUST bring their LCPS issued chromebook on the day of the test as this year it is a digital format for 9th grade.
Students taking the PSAT NMSQT (Grades 10 and 11) will take a paper/pencil test.
AP Testing
Students taking an AP course must register in myAP and select “YES” to register to take the AP Exam in May. Students can reach out to their AP teacher for the exam code to register.
THS AP InformationNews from Tusky Athletics
Welcome Back Huskies!!!
Online registration is now open for SY23 at www.huskyathletics.info
All physicals must be dated after May 1, 2022 and be on the VHSL Physical Form – VHSL Physical Form
Please complete all four pages thoroughly. Physical Forms missing signatures or information will be returned.
There is a new requirement this year – you will need to take the Sudden Cardiac course through NFHS (https://nfhslearn.com/courses/sudden-cardiac-arrest). Course is 10 min. Please create an account, take course, save a picture of certificate, you will need it for registration.
Returning Users: go to the website listed, sign in to your account, click ‘Register’ for returning students and ‘Add a New Student’ for new athletes in the family. Update your info and click Pay Later on the last page (there is no fee).
New Users: Please create an account, verify it, and follow the steps from above.
TicketSpicket is our exclusive online ticket provider. Please follow this link to purchase tickets for all Tuscarora Athletic Events: TicketSpicket. This will be the primary ticket purchase moving forward. Family passes will again be offered in the fall. Remember to search for the home venue to purchase tickets for Husky events. (Ex. If a game is at Heritage you will look for tickets by typing in Heritage on the school lookup)
Below is the coach contact information for the upcoming Fall and Winter Seasons:
Latest From Our SCA
The week of October 3rd - 8th we’ll be celebrating our amazing school spirit. Please stay tuned for the dress up days and ticket purchasing information.
Questions can be directed to Sommer Crawford, sommer.crawford@lcps.org.
Huskies Read! Class Challenge going on right now!
The THS Library is open! We look forward to another fantastic year with our creative and inquisitive Huskies!
All Freshman will receive an orientation to the library during their English classes.
All students are welcome and encouraged to visit the THS Library before school, during lunch, and during study hall when they are caught up on assignments. Our hours are 8:30 AM - 4:30 pm.
Look here for information on all our upcoming events and activities! Book Fair, Diversity & Equity Celebrations, Maker Days, Mindful Movement Lunch, Tabletop Games Lunch, One Book One Community, Audiobook Lunch, ComicsPlus Lunch, and much more.
Don’t forget, the Teen Center at the Rust Library has great student work and collaboration spaces as well as helpful librarians to assist your student. https://library.loudoun.gov/Rust
Exciting Events From School Counseling
Fall College Planning Night will be held on Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 7:00 P.M. The evening will begin with our THS College Application process which School Counselors will conduct in senior English classes the week of September 12th.
For the third year, Tuscarora High School is excited to host The Hispanic Conversation: “Life After High School”. It will be held on Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. The event will be held in the Auditorium and we are excited to offer the entire conversation in Spanish.
EL Parent Night
Attention EL Families!
Tuscarora will host an EL Parent Night on Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Come by and learn about the school, curriculum, school grading practices, and activities. A light dinner will be provided.
An RSVP form will be shared as we approach the date of the EL Parent Night.
A HUGE THANK YOU to McLean Bible Church for their Generous Donation of Back To School Supplies!!!
Measuring Student Academic Growth - Math and Reading
MAP: Measures of Academic Progress
Tuscarora will be administering the NWEA’s MAP Growth tests in Math each fall, winter, and spring for students enrolled in Algebra I and Geometry to determine their instructional readiness level and measure academic growth throughout the school year and from year to year.
MAP Growth tests are adaptive, providing a detailed picture of what your student knows and is ready to learn—whether it is on, above, or below grade level expectations. MAP Growth tests also provide immediate and accurate information about your student’s learning, enabling teachers to personalize instruction to meet students’ needs.
The fall MAP Growth testing schedule is August 29 - September 23, 2022.
i-Ready Reading
Welcome back, Huskies!
Fall i-Ready Reading testing will take place for ALL 9th-12th graders from August 31st through September 9th during English classes. The reading scores will be utilized to measure students' growth in reading, personalize instruction, and to create focused reading intervention groups that take place during English classes and/or during study halls. Students reading two or more grade levels behind their current grade level are candidates for reading intervention.
Please be aware that these i-Ready test scores are an important indicator of EOC Reading SOL performance (English 11 SOL) and are a significant data point for our school. Therefore, please encourage your student(s) to take this test seriously and to try their best on it.
Student scores will be published in StudentVUE later in the quarter, and parents will be notified if reading intervention is needed.
If you have any questions or concerns about the i-Ready test, please contact Mrs. Katy Schain (Alice.K.Schain@lcps.org) or Ms. Kristin Sheetz (Kristin.Sheetz@lcps.org).
Updates from Social Sciences
Rho Kappa
Rho Kappa National Social Science Honor Society is now accepting applications of Juniors and Seniors. The application is on the THS Social Science Webpage and on the History Honor Society activities page. Application deadline is September 23. If students have questions they can email Mrs. Lane (stefanie.lane@lcps.org ) or Mrs. Clark (riley.clark@lcps.org).
Key Club
Mark your Calendars! The Tuscarora Key Club interest meeting will be held on September 13th at 8:45AM in the auditorium. Key club is an organization devoted to the service of our Leesburg community, as well as the greater Northern Virginia area. We look forward to seeing you on September 13th. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out the Mr. Bednarski: Brian.Bednarksi@lcps.org or Mrs. Hess: Heather.Hess@lcps.org
Model UN
The 2022-23 Model United Nations season begins in November with students from the Tuscarora High School Model United Nations club traveling to the College of William & Mary from November 4-6, 2022, to participate in 36th annual William & Mary MUN Conference.
Wish them luck!!
🍃🏵 🍃🏵 🍃🏵 🍃🏵
REMINDER: 2022-2023 LCPS Student Code of Conduct
Parents/Guardians, please review this document with your student(s). Collaboratively, we will partner together to create a safe and effective learning environment for each and every Tuscarora Husky.
Important Dates
Senior Class Parent's Q&A
- Wednesday, August 31, 2022; 6:00 p.m. (Virtual Event)
- Friday, September 2, 2022
- Monday, September 5, 2022
EL Parent Night
- Thursday, September 15, 2022; 7:00 p.m.
Fall College Planning Night
- Thursday, September 22, 2022; 7:00 p.m.
The Hispanic Conversation: "Life After High School"
- Thursday, September 29, 2022; 7:00 p.m.
Tuscarora High School
Website: lcps.org/Tuscarora
Location: 801 North King Street, Leesburg, VA, USA
Phone: (571)252-1900
Twitter: @TuscaroraHS