Stingray Scoop
SHMS Information ~ Week of March 18-22
Dear Stone Hill community,
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! It was great to see so many students participating in our Kindness Week spirit week last week and sharing ways they can demonstrate kindness all throughout the year.
As a reminder, the LCPS Family Survey was emailed by our superintendent, Dr. Spence, on February 20th to the email address in ParentVue, and the survey is only open through today, Sunday, March 17th. This survey is so important in helping schools recognize their strengths and areas for improvement. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us!
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read through the Stingray Scoop with your family so you can stay up to date on all the amazing things going on at SHMS!
We are ONE, We are Strong, We are Stone Hill.
In service to you and our Stingray community,
Rohini Tohan, Principal
Week at a Glance
Monday, March 18th
- B-day
- Activity Buses
Tuesday, March 19th
- A-day
Wednesday, March 20th
- B-day
- Activity Buses
Thursday, March 21st
- A-day
- Activity Buses
Friday, March 22nd
- B-day
Important Upcoming School Dates
- March 17th ~ LCPS Family Survey closes. More information here.
- March 25th to 29th ~ Spring Break
- April 4th ~ Last day of Quarter 3
- April 5th ~ Student Holiday, No School
- April 10th ~ School Holiday, Eid al-Fitr
Grade-Level Stingray Reports
Weeks of March 11th to April 5th
Stingray Reports are a snapshot for families of what students will be learning in class during these weeks. Don’t forget to check out the “Show & Tell” sections, which include great conversation starters to ask your student at home!
Ramadan Information
Accommodations: As Ramadan approaches, we want to ensure that your child receives the support they need during the school day. We will be offering our students a quiet space, away from the cafeteria, while they are fasting and/or praying. If you wish for your child to access these arrangements, please reach out to the grade-level counselor. Please provide us your child’s or children’s names, what supports they need, such as prayer time duration, and any additional information. This will allow us to plan accordingly while honoring your family’s needs.
- 6th Grade: yvonne.jackson@lcps.org
- 7th Grade: jennifer.alberth@lcps.org
- 8th Grade: kelly.inman@lcps.org
- SpEd & EL: laura.andrews@lcps.org
6th Grade Dean Transition
We are excited to share that our 6th grade dean, Matt Frye, has accepted the position of Instructional Facilitator of Technology right here at Stone Hill, and his last day as dean will be Monday, March 18th. Mr. Frye has been at SHMS since 2017 and he is looking forward to supporting the instructional needs of our building in this new role!
Asma Junco will be supporting students and staff as 6th grade dean for the remainder of the 2023-2024 school year. Ms. Junco has been working alongside our administration team for several months in the assistant principal role and has had the opportunity to meet with many of our students and families during this time. Ms. Junco and Mr. Frye will continue to work closely together to support the needs of our 6th grade students and families. Ms. Junco comes to us with over 30 years of experience as a teacher and administrator, and we are so grateful she has agreed to stay on in this capacity through the end of the school year!
This Week's Stingray Shout-Outs
Stone Hill Orchestra Receives Superior Rating
The Stone Hill Orchestra performed at an assessment earlier this month and sounded AMAZING, earning a "superior" rating. Congratulations, students, on a great performance, and thank you to Mr. Maeshiro for hosting the Middle School Orchestra Assessment!
All Star Choir Aces District Assessment
Our after-school non-audition choir, the Stone Hill All Star Choir received a straight superior rating at District Assessment this past Wednesday! They rocked it!
Stone Hill Band Receives Superior Rating
The band performed at Assessment at Independence High School on Friday evening. Our students worked very hard and received a Superior Rating! This is the highest rating that we could receive. Mr. Fye and Mr. Morton are very proud of our students' hard work!
Students Succeed in VA State Chess Championship
Congratulations to several students who competed and won last weekend in the VA Scholastic and College Chess Championships in Roanoke, VA.
- Nithin Paramasivan, Anushka Khare, Avni Khare, and Anishka Gupta won the 1st place school trophy and VA State Chess Team Championship (U1200 rating) team award! Way to go, Stingrays!
- Nithin Paramasivan won the overall 1st place and VA State Chess Championship (U1200 rating) individual award!
- Anushka Khare won 5th place and the Top Girl Trophies (U1200 rating)!
- Kavin Sathiesh and Aarush Gupta won 5th place in the K-8 championship, scoring 5/10 points. Both students won individual medals as well, scoring 2.5/5 points. Kavin also scored a win and three draws in five rounds!
Kindness Week
During lunch shifts, students had the opportunity to share how they would show kindness as an "upstander" when they hear hateful language or slurs.
PBIS Word of the Month
March's Word of the Month is accountability. Our SHMS Students of the Month will be nominated based on how they demonstrate accountability throughout this month! Ask your student(s) to share more about their PBIS Word of the Month lesson from Advisory!
Testing Information
Spring MAP Testing
Students will participate in the final MAP tests of the year during the month of April.
- READING: Tuesday, April 9th (B-day). Students will report directly to Block 1/2 for testing. There will be no Advisory block on this day.
- MATH: Administered during students' regularly scheduled math classes between April 8-26. Students in Algebra II/Trigonometry are exempt from Math MAP testing. Students in other high-school level courses may be exempt based on their prior MAP test scores. Please reach out to your student's math teacher with any questions.
Spring SOL Schedule
We are sharing our testing schedule for the end of April into May. We would like for families to consider these events when making plans and appointments.
LCPS Family Survey
SHMS wants to hear from you! The annual LCPS Family Survey was sent to the email address listed in ParentVue on February 20th from our superintendent, Dr. Aaron Spence. Results from the survey help schools to know what we are doing well and how we can improve to meet the needs of your student(s). The survey is open until March 17th. More information about the survey can be found on the Stakeholder Surveys webpage. If you do not receive a survey email, contact research@lcps.org.
Counseling Department Information
Expungement Information
Middle school students who have taken a high school course while in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade may elect to have the course expunged (grade and credit omitted) from the student’s high school records. Click here for more information about the expungement of high school level courses.
LCPS Mental Health and Wellness Presentations
Parents please see the flier for information about upcoming mental health and wellness presentations offered by the county.
Parent Coaching Resources
Loudoun County Public Schools is offering new resources for all staff and parents/guardians to use to support students through www.parental guidance.org. You can learn more about this initiative by clicking here.
These resources include easily accessible video-based courses on difficult parenting topics, individualized parent coaching for any LCPS parent/guardian, on their schedule in their home, and weekly interactive webinars to let parents know the mental health needs of our students are a critical concern of Loudoun County Public Schools.
Bus & Car Line Reminders
A reminder from LCPS’s Transportation Department
Bus riders should ride their assigned bus and always arrive at their bus stop five minutes early. Please help your student(s) get out of the door on time.
Car Line Reminders
Carline parents: We thank you for your patience and cooperation in helping to make our car line a safe and efficient area during the morning drop off and afternoon pick up.
Please follow directions displayed on signage and from all car line staff. Please pull as far forward as possible towards the stop sign in order to keep the flow of traffic moving.
Attendance Reminders
Being On-Time to School
We regularly generate an attendance report to monitor student attendance and identify any patterns of excessive absences, tardies, and/or early dismissals.
We have identified an increase in the number of tardies to school where parents are dropping off students after the start of the school day. Consistent school attendance is crucial for student success, as it directly impacts academic achievement and overall educational progress. When students are absent/tardy, they miss out on valuable instructional time and the opportunity to fully engage in their learning.
It is the school’s responsibility to keep parents informed about their student’s attendance. We ask for your cooperation to ensure your student(s) arrives promptly and is present in the classroom between 8:50 AM and 3:38 PM.
Reporting Attendance
We are encouraging all parents to report attendance, including absences and early dismissals, in ParentVue. We no longer have an absentee line and all attendance needs should be reported in ParentVue moving forward. Instructions with how to videos are available on our website or by clicking here.
Extended Absences
- In extended absence cases of illness, a doctor's note will be required and the absence will be documented as EXCUSED.
- In cases of bereavement, educational travel, religious travel, these will be documented in the student record as EXCUSED, and we continue to communicate and connect teachers with parents and students to lessen the academic impact.
- In extended absence cases of vacation, these will be documented as UNEXCUSED in the academic record and communicated to the Loudoun County Attendance Officer.
Tutoring Resources
LCPS is proud to provide free access to a suite of online learning resources available on the Varsity Tutors platform. To learn more about Varsity Tutors, a free, on-demand online tutoring service available to ALL LCPS students in Grades K-12, click here.
Upcoming Events & Activities
Rock Ridge Ice Hockey Open to 8th Graders
The team would like to gauge interest before spring break. If you're interested, please contact rock.ridge.icehockey@gmail.com to gain for more information. Players must have prior experience skating and playing ice hockey, and it is a co-ed league.
Opportunities to Recognize our Amazing Staff
LCPS Instructional Awards Program
HRTD is proud to announce the LCPS Instructional Awards program. Included in these recognitions are the following, including four new award categories:
Professional Employee of the Year
Administrative Support Employee of the Year
Instructional Support Employee of the Year
Student Services Support Employee of the Year
Substitute of the Year
Nominations can be submitted by staff, parents, students and/or community members for an outstanding employee based on their exemplary performance.
2023-2024 LCPS Instructional Awards Nomination Form
Completed nomination forms must be received by 5:00pm on Friday, March 22, 2024.
Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) Award Nominations
Check out the flier below for more information!
PTO Information
PTO General Meeting
Tuesday, Apr 16, 2024, 06:00 PM
Stone Hill Middle School ~ Library
REGISTER NOW - NOVA Math Team Tournament – deadline to register is April 19,2024
Please mark your calendars for the NOVA Math Team Tournament, hosted by the SHMS PTO. This event is scheduled for Saturday, May 4th, 2024, at Stone Hill Middle School. We highly encourage students to seize this opportunity and participate in the tournament.
For registration information, please visit the following page:
SHMS PTO MOEMS Math Team Tournament
https://www.shmspto.org/initiatives
PTO BOARD NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!
We are currently accepting nominations for Parent Teacher Organization positions for the 2024-2025 school year. If you are interested, or would like to nominate someone, please contact the SHMS Board at pto-board@shmspto.org
Keep up to date with the latest PTO events and meeting information!
Follow us on
Facebook: @stonehillpto
Twitter: @shms_pto
EL & Immigrant Youth Family Resources
The Family Room Session
The Division of English Learners, Family and Community Engagement (DEL FACE) Office is pleased to invite families to our next The Family Room Session:
Exploring Schoolinks for Elementary and Secondary Families
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
6pm English & Arabic
7pm English & Spanish
Join us for a virtual college and career platform that can help your student with:
- Planning for what comes after High School Graduation
- College Application Process, and
- Career Guidance
Families are encouraged to come with questions. Click on the flyer below to learn more!
Fentanyl Awareness Message
Health & Medical Sciences Academy & International Baccalaureate Programs
- IB Information Night Flyer:
- Arabic, English, Farsi, Spanish, Vietnamese
- HAMSci Information Night Flyer:
- Arabic, English, Farsi, Spanish, Vietnamese
- Special Programs Interest Window PDF
Please help us encourage reading at home
Helpful Links
Stingray Scoop - Stone Hill Middle School's Newsletter
Email: rohini.tohan@lcps.org
Website: www.lcps.org/SHMS
Phone: 703-957-4420
Twitter: @StoneHillMiddle