The North Star School
October Newsletter
Principal's Message
We have been so pleased with the start of the year and have welcomed fall with many school spirit events and a focus on personalized learning. We are excited to see our learners engaging in their instructional activities. Our first quarter of Term 1 closed on September 23. If you have a student who is struggling or who is just looking for additional support, please encourage them to attend our Learning Lab during his/her/their lunch shift to meet with staff. Students can grab their lunch and meet in the collaborative space in our media center. This is available each lunch shift on Monday, Wednesdays and Friday. We proudly launched this academic support on September 28 with the start of quarter 2. We ground our work at The North Star School in relationship building with students and families. If you have questions for any staff member, please reach out. The success of our students is our priority. Additionally, our focus on students demonstrating “S.T.A.R.” (Service, Trust, Attitude, and Respect) qualities is a top priority. We are working with all students to ensure they know what being a “S.T.A.R.” looks like! Wishing you a wonderful October.
Important Dates
October 10th- Indigenous Peoples' Day - No School
October 24th - Diwali - No School
October 26th - S.T.A.R Symposium
October 28th - End of Grading Period
October 31th- Teacher planning day
Spirit Events for October
Shining S.T.A.R's!
From the Student News Desk
Navigating Life
The students of The North Star School come from a broad range of backgrounds. Their range of experiences make up the diverse setting of our school that we are so proud to share! Within the Navigator News, a feature called “Navigating Life” will showcase student-led content.
The goal of "Navigating Life" is to feature student voices and issues affecting the student body; both inside and outside the school.
Our staff (pictured below from left to right) consists of Rachael Navarro-Timberlake, Alyssa Pam, Zied “Z” James, and Staff Advisor, Mr. James Hearn from The North Star English Department.
On our first official day working as a news team, the students, consisting of all Seniors asked each other: Why would you like to be part of the "Navigating Life" staff?
Rachael, answered, “I want to be a part of the Navigating Life staff because I want experience in journalism and photography.” Alyssa, answered similarly that she had an interest in the field of journalism and was looking forward to the experience.
"Z" answered that he wants to work with the Navigating Life staff because he like to take pictures and "capture funny and comedic events here at The North Star [School].”
This staff will form the foundation of what we hope will become a vibrant tradition in our beloved school.
Testing Announcements:
Fall Writing Standards of Learning (SOL) testing will take place October 17th-22nd. We are excited to Test for Success at TNSS! Students will be working toward graduation Verified Credits. Please encourage your students to prepare, study, and be present for the day of testing. It is important that the students are present on the testing day. The Chromebook should be fully charged for testing, up to date, and chargers brought with them. Students will not be permitted to have cell phones, personal electronic devices, smart watches, or Bluetooth ear buds in the testing environments. We want to work together to create a positive and successful testing environment for your student!
From our Counseling Department & United Mental Health Team
Below is the Student Assistance Newsletter (SAS) for the month of August. It provides information and tips about substance use and abuse, and resources for families.
Library and Media Center
September Recap!
Personalized Learning at North Star
Constitution Day lesson
**Video highlights teachers Mr. Ron Yeager and Ms. Emily Barbara
Free Tutoring Resources
Need a FREE Tutor?
Tutor.com
Tutor.com is live for all LCPS students! They can find the link on the left-hand side of any of their Schoology courses!
A message from LCPS went out on Tuesday, September 6 about a new service for LCPS students, Tutor.com. LCPS is partnering with Tutor.com to provide all students with free, online tutoring. Tutor.com, 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.
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:
Health Tips from Nurse Gellar
Tired?
Teens 13-18 years old need 8-10 hours of sleep a night. Lack of sleep reduces your energy level, makes you grumpy and impairs your judgment. You should turn off your phones at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Try reducing the amount of time you spend on your digital devices at night and/or dimming your screens and setting them to Night Mode so you're exposed to warmer colors as you unwind. Here's how to put your devices on night mode for: apple products and Samsung products. You can also try sound machines or sound machine apps on your device to help you relax while falling asleep and also to improve and maintain sleep.
Try this sleep calculator: Bedtime Calculator - Sleep Education by the AASMThe North Star School
We are North Star!
Website: https://www.lcps.org/site/default.aspx?DomainID=28154
Location: 715 Childrens Center Rd, Leesburg, VA 20175
Phone: 571-252-2920
Twitter: @NorthStarLCPS