Thunderblast 2023
Being CONFIDENT & Taking Academic Risks- Oct 8, 2023
A Week to Remember!
We are taking risks and trying some cool things on the day to day, as well as on a grand scale. Our clubs are in full effect and our intramural program has been highlighted by the county and will be reported upon by WTOP. Our band was asked to play at the Association of Middle Level Educator's international conference in National Harbor on Friday, November 3rd. Our math team has embraced the computer science standards and is incorporating coding and scratch to our Foundations of Algebra and Math 6 standards. Ms. Vaughn was even highlighted in the division's computer science newsletter.
Sounds cool, right? That's just the beginning. Ms. Maiberger is utilizing the outdoor classroom for student journaling in 6th grade and our students SHOWED UP on our PINK OUT Day! There was more participation on this day than I have seen in a long time. On Wednesday, we had our division event to share with our families new to the country so they could learn more about Seneca and the participation from students and parents was excellent.
That takes us to the weekend. The cluster homecoming parade was well-attended by our students and families and the participants were energetic, creative, and positive. Luckily, the weather was much better than last year and the game that followed was a great win for our Titans.
Last but not least, many of our current and former students, staff members, and family members, had a significant turnout for the Live4Lane walk at Lowe's Island Community Center on Saturday morning. It has become a tradition for my daughter, my dog, and I to walk in this to celebrate Lane's birthday and help dispel myths and stigmas associated with mental health.
Did I mention how much I love being a part of this community! You are all beautiful and our students are loved unconditionally when they set foot in this building EACH day!
Virtual Parent Coffee- Save the Date
I look forward to seeing you, presenting some information about trends and patterns we are seeing in the first quarter, and answering all of your questions at the October 13th Virtual Parent Coffee from 11:00 to 11:45 AM.
Please post your questions in this Questions and Answer Form so we can generate responses. It is okay to post them right before or even during the meeting, but I can best prepare answers with actual data and visuals if they are in a few days in advance. I can't wait to see you at this GOOGLE MEET LINK. The meeting will be recorded and posted in the following Thunderblast.
Bring Your Parents to School Day
Thursday and Friday, November 16th and 17th, 2023 during American Education Week. Please, please, please come join us on these days in November where we open our building for a block or two or two days straight. Mi casa, su casa. More information coming, but be prepared to live the life of a middle schooler!
Tissues
It always kills me to spend a ton of budget on tissues. I try not to ask for too much from our families, but I figure an extra tissue box or two isn't the worst. If you can send your students to the house administrative assistants with an extra box, we should be better stocked for cold and flu season. No pressure.
PE Updates
We are continuing to sell uniforms. If anyone needs support with a PE uniform, please reach out to your counselor or PE teacher and we got you. Also, we had to change a few teacher's schedules starting on Tuesday. You should have heard from your teacher, but if you have questions about the switch, let me know.
X STEM NOVA (non-LCPS event)
My apologies about adding this last week. I realize I need to avoid adding non-LCPS (even non-Seneca) events in this newsletter because it can be confusing. Although this event is on a Friday, it is not sponsored by the school and we cannot provide transportation. If a family does choose to go to this event, please fill out the info for attendance in ParentVUE and the absence will be excused.
How to Attend: Advance Registration is Required - there is NO COST to attend.
5:00PM Clubs (Some, not all)
Because the activity buses leave at 5:00, some of our clubs (not all) will be ending at this time. Club sponsors will communicate through students and we will update our website after we hear from all sponsors. Typical clubs that go longer will be drama, jazz band, Level-Up, and intramurals. We will do our best to communicate any changes and hope that our students are starting to utilize their email and communicate with you as they build this important executive functioning skill.
Bounty Of Books
Battle of Route 7- Teams are set, now it's time for business!
Unified Mental Health Team (UMHT)
Seneca’s UMHT: One of our goals is to provide families with information on community resources, access to basic needs, mental health/crisis counseling, reducing stress/anxiety, substance abuse resources, and resources to support learning. Please feel free to access the resources below as needed.
PBIS - Students of the Week
Congrats to this week's PBIS and Attendance winners this week!
Alexis Sanchez Orellana 6
Lisa Pastushenko 7
Imron Mamarajabov 8
Carlos Henriquez Lopez 6
Geby Posada Diaz 6
Dylan Tufano 7
Roman Azar 8
Marvin Amoani 6
Ben Milligan 7
Julian Henry 8
PBIS - Staff Of The Week
In her third year at Seneca, Ms. Daughtry has grown into a teacher leader at Seneca taking on every and any challenge that comes her way. In addition to making great connections with her students, she is a collaborative coteacher and positive teammate. Most recently, with one of the team being out, Ms. Daughtry has helped by combining one of her classes and absorbing some of the grading. This student-first approach has been a huge asset for our 6th grade team!
PTO Corner
BATTLE OF ROUTE 7- We are very excited for this school wide annual event! We will be playing Sterling Middle School for this soccer match on Oct 20th starting at 6 pm, at Dominion High School. We still need few volunteers to help at the concessions stand, please sign-up on Battle of Rt 7 Volunteer Signup.
The schedule is as follows:
- 6:00 PM Chorus- National Anthem
- 6th Grade Players (20-minute Quarter)
- 7th Grade Players (20-minute Quarter)
- Halftime featuring SRMS Dance Team
- Staff attempt to play (10-minute Quarter)
- 8th Grade Players (20-minute Quarter)
We are hoping to see more 6th and 7th grade parent volunteers during the second part of the event!! This is a great way to meet other parents, work together, support our students and a fantastic opportunity to see our students and staff in action on one of our biggest events of the year! If you are thinking of taking the lead on this next year, I recommend checking it out this year.
STAFF APPRECIATION- Our October event will be a rolling “Soccer Hype” Snack Cart on Oct 20 for our teachers and staff for the Big Battle!
SPONSORS ARE WELCOME! Your sponsorship helps us give back to our teachers and students in various ways including Teacher Appreciation & Snack Carts, Clubs and Activities for our kids, School Community events! Learn more about becoming a sponsor.
We are looking for Sponsors for our 2024 events, donations are welcome too. You can view the list of our planned events and find out how to get involved. Please contact Julie Garrett at staffappreciation@srmspto.org to learn more!
Next PTO Meeting... TBD
GET INVOLVED IN PTO- Parents getting involved with PTO is a great opportunity for you to get comfortable with your SRMS community and support our students! If you have not registered yet, check out the new PTO website and create your profile - https://srms.ptboard.com/home (click "sign up" and follow the instructions.
The following PTO position are open and in need of your participation, if you need details on these positions please contact Saira Sufi sairasufi@gmail.com
Fundraising Chair.
Staff Appreciation Chair, needed for next year. You are welcome to shadow this year!
Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee Chair (MSAAC)
Community Night Event Chair
Krispie Kreme Fundraiser Chair
Order new items online, delivery is in November - this order form is open until November 30th. Check out our in-stock inventory here and order year-round!
Reminders from Previous Newsletters
Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day!
📨 Email: nick.cottone@lcps.org
💻 Website: Seneca Ridge Middle School
🏫 Location: 98 Seneca Ridge Drive, Sterling, VA 20164
☎️ Phone: 571-434-4420