Thunderblast 2023
Being CONFIDENT & Taking Academic Risks- Oct 15, 2023
Intramural Sports
It was so cool to be highlighted by WTOP reporter Scot Gelman on Wednesday... and chosen for this honor among the four pilot schools by our division. If you didn't get a chance, check out the article and sound bytes below. If you love volleyball, or even partially like it, sign-ups for the second quarter are beginning now. Info below.
Click the titles below & listen to radio segments about our Intramural's Program
Volleyball sign ups are NOW OPEN!
Last day to register individually or as a team is Friday, November 3rd. All students must bring in the documentation below.
Required documents for players are listed and linked below. Students can also pick up and return documents at their House Office in school. Without each document signed and submitted the player will be ineligible to participate.
All the preparation is done and the only thing that matters in the slide above is the bottom line... because Stone Cold said so. Actually, the most important thing is that our fans and players are positive and we represent Seneca well. We have been doing some wrestling promos with students, staff, and even Sterling's principal to have a little fun. At the end of the day, nothing matters beyond us having a good time, representing ourselves and Seneca with integrity and pride, and that we are all able to celebrate a great event positively as a community. We stick to that formula, and EVERYONE WINS!
From the PTO- We could always use help if you are interested Battle of Rt 7 Volunteer Signup.
Evening Schedule-
- 5:15 PM- Players arrive for warm-ups
- 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)
Tickets- will be $5 and sold at lunch Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. They can also be purchased at the gates Friday evening (there will be a separate sales area for Seneca and Sterling). Players, performers, and photographers do not pay to get in. If any family or student would like to come and the ticket price is an obstacle, reach out to your counselor and we will make sure EACH community member who wants to attend will be supported.
Bounty Of Books
I know you hear about sports from me regularly. I'd like to think it is balanced and you get the same type of sharing and enthusiasm about our concerts, fine arts program, and reading initiatives. Just in case you aren't feeling it, it is time to move from sports and into my other favorite pastime- snuggling up to a warm book and some exciting tea in the fall.
Hispanic Heritage Month
We were excited to closeout Hispanic Heritage Month with grade level competitions through advisory and festive celebrations in our Spanish classes. The work students did this month in addition to what they will do to celebrate our future heritage celebrations will be highlighted in our January Cluster Multicultural Event. We are hoping to pack the house again on Thursday, January 18, 2024. Save the date!
From Student Government (SGA)
Student Government wants to thank all those who donated to LINK food drive by purchasing Airheads three weeks ago! We raised enough money to spend more than $700 on groceries and hygiene products to donate to LINK food pantry! Go Thunderbolts!
Also, let's wear orange to promote unity and stand up against bullying on Wednesday! SGA and everyone in this community would love to feel the positive energy and school spirit.
Parent Coffee
Thank you to everyone who attended our virtual coffee on Friday. I am still looking to better utilize the google meet platform and have it translate what I am saying in Spanish. My apologies for not being accessible to EACH family. We were able to talk about the mission and vision of the school, upcoming important dates, student behaviors, instructional initiatives, and any of your questions. We showed data to support our school improvement plan and answered your questions. Some things that stood out- Vaping incidents at Seneca appear to be down compared to last year, while use of the N-word by students has increased. The latter is something we are educating our students on because there is no place for racial slurs and especially the use of that word in our school.
October 13, 2023 Parent Coffee (Recording)
Student Tech Use
During the parent coffee, it was evident that you, like me, are a middle school parent worried about your child's use of technology both in and out of school. The best thing we can do is work together. If you feel a class uses the chromebook too often, please write the teacher or counselor to share what you are seeing so we can problem solve together. One way to monitor will be to get the weekly Lightspeed report offered from the division. I logged in for both my kids today to see what I could learn. Next steps:
- Checkout what Lightspeed offers on the county website here.
- Go into ParentVUE, Student Info, Permissions, and you can opt in to the weekly Lightspeed website usage email.
- At home, you are able to block internet usage through the Lightspeed Parent Portal for the desired amount of time.
I just did this to my daughter without telling her, then I asked her to login and try and adverb formative. Good news! It didn't work... Bad news! She didn't think it was funny when I told her. All joking aside, we will keep this topic at the forefront of our minds over the next few months so that we can find common ground. Specific information that you are seeing goes a long way to problem solving together.
STEM is Alive at Seneca!
You probably saw last week that our math department has been taking academic risks and incorporating computer science standards during normal math classes through coding and robots. Well, we are continuing to push the envelope here.
Our school will be entering the American Mathematics Competition in January, so check out the link and sign-up for more info.
Also, we are collecting interest for other STEM options for our students including Science Olympiad and Math Counts. These are parent-led opportunities for our students and, we are looking to work together with a team at Seneca to support more students competing. Please fill out the STEM Interest Form if you would like to participate.
Bring Your Parents to School Day- Nov 16-17
We would love to get an idea of how many family members will be coming and which block. I know it is a month away, but this is our first time doing it, so we want to be prepared to welcome you. Please use this Google Form to RSVP.
Tissues
I just wanted to thank those of you who donated this week. There were some anonymous big orders from amazon in my name and you had be going crazy wondering it I ordered them. As always, I am so appreciative of the generosity of this community.
Medication Reminders
~Medications should be taken at home whenever possible.
~The first dose of a new medication should be administered at home.
~Medication that must be taken at school requires an "Authorization for Medication Administration" form to be completed and signed by a parent. A doctor's signature and instructions are required for any prescription medication.
~Medications must be brought to the Health Office by a parent/guardian; students are not allowed to carry medication in school with the exception of rescue medications as prescribed by a doctor.
~Medication must be in the original packaging or prescription bottle with the student's name on it.
Please see this link to the medication form for complete details.
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!
Jostyn Serrano Guardado 6
Ella Hatt 7
Landon Oliva 8
Mercy Hernandez Perez 6
Roksi Ramirez Gudiel 7
Brandon Rivas Garcia 8
Hawa Soumano 6
Aminah Malik 7
Sadie Petilla 8
How do you get to be Students of the Week at Seneca? We have a prize wheel in the morning announcements based on students who earn bolt bucks. A bolt buck is our currency as part of our positive reward system for students who are strengthening their CORE (Confidence, Ownership, Respect, and Empathy). Our bolt buck store is open at lunch on the last B day of each week and is run by our student honor society- 8th grade CORE Champions. Check out the store below!
PBIS - Staff Of The Week
As a new learning specialist in Math, Ms. Sledd has come right in and brought a wealth of experience to support our students. Her work on the collaborative team in 6th grade to advocate for EACH student getting the supports they need and challenging them with high expectations has been substantial. Although Ms. Sledd is new to us from Virginia Beach, she did grow up in Loudoun County and it is great to have her back... even if she is a Cowboys fan, which does not fly in this community :)
PTO Corner
Gift Cards- Our PTO is always so supportive. I asked for more gift cards to hand out to our staff of the week and you answered. One special shoutout to Urbano for donating all gift cards rather than charging us. The Bastedo Downes family is so generous and AWESOME!
SPONSORS ARE WELCOME! Learn more about becoming a sponsor.
Next PTO Meeting - We've heard your feedback about the need for more flexible PTO meeting times, and we're committed to making it happen. Please select your preferred time for Nov 8th PTO meeting on the link below. Your input matters.
https://srms.ptboard.com/formvw?store=4306&form=6&item=0
Spirit Wear- 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 Red October!
📨 Email: nick.cottone@lcps.org
💻 Website: Seneca Ridge Middle School
🏫 Location: 98 Seneca Ridge Drive, Sterling, VA 20164
☎️ Phone: 571-434-4420