Thunderblast 2023
Being CONFIDENT & Taking Academic Risks- Sept 3, 2023
State of the Union
Many of you know me well enough by now that I always like to share the good, the bad, and the ugly. Transparency and honesty are at the base of our relationship if we are going to truly do right by our kids. We all have the same goal. That being said, Seneca is a great place and we have great things going on, AND, like anywhere, we always have places to improve. Some quick points below:
- We continue to have the same struggles in the kiss and ride. Please know that when you go your own way and invent a new "better" path, you are putting the safety of our students at risk.
- New lunch line struggles- our cafeteria team is amazing! They are now required to record each item that a student is choosing. It takes much longer. We are still problem-solving.
- We have 858 students that have started the year here. Projections were 850. Being this close to projections ensures lower class sizes. Requesting schedule changes in August creates unbalanced class sizes, which is why we are unable to accommodate most requests. See below for more info.
- Town Hall Meetings went well this week by grade level. Our students know the expectations and they will rise to meet those expectations.
- Our internal PA system is out, which means our bells don't work. This gives our students plenty of time to find their way prior to us recording tardies. Students with stuck lockers and who are lost will always be supported until they feel comfortable.
- It's time to get involved! The PTO Tailgate is our first after school event and clubs start the week of September 11th! More below.
Let's keep taking risks and challenging ourselves! For my family, it was whitewater rafting and ziplining last Sunday! BAM!
Are you ready for some Football?!!! and some games, fun, music, and treats? We would love to see you! Families are welcome! As with any Seneca event, it is only for Seneca students and families.
Tickets can be purchased at the PTO website here!
If you’d like to help with the tailgate please Sign-up on the link here- We need drinks, coolers, ice, support cleaning up, chaperones etc.
Clubs and Activities
We will have an advisory lesson this week to review clubs and activities and students will sign-up for something they might be interested in. Since all of our clubs are starting the week of September 11th or later, we will not be adding activity buses this week. More to come. Check out our offerings below!
Clubs and Activities Presentation
*If there is a club a family member would like to share sponsorship with, let us know. We could use help with Math Counts, Science Olympiad, Basketball Club, and especially Soccer Club, which is one of our most popular clubs and needs a sponsor. Feel free to reach out to nick.cottone@lcps.org
Intramural Sports Pilot Program
There will be a different sport each quarter of the school year!
- Quarter 1 = 7v7 Flag Football
- Quarter 2 = 6v6 Volleyball
- Quarter 3 = 3v3 Basketball
- Quarter 4 = 7v7 Soccer
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.
Schedule Changes- Mark Your Calendars
This is a reminder to mark your calendars. Course selections are completed by President's Day Weekend in February. Parents and students should be looking over teacher recommendations and course requests together with all changes being complete by May 1st. I advertise this heavily throughout the spring to avoid last minute changes. We set our class numbers, sizes, and entire courses based on course recommendations and elective selections. If August is the first time you are reviewing this information, it is most likely too late to make a change. In 8th grade, we had multiple requests for change that we supported because our Tech Ed teacher moved in the summer. In 7th grade, we received 18 requests for schedule changes and were only able to accommodate 7 of these due to it helping out balancing our schedule. This is reminder to check in Parent/StudentVUE on March 1, 2024 to see what is in there to avoid any of the issues families might be struggling with now.
Open Positions
Speaking of Tech Ed 8, it is difficult to fill this position in August. Although we rolled up the Tech Ed 8 elective, Tech Ed 7 is a required semester course for all 7th graders. We interviewed a candidate for part-time on Monday to support our site sub, Mr. Saad, and have been getting help internally and from the division for Tech Ed 7. Summary of updates below:
- Tech Ed 7: Interviews Complete... I will keep you updated.
- 7th Grade House Administrative Assistant: Welcome to the team, Ms. Correll!
- In-School Restriction: Interviews will be complete this week.
We always have need for substitutes and now we have an open Family Liaison position. Please apply if you are interested. Part of us being a strong community school is opening up options for families and community members to get involved. You are always welcome at Seneca!
LCPS Opening of School Info
On Monday, August 14, you had access to sign into ParentVUE to complete the Online Verification process as part of Loudoun County Public Schools’ First Day of School Information initiative. This process is necessary for families to review and update important information about their students as we begin the 2023-24 school year. The Online Verification process must be completed no later than Friday, September 22. Once completed, you will be able to view student schedules and bus information in ParentVUE.
For families who have activated their Stopfinder account, you will also see your student’s transportation information in the app. Please note: You will need to scroll to the date of August 24, in the app to see student transportation information.
If you do not have a ParentVUE account, please contact Ms. Jones in our main office to request an Activation Letter- christina.jones@lcps.org.
For more information about this Online Verification process, along with FAQs about the First Day of School, please visit: https://www.lcps.org/firstday.
Messages from our School Board Representatives and Safety and Security:
MAP Testing- September 5-14
Beginning this week, students will be participating in the Reading and Math MAP Assessments. Students who have been in the county have taken this assessment since 2nd grade. These assessments are given three times a year to show growth, and are used as data points for teacher planning. This assessment is not an SOL and students are not expected to get a perfect score. Most students will get around 50% of the questions wrong, as this test will ask questions on content students haven’t learned yet. The test is designed to show where the student is so teachers can plan accordingly. This test is designed to take 45-60 minutes and will take place in your student’s English and math classes. Please reach out to Dr. Wakefield, maria.wakefield@lcps.org, with any questions or concerns you might have.
We use the data from these tests (and other sources) to decide how and who might need extra support. Please talk as a family about the importance of trying your best. This is also a good time to put into place an evening chromebook charging routine. Mine starts when I pick up my toothbrush for bed. That is a great time to plug it in for the night.
PE Uniforms
We still have plenty of extra large PE Uniforms. Sorry for the delay. We are working with a new vendor and a new process. We are not sure when the rest of our sizes will arrive. It is best to wait to pay until they come in. We will keep you posted.
Family Resource Fair
Our EL FACE Office is collaborating with HeadStart/STEP, Robey HS, Dominion HS and Seneca Ridge MS to bring a Family Resource Fair on Thursday, September 14th from 6-8pm to Seneca Ridge! We have about 25 community organizations attending! We will be serving food, snacks, and raffling baskets and gift cards thanks to the generous donation of Anthem Healthkeepers and our cluster schools!
PBIS - Staff Of The Week
Ms. Efigenio, thank you for being a rock for our students and for continuing to challenge yourself and others to grow in this ever changing landscape!
PTO Corner
WE ARE SEEKING STAFF APPRECIATION SPONSORS!
We are still looking for someone to sponsor our October Snack Cart! Businesses, clubs and groups, individuals - all donations are welcome! Please contact Julie Garrett at staffappreciation@srmspto.org to learn more!
If you would like to sponsor any of our school events this year, please write to us at staffappreciation@srmspto.org. You can view the list of our planned events and how to get involved here: https://srmspto.membershiptoolkit.com/teacher_staff_appreciation
Next PTO Meeting
Please join us on October 4th at 9 am in the SRMS library.
We would love for you to get involved and connected with Seneca!
Parents, this is a great opportunity for you to feel comfortable here and support our students! If you need details on what these positions do, please contact Saira Sufi (sairasufi@gmail.com)
Following PTO positions are open and in need of your participation-
Fundraising Chair, needed immediately... we spoke about some great easy ideas on Wednesday.
Battle of Route 7 Chair, needed ASAP! The event is on Oct 20th!! The school takes care of the soccer event. We just need help with concessions, which is a great fundraiser for the PTO.
Bolt Sign Chair- Support 8th Grade Promotion
Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee Chair (MSAAC)
Special Education Advisory Committee Chair (SEAC)
ORDER YOUR SPIRITWEAR HERE!
Smooth start to the year... now the real fun begins!
📨 Email: nick.cottone@lcps.org
💻 Website: Seneca Ridge Middle School
🏫 Location: 98 Seneca Ridge Drive, Sterling, VA 20164
☎️ Phone: 571-434-4420