Heritage Weekly Update-June 2
The news you need from the Home of the PRIDE!
June 2, 2023
Traduccion en Espanol
-Cuando llegue aqui haga clic en la flecha que apunta hacia abajo y escoja el idioma "Spanish"
Principal's Message
I hope this Update finds you and those you care about safe and well. Here we are at the last week of school for the 2022-23 school year.
#wearethepride
We awarded 361 diplomas on Wednesday evening at the 2023 Graduation Ceremony. of those, 241 were Advanced Studies diplomas. We are so proud of all of our graduates and can''t wait to see the great things they all do!
Best of luck to the following athletes who will compete today and tomorrow at the State Championship meet!
Girls 4x800 Relay: Ellison Downey, Olivia Brown, Celeste Castro, Asia Thomas, Julia Chung
Boys 4x800 Relay: Justin Pendergast, Zac Romps, Jack Louder, Andre Keyser, Owen Wratten, Max Schmidt
110 hurdles: Manny Houndoh
800: Ellison Downey, Asia Thomas
1600: Ellison Downey
3200: Justin Pendergast
Brief Parent/Family Survey-Rising 10th, 11th, 12th Graders
In an effort to increase the quality and modes of our communication with families and the availability of our leadership to our community, we are exploring bringing back Family Coffees on a monthly basis. We want to hear from you, the target audience. Please take 5 minutes and fill out this very brief survey, so we can get some feedback on possilbe topics and scheduling logistics (Aquí está la encuesta en español.)
From the Clinic
It’s that time of year again! Time to clean out the health office for the summer.
Kids who have medications here will need parents to pick up no later than June 13th. We recommend kids that have emergency medications stay here (Epipens, Inhalers, Diabetes medication, Seizure medications) through the last day of school if the students will be present. Best times of day for medication pick up while kids are still here are from 830 am-1030 am or 230pm-430 pm.
Rising seniors-we are doing an excellent job on getting your meningococcal vaccine that is required for your senior year. We started the spring with 340 kids needing it and we are down to 127 kids. I will be sending an email to parents whose kids still need the vaccine for their senior year. Remember they need one dose after their 16th birthday. This is a law in the state of Virginia. The vaccine needed is the Meningococcal conjugate(MenACWY)(Menactra). I have had some people get the Meningitis B vaccine-this one is optional, and does not count for the required dose
.
If you are not sure if your child has received the right vaccine, or have any questions at all please feel free to email me at any time: Alison.stephan@lcps.org. I am more than happy to check for you.
I hope you all have a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing your kids back in August!
Save the Date (2023-24)
Looking ahead to next year, I wanted to let you know about a few important dates coming up in the upcoming year for your calendar:
- June 15-Last Day to Change and Elective or Drop Down a Level of a Course
August 21-New Student Orientation (4 PM); Back to School Celebration (all students), 6 PM
- August 24-FIRST Day of School for 2023-24 School Year
- October 4-Fall Conference Night, 6 PM-8 PM (by appointment)
From the PTSO
Our final PTSO Meeting of the year is on Wednesday, June 7 @ 6 PM in the Heritage Library. Our Board elections for 2023-34 will be held at this meeting.
From our Athletic Department
Varsity Club applications are now open for 23-24. You do NOT need to be a Varsity athlete to apply. Please use the following link - https://forms.gle/fZD5mjPCK99ANAsa6
Athletes, we are looking for your feedback to help us improve. Please take a moment to complete the following survey - This is for ATHLETES ONLY - https://forms.gle/xD6N3uNMsJkPNLaKA
Parents, if you have not already provided your feedback, please take a moment to complete this survey to help us improve. Thank you. - https://forms.gle/9GVhsZPTgC8Ge2BK8
Please email hhsabcva@gmail.com if you have any questions or interested in Sponsorship opportunities.
From the College and Career Center
College and Career News June 2, 2023
Thank you for your continued trust and support. It is much appreciated, and I will continue to work every day to ensure that it is warranted.
ROAR PRIDE!
Jeff Adam
Principal
Heritage High School
#wearethepride
Important Dates
June 6-Underclass Awards Ceremony, 9:30 AM
June 8-Last Day of School
Friday, June 9-Rising 9th Grade Cookout, 11-1
June 15-Last Day to Change and Elective or Drop Down a Level of a Course
August 21-New Student Orientation (4 PM); Back to School Celebration (all students), 6 PM
August 24-FIRST Day of School for 2023-24 School Year
Competitions
Friday, June 2
State Track
Saturday, June 3
State Track
If you have any questions regarding Athletic events, please reach out to Mr. Totaro, Heritage Athletic Director, or Ms. Martin, Heritage Assistant Athletic Director.
Course Selection for 2023-24
It’s hard to believe, but we are already looking ahead to the 2023-2024 School Year and working with your students to start thinking about their course selections.
Please take a look at the attached PRIDE COURSE SELECTION NEWSLETTER for information about the course selection process, important dates in our timeline, and where to find more information on the courses your student will be choosing.
And be sure to check out our Course Information Website (School Counseling à Academics à Course Info) for your one-stop-shop of course information and resources.
Heritage Athletics Update
If you are looking for schedules or additional information, go to www.heritagepride.org and search the 'Spring" or 'More' tabs in the top ribbon.
To purchase season passes or individual tickets for upcoming events, visit www.ticketspicket.com and search 'Heritage' or download the TicketSpicket app. Remember that only the LCPS All-Access Pass gets you into home AND away games. All other passes are only good at regular season HOME events.
Reminder: See Something, Say Something and Safe2Talk
Safe2Talk is a free downloadable app that allows users to choose the school where the issue is occurring and the type of incident. The user is provided options through drop-down menus for incidents such as alcohol and drug use, dating violence, weapons, sexual misconduct, graffiti, hate crimes, physical abuse, suicidal behaviors, or any other actions that threaten a student’s safety or the safety of others.
All reports through the app are monitored 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week by dispatchers in the Loudoun Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center. In cases of imminent threats, LCSO patrol deputies or LPD patrol officers and School Resource Officers are immediately dispatched to the threat.
You can find more information about the app at sheriff.loudoun.gov/safe2talk.
We can all play a part in keeping safe. You can report suspicious activity directly to the Heritage Administration, to the Leesburg Police Department 24/7 via our non-emergency dispatch line at 703-771-4500 or at 9-1-1 for emergencies, or via the Safe2Talk App.
Remember, if you see something, say something!
Parent Organizations
Heritage PTSO
PTSO meeting, Wed. 6/7 @ 6 pm in the library. This will be our final PTSO meeting of the 2022-2023 school year.
Music Boosters
To join and find out more, just click here.
Theatre Boosters
The HHS Pride Productions Association is a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting our award-winning theatre program. Our membership fees provide costumes, technical equipment, master class opportunities and so much more!
To join and find out more just follow this link.
Athletics Boosters
Names in Yearbook and Graduation Program
Please note the following:
- Due to printing constraints, yearbook pictures and names cannot be changed after midnight on December 9th. Names will appear in the yearbook as they do in StudentVUE/ParentVUE, using the preferred name entered.
Senior names will appear in the Graduation Program as they do in StudentVUE/ParentVUE, using the preferred name entered.
School Information
No Place for Hate Program
Based on ongoing conversations with our students, and with the goal of decreasing incidents of insensitive remarks and hate speech, Heritage has registered with the Anti-Defamation League to be a “No Place for Hate” School. ADL’s No Place for Hate initiative is a school climate improvement initiative that provides PreK-12 schools with an organizing framework for combating bias, bullying and hatred, leading to long-term solutions for creating and maintaining a positive change. ADL encourages schools to find a student-centered approach to combat hate and discrimination in their school communities. Schools receive their designation by creating a committee of students, staff and family members, signing the No Place for Hate pledge and planning and implementing school-wide activities that address school-based issues. If you are interested in helping out with this program, please email myself or one of our staff coordinators: JJ Totaro (Athletic Director) and Danielle Davis (Heritage Equity Lead). If you would like to find out more about the No Place for Hate program, you may go to any of the following resources: No Place for Hate Promotional Video; No Place for Hate National Video; or No Place for Hate website.
I want to emphasize that students are at the center of this program. I am looking forward to engaging students in this journey toward a more positive, welcoming, affirming, and inviting school culture, which reflects our Vision: “Heritage High School readies all students for future success. Graduates are respectful of others, invested in their communities, and prepared for a changing world.”
Tutor.com
Tutor.com can 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:
Bell Schedule
The Bell Schedule has been posted to the website. You can find it here.
Doors open at 8:30
Unless they are involved in an activity, students will not be allowed to enter the building until 8:30 AM, as we cannot provide adequate supervision until that time.
School Hours
School begins at 9:30 AM this year and Dismissal occurs at 4:18 PM. Please note: Students are considered tardy to class if they are not in their first or fifth block class when the 9:30 bell rings.
Food Deliveries
As both a security measure and matter of practicality, we do not allow students to have food delivered to Heritage during the School Day. If a parent/guardian/family member needs to bring food to a student, they can, but students cannot have food delivered directly from restaurants or delivery services. If there is an emergency or special situation, please reach out to the Heritage Main Office and we can help work through the situation.
Cell Phones
When used appropriately and with explicit permission from the teacher, cell phones can be powerful technological tools for researching, engaging with a lesson, providing feedback to peers, participating in classroom surveys, and more. However, we, along with many schools throughout Loudoun and the country, noticed a severe increase in unauthorized student use of cell phones during class last year. This resulted in students missing important instruction, distracting classmates, and often disregarding teacher requests or expectations. I want to be clear that all Heritage teachers and staff have the support of the administration to determine when and how cell phones will be used in their respective classrooms. Our school wide expectation is that students honor and respect the electronics rules outlined by each of their teachers. When students make the decision to not honor the explicitly stated expectations of their teachers, the school will issue disciplinary actions to address the behavior. Please have a conversation with the students in your care about these and your expectations regarding appropriate cell phone use in class and at school. Please also be assured that if there is an emergency or you need to get a message to your student, the Main Office will be able to assist you.
Arrival/ Dismissal
After experiencing record numbers of car riders last year, we settled on a winding path through the parking lot for both (picture below) for those driving on campus for arrival and dismisal.
When driving on campus, please keep in mind the following:
- Follow directions of school staff that are present in the parking lot.
- Remind your student to wait at the front of the school for you to pick them up.
- Keep your speed slow and watch for pedestrians.
- Be kind to other drivers, student and adult.
- Pull up to the front of the pick-up/drop-off zone and within the white striped area.
- Do not cut through parking spaces and rows.
- Do not encourage your student to come to you in the middle of the parking lot or at another location.
- Do not move cones or signs.
- Do not block cross intersections in parking lot
- Do not switch drivers/passengers while in the pick-up line.
- Do not use your cellular phone while in the Parking Lot.
- Do not cut through parking spaces.
Facebook and Instagram
Heritage has an official Facebook page (https://business.facebook.com/Heritage-High-School-VA-108558541340022/) and a new connected "official" Instagram account (HeritageLCPS). The PTSO is still running their "Heritage Parents" page, but we will use these new Heritage accounts to spread the word about the awesome things going on at Heritage.
Behind the Wheel
Need "Behind the Wheel"? If interested, contact Mr. Soroush by email: ebi.soroush@lcps.org.
Heritage Mission Statement: The Heritage Community works together to foster continuous personal and academic growth of the whole student in a caring and engaging environment
Heritage Vision: Heritage High School readies all students for future success. Graduates are respectful of others, invested in their communities, and prepared for a changing world.