SVHS Green and Gold
Community Edition - January 1, 2023
How to Translate this Newsletter - Cómo traducir este boletín
SVHS CUSTOMER SERVICE FEEDBACK
WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! We'd love to get feedback from you regarding your experience in our school. We aim to please you 100% of the time. However, if we fall short, we'd like to know so that we can improve. We will use the feedback you provide to celebrate the successes of our staff and/or identify areas of growth. Please consider completing a brief survey to provide us with your valuable feedback.
Click here to complete our brief survey.
Upcoming Events
January 3 - Return to school
January 5 - Registration Information Night
January 5 to January 20 - Testing
- MCAP Government Assessment – Jan. 5 with Make Ups on January 6
- MCAP LS-MISA Assessment – Jan. 9 with Make Ups on Jan. 10
- MCAP ELA Assessment – Jan. 17 and 18 with Make Ups on Jan. 19 and 20
January 11 - Navy Inspection
January 16 - Closed for MLK Day
January 18 - 10 Seconds Assemblies
January 27 - Professional Day for Teachers - Grading
"10 Seconds" Comes to SVHS on January 18
Please complete this form if you are a student at SVHS and would like to attend one of the two 90 minute assemblies on January 18. All students are welcome to sign up and will be notified and sent a pass if they are selected to attend.
Registration Information Night is this week
Thursday, January 5, 2023 In the Seneca Valley High School auditorium
Please join the Seneca Valley Counseling Services Department and select Seneca Valley staff for an important informational evening about the upcoming registration process for the 2023-2024 school year. Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the amazingly diverse course offerings available at Seneca Valley!
Rising 9th Grade Students: 6-7 PM
Rising 10th, 11th & 12th Grade Students: 7-8 PM
Introducing AP Precalculus
On Wednesday, January 4, 2023, students will have an opportunity to meet with each of their teachers to discuss their course options for the 2023-2024 school year. We wanted to share a change to SVHS’ course offerings for mathematics.
Beginning next year, students who have successfully completed Algebra 2 will have the option to enroll in CollegeBoard’s latest AP offering, AP Precalculus. Successful completion of this course will prepare students to succeed in the math they’ll encounter in college, expose students to the rigor of a college-level course, and prepare them to sit for the AP Precalculus exam, which may fulfill a math requirement in college.
Why AP Precalculus?
40% of college students lack sufficient math skills in high school to enroll in college-level math courses. In response, they must spend their time and money on remedial math courses that do not count towards their degrees. AP Precalculus exposes high school students to the rigor of college-level math, but with high school supports that are tailored to individual students’ needs for additional help.
About AP Precalculus
AP Precalculus will replace Honors Precalculus. The course curriculum will be the same, but students will have access to resources from CollegeBoard, including free online practice and videos, which will prepare them to sit for the AP Precalculus exam in May 2024.
The AP Precalculus exam is developed and scored by college professors, rather than by a student’s own teacher, setting a high standard across a wide range of classrooms.
Who Should Take AP Precalculus
Rising Freshmen, Sophomores, or Juniors who have completed Honors Algebra 2, or rising Seniors who have completed Algebra 2 and would like to experience a college-level course.
AP Precalculus will help students fulfill a college math requirement when their majors and careers do not require calculus. When credit is not available, AP Precalculus will provide students attending college with superior preparation for AP Calculus when they matriculate.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your student’s math teacher. You can also visit the SVHS Math Pathways 2023-2024 link if you are interested in knowing more about the math offerings at Seneca Valley.
LIBRARY MEDIA NEWS:
Book Club Updates & Reading Promotions
- Looking for something to read over winter break? Stop by the LMC and check out our New Books display, because we’ve added quite a few. In addition, our Celebrate Celebrations holiday book display is back, along with our Winter Romances and Cold Cases & Mysteries book promotions. There is much to choose from! ❄️️
- If you’re interested in reading a compelling urban fantasy, come borrow Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. This is our Book Club’s pick for our next discussion on January 17th, and we’d love more students to join us.
- Remember that it’s never too late to join our Book Club and participate! Students may access books in ebook and audiobook format in Sora, our online reading app/platform. Directions for accessing Sora are available in the myMCPS Classroom Virtual LMC. A few print copies are also available to borrow. Please stop by the LMC or email Ms. Little for more information.
Creativity Contests
- High school students from across the Washington Metropolitan Area are invited to submit poems to the Gaithersburg Book Festival Poetry Contest. Entries must be no longer than one page, single spaced, 12-point Times New Roman and are due by February 23, 2023. Download contest rules HERE.
- The Keeping It Safe (KIS) Coalition invites teams of two or more students to create and submit 30-second videos on one of three topics related to the risks and dangers of underage drinking. There is an information session on January 19th, and entries are due by March 31, 2023. Click HERE for more information and contest rules.
This Week's Notes from the SVHS College & Career Center
Seniors - Colleges Admissions Results
Remember to keep track of college admissions results and scholarship offers in Naviance! Once you hear back from colleges via email or letter, please record your results. You can also share this info with me and I can help with input. MCPS asks us to track this information every year.
How to update admission decisions/results in Naviance (video instructions)
If you were accepted and offered a merit scholarship, congratulations! Here is how to add your offered scholarship in Naviance (video instructions)
Note: Under $ Awarded, enter the amount. If you see that your award is renewable, please multiply the amount by four (for four years of college).
Attention Seniors - Applying to Colleges!
Please review the SVHS College Application Process document and use this as a guide for applying to colleges. If you add any colleges to your list of applications, please reach out to your counselor to let them know. We want to make sure all information is submitted correctly and on time.
If you plan on applying to or have applied to Montgomery College, please also add MC to your list of schools in Naviance. This helps me and counselors keep track of where students are applying in case they need assistance. Thank you!
Curious or want to learn more about a particular college? Click this link to see where some of our SVHS staff members attended. They have volunteered to speak with students about their school and experience!
Financial Aid - FAFSA, MDCAPA or MSFAA
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), MDCAPS (Maryland College Aid Processing System), OR MSFAA (Maryland State Financial Aid Application)
Click here for more information and instructions
Montgomery Scholars Program - Application Deadline Extended to January 31
Click here to learn more about this selective-admission, two-year interdisciplinary honors program. Montgomery College will award merit scholarships to each student admitted into the Scholars program, which will cover the cost of full-tuition and fees, for two years of study (30 credits per year at the in-county resident tuition rate).
Upcoming Scholarships
January 05* - GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program - (*deadline is 4pm on 1/5) numerous awards of $10,000 with a possibility of up to $40,000 total (renewable, based on eligibility); senior; U.S. Citizen; min 3.0 GPA; enroll full time at a four-year school in the fall; demonstrate at school, the workplace, and within the community the attributes of leadership, integrity, drive, and citizenship.
January 09 - Ron Brown Scholars - 45-50 awards of $40,000 ($10,000 per yr for 4 yrs); senior; U.S. citizen or permanent resident; Black/African American; attend a 4 year college or university in the Fall; academic achievement; character; financial need; leadership; seriousness of purpose; service to others.
January 10 - Bethesda Magazine Essay & Short Story Writing Contest - 1 for each category: 1st-$250 and work published in Bethesda Magazine, 2nd-$150, 3rd-$75, and $50 honorable mention awards; 9-12 grade; resident of Montgomery County; choose to submit an essay or short story; essays must be limited to 500 words or less about a topic of the writer's choosing; short stories must be limited to 4,000 words or less.
January 11 - Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship - 60 awards of up to $7,500; minority high school senior; U.S. citizen; financial need; demonstrated record of academic excellence; leadership potential and a dedication to community service; plan to attend an accredited and approved 4-year college within or affiliated with a school in the United States; letter of recommendation; transcript; four essays.
January 11* - Taco Bell Live Más Scholarship - (*deadline 8pm EST) 16-$25,000, 86-$10,000, and 48-$5,000 awards; juniors & seniors (at least 16 years of age); legal U.S. Resident; apply to a two- or four-year school in Fall 2023; submit an original video (between 30 seconds - 2 minutes) that tells us the story of your real, driving passion; see link for full rules and guidelines.
January 12 - Bezos Scholars Program - 17 awards for juniors: all-expenses-paid trip to Aspen, 40+ hours of leadership skill-building, unlimited coaching hours from the Bezos Scholars staff team, FREE college advising, $1,000 in funding to launch a community change project; enrolled in or have taken at least one advanced course (Honors, AP, IB, etc.); must nominate a staff person from their school to serve as their educator Scholar, who participates fully in the program alongside them; successful student Scholars are passionate, intellectually curious young people who are rising leaders in their schools and communities; see link for full rules and details.
January 15 - JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest - 1-$10,000, 1-$3,000, and 5-$1,000, and 8-$100 awards; grades 9-12; write a 700-1,000 word essay describing an act of political courage by a U.S. elected official that occurred during or after 1917; must use five sources and include a bibliography.
January 15 - East Rock Films Essay Contest - 1-$500 award; grades 11 & 12; plan to study or co-study Arts or Humanities (see link for list of majors); submit an essay (500 – 1000 words), video essay (about 3-10 mins), or performance essay (about 3-10 mins) describing a work of art that especially speaks to you (could be a novel, poem, painting, sculpture, musical composition, song, dance, film, play, short story, nonfiction book, or documentary); see link for full rules and guidelines.
January 15 - YouthCon 2023 Scholarship - 1st Place-$3,000 & Leadership Development Summer Internship to execute essay idea, 2nd Place-$2,000, & 3rd Place Award-$1,000; 9-12 grade; min 2.75 GPA; submit a 500-650 word essay based on the prompt; semi-finalists present on 2/19 for 5-7 mins in front of a panel of professional judges to explain how they’ll execute their ideas, followed by a five minute Q&A from the judges; attend Award Ceremony in August of 2023 in Northern Virginia.
Click here to see the SVHS Scholarships Page for more opportunities.
ASVAB Testing at SVHS - Friday, January 13, 2023
Every year, Seneca Valley High School offers students the opportunity to take the ASVAB or Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. What is the ASVAB? It is a multi-aptitude test battery that helps in identifying different skills and competencies. The ASVAB test results provide a snapshot of current knowledge and skills. These scores can be compared with the educational or job requirements for occupations of interest to students.
Although I recommend students interested in the military to take this test as a practice, taking the ASVAB is in no way a commitment to join the military. Your test scores will not be shared with any recruiters without your express permission, meaning that the test results are released only to the student and not to the armed services. We use the ASVAB as a career exploration tool.
The ASVAB will be administered at SVHS on Friday, January 13, 2023, starting at 8:00am. The test takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete. The ASVAB is only administered to students in grades 10, 11 and 12. If you are interested, please register using the link below by January 10. Thank you!
§ Click here to register to take the ASVAB Test
SVHS College & Career Monthly Newsletter - December-January, 2022-23
Click the image below for this week's athletics updates.
Free Tutoring is Available
FREE Tutoring Opportunity through our CARES Program
Our CARES Tutoring program provides high-dosage tutoring designed to:
- accelerate learning at a student's grade level or above
- support students who are performing below grade level
- provide additional support beyond classroom instruction to support student success
Program Highlights
- FREE Tutoring by SV Teachers and Support Staff
- Flexible Scheduling - After School, Evening, and Weekend hours
- In Person and Virtual Times available
- English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages and More!
- Organization and General Support
Click HERE to sign up!
Contact Elizabeth_Maxey@mcpsmd.org for additional information.
Additional Free Tutoring is Available
All MCPS students have access to free, virtual tutoring services through FEV Tutor and Tutor Me Education.
Both companies offer two services:
Free on-demand tutoring for homework help, no scheduling needed
Free, scheduled tutoring for on-going support, scheduling required
Both companies record sessions, take session notes, and communicate directly with families
The difference between the two companies:
FEV Tutor - no camera for tutor or student - ideal for grades 3-12 students for whom the camera is a barrier to learning
Tutor Me Education - camera for tutor and student
Students access tutoring by using their MCPS Clever account.
For families who would like to set up scheduled, ongoing sessions, please share:
To set up tutoring sessions with FEV Tutor:
To set up tutoring sessions with Tutor Me Education:
MCPS@tutormeeducation.com or 240-618-2549 OR
Fill out their request form ** best way
Here are flyers that can be shared:
SVHS Student and Family Resources Page
Click here for a list and links to resources and supports available for students and families in the Seneca Valley Community. SVHS Student and Family Resources Page
Seneca Valley High School
Twitter: @SenecaValleyHS
Instagram: @SenecaValleyHSWebsite: www.senecavalleyhighschool.com
Location: 19401 Crystal Rock Drive, Germantown, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-6400