November 24, 2024

Fostering a positive climate and culture at our school is crucial for our students' academic success. Last week, we truly showcased our Strength in Unity with a fantastic lineup of activities including:

• French Week activities that immersed students in the language and culture.
• Positive Referral Day, where we celebrated hundreds of students with well-deserved positive referrals and exciting prizes.
• Our Fall Sports Awards Banquet, honoring the hard work and achievements of our student athletes.
• A fun-filled Secret Staff Spirit Week, where our staff showed their school pride.
• The very first Turkey Cup Soccer Tournament, which was a great way to bring everyone together for some friendly competition.

Looking ahead, we have a short week with just two days of school on Monday and Tuesday. I wish you all a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday! I’m incredibly grateful for every day I get to be part of this amazing school community.

Please see below for this week's updates regarding: Donations for community outreach, PTSO support for our Staff Holiday celebration on Dec. 11, Impact Aid Survey, Outstanding Educator Nominations, Early Online College Opportunity for 11th & 12th grade students, Adult Education opportunity, upcoming Family Engagement events, and more!

• November 27-29: Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL

• December 4: Fall Academic Awards Ceremony (9:00am), Indoor Track meet at Patriot HS (2pm), Boys basketball Home game vs. Colgan (JV at 6pm, Varsity at 7:30pm)

• December 5: Swim Meet at Prince William Aquatic Center (6:00pm), Wrestling at Home vs Osbourn HS (JV at 6:00pm, Varsity at 7:00pm), Orchestra Winter Concert (7:00pm)

• December 6: Unified Basketball Game vs Patriot 10:00am

• December 12: Band Winter Concert, 7:00pm

• December 19: Chorus Winter Concert 6:30pm

• December 23 - Jan 3: Winter Break, NO SCHOOL

As we approach the holiday season, SAVE Club along with our wonderful URHS Choir, is asking for donation assistance for our TWO trips to two different Senior Centers in December. Our goal is to provide every resident at the two centers with holiday cheer by visiting and caroling, as well as a small gift. Our students do a wonderful job presenting these gifts. Your donations (see attached flyer) will go a long way in reaching our goals of providing a smile to each of these residents.

• December 5 - Manassas Health & Rehab Center - 8575 Rixlew Lane
• December 18 - Arbor Terrace - 7750 Garner Drive

Donation requests:

• adult coloring books
• colored pencils
• No-SLIP cozy socks
• Toiletries
• Crossword puzzle books (Large Print)
• Word Search books (Large Print)

Donation Box locations: Vestibule or Main Office. Thanks in advance for your consideration and donations with this endeavor!

As the holiday season approaches, we want to show our wonderful teachers and staff just how much we appreciate them! We’re planning a festive holiday celebration luncheon for our staff on December 11th, and we would love your help to make it special.

If you’d like to contribute, we’re looking for donations of:

• Delicious treats: cookies, cupcakes, candy canes, chocolates, and any other festive goodies you’d like to share.
• Prizes: $5 or $10 gift cards to places like Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Target, Barnes & Noble, Bath & Body Works, Gas cards, Amazon, or gift certificates to your favorite local restaurants or local car washes.
• Gift Baskets: ideas include movie night, comfy/cozy items, family game night, car-care items, or any other prizes you can contribute would be greatly appreciated.

Your generosity will help us create a joyful atmosphere and express our gratitude for all the hard work our staff puts in throughout the year. Donations can be dropped of at the main office between November 25 - December 10, (7:30-4:00pm). Thank you for considering a donation! Together, we can make this holiday celebration truly memorable for our amazing teachers and staff.

As a reminder, if you have not completed the Impact Aid survey in ParentVUE, the deadline to complete it is November 30, 2024. Below are more frequently asked questions by parents.

• What if I don’t want to (or can’t) provide my work location? If PWCS does not receive this information, Impact Aid funding cannot be received for your student. Parent information captured on the Impact Aid survey is used solely to submit the Impact Aid application.
• How can I ensure PWCS receives the funding it is entitled to? Complete all portions of the Impact Aid survey to ensure your survey can be processed and counted. Survey data is used to determine the number of eligible students in the school division.

Thank you in advance for doing your part to help us maximize financial educational resources for our students!

We are excited to announce nominations for the PWCS Teacher and Support Employee of the year are now open. These awards are an opportunity to recognize the hard work and commitment of our staff. Do you have an outstanding Unity Reed High School teacher or staff member in your student’s life who goes above and beyond? Now is the time to nominate them for these awards!

View the online form for more details:

• Nomination Form (English)
• Nomination Form (Spanish)

The Early Online College program allows Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) students in 11th and 12th grade to take college classes and earn college credits at no tuition cost.* Some Early Online College courses can be used as dual enrollment credit. Early Online College courses are asynchronous Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) courses with weekly due dates. Students can take up to two courses online each semester.

*PWCS pays the tuition for Early Online College courses; however, students are responsible for purchasing required textbooks or course materials.

Please visit the website for more details and to register for the information session.

If you or someone you know is a former Unity Reed High School student seeking to complete outstanding requirements for a high diploma or GED, don't hesitate to contact Ms. Danielle Rowe, Graduation Coach, at rowedm@pwcs.edu, text at 703-930-1389, or call 703-365-2900.

The adult education program provides educational opportunities for adults (18 and older) in Prince William County, Manassas City, and Manassas Park City who wish to complete high school, learn English, and build job skills. Spring courses begin Jan 28, so check out our class schedule to see what courses we have available this spring to include GED classes, English Language classes, Microsoft Office Specialist, Customer Service Sales and more!

You can access our class schedule here: https://linktr.ee/pwcsadulted

Spring Session 3 registration closes on January 15.
Spring Session 4 registration closes on February 15.

The Family Engagement Series provides families with resources that will assist with their student’s success. The series is led by the Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Community Outreach, Business Partnerships and Philanthropy Department, in collaboration with other PWCS programs, and community and business partners. Please visit the PWCS website for the series schedule.

Upcoming topics include:

• 12/3: Overview of Khan Academy's Free Official Digital SAT Prep Course for Students and Families

Unity Reed HS Students are eligible to purchase season passes or annual passes for discounted prices. Season passes are $20 and Annual passes are $50. These passes will get you into ALL HOME GAMES for either the season (if purchasing the season pass) or for the entire year (if purchasing the annual pass). The pass is not eligible for tournaments or post-season events. STUDENT ID WILL BE REQUIRED AT THE GATE IF PURCHASING A STUDENT PASS!

Unity Reed HS hosts various ongoing College & Career events which is updated in real time to include:

• College Representative Visits
• Monthly money for college workshops
• Monthly college application, financial aid and scholarship workshops

To stay informed about upcoming events specifically for the senior class, please frequently visit the Class of 2025 page and the school website. We have many more exciting events and opportunities planned, and we don’t want you to miss out!

• Weekly LIONS’ ROAR: This will include the latest updates with pertinent information for the upcoming week and will be emailed to students and families every Sunday. This information will also be posted on our school website.

• URHS website: This will be updated more frequently so that we can share the most up to date information with you. In fact, click here to view our school website.

• School Status: This is our messaging system, and it allows staff to send text messages, emails, or make phone calls to families. When an email comes to your inbox with this system, the sender will be listed as School Status or Teacher name. A text message will include the staff member’s full name in the message but will be a random number. This system allows the recipient to respond directly to a message.

• The PRIDE Newsletter: This is a monthly newsletter where we celebrate and highlight the incredible accomplishments of our students, staff, and community at Unity Reed High School. Each month, we will showcase achievements, events, and milestones that make our school proud. Stay tuned for inspiring stories, academic successes, athletic triumphs, and much more. All this information will also be available on our school website for easy access and sharing.

I encourage you to continue to stay in touch with important updates by visiting our website. We are here to support you. Please reach out throughout the school year with any questions, concerns, or to share general feedback, and thank you for being part of our school community, as our STRENGTH is IN UNITY!

Sincerely,

Milagros Polanco
Principal, Unity Reed High School