May 4, 2025

We had the opportunity to host the first ever Girls Flag Football Clinic yesterday in partnership between PWCS and the Washington Commanders. Stations were set up with skill building and drills led by coaches and Commanders legends Rocky McIntosh and Ken Harvey. The intent is to build interest in and become trailblazers in starting our first ever girls flag football team in the upcoming 25-26 school year! This clinic was open to all PWCS high school girls and we had many URHS girls come out to participate. It was lots of fun and we look forward to building a team in the upcoming school year. Another clinic will be held on Saturday May 17 at Freedom HS (Woodbridge) for those who were unable to attend yesterday. Stay tuned in the near future for more information on how to join for next school year and what the season will entail.

We are excited to kick off Teacher Appreciation Week, starting tomorrow! Thank you to all the families and community members that have donated items for our Nacho Bar tomorrow. Teacher Appreciation Week runs from Monday, May 5th to Friday, May 9th, 2025. Please join us spreading appreciation by providing any heartfelt notes and emails of appreciation to our teachers throughout the week.

Adjusted bell schedules for SOLs and AP exams begin Wednesday, May 7. Please help us ensure your student(s) are fully prepared for success. In addition to classroom preparation, we offer after-school SOL prep and study sessions from Monday to Thursday.

With only 19 school days left until Graduation on June 2nd and 28 school days until the last day of school for underclass students, it's time to finish strong! Please see below for information regarding Graduation, the May SOL Testing Calendar, and more. Please see below for information regarding upcoming important dates, Prom, Graduation, May SOL Testing Calendar, and more!

With SOLs beginning this week, it's imperative that students are in school on time each day and pay close attention to changes in bell schedules.

• SOL blocks run from 7:30 - 10:30AM
• This Friday's IB Language & Literature Exam for ALL 11th graders will run from 7:30 - 9:00AM

• May 5-9: SOLs begin, Teacher Appreciation Week

• May 6: Senior Night for Girls Soccer, 6:45pm

• May 14: Spring Academic Awards Ceremony (Underclassmen 2:30; Seniors Awards Night 6:00pm)

• May 15: Senior Night for Baseball, Softball & Boys Soccer

• May 16: Prom at Sweeny Barn, 7:00pm -10:00pm

• May 19: Firefighting Graduation, 6:00pm at Grace Life Community Church

• May 20: Lions Soccer Cup Tournament after school; CTE Signing Day 5:00pm at Hylton Performing Arts Center

• May 22: 12th grade final exams begin

• May 26: NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

• May 28: Last Day of school for Graduating Seniors, Mandatory Graduation Practice begins 9:30am immediately after 7th block exam

• May 29: Final Mandatory Graduation Practice 9:00am, Senior Sunset Picnic 6:00pm

• June 2: 11:00AM Early Dismissal for Grades 9-11, Graduation at 1:00pm at Jiffy Lube Live

This edition features testing dates and class period schedules for the May SOLs and June Final Exams. Please note that there will be numerous changes to our bell schedule in May and June due to testing. You can find the link to this calendar on the main page of the URHS website, under the weekly class rotation schedule.

Students in grades 9-11 who have failed a course may take up to two high school courses for repeat (recovery) credit or one 2-week SOL remediation at no cost.

Seniors who are not on track to graduate in June, but are capable of graduating in July with additional targeted support, may earn additional verified credits to satisfy diploma requirements and graduate this summer.

Students will be enrolled in the second course once they have shown completion of the first course. Students must complete the first course by July 11, 2025 to start a second course.

High school students in grades 9-11 seeking a course for first time credit can explore Virtual Prince William (VPW) for online course options. Please visit the Virtual Prince William website for more information.

Students should speak with their school counselor to determine the best course or test to register for with the available summer options.

• Please contact your child's counselor if you need assistance with registering for summer school.
• Please click here for more details about PWCS Summer School for High School Students.

This fantastic event will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at the Kelly Leadership Center (14715 Bristow Road, Manassas, VA 20112). If your students are interested in joining a sports team but don't know where to start, this is the perfect opportunity for you! The PWCS Sports Fair is free and open to all fifth grade, middle and high school students. Coaches and athletes will be available to provide information about the sports offered in PWCS and to answer any questions you may have.

In addition to valuable information, there will be a DJ, food trucks, giveaways, and lots of fun activities for everyone to enjoy. Translators will also be on site to assist. We hope to see you there!

1. Prom Agreement Form: All students must submit a prom agreement form signed by the student, parent, and administration.
2. Eligibility: All obligations must be cleared before purchasing a ticket (library books, uniforms, etc.) Students with excessive absences, at risk of not graduating, or with egregious PWCS code of behavior violations may not be eligible to attend.
3. Guest Permission Forms: All outside guest forms must be submitted by May 1. No changes or additions after this date.
4. Ticket Sales: Space is limited based on the venue's capacity. Tickets are now $60. No tickets will be sold on the day of the event or at the door. (Last day to purchase tickets will be May 15th or once we reach capacity).
5. Attendance Requirement on day of Prom (5/16): Per PWCS Attendance policy, "students must attend at least half the instructional day on the day of an event". An early release permission form will be provided for students and parents to sign in advance so students can be released no earlier than 10:30 AM.

• Please schedule any hair/nail appointments after 10:30 AM or the day before to avoid students being unable to participate in prom due to attendance policy.

If you missed the graduation meeting, please find detailed information below about what to expect leading up to the Graduation Ceremony on June 2, 2025.

Leave your mark on the school by painting a brick in the Senior Staircase!

• $5 to paint your own brick (bring our own supplies)
• $10 to have SALC paint the brick for you (you simply share the design)
• Designs must be pre-approved first. Fill out this form to get your designed approved.

Contact Ms. Miller or Ms. Kim (SALC teachers) for more info!

Scheduled graduation walks for elementary schools:

• Piney Branch - May 27 at 3:00
• Cedar Point - May 22 at 2:15
• Victory - May 23 at 2:15
• Glenkirk - May 23 at 2:45
• T. Clay Woods - May 22 at 2:15
• Ellis Elementary - *Scheduled on last day of Graduation practice - all seniors will immediately dismiss after graduation practice to walk the halls of Ellis together.

View the recent scholarship opportunities shared with URHS! Students should also use the Scholarship Search feature in Naviance for a complete list of local and other scholarships.

• Scholarship lists are also posted outside of Mrs. Nash’s office on the 3rd floor.

• If you need assistance applying, make an appointment with Ms. Jung, Mr. Lawrence, or your guidance counselor.
• Keep checking the wall for updates!
• Find more financial Aid resources for FAFSA & VASA here

Come out to support all of the Spring sports teams this season. You can monitor all of your favorite teams’ schedules at this link.

The cheapest way to get into all of the Spring games is to buy the “students only” season pass. Be on the lookout for this pass to become available this week. Buying one season pass will get you into every HOME games for $20 - that’s the price of paying for 3.5 games at regular price. It's a great deal and great way to support URHS athletics. Tickets will be loaded onto our ticket website this week - click here to purchase.

Activity buses now run Monday through Thursday at 4:30 PM to ensure students can take advantage of our daily academic support opportunities. We are dedicated to supporting the success of ALL students. Check out our daily support sessions below, and remember to check with individual teachers for any additional class-specific help after school.

The quickest ways to update your child's attendance to report an excused absence is by entering the absence in ParentVUE or emailing the respective grade-level Administrative Assistant below:

• 9th grade: Ms. Hammad-Khaleel, Hammadrh1@pwcs.edu
• 10th grade: Ms. Juarez, Juarezn@pwcs.edu
• 11th grade: Ms. Clancy, Clancycc@pwcs.edu
• 12th grade: Ms. Pryce, Prycead@pwcs.edu

You may also call the main school phone line (703-365-2900), however, please allow 24-48 hours for a response if the phone lines are backed-up. If you do not hear back or see your child's attendance has been updated within 48 hours, please email the grade-level Administrator below:

• 9th Grade last names A-L: Dr. Brooks, BrooksDR@pwcs.edu
• 9th Grade last names M-Z: Ms. Drouin, DrouinKA@pwcs.edu
• 10th Grade last names A-L: Mr. Gillespie, GillesRG@pwcs.edu
• 10th Grade last names M-Z: Ms. Mathison, MathisCC@pwcs.edu
• 11th Grade: Mr. Hintosh, HintosCR@pwcs.edu
• 12th Grade: Ms. Nash, NashSJ@pwcs.edu

Parents/Guardians should notify the school before, or at the start of, the school day when their child will be absent. Parents/Guardians must send written or electronic communication citing the reason(s) for the absence to the school no more than five school days following the date of the absence. Student attendance while participating in school-sponsored activities will be updated by the school.

Please see more information regarding PWCS Attendance Regulations here.

• 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