March 2, 2025

We had an exciting and eventful weekend filled with LIONS PRIDE! Our Unity Reed HS 'Sea Lions' competed in PWCS's Seaperch Underwater Robotics Competition on Friday, where our team 'Moonstar' secured 3rd place overall, qualifying for the World Championship! Additionally, our Air Force JROTC shone at the North Stafford High School drill meet on Saturday, earning 2nd place overall. One of the judges was so impressed that he personally congratulated our cadet commander, stating, 'That is the best color guard I've seen in 20 years.' Our Band also showcased their talent and growth during the district assessments, earning a commendable rating of "Excellent". We are incredibly proud of our LIONS!

We deeply value the rich diversity within our community and appreciate the unique traditions and cultures that each family brings. We wish a Ramadan Mubarak to all those observing Ramadan this month! We extend our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones are here to support you and your students during this special time.

Happy Women's History Month! This month, we celebrate the incredible achievements and contributions of women throughout history. Let's honor their legacy by continuing to support and uplift women in our community and beyond.

Below, you'll find information about reporting absences, Writing SOLs and bell shifts beginning March 4th, Cap & Gown distribution this week, Spring Sports Team & Parent Meeting, Coaching Vacancies, Lions Activity Boosters Club, and more!

• March 3: ASVAB Test, 7:30am

• March 4: Writing SOLs begin

• March 6: Spring Sports Parent & Team Meeting 6:00pm, Main Gym

• March 7-8: PWCS Orchestra Assessment @ Osbourn Park HS

• March 15: PWCS Transition Fair, 10:30-4:00pm @ Colgan HS

• March 27: Lions Activity Boosters Club Meeting, 6:00pm Room 1002

The Writing SOL is a 2-part test. All 11th grade students enrolled in English class

(and some 12th grade students who have not yet taken the Writing SOL) will take the multiple choice portion of this Writing SOL first, then they will complete the essay portion.

Please note, we will have slight schedule adjustments for these dates. The blocks of class time will remain the same but the order of classes will change to accommodate the first block of the day as the testing block (see example of the first two-weeks of testing below). The writing SOLs are administered earlier in the year due to the time it takes to grade the essays.

Our students have been working extremely hard to prepare for their SOL - we are very proud of them and believe they will do fantastic! We encourage all students to get adequate sleep the night before, eat a healthy breakfast, and be at school on time.

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.

Multiple daily tardy sweeps have been proving to be effective in helping our students to get to class on time each class period, so we will continue that going forward.

Arriving on time is a life skill that we want to instill in our students. It is important for students to arrive to class on time and ready to learn as every minute counts in support of student's' academic success. Students are given 5 minutes to get to each class, and warning bell rings 1-minute prior with music playing to remind students to hurry to the next class before the tardy bell rings.

Students who are late to class and caught in a tardy sweep will be sent to the cafeteria to be issued a consequence. Tardy consequences reset each quarter. The consequences are as follows:

• 1st offense: Warning
• 2nd offense: 1-hour detention
• 3rd offense: 2-hour detention
• 4th offense: Saturday School

• *Accumulated offenses and/or refusal to serve may lead to more severe consequences to include loss of privileges and exclusionary discipline.

  
  

Please help remind your students of the importance of being to class and school on time.

Old Dominion University School of Hygiene, the Virginia Community College System, and the Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation have teamed up to launch the Dental Health Summer Institute. The five-day camp will be virtual with an in-person lab day option the week of June 23, 2025. Students will learn about different aspects of dentistry and receive a lab kit for hands-on lab activities.

• Interested? Apply now at Dental Health Summer Institute.
• Application deadline: March 7, 2025.

The Virginia Space Grant Consortium’s Pathways Flight Academy program offers students, ages 16 and older, a unique opportunity to explore their passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This program allows students to explore aviation career fields while learning to fly! This opportunity is FREE for participants. Visit the website for more details and to apply.

• Saturday, March 15, 2025

• 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Charles J. Colgan Sr. High School

Learn about employment opportunities and support services available to help youth and adult students with disabilities as they plan for the transition to life after high school.

The Annual Transition Fair is free and welcomes all students in grades 6-12+, along with their families, educators and community members. For more information and registration, please visit the Career and Transition Services webpage.

Jostens will be coming to hand out cap and gown on March 4th during all lunches. Parents are invited to come if they would like to celebrate with their student. Please talk to your students to determine what lunch they have 5th block. Please know that cap and gowns that have already been purchased will be delivered on March 4th. If you purchase your gown this week, it most likely will be delivered on the next distribution day. Here are the times for our lunches.

A lunch: 10:30 - 10:55
B lunch : 11:05 - 11:30
C lunch: 11:40 - 12:05
D lunch: 12:15- 12:40

All cap and gowns must be purchased online for $35 using this website https://ss.ly/Gs3caP
There will not be any cap and gowns available for purchase at the school on March 4th.

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!

Students are encouraged to come on Saturdays to get caught up on schoolwork and to complete credit support. Students are welcome to come during the Saturday School hours 10 am - 1 pm. There are teachers from the English, Math, History, Science, and Econ an Personal Finance that are there to support you.

Spring sports tryouts wrapped up this past week. Most teams have filled their rosters, but some teams still might be looking to fill a few more spots. If you have a current sports physical and concussion training on file with the activities office, reach out to the coach of your interest to see if there are spots available.

We are still looking for girls to build the future of the Unity Reed girls lacrosse program. We will continue to add girls all Spring. If you don’t know how to play, we will teach you - it's a great opportunity to try something new and enjoy the Spring sports season!

Spring scrimmages start next week - 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.

The Spring sports parents and team meeting will take place this Thursday, March 6 at 6:00pm in the main gym. All Spring athletes and their families should plan to attend to hear important information for this upcoming season. There will be an opening general session and then each team will break out into their own team session.

Are you passionate about skill and player development? Do you thrive on fostering the growth of programs and ensuring the success of student athletes? If so, we want you to join our team!

We are seeking dedicated coaches to become a part of our vibrant community. At Unity Reed HS, we believe in the power of unity and the importance of nurturing and developing not just athletes, but well-rounded individuals who excel both on and off the field.

We currently have openings for (click to apply):

• Head Football Coach
• Head Volleyball Coach
• Head Girls Basketball Coach

What We're Looking For:

• Passion for coaching and player development
• Commitment to the growth and success of our programs
• Enthusiasm for working with and building student athletes

Join us and be a part of something special. Together, we can achieve greatness. #RideWithThePRIDE

We are dedicated to supporting, promoting, and raising funds for all athletic teams and activity groups. By joining the Lions Activities Booster Club, you are helping us contribute to both our athletics and activities.

With support from Lion's parents/guardians like yourselves, we can help the school enhance the athletics and activities programs for our students. The funds raised through membership, fundraising, donations, school spirit wear and concessions are used to support the school with purchasing things like senior gifts, additional equipment, uniforms, and more for our teams.

We are looking for families who can help us with concessions, fundraising, and building LIONS PRIDE! Let's build our community together. Come share in our teams' accomplishments and meet families in the Unity community. Have fun while helping your students have a great experience at Unity Reed High School!

For more information, please contact Saundra Green at slgreen23@hotmail.com, or attend our next meeting on Thursday, March 27th at 6 pm, Unity Reed High School, Room 1002 - just inside the main entrance.

• ALL students are invited and encouraged to participate in the various opportunities available for academic supports. Please see the various options available below:

• 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