October 27, 2024

Virginia College Application Week was a great success! Many of our students were able to fine tune and submit their college applications, participated in our Trade Expo, and several students even received on-the-spot colleges acceptances! At Unity Reed High School, our vision is that Every Lion in our Pride will graduate on time through Strength in Unity and a commitment to developing ALL students as IB Learners. Providing access and opportunities like this is one of the many steps we take daily to achieve this vision for our amazing school community. Together, we are making a difference! 🦁🎓

I'd also like to extend a huge congratulations to our band, chorus, orchestra ensembles and cheer team for their outstanding performances last week! 👏

Reminders:

• The first quarter ends this Thursday, October 31
• There is No School for students November 1, 4, and 5
• Touch Base Parent/Teacher Conferences are on November 4 from 8:00-10:00 AM

Please see below for important information regarding: Halloween Costume Guidelines🎃, upcoming Touch Base Parent Conferences, Steamfitters Apprenticeship Information, Financial Aid Information Night for 12th grade families, free Literacy Resources for Families📚 and more!

• October 30: Steamfitters information session for students, 9:00am

• October 31: Last day of the first marking period

• November 1: NO SCHOOL, Holiday

• November 4: Touch Base Parent Conferences 8:00 - 10:00am, NO SCHOOL for Students, Staff Workday

• November 5: NO SCHOOL for Students; Staff Workday

• November 11: NO SCHOOL, Holiday

For those that wish to celebrate Halloween, here are a few important guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment. Costumes are allowed with the following restrictions:

• We need to be able to identify everyone in the building, so faces must remain visible.
• NO MASKS
• Face paint and make up should be minimal and must not cover the entire face.
• NO ITEMS OR PROPS THAT LOOK LIKE WEAPONS.

As we approach the end of the first marking period, I encourage all students and their parents/guardians to stay updated on grades and attendance. This will help ensure students are on track to pass all their classes and graduate on time. For those needing extra help, after-school study hall and tutoring sessions are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Additionally, our 24/7 virtual homework help through Varsity Tutors is a great resource (more details below).

Students can check their grades via StudentVUE, while parents/guardians can use ParentVUE

to monitor both grades and attendance. High school report cards are expected to be mailed to the home address on file on November 13.

If you have any questions about missing assignments or grades, please reach out to your student’s teachers, counselor, or supervising administrator.

This year’s Touch-base will happen on November 4th, 2024 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. This event is an opportunity for parents/guardians to come to school to meet individually with any or all of their student's teachers for a brief 3–5-minute conference. No appointments are needed.

During the conference, parents/guardians can expect a current and accurate assessment of their student's grade and progress from each of his/her teachers. Additionally, teachers can discuss strategies for student success in the classroom.

Students: ever thought about getting paid for on-the-job training after high school to become a steamfitter? Sign up for Steamfitter Info Session, which will be on Wednesday, October 30 at 9 a.m. in the 3rd Floor Group Room.

What is a Steamfitter? A Steamfitter is a person who fabricates, installs, and services piping systems. Steamfitters work on different types of piping systems – Residential, Commercial, and Industrial.

• Residential systems are in your house or apartment.
• Commercial systems are heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration.
• Industrial systems are the construction of piping systems for electrical power generators, wastewater treatment, solid waste disposal, and industrial manufacturing process.
• For more information, visit 602training.org/apprenticeship-home

For eligible 12th grade students: applications for the 2025-2026 class will be taken online ONLY starting Friday, November 1, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. and closing on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. Application for Apprenticeship Information

There will be Financial Aid Information Night on Monday, Nov. 4th from 6-8PM over Zoom with a guest speaker from the University of Virginia (UVA). This event will cover different types of financial aid (FAFSA, VASA, VTAG, etc.), tips on receiving scholarships, Q&A sessions, and much more, so don’t miss out on this opportunity!

Please register through the link below or the QR code in the flyers around the school. Registration Link

The event will be recorded, and there will be a separate recording with Spanish voiceover. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Jung (djung@pwcs.edu).

There will be a Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) Information Session for Students on Wednesday, Nov. 13th from 9-10:30AM in the 2nd Floor Group Room.

Please register through the link below or the QR code in the flyers around the school.

Registration Link

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Jung (djung@pwcs.edu).

Parents/Guardians: Be on the lookout for an email from Victor O'Neill Studios. If you do not see it in your inbox, check the spam/junk folder.

Any student who has not had a chance to order, it’s not too late!

• Please visit: vosphoto.com/underclass
• Use your student ID when prompted for the online code.
• For questions regarding school pictures please email: underclass@vosphoto.com

Literacy is the cornerstone for student success throughout all phases of their lives, impacting students in every subject in school. At Unity Reed High School, we are dedicated to fostering literacy through language-rich learning environments, to include reading, writing, and speaking daily in every class to prepare them for lifelong success.

Here are some ways families can partner with us in supporting literacy and learning at home:

• Family Literacy Webinars engages families and communities in fostering a love for literacy with a variety of informative sessions hosted by Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) specialists and coordinators as well as educators and community groups from across the Commonwealth.
• Literacy Resources for Families and Communities contains a few of the many general online resources that are free to teachers, parents, and students.

Literacy Engagement Activities at Home for Grades 9-12

• Look up lyrics to a song online and look for examples of literary devices in the lyrics. Analyze the message of the song and share your interpretation with someone else at home.
• Find an article in a magazine or newspaper. Cut out or black out different words in the article. See if you can use your context clues to determine the missing words.
• Choose a scene from a book you're reading or have read. Create a script for a newscast to deliver including the main ideas and highlights from the event. Record yourself delivering the breaking news.
• Create a Top 5 list for anything you're interested in. It could be a Top 5 favorite basketball players, book characters, songs, foods, etc. For each, write an explanation for why each choice is in each spot, being sure to provide some evidence. You can turn this into an opportunity to debate a family member or sibling after they create their own list.
• Read! Read! Read!

In our ongoing commitment to academic excellence and college and career readiness, we are thrilled to announce a fantastic resource available to all sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Starting now, students will have access to Khan Academy’s Official Digital SAT Prep through Clever.

We believe that this initiative will significantly contribute to our students’ success, not only in their SATs but also in their future academic and career endeavors. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our students’ education.

All students are invited to take advantage of after-school academic support every Tuesday and Thursday. Whether you need extra help in a specific subject or just a quiet place to work on assignments, our dedicated teachers and peer tutors are here to assist you. Bus transportation is also provided on these days at 4:30 PM. Students can ride if they are staying after school for academic support, activities or athletics.

Additionally, all students have access to FREE one-on-one, chat-based online Academic Tutoring available 24/7 in all core subject areas in English and Spanish through VARSITY TUTORS. Students can access this tutoring platform through the Clever App on their student laptops 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• October 31: Cross Country Girls Varsity District Championship at Great Meadows Park, 11:15 AM
• November 1: Home Football Game vs. Osbourn Park HS, 7:00PM *Senior Night for football, cheer, marching band, and JROTC

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!

Report your child’s absences: Parents should notify the school before, or at the start of, the school day when their child will be absent. Parents 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.To report an absence at Unity Reed HS, please call the school at 703-365-2900, submit the note via ParentVUE or have your student submit a written note to the main office. For early dismissals, please call the main office at 703-365-2900.

How sick is too sick for school? For information about when your child should go to school or when they should stay home due to illness, visit the When to Keep Students home webpage. If you have additional questions, please contact our school nurse, Nurse Lawton, at lawtonst@pwcs.edu.

Planning a prearranged absence? We understand that some absences are unavoidable, however we encourage parents and guardians to schedule appointments and trips on scheduled days off for students throughout the school year. View the 2024-25 school calendar website to view days off for students.

We appreciated our families understanding that attending school every day helps our students build a solid foundation for their future in school and in life. Please contact our Attendance Officer, Ms. Gilliam at 571-598-3216 or gilliadb@pwcs.edu; or our School Social Worker, Mr. Jahanian at 571-598-3232 or jahanir@pwcs.edu; if your family or child are in need of resources to have a successful school year.

• 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