February 2, 2025

February is a month filled with celebrations, including Black History Month and School Counselor Appreciation Week, our Winter Pep Rally and our staff "Soup-er Bowl". This week, we are excited to kick off by honoring our dedicated school counselors during National School Counselor Appreciation Week! Let's take a moment to express our gratitude for their unwavering support and the positive impact they have on our students' success, both in high school and beyond.

Please read below for this week's updates to include information about:

• Student Vision Profile Updates: Stay informed about the latest updates to student vision profiles.
• Financial Aid Workshop: Join us this Saturday for a comprehensive workshop on financial aid.
• Scholarship Opportunities: Explore various scholarship opportunities available for our 12th grade students.
• SAT Prep Opportunity available for 11th Graders
• Games This Week: Don't miss out on the exciting games scheduled for this week to include senior night for boys basketball, cheer and swim.

And much more!

• February 7: Unified Basketball Game & Winter Pep Rally; Senior Night for Boys Basketball, Cheer & Swim @ 6:30pm

• February 8: Financial Aid Workshop FAFSA/VASA, 10am - 1pm

• February 17: No School - Presidents Day Holiday (Schools And Offices Closed)

• February 20: Black History Month Assembly

Your student's path to a thriving future starts with the Student Vision Profile. Log in to ParentVUE to access this interactive document with information about your student(s). In the Student Vision Profile, you will find:

• Information about students’ personal values and career interests (from Naviance assessments).
• Career pathway information.
• PWCS high school specialty program information.
• Information about the profile of a PWCS graduate and tips for students and families to ensure academic success.
• Suggested action steps for the student and parent/guardian for each post high school path (college, career, military, world of work).

Do not hesitate to reach out to your student's school counselor for more information about planning for life after high school. Also see a brief overview video of what this entails below:

Students and parents/guardians will have access to accept or make changes to their course requests in StudentVUE between 2/1-2/7

• Counselors will be meeting with students for academic advising as follows:

• Rising 12th Graders: 2/13-2/27

• Rising 11th Graders: 3/3-3/12-3/7

• Rising 10th Graders: 3/13-3/19

• Students can submit course request changes through 5/2

URHS is planning a "Soup-er Bowl" appreciation for our staff and wanted to offer parents and guardians the opportunity to partner with us to help contribute any food for our wonderful staff. Please consider signing up to bring an item on the Signup Genius below. The event is on February 10 and items would be need to be at the school by 9:30 AM.

• Sign up here to help contribute to our "Soup-er Bowl"

The Unity Reed College & Career Center is hosting "FAFSA & VASA Assistance Day" on Saturday, February 8th from 10AM-1PM in the 1st Floor Cafeteria. This event will offer in-person assistance with FAFSA & VASA applications for students and families.

All students planning to enter a 2-or 4 year college in the fall of 2025 should complete the FAFSA or VASA. Registration is not required for these events, and they are open to any student applying to college for Fall 2025.

• Please sign-up using this link (sign-up link).
• For FAFSA & VASA Resources, visit our FAFSA & VASA Resources folder (link).
• If you have any questions, please email Ms. Jung (djung@pwcs.edu).

Senior families, both the 2025-26 FAFSA and VASA applications are open! Students not eligible to complete the FAFSA can get help with the VASA. Completing the FAFSA or VASA is the first step in applying for financial aid to help with college costs. If you can't make our FAFSA/VASA Workshop this coming Saturday and still need to complete yours, the Manassas City Library will host 3 FAFSA help sessions on the following dates:

• Saturday, February 22 | 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 29 | 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

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!

Don’t miss out on the chance to showcase your adorable baby photos in this year’s high school yearbook! Celebrate your journey from cute toddlers to amazing graduates.

Why Include Your Baby Photo?

• Nostalgia: Relive those precious childhood moments.
• Fun: Share a laugh with friends over your cutest baby pics.
• Memories: Create a keepsake that you’ll cherish forever.

Print and complete the form: Baby Ads Yearbook

• For more details, contact the Yearbook Staff or Mr. Hyde.

• Order here: CAP, GOWN & TASSEL UNIT
• All other graduation related items - Order here

All 11th grade students in PWCS will take the SAT this spring during SAT School Day on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. To help students prepare for the SAT School Day administration, we are planning to host SAT prep courses from February 10 – March 28. Interested students must complete this Unity Reed SAT Prep Registration Form Link by Wednesday, February 5, 2025.

• Sessions will be held on Wednesdays from 2:20-4:20 p.m. and Thursdays from 2:20-4:20 p.m.
• Students who want to register for the school-level SAT Prep sessions must commit to attend both sessions each week.

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

• February 4: Boys Basketball vs. Battlefield (JV @ 6:00pm; Varsity @ 7:00pm); JV Girls Basketball (Away); Indoor Track (Away)
• February 7: Boys Basketball vs. Osbourn HS (JV @ 5:30pm; Varsity @ 7:00pm*) *Senior Night; JV Girls Basketball (Away)
• February 8: Wrestling Varsity District Championship (Away)

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!

• 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