Newsletter topics include:
- Upcoming Events
- Lost and Found
- Yearbook Sales
- Advisory Lessons
- Family Liaison Update
- Belmont Ridge Talent Showcase
- Signs of Suicide Presentation (8th Grade Only)
- Academies of Loudoun Admission and Outreach Information
- Tree Planting Save the Date
- New LCPS App
- Step Up Loudoun
- Trunk of Treat
Upcoming Events:
The College Funding Coach Virtual Seminar: Wednesday, October 23rd: 6:00pm
Signs of Suicide presentation for eighth graders: Tuesday, October 22nd and 23rd 8th grade only
End of the First Grading Period: Tuesday, October 29th
Red Ribbon Anti - Drugs Events:
Wednesday October 23rd - "Lei off drugs" (wear Hawaiian shirts)
Tuesday October 29th - "Don't be fooled by drugs" (wear a Halloween costume)
LCPS Student Holidays
- October 30, 2024 Student Holiday (Planning/Records/Conference Day)
- October 31, 2024 Student Holiday (Planning/Records/Conference Day)
- November 1, 2024 Holiday (Diwali)
- November 4, 2024 Student Holiday (Professional Development Day)
- November 5, 2024 Student Holiday (County-Wide Staff Development
- November 27, 2024 Thanksgiving Break Begins
- November 29, 2024 Thanksgiving Break Ends
- December 23, 2024 Winter Break Begins
- January 3, 2025 Winter Break Ends (Classes Resume January 6, 2025)
Our school's Lost & Found will be cleared out after the end of the first grading period. All items are cleaned, sorted, and donated, and once they leave the building, they do not come back. Please talk with your student to see if they are missing anything! Our Lost & Found is overflowing with things like lunch bags and water bottles. The Lost & Found has locations in the cafeteria and each House office.
Hurricane Donation
Hello Riverhawk families,
We have all seen the images from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. It is just so distressing to see what these communities are going through as they begin to recover. One of our art teachers, Ms. Kristin Epperson, hails from the Spruce Pine/Burnsville area of North Carolina and has personal connections to this area, which was hit so hard by Helene. As a community, we'd like to offer what we can to them in terms of items that are needed the most. We have created an Amazon wish list in conjunction with some of the folks in Spruce Pine and offer this to our BEMS families as a way to lend your support. Please view the list and consider a purchase to support them. All items will be shipped directly to Ms. Jennifer Gregory, our contact at Mitchell County Schools. Thank you so much!
Kindest regards,
Ms. Ferguson, Ms. Epperson, Ms. Grazier, and Ms. Johnson
Dear Parent or Guardian:
As you know, life is often a roller-coaster ride of emotions, with teen years being especially susceptible to wide variations in mood. It is easy to misread depression as normal adolescent turmoil; however, depression is among the most common disorders in youth. Suicide is directly related to mental illness, typically depression, and is one of the most serious public health problems facing our youth. Over 90% of youth who die by suicide have a mental disorder that is often undiagnosed or untreated.
To proactively address this issue, Belmont Ridge Middle School is offering the Middle School SOS Signs of Suicide Program this school year. The SOS Signs of Suicide® Suicide Prevention Program is the only universal school-based suicide prevention that has demonstrated a significant reduction in self-reported suicide attempts by 40-64%) (Aseltine et al., 2007 & Schilling et al., 2016).
Our program goals are straightforward:
- Decrease suicide and suicide attempts by increasing knowledge and adaptive attitudes about depression and mental health;
- Teach our students to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression, self-injurious behavior, and potential suicidality in themselves and others;
- Educate youth that suicide is not a normal response to problems but a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression or other mental illnesses; and
- Encourage help-seeking by teaching teens to respond to the signs of suicide as a mental health emergency and to take specific action steps to help prevent a tragedy.
We intend to implement this program in the eighth-grade RESOURCE Classes at BELMONT RIDGE Middle School. The program will take place during the class period as an educational lesson including a video and will be conducted by school psychologists, school social workers, and school counselors. At the conclusion of the presentation, students will be asked to complete a brief post-test knowledge survey and indicate whether they would recommend the presentation to a peer. The presenters will be available for follow-up with students who wish to speak with them. Please note, the Signs of Suicide presentations are not part of the School Counseling Program. As such, if you completed the School Counseling Program opt-out for your child, they will still receive this presentation provided by a school psychologist or social worker. If you do not wish for your student to participate in the Signs of Suicide program, you must opt-out below.
If you would like your student to participate, no action is required at this time. If you do not wish for your student to participate, please complete this form before FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11th opting your child out of the lesson. Additionally, if you have any questions or wish to preview the educational materials prior to the classroom presentation, please contact us at 571-252-6500 or access the Screening for Mental Health SOS Signs of Suicide Prevention Program Parent portal.
You can find additional information on the topic of youth suicide on the LCPS webpage (Suicide Prevention).
Sincerely,
Anderea Mason, M.Ed.
School Psychologist
Reminders
** Any messages sent from BEMS through our Blackboard account (noreply.belmontridge@lcps.org) come from an account that is not monitored. Please use our website to locate the email addresses of any staff members you need to contact. Thank you. **
Belmont Ridge Middle School
Website: https://www.lcps.org/o/bem
Location: 19045 Upper Belmont Place, Lansdowne, VA, USA
Phone: 571-252-2220
