Riverhawk 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. **

¿Cómo traduzco el boletín? En el lado derecho del boletín, aparecerá una barra con las funciones ADA y Traducción. Aquí es donde los espectadores podrán traducir el boletín al idioma que deseen.

Newsletter topics include:

• Upcoming Events
• Grading and Assessment Committee
• BEMS PTO Family Night
• Yearbook Sales
  
• Advisory Lessons
• Family Liaison Update
• Belmont Ridge Talent Showcase
  
• Signs of Suicide Presentation (8th Grade Only)
  
• Varsity Tutoring
• Parenting Wisely Seminar
• Academies of Loudoun Admission and Outreach Information
  
• Special Programs Fair
• Family Book Club
• Tree Planting Save the Date
• New LCPS App
• Runway for a Cure
• Trunk of Treat

Upcoming Events:

The College Funding Coach Virtual Seminar: October 16th: 6:00pm

BEMS PTO Family Night 5:30pm - 8:30pm: Friday, October 18th

Signs of Suicide presentation for eighth graders: Tuesday, October 22nd and 23rd 8th grade only

Red Ribbon Anti - Drugs Events:

Wednesday October 16th - "Unity day" (wear orange to show support)

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 14, 2024 Holiday (Indigenous Peoples’ Day)
• October 29, 2024 End of the First Grading Period
• 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 Begins
• December 23, 2024 Winter Break Begins
• January 3, 2025 Winter Break Ends (Classes Resume January 6, 2025)

6th

Breaking Down Your Goals: In this week’s lesson, your child will practice breaking big goals down into smaller, short-term goals.

7th

Overcoming Roadblocks 1: In this week’s lesson, your child will learn how to use If–Then plans to overcome roadblocks. If–Then Plans help your child anticipate potential roadblocks and come up with plans for addressing them.

8th

Pursuing My Interests: In this week's lesson, your child will identify and respond to positive and negative influences that may affect them while pursuing a goal.

In the spring of 2024, we received extensive feedback from educators, parents and students on the challenges, and possible solutions, associated with implementing Grading and Assessment Policy 5030. A summary of the feedback and a timeline for policy review and potential revisions were presented to the Curriculum & Instruction Committee in September 2024. Now, LCPS is beginning the process of revising Grading and Assessment Policy 5030.

As a part of this process, we are seeking volunteers to participate in focus groups to review the current policy and provide recommendations on proposed solutions and potential policy revisions.

This week, families will receive an invitation from the superintendent to fill out a form indicating their willingness to participate in a focus group. Participants will be randomly selected from those who indicate their interest in being a part of the process. Please check your spam or junk folder if you do not see a link from me by October 8, 2024.

Focus groups will be held in person between October 21 and 30 at the LCPS Administration Building, 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, VA. Focus group participants will be placed in groups with volunteers in the same category of either parents/guardians, secondary teachers or students. School division leadership will present the topic and then step out for the discussion. They will be available at the end of the session for any follow-up or questions.

Individuals who are not interested in or selected to participate in a focus group will have an opportunity to provide written feedback via a Let’s Talk form. Please be on the lookout for an invitation to sign up to participate in a focus group and/or provide written feedback. Your contributions to the process will be invaluable.

RSVP now for our 6th annual Riverhawk Family Night! This fun evening at the school involves a movie and more! Pizza is now available for pre-orders and Chick-fil-A and Kona Ice will be available for purchase at the event. We’re also looking for event volunteers if you can help out that evening!

RSVP and/or pre-order Pizza Here

Sign up to Volunteer at Family Night Here

This is the last week to donate to the Winter Coat Drive! Donations of new and gently used coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and boots will be accepted thru Thursday, October 17. There is a collection box in the BEMS entryway, but if you are unable to stop by during school hours, please contact me to make other arrangements at Susan.Ferguson@lcps.org. All donations must be clean, with no rips or tears, please. All items donated will go back to our community.

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

The Welcome to LCPS EL Family Workshop is designed to provide a brief orientation to new EL families about the U.S. School System and LCPS. Sessions are held at the Historic Douglas High School in Leesburg from 6:30-8pm on the following Thursdays:

• November 7th

• December 5th

• April 3rd

• May 1st

• June 5th

See Welcome to LCPS flyer to learn more.

Auditions will be held for this year's Talent Show on October 21 and 22 after school. The Talent Show will be presented on Friday evening, November 15 here at Belmont Ridge. Please note that there is a permission form that needs to be completed and submitted by Friday, October 18 to Mr. Spaulding, the director of the show.

The Academies of Loudoun 2024 Fall Admission Cycle opened on Monday, August 19, 2024, and will remain open until Wednesday, October 16, 2024. The fall admissions cycle is for any eighth-grade student enrolled in Algebra I or higher who is interested in applying to the Academies of Loudoun for ninth-grade entry into the Academy of Engineering & Technology (AET) program and/or the Academy of Science (AOS) program for the 2025-2026 school year.

The admissions office will conduct four (4) fall admissions information sessions for Loudoun County students in eighth grade and their parents or guardians. These sessions will provide details about the Academies, its programs and how to apply.

Here is some additional information regarding the Fall Admissions Cycle for AET and AOS.

2024 Fall Application Timeline & Requirements

• Application Window Opens | August 19, 2024

• Application Window Closes | October 16, 2024 - The application portal will close at 12:00 PM (NOON)

• Fall Admissions Testing Sessions | October 26, 2024, and November 9th and 16th, 2024 (Register online for one session)

• March 2025 - Admissions offers will be posted in the admissions portal

• March-August 2025 - Applicants must accept or decline all admissions offers. Waitlisted applicants will be notified as seats become available

For more information, visit the Academies of Loudoun Admissions website, email AcademiesAdmissions@lcps.org or call 571-252-1992.

Exciting news! LCPS has launched a new app designed to keep families connected and informed with just a tap. The app allows users to conveniently access documents, news updates and emergency notifications in one place. It’s a must-have for students, families and staff, and is available for download from the Google Play or Apple App Store (just search for “Loudoun County Public Schools”). With this mobile-responsive tool, you can receive important updates directly from your school and stay informed on the latest features. The LCPS website and app also offer a centralized feed for all division news, events and announcements, providing a reliable way to stay updated than relying on multiple social media sites.

Registration for the Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition is now open. You will find information about SULYC and the link for the application at: www.loudounyouth.org under Programs: Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition.

As always, we want to hear from you. Please let us know how we can help you promote this program for students in our communities.

If you have any questions about SULYC, or Loudoun Youth, Inc., please reach out to me at swolfson@loudounyouth.org.

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to our administrative team- Katie.Johnson@lcps.org, David.McKenzie@lcps.org, or Michael.Surma@lcps.org or your grade level dean if you have further questions.

** 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. **

Don't forget to download the LCPS App!

Website: https://www.lcps.org/o/bem

Location: 19045 Upper Belmont Place, Lansdowne, VA, USA
Phone: 571-252-2220