Harmony Newsletter

Sept 10 - 8th Grade Assembly - last block - (on LCPS Programs)

Sept 16/17 - Bus Evacuation Drills in AM

Sept 25 - Pictures for A-day Students (out of Resource)

Sept 25 - PTA Meeting (6 PM)

Sept 26 - Pictures for B-day Students (out of Resource)

Sept 26 - Book Fair Family Night (5 PM to 7 PM)

Nov 13 - 6th Grade Awards Night (Last Name A - L) @ 7 PM

Nov 13 - 6th Grade Awards Night (Last Name M - Z) @ 8 PM

Nov 14 - 7th Grade Awards Night @ 7 PM

Nov 14 - 8th Grade Awards Night @ 8 PM

School Website Link

Our first Lock Down drill was Sept 5 and it went well. If you have feedback, please share with those below.

In additional to drills, during the year we will be going over some scenarios to help the students think through situations. Our first one will be on, "What to do in an emergency if you have a substitute teacher." This situation helps kids help the class which means they need to know which way to evacuate, how to take attendance, or where to "lock down" in the room. We will cover this with the kids this month but please feel free to start the discussion with your child.

Contact names are below for any questions.

• School Security Officer, (SSO), Josh Stillwell (joshua.stillwell@lcps.org)
• School Resource Office (SRO), Loudoun County Deputy Chris Salter (christopher.salter@loudoun.gov)
• 7th Grade Dean and School Safety Contact, Justin Dailey (justin.dailey@lcps.org)
• Principal, Eric Stewart (eric.stewart@lcps.org)

School Phone is 540-751-2500 (then dial zero to reach the main office)

Want to make sure your kids are able to look at a new word and have an idea what it might be? One way is to have a foundational knowledge about some root words. Three starters are: "bene" (meaning good), "mal" (meaning bad), and "magn (meaning large or great). We will add some periodically in this newsletter. It would be nice to go over with your kids. Examples include:

beneficial, benefactor, and beneficiary

malignant, malign, and malicious

magnify, magnanimous, and magnificent

...from a student, "Hello. I would like to nominate my band teacher Mr. (Chris) Fairchild for Making People Feel Welcome. He is always greeting us when we walk in. He is funny. He always makes sure that you can learn and leave your instrument in a place that you can feel welcome (and safe). Thank you."

...from a teacher, "(I am giving) Ms. Kristen Procaccino, a shout out for going above and beyond this week. While helping students, she artistically created a Writer's Toolbox for the classroom. She then came to my room before school yesterday with even more fresh ideas in hand! With her authentic eagerness and positive energy, I think she's a keeper!"

(Parents, students or staff - If you would like to recognize a staff member, please email eric.stewart@lcps.org)

Every month you will be receiving the Harmony Buzz Bulletin from your child's dean. Please use this information to help keep aware of upcoming assessments and to reinforce lessons occurring in the classroom. Feel free to reach out to your child's teacher with specific questions.

6th Grade

7tth Grade

8th Grade - Harmony_8th_Grade_Buzz_September.pptx

Harmony students are using a program called Lexia to improve their reading skills. Lexia focuses on comprehension, grammar, and word study. Students will be setting goals in their English classes by minutes per week and/or units completed.

While they will be working on this in English classes and through resource, please encourage your child to use Lexia at home as well. Stay tuned for information about incentives and competitions throughout the year!

IF you like kids and want to see what's going on in the schools, we always need help with substitute teachers. If interested, please please sign up to substitute in LCPS. The daily pay for substitute teachers in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) varies depending on the type of substitute and the number of assignments they've completed:

• Daily Substitute: $135.03 for a 7-hour day, or $19.29 per hour
• Daily Loyalty Substitute: $150.01 for a 7-hour day, or $21.43 per hour, for substitutes with 25 or more assignments
• Site-Based Substitute: $154.00 for a 7-hour day, or $22.00 per hour
• Long-Term Substitute: $200.00 for a 7-hour day, or $28.57 per hour
• Long-Term Substitute Counselor: $200.00 for a 7.5-hour day, or $26.67 per hour

Parents and Students. If you have interest in clubs, please check out this link and fill it in. Your emails will be collected so that the sponsor can contact you. A few (but not all) clubs began this week.

Club Interest Form

Earlier last week we sent a separate email with links and information for all families about the new LCPS intramural program. Please check that out of you haven't read it. This is an excellent program that your kids might really enjoy.

Our school contact is Josh Young / josh.young@lcps.org.

Next week during HIVE Time students will begin receiving lessons through Second Step Middle School Program. This is an evidenced based social-emotional learning curriculum used throughout LCPS for the enhancement of social skills, problem solving, emotional regulation and empathy. For more information about Second Step Middle School, please review the family letter here.

The HIVE Time Lesson from Second Step by grade level our below:

6th Grade: Second Step Unit 1: Lesson 1: Starting Middle School: In the upcoming advisory lesson, 6th grade students will identify challenges they might face when starting middle school and identify resources in their school where they can get help.

7th Grade: Second Step Unit 1: Lesson 1: Helping New Students: In the upcoming advisory lesson, 7th grade students will brainstorm ways to support new students.

8th Grade: Second Step Unit 1: Lesson 1: Welcome!: 8th grade students will learn about the Second Step Middle School Program and understanding that these lessons are designed to help promote their social, physical, emotional, and overall well-being to be successful.

School Contact is Alysia O. Brown, M.Ed., NCC | School Counselor

Families also have access to view these lessons and other materials by creating a Second Step account using our school specific access code (FAM4B7AAA539). For Second Step Family Access Steps, please click here.

Information on the School Book Fair:

E-Wallet set up instructions: How eWallet Works (scholastic.com)

Sign Up for Adult Volunteers: Scholastic Book Fair Volunteer Sign Up Genius

Scholastic Book Fair Harmony Webpage: Book Fair Homepage (scholastic.com)

Thank you! Susan McGilvray

Amazon Web Services (AWS) Girls’ Tech Day was developed to promote and encourage girls and women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. AWS is offering this free career exploration event to 6th - 8th grade girls at their headquarters in Arlington VA. It will take place on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM.

Students will engage in panel discussions and STEAM-related interactive activities. The Computer Science Office will provide the bus transportation to and from the event and can accommodate approximately 16 girls from each middle school. Students should register using the link below to be selected to attend. Girls will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis while considering the distribution across schools.

For your awareness, women are considered an underrepresented group in STEM education and in STEM fields.