Stingray Scoop

Dear Stone Hill Middle School Families,

I hope you all had a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving Break! As we return to school, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to our entire school community for your continued support and dedication. Your efforts make our school a vibrant and nurturing place for our students to learn and grow.

Looking ahead, we have several exciting events and initiatives planned for the coming weeks, including many winter concerts by our fantastic music students! Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our school, and let's make the rest of the calendar year truly unforgettable.

We are One. We are Strong. We are Stone Hill.

In service to you and our Stingray community,

Rohini Tohan, Principal

Monday, December 2nd

• B-day
• Activity Buses

Tuesday, December 3rd

• A-day

Wednesday, December 4th

• B-day
• Activity Buses

Thursday, December 5th

• A-day
• Activity Buses
• 8th Grade Band Concert, 6:00 pm, Rock Ridge High School

Friday, December 6th

• B-day
• Math Counts Tryout Test, 3:45-4:45 pm, SHMS Cafeteria

Saturday, December 7th

• PTO Winter Wonderland Event, 11am to 4pm @ Stone Hill

• December 10th to 17th ~ Scholastic Book Fair, SHMS Library
• December 11th ~ Strings Concert, 7:00 pm, Rock Ridge High
• December 12th ~ 7th Grade & Jazz Band Concerts, 6:30 pm, SHMS Auditorium
• December 12th ~ Guitar Concert, 7:00 pm, Rock Ridge High
• December 18th ~ 7th Grade Chorus Concert, 6:30 pm, SHMS Auditorium
• December 19th ~ 8th Grade Chorus Concert, 6:30 pm, SHMS Auditorium
• December 23rd to January 3rd ~ Winter Break
• January 16th ~ 6th Grade Band Concert, 6:00 pm, SHMS Auditorium
• January 20th ~ No School- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• January 21st ~ AMC 8 Test

Weeks of December 2-13, 2024

Stingray Reports are a snapshot for families of what students will be learning in class during these weeks. Don’t forget to check out the “Show & Tell” sections, which include great conversation starters to ask your student at home!

Our school-wide competition is well under way. Currently, 7th grade is in 1st place having completed 24,574 units so far in quarter one, 8th grade is in 2nd place with 23,100 units, and 6th grade is in 3rd place with 19,374 units! The grade with the highest number of units completed by the end of the quarter gets a GRADE LEVEL prize! Keep up the great work everyone!

And a special congratulations to the following students who have recently completed the Lexia Power Up Program!

Wishing a very happy birthday to all of our students born in the month of December! We hope you enjoy your special month!

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 6-7 p.m.

Heritage High School (520 Evergreen Mills Rd SE, Leesburg)

Informational Night Flyer, English & Spanish

Students can submit their interest in these programs through the Student Opportunities System in LCPS GO. The interest window is open from Dec. 1 to Jan. 31 for currently enrolled 8th-grade students. For more details on LCPS Special Programs and Academies, visit LCPS Special Programs.

The Math Counts Tryout Test will be held on Friday, December 6th right after school in the cafeteria. To indicate your interest in taking the tryout test, please use this Sign-Up Genius link to register for a place at the tryouts. Stone Hill's math department will choose 14 students to represent Stone Hill MS at the regional Math Counts Competition on February 1st. The test will be given in the cafeteria immediately after school ends and parent pick-up will begin at 4:40 pm.

Stone Hill will offer the AMC-8 on Tuesday, January 21st after school. To sign up, please use this payment portal link. The portal will close on Dec. 15th.

We will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair December 10-17. Get a sneak peek of some of what we’ll have in this digital flyer! Students will have a chance to shop at the bookfair during the school day with their English class or during Resource. We will also be open late on Thursday, December 12th until 7pm for students and parents to come and shop together!

Yearbooks are on sale! Buy one before we run out.

We already have a full academic quarter’s worth of memories to put in the 2024-2025 yearbook, and we’re excited to make more! Buy a yearbook so you can look back on our fantastic journey at the end of the year. There is a limited number of yearbooks available to purchase, so buy yours today before we run out!

Purchase at YearbookOrderCenter.com with the code 13630.

Winter Wonderland is THIS SATURDAY!!

🎄❄️ Join Us for a Magical Winter Wonderland! ❄️🎄

Get ready for an enchanting day filled with festive activities, exciting games, and holiday cheer for the whole family! 🌟 From DJ, Photo Booth, Hot Cocoa, Holiday Shop and Market Place to Raffles Prizes and Free Games, there’s something for everyone. Please come to support Stone Hill Students. Please be generous!

📅 Date: December 7, 2024
⏰ Time: 11 AM - 4 PM
📍 Location: Stone Hill Basketball Court; 23415 Evergreen Ridge Dr, Ashburn, VA 20148

(Note: Incase of inclement weather, Winter Wonderland will move to the Gym)

Please purchase your tickets if you already haven’t. These low cost tickets help recover the cost of organizing events like these. Free entry for Supreme PTO members (4 $0 tickets) and for children 5 years or below.

🎟️ Tickets - Purchase TODAY!

Online: $8/person (Open until 2:00pm on Friday, Dec 6th) Hurry!

At the Door: $10/person

· Purchase your tickets here: Stone Hill Families Purchase Tickets here

· Invite your extended family and friends to join the fun! They can get their tickets at Stone Hill Guests Purchase Tickets Here

· Supreme PTO Members - please check your email from SHMS PTO for code to get your 4 free tickets. Any additional tickets should be purchased through the link above.

NOTE: Registrations to Winter Wonderland MarketPlace are now closed.

Spread the joy and we are looking forward to seeing you there! ✨

STONE HILL MIDDLE SCHOOL PTO FUNDRAISER

🎬 Enjoy movies with a purpose! 🎬 SHMSPTO is giving you the best reason to head to the cinema. Until February 23, 25% of each Regal Movie Ticket Bundle (2 tickets. No expiration) you purchase will be donated back to SHMSPTO, when you buy via our fundraising sales page. Treat yourself, your friends, and family to an unforgettable movie night in support of a great cause! Grab your tickets here: grouprai.se/regalcinemas52469s

Buy your tickets → https://grouprai.se/regalcinemas52469s

School Store

🍬 Sweet News for All Students! 🍬

We’ve got something new and exciting just for YOU! 🎉 Our school store has just dropped some brand-new candies that’s sure to make your day a little sweeter.

Bus riders should ride their assigned bus and always arrive at their bus stop five minutes early. Please help your student(s) get out of the door on time. Parents are also requested to periodically check transportation information throughout the school year for any changes. Parents will be emailed by LCPS Transportation when changes are made to their student’s transportation.

Carline parents: We thank you for your patience and cooperation in helping to make our car line a safe and efficient area during the morning drop off and afternoon pick up.

Please follow directions displayed on signage and from all car line staff. Please pull as far forward as possible towards the stop sign in order to keep the flow of traffic moving.

Designated walking zone: Only students who live within our designated walking zone are permitted to walk home. If LCPS Transportation has assigned your student a bus, they must either take the bus to and from school or be transported by car.

Exiting the building at dismissal: All student walkers should leave the building through the [B2 door/front of the building], located on the side of the building by the cafeteria. Students should walk either directly to their community behind the school or down the sidewalks in front of the school, as applicable. No student should ever cross Evergreen Ridge Dr. as there are no crosswalks, making it a safety hazard for both students and drivers.

All parents/guardians should report attendance, including absences and early dismissals, in ParentVue. Instructions with how-to videos are available on our website or by clicking here.

As a reminder for the 2024-2025 school year, there have been some changes to the counseling assignments. Please note who your child’s counselor will be this year based on your child’s last names across ALL grades.

LCPS is proud to provide free access to a suite of online learning resources available on the Varsity Tutors platform. To learn more about Varsity Tutors, a free, on-demand online tutoring service available to ALL LCPS students in Grades K-12, click here.

The SNAP in Schools initiative from the Virginia Department of Social Service, which is based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), helps develop partnerships to bridge the gap of food insecurity among school-aged children. The objectives of SNAP in Schools are to reduce food insecurity in school-aged children, to increase the number of students directly certified for free school meals through SNAP, and to increase the number of students eligible without application for the summer EBT program.

Please advise families who could benefit from this program to access the CommonHelp portal link to submit online SNAP applications.

Please also share the flyer below with your families:

• English
• Spanish

A message from INTEGIRLS D.C., which works to encourage girls and non-binaries in STEM fields through competitions:

We’re hosting our annual day-long math competition on Saturday, December 14th, 2024, from 9 am - 4 pm at the Bioscience Education Center at Montgomery College Germantown Campus. We would be extremely grateful if you shared the following copy-pastable snippet with interested students:

The D.C. chapter of INTEGIRLS is hosting a beginner-friendly, in-person math competition Saturday, December 14th from 9 am - 4 pm at the Bioscience Education Center at Montgomery College Germantown Campus! Our mission at INTEGIRLS is to encourage girls and non-binaries in STEM fields through math competitions and events. This year, we will have math competition rounds (individual and team), an estimathon, a speaker event, awards ceremony, provided lunch, and lots of fun STEM activities. Teams of up to 4 students will be able to connect with and enjoy math with other girls and non-binaries around the DMV. There will be a lot of prizes and fun swag for all participants.

Register here directly or go to the INTEGIRLS D.C. website (dc.integirls.org) to learn more about the competition. Registration closes on December 7th.

Email: rohini.tohan@lcps.org
Website: www.lcps.org/SHMS
Phone: 703-957-4420
X (formerly Twitter): @StoneHillMiddle