Stingray Scoop

Dear Stone Hill Middle School Familes,

Thank you to those of you who came out for our parent coffee on Friday. Thank you to our counselors Ms. Inman, Ms. Jackson, Ms. Alberth, and Ms. Andrews for their presentation on Positive Peer Relations.

I also hope everyone enjoyed the weather this weekend as we look ahead to the week and encourage all students to finish the first quarter of the school year strong.

Safety First Reminder #1: As we kick off our fundraiser, let's prioritize safety. Please remind students of the following:

• No Door-to-Door Sales: To ensure the safety of our students, please do not allow your child to go door-to-door selling chocolate. This practice is not permitted and can pose unnecessary risks. By following these guidelines, we can work together to keep our students safe and healthy. Thank you for your cooperation!

• 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.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school community safe!

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

In service to you and our Stingray community,

Rohini Tohan, Principal

Monday, October 28th

• A-day
• Drama Rehearsal, 3:45-4:45 pm
• Activity Buses

• B-day
• Last Day of Quarter 1

Wednesday, October 30th

• No School ~ Teacher Planning Day

Thursday, October 31st

• No School ~ Teacher Planning Day

Friday, November 1st

• No School ~ Diwali

• November 4-5 ~ No School (Staff Professional Development)
• November 6th ~ First Day of Quarter 2
• November 11-12 ~ School Picture Day During PE Blocks
• November 12th ~ PTO General Meeting, 6:30 pm, SHMS Cafeteria
• December 6th ~ Math Counts Tryout Test, 3:45-4:45 pm, SHMS Cafeteria
• December 7th ~ PTO Winter Wonderland Event, 11am to 4pm @ Stone Hill
• December 10th to 17th ~ Scholastic Book Fair in the SHMS Library

Weeks of October 21st to November 1st

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!

Congratulations to ALL our students who auditioned for National Honor Choir. These students spent time before and after school to prepare for the audition and competed against several other students for the honor to participate. The following students were accepted into the American Choral Director's Association National Honor Choir:

Alina Pak (7th grade)

Anna Katarki (7th grade)

Arya Mohler (7th grade)

Aniruduh Bowmick (7th grade)

Arjun Jayendran (8th grade)

Ivy Snyder (8th grade)

Arush Bannerjee (8th grade)

Sulochana Alluvada (8th grade)

Congratulations to all on a job well done!

We have an exciting NEW opportunity for your students to be involved in the Stone Hill Community with new Intramural Sports! After a successful flag football season, our second sport for the 2024-2025 school year is 6v6 Volleyball. This will occur on Mondays OR Thursdays, after school from 3:45 to 4:45, and after-school buses will be provided. Students can register either as an individual and be placed on a team or a student can be a designated team captain and can register the entire team. Participating in the sport is 100% free for all Stone Hill Students and is a great way to represent the school and the community.

Our first day after school will be November 11th and our playoffs/championship will be the week of January 13th. Our championship-winning team will go on to play in an LCPS tournament on January 25th at Heritage High School for a chance to be the best team in the county. If your student is not interested in Volleyball, other sports will be offered throughout the year. This information and the information to register is below and if you have any questions, please email jonathan.kasman@lcps.org.

Who: Free for ALL SHMS Students
What: 6v6 Volleyball (Up to 9 players per team)
When: Mondays OR Thursdays after school from 3:45-4:45
Where: Main Gym at SHMS
Why: Have fun with your friends and get involved in the SHMS Community
How: There are two links below that must be filled out for students to play. The Student sign-up is for individuals and teams. The Parent sign-up is required through LCPS. Sign-up on BOTH links must be completed before November 6th to play.

STUDENT SIGN UP- bit.ly/SHMSVolleyball
PARENT SIGN UP- https://lcps-ar.rschooltoday.com/home

Offered Sports:
Quarter 1: 7v7 Flag Football
Quarter 2: 6v6 Volleyball
Quarter 3: 3v3 Basketball
Quarter 4: 7v7 Soccer

We are excited to share that we launched our annual fundraising event with World’s Finest Chocolate last week. This fundraiser will allow us to engage in additional school initiatives to support student learning experiences as well as a variety of school beautification projects.

For students who are participating: Once the entire box of chocolate that was distributed last Friday is sold, students can turn in the $60.00 payment. You can write a check made out to Stone Hill Middle School or preferably pay online by creating an account at https://lcps.schoolcashonline.com. Please provide a copy of the online receipt with your child to bring to school.

You may give your child permission to sell additional boxes of chocolates; however, students will only be provided one box of chocolates at a time. The last day to check out a box of chocolates will be Friday November 8th. All payments will be made by Friday November 15, but collections will be ongoing throughout the fundraiser.

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.

Dear Stingray Families,

Many thanks to Stingray families who came out to support StoneHill during our Spirit Night at Scotto’s Rigatoni Grill last week. Splash came out to support and was a hit with StoneHill students as well as all children and many adults passing by smiling and waving to Splash.

We are hoping to have more of such Spirit nights.

Save the Date for Winter Carnival: Winter Wonderland!

Mark your calendar for our upcoming Winter Wonderland!

Date: Saturday, December 7th, 2024

Time: 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: Stone Hill Middle School

Hep and Happening at Winter Wonderland!

• DJ
• Student Offered Carnival Shops. Registration Opens Mon, Oct 28th - Fri, Nov 15th. Register at: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBvOKnuMooZae0h1GFWzNJUyBp5zUXA_gMUWFFGZXf_k0j1A/viewform?pli=1
• PTO Offered Holiday Shop
• Holiday Themed Photo Booth
• Food, Hot Cocoa
• Concessions
• Henna Tattoos, Free Games, Raffles and what not!!

For more information on Winter Wonderland, visit: www.shmspto.org

Message from PTO President

SHMS PTO encourages all Stone Hill families to connect with the PTO by participating in PTO organized events, initiatives and volunteering activities. SHMS PTO also encourages Stone Hill families to join the PTO Board and help not only serve but enrich Stone Hill student and parent community with your vision and thought leadership. Please connect with us at pto-board@shmspto.org. Learn more about SHMS PTO and the activities they currently run at www.shmspto.org.

Upcoming PTO Meeting

Join us for the PTO General Body Meeting on Tuesday, November 12th, 2024, at 6:30 PM in the cafeteria. Learn about what the Admin team and PTO are working on this school year. All Stingray Families are welcome to join and share their ideas and feedback.

Volunteer Opportunities

"Build Our Makerspace – Dads, We Need You!"

Hey Stone Hill Dads! We’re creating an awesome new makerspace for our students, and we need your help to bring it to life! If you’re handy with tools (or just want to join in on some hands-on fun), come along and lend a hand. Grab a Stone Hill parent friend and make it a team effort! Together, we’ll assemble furniture, set up cool gadgets, and turn this space into a hub of creativity. Let’s make it happen! Sign up below to join the fun!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050848AEAE2DA2F49-52516595-calling

PTO Members

Thank you for your support! PTO-paid members can pick up their complimentary spirit wear and magnet at the school store on Fridays (ONLY).

We appreciate your Support!

Stone Hill PTO Website

Click Here to Become a PTO Member!

Join the Stone Hill Middle School (SHMS) PTO and become a member of an active volunteer organization committed to enriching the academic and social experience for all SHMS students and families. The SHMS PTO provides financial and volunteer support for a wide variety of school based activities aimed at building a strong school community, supporting academic and extracurricular activities, and providing opportunities for social and service related events and projects.

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.

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

It Takes a Village, a student-led nonprofit organization, is dedicated to empowering young girls and fostering future leaders. It is run by three sophomores at Stone Bridge High School.

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