Lightridge Lightning

The Lightridge Team wants you to know that we are thinking about the entire Lightning Community during this challenging time. We know your current schools are working hard to provide information and resources as they become available. As with the rest of LCPS, the Lightridge team is currently working from home under flexible hours. Please feel free to email us with any questions or concerns and we will do our best to get back to you promptly.

Principal - Ryan Hitchman

Assistant Principal - Jeremy Cortash

Athletic Director - Jason Treon

Director of School Counseling - Christi Campbell

We know at this time it can be difficult to be positive, patient, and keep an open mind. We are no different! But we're thinking about you all and encourage you to take care of yourselves and reach out to each other - virtually!

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Class of 2023 - Join Code o4k6ifl

Class of 2024 - Join Code 4q2fpfi

1. The special permission window is open from April 1 - June 30. As a reminder, Lightridge High School will not open with a senior class and students approved for special permission will need to provide their own transportation. More information regarding the special permission process, including guidance related to VHSL activities, can be found on the LCPS website by searching “Special Permission.”
2. Following spring break, a survey will be sent via Connect Ed regarding the formation of a Lightridge PTSA or PTSO. Information regarding both options will also be included. Parents will then have the opportunity to complete a brief survey on whether Lightridge High School will have a PTSA or a PTSO. Once a decision has been made, we will then move forward with the creation of an executive board and bylaws. We appreciate your cooperation and support as we seek your input on this important decision.

LCPS has identified numerous resources to help keep your students engaged and learning. Specific Continuation of Education provides high quality resources in almost every academic domain to support student learning. Please review this web document. This list may be very helpful in locating supporting educational materials during this time.

We are also very concerned about our student's mental health during this time of uncertainty and change. LCPS has compiled a list of helpful resources for students and families. The entire list can be found here. Specifically, there are helpful resources to help you speak with your children of all ages about the Coronavirus. These activities include daily routines, staying connected through school, and helpful tips to listen and reassure students. Our counselors have been using and think our students might find support at Care for Your Coronavirus Anxiety and Mindfulness.

During this time, school-based mental health staff are not permitted to engage in mental health counseling activities. They are willing to share resources and consult with students with whom they are familiar. We know that many community providers are moving their practices online. A list of hotlines and community providers can be found here.

As we grapple together with this global pandemic, here is a little advice:

1. Listen to the news in manageable portions. It is important to be informed, but not overwhelmed.
2. Exercise daily with social distance. Exercise improves mental and physical health and is suspected to boost immunity.
3. Get ample sleep. Sleep is the period when our body's immune system is most active. When you stay up all night, you limit your body's ability to stave off disease.
4. Reach out to others to prevent loneliness and isolation - call three friends or relatives. Isolation is the number one cause of stress and depression, which weaken the immune system.
5. Practice mindfulness meditation, relaxation, Yoga, listen to relaxing music, etc. All of these ancient practices improve immune function by reducing stress.
6. Reduce stress in one's life by being extra kind to others. Love is the greatest strengthener of the immune system for both the giver and recipient.
7. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables and reduce the overconsumption of sugar. Whole foods with many nutrients are important in optimal immune system function while too much sugar may dampen it.
8. Laugh - Watch a funny movie or crack more jokes. Laughter improves immunity.

As we continue to press forward during this time of uncertainty, please know that we are in all in this with you.

Mrs. Campbell has been meeting with students and parents virtually to discuss courses and answer any questions that you may have regarding the 2020-2021 academic school year. A confirmation email with course requests was sent out in mid-March. If you continue to have questions, please do not hesitate to email Mrs. Campbell and we can set up a virtual meeting.

A few reminders:

• If you would like to make an elective change to a course request, please complete the Course Selection Change Form.
• If you wish to make a level change in a core class that was not recommended by the your current teacher, please follow the Level Up Process for Willard Intermediate.
• All requests for schedule changes require a parent acknowledgment.
• ALL COURSE REQUEST CHANGES MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL COUNSELING OFFICE BY JUNE 1, 2020.

• Please log in to StudentVue and verify your course requests. If you are not showing 8 periods worth of course requests above (including Study Hall), please contact your current counselor ASAP.
• Study Hall is not optional. LCPS only allows students to take 7 classes per year in school.
• Music classes may be subject to change as our music teachers complete auditions.
• Course requests for students with Individual Education Plans may change as their IEP meetings are completed.
• The School Counseling Department will automatically change course requests for any student who successfully completed a summer school class through Virtual Loudoun.
• Rising 11th grade students who have requested early release periods must turn in their Waiver of Full Day Request Form into the School Counseling Office by June 1.
• Students who have registered for one of the NOVA Dual Enrollment courses offered must turn in their NOVA Intent to Enroll form ASAP. If this form is not returned by May 1st, the student will not be able to take the DE course requested.

Many of you have asked me about Virtual Loudoun classes for summer or fall.

Per the LCPS Program of Studies:

Virtual Loudoun offers online courses through LCPS VISION using content that is aligned to the Standards of Learning to offer new educational opportunities to students. These courses present educational material and credit courses at the high school level to students using online resources. LCPS also uses other online vendors to offer courses to students. Virtual Loudoun courses are full-year courses offered in a condensed term. Students should expect, on average, to dedicate 140 hours to complete a 1 credit course within the term period.

Student enrollment per school:

• Each high school has a limited number of seats for students in Terms 1 and 2. Prioritizing of available seats is determined by each school’s counseling department.
• Once the school has hit its enrollment maximum, slots will be determined based on funding available and the slots remaining from other schools.
• Students are permitted to take one course per academic school year for acceleration (an “8th” credit only).
• Summer Term: Students enrolling for acceleration purposes are permitted to earn a total of two (2) high school credits via Virtual Loudoun summer program in their middle and high school years. Summer Term acceleration restrictions apply to students entering 8th grade in the 2016-2017 school year and beyond.

Term 3: Spring /Summer 2020 - 10 week term

• Registration begins on April 20, 2020 and closes on May 15, 2020.
• Classes begin on June 1, 2020 and end on August 07, 2020.
• The last day in Term 3 to drop a Virtual Loudoun course is June 26, 2020--no indication of course on student's transcript.
• Students may withdraw from a virtual course between June 27 and July 17 with a Withdraw Pass (WP) if the current grade, determined by progress measured by the course pacing guide, is 60 or higher, or a Withdraw Fail (WF) if the current grade is below 60. These withdrawals will have no impact on GPA.
• For all students, June 26, 2020 is the last day to pay for a Virtual Loudoun course, or request a refund.

Term 1: Fall/Winter 2020-2021 - 15 week term

• Registration begins on Monday, May 18, 2020 and closes on Friday, August 14, 2020.
• Classes begin on Monday, August 31, 2020 and end on Friday, December 11, 2020.
• The last day in Term 1 to drop a Virtual Loudoun course is September 25, 2020--no indication of course on student's transcript.
• Students may withdraw from a virtual course between September 26 and November 13 with a Withdraw Pass (WP) if the current grade, determined by progress measured by the course pacing guide, is 60 or higher, or a Withdraw Fail (WF) if the current grade is below 60. These withdrawals will have no impact on GPA.
• For students who do not attend LCPS, September 25, 2020 is the last day to pay for a Virtual Loudoun course or request a refund.

Need something to do besides your remote learning, binge watching Netflix and making TikTok's?

Here are a few ideas:

• The New York Times is offering writing prompts, interactive discussions, documentaries and contests (updated every weekday)
• Now is a great time to check out Google Expeditions, where you’ll find virtual field trips and AR experiences.
• The Special Olympics GenerationUnified.org has an abundance of video content and amazing stories to help keep you inspired and uplifted.
• Older students may be interested in learning how to journal with Mayo Clinic’s Gratitude Challenge.
• Students may want to tour college campuses here and here, since they can’t visit in real life.
• Career One Stop is the U.S. Department of Labor’s career exploration tool
  

Four full days of virtual presentations for juniors (but maybe they will allow other grade levels as well) to explore college opportunities.

The Strive for College Knowledge program will allow juniors and their families to hear from a multitude of different universities and obtain valuable postsecondary information. For admission representatives, the program provides the opportunity to share their expertise while showcasing their institutions to prospective students.

Free of charge for students and colleges

The session schedule will be published on Monday, April 6. At that time, students will be able to select which session they would like to participate in and register to attend. Sessions will take place Monday, April 20 through Thursday, April 23, between the hours of 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM Central Daylight Time (7:00 AM-7:00 PM Pacific, 10:00 AM-10:00 PM Eastern).

For more information: https://www.strivescan.com/virtual/

We have been getting many questions from students and parents about what clubs and activities will be available for students at Lightridge. We are committed to offering clubs and organization for students to join as an effort to meet new people, stay involved, and make a positive impact on our school community.

Once the Lightridge Faculty is completely hired, we will be speaking with each of them about sponsorship. There will be three steps to starting a new club or organization at Lightridge:

1) Find a sponsor!

2) Complete the New Club Request Google Form (will become active once an Activities Coordinator is appointed)

3) Once approved, Hold club meetings and events!

As we know you are all anxious about getting this started, we are being proactive and asking for some initial information so that we can begin #1 for you and connect students with sponsors.

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO FILL OUT THE SURVEY. YOU MUST SIGN IN USING YOUR LCPS EMAIL.

May 1, 2020: VHSL Physicals valid after this date for next school year.

June 28-July 5th: Summer No Athletic Activities Duration

June 11th: Sports Online Registration Portal Opens

August 3rd: Fall Sports Tryouts

Golf Interest Questionnaire

Cheer Interest Questionnaire

Field Hockey Interest Questionnaire

Volleyball Interest Questionnaire

XC Interest Questionnaire

Swim Interest Questionnaire

Football Interest Questionnaire

Girls Basketball Interest Questionnaire

Boys Basketball Interest Questionnaire

Brian Schmidt Joins LHS as Assistant Athletic Director:

https://lightridgehighschoolva.bigteams.com/main/adnews/ID/52388027

Coach Knox Tabbed to Lead Girls Basketball Program!

https://lightridgehighschoolva.bigteams.com/main/adnews/ID/52401538

Coach Augrom to Lead XC Program!

https://lightridgehighschoolva.bigteams.com/main/adnews/ID/52367684

Special Permission and VHSL Eligibility Information:

https://lightridgehighschoolva.bigteams.com/main/adnews/id/52516504

Special Permission Information

Eligibility:

• Placement at a school other than a student’s home school or a subsequent move back to the home school is considered a transfer by the Virginia High School League (VHSL) and could potentially affect your son/daughter’s athletic/activity eligibility. Parents are advised to contact Mr. Derek Farrey, Supervisor of Athletics, at (571) 252-1451 if you have questions about the status of your student’s VHSL eligibility.
• Identifying and evaluating all other ramifications of attending a school by special permission is the responsibility of parent, or legal guardian, prior to submitting a request. Ramifications may include, but are not limited to, changes in future-year capacity that precludes renewal of the request for special permission and certain athletic or VHSL league participation restrictions. Below are specific guidelines regarding VHSL eligibility: (i) Under VHSL rules, subsequent student-requested transfers (or returning to a regular school of assignment) will generally result in 365 days of ineligibility unless there is an actual corresponding change of residence of the parent, or legal guardian. For transfers required by the school division, waivers from these restrictions may be considered by the Division Superintendent, or designee, in accordance with VHSL rules; and (ii) Parents, or guardians, are responsible for understanding all potential VHSL repercussions of changing schools by special permission.

The following summary is provided for students currently attending JCHS and Willard who have questions regarding transfer and eligibility for the 2020-2021 school year.

Current JCHS 9th Grader (2019-2020)

Current 9th grade students will be expected to attend their zoned school for the 2020-2021 school year. However, students may follow policy (School Board Policy 8155) specific to applying for special permission and attending under-enrolled schools. LHS will be under-enrolled for the 2020-2021 school year.

VHSL Eligibility

• Current JCHS 9th grade students zoned for LHS will remain eligible for all VHSL activities/athletics. Likewise, current JCHS 9th grade students who receive special permission, through Policy (School Board Policy 8155) , to remain at JCHS next year will also remain eligible for all VHSL activities/athletics.
• Current JCHS 9th grade students zoned for JCHS next fall (2020-2021 school year) will sit for 365 days if they apply for special permission to attend LHS.

Transportation

• LCPS bus transportation is not provided for students who are granted special permission.

Current JCHS 10th Grader (2019-2020)

Current 10th grade students, zoned to attend for LHS, can request to be ‘grandfathered’ to remain at JCHS. Information about the online ‘grandfathering’ survey has been emailed and mailed to all eligible families; if you have questions about the survey process, please call LCPS Planning Services at 571.252.1050.

VHSL Eligibility

• Current 10th grade students ‘grandfathered’ to remain at JCHS will remain eligible for all VHSL activities/athletics.

Transportation

• LCPS bus transportation will not be provided for current 10th grade students grandfathered to remain at JCHS.

Current JCHS 11th Grader (2019-2020)

Current 11th grade students remain at JCHS for 2020-2021, as LHS will not have a senior class for the 2020-2021 school year.

VHSL

• Not applicable.

Transportation

• LCPS bus transportation will be provided for current 11th graders whether in the LHS or JCHS zone.

Questions about the current 10th and 11th grade ‘grandfathering’ surveys? Please contact LCPS Planning Services at 571.252.1050 or lcpsplan@lcps.org.

Please sign up for email/sms alerts at our athletics website. As we move forward, this will be a great resource of information.

Email: christi.campbell@lcps.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/lcps.org/lrhsschoolcounseling/home
Location: 41025 Collaboration Drive Aldie, VA 20105
Phone: (571)367-4107
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LightridgeHighSchool/
Twitter: @LightridgeCouns