KGCS Chronicle
September 2024
Project KIND
Project KIND - Kindness Kick Off!
KGES & Preschool
We are thrilled to have the Glow and Grow Dance Party at KGES & Preschool! This special event was not only a celebration of our students' hard work on their growth assessments, but also marks the exciting kickoff of Project KIND. As we danced under the glow of fun lights and celebrated the kindness spreading through our school, we are ready to shine bright and spread kindness this school year!
Career and Technical Education (CTE) News
This summer, students Ethan D. and Ayla Z. represented KGHS at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Championships in Atlanta, GA. Ethan and Ayla placed 6th out of 35 teams in the Additive Manufacturing Competition (and scored 94% of the total points)! Congratulations to these students and to their advisor, Mrs. Cropp.
9 KGHS Marketing students qualified to attend the DECA International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, CA! All attendees earned proficiency in their respective competitions. Student Ayla Z. placed in the Top 10 worldwide! Congratulations KGHS DECA!
Congratulations to Mr. Garner and the KGHS Student Employability Program for earning a $5,000 grant towards their program from the King George Walmart!
Rappahannock Goodwill honored KGHS CTE Work-Based Learning at the June 5 FredNats game by showing a video spotlighting the KGHS program on the Jumbotron. Mrs. Truslow, KGHS CTE Administrator got to throw out the first pitch!
5 KGHS students participated in the first KGCS Work-Based Learning formal Summer Externship program! Each student spent 40 hours observing and assisting their School Board Office mentors while getting a broad overview of a department at the division level. Kudos to Chad B. (Instruction), Hailey M. (Technology, Family & Student Services), William R. (Technology, Instruction), Vivian R. (Communications), and Armando R. (Technology)!
Thank you to Rappahannock Goodwill for designing and administering an interactive "Dress for Success" workshop for all 236 KGHS Economics and Personal Finance students! Students learned winning wardrobe tips for the mock interviews they will participate in at this September's "Reverse Career Fair."
Congratulations to KGCS for earning a $20,500 Semi-Finalist Challenge Prize in the US Department of Education's "Career Z Challenge" for its innovative plan to provide more students with Work-Based Learning experiences before they graduate! KGHS students will have the opportunity to participate in a new KG Career Academy program in school year 2025-2026 for a more structured "career pathway" experience within the KGHS CTE Department!
Preschool News for Families and the Community
King George County Preschool Programs have moved to King George Elementary School and are settling in! As a reminder, Head Start classrooms are still at the School Board Office. We are excited to watch our youngest learners grow this year!
Do you have a 4 year old at home who needs preschool? Our Head Start and Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) classrooms have openings for those who qualify. Head Start and VPI provide quality preschool programing for at-risk 4 year olds.
Please reach out to Laurie Wages at 540-775-5411 or Lwages@kgcs.k12.va.us if you have any questions.
KGES News for Families and the Community
We are very excited to be back at school! We would like to welcome the KGCS Preschool to our building. Students are off to a great start!
There is lots of learning happening within our walls. Third grade create worm farms! The hallways are beginning to fill with student artwork.
Mark your calendars for our Fall Picture Day coming up October 11. More information will be sent home as the date nears.
Family Fun Night!
Join us Friday, September 27th from 5:30-8:30 pm for our first Family Fun Night with a hot dog dinner and a movie sponsored by the PTA!
One free popcorn for each student.
Vote for a movie using this link! Stop by the PTA Book Fair before the movie and enjoy!
PES News for Families and the Community
We are so happy to welcome our students back to Potomac for another exciting school year! We have been busy encouraging students to perform random acts of kindness during our Kindness Kickoff. We have also been adding excitement to Monday arrival times and Friday dismissal times with bubble machines, music, cheers, and high fives to let students know how happy we are to have them at school. Our Spirit Squad will be implementing activities and events like this throughout the year to get students excited about coming to school.
On Friday, 8/23 we held our first PES Pep Rally that included photos with our mascot Wings, perfect attendance and character trait of the month recognition, certificates, and prizes! The Pep Rally ended with a spirit competition with the trophies going to 4th grade classes for the month! It was a great opportunity to remind students about our PBIS goals and expectations while celebrating their successes!
Our amazing art teacher and former Division Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Jenkins, has begun our school wide art project! This year's school wide collaborative art project is called Potomac is Positive! To kick off the school year, all students in K-5th grades painted a unique design on their individual shape. Next they worked together in groups to come up with a short, positive word that describes PES and wrote it on their shapes. The halls will soon be flooded with these positive collaborative artworks! This art project aligns well with our school theme this year.
At PES, students and staff will strive to walk through each day with an Attitude of Gratitude. All staff received gratitude journals at our first Hawk Talk, and our new recharge room for staff was created to give teachers and staff a place to rest, recharge, and refresh while focusing on gratitude and wellness. We look forward to partnering with our families, PTA, and community members as we strive to provide a safe positive environment for our students where they can learn, grow, and thrive!
PES Important Dates
September 10- Back to School Night, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
September 12- Fall Picture Day
September 13- PTA School Store
September 20- PTA Hawk Hustle/Fun Run
September 27- PES Pep Rally
SES News for Families and the Community
**Welcome Back to School!**
We are thrilled to welcome all our students, staff, and families to a new school year at Sealston Elementary! The first month has been filled with excitement as students settle into their new classrooms, meet their teachers, and reconnect with friends. We're off to a fantastic start, and we can't wait to see all the wonderful things this year has in store for our school community.
**Book Fair Coming Soon!**
We are excited to announce our annual Fall Book Fair, which will take place from September 23rd to October 4th in the school library. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to discover new books, expand their reading interests, and support our school.
**Stay Connected**
Keep up with the latest news and events by checking our school website regularly. We are committed to keeping our Sealston community informed and engaged.
KGMS News for Families and the Community
PBL Center Buzz
7th Grade Math Takes on Data Analysis Mrs. Amos' 7th grade math classes kicked off the PBL year with a deep dive into data analysis. Students spent two days immersed in a hands-on activity, gathering data, creating histograms, and constructing box and whisker plots. They delved into library books to collect and record information, sorted their data into frequency tables, and applied critical thinking to determine appropriate "bins" for their histograms. On the second day, students transitioned to technology, using spreadsheets to recreate their graphs. This not only streamlined the process but also fostered discussions about the importance of accuracy and labeling. They also explored real-world data collection scenarios and the advantages of using technology in these contexts.
KGMS Library Order
We invite the community to review the proposed KGMS library order and provide feedback through the Google form.
KGHS News for Families and the Community
A Message from Mr. Watson, KGHS Principal
Thank you to everyone for a great start to the 24-25 school year. Our students are learning, competing, and challenging themselves everyday at KGHS. Our teachers and staff have returned energized and focused to provide rigorous instruction, experiences centered around critical thinking activities, and opportunities to enhance the amazing relationships that have already begun. Students have begun to adjust to the new cell phone policy. I want to take a moment to thank the families of KGHS for your support regarding the cell phone policy. We have had a lot of success with student compliance due to our families stressing the importance of a cell phone free education. We have to continue this partnership for our students and your children to maximize their experience at KGHS and leave here ready to compete and thrive in a challenging society.
Fan Conduct Points of Emphasis
- Be respectful
- Avoid using foul language, obscene gestures, or threats. Don't bring signs or clothing with offensive language to the event. Be courteous to visiting teams, officials and other guests.
- Don't disrupt the event
- Don't interfere with the athletes, performers, or officials. Don't enter the playing field or court, even during halftime or pre-game warm-ups. Don't throw objects in the stands or toward the court. Don't rush the court or field after the game to celebrate.
- Report inappropriate behavior
- If you see someone acting inappropriately, let school event staff know.
- Be a positive fan
- Cheer for your team, not against the other team. Focus on why you're a fan in the first place, which is your favorite player and our team.
Tickets and Season Passes
Tickets and passes are available using the GoFan link.
Cash is not accepted at the gate for any home event.
Gym Update
With our updated and completely new gym floor being finished this summer, we will not allow food or drink in the gym during school and athletic events.
All food and drink will need to be consumed inside the cafeteria next to the gym.
Please help us keep the new gym floor clean. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Attendance Office
Chronic absenteeism refers to students who miss a significant amount of school, typically defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, whether the absences are excused or unexcused. This measure is used to identify students who may be at risk academically due to frequent absences, which can lead to gaps in learning, lower grades, and a higher likelihood of dropping out.
Addressing chronic absenteeism often involves identifying the underlying causes—like health issues, transportation problems, or lack of engagement—and implementing targeted interventions to support consistent attendance.
KGES
Sarah Ritchie & Kierra Mason
Mrs. Ritchie
Favorites:
Mrs. Ritchie is the K-2 School Counselor at KGES. She LOVES all things Barbie, Disney, Muppets and Star Wars! She will often say her favorite color is glitter. When it comes to kindness, she is the queen! She has even taught kindness courses to counselors all over the nation during her time as School Counselor of the Year. She loves her time with her students and delivering content in creative and fun ways!
Dr. Mason
Favorites:
Dr. Mason is the 3rd-5th grade School Counselor at KGES. She considers herself a homebody, who loves the colors green, blue, and sometimes pink. She also loves to laugh. This is her second year as a school counselor, which she enjoys so much! Last year, she graduated and obtained her doctorate. One day she would love to visit Japan and South Korea.
SES
Julie Sodergren & Dawn Hamilton
Mrs. Sodergren
Favorites:
Mrs. Sodergren, sometimes known as “Mrs. Pineapple”, loves pineapples, Barbie, pink, yellow, cheetah print and anything sparkly. On New Years she became a mommy for the first time to a sweet little baby girl. This is her 3rd year as a school counselor for grades 3-5, but her 11th year at Sealston!
Mrs. Hamilton
Favorites:
Mrs. Hamilton loves Mickey Mouse, shopping and colored pens to match her shirt for the day. Mrs. Hamilton has been at Sealston for 10 years and this is her 2nd year as a school counselor for grades K-2.
PES
Hannah Hanks & Lisa Lawrence
Ms. Hanks
Favorites:
Ms. Hanks loves to read and travel! This is her third year at Potomac. She is the counselor for grades 1, 3 and 5. A fun fact about Ms. Hanks is that she went to Potomac for Kindergarten through 4th grade!
Ms. Lawrence
Favorites:
Ms. Lawrence is the counselor for grades K, 2, and 4. She has worked in education for 24 years! Ms. Lawrence’s favorite time of the year is Fall and she loves Halloween.
High School Counseling Department
KGHS College Application Boot Camp sessions for seniors began August 20 after school to assist students with various aspects of college applications. Four sessions are scheduled over the course of four weeks.
What Seniors Can Expect from the College Application Boot Camp
- Requesting Transcripts and Letters of Recommendation: Learn the procedures for requesting your academic transcripts and obtaining letters of recommendation.
- Using Naviance: Gain an understanding of how to utilize Naviance to manage your application process.
- Essay Writing: Receive guidance on preparing essays that reflect your unique voice and experiences.
- Scholarship Opportunities: Receive a scholarship listing and tips for how to use it.
School Nutrition
Committee meetings help give insight on how the school nutrition department is run and how decisions are made. Over the course of the year, we will review menus, state guidelines, reimbursements, nutrition standards, USDA federal mandates, and many other things. Our staff takes feedback from the School Nutrition Committee members and do our best to incorporate the input in the School Nutrition Program.
Attention KGHS Seniors! "Paint That Spot Raffle" will begin August 26 and will end September 27. Students may purchase a ticket for $3 from the cafeteria to be entered in a drawing to have their parking spot paid for and painted at no charge.
If a student's lunch account falls negative throughout the school year, notices will be given to parents electronically and via postage mail. Negative account balance letters will be sent 2 times a month via email and letters will be mailed home every 3 months. Any questions can be sent to the Nutrition Department.
Literacy News
We are back to school and ready to take all of the gold medals in literacy this year! Our English Language Arts website is under construction with all of our new and helpful student and family information and will be available soon.
For now, read our VDOE-approved Division Literacy Plan to understand how KGCS is committed to Leading with Literacy!
We will help "students develop the necessary reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, which are foundations for creative and purposeful expression. Students will apply these skills while reading independently and see themselves as readers and writers who persevere in the face of challenging work. Students will engage with high-quality, complex text and participate in writing and discussions anchored in evidence from the text to promote comprehension. As critical thinkers, students will identify problems, find solutions, and analyze outcomes to become productive twenty-first-century citizens."
Lexia
King George County is proud to partner with Lexia to accelerate our literacy learning! Check out the family resources offered to our families and caregivers!
Technology Department
All KGCS students need back to school paperwork completed electronically. If you have not yet completed the forms for your child, please take the time to submit the forms.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the electronic paperwork, please contact your child's school.
Secondary Math- IXL
All students in grades 6-8 should have completed their IXL Diagnostic Test during their math classes during the first few weeks of school.
After completing this beginning of year assessment, students should have an overall math level that shows their grade-level proficiency. For example, a score of 650 would indicate a student has mastered approximately 50% of 6th grade content.
IXL also provides students with personalized recommendations based on this initial assessment. Students can work on these recommended skills at home to increase their current level. IXL suggests students reach proficiency (a SmartScore of at least 80) on two recommended skills per week to maximize academic gains.
