While the month of November begins and ends with student holidays, there are many activities and events occurring as we begin the 2nd marking period. On Monday, November 11, we will be celebrating our 3rd annual Salute to Veterans program. The program will begin at 11:00 am with breakfast in our library followed by a performance in the auditorium by our marching band. All active and retired military personnel are welcome to join us and I ask for your assistance in spreading the word regarding our community event. More information regarding the Salute to Veterans program is contained in the November edition of the Bolt Report and additional messages will be sent during our weekly Connect Ed messages.

November is not only the transition between 1st and 2nd marking period but also the end of daylight savings time. While we still have fall athletic teams competing in district and regional playoffs, we will also have many more students on campus in the evening with tryouts for winter sports. I ask all students and parents to remain vigilant when driving on our campus especially as the sun will be setting earlier in the afternoon. During the Coffee & Chat session on October 26, I presented a plan to make the intersection of Collaboration Drive and Lightridge Farm Road a right turn only during arrival beginning on Monday, November 11. We hope this change in traffic pattern will provide a safer route for parents after dropping their children off. As a reminder, students can use both Collaboration Drive and Hovatter Road to access the student parking lot which is located next to the main stadium.

While 25% of the school year has been completed, there are still over 120 days of school remaining. While our student attendance rate is currently higher than it was at this point last year, we do notice a dip during the months of November and December. We will continue to monitor student attendance and alert parents if their child reaches 5 days of absences or 10% of the school year. The first part of academic success is showing up and there is a direct correlation between attendance and academic success, especially in honors, AP, and DE classes. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read our November Bolt Report and we look forward to seeing you around campus. Together we light the way!

Have you heard from your students about our FLEX block? We could use additional tables and chairs. Would you consider donating? You can donate money for a chair or sponsor a table and chairs with a donation name plate included on the table. Make a mark at Lightridge.

NOVEMBER

1 - HOLIDAY (Diwali)

2 - SAT (not at LHS)

4-5 - Student Holiday

6-8 - Hearing and vision screening for all 10th grade students

7 - Quarter 1 Report Cards posted in Parent/Student Vue

8 - AP Exam Registration deadline

11 - Vertans Day Program (see invite below)

12 - LCPS Job for A Day for registered students

12 - Unlocking Opportunities: Resources for college-bound students with disabilities, 6:30pm

13-14 - Senior Portrait make-up

13-14 - SchooLinks Lesson in 10th grade study halls

15-17 - Antigone, 7pm (This is a Greek Tragedy so the content may not be appropriate for small children. Our recommended audience is for mature middle school students and up.)

26 - Quarter 2 Interim

27-29 - Thanksgiving Holiday

We invite you to join us for our annual Salute to Service presentation on Veterans Day, Monday November 11th. Light refreshments will be provided at 11am by our culinary arts students. We invite you to attend and enjoy some culinary deliciousness. Afterwards our marching band will be honoring all members of the armed services past and present with a live performance in our auditorium beginning at 11:30 AM.

We hope you’ll join us!

Please RSVP to Jake.Johnson@lcps.org.

Lightridge will be hosting our FINAL "Partners for Teen Safe Driving" 90-minute presentations on December 5th at 7 p.m. It is required for both the 10th grade student driver and a parent/guardian to attend one of our two sessions.

Please note that if you arrive late, you will be need to attend another LCPS school offering this presentation or wait until next fall. Failure to attend will result in your child not completing the driver’s education course (not getting a DEC-8 card), receiving an "N" on their report card, and delaying their ability to get a driver's license until they turn 18 and can go to the DMV directly.

Please make sure your child brings their school issued Chromebook and charger, as they will need it to complete the affirmation of attendance form.

Congratulations to Tanvi Sripathi, Sydney Tate, and Jacqueline Kim for placing at the first Speech and Debate competition of the season and earning themselves spots at the Metrofinals competition.

Congratulations to the Model United Nations team for earning Outstanding Delegation at their conference this weekend. Jeremy Tomy, Saanvi Terala, Shrihan Sadhu, Rushmitha Nadipally, Parker Schultz, Srikar Chilakapati, Santhosh Sekar, Ishnoor Chandi, Aditya Kumar, Prabh Deol, Mihir Joshi, Akshath Chity, Akshit Kumar, Darshini Arun, Mannat Sidhu, Rohan Bhandakar, and Sohan Arigela were all awarded for their excellence in diplomacy.

Congratulations to Christian Ewaldsen, Joseph Cecil, Ava Maharaj, and Moss Nicklas for winning first place in the Stagehand showdown at the Virginia Thespian Association conference in Richmond.

If you lost it, we found it. Everything will be donated on November 8. There are lots of lunch boxes, water bottles, sweatshirts and even a suit jacket. Lost and found items are in the cafeteria.

Umber Ahmad

LCPS schools use ParentVUE as our primary tool for families to communicate student absences, tardies, and early dismissals to our school. You will find the Report Attendance option in both the mobile app and web version for all your children. Note that this function only reports attendance to the front office - teachers will not see the notes submitted through this process.

Additionally, parents can opt-in or out of push notifications and emails for attendance.

• Push Notifications: enable using the ParentVUE app on your mobile device. You will receive notifications for both period and daily attendance.

• Emails: enable using either the ParentVUE web portal or with the ParentVUE app. You will receive emails for period attendance only.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Each month we will use this space to highlight business partners who exemplify the motto: Together we L.I.G.H.T. the way.

This month we want to highlight two organizations that model the Inclusive theme. Both of these organizations exemplify what it means to be inclusive by connecting with Lightridge parties or groups to make Lightridge the best it can be.

We welcome you to support these organizations as they have supported Lightridge High School.

Mr. Leonard Stephens, Chief Executive Officer, Perfect Performance Nova. For the past 17 years he has been the leader of Perfect Performance. Perfect Performance is an elite sports institute dedicated to developing athletes of all levels.

Mr. Stephens has recently partnered with Mrs. Jennifer Schrader, Counselor, Lightridge High School, to champion the development of the LCPS Girls Flag Football Program. His former professional football experience coupled with his dedication to developing athletes to achieve their potential has been instrumental in this partnership. His support to develop a thriving girl’s flag football program. In addition, Mr. Stephens has also participated as a guest speaker and has assisted with Lightridge’s Black Student Union.

Ms. Kat Huff, Director of Operations and Hospitality, Lark. Ms. Huff has over two decades of experience managing restaurants across Northern Virginia. The partnership with Lark through Ms. Huff has not only provided employment opportunities for the Lightridge community, but also outlets for banquets (including for the Girls Flag Football Program), fundraiser for our choral groups, venue for the first silent auction that raised money for the , mentorship for our culinary students, teacher appreciation gifts and so much more. Ms. Huff personally has attended career panels, mock interview sessions and planning meetings.

Class Sponsors: Amanda Boss and Kayla LeRouge

• 396 seniors have submitted college applications
• 3643 total college applications
• 101 for early decision
• 1802 for early action
• Most college applications by one students = 27

Senior Make-Up Portraits are Nov 13, 14, 15 in the aux gym, by appointment only.

The required attire for the school’s yearbook pose are either black, or the traditional tuxedos and drapes provided by the photographer. In addition to the free yearbook session, we also offer sessions that include casual/personality portraits and cap and gown portraits. Please follow this link to choose your session type and appointment time: www.vosphoto.com/lightridge

If you have any questions, please email our senior portraits team at seniors@vosphoto.com, and kindly include your student’s first and last name and “Lightridge Class of 2025” when emailing for faster assistance.

Senior Quotes/Brags (optional) were due on Oct 31 and are now closed.

Senior Ads were due Oct 31 and are now closed.

SAVE THE DATE! GRADUATION for the CLASS of 2025 will be June 12 at 7:00pm in the Lightridge High School Stadium.

Mrs. Campbell, Director of School Counseling

Ms. Schrader, last names A-Bar

Mr. Rauguth, last names Bas-Ct

Mrs. Zawistowski, last names Cu-Gh

Mrs. Kenworthy, last names Gi-J

Mr. Choi, last names K-L

Ms. Calderone, last names M-Ng

Mrs. Garcia-Selvaraj, last names Nh-Ri

Mrs. Perinis, last names Ro-S

Mr. Olcott, last names T-Z

Mrs. Pascale, Career Center Assistant

Mrs. Koplets, Registrar

Mrs. Patel, Counseling Admin Asst

Student Assistance Specialist

On November 7th and 8th a Student Assistant Specialist (SAS) will educate 9th grade students on substance use and addiction. The goal of this presentation is to highlight the risk factors that increase adolescent vulnerability, to educate students about the process of addiction and give clear facts on drugs of abuse and trends. Students will also learn about the protective factors and resilience skill building; and leave the presentation with information on how to protect themselves and how to seek help for themselves or a loved one.

Class of 2028 Fall School Counseling Lesson:

On November 19th and 20th, school counselors will be teaching lessons to all freshmen students through their study halls about the following:

• Wellness resources
• Tips for academic success
• Reading and understanding transcripts
• Testing
• Academic support
• Getting involved
• SchooLinks, our college and career platform

If you have any questions, please reach out to Greg Olcott, Gregory.olcott@lcps.org, or Jenny Calderone, Jennifer.calderone@lcps.org.

A brand new podcast premiering on Spotify on November 6th.

The question every parent asks every high school student is, "What are you doing with your life [after high school]?" This podcast will explore unique programs offered by colleges nationwide, traditional and non-traditional career pathways, and some bonus content for surviving high school. The School Counselors at Lightridge High School are here to give you answers to the question, "What's next?"

Episodes are for parents and students alike and range from 5 minute mini sessions to 20 min detailed conversations. The perfect length to listen to your way to work or school.

For students looking for some tips on studying, I encourage you to invest some time and check out this tip sheet from UNC Chapel Hill. Study smarter, not harder. If you think you don’t have the time to read this tip sheet, then you probably REALLY need to read it! In all seriousness, this article is an excellent investment of your time, that will pay you back as your school year progresses.

2025 Summer Residential Governor's Schools guides and applications will be available on October 11. Summer Residential Governor’s Schools provide high school juniors and seniors with intensive educational experiences in visual and performing arts; humanities; mathematics, science, and technology; or through mentorships in marine science, or engineering.

Each Summer Residential Governor’s School focuses on one special area of interest. Students live on a college or university campus for up to four weeks each summer. During this time, students are involved in classroom and laboratory work, field studies, research, individual and group projects and performances, and seminars with noted scholars, visiting artists, and other professionals. In the three mentorships, students are selected to work side-by-side with research scientists, physicians, and a variety of other professionals. A director and a student-life staff provide supervision of students 24 hours a day, throughout the program.

Please visit 2025 SRGS General Information.docx for more information and join the Summer Residential Governor's School (SRGS) Schoology group with code VRJQ-MSTW-6CKJW.

Applications are due to Mrs. Perinis in the counseling office by Friday, December 6, 2024, at the end of the school day.

Lightridge High School is an official testing site for the December 7 and March 8 SAT. Seats are limited but feel free to early!

Kara Pascale

As the Class of 2025 begins hitting submit on college applications, thoughts should turn to which campus would be the best fit for you. Visiting campuses is the best way to determine if a campus is the right one. If campus visit aren't possible right now, use the ideas in this article to research all interested college campuses to find the ones to visit later.

• Get on the Internet and use SchooLinks to research upcoming campus events, summer opportunities, take virtual tours, etc.
• Check out guidebooks. Some are available at the public library and in the Career Center.
• Although the recruitment travel season has ended and Lightridge will not be hosting any more representative visits, students should check the college’s admissions website to find the regional representative. Often they will post a schedule of visits and events.
• Reach out to current students and even Alumni networks for their perspective.

Until you are able to make in-person campus visits, these ideas can help narrow down which school/s should be on that list. See the full article for more details.

Here is the listing of November events, that will be hosted by Mrs. Pascale, Career Center Specialist.

Check out SchooLinks to sign up and find information on locations.

• 11/12/2024 (12:23 PM - 1:28 PM) Marine Recruiter
• 11/15/2024 (12:20 PM - 1:00 PM) Northern Virginia Community College
• 11/20/2024 (12:23 PM - 1:28 PM) Army Recruiter
• 11/21/2024 (12:23 PM - 1:28 PM) Navy Recruiter
• 11/22/2024 (12:23 PM - 1:00 PM) November Career Exploration (FLEX 1)

Scholarship season is starting. Here are several opportunities to review. Check SchooLinks for specific information on each scholarship opportunity.

Juniors (Class of 2026)

• Calvin Coolidge Presidential Fund, Inc.: Application Deadline – Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time: Please note the timezone. All application materials, including letters of reference must be submitted by the deadline.

Seniors (Class of 2025)

• Hispanic Heritage Youth Award: 11/3/2024
• DAR Good Citizens program and scholarship: 11/7/2024 (See SchooLinks)
• DAR Essay scholarship contest: 11/8/2024 (See SchooLinks)
• Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarship: 11/12/2024
• Cooke College Scholarship: 11/14/2024

Marsha Brinkley

Registration, Join AP Classroom & Select Yes!

• Get your AP Join Code from your AP Teacher
• Use the Join Code to Join AP Classroom DIRECTIONS
• Change your Order Exam Indicator from "undecided" to YES Directions
• *“Yes” must be selected for your Order Exam Indicator by November 8

Registration DEADLINE - November 8!

• The LCPS registration deadline for committing to a spring 2025 AP test is November 8. AP Exams will be ordered the following week and any new requests will be subject to a $40 late registration fee. Students who register for a test but do not take it will be charged a $40 unused test fee. LCPS does not pay College Board Fees.These fees are the responsibility of the student/parent/guardian.
• Academies students*- double check your location LHS or the Academies.

Paying for Exams

• In the fall of 2021, the Loudoun County School Board decided to pay for the cost of up to 4 Advanced Placement (AP) tests, per student, for the tenure of the student’s enrollment in an LCPS high school. The School Board is not covering the cost of associated AP test fees, such as late registration, test cancellation, or unused test fees. These fees are the responsibility of the student/parent/guardian. If your student has already taken 4 AP Tests, payment will be required. For the 2024-2025 school year, all exams are $90, with the exception of AP Seminar and AP Research, which are $138. You will receive notice of payment in School Cash for any AP Tests after November 20.

Fees: Late Registration, Cancellation, Unused Test

• If your student does not complete Registration by November 8, there will be a $40 Late Registration Fee.

• If your student decides to cancel a test after November 15, there will be a $40 Cancellation Fee.

• LCPS does not pay College Board Fees. These fees are the responsibility of the student/parent/guardian.

• If your student does not show up to take an AP Test in May, there will be a $40 Unused Test Fee.

If you drop an AP Class

• If your student drops an AP Class, it is the student's responsibility to unregister for the AP Exam in AP Classroom. If the class is dropped after the November 8 deadline, a $40 Cancellation Fee will still apply, but Mrs. Brinkley will have to be contacted to cancel the test.
  

While volunteer service is not a requirement for graduation, Lightridge students are encouraged to volunteer their time by giving back to the community. Students who do volunteer are required to keep track of their own volunteer service hours throughout high school. All students who serve should log their hours into their School Links account this year. LCPS is requiring all volunteer hours to be verified by a volunteer supervisor. Please see directions below on what information can be uploaded for verification.

Graduating seniors who record over 100 volunteer service hours during their time in high school will receive a white service cord to wear for graduation. If you have any questions regarding volunteer service hours, please reach out to jake.johnson@lcps.org.

Interested in giving back to the community and earning volunteer hours? Now is a great time to get involved! Stay up to date with the latest opportunities by visiting our Lightning Service Page. As a reminder, students should now enter their service hours into their School Links account. Students who record 100 service hours or more during their time in high school are eligible to receive the Lightridge Service Cord upon graduation.

The Youth Advisory Council is a student-led organization made up of Loudoun County teens who participate in leadership development, community service, civic engagement, and more. This program is provided by the Loudoun County Parks, Recreation, and Community Services (PRCS) Youth Initiative. By meeting on alternate Mondays, students are given the time and resources to work on special events and community service projects, even having the ability to start their own passion projects with YAC. For example, YAC hosts the Battle of the Bands and Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition, runs the Youth-After-School science program which brings fun science experiments to elementary and middle schools, and has a podcast where YAC members talk about various community issues from mental health to voter registration. Members will even be able to earn volunteer hours for every meeting and event they attend!

We want to have representation from every LCPS high school ! Consider applying today! This is the link to the application form and please feel free to reach out our advisor (Christina Haag at christina.haag@loudoun.gov) with any questions.

Jake Johnson

Get involved with a club during our Flex time! Clubs can meet during the flex block on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Students are encouraged to sign up to attend a club each week during Monday and Tuesday advisories. Check out the full club schedule here.

Retake/Makeup day images are now online. Families will have received a reminder email to view images from Victor O'Neill Studios.

If you do not see your email, please check spam folder. If you need help ordering/viewing contact underclass@vosphoto.com

Pre-order pricing is now $80 until the spring. Choose between a pink, blue, and yellow cover:. Yearbookordercenter.com, school code 21626

Existing orders can make your final selections by December 1 on this form: tinyurl.com/lhsybkcover

CONGRATULATIONS to the newly selected members of the Lightridge chapter of the National Honor Society! We look forward to you continuing your pursuit and demonstration of exemplary scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Accepted members are invited to the formal induction ceremony at 6:00 PM on November 19th in the Lightridge Auditorium. Students who applied were notified via email on October 29th.

Monday/Tuesday = Advisory

• 9th and 10th grade eat lunch during FLEX 1 and have Advisory during FLEX 2
• 11th and 12th grade have Advisory during FLEX 1 and eat lunch during FLEX 2

Wednesday/Thursday = Clubs & Activities

• If you joined a club, you will see the club in your block 10 (Wednesday) or 11 (Thursday)
• Some clubs have flexible joining each week, check those in Flex Scheduler
• Any 9-10 grader not attending any clubs will eat lunch during Flex 1 and will report to the auditorium for Flex 2.
• Any 11-12 grader not attending any clubs will report to the auditorium during Flex 1 and eat lunch during Flex 2.

Friday = Academic FLEX Friday

• EVERYONE must select a Flex Friday academic session with a teacher. Attendance is mandatory.
• Directions on how to register are below.
• All students must select a Flex Friday session by end of the school day on Wednesday prior.

Jason Treon & Brian Schmidt

WINTER SPORTS TRYOUTS:

• BEGIN MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11th

VHSL WINTER DEAD PERIOD:

• Nov. 11-20
• No activities for fall/spring sports (Unless still in postseason)

Tryout Eligibility:

In order to be eligible to participate, the VHSL physical needs to be on file with the athletics office, along with the online registration.

All students must have submitted a current VHSL Physical AND have completed the online registration. Instructions for both are posted on Boltathletics.org, under files and links. Only students who have both sets of paperwork completed will be permitted to participate in tryouts. All interested athletes, please complete the online registration for the upcoming school year. Choose all sports in which you are interested in participating this year. Please scan and email the completed physical to Jason.Treon@LCPS.org and complete the online registration. Only physicals dated after May 1, 2024 are valid.

1. VHSL PHYSICAL
2. ONLINE REGISTRATION

*All prospective student-athletes should attend all tryout sessions

** Vacations are not excused absences from tryouts or practices during season

***Contact coaches with any program specific questions

Gymnastics: taylor.adams@lcps.org

Indoor Track: wilfredo.clemente@lcps.org

Wrestling: lightridgewrestling@gmail.com

Girls Basketball: Coachedknox@gmail.com

Boys Basketball: Lightridgebball@gmail.com/Jermaine.Walker@lcps.org

Swim: kathryn.b.johnson@lcps.org

Sideline Cheer: Ava.Lalli@lcps.org

• Boltathletics.org is the primary website/source of athletics information (schedules, department updates, team news and calendars, etc.)
• Follow us on twitter at @Lightridge_LCPS
• Follow us on Instagram at @Lightridge_LCPS

Registration closes January 15, 2025. We know there are some students who want to participate but are struggling with finding a topic, so we are continuing our virtual “Brainstorming Workshop”. It will take place on November 14th and December 12th at 7pm. Students do not need to be registered for the competition to attend, and only need to attend once. Both sessions will be the same. At this workshop we will be giving students brainstorming activities, strategies and tools to help develop an idea into a project.

Interested students can simply email their name, grade and school name to: StepUp@LoudounYouth.Org to receive the Zoom link for the workshop.

Some of the most effective projects we’ve seen have simply been a deeper dive into things students are already doing in school as part of Project Based Learning and Personalized Learning methods. These provide the perfect place for students to make their project work by explaining, displaying and presenting it to people beyond the classroom. This year, students will create a team video due March 5, 2025, and then the top 20 teams will present live to judges on March 26, 2025.

You can find more information about SULYC and the link for the application at: www.loudounyouth.org, under Programs: Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition.

We are here for you. Please feel free to reach out and let us know how we can support.

Email: christi.campbell@lcps.org
Website: https://www.lcps.org/lightridge
Location: 41025 Collaboration Drive Aldie, VA 20105
Phone: (571)367-4100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LightridgeHighSchool/
Twitter: @LightridgeLCPS