Blue Demon Bulletin

The countdown has started and we could not be more excited to welcome our CHS students back to school on August 13, 2024. As we prepare for the start of the new school year, there are some important details included below that we ask you and your student to read and review prior to the first day of school.

After one year together, our CHS Admin Team (left to right: Mr. Guynn - Principal, Mrs. Harrington - Asst. Principal, Ms. Bailey - Asst. Principal, Mr. Byrd - Asst. Principal) is ready for an outstanding school year where we will focus on building students that are respectful, responsible, and connected, along with maintaining a safe, secure, and welcoming learning environment!

We are looking forward to the opportunity of pushing the needle forward and helping our students have a successful school year!

We are extremely excited to welcome our students back to CHS for the 2024-25 school year! Please take an opportunity to review the attached letter that includes specific details about "Open House", administrator/counselor teams, the bell schedule, and other important items.

2024-25 Opening Letter to CHS Families (link)

As many of you have already noticed, the construction project at CHS is in full swing and moving full steam ahead. There has been a tremendous amount of progress throughout the summer months and we are excited about the transformation that is taking place.

We also understand there are likely a lot of questions surrounding our construction project and some of these may include, "How is this going to impact the start of the school year?", "How will students enter the building?", and "What will student drop-off and pick-up look like?" Please see below for answers to the above questions and more.

HOW IS CONSTRUCTION GOING TO IMPACT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR?

We are still scheduled to start on August 13 and will be ready to welcome students into our building.

HOW WILL STUDENTS ENTER THE BUILDING?

We will follow the same procedures that we developed for the 2023-24 school year. Additional details are below:

Morning Arrival - Student Entrances:

• IF A STUDENT IS RIDING THE BUS, they will be dropped off in the NEW bus loop located in front of the school. Students will make their way up the ramp towards the gymnasium, walk through the athletic complex entrance, and follow the concrete path to Door #9. Students will then enter the building and will have their choice to wait in the cafeteria or gymnasium until the 8:00 am bell rings.

• IF A STUDENT IS A MORNING CAR RIDER, they will be dropped off behind the building in the car rider drop off loop and enter the building at Door #17. Once students are in the building, they will travel down the CTE hallway and will be directed to the gymnasium or the cafeteria until the 8:00 am bell. If students are dropped off at 8:05 am or after, they will need to be dropped off in the bus loop in front of the school and enter through Door #9 (past the athletic complex entrance).

• IF A STUDENT IS A DRIVER AND PARKS IN THE GYMNASIUM LOT, they will park in their designated parking spot. After they are parked, they will exit the gymnasium parking lot, make their way up the ramp towards the gymnasium, walk through the athletic complex entrance, and follow the concrete path to Door #9. Students will then enter the building and will have their choice to wait in the cafeteria or gymnasium until the 8:00 am bell rings.

• IF A STUDENT IS A DRIVER AND PARKS IN THE AUDITORIUM LOT, they will park in their designated parking spot. After they are parked, they will make their way to the loading dock entrance (faculty on duty will guide students on first day) and enter through door #30. Once they enter the building, they will have their choice to wait in the cafeteria or gymnasium until the 8:00 am bell rings. The loading dock entrance doors will close at 8:05 am.

• IF A STUDENT ARRIVES AFTER THE START OF SCHOOL AND IS NOT A STUDENT DRIVER, they can be dropped off in the bus loop OR the gymnasium parking lot. Students will make their way up the ramp towards the gymnasium, walk through the athletic complex entrance, and follow the concrete path to Door #9. Students will then enter the building, check in, and proceed to class.

• IF A STUDENT ARRIVES AFTER THE START OF SCHOOL AND PARKS IN THE AUDITORIUM LOT, they will have to walk up the new gravel path near the greenhouse, past greenhouse, past the auto bay doors, turn left and pass the weight room, and then enter through Door # 17 (CTE Entrance). When they buzz in, the main office staff will ask them to report to the Main Office.

Visitor Entrance:

• If any visitor is planning to enter the building, they will need to park in the gymnasium parking lot. There are parking spots labeled “visitor” and “reserved.” Please park in one of those labeled spots, as all the other spots are designated for students. If all these spots are taken, please call the CHS Main Office (540-382-5178) for further guidance on where you can park.

• After parking, visitors will enter the building by walking up the concrete ramp, through the athletic complex gate, and through Door #9.

• Visitors will then be directed into the temporary main office area.

WHAT WILL STUDENT DISMISSAL LOOK LIKE?

We will follow the same procedures we instituted for the 2023-24 school year. Additional details below:

Student Car Rider Exit:

• At the 2:50 bell, students may exit through door numbers 13, 14, and 17 to travel to the car rider pick-up line. Students should not be picked up in any other location other than the back parking lot (near the baseball field). If students are picked up in any other location, they will be redirected to the car rider pick-up line.

Student Bus Rider Exit:

• At the 2:50 bell, students will travel to the gymnasium. If a student is a first load bus rider, they will travel through the gymnasium and then outside to locate their first load bus in the new bus loop. If a student is a second load bus rider, they will travel to the gymnasium and wait in the gymnasium until the second load buses arrive.

Student Driver Exit:

• At the 2:50 bell, if a student is parked in the gymnasium parking lot, they will travel through the gymnasium and and then outside to their vehicle.

• If a student is parked in the auditorium parking lot, they will exit through Door #30 (loading dock entrance) and to the auditorium parking lot to locate their vehicle.

WHAT WILL STUDENT DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP LOOK LIKE?

The traffic pattern for drop-off and pick-up will be the same as what was instituted in 2023-24, but additional details are below:

• Entry to the drop-off and pick-up line can only be made from Independence Boulevard. The back entrance near Horne Funeral Home will be blocked and closed.

• Once on Independence Boulevard, you will take your first right (if coming from North Franklin) or your first left (after passing CHS as your are going towards North Franklin).

• Travel past the Auditorium parking lot (on your left), then past the CHS Greenhouse and finally, past the CHS auto bay doors.

• Once your reach the fork in the road, you will turn left as if you are traveling to the back parking lot beside the CHS baseball field.

• You will follow this road to the parking lot and then travel in a counterclockwise direction until you reach the drop off point (Ms. Harrington will be present at this drop point).

• Once you have reached the drop off point, your child may exit the vehicle and enter the building at Door #17.

• You will then proceed to exit the parking lot, travel down the entrance road, turn right to travel past the auto bay doors, past the greenhouse, past the Auditorium parking lot, and then you will either choose to make a right or left onto Independence Boulevard.

• The same process will be in place for afternoon pick-up. After 3:15 pm, you can pick up your child in the CHS bus loop (after all buses have exited).

• Please do not attempt to drop off your pick up your child in any other areas other than the designated drop-off or pick-up locations.

We ask for your patience and understanding as we all work to adapt to this new procedure. Please drive safely as you enter and exit the back parking lot.

We will send out an updated map to assist with navigating the drop-off and pick-up process as we get closer to the start of the year. Please review the attached map for clarification on the above directions:

CHS Parent Drop-Off/Pick-Up Traffic Flow Map (click for link)

ARE THERE ANY OTHER CONSTRUCTION UPDATES?

Yes, please see the next section in the Blue Demon Bulletin.

As students and families enter the building for the 2024-25 school year, there will be some noticeable changes to the interior and exterior of our building. In an effort to have less of an impact on the interior of our building throughout the school year, some work was done throughout the summer that will allow construction to be on schedule when the Spring 2025 semester concludes.

Some of those changes that will be visible are:

New Academic Wing/Auxiliary Gymnasium - The construction of our new academic wing, which will include 22 new classrooms, library, cafeteria, main office, counseling office, and resource rooms is quickly taking shape. This is the most visible part of the project from Independence Boulevard. You will also begin to see the new auxiliary gym starting to take shape in the coming months as well.

New Bus Loop - The construction of the new bus loop is nearing completion and will be ready prior to the start of the school year. Buses will no longer pull into the gymnasium parking lot for drop-off and pick-up, which means all of the concrete barriers will also be removed from the gymnasium lot. The new bus loop will be beside the gymnasium lot and in front of the school, but will have its own separate entrance and exit.

Hallways and Corridor Ceilings - We are currently going for the "Industrial Chic" look for the current school year. Hallways and corridor ceilings are open with no ceiling tiles, making our piping and lines visible from below.

Locker Room Commons (lower level adjacent to cafeteria) - This area has been greatly decreased due to the construction of three classroom spaces that are in progress for the new building. Those classrooms are located in the old main office/counseling area. The girls locker room will be accessed by a hallways that leads to the Room 104 (girl's health room) and the girl's locker room.

Auditorium Commons (lower level adjacent to cafeteria) - This area has been greatly decreased for due to the construction of three classroom spaces that are in progress for the new building. Those classrooms are located in the old main office/counseling area. When the new addition is complete, there will be a hallways that connects the new building to the Auditorium and current access point.

New Garage Doors - The majority of our exterior garage doors for our automotive, robotics, precision machining, and small engine repair classes are in the process of being replaced.

School Store/Wall to Wrestling Room - The school store room has been demolished, along with the wall that it was attached to. This wall was also part of the wrestling room. The wall and other walls that were connected to our locker rooms will be replaced prior to the start of the school year, but they are still in the process of running some water lines from our locker room areas to the exterior of the building, along with finishing some structural work in the wrestling room.

Main Office, Administrative Offices, SRO Office, Counseling Office, Clinic Locations - All of these areas are still in the same location as 2023-24. Each is located on the second floor of the building and are in close proximity of one another. This is not a change from the previous school year.

Over the past several weeks, you have received numerous callers and emails reminding you and your student to complete the "Returning Student Registration" and "SchoolCare" forms online. In order for your student to receive their class schedule for the upcoming semester, these tasks will need to be completed.

You will need your PowerSchool username and password. If you do not have one, please visit the Parent Portal Help link listed below:

https://sites.google.com/mcps.org/parentportal/home

You can locate step by step directions for this registration process by going to the MCPS website at www.mcps.org. Once there, click on the "Families" tab, then "Enrollment Info", then "Returning Student Registration." There is also a direct link to this page on the CHS webpage under the “Families” tab.

If you need assistance with this process, please call the CHS Counseling Office at (540) 382-5186.

In case you missed it, Coach Hunter will be assuming the leadership role of the CHS Athletic Department and we could not be more excited for him and his family!

The Fall Sports Season is right around the corner and if your student is planning to participate, they must have an athletic physical on file at CHS by the first day of practice (they may also bring it with them the first day of practice and turn it in to their coach). Athletes must use the updated VHSL Physical Form that can be found on the VHSL website or the CHS webpage under “Athletics”.

Due to the impacts of construction, the Fall Sports Meeting for CHS student athletes and families will take place on Wednesday, July 31 at Christiansburg Middle School in the Auditorium. If your student is playing a Fall sport, you and your student must attend. The meeting for Volleyball, Golf, Cross Country, and Cheer will begin at 5:30 pm. The meeting for Football will begin at 6:30 pm.

Please contact Coach Hunter (mikehunter@mcps.org) with any questions or concerns you may have. Thank you for your flexibility! GO BIG BLUE!!!

If you would like to meet with your child's school counselor to discuss their schedule for the upcoming school year, please click on the following link to make an appointment:

Counselor Appointment Link (click for link)

Appointments can be made starting on August 7 and will take place daily through August 10.

We still have a large number of rising 12th grade students that are in need of their meningitis vaccine. This vaccine is a requirement for your student to begin school on August 13. Please reference your email and the mailed letter you should have already received regarding this information. There will also be a caller sent to those families that are still in need of providing documentation of this information.

If you have the appropriate documentation or when you receive it, please feel free to deliver a copy to CHS at your earliest convenience.

If you have additional questions, please contact the CHS Counseling Office at 540-382-5186. The Montgomery County Health Department is also offering vaccines prior to the start of the school year. Please reference the information on the flyer shared with you and that is attached.

CHS Open House will take place on Thursday, August 8, 2024. We will open our school to 10th - 12th graders and their families from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm to pick up class schedules, pay class dues, request a locker, walk the building, visit with teachers, and meet the new administrative team. Please plan to enter and exit through the main entrance (Door #9) and loading dock entrance (Door #30) and make your way to the cafeteria upon arrival.

At 5:00 pm, we would graciously ask for those students and families to exit the school building so we can prepare for our 9th grade/new student orientation that will begin at 5:30 pm.

The doors to CHS will open to 9th grade families at 5:30 pm. Please plan to enter and exit through the main entrance (Door #9) and loading dock entrance (Door #30). When you arrive, here are some easy steps to follow:

1. Make your way into the building and make your way to the cafeteria to pick up your student’s class schedule. There will have four separate lines divided alphabetically. Please look for the correct line and patiently wait your turn to receive your schedule.

2. If you have not completed the “Returning Student Registration”, you will need to do so before you get in line to pick up your student’s schedule. Don’t worry… we will have Chromebooks and staff on-site to assist you with the process.

3. After you have picked up your schedule, please feel free to pay student dues, select a locker, or pick up your Chromebook in the library.

4. Once you have completed this step, please feel free to mingle with your friends and families, meet and greet the administrative team, and/or report to the gymnasium.

5. At 6:15 pm, we will begin a Freshman Class/New Student Presentation that every freshman, new student, and families should be present for.

6. At approximately 6:35, we will release students and their families to walk their schedule and meet their teachers following a modified daily bell schedule.

1. 6:35 - 6:40 Travel to your first block class

2. 6:40 - 6:46 1st Block

3. 6:46 - 6:51 Travel to 2nd Block

4. 6:51 - 6:57 2nd Block

5. 6:57 - 7:02 Travel to 3rd Block

6. 7:02 - 7:08 3rd Block

7. 7:08 - 7:13 Travel to 4th Block

8. 7:13 - 7:19 4th Block

9. 7:19 - 7:24 Travel to 5th Block

10. 7:24 - 7:30 5th Block

11. 7:30 Depart CHS

7. During the transitions between classes, we will have administrators and teachers in the hall to guide you to your next class. All class numbers will be above the door, but there are a few that may be a little confusing:

1. 620 - Plato Lab that is located above the library. Please feel free to take either set of stairs on the side of the library to get to this class space.

2. M100, M200, M300, M400, M500 - These classrooms are located outside the back of our building.

3. Corp of Cadets - Will meet in the room to the right of our Auditorium entrance

4. PE Classes - Will all meet on the lower level either in the health classrooms (104 and 106) or in the common area in front of the school store.

5. Room 520 - You will actually travel through the entrance to Room 519 to get to Room 520.

We understand that the new cell phone policy being instituted this year is a big shift for our students and families, but we are looking forward to the positive impacts this will have on our school, such as enhancing the learning environment and minimizing distractions throughout the school day.

Please take an opportunity to review Policy 7-3.3 to ensure both you and your student have a strong understanding of the new expectations for cell phone use and possessing a cell phone. It is equally important to note that a student can possess a cell phone, but it must be "OFF AND AWAY" during the school day. The policy also addresses that other connected devices, such as earbuds and smart watches, are are also held to the same expectations.

Please review the attached flier for additional details:

Cell Phone Expectations (link)

As we continue to navigate the construction process, you and your student(s) will notice some changes to our parking arrangement for our students, faculty, and staff. At this point in time, we will only be offering student parking in the Gymnasium and Auditorium parking lots and they will only be available for JUNIORS AND SENIORS.

Please review the attached parking letter for further details regarding parking for the 2024-25 school year.

2024-25 Parking Letter to CHS Students & Families (link)

2024-25 Parking Permission Form (link)

The following is a list of class dues for each grade level:

9th Grade - $6.00

10th Grade - $8.00

11th Grade - $11.00

12th Grade - $16.00

Note: These can be paid on myschoolbucks.com or by cash or check in the CHS Main Office. If you are not using myschoolbucks.com, you can take care of this on August 8 at Open House.

Students are not permitted to leave or order delivery (DoorDash, GrubHub, etc.) for lunch. A parent/guardian may bring a lunch to the office for their student before their designated lunch period. Students will not be called out of class to pick up a lunch delivered by their parent/guardian. If food is delivered after their lunch period, the student may pick it up at the end of the school day.

If a student attempts to order food through a delivery service, the food will turned away and not accepted from the delivery service. The student could also be subject to disciplinary action if they have food delivered to the school.

It is extremely important that your student be present each day at school. If your child is not able to attend school, it is required that a parent or guardian contact the school to document the reason for the absence.

ANY ABSENCE (Documented and Undocumented) will count towards your student's compulsory attendance. If your student should miss five days of school, please expect contact from your student's grade level administrator. Should your student miss additional days of school, please expect contact from your child's administrator and a meeting request to develop an attendance plan for your child.

It is also important to remember the impact of tardies on your student's success at CHS! If your student check-ins or is late to class, this will count as a tardy. The accumulation of four tardies will result in your child being assigned lunch detention. Your child will also receive lunch detention upon their 5th, 6th, and 7th tardy to a single class. Upon their 8th tardy, the student will be assigned one full day of ISS.