John Champe Knightly News

Wow, it is incredible to say "Happy Second Quarter!" We hope that teachers, students, and families have recovered from the sprint that was the end of quarter one and have had a chance to RECHARGE for a great start to second quarter. We are proud of you and thankful for you being part of our community.

Please read on for important info for starting the second quarter, particularly for seniors, AP test registration, and photo retakes!

Tremendous welcome to our Little Knights Preschool students, led by JCHS Early Childhood Education students and their teacher, Mrs. Mullins. The pictures below are from Thursday, October 28 when the Little Knights were invited to dress up for Halloween and trick-or-treat around the building.

Important Calendar Reminders:

Please remember that the week of November 1-5 includes student holidays, teacher work days, and asynchronous school days.

November 1: student holiday; teacher work day

November 2: no school; election day

November 3: asynchronous school day for all students

November 4: no school; Happy Diwali

November 5: asynchronous school day for all students

For asynchronous days, students are to complete assignments that are listed in Schoology. Teachers will monitor student participation and if no work is completed, students will be marked as absent.

On November 3rd and November 5th, LCPS School Nutrition will be distributing meals at ALL school sites from 10 am – 1 pm for asynchronous learning days. Students may receive 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 supper AND 1 snack, free of charge, per day.

Credit Recovery:

At the end of the quarter, teachers submitted names of students that failed the class for the first quarter and are being reviewed and processed by Mrs. Hakes and Mrs. Bonner. If your student is in need of credit recovery from first quarter, you either have or will shortly receive an email from Mrs. Hakes with the process your student should follow.

MAGIC Makers

Congratulations to the two MAGIC Makers announced at the recent faculty meeting! Carolyn Bien was recognized by several staff members for making sure students gets the individual help they need. Additionally, she's a great mentor and colleague, always sharing resources and encouragement. Ms. Bien's contributions don't end with math: she sponsors a couple of groups at JCHS, including our new Boys Volleyball Club, for which she purchased equipment on her own so the students would be able to play.

Congratulations also go to our school nurse, Sonia Mehta. Ms. Mehta was recognized for her kindness and compassion and tremendous level of care she provides for all of our kids. She is consistent, always available, and has adapted seamlessly to all of the changes and new expectations placed on her and the school due to Covid.

Safety Reminder

Students are still crossing Northstar at the Sacred Mountain intersection. As a reminder, there is no crosswalk at that intersection. Several students have been hit by vehicles while attempting to cross there. It is not safe to cross at the Sacred Mountain/Northstar intersection. Students and families are strongly encouraged to cross at the Conejo traffic signal. It is the only safe passage across Northstar.

The John Champe High School Sources of Strength (SOS) Program is thankful for Chick Fil A South Riding for catering meals for the SOS Peer Leader Training on Wednesday, October 27, 2021!

Clubs

Have you gotten connected with a club you're enjoying? Great! Keep attending and participating! If you haven't yet or find that you have more time and service to give, check out the ICC website for other organizations that might interest you.

Athletics

So many ways to get out and support our student athletes! Check out the JCHS athletics website for the full schedule.

College and Career Center

College visits are nearing their end in the CCC. Please remember that students should sign up to to attend via Naviance (upcoming visits are listed in the ongoing announcements button just above). See Mrs. King (karen.king@lcps.org) with any questions.

For Juniors and Seniors who signed up for the Credit Through Testing (CTT) by the Oct. 29 deadline: please review your confirmation ticket and mark your calendar to report to your appropriate testing site. Good luck!

Testing Dates and Locations

11/8/21 Tuscarora HS 4-6pm

11/9/21 Park View HS 4-6pm

11/10/21 Broad Run HS 4-6pm

11/11/21 Lightridge HS 4-6pm

Retakes and makeup pictures are on November 11 for underclassmen.

Requirements/information for retakes and makeups:

- any students and faculty/staff absent for the original photo session

- any newly enrolled or transfer students

- any students dissatisfied with their original portrait package (note: students must return their old package to the photographer in order to receive a new package); students opting for yearbook or ID only (i.e., did not purchase photo package) will not be re-photographed

- any student who did not receive an ID card at the original session OR has incorrect data on their ID card

- any student who did not purchase on the original session is welcome to purchase at this time

Attention Class of 2022

It's official! Graduation is scheduled for 7pm on June 17, 2022 at Eagle Bank Arena on the campus of George Mason University.

With that, the final round of senior payments are posted in the online payment portal! You can now pay for all things graduation, including caps and gowns, celebration lunch on the last day of school for seniors, and breakfast before graduation rehearsal. When you access the portal for the "Senior Activities" line item, you'll see a drop down list for the three graduation-related items. Please note that you will have to select each and click "add to cart" for each item. Please email meghan.bonner@lcps.org if you encounter any trouble.

Baby Ads for the Yearbook

THE QUEST invites families to purchase personalized messages for their graduate's senior yearbook. These special tributes can come from parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, pets, etc. They can be for individuals, groups of friends, and/or entire teams or clubs. Visit the yearbook order center; enter the school order code 13848 and choose "start an ad." All ads need to be submitted by November 15.

Cap and gown measurements

Has your senior submitted measurements for cap and gown? If not, please have your student do so via this form by November 23.

Senior portraits

We were able to secure another session for senior portraits November 22-23 with Victor O'Neill. You can sign up with this link, which is also available on the Class of 2022 website, along with info shared in a previous senior class newsletter.

The PTSA is looking for a Communications Chair to help spread the word about PTSA opportunities and events. Interested? Please email JohnChampePTSA@gmail.com to find out more!

PTSA is planning a December Teacher appreciation event! How can you help? Email us at JohnChampePTSA@gmail.com to volunteer. Don't have time to volunteer? Be on the lookout for a sign-up to donate items coming soon!

Have you still not joined the PTSA?! If not, please visit their site for more information or access the membership form directly here. Check out their flyers below and remember to follow the PTSA at @johnchampeptsa on Instagram and Facebook for timely updates!

Thank you for your support of the PTSA, which directly impacts our school's ability to provide valuable resources for students and teachers.

Seniors will learn about our inaugural Capstone year in advisory this month. So, what can you do before then? Well, students can begin considering ways they may want to connect with the community, but even more, we'd love to encourage community members that may be interested in being involved to start thinking about doing so. Parents, if your place of work is in our community and could take on students interested in learning more about your sector, please begin conversations with the appropriate parties. The expectation will be that students will make connections with places of work, but we'd love to start building a directory of local businesses that can guide our students in the event that a student needs support in getting connected.

Looking for more details? An info night will take place November 16th at JCHS.

If you/your company is interested in mentoring a JCHS senior for a capstone experience, please contact the Capstone Coordinator (meghan.bonner@lcps.org) to be included in an on-going list for students that may need a place to connect. Thanks in advance!

As a reminder, the AP Exam Registration deadline is Friday, November 5, 2021.

As you may recall, LCPS will pay for the first 4 AP exams that your student takes, effective this school year. To clarify, if your student is taking 4 AP exams or less this school year, and registers before November 5, you do not need to pay anything.

Please note the fees related to late registrations and cancellations:

• Any AP exams added between November 15, 2021 and March 15, 2022 will incur a $40 late registration fee per exam.

• Any AP exam that is cancelled between November 16, 2021 and the end of the AP test administration will incur a $40 cancellation fee.

• Any AP exam that is registered for, but unused, will incur a $40 unused fee.

• Any AP exam(s) over 4 must be paid for by the student. The costs are $87/per exam ($135/per exam for AP Seminar and AP Research).

If a student/family fails to pay applicable cancellation or unused exam fees, the associated AP exam(s) will count toward the 4 exams that LCPS is covering. Please reach out to the Office of Assessment Services with any questions.

Directions for Registration:

Step 1: JOIN AP CLASSROOM

If you do not have a College Board account, follow these directions for setting up an account:

1. Go to https://myap.collegeboard.org

2. Click “Create Account”

3. Fill in information to register

4. Join your AP class(es) by entering the join code for each AP class you are taking. If you don’t have the join code, email your teacher(s) and ask them to send it to you.

Step 2: REGISTER FOR EXAM on MyAP website

When you join your MyAP classroom, the default is “undecided” for taking the exam.

If you plan to take the AP exam, mark the “Order Exam” section as “yes”. If you do not plan to take the AP exam, mark the “Order Exam” section as “no”.

Step 3: PAY FOR EXAM through the LCPS Payment Portal Website (if taking 5+ exams)

The payment portal opens Wednesday, October 20, 2021.

Choose “AP Exam Fee” and select the test you are paying for.

November 5: AP Test Registration deadline (click here for AP testing info from Ms. Stecura)

November 8-11: Testing options for Seal of Biliteracy

November 11: Underclass photo retakes/makeups

November 15: Deadline for senior baby ads

November 16: Senior Capstone Information Night

November 22-23: Senior portrait session (sign up required); can and gown measurements due

November 24-26: Thanksgiving Break

Website: lcps.org/JCH
Location: 41535 Sacred Mountain Street, Aldie, VA, USA
Phone: 703-722-2680
Twitter: @JohnChampeHS