Greetings Tuscarora Family,
As we enter into the month of March, the Tuscarora family has a lot to celebrate! Congratulations to all of our Quarter 2 A/B Honor Roll students and RISE Award winners. On February 21st, these amazing scholars were honored and celebrated with a special treat. Congratulations, Husky scholars! We also celebrate the wonderful accomplishments of our Husky athletes. From Indoor track, to gymnastics, swimming, wrestling, and basketball, our student athletes continue to demonstrate excellence, great accomplishments, and fantastic sportsmanship! Kudos to our wonderful Husky scholar athletes!
During the month of March, we also honor and celebrate the contributions of Social Workers. Especially during these challenging times, Social Workers have an essential role in the well-being of our Tuscarora family. During the first full week of March, March 3-9, 2024, we celebrate School Social Work Week. To the Social Workers in our community and to our own School Social Worker, Omega Smith, thank you for all you do to support our Tuscarora community. We appreciate you!
This month we also celebrate Women's History Month. We honor women's contribution to our history, our world, our country, and our community. I am especially proud of the accomplishments of our Lady Huskies in the areas of academics, arts, sports, and leadership. For more information about Women's History Month, please visit womenhistorymonth.gov or womenhistory.org.
Please continue to read on to stay updated on events at Tuscarora HS. Please stay connected with us, let us know how you are doing, and what we can do to support you.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or my staff for assistance.
Pamela Croft
Principal
As we approach the Spring, it is always good to send some reminders about our Attendance Process.
All Attendance requests must be submitted by a parent/guardian. This also goes for students who are 18 years of age or older. Any Attendance notifications submitted by a student will be unexcused.
Attendance requests must include a general reason for tardies, dismissals, or absences. If you are requesting a dismissal, a time of dismissal is needed as well. Please note that students are not permitted to leave the school building for lunch.
The Attendance Hotline is for reporting Absences only. The voicemail is checked frequently throughout the day but if you are reporting a student tardy or needing a dismissal, the request may not be processed in time.
Please read below for Attendance reporting methods:
Tardies - A parent/guardian may:
Submit Tardy Notification with the ParentVue app (submit prior to student’s arrival and include reason)
Email THSabsentee@lcps.org (send prior to student arriving in the building and include reason).
Send in a signed note with the student.
Dismissals - A parent/guardian may:
Submit Dismissal Notification with the ParentVue app
Email THSabsentee@lcps.org
Send in a signed note with the student in the morning. Students are to stop by the Attendance window before the start of school to pick up their dismissal pass.
All electronic early dismissals need to be submitted by 11:15am if you are notifying the school of a same day appointment. We understand that there are emergencies or last minute appointments scheduled. Please give the Attendance Office notice first thing in the morning or as soon as possible. Last minute requests need to be submitted at least 1 hour prior to dismissal in order to guarantee it is processed in time.
Absences - A parent/guardian may:
Email THSabsentee@lcps.org
Report absence using the ParentVue “Report Attendance” feature.
Leave a voicemail on the Absentee Hotline (571-252-1902). Please speak slowly and clearly. Don’t forget to spell your child’s name and included a general reason of absence.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any Attendance questions as they arise.
ACCESS testing for English Language students continues into March. State and federal law requires LCPS to annually assess all EL students in their English language proficiency. The test provides information about students’ English language abilities in school. ACCESS measures what students know and can do in English in the domains of Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.
All students in English 11 or AP English Language will take the Writing SOL on March 11th and 12th. The Writing SOL is a two part test, multiple choice and short paper, taken over two days. If your student attends the Academies they will complete a make up later in the week. The Writing verified credit is a graduation requirement.
All spring SOL testing is included on the THS Testing website.
Questions? Please reach out to Mrs. Crawford, sommer.crawford@lcps.org.
Quarter 2 RISE Award Recipients
Congratulations to Tuscarora's Quarter 2 A/B Honor Roll students! We hope to see even more students at the Quarter 3 celebrations!
KUDOS to the Quarter 2 RISE Award Recipients. At the end of each quarter, teachers, in each department, and the school Administrative team identify students who have exhibited the tenets of RISE (Respect, Integrity, Service, and Excellence). The following students are our RISE Award Recipients for Quarter 2. We applaud you! 👏👏
Hey Husky Nation! Our SY24 Spring Sports Seasons are just under way! We look forward to seeing you out to support our many teams as they strive for greatness!
Here are dates you need to know if you plan to participate in off-season conditioning for fall and winter sports and what is needed to be ready to play for the upcoming year:
All physicals for SY 25 must be dated after May 1, 2024 and be on the VHSL Physical Form – VHSL Physical Form
Please complete all four pages thoroughly. Any Physical missing signatures or information will be returned.
The online platform for SY 24 continues to take registration for spring sports and parents and athletes are encouraged to complete that process before the start of tryouts. Registration will not open for SY 25 (2024-2025) Athletics Seasons until July 1 2025. DO NOT register for SY 25 Sports before this time. Students will need to take the Sudden Cardiac course through NFHS (https://nfhslearn.com/courses/sudden-cardiac-arrest) yearly and upload to the registration. Course length is approximately 15 min. Please create an account, take course, download or save a picture of certificate, you will need it for registration.
Returning Users: go to the website listed, sign in to your account, click ‘Register’ for returning students and ‘Add a New Student’ for new athletes in the family. Update your info and click Pay Later on the last page (there is no fee).
New Users: Please create an account, verify it, and follow the steps from above.
Please visit this link to contact individual sport coaches to inquire about out of season workout and tryout specifics. All Sport Coach List
School Counselors are continuing to meet with students to register them for the 24-25 school year. If your student attends the Academies of Loudoun, please have them reach out to their school counselor, via email, to set up a time to meet that works with their schedule on the day they are at Tuscarora.
Dates to Remember:
Thursday, March 7- 8th Grade Expo. Middle School students who will attend THS in the Fall 2024, will spend the morning at Tuscarora High School.
Thursday, March 14- Spring College Planning Night
News from our Student Assistance Specialist, Kim Hager, who provides nicotine, alcohol and drug education, prevention, and early intervention to students in the THS cluster.
What is fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 - 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl is potent. This makes it more addictive and increases the likelihood that a person could overdose. Fentanyl is cheap. Illicit drug makers add fentanyl to other synthetic opioids (ex. Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycodone) and use it to increase potency and profit on a variety of substances.
What is being done by LCPS to address the fentanyl crisis?
Students are provided with grade level substance use awareness presentations through Health and PE classes. The curriculum aligns with the SOL requirements. Fentanyl is discussed during these presentations.
Loudoun County Public Schools is partnering with Song for Charlie to present The New Drug Talk – a 30-minute film that outlines the dangers of fentanyl and fake pills – on Thursday, Feb. 29, at 7 p.m. at Dominion High School. An expert panel discussion -- including testimony from family members who have lost loved ones to overdoses -- will follow the presentation. Join us to learn how to help keep your loved ones safe.
Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. at Dominion High School
Fentanyl Awareness community learning sessions are being offered in all of our regions. The next session is scheduled for Sunday, April 7th from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm at Crossroads United Methodist Church in Ashburn, VA. These sessions include information provided from law enforcement, LCPS, the Williams Center and from a community member who has lost a loved one due to a fentanyl overdose.
The Director of Student Mental Health services is developing a school and community wide presentation on fentanyl. This will include school wide assemblies and a parent/community session to address the concerns that we are seeing in our community.
Substance Use Trends:
Xylazine (also called “tranq” or “tranq dope”) is a non-opioid sedative or tranquilizer. Although not a controlled substance in the United States, xylazine is not approved for use in people. It is a substance that is used to relax or sedate animals. In 2022, 23% of fentanyl powder contained xylazine and 7% of pills that were seized by the DEA contained xylazine. Because it’s not an opioid, it does not respond to naloxone (Narcan), which is a life saving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
If you have a concern about your student and it relates to substance use, please contact the Student Assistance Specialist at Kim.Hager@lcps.org.
APPLICATIONS for AVID are now open for the 2024-25 school year! Any current 8th, 9th, or 10th grader may apply.
AVID seeks out students who are performing well in the “academic middle” who wish to learn strategies to succeed in courses of academic rigor. Oftentimes, these students would be first-generation college students or students who have the potential but would benefit from additional support in the areas of reading, writing, organization, time management, and leadership skills. If you wish to learn more about the AVID program, please contact the AVID Coordinator at barry.blair@lcps.org.
We are excited and looking forward to including at least one college visit this semester! More information will be going home soon through the Elective classes.
SENIOR SHOUT-OUTS
Our senior AVID students continue to hear back from colleges they’ve applied to, and we are SO proud of these students for all of their accomplishments! Here is a list of schools where our AVID Seniors have been accepted (so far!): The University of Kentucky, Clemson, Ole Miss, High Point University, Penn State, Radford, The University of Tampa, West Virginia University, VCU, CNU, JMU, GMU, UPitt, Hofstra, Coastal Carolina, Louiville, Mount St. Mary, VT, South Carolina, Hood, Longwood, UMW, Arizona, Arizona State, Lynchburg, RMC, Monmouth, Misericorida, and Utah!!!
CONGRATS to all of our AVID Seniors. There are many more acceptances to come!
Model UN
The THS Model U.N. team is wrapping up the Winter 2024 season at the North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN) Conference in Washington, D.C. from Feb. 15 – Feb. 18, 2024.
3300 students from 22 nations and 45 U.S. states trying to solve problems including Forced Migration, the Crisis in the Taiwanese Strait, Reparations in the Caribbean States, and Drug Trafficking in Central and South America.
Be sure to follow the THS MUN Instagram account at @tuskymodelun for info and pictures!
Attention Seniors! Seal of Biliteracy testing for registered students will take place on March 6th at 9:30am. Please contact catherine.paz@lcps.org with any questions (Room L212).
Test results for students who took the Credit Through Testing test in November of 2023 are beginning to populate for students. To check your results, open “Test History” in StudentVUE. When results are posted for a student, he/she will receive an email notifying them at the email they used to register for the test.
Congratulations to our newly invited members to our World Language honor societies! Our induction ceremony for the students who accept the invitation will take place during Tusky Time 3 on March 15th in the Auditorium.
Need help with a language? Contact the following teacher sponsors of each WL honor society to be paired with a student tutor:
ASL - Gabriel Love
French - Nilhan Ozdogan
German - Anne Friedrich
Latin - Odessa Asp
Spanish - Catherine Paz
Important Math SOL Information
Parents of all students in an SOL class (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra 2), the classes are starting to prepare for the SOL in May. Students in Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 will have an SOL project to complete. Students will receive the Project the first week in March. All 9th grade students in an SOL course MUST take the SOL for the course. I must stress the importance of taking this assessment seriously. This assessment is a graduation requirement. Teachers will send out the project and post it to their course Schoology page.
If your student is struggling in their math course, please encourage them to utilize SLED and the Math Study Halls.
