Timber Wolf Times

August 4, 2022

Principal Updates

Dear Trailside Families,

Happy August! We are gearing up for students to return to school in just three short weeks, on August 25th.

We have had a number of staff promoted into leadership positions at Trailside these past weeks. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Jesse Encapera who will be transitioning to central office in the Dept. of Instruction; specifically in the math department. We will be announcing a new assistant principal later next week.

I will send out another newsletter in the next week or so outlining the arrival procedures for the first day, lunch routines, and dismissal. Please keep a look out for that!

Counselor's and Deans return to school on Wednesday, August 10th. All communication regarding scheduling should be directed to your grade level counselor. We are not able to honor any requests for elective changes or specific teacher requests. In order to successfully schedule over 1100 students, remain in the VA Dept. of Education class size requirements and case load limitations; we cannot add on additional restrictions and requests. We appreciate your understanding.

Please see the outline below:

6th grade: Jessica.Joseph@lcps.org

7th grade: A-Kh: Nadia.Boateng@lcps.org

7th grade: Ki-Z Laura.Ricciardi@lcps.org

8th grade: Sarah.Jo@lcps.org

Teachers return to school on Wednesday, August 17th!

Outlined below are important dates as well as action items and information to support a smooth transition back to school for each student.

Dates/Action Items/Information

8/15 PVUE/SVUE

First Day Information available for LCPS - Online Verification

Families will log into PVUE and walk through the Online Verification tool to review and verify student data, provide opt-out information, and review documents. Once complete, PVUE will display student schedules, bus and other student-specific information.

8/25 Schoology First Day for LCPS

First day LCPS students and parents/guardians can view S1, T1, and YR sections and resources in Schoology.

8/22 Locker Set Up 4:30-6:00 PM

Students may come to TMS anytime between 4:30 and 6:00 pm to set up their locker. This event will also extend into our PTSA scavenger hunt and family picnic. See below for more information.

8/25 First day of school

9/9 PTSA Membership Drive kicks off

9/14 Back to School Night for Parents 6:00-8:00 PM

Parent Volunteers for the First Two Days of School and beyond.....

Traditionally we have asked for parent volunteers, specifically for 6th grade, on the first two days of school. The volunteers will support students in learning how to open their lockers between classes, at the end of the day, and then at the beginning of the day on Friday. A google form will be shared out a week before school begins for parents to sign up.

We also are always looking for parent volunteers to support lunch time, pack time outside, front office with answering the door bell and phones, as well as in the library. Please consider volunteering this year in any capacity. Though your child may say they do not want you at school, we have found just the opposite. Please know that your children need you to be involved even more as they journey through middle school and adolescence. Parent feedback in our annual survey stated that parents wanted more opportunities to be engaged with school. This is an outstanding opportunity to do just that.

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PTA Scavenger Hunt and Family Picnic

The PTA is hosting the second annual Outdoor Scavenger Hunt and Family Picnic on Monday, August 22nd from 6-7:30pm, right after locker set up. This is a great opportunity for students and families to connect with each other before the school year kicks off. We kindly request that you RSVP so that we may plan accordingly. We hope to see you there!

Health and PE Gear and Requirements

We are no longer accepting any orders for HPE uniforms. We do have the following inventory on hand:

T-Shirts (Medium & Large only) 192 ct.

Shorts (Medium & Large only) 200 ct.

This inventory will be available to purchase in the first two weeks of school. Students may bring either a check made out to Trailside MS or cash to their HPE class. The cost will be updated once the teachers are back on campus in two weeks.

Requirements for all students in HPE:

1. All students are required to dress out. The required fitness clothes are mesh/athletic shorts, grey or white t-shirt with the student's last name on the back of the t-shirt in 4 inch lettering with a black markers, socks, and sneakers. Students may also wear sweat pants/fitness long pants.

These requirements will begin the second week of school.

There are available dressing stalls for all students.

2. Recommendation for each student to have a water bottle for HPE. There is a water fill station.

School Supplies

We are no longer accepting school supply orders. The deadline was June 30th. You may find the specific school supply list at the following link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRm387EnH4zMG82haw-9ad56CMZnPi1kz2S4CfbebkqS0zVzxlgJ_ID2JYolmSspql8s2R3rIkcr95u/pub

Music classes: students are not required to bring their instruments to school on the first two days.

Cell Phone Expectations at Trailside

At Trailside, we will continue to have all students keep cell phones off and away in their lockers when they arrive to school. We have found that without cell phones, access to social media, camera, and texting has minimized disruptive behavior as well as conflict between students. We are asking for every parent to support our guidelines and to not text your child during the school day. If there is a need to speak with your child, all you have to do is call the main office at 571-252-2280 and we can transfer you to the specific grade level.

In addition, research has outlined the detrimental impact on children regarding access and use of a smart phone at a young age (prior to 8th grade). I encourage you to click on the following link and to consider the Pledge: Wait Until 8! I found the testimonials from executives at Google and Large Tech companies to be impactful. https://www.waituntil8th.org/