Wolf Weekly Newsletter

WOLF WEEKLY
March 12, 2023

Good evening Lake Ridge Middle School Parents/Guardians-  
We would like to remind you that parents should not be dropping students off in the upper staff parking lot in the mornings.  The entrance nearest the marquee sign is only to be used by staff coming in and parents/busses going out to Mohican.  We have had vehicle collisions because of parents stopping in the lot to let students out while teachers are coming in to park.  
8TH GRADE SOL'S
8th grade students will be taking their Writing SOL this week. The test is divided into two parts: a multiple choice section and a short paper section. The multiple choice will be administered on Tuesday, March 14 and the short paper on Wednesday, March 15. Please remind your students that they must have their fully charged laptop and arrive to school on time. Students arriving after 8:30 will not be permitted to test and will be scheduled for one of our makeup days.
 
REQUIREMENTS FOR UPCOMING SPRING ACTIVITIES
With the 3rd Marking Period now in full-swing, we wanted to send out an early notice about the academic & behavior requirements for eligibility to participate in the 8th Grade Dance and/or Fun Day.  In order to participate, you need to be academically eligible for the 3rd Marking Period.  This means that a student cannot have 2 or more F's in their classes.  In addition, a student cannot have any major referral resulting in an out of school suspension.  They also cannot have 3 or more total referrals resulting in any after school detention or Saturday school.  All participation is at the discretion of the administrators.  
 
STEM EVENT
The SPARK Foundation (Supporting Partnerships and Resources for Kids) is holding a conference that targets kids in grades 5-12 who are interested in careers in math, science, or technology.  The conference is also open to interested parents and teachers.  Details and registration information are available on their website: www.successconference.net  The registration form is also located below.
 
CAR DROPOFFS 

We have received notice from the PWC Crossing Guards that they are seeing an uptick in parents dropping off their children in the middle of Mohican Road: in the travel lanes, at times while traffic is moving.  In the past weeks, the crossing guards have seen parents discharge their children in the turn lane, the travel lane, within the intersection, and even right at the corner.  They are asking that you stop doing this!!  A safer alternative is to drive around the corner onto Seminole Road, away from the corner, and let your child out.  The crossing guards can then conduct a safe crossing, with all traffic stopped, and get your child safely to school. 

The crossing guard coordinator has also sent a request to the Police Department's Traffic Division about these concerns. 

CELL PHONE CONFISCATION

Students have been told since the beginning of the school year about the expectation that phones are to be put away during the instructional day, unless authorized by a teacher during class.  We continue to remind them, in the morning announcements, about this expectation.  We are seeing an increase of students with their cellphones out during unauthorized times.  If an administrator is asked to confiscate a student's phone, a parent/guardian will be called and may be required to pick it up from the school.  It will be at the discretion of the administrator whether the phone will be returned to the student at the end of the day or will require a parent pickup.

BOOK FAIR 3/24-3/31

The Book Fair is coming to the library March 24-31.  Use this link to setup an eWallet for your student (a safe cash-less way for them to shop), preview some exciting featured titles, and shop online beginning March 24.  Our wonderful library is also seeking volunteers to help.  Please use this link to sign up for volunteer opportunities.

JOB FAIR

Tuesday, March 21, from 5:30-7PM, PWCS Human Resources is hosting a Summer Student Aide Job Fair.  See flyer below.

PTO

LRMS PTO Board Elections - Nominations Deadline Extended!

We are extending the nominations for the 2023-2025 LRMS PTO Board Officers!  Officers are elected for a two-year term.  If you or someone you know is interested, please fill out the nomination form.  You can view the board descriptions here.  If more than one person is nominated for a position, we will have a vote by ballot at the April 12 PTO Meeting.  If more than one person is nominated for a position, we will have a vote by ballot at the May 3 PTO Meeting.

SPIRIT NIGHT

The next Spirit Night will be held at Five Guys on Wednesday, April 12, from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.  Join us and be entered into a raffle to win a $15 gift card! Be sure to tell them you are with Lake Ridge Middle School PTO when you order.

ATHLETICS

Wrestling:

Monday, March 13th - @ Hampton - AWAY

Girl's Basketball:

Monday, March 13th - vs. Hampton - HOME

Wednesday, March 15th - vs. Saunders - HOME

For live, up-to-date game information or anything Lake Ridge Athletics, follow our Athletic Twitter page @lrmssports

Tickets- To make entry into our events more effective and efficient, we are asking that you bring exact change or provide bills less than, or equal to, the amount of $10. When we receive $20 or even $50 bills, it creates an issue with providing the right amount of change for everyone throughout the night and holds up our line when we need to create more change throughout the night. Adult tickets are $3 and student tickets are $1, if you have a 3rd Quarter VISA, you are free.  Thank you for your consideration.

NO BAG POLICY FOR ALL INDOOR EVENTS:  PWCS enacted a no-bag policy for all indoor events (athletics, music concerts, plays, etc.) at the middle school level. This is in alignment with the policy currently in place at all high schools. This includes backpacks, purses, camera equipment bags, etc. Small wallet-sized clutch bags, clear diaper bags, and medically necessary bags are permitted. These bags may be subject to search. This policy went into effect for indoor events at all middle schools on Monday, January 10, 2022. Our school will have a plan in place to secure any bookbags, for participating students, as needed during events. We will not be responsible for securing bags from any attendees. You will be asked to leave your bag in your car or take it home. Signage will be posted to remind attendees prior to arriving at the ticket area. We thank you in advance for adhering to this policy and look forward to having you with us to cheer on our students.

SPRING TRYOUTS

Our Spring Season (Softball, Girl's Soccer, Baseball, and Boy's Track) is slated to begin with tryouts on Monday, March 27th from 3:15-5:15PM.  A few notes/reminders before we begin:

1. You need to have a 2022-2023 Athletic Physical and Concussion Training on file with the Athletic Director, Mr. Larson. When filling out the PWCS Athletic Physical form, PARENTS fill out and sign pages 1, 2, AND 4. The doctor/physician will fill out page 3 after the evaluation (if you are a member of Kaiser Permanente they will give you a printout of page 3, this does not exclude parents from filling out pages 1, 2 and 4).

2. Concussion Training SHOULD be completed online, there is no Spring In-Person Concussion Training. After completing the Online Concussion Training, you HAVE to print AND sign the form in order to receive credit for completing the course.  Again, EVERYONE has the ability to complete the training online.

3. If a student failed more than 1 class during Quarter 2, they are academically ineligible to tryout for Spring Season. This also means that students are unable to attend athletic events after school. We will be checking as students enter the event.

As a reminder, in Prince William County Public Schools we are creating a Positive Environment for our athletes, students, staff, officials, and spectators at our events. If a spectator, student, athlete, or staff member is partaking in behavior that is against this message they will be removed from the event for the remainder of the evening. Please promote a positive environment and experience for everyone in attendance as we finish our 2022-23 season.

Any questions related to athletics can be directed to Mr. Larson at [email protected].  

Monday is an "B" day.

Jim Dutrow

Principal

Lake Ridge Middle School

(703) 494-5154