Good Evening Seneca Valley Community,

Hope you had a great long weekend and enjoyed a bit of snow.

Seniors and Senior Caregivers please see important information regarding senior caregiver meeting and graduation packages.

Please see messages from the Boosters and PTSA regarding upcoming meetings.

Have a great day and week, on purpose!

Ricardo Hernandez, Acting Principal

Seneca Valley Caregivers of Seniors:

Good Evening! Your Senior is less than four months away from graduating from Seneca Valley High School. There are two important items in this message, so please take note of both:

• First, we will hold a meeting for all parents of Seniors on Tuesday, March 12th at 6:30pm in the cafeteria. In this meeting, we will be sharing information regarding the graduation ceremony on June 5th. Please plan to attend this meeting. 

• Second, your student's graduation package - the payment for the ceremony, venue, cap and gown, t-shirt, stole, picnic, and sundry other items - has been attached to your student's School Cash Online (SCO) account as an obligation.  The grad package is $80 this year - lowered from last year because of good fundraising efforts! Your student must pay their grad package fee or will be in jeopardy of not participating in the graduation ceremony and not attending prom. If you have questions about how to pay the fee, please contact the finance office as soon as possible. All seniors should have provided the cap and gown size to Josten's by now. If not, please contact one of the senior sponsors.

Thank you for your time and efforts in getting your student to walk across that stage and we look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, March 12th at 6:30pm!

How to pay on School Cash Online:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JU4Yo3vIhK2hiPasss8VmnTIFkTnf06k9gspCaXo0lo/edit?usp=sharing

Monique Riddick

School Business Administrator

Seneca Valley High School

2024 Yearbook | Last Chance to Guarantee 2/25

Dear Families, Time is running out to purchase the 2024 yearbook. If you are interested, please CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.   Payment plan  is available at checkout.  We cannot guarantee a yearbook unless you preorder by 2/25.  If you are unsure if you ordered, please check here https://www.jostens.com/customer-service/yearbook-order-tracking

2nd Semester Student Parking Applications are now available.

SVHS STUDENT PARKING INFORMATION

Students interested in applying for a parking permit must read and review the following document carefully: 

• Student Parking Information

Please note that as part of the parking permit application process, the following forms must be completed and submitted for approval:

• Student Parking Application Form (online form)

• Parent/Guardian Request for Student Use of Private Vehicle Form (must be signed and uploaded into the online form above)

Monique Riddick

School Business Administrator

Seneca Valley High School

19401 Crystal Rock Drive

Germantown, MD 20874

240-740-6413

Attention Students and Caregivers!!

Summer RISE registration is open!  Deadline is Feb 27 @ 5pm Summer RISE (Reimagining an Innovative Student Experience) is an initiative led by the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Department of Partnerships to provide rising high school juniors and seniors with enriching summer career-based learning experiences.

Click the link below for more information about Summer RISE:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/partnerships/summer-rise/for-students

Click here to register

Message from the PTSA

PTSA MEETING - We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, February 20th from 6:30pm to 8:00pm in the SVHS media center or via zoom. We value your voice and hope to see you there! Come meet the Principal Mr. Ricardo Hernandez. 

GUEST SPEAKER - The Wellness Center will be presenting at the PTSA meeting. Come learn more about the great resources they offer to the community. 

AFTER-PROM - We are very excited to have an After Prom committee lead and a couple of volunteers. However, we would love to get a couple of volunteers to help with this big event planned for May 3rd.  Please reach out to us at svhsptsapres@gmail.com if you are interested. We thank you in advance! 

RESTAURANT NIGHT RESCHEDULED - The fundraiser at Chick-Fil-A originally planned for Wednesday, March 13th from 5:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m is being rescheduled due to scheduling conflicts. A new date will be shared soon. 

Staff Appreciation - The PTSA is working on putting together a staff appreciation event for our wonderful teachers in early March. Information on how you can support will be shared soon. 

The PTSA is on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/954316351262170/

Have a great week 💚💛

SVHS PTSA 

#SVPROUD  

Thanks,

Chantal

Sustainability Contests

Students, please consider entering these exciting sustainability contests!

2024 Sustainability Poster Contest:   

All MCPS students and staff are invited to participate in the Division of Sustainability and Compliance's Sustainability Poster Contest.  The focus of this annual contest is to increase awareness and demonstrate your school's commitment to environmental sustainability and sustainable actions related to energy conservation, waste reduction, and responsible recycling. Posters must be submitted to DSC by Friday, April 5, 2024.  For more information, visit:  poster contest | Montgomery County Public Schools | Rockville, MD (montgomeryschoolsmd.org)Links to an external site.

DUAL ENROLLMENT!!

There is still time to register for the Spring Semester of Dual Enrollment! The classes offered in the building for Spring 2024 will be AOSC 100 (Weather & Climate) and BSAD 101 (Introduction to Business). These classes will be offered during 7th & 8th periods and are open to qualified students in all grades. Students are also able to take classes on campus at Montgomery College as well as virtually.  Tuition and books are at NO COST to students and families. This is a fantastic opportunity to start earning free college credit! Please email Stacey Blaine with any questions at stacey_j_blaine@mcpsmd.org

Stacey Blaine

Part-time Dual Enrollment Program Assistant

Seneca Valley High School

Room 2107B

IB Projects

Our last SEL lesson! This week on Wed. February 21st, we will have our last SEL IB Project lesson! Please see the timeline below for the project due dates. 

• • February 20: Due date for students to complete their products and create a Google Slide highlighting their projects.

  • February 28, February 29, March 5, & March 6: 10th grade students will be assigned to one of the workshop dates during periods 6-8 in the Library Media Center with Mrs. Becraft to complete their final report. 

  • March 8: Due date for their Final Report.

MYP Personal Project workshops for 10th graders: As referenced above, I will be holding 4 workshops during periods 6-8 in the Library Media Center in order to help support 10th graders complete the IB-required final report for their MYP Personal Project.

• Workshop dates: Periods 6-8 on February 28, February 29, March 5, & March 8

• Students who submit their Product Google Slide assignment, due Feb. 20th, will be invited to ONE of the four workshops.

ATL Workshop Series 

As part of our EOS work, we will be hosting a series of ATL student workshops during lunch in room 1601 to support student skill development. These workshops are open to all students.

• Workshops topics & dates: Time Management on March, Developing Studying Skills on March 21 & Effective Note-taking on April 11 

• Students should register using the QR code below or bitly (https://bit.ly/SVHSATLworkshop).

MCPS Division of Food and Nutrition Services Survey 

Mid-Year Transcripts/Reports - Seniors

If the college(s) you have applied to require a mid-year transcript, please reach out to your counselor and/or Mr. Nalda for assistance.  Schools will typically reach out to students via email or provide this information as a checklist within their portal.  If you are unsure if you need to send a mid-year transcript, double-check your email and college portals.  Feel free to reach out to Mr. Nalda if you have any questions.

Tracking College Admissions & Merit Scholarship Offers in Naviance - Seniors

Many seniors have already received college admissions decisions.  This is a reminder to keep track of ALL admissions results and merit scholarships for ALL colleges you applied to in Naviance.  Once you hear back from colleges via email or letter, please record your results in Naviance:

• How to update admission decisions/results in Naviance:  video instructions

• If you were accepted and offered a merit scholarship, congratulations!  Here is how to add your offered scholarship in Naviance (video instructions)

  • Note:  Under $ Awarded, enter the amount.  If you see that your award is renewable, please multiply the amount by four (for four years of college).

  • If you have been offered multiple academic scholarships, you may title them by using the name of the college or the name of the scholarship.

    • For example:  “University of Florida - Merit Scholarship” OR “Trustee Scholarship - Purdue U.”  (etc.)

If you need assistance, feel free to reach out to Mr. Nalda or your counselor.

Important Message from Mrs. Ellen Fellows (SVHS SSL Coordinator)

Hello Students and Families,

Congratulations to our seniors who have gone above and beyond in obtaining their Student Service-Learning hours (SSL) for graduation!  We have many students who are set to earn the county SSL award of 240 hours or more completed.  Please turn in any unsubmitted hours to the tray in counseling services or to ellen_p_fellows@mcpsmd.org on Form 560-51 by Friday, April 5th at 3pm.   

As you know, students must earn 75 SSL hours to graduate high school.  If you do not have these hours, you will not walk the stage and will not graduate high school on time.  We are asking all students to complete their hours by April 1st (if this is an issue, please see Mrs. Fellows as we always can find a way to complete them).  We do not want you to wait until the last minute.  We still have approximately 28% of the seniors without the minimum amount of 75 hours complete.  

We have plenty of amazing opportunities (please see link below).  If you are working and have limited time to complete the hours, please see Mrs. Ellen Fellows in the counseling office at lunch.  Students who currently do not have their hours complete are in the process of being called down to make sure they have a plan for completion as well as notifying families.  Approximately 45% of the seniors who are not finished with their hours have less than 10 hours to complete.  Let's figure out how to get this done as quickly and efficiently as possible!  

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) recently launched the annual Heads Up, Phones Down (HUPD) safety video contest, which encourages county high school students to create a short video emphasizing the importance of pedestrian safety on our roadways. Participants receive up to 10 SSL hours and have a chance to win cool prizes. Please see the contest page for details. Click here for the flyer. 

In addition, we have plenty of county and school-wide opportunities.  We are here to help.  Please click here to access SSL Opportunities.

For questions or concerns, please contact Ellen Fellows, School Counselor and SSL Coordinator at ellen_p_fellows@mcpsmd.org or 240-740-6429.  Thank you! 

2024–25 FAFSA Info & Updates

2024-25 FAFSA Student Aid Index Update and Timeline (Updated Feb. 6, 2024) 

A few important things to note:

• Institutions, state higher ed agencies, and designated scholarship organizations will begin receiving batches of FAFSA information (ISIRs) starting in the first half of March. The information transmitted to schools will include updated SAI tables.  Colleges and universities are aware of this new timeline.

• Students will receive an email informing them that their FAFSA form has been fully processed and their FAFSA information has been sent to the schools they listed on their form.

• Students will be able to make corrections to their FAFSA once their eligibility has been calculated and ISIR generated. Students may view their eligibility calculation by logging back into their Studentaid.gov account.

Reminder that students and families can visit StudentAid.gov/fillingout for resources about completing the 2024–25 FAFSA Form—including information about creating a StudentAid.gov account without a Social Security number (parents), how to complete the new 2024–25 FAFSA form, and what to do before and after completing the FAFSA form.

• Click here to learn more

• 2024–25 FAFSA Issue Alerts

2023-24 SV Financial Aid Guide for Seniors

Upcoming Scholarships 

• February 20 - The Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship - one award of $10,000 and four awards of $5,000; senior; open to vegetarian and vegan students; write an essay addressing different points on vegetarianism, including how you promoted vegetarianism in your high school and/or community and why it is important to you; copy of transcript; three or more recommendations (at least one teacher); any documentation related to your promotion of vegetarianism in high school and/or community including photographs, newspaper stories, etc.

• February 20 - Montgomery County Public Schools Educational Foundation - (deadline extended to 2/20!) Student Scholarships & Awards Opportunities from $250 - $40,000; all MCPS graduating seniors who plan to pursue higher education are eligible to apply; primary goal is to fund students who are passionate about pursuing educational goals, and face opportunity gaps in achieving those goals; personal essay (can use essay from another application); list of top 3 – 5 activities; demonstrated financial need via FARMS, FAFSA, or MSFAA; flyer.

• February 29 - TheDream.US National Scholarship - up to a maximum of $16,500 for an associate degree and $33,000 for a bachelor’s degree at one of our Partner Colleges (see list)*; senior; min 2.5 GPA; have DACA, TPS, or came to the country before November 1, 2018, and otherwise meet the DACA criteria, or came to the U.S. before age 16; significant financial need; family's financial info; essays; responsibilities. 

  • *Morgan State University & St. Mary’s College of Maryland are the only partner colleges located in the state of Maryland. 

• March 01 - Montgomery College Board Of Trustees Scholarship - (3/1 is priority deadline, will take applications up until 5/1) one-year scholarship that covers the full-time cost of tuition and fees at Montgomery College at the county resident tuition rate, up to a maximum of 15 credits per semester; senior; must attend Montgomery College; 3.0 or higher weighted grade point average; letter of recommendation (must be emailed by staff to: botscholarships@montgomerycollege.edu); essay questions; please note: students must have already applied and received their MC M Number before they can begin the application.

• March 01 - Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation - senior; min. 2.0 GPA; maximum family adjusted gross income of $117,000 for the 2022 tax year; plan to attend a college or career training school listed on College Navigator website in the fall; see link for full details and requirements; must be a child of one of the following: an Active duty, reserve, or veteran U.S. Marine; a Marine killed while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps; an active duty, reserve, or veteran U.S. Navy Corpsman who is/was attached to a U.S. Marine Corps unit or who was killed while serving with a U.S. Marine Corps unit; a U.S. Navy Chaplain or Religious Programs Specialist who is/was attached to a U.S. Marine Corps unit or who was killed while serving with a U.S. Marine Corps unit. 

• March 02 - Team DC Student-Athlete Scholarships - awards of up to $2,000; senior with demonstrated academic success; self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer; participate actively in interscholastic athletics or a competitive sport (club sport, recreational league, etc.); enroll in a full-time, undergraduate program at an accredited two- or four-year college or university; official transcript; personal essay, maximum of 1,500 words (see link for prompt); two (2) letters of support from individuals qualified to address the candidate’s suitability for this award; copy of the acceptance letter for their chosen college or university.

• March 02 - Ivy Vine Charities, Inc. Collegiate Scholarships - awards totaling more than $35,000 are available to qualifying applicants; senior; resident of Montgomery County, Maryland; min 2.7 GPA (unweighted); plan to attend a four-year college or university, or community college; written essay (see application for prompt); evidence of participation in school activities and community involvement; evidence of Student Service Learning (SSL) hours; provide at least three pieces of evidence (certificates, letters of achievement) highlighting involvement in: academics, sports, clubs, student government, etc; signed copy of the parent waiver and release form. 

Click here to see the SVHS Scholarships Page for more opportunities.

Other Info & Opportunities

Upcoming College/Career Rep Visits to SVHS

Montgomery College - Tue February 20 @ 10:30 AM (Pd 4)

Topic: Step #1 Enrollment/Financial Workshop: Apply now, Apply for Financial Aid. Help students claim their account.

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology - Wed February 21 @ 12:15 PM (Pd 6)

Montgomery College, Lunch Visit - Thu February 22 @ 11:12 AM - 11:54 AM

*No registration in Naviance needed. Stop by the cafeteria anytime during lunch to learn more about Montgomery College, their programs, and more.

Continental Pools, Lunch Visit - Fri February 23 @ 11:12 AM - 11:54 AM

*No registration in Naviance needed. Stop by the SVHS cafeteria anytime during lunch to learn about summer job opportunities (lifeguarding and more) from Continental Pools.

MC Educational Opportunity Center FAFSA Fest

February 19-23, 9:30am - 6:00pm  

The Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education, GU 233 

51 Mannakee Street, Rockville, MD 20850

The Montgomery College Educational Opportunity Center invites you to join us at the 2024-2025 FAFSA Fest!  Attend to receive assistance with completing the 2024-2025 FAFSA application.

Register to attend and receive: 

• An in-person session with an EOC staff member or Financial Aid Officer

• 2024-2025 FAFSA application assistance

Please have your 2022 federal income tax forms on hand to ensure our staff can assist you. 

Click here to register  |  Click here for the flyer 

Service Year Maryland Virtual Information Session

Wednesday, February 21st at 7:00 p.m.

Service Year Maryland is a new program recently signed into law by Maryland Governor Wes Moore. The Service Year Option is an opportunity for those who recently completed high school, received their high school completion certificate or earned their GED in Maryland. A service year is an opportunity to develop real-world skills through hands-on service. Members will serve across the state of Maryland in organizations that will provide job training, mentorship and other resources to be successful all while earning $15 an hour plus focused professional development time each week. 

This session will provide information on how the program works and what opportunities are available.

Click here to register

Summer RISE Application is Now Open - Deadline is Feb 27 @ 5pm!

Summer RISE (Reimagining an Innovative Student Experience) is an initiative led by the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Department of Partnerships to provide rising high school juniors and seniors with enriching summer career-based learning experiences.

Click here for the flyer with more information

Click here for the link to register for the Summer RISE program - Application Now Open! 

SAT Day - March 19

SAT School Day will be offered to all Grade 11 students at SVHS on March 19. More details and information will be shared soon. In the meantime, I strongly encourage students to take advantage of Khan Academy’s free SAT prep to prepare.  

• Click here to access Khan Academy

• Click here for more information about SAT Day from the MCPS page

NACAC College Fair Field Trip for Juniors - March 20

Attention Class of 2025! It’s time to begin your college search! On Wednesday, March 20th, SVHS students will have the opportunity to attend the NACAC Montgomery County (MD) National College Fair as part of a school-wide field trip. This year’s event will take place at the Adventist Healthcare Fieldhouse (formerly the Maryland SoccerPlex) in Boyds, MD, and host over 275 Universities and Colleges. Admission representatives will be there to answer your questions about Admission Requirements, College Essays, Financial Aid, Scholarships and more. 

Click here for more information (Letter & Permission Slip) 

Internships, Summer Programs, and Pre-College Programs

Internships, summer programs, and pre-college programs are a great way for student to explore post-high school options and gain valuable experience they can add to their resume.  Many summer programs have spring application deadlines, so start searching soon if you may be interested!  Explore the many options and opportunities from the list below:

• Summer Programs & Internships - List of summer programs and internships created by MCPS College & Career Information Coordinators.

Do you have questions about internships or would you like to learn more?  Please reach out to the internship coordinator at SVHS, Ms. Kim Skufca. 

U.S. Service Academies - Summer Programs for Juniors

Click here for a letter from Senator Van Hollen’s office with more information, program dates, and application deadlines

SVHS College & Career Monthly Newsletter - February, 2023-24