Registration for Dual Enrollment is Open

Registration for the Spring Semester of Dual Enrollment will begin on October 31st. 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

Seneca Valley High School Birds Of Play

Montgomery Virtual Academy

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) offers a full-time virtual learning program through the Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA). New this year, the admission season for MVA will occur in the fall from October to November in the online registration section in ParentVUE. This is the same window as the secondary regional/countywide programs' admission process. Admission to the MVA is open to students in Grades 2–12 during the 2024–2025 school year 

• MVA is in a state of transition due to data on family interest, student retention and academic outcomes. 

• NEW this year, students interested in attending the MVA for the 2024–2025 school year may apply during the same period as the regional/countywide high school programs. The application is in ParentVUE for rising students in Grades 2 to 12 students.

• MVA has limited seats and if there are more requests than seats available, a lottery will be conducted. New student applicants will either be invited to MVA or receive a waitlist number for vacant seats. 

• Students currently enrolled in MVA will be able to secure a seat for the 2024–2025 school year once they reapply on ParentVUE. 

• Daily attendance is required to comply with the Maryland State Department of Education. School hours align with MCPS schools at similar levels. 

• MVA will have two admission periods. o The first-round deadline of November 3, 2023, is for entry into the school year 2024–2025 and the waitlist for Semester 2 of the 2023–2024 school year. 

  • The second-round deadline of February 9, 2024 is the waitlist for the 2024–2025 school year. 

• Starting the application process for the MVA in the fall will align student placement results with regional/countywide programs, staffing calendars, and will provide MCPS with more accurate staffing projections. 

Important Dates:

• November 3, 2023 - Application deadline for 2024–2025 admission 

• February 9, 2024 - Application deadline for 2024–2025 waitlist 

IB Projects: All SVHS students will have their 3rd SEL lesson working on their IB Project this Wednesday. Students will be refining their project proposal through research. For more information, please see this handout! Please visit our SVHS IB Program website to check out the lesson and materials from last week.

• IB Learner Project: This project is for all 9th, 11th, & 12th graders, who can earn 10 SSL hours upon completion. 

• MYP Personal Project (PP): This project is for all 10th graders, who can earn 15 SSL hours and .5 elective credit for "MYP Research Seminar" upon completion. Different than the IB Learner Project, the MYP PP is an IB requirement for all MYP students. SVHS staff will assess the projects using an IB MYP rubric in March and scores will be submitted to IB. 

Notes From the SVHS College and Career Center

Applying to Colleges - Next Major Deadline is November 1

Seniors, the next major deadline for college applications is November 1.  As you continue working on applications, students should refer to the SVHS College Application Packet as a guide to applying to colleges and for specific instructions.  

Special note about University of Maryland-College Park:  November 1 is the University of Maryland-College Park’s Early Action deadline.  We strongly encourage all students interested in applying to the University of Maryland to apply by this deadline.    

Staff Alma Maters

Curious or want to learn more about a particular college?  Click this link to see where some of our SVHS staff members attended college.  They have volunteered to speak with students about their school and college experience!

2024-25 FAFSA & Some Upcoming Changes

Once the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) becomes available in December, all eligible Class of 2024 seniors should fill out the 2024-25 FAFSA as that will be their first year of attending college, university, or trade school. This includes students planning to attend Montgomery College. Accidentally filling out the wrong year’s FAFSA may lead to issues or delays in receiving financial aid! Mr. Nalda will provide details and updates as they become available. 

Click here to view some of the upcoming changes to the 2024-2025 FAFSA (shared with us via MC).

Click the following to learn more about the redesign: Implementing the 2024–25 FAFSA Process

College Representative Visits in the College & Career Center

Juniors & Seniors are encouraged to participate in college rep visits to SVHS to learn more about colleges and universities.  Students interested in participating in rep visits must register in Naviance.  

Click here to learn more and see who is scheduled to visit SVHS this Fall!

Next Week’s College & Career Center Visits:

• Shenandoah University - Mon October 23 @ 8:45 AM

• Lincoln Technical Institute, Columbia - Mon October 23 @ 9:40 AM

• Stony Brook University - Mon October 23 @ 12:05 PM

• The Catholic University of America - Tue October 24 @ 9:40 AM

• St. John's University, New York - Tue October 24 @ 10:30 AM

• St. John's College (MD) - Tue October 24 @ 12:55 PM

• Stevenson University - Thu October 26 @ 12:05 PM

• Goucher College - Thu October 26 @ 12:55 PM

Upcoming Scholarships 

• October 31 - Voice of Democracy Scholarship - 1-$35,000 top prize, other awards ranging from $1,000-$21,000; grades 9-12; although U.S. citizenship is not required, must be lawful U.S. permanent resident or have applied for permanent residency (the application for which has not been denied) and intend to become a U.S. cit. at the earliest opportunity allowed by law; write & record a 3-5 min. essay on the theme: What Are the Greatest Attributes of Our Democracy?

• November 01 - NC State Park Scholarships Program - four-year scholarship to NC State University; the mission of the Park Scholarships program is to bring exceptional students to NC State, based on outstanding accomplishments and potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character; see link for more information. 

• November 01 - Young Writers Awards - $1,000, $500, and $250 awards for each category; winners and finalists could also be eligible for up to $60K in undergrad scholarships at Bennington College; 9-12 grade; enter an original work in one of three categories: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction; see link for full rules and guidelines. 

• November 08 - Regeneron Science Talent Search - win up to $250,000; senior; students will be given the challenge of conducting independent science, math, or engineering research; to be considered, you must submit a maximum 20 - page research report explaining your experiments and conclusions; research must be the work of a single individual, group and team projects are not eligible; see link for full details and guidelines. 

• November 13 - Elks Most Valuable Student Award - 500 awards ranging from $1,000-$30,000 per year for four years; senior; U.S. Citizen; judged on scholarship, leadership, and financial need; top 20 national finalists traditionally win a leadership trip to interview for up to $30,000. 

• November 13 - Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards - awards of up to $1,000 to use for college education or to fund a community service effort; senior; be of Hispanic heritage (includes Spain, Brazil, Philippines); min 3.0 GPA (unweighted); essay questions; letter of recommendation; transcript; if selected, attendance to virtual regional awards ceremony is mandatory. 

• November 16 - Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship - over 100 awards of up to $55,000/year to attend a four-year school; senior; min. 3.5 GPA (un-weighted); judged on persistence, service to others, and leadership; essays, letters of recommendation; financial need (will consider applicants with family income up to $95,000); students can apply via Common App. 

• December 15* - BURGER KING Scholars Program* - multiple awards ranging from $1,000-$50,000; senior; min 2.0 GPA (unweighted); must enroll at a two- or four-year school full-time next Fall; recipients are selected based on their grade point average, work experience, extracurricular activities and/or community service. 

  • *Apply early as scholarship closes on December 15 or when 50,000 applications are submitted, whichever occurs first!

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

Other Info & Opportunities

MC Financial Aid Night (Online Webinar)

Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 5:30–7:30 p.m. Online

This webinar will introduce the concepts of financial aid and scholarships to students and families. We will identify key deadlines and highlight Maryland state grants and MC scholarships. The session will also provide a general overview of the many options to pay for college. A live question and answer period will follow the presentation.

Click here for the flyer  |  Click here to register

Montgomery College Harvest Fest

Saturday October 28  |  10 a.m.– 2 p.m. | Rockville Campus

Fun for residents of all ages:

Activities for Kids (face painting, games, and prizes)  |  Art Show  |  Dancing  |  Coding Demonstration  |  DJ  |  Ice Cream  |  Raffle

Learn more about MC's classes and offerings - The whole family is welcome at this free event.  

Click here for the flyer with more information

The First Job Experience with Old Navy

Saturday October 28  |  10 a.m. – 2 p.m. |  FBR Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington (THEARC Campus), 1901 Mississippi Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020 

The First Job Experience, a one-of-a-kind event designed to help teens connect with professionals and develop their workforce skills. At The First Job Experience, teens will have the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals in various fields, participate in engaging discussions about career paths, and connect with like-minded peers.

Click here to register  |  Click here for the flyer with more information

For more information, contact Ashley Miller by email at amiller@bgcgw.org or by phone (301) 353-9600.

Mount Calvary Baptist Church - 13th Annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) College Fair

Free and open to the public!  Come check out our Workshops and Seminars (see link below for a list).

• Saturday, November 4, 2023  |  9:30 AM until 1:00 PM EST

• Mount Calvary Baptist Church at 608 N. Horners Lane, Rockville, MD 20850 

Click here for more information and to register  |  Flyer

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

Library Media News: #spookyszn 🎃

We 🎃#spookyszn!

• Last week, we kicked off #spookyszn with our first book club discussion of the year.  Turnout fabulously necessitated splitting the club into two groups for discussion.  The general consensus was that House of Hollows by Krystal Sutherland was creepy, but good.

• This week and next, we are running a spooky story writing contest.  Students and staff are encouraged to write a two-sentence (max) horror story for the chance to win one of three small Squishmellows.  Entries will be posted in the LMC on Friday and shared with SV staff, who we will ask to help judge the contest.

• Finally, come check out our spooktacular reading promotion, which features a wide range of books perfect for those looking for a good scare this Halloween.  In addition, a display celebrating Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Month features many thought-provoking, speculative reads.

Book Club Updates 🌻

The next book discussion will take place during lunch on Monday, November 20th.  In recognition of Native American Heritage Month and in collaboration with Maryland Humanities One Maryland One Book, we are reading There There by Tommy Orange.  Students interested in participating in this program should stop by the LMC or email Ms. Nicole Little for more information.

SAVE YOUR SPACE AND GET READY TO MAKE SOME DEALS

• November 4th- SVHS Boosters Community Yard Sale.  

JOIN THE BOOSTERS:

• 2023-2024 Booster Membership is now open to join!

• Please use this QR code or link to sign up and send your $15 membership fee

https://square.link/u/7qiWt8kq

• Membership gives you voting rights for decisions in Boosters, changes, and how to disperse money to clubs and athletics. You will also receive a Seneca Valley bumper sticker.

VOLUNTEER WITH THE BOOSTERS:

• Use link below or contact Rob Duda-  boosterssenecavalley@gmail.com or robduda@verizon.net

• Sign up genius is LIVE for our fall season:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4fadaf2ca1fc1-svhs#/

• Please know that Boosters needs a ton of volunteerism and in turn, this allows our clubs and teams to achieve requested grants.

Visit us on social media!

• IG: #seneca_boosters and #stormtheeagle

• Facebook: Seneca Valley HS Boosters

• Twitter: @svhsbooster