The objectives of the training module are for students to know and be able to:

• Review collective responsibilities in promoting a positive school culture and ensuring the physical, social, and emotional safety for all students in alignment with the MCPS Be Well 365 initiative.

• Define bullying, cyberbullying, harassment (including sexual harassment), hate-bias, hazing, intimidation, and student gender norms.

• Recognize signs of hazing, bullying, and harassment, including sexual harassment/assault.

• Identify reporting procedures to inform school administration of potential concerns and incidents.

• Analyze different scenarios and discuss possible consequences according to  MCPS Student Code of Conduct.

• Complete a feedback questionnaire, including an activity to help school administration gauge the level of concern in each of the areas addressed in the training module.

The training should take approximately 30 minutes to complete and will be accessible to all students via their myMCPS Classroom homepage. Students are asked to complete the training by December 1, 2023. 

If you have any questions or concerns about the topics that will be covered, please contact me, or your child’s school counselor.

Below is the link to also include that allows parents an opportunity to access the demo course that their child will be viewing.

Parent Access: How to Access the Culture of Respect Demo Course

From the PTSA 

Thank you to all who attended our PTSA meeting. It was again another successful one this month. We had some technical difficulties but it’s the way of life these days 😅. We hope to see you again and new families at our next meeting. 

**REMINDER**

Monday, November 6, 2023 - Restaurant Fundraiser Night at Chipotle 5pm-9pm.

Visit PTSA Fundraiser at Chipotle - Nov 6 | Seneca Valley HS for more information. 

Have questions, comments, feedback for the PTSA? Email us at svhsptsapres@gmail.com 

If you have not done so yet, please join our Facebook - Seneca Valley High School PTSA | Facebook

Need to join the PTSA click here - Join Now

Have a great week 💚💛

SVHS PTSA 

#SVPROUD 

SVHS Boosters

THIS SATURDAY- COME OUT TO OUR YARDSALE- THIS IS IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE SCHOOL AND IS THE PREMIER EVENT OF THE MONTH 

NOVEMVER 4TH 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.  THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD!!!!!!

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

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

Hospitality and Tourism Management Program Instagram Takeover

Help Seneca Valley WIN! Seneca Valley’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program is partnering with the Foundation for Hospitality and Restaurant Management (FHRM) to have an Instagram takeover on its official Instagram account! For two weeks, our students will be creating content on the FHRM Instagram. This opportunity allows students to have first-hand experience with marketing, advertising, and social media.  Our success is being judged by the number of “follows” and “likes'' we get by Friday, November 3rd.

Please support us by following @FHRM.MCPS and interacting with upcoming posts! Spread the word. “Like”, “follow”, and “repost”! 

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 

Notes From the SVHS College and Career Center

Applying to Colleges - Next Major Deadline is November 1

Seniors, the next major deadline for some 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.  

Submitting college applications - As we approach the November 1 deadline, some seniors have mentioned that they are waiting for letters of recommendation and other documentation to be submitted by staff before submitting college applications.  Please DO NOT wait for staff to submit.  Once you have completed any applications, please submit! 

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:

• The University of Tennessee, Knoxville - Mon October 30 @ 9:40 AM

• American Pool, Lunch Visit (Lifeguarding Opportunities) - Mon October 30 @ 11:12 AM - 11:54 AM

  • No registration in Naviance needed. Stop by the SVHS cafeteria anytime during lunch to learn about job opportunities (lifeguarding and more) from American Pool.

• Randolph College - Thu November 2 @ 12:05 PM

• Maryland Institute College of Art - Thu November 2 @ 12:55 PM

• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - Fri November 3 @ 9:40 AM

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

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: Mental Health Matters!