Notes From the SVHS College and Career Center

SVHS Required Senior Post-Secondary Interest Form

If you have yet to do so, please fill out the SVHS Required Senior Post-Secondary Interest Form.

All SVHS Seniors are required to complete this form to indicate their post-high school plans.  This is an important part of the SV college application process in order to help ensure all high school documents are submitted in a timely fashion.  This information will also help us support you as you plan for life after high school.

Applying to College

Any Seniors interested in applying to college should start familiarizing themselves with the SVHS College Application Packet document.  This document is a step-by-step guide to applying to colleges.  It has information and instructions on how to apply to college, including Montgomery College.  If you plan on applying to any four-year schools, you should start working on this process ASAP!  Feel free to reach out to your counselor or Mr. Nalda if you have any questions.

College Representative Visits in the College & Career Center

Juniors & Seniors are encouraged to participate in visits to learn more about colleges and universities.  Students interested in participating in 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:

• University of Maryland-Baltimore County - Mon September 11 @ 10:30 AM

• University of Massachusetts-Amherst - Mon September 11 @ 12:05 PM

• York College of Pennsylvania - Tue September 12 @ 8:45 AM

• Frostburg State University - Tue September 12 @ 9:40 AM

• St. Mary's College of Maryland - Tue September 12 @ 10:30 AM

• Virginia Commonwealth University - Wed September 13 @ 10:45 AM

• Washington College - Wed September 13 @ 1:10 PM

• Bowie State University - Thu September 14 @ 8:45 AM

• Towson University - Thu September 14 @ 12:05 PM

• Hofstra University - Thu September 14 @ 12:55 PM

Upcoming Scholarships 

• September 15 - The Gates Scholarship - top 300 students receive funding for full cost of attendance; senior; US citizen, national, or permanent resident; African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian & Pacific Islander American, and/or Hispanic American; min 3.3 GPA; financial need; Pell-eligible; must enroll full-time in a four-year degree program; outstanding academic record; demonstrated leadership; personal success skills.

• September 15 - Notorious RBG Women Of Tomorrow Scholarship - 10-$1,000 awards; grades 9-12 and recently graduated 2023 seniors (female-identified applicants are strongly encouraged to apply, however applicants of any gender are eligible!); 500-800 word essay; pictures/videos/ media showing your leadership in action; color headshot; academic resume; current transcript (can be official or  unofficial); educator recommendation.

• September 17 - We The Future Contest - 1-$1,000 award for each project categories; grades 9-12; ages 14-19 at time of entry; U.S. Cit. or legal res.; submit an original work one of the following about the First Amendment: essay, song, STEM, short film, or PSA; see link for full rules and guidelines.

• September 26 - QuestBridge National College Match - recipients are granted early admission to one of QuestBridge's college partners with a full four-year scholarship, worth over $200,000; any high school senior, regardless of citizenship, currently attending high school in the U.S. is eligible for the National College Match (should review the Additional Citizenship Requirements); have earned primarily A's in the most challenging courses available (usually including Honors, AP, and/or IB level courses); financial need as finalists typically come from households earning less than $65,000 annually for a typical household of four and have minimal assets.

• September 30 - Don't Text and Drive Scholarship - $1,000 award; 9-12 grade; U.S. Citizen; submit a 140-character personal statement that completes this sentence: "I pledge to not text and drive because...."

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

Other Info & Opportunities

How to Make your Common App Less Common - Webinar

Most students applying to college will come face-to-face with the Common App. Knowing the ins and outs of the application process can give students the competitive edge they need to navigate the platform successfully. Find out how to use your application to make yourself stand out. Jordan Kanarek from CollegeWise will be presenting to students on Zoom on Tuesday, September 12th at 7pm. Students and parents are welcome to join.

In this webinar, you’ll leave feeling more confident about:

• Academic transcript requirements

• Extracurricular planning

• Essay writing and school selection

• Incorporating personality in the application

• And recent changes that will impact applicants

Interested? Click here to register and for more information.

Post High School: Planning for Accommodations in College - Webinar for Families

This webinar will be a session on planning for post secondary accommodations for your student with disabilities. Tuesday, September 19, at 7:00 pm. The session will cover:

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protections and definitions

• The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 protections and definitions

• How to prepare before your student leaves high school

• When to disclose and how to disclose a student’s disability and needs

• Evaluations that may be needed

• Parents role once a student enrolls in college

• What types of accommodations are reasonable

Please complete this form to register for the event. The Zoom link for the webinar will be sent upon form submission.  (Flyer) 

UVA Society of Women Engineers - High School Visitation Program

The Society of Women Engineers at the University of Virginia invites high schoolers to apply to our High School Visitation program on Saturday, October 21st, 2023 held on our Charlottesville Grounds. The program provides young women and genderqueer high school students a comprehensive look at engineering fields and UVA’s engineering curriculum through informative speakers, an interactive design activity, tours, and much more. The program is designed to benefit participants with all levels of engineering experience, but we particularly target those students who are not yet familiar with the field and may be interested in applying to engineering schools or pursuing a STEM career. 

HSV is geared toward girls and genderqueer students in their junior or senior years of high school; however, freshmen and sophomores are welcome to apply as well. 

Click here for more information and the link to apply.  The online application must be completed by 11:59 pm on Sunday, September 24th, 2023. 

Questions?  Please email uvaswehsv@gmail.com.

SVHS College & Career Monthly Newsletter

• September, 2023-24

PSAT Testing

Dear Parents/Guardians of 11th graders:

PSAT will be held on Wednesday Oct 11.  If you would like your student to participate in the PSAT, please submit a payment of $19 to the SchoolCash Online system.  Instruction on registering for SchoolCash Online.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Michael Kim (Michael_T_Kim@mcpsmd.org).

Thank you.

How to order photos without a QR code:

• Go to Legacystudios.com and scroll down to the FAQ's section at the bottom of the page

• Select What do I do if I don't have my gallery code

• You'll then see: Follow this link: FIND MY CODE 

• Click on the FIND MY CODE link - or simply click here: Legacy Studios Find My Code

• Enter the required information for your student, (name and student id number) to access your images

• If you do not know your child's student id number, please contact our Customer Care team for assistance at:

• • customercare@legacystudios.com

  • 716-512-6336

A Message from the PTSA 

SAVE THE DATE - 9/19/23, 6:30 PM

Please join us in person at #SVHS in the media center for the first #PTSA meeting of the year on September 19th at 6:30 pm. Your opinions matter to us and we will need your vote on our proposed #PTSA budget for this new school year. In the next week or so, we will post the agenda for the meeting. Parents, we hope to see you there, bring your feedback, concerns, or questions. Please let your student(s) know that we value their opinions too as they are welcome to attend the meetings to speak up about things that concern them and provide feedback! Yes, they can earn (Student Service Learning) #SSL hours!! #GOEAGLES!

A Message from the Boosters

SAVE THE DATES: 

• September 21st- Boosters Meeting- Open to the public. 7:30 p.m.

Zoom Link:  https://us05web.zoom.us/j/83899553967?pwd=n0KTQCusFL6QfmGGwWWh8IQrfoTwSv.1 

 Meeting ID: 838 9955 3967

 Passcode: 1KACXR 

• September 22nd- Varsity Home Football vs Northwest 

• November 4th- SVHS Boosters Community Yard Sale.  Details to follow.

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.

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

Library Media News: Join Book Club!

Book Club Interest Meeting 🌻

Students who like to read and discuss books are invited to attend a book club interest meeting in the library media center at the beginning of lunch on Tuesday, September 12th.  Roughly once a month, the library media center will be closed for lunch but open for Book Club.  During this initial interest meeting, students will learn more about the three reading programs we sponsor at Seneca and have the opportunity to pick up a copy of our first book, the One Maryland One Book selection There There by Tommy Orange.  We’re looking forward to a great turnout, but anyone who can’t make it is welcome to email Ms. Little for more information. 

Library Media Center Orientation Continues 📚 

For the past two weeks, 9th grade students have been participating in Library Media Center (LMC) orientation.  This week, LMC staff are welcoming ESOL classes, levels 1-3, to visit the LMC for the purpose of learning about our physical and online spaces, LMC services and opportunities, and basic Chromebook care and troubleshooting tips.  If you would like to view the orientation slides, please click HERE. 

ACTION: Complete the Google, YouTube, and Online Digital Tools Consent Form

Parents and guardians - if your student is in grade 9, new to MCPS, or if you have not previously submitted the G-Suite for Education: Additional Services form, please give your student(s) permission to access and use technology resources as part of their learning experience.  Access to the form is via ParentVUE, as part of the Annual Verification process.

From Technology Information and Support for Parents:
What is Annual Verification and how do I do this in ParentVue?

In the past, yellow emergency cards and a variety of other forms were sent home with students on the first day of school so that families could communicate updates about contact information, health, directory withholdings, emergency contacts, and more. This process will now take place in ParentVUE using Online Registration. 

News from the Business & Finance Offices 

Business Office: Monique Riddick, Business Administrator, 240-740-6413

Finance Office:  Tara Owens, Financial Specialist, 240-740-6414

Important Dates to Remember:

• Senior Portraits - September 11-12, 2023; January 8-9, 2024

• Senior Panoramic Portrait - October 15, 2023

• Picture Make-up Day - October 11

• Last Day Seniors may pay with check - May 1, 2024

Finance Office Hours: Monday through Friday 7:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

• The window is closed daily from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

• Students may visit the finance office before school, during lunch, and after school. 

Payments may be made using School Cash Online or in cash, check, and money order at the finance window.   All checks should be made payable to Seneca Valley High School or SVHS.  Please include the student’s name and ID number on all checks.  Returned check fees are $25.00 per check and are obligated toward the student’s account until paid. This includes checks collected as part of fundraisers. 

Obligations: All outstanding obligations must be paid in order for students to participate in extracurricular activities such as athletics, clubs, Homecoming and Prom.  Seniors with outstanding obligations will not be permitted to participate in senior activities including the graduation commencement ceremony.  Outstanding obligations may be viewed and paid at https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com/.

Parking Permits: The Student Parking Application Form must be completed and submitted to the Business Office for approval. The Seneca Valley High School student parking information and regulations can be found here.