j.l. simpson middle school j.l . simpson middle school · november 2012 –newsletter j.l. simpson...

November 2012 Newsletter – J.L. Simpson Middle School… “Home of the Mustangs!”

J.L. SIMPSON MIDDLE SCHOOL November 2012 Newsletter

Featured in this Month’s Issue: NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL…………………………………………………. 1

CALENDAR OF THIS MONTH’S SCHOOL EVENTS……..…...3

1st QUARTER FUN!…………………………………………………………………......4

PTO PRESIDENT’S LETTER…………………………………………………………..8

PTO NEWS…………………………………………………………..…………………….….…10

CLASSROOM NEWS …………………………………………………………………....11

COUNSELOR’S CORNER..………………………………………………………..…..14

MUSIC NEWS……………..………………………………………..…….………..…….16

LIBRARY NEWS……………………………………………………………………....…..17

ATTENDANCE INFORMATION …………………………………..……….…18

HEALTHWATCH FROM THE NURSE…………………………….………..19

CAFETERIA NEWS………………………………... ……………….……….……….20

OCTOBER STARS…………………..………………….………………………………...21

8th GRADE DODGEBALL…………………………………………………………..…..15

WINTER SPORTS CLUB FLYER……………….……………………….…....17

YEARBOOK SALES & RECYCLING @ SIMPSON.………………….19

TEAM MATHIAS BLOOD DRIVE.……………………………………………….25

SPECIAL EDUCATION NEWS.…………………………………………………….27

LEESBURG RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE.……………………………………28

HELPING HOMELESS CHILDREN IN LOUDOUN.………………….29

LEAD FACTS FOR PARENTS.……………………………………………………….34

MADD 5K WALK.……………………………………………………………………………….36

LOUDOUN INTERFAITH RELIEF THANKSGIVING.…………….38

COLLEGE FUNDING COACH.…………………………………………………………40

J.L . Simpson Middle School

490 Evergreen Mill Road

Leesburg, VA 20175

Principal:

Mr. Runfola

Assistant Principals:

Mrs. Carpenter

Mrs. Smith

Deans:

6th Grade….… … .Ms. Loiselle

7th Grade….… ….Mrs. Law

8th Grade……..……Mr. Fritz

Guidance Counselors:

6th Grade…………Mrs. Nameth

7th Grade………....Mrs. Jeane

8th Grade…….........Mrs. McKean

School Resource Officer:

Officer Pearson

Contact Information

Main Office

(571) 252-2840

Absentee Call-In

(571) 252-2842

Cafeteria

(571) 252-2843

Fax

(703) 771-6643

School Hours:

8:40 AM – 3:28 PM

www.lcps.org/jlsms

November 2012 Newsletter – J.L. Simpson Middle School… “Home of the Mustangs!” 1

Notes from the Principal

Dear Parents:

Hurricane Sandy certainly had an impact on all of us with schools

being closed for two days as students and teachers worked

feverishly to complete work and assignments to conclude the first

quarter of the year. I applaud everyone for their efforts and look

forward to a terrific second quarter.

Many students volunteered to run in the annual ―Simpson Club Run‖ on Friday, October 23rd which

was sponsored by the PE department. It was an exciting event and great to see the outstanding

effort of our students and a few parents who ran as well. 6th graders ran two miles, 7th graders

ran three miles while 8th graders ran five miles. It was an impressive day of effort, pride, and

school spirit!

October was an exciting month for all of us at Simpson. In recognition of Bullying Awareness

Month, our students and staff made some wonderful efforts to promote good citizenship. From

posters to announcements and hat day to blue shirt day, I appreciate everyone working to help

create a positive climate and culture for all students. Guidance counselors have been visiting with

students through resource discussing this important topic. Students are strongly encouraged to

not be a bystander and let an adult know if something is going on.

We enjoyed ―Spirit Week‖ on October 31 through November 1st with ―Dress Up Day‖ being my

favorite. The students looked terrific in their best attire. We also had our fundraiser party

which was full of exciting events and activities. National School Lunch Week and National School

Bus Safety Week were opportunities to bring attention to the outstanding efforts of our drivers

and cafeteria workers who help take care of all of us. There was a fantastic turnout at Simpson

Night at the Corn Maize sponsored by the PTO. This event held at Temple Farm made for a great

evening. The other PTO sponsored event was the 7th grade party at Layng’s Farm. We really had a

great time and we were fortunate to have had good weather at all the outdoor events. Thank you

to everyone who brought food in for ―Make A Difference Day‖ to help Volunteer Loudoun support

Interfaith Relief. It is important for us to continue to help needy families this holiday season.

Many of you already returned the Federal Impact Aide forms that went home on Thursday,

November 2nd and should have been returned on November 3rd. If you haven’t already done so

please complete, sign, and return it. If a parent works on federal property, LCPS receives a

financial benefit that helps fund our schools.

Student attendance remains an important focus and family trips need to be scheduled during

student holidays if possible. Your support is needed and appreciated. Thanks to everyone for a

great October!

The second quarter began November 7th and I am looking forward to this wonderful time of year.

American Education Week begins Monday, November 12th. Our 8th grade band kicks off the week

with a concert beginning at 9:15 a.m. in our auditorium and parents are welcome to attend. Parents

are invited to visit throughout the week to see the efforts of students and staff. Report cards

come home with students on Wednesday, November 14th and I encourage students and families to

set academic goals for the second quarter. As always, teachers can be reached by phone or email

as needed. Your child’s guidance counselor is available to provide support and help. However, I

strongly encourage parents to reach out to the teachers first unless you need to have an all


teacher meeting. Counselors are your best resource to arrange this type of meeting.

Many of you have shared how much you appreciate and enjoy the CLARITY parent portal.

Currently, 4 out of 5 families are using it to monitor assignments and grades. Consequently,

report cards will be of little surprise to most of you, and teacher comments and notes will

continue to be found in CLARITY. Here is some information to further help you with CLARITY:

1. Please consider sharing the password with your child. He or she can be an active participate in

monitoring his or her progress. Some students are doing this already, taking more responsibility,

and are prepared to respond when their parent asks a question about an assignment or grade.

2. Overdue Assignments - if students do not hand in an assignment, teachers will enter a "Z"

indicating that it has not been turned in. If there is no grade entered, this means that the

assignment has yet to be graded (even though it will "show up" in overdue assignments).

3. Teachers do have up to 10 school days (or 5 A days / 5 B days) to enter grades. As you already

know, they are posting grades as quickly as possible.

As always, feel free to send you us emails for clarification or help.

We will host ―Spanish Speaking Parents Night‖ on Wednesday, November 14th. This is to discuss

teaching and learning with the help of interpreters. Families that attend will have the

opportunity to ask questions and have concerns addressed by our administration as we continue to

strengthen the bridge between home and school.

We are looking forward to the 8th grade Career Day on Friday, November 16th. Students have

already completed a survey indicating who they would like to visit and what careers they want to

learn more about.

I would again like to encourage parents to have your child ride his/her school bus as often as

possible. Our school’s entrance and parent drop-off / pick-up is busy. It requires your patience

when needing or choosing to drive your child to and from school.

A lot of great teaching and learning was going on this month! There were numerous special

projects and activities happening around our school; simply too many to list. I am proud of our

community here at Simpson, and am grateful to be part of a community that works to put our

children first.

I hope your time with family and friends this Thanksgiving is filled with enjoyable moments.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Chad D. Runfola

Principal


Calendar of This Month’s School Events – November 2012

DATE NAME of EVENT

November 2 .........................End of 1st grading period

November 4 .........................Daylight Savings begins

November 5 & 6 ....................Student Holiday/Teacher Workdays

November 7 - 30 ...................SCA Coat Drive – collected in history classes

November 12 .......................Veteran’s Day

November 12 – 16 ..................American Education Week

November 12 .......................8th Grade Band Concert @ 9:15 AM

November 14 .......................Report Cards

November 14 .......................Spanish Speaking Parent Night @ 7PM

November 15 .......................Strings Concert @ 7PM

November 16 .......................8th Grade Career Day 9AM

November 21 .......................National Family Week

November 21 – 23 ..................Thanksgiving Holiday

November 28 .......................Club Picture Day

Calendar of Upcoming School Events

DATE NAME of EVENT

December 1- 16 ....................SCA Toy/Book Drive – collected in history classes

December 1 .........................8th Grade Dodge Ball Tournament @ 7 PM @ LCHS

December 3 - 7.....................Book Fair

December 4 .........................6th, 7th & 8th Grade Choral Concert @ LCHS @ 7 PM

December 12 .......................8th Grade Guitar and 8th Grade Band Concert @ 7PM

December 12 .......................Interims

December 17 .......................7th Grade Band and 8th Grade Jazz Band Concert @ 7 PM

December 19 .......................6th Grade Assembly

7th Grade Musical Groups perform


8th Grade Musical Groups perform


LCHS Musical Groups perform

December 24 – January 3 ........Winter Break Holiday

If, due to a disability, you need assistance to enable you to participate meaningfully in a

meeting or event at J.L. Simpson Middle school, please contact Mrs. Smith, Assistant

Principal, at (571)252-2840 at least FIVE WORKING DAYS prior to the meeting or

event.


1st Quarter Fun!


Mustangs Love Team

Mathias!


PTO President’s Letter

It seems hard to believe, but we’re a quarter of the way through the school

year! This year is certainly flying by and November is sure to be another

fast month with teacher workdays and Thanksgiving break.

On October 5th, our 6th graders and friends had a great time attending our

annual 6th Grade event at the Temple Hall Farm Corn Maize. It was a

perfect fall evening as many families ventured out. This year, we sold

approximately 480 tickets prior to the event – wow! A huge thank you goes

out to Brenda Mbualungu for organizing this amazing event again this year.

She handled all of the details and it went off without a hitch, due to her

excellent planning.

In addition, we also sponsored our annual 7th grade event at Layng’s Flower

Farm on October 19th. This is another wonderful tradition here at Simpson

and the students had an amusing time enjoying a hay ride, roasting

marshmallows, and spending time with their friends. A big thank you to

Eve Weber for organizing this wonderful event and working to ensure its

success! Also, thank you to Layng’s for allowing us to hold this annual event!

At our October PTO meeting, we voted to change all of this year’s PTO

meetings to the evening. The meeting dates will all stay the same, but the

meeting time will be 7pm for the rest of the year. We hope some of you will

be able to join us each month!

If you ordered spirit wear at the beginning of the year, your child should

have received their order during lunch a couple of weeks ago. Thank you to

Kelli Williams and Jennifer Schneider for handling all of the spirit wear

orders! Also, a big thank you to all of the deans for helping to distribute the

items during lunches! For those of you who missed the fall spirit wear order,

but would still like to order some Simpson ―gear‖ we do not offer online

ordering this year. However, please rest assured that we will have at least

one more spirit wear order, in January.

Coming up in November, we will send out our Student Directory via e-mail.

After countless hours of inputting information and proofreading, we believe

it is finally ready for distribution. So, please be sure to check your e-mail


(and junk e-mail) for this. We hope to have it sent out to families who

submitted the blue Directory form at the beginning of the year by Monday,

November 5th. **Please note that paper copies will only be sent to those who

requested them at the beginning of the year. A huge thank you to Peggy

Plank and everyone who was involved with this huge project!

Later this month, we will host our annual 8th Grade Career Day on Friday,

November 16th. There are approximately 12 speakers coming in this year to

share information about their various careers. We hope that this will help

get our 8th graders thinking about what careers they would like to have in

the future. Carolyn Lorenzen is organizing this event again this year. She

and her team of volunteers will make sure speakers get to the right places

and assist them with anything they may need. If you are able to volunteer

for Career Day, please contact Carolyn at [email protected].

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we have a lot to be thankful for.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks and

appreciation for everyone who works to make a difference in the lives of our

children at Simpson. A special thank you to all of the teachers, staff,

administration, PTO officers, chairmen, and fantastic volunteers. Our

school wouldn’t be the great place that it is without all of you! Speaking of

volunteers, we are always looking for more volunteers to assist with PTO

projects and various school activities. If you would like to volunteer in any

capacity, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Sonya Connors at

[email protected].

I look forward to seeing you at our November PTO meeting, on Monday,

November 12th at 7:00pm in the Simpson Library! Please feel free to join us!

Kim D. Berkey

PTO President

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



PTO News & Upcoming PTO-Related Events

Thank you! The PTO wishes to thank our volunteers in October….those who helped with the October Market

Day delivery, those who sold Corn Maize tickets during the lunch times, our volunteers who

stepped up to help with the Vision/Hearing screening exams, and finally our 7th Grade Event

helpers. October was a busy month and we appreciate each and every one of our parent

volunteers---we couldn’t do this without you. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

8th Grade Dodge Ball 2012 Calling all 8th graders!! The 7th Annual Simpson 8th Grade Dodgeball Tournament will take place

on Saturday, December 1st from 7:00 – 9:00pm at Loudoun County High School (main gym).

You must be in 8th grade to participate on a team. Students can put together their teams (no

more than 8 per team) or students can join a Simpson open team. Prizes will be awarded for

Championship Team, Best Team Name, and Best Team Shirt. Flyers will be coming home with

permission slips. All students must be registered on a team with a signed permission slip prior

to the event in order to participate. Registration will be open during the 8th grade lunch

periods on November 28th-30th. The concession stand will be open at this event, so no need to

make dinner. Parents, siblings, and students, come out and root on your favorite 8th grader at

this very fun event. Cheerleaders welcome! For questions, please contact Linda Lohneis at

[email protected]. If you can volunteer the night of the event, please contact Carolyn

Lorenzen at [email protected]

Calendar of PTO Events November 6 ..............................Market Day pickup @ 5:30PM

November 12 .............................PTO Meeting @ 7 PM Simpson Library

November 12 – 16 ....................American Education Week

November 16 ...........................8th Grade Career Day

December 1 ..............................8th Grade Dodge Ball Tournament @ 7 PM @ LCHS

December 5 ...............................Market Day pick-up @ 5:30 PM

December 3 ...............................PTO meeting @ 7 PM Simpson Library

Contact the PTO Got an idea, question, or suggestion for the PTO? Email any of the officers—we’d love to hear

from you!

Kim Berkey, President ...................................... [email protected]

Brenda Mbualungu, VP....................................... [email protected]

Paula Elmore, Treasurer .................................. [email protected]

Kerry Thomas, Secretary ................................ [email protected]

Sonya Connors, Volunteers .............................. [email protected]

We hope to see you at the next PTO meeting, scheduled for November 14th at 7:00 pm in the

school library.




Classroom News & Student Information

6th GRADE NEWS

Keyboarding students learn the alphabetic keys

During the midpoint of the semester Keyboarding students are becoming excited as they get

close to completing the alphabetic keying lessons. This always prompts the question ―what are we

going to do after that?‖

Besides learning the numeric and symbol keys, students will be putting into practice the proper

keying lessons they have learned. This applies to demonstrating effective reading and writing

skills along with perfecting their proofreading and editing abilities. In turn these skills aide in

effective research and written translation of, for example, ergonomic guidelines for safe

computer use. The more practical tasks during the next few weeks will include computer file and disk

management techniques and incorporation of simple graphic elements into documents, which is

more fun than it sounds!

History

On Thursday, October 25th, the sixth graders had an honored guest share his Tuscarora heritage

with them. Mr. Rocca, a Tuscarora War Chief, who resides in Leesburg, held an assembly in our

auditorium. The main messages conveyed to the students were to take care of our Mother Earth

and to find out about their heritage. The sixth graders thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Rocca's

presentation and have composed thank-you cards to send to him.

7th GRADE NEWS

It is hard to believe that we have already completed the first quarter. The 7th Grade Class

continues to show great character and respect, and has transitioned very well into the 7th grade.

We continue to expect good citizenship, respect, and hard work from our students.

Many of our initiatives to help students with academic support are well under way. Our

Connections Program was modified a little this year, in that we now run these for each grade

level. 7th Grade Connections meets on Tuesday’s after school in the library from 3:30 PM to 4:28

PM. If your child is struggling academically please contact Mrs. Law or Mrs. Jeane to discuss the

extra supports that we can provide during and after school.

U.S. History– This month in Social Studies class, students will be studying the industrial period

of the United States. They will be learning about how industrialization occurred and what factors

contributed to its rapid growth. When this unit is completed students will begin looking at

immigration in America, specifically in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Life Science – Life science students have been working on a unit about cells. After learning

about the structures within a cell, they made a cell model in class. It is usually a colorful sight as

well as a learning experience. The cell models will be on display in the House B display case. We

will continue our study of cells by looking at how materials are brought into and out of the cell.

We will be able to see the effects of this by observing chicken eggs and what happens to them

when materials enter the ―cell‖ or leave the ―cell‖. Finally, we will study how cells reproduce to

make a multicellular organism.


FACS (Family And Consumer Sciences) – The 8th grade FACS students are getting ready to

"gobble up" some turkey in the next few weeks! Part of the curriculum in 7th grade is to discuss

food safety and sanitation, proper food storage and handling. Mrs. Allen showcases proper food

handling with the students each year by showing them how to properly prepare a turkey for

Thanksgiving, while talking about cross-contamination of food and how to properly help in

Thanksgiving preparations at home. The 8th graders in Mrs. Duhring's class then prepare

pumpkin pies, green bean casserole, rolls, cranberry salads, sweet potato casserole, and mashed

potatoes. Then on Wednesday (the week before Thanksgiving) the faculty and staff, along

with 8th grade students, will partake in our annual Thanksgiving Feast! This has become an 8th

grade tradition and the students look forward to preparing (and of course eating) the meal that

they helped to prepare. Mrs. Allen and Mrs Duhring look forward to this event every year, as we

get to see the advancement of the students’ cooking skills in the kitchen and their preparation

and presentation to the faculty and staff!

PE DEPARTMENT Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make the Club Run a great success. Simpson

students ran a total of 1675 miles! WOW!

Ms. Barthelemy ran all 3 club runs! WOW!

8th Grade had a total of 163 students who ran the 5 mile challenge!



Congrats to all for achieving their goal!


8th GRADE NEWS

The 8th grade Civics, English, Math, and Science teachers have joined together to create a weekly bulletin

that updates parents on what is occurring in the classroom. It is e-mailed every Friday. If you would like

to receive the update, please e-mail [email protected]. It is also available on the 8th grade team page.

Here is what the report looks like:

SCA NEWS

From November 7th – 30th the SCA will be collecting gently used coats and jackets. Also new hats

and gloves will be greatly appreciated!

From December 1st – 16th the SCA will be collecting new toys and gently used books.

All items will be turned in to Civics/History classes.



Counselor’s Corner

Eveanne McKean, 8th Grade Counselor; [email protected]

Sabrina Jeane, 7th Grade Counselor; [email protected]

Marianne Nameth, 6th Grade Counselor; [email protected]

We hope everyone has a great holiday break!

October was bully awareness month

We had great support from students and staff standing up against bullying. There were

six students that read quotes on the morning announcements to support a bully-free

school. Elijah Wilson, Stephanie Anderson, Rachael Oesterblad, Brett Rogers, Devin

Mash, and Bryn Hertel did an excellent job with their readings. They also created

picture posters with messages to the students about how to prevent bullying and why

students shouldn’t bully. We want to thank them for making the posters and thank the

volunteers who hung the posters throughout the school.

The following students helped advertise the bullying prevention events: Hailey Longus,

Brandon Sinden, Justice Day, Claudia Jimenz, Brett Rogers, Carlos Quinteros

Hernandez, Joey Nameth, Lindsay Elmore, Kirby Howerter, and David Bollinger.

October 24th was a hat day for students and staff to support a bully-free community.

October 30th we asked everyone to wear blue for bullying prevention awareness.

However, the day was cancelled due to the school closings. Regardless, counselors would

like to thank all the students that took a stand against bullying. Way to go Mustangs!

Career Day for the eighth graders is Friday, November 16th. Thirteen speakers have

graciously donated their time to spend the morning with small groups of students. They

will explain their backgrounds, talking about their jobs, and educational requirements.

Eighth Graders Interested in Applying to High School Specialty Programs

Academy of Science information:

For more information about AOS program, go to http://www.lcps.org/Page/35951

Dec. 17, 2012 Deadline to submit Part II of AOS application by 11:59 P.M.

March 22, 2013 Decision letters postmarked to applicants.




Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology:

Go to http://www.tjhsst.edu/abouttj/admissions/ for information on the TJHSST

admissions process.

Dec. 1, 2012 TJHSST Test Day

January 18, 2013 Semifinalist Notification- posted on Portal.

February 12, 2013 Deadline for students information sheets and teacher

recommendations.

March 29, 2013 Final notification posted on Portal.

April 10, 2013 Preview Night for Admitted Students.

April 23 & 24, 2013 Registration.

8th Grade Citizenship Awards- For acts of Kindness and Helping of others.

Thank You and Congrats!!

Stephanie Anderson Jasmine Atkins

Reid Auchterloine Jordan Chapman

Isaias Coreas Estrada Adam Edgar

Andrew Elmquist Emilie Frisson

Chantel Jackson Areeseh Khan

Brigette Lieu Alex Klimavich

Lauren Moore Suanna Moron

Jacquelyn Noel Matt Plank

Alexa Pusterla Savannah Ross

Wilmer Rosa Sanchez Travis Sines

Anna Zohore Elijah Wilson

Check out the J.L. Simpson’s guidance webpage go to

http://www.lcps.org//Domain/2639


Musical Notes

8TH GRADE BAND The 8th Grade Band will have their first concert on Monday, November 14, at 9:15 AM, in the

JLSMS auditorium. All parents and 8th grade students are invited. This concert is to kick off

American Education Week. 8th Grade Band members must wear the concert black and white for

the performance. See Mrs. Paquette’s web page for details about what is needed for ―concert

dress‖. Rehearsals for this concert are Nov. 9 and 10, from 3:30 to 4:30 PM Students can ride

the activity bus home afterward, or be picked up by a parent. Please be prompt. There will be

activity buses both days. Our Winter Concert for the Concert Band is December 12th, and for

the Jazz Band is Dec. 17th. Concert Dress for Jazz Band is: Jazz Shirt, Khaki pants, dress

shoes. HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE ON MONDAY, NOV. 12TH!

7TH GRADE BAND 7th Grade Band students are working diligently on their concert music. So far, it sounds great!

Their first concert of the year will be on Monday, December 17, at 7:00 PM, in the JLSMS

auditorium. Students will need to meet in the cafeteria at 6:30 PM, in concert dress. See Mrs.

Paquette’s web page for details about ―concert dress‖. Their performance, on the 17th, will be

immediately followed by a performance by the 8th Grade Jazz Band.

6TH GRADE BAND The 6th grade band concert will be on Thursday, January 17, 2012, in the JLSMS auditorium.

Rehearsals for that concert will be after school, from 3:30 – 4:30 PM, in the auditorium, on

Tuesday and Wednesday, January 15 and 16. They may ride the activity bus home, or be picked

up by a parent. They are starting to sound really good

Strings News Strings Students have a busy November ahead of them. We have rehearsals and a concert as

follows. Please look at the website under Staff and DeRosa for all details.

Thursday, November 15, 7:00 PM is our first concert for ALL strings students. All strings

students need to arrive at 6:15 PM so that we can tune our instruments. 6th grade students will

perform first and then the 7th/8th grade students will perform next.

Tuesday, November 13, 7th/8th Grade rehearsal after school. Please plan to stay and then

take the activity bus home.

Wednesday, November 14, 6th Grade rehearsal after school. Please plan to stay and then

take the activity bus home.

The music for the concert is what you have been working on in class. The dress for the concert is

as follows: Boys: white dress shirt, dark dress pants, dark socks, dark dress shoes

Girls: white blouse, dark dress pants, or dark skirt which reaches the knees, dark stockings or

dark dress socks, dark dress shoes.

Chorus News Congratulations to the following 6th grade students who participated in All County Chorus on

November 2nd and 3rd at Sterling Middle School:

Louie Boarts, Owen Cary, MaKenna Hamby, Aly Haslet, Nathan Humphries, Ashton Kersey, Emily

Kilbourne, Abigail Meck, Emma Sleeman, Caleb Washington


Library News & Book Reviews

from the Library…

Book Fair Coming Soon; Volunteers Needed

Our annual fall book fair is right around the corner. The book fair will be held in the

library and will run from Dec. 3-7. Hours will be 8:30-4 Monday-Thursday and 8:30-3:30

on Friday.

We will need quite a few parent volunteers to help with the fair, so if you are interested

and can give us a three-hour block of your time in either the morning or the afternoon,

then please contact Sonya Connors at [email protected] to schedule your slot.

…and remember that books make wonderful holiday gifts!

Check Out Our Updated Web Pages Our library website has a new look with many helpful links. Please check it out, especially

our Virginia Readers’ Choice book nominations for this year. These are books that the

library staff recommends to our students using booktalks and book trailers. Click on

each book cover to view the summary on our Pinterest page.

Please click here to visit the Simpson Library homepage.


http://cmsweb1.lcps.org/domain/2736


General Information from J.L. Simpson Middle School

ATTENDENCE INFORMATION

Absentee Line

When your child will be absent or tardy, please call the absentee line at: 571-252-2842. If your child has an appointment and will be late for school, please ask the doctor or dentist to provide a note. Your child may bring the excuse to House C when they arrive at school so that the tardy will be excused. Parents do not need to accompany their child when tardy, if they have a written excuse. If your child comes back to school after an appointment, they may sign back in at the front office where they will be issued a pass to go back to class.

If your child has been out for three days, you may request homework. Please allow twenty-four hours for the homework to be brought to the front office where you may pick it up after three PM. Please make homework requests before 8:30 A.M. on the attendance line when you call in the absence. Please call before coming in to be sure there is homework to be picked up. Generally, your child has the same number of days they are absent to make-up their work. Teachers are expected to work with students on a case by case basis.

PIMS (Parent Information Management System)

The PIMS is an online tool that provides a convenient way for the primary parent or guardian of a student to manage changes to their phone and email contact information.

It’s as Easy as 1…2…3

1. Access the PIMS link from the LCPS Public Internet site, www.loudoun.k12.va.us . From the LCPS home screen, click on the PIMS link on the left-side under “Quick Links”.

2. You will be guided through a series of screens where you will be prompted to enter some indentifying information, insert your relationship to the student and enter updated contact information.

3. Once the request has been submitted, your child’s school will review the request before accepting.

PHONE CONTACT LIST Keep one in your wallet or next to the phone.

**Parents please remember – Simpson doors do not open until 8:10 a.m. The weather is getting cold. We don’t want students waiting outside for the doors to open. Please

DO NOT DROP OFF your students until 8:10 a.m.

Important Information

http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/


HEALTHWATCH: Information from Our Nurse’s Office

Dear Parents,

Please provide at least 24 hours advance notice for copies of your student’s immunization

record.

Please remind your students of the following:

1. Wash hands as frequently as possible. Hand sanitizer, while not as effective,

is recommended when hand washing is not possible.

2. Talk to your student about resisting the urge to touch any part of the face,

except to eat or bathe. Bacteria can enter the body while rubbing irritated

eyes.

3. Using Listerine to gargle while at home helps stop the growth of viruses and

bacterial infections. Salt water has the same effect if Listerine is not used.

4. Eating Vitamin C rich foods is helpful in boosting one’s immunity.

5. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling with salt water.

Please call me at 571.252.2841 for any concerns!

Heidi Rivera, RN, BSN


LUNCH Menu for Loudoun County Public Schools

Cafeteria News

The Loudoun County Public Schools new Secondary Lunch Menu is a three week repeating menu. This menu may be viewed online at www.lcps.org by selecting lunch menus. Paper copies are available at all secondary schools.

November Hot Meal Menu Schedule

Week of October 29th Week 1

Week of November 5th Week 2





Yearbooks are now ordered directly from the publisher

Yearbooks are now on sale! Go to the Simpson web page and click on activities to order a

book before the price goes up on January 1st. The standard book is only $25 and all

orders must be prepaid.

Three easy ways to order:

Online

By phone

By mail (you may print the online order form) ____________________________________________________________________________________

j.l. simpson middle school j.l . simpson middle school · november 2012 –newsletter j.l. simpson...

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