Winter Newsletter

“HOME OF THE PIONEERS”

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Vol. 2, Winter

December 2012

Exam Schedule 2 Clubs, Dept. & Activities 5

Counseling 3 Boosters 19

Nurse 4 PTSA 21

Library 24

Be There 28

Yearbook Order Form 34

10504 Kettle Run Road, Nokesville, VA 20181 • 703.594.3020 • 703.594.2814

Dear Patriot Pioneers Families:

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and had an opportunity to connect with family and friends during the holiday. December 2012 and January 2013 will be exciting months. Take some time to attend one of our winter sporting events and attend one of our winter concerts. Our students, coaches, and instructors work hard to make each performance memorable.

Many of our students are involved in extracurricular activities. The clubs available to our students keep continuing to grow as new ones are created. Check with our activities director, Brad Qualls about starting a club you are interested in joining. Next, I would like to congratulate all of our fall sports teams- Cheerleading, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, and Volleyball- for their effort, sportsmanship, and successes during the season. Well done!

Our Theatre department and many Patriot Pioneers successfully performed in and orchestrated the production of Brighton Beach Memoirs. Congratulations to the cast and crew who worked diligently to make the production such a huge success Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our show.

I hope everyone is looking forward to the winter break. Our last day of school is December 21, which will be a full day. School will reopen on Wednesday, January 2, 2013. During December, and with the start of a New Year, comes the opportunity to refocus our efforts to support the work of our students as they progress through the year. Parents and families make a substantial impact when they are involved in their child’s education. Students who make a connection to the school through extra-curricular activities, athletics, and volunteer work, often enjoy their time at school more and are generally more successful.

January 2013 brings important steps for your child. First, your child’s first semester exams will be held January 22 through January 25, with early release at 11:30 a.m. on January 23-25. January 17 and 18 will be a review day and the first block exam will be held on January 22. January 28 will be a teacher workday and the normal school schedule will resume on January 29, 2013. Dates will change in the event of inclement weather; please watch the division website, www. pwcs.edu for information if weather becomes an issue.

Also, during January 2013, your child and you will begin the scheduling process for the 2013-14 school year. Counselors will start the process right after exams are completed to schedule students for next year’s classes. Teacher recommendations will be available for your review prior to you making class selections. More information will be provided as the time draws closer.

Thank you for your continued support. We are very lucky to have such an involved and

supportive community.

Sincerely,

Principal

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EXAM SCHEDULE

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SCHOOL COUNSELING OFFICE NEWS AND VIEWS

School Counseling Department

Terri Snoots, Director of School Counseling

Tiffany Smith, Counselor: A-Cl

Sara Correll, Counselor: Co-Go

Diana De Jesus Brent, Counselor: Gr-La

Laura Feeley, Counselor: Le-N

Joe Banks, Counselor: O-Sh

Susan Sigmon, Counselor: Si-Z

Linda Fair, Registrar

Ginger Baltimore, Counseling Office Secretary

Walter Goodman, Counseling Office Assistant

CLASS DROPS

Any student who drops a year-long course before the first quarter conclusion will have a notation of W/F or W/P placed on their scholastic record. Students who drop a year-long course after the semester will receive an “F” on their scholastic record.

Students who drop a first semester course after 1st Quarter will receive an “F” on their scholastic record.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES

With the use of Parent Portal and SchoolFusion, our hope is that teachers, students and parents will be able to communicate frequently as to the progress of their students. If a parent has a question about their student’s progress, we ask that they either call or email the teacher. Contact information should be included on the staff directory or the teacher’s Web page. If after teacher contact a parent feels that a face-to-face meeting is in order, the parent can set some-thing up with that individual teacher. If three teachers are involved, the parent can contact the counselor and they will help to facilitate the meeting.

STUDENT SERVICES

JoAnn Haun, School Nurse 703.594.3189 [email protected]

Jessica Buckman, School Psychologist 703.594.3295 [email protected]

Michelle Wilson, School Social Worker 703.594.3277 [email protected]

Calinda Hawkins, Attendance Officer 703.594.3626 [email protected]

WORK PERMITS

Students who need work permits may visit Mrs. Baltimore in counseling. Please be sure to have all correct documentation when applying for your work permit. Please contact Mrs. Baltimore with any questions at 703.594.3628 or email at [email protected]

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FROM THE NURSE

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Code of Behavior

This year, PWCS Code of Behavior is available online. For information please refer to:

http://pwcs.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=272031

From Patriot’s Instructional Technology

Parent Portal/SchoolFusion Parents who have not applied for a Parent Portal account can do so at parentportal.pwcs.edu/. The Parent Portal gives you access to your children’s current grades. Once you create your Parent Portal account, you can use that same username & password to log in to Patriot’s Web site (aka SchoolFu-sion) where you will find class Web pages and teacher contact information. Students have their own accounts to log in to the Parent Portal and Patriot’s Web site. Any student who does not know or remember how to login to these systems should contact Ms. Lowry at [email protected].

Student Novell Accounts

In addition to their Parent Portal/SchoolFusion accounts, Patriot students have been given their own accounts to login to Patriot’s computer network (Novell). In order for students to use a Patriot High School computer, they are required to know their username and password. Students are strongly encouraged to visit the Library to test out these passwords prior to needing them for instruction or to complete assignments. Any student who does not remember his/her Novell password can see Ms. Ruckle in the Library, Ms. Lowry in room 2035, Ms. Cornwell in the Front Office, or Ms. Bicknell in the Annex Office. In addition, with the Winter Break approaching, students are encouraged to come up with a way to remember their password for their return to school in January.

Patriot’s Bookmarks on “Diigo” Patriot’s parents, students, and teachers can find tons of really nice resources linked to Patriot’s Online “Diigo” link Library. Links to everything from “Cool Tech Tools” to “SOL Resources” to “Internet Safety” are there. These links have all been reviewed and most are annotated, too. Check it out at http://www.diigo.com/user/Patrioths. Be sure to visit the site often as new links are added every day that can benefit our Pioneer community!

Stand up for what you believe in and stay TRUE to your feelings.

CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

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Never underestimate the HUGE difference SMALL changes can make.

Chef Stevenson’s Corner

Hello Pioneer community and happy fall to you! We here in the Culinary Arts department hope that you are enjoying the change of seasons as much as we are! The leaves are beautiful, the air is crisp, and it’s time to get cookin’ with some favorite comfort foods. We would love for you to try the following recipe that has proven to be very popular in our culinary arts classes. Enjoy! Chef Stevenson

Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS 1 pound regular white mushrooms, cleaned, quartered or sliced

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp minced shallots

1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

Minced parsley for garnish

1. In a food processor, coarsely chop mushrooms and lemon juice.

2. Melt butter in (4-5 quart) sauce pan and lightly sauté shallots on medium heat. Add mush-rooms, thyme and bay leaf, sauté over moderate heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the liquid that is released from the mushrooms disappears.

3. Add salt, pepper, cream and chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Add cornstarch and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Correct seasoning and add more lemon juice to taste.

Serve sprinkled with a little parsley.

Yield: Serves 4.

CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

Attendance Office

When your child is absent from school, please have him or her bring a note to the attendance office (room 1530) within two (2) days of his or her return to school. It is not necessary for the parent/guardian to call the school or attendance.

Attendance can be reached at 703.594.3021

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CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

From the Fine and Performing Arts

Patriot junior Hayden Adkins continues to shine. Hayden was selected as one of the handful of PWCS students to represent the county at the State Summer Residential Governor's School Auditions in January. This is not surprising to as the Virginia High School League ranked Hayden the top performing actor in the Cedar Run District and Northwest Region last year and the Virginia Theatre Association named her one of this year's eight best actors in the Commonwealth. This distinction does not guarantee Hayden one of the 30 residential spots for the summer program but it gets Patriot one step closer to the possibility of having a resident at this extremely competitive and elite performing arts program each year. Brittany Clark was selected to attend for us in our inaugural year. Only thirty students are selected to attend as residents, state-wide, each year. Best of luck at the state audition, Hayden! Patriot is extremely proud of you.

Patriot Theatre students attended the Virginia Theatre Association conference on October 26-28, 2012. After a state-wide competition, Patriot was recognized among the op-ten theatre programs in the state, receiving a trophy for Judge’s Honorable Mention for their performance of War Stories. Theatre director Kathryn Facemire, received the judge’s recognition for outstanding writing of an original script. Of the 691 students eligible for Best Actor awards, the Virginia Theatre Association only recognized eight students with such a distinction. Among the eight included Patriot’s Junior, Hayden Adkins.

Leader Amongst Us (LAU) 2012-13

Submit nominations during the school year for a student who has demonstrated one or more of

the 7 Habits. The link to nominate someone is found on Patriot’s Web page, under Specialty Programs, then TLIM. Nominations must be submitted by:

January 21, 2013 LAU Breakfast on February 5, 2013

April 8, 2013 LAU Breakfast on April 23, 2013 May 13, 2013 LAU Breakfast on May 29, 2013

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CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

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CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

English Department

From English 9

The majority of 9th graders have just finished Of Mice and Men and are beginning The Odyssey, followed by Romeo & Juliet. We’re focusing on analyzing characterization, identifying archetypes, and determining the author’s tone.

From English 10

The students are focused on World Literature and most have recently completed novels and non-fiction pieces about the Middle East. They are now learning about literature from Asia and will move to Africa after Winter Break.

From English 11

Students can breath a sigh of relief and so can teachers and parents as the students submitted their 11th grade Research Paper during the week of December 10. The students should receive results in January or February.

From English 12

Students have written their college essays and personal essays, hoping to get good news during the winter break about college acceptance, military duties, and job offers. Hopefully, the hard work on their essays will cinch the deal.

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CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

One of our Patriot science students is in the local news! Check out the article on InsideNova:

http://www.insidenova.com/news/article_6c86cba2-4629-11e2-8073-0019bb30f31a.html

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CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

Breakfast: The Body Builder

You heard it from your mom a million times; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well it turns out Mom was right! This is especially true for children because they need lots of energy to fuel their growing bodies. Kids who skip breakfast are more likely to be tired and grumpy, which distracts them from learning in school. Making sure kids eat something for breakfast is great, but choosing what they eat is also very important. Foods high in whole grains, fiber, and protein but also low in fat and sugar can help boost attention span, concentration, and memory.

If your child isn’t hungry when first waking up, you do not have time in the morning to prepare meals, check out the Prince William County School Breakfast Program. The school cafeteria offers a wide variety of breakfast foods each day. Each menu includes a breakfast entree, fruit, juice, and milk.

A school breakfast is available for students at the cost of $1.40. Students eligible for reduced price meals are charged $0.30 at breakfast and those on free meals can receive breakfast free of charge. Take advantage of this convenient and economical service!

Don’t forget to set a good example for your kids and make time to

grab some breakfast for yourself, as well!

Congratulations to the Patriot High School Dance team for a great 2012-13 football and competition season! I am so proud of how far they have come in such a short time. I am so happy to share that the Patriot High School Dance Team is able to add three 2nd place trophies and one 1st place trophy to our lists of accomplishments! It often takes many years for a new high school to accomplish what these girls have accomplished in just one year! Patriot High School would like to congratulate the 2012-2013 Patriot Dance Team for demonstrating Leadership, Integrity, Character and Pride, both on and off the dance floor.

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Dream until your dreams come true.

CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

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CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

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Dream until your dreams come true.

Boys Basketball Mr. Nemerow: [email protected]

Girls Basketball

Ms. Olinger: [email protected]

Cheerleading: Ms. Wanson: [email protected]

Dance Team:

Ms. Kesler: [email protected]

Gymnastics: Mrs. Dignan: [email protected]

Indoor Track:

Mr. Daniels: [email protected]

Swimming: Mrs. Bussian: [email protected]

Wrestling:

Mr. Foley: [email protected]

If you would like to contact one of our coaches, please send them an email.

Patriot Pioneer Inaugural Yearbook

The 2012-13 yearbook will be sold for $65. This year’s order form is located in the

back of the newsletter.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Gill by email at gil-

[email protected]

Get yours today because they are going fast!

CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

Winter Sports Directory

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CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

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CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

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CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

Patriot Cross Country 2012

Head Coach: Adam Daniels Assistant Coaches: M. Daniels, M. Cheshire, S. Wallace, and M. Cheshire

Officially, this year’s Patriot Cross Country season began in late July, but according to our summer schedule, we had already begun training long before the start of summer break was even declared. Logging in close to 45 miles per week, Patriot runners could be seen traversing the battlefields and various suburban landscapes of Prince William County. Twenty runners attended Virginia Tech University for a grueling week of racing up mountains and consuming several pounds of pasta. As Patriot High School became officially established in the community, cross country experienced a large influx of runners. Over 100 individuals enlisted in the Pioneer Running Regiment to demonstrate their athletic spirit and fight for the glorious victory of conquering a new PR (personal record). When the beginning of fall school sports was formally proclaimed, our XC team commenced the season with several hard workouts and time trials at our part-time home course in Nokesville Park and adopted training grounds at Bristow Station.

As our region’s largest running force, it was time we hosted our first meet. We launched the

start of the racing season with the Prince William County Championships at Nokesville Park. Our

own sophomore Candace Jones would come in first in the girls race. Only a few weeks later our JV

girls would show off their potential by earning first place at the Oatlands meet as well. Making

several advancements from last year, Patriot always secured a race placement no more than twenty

in all thirteen meets and out of the several dozen schools in Northern Virginia that compete in them.

This improvement was evident in our Varsity team’s success at the Cedar Run District Champion-

ships. Overall Patriot had ten All District Runner Champions. For the girls it was Candace Jones,

Kristin Schnurr, Carina Garcia, Kenzie Fennell, and Rileigh Huntzinger. For the boys it was Nick

Bussian, Ryan Smalls, Josh Smalls, Brendan Lavell, and Andrew Webster. Only a few points

separated Patriot from claiming first at Districts. Finally, at the Northwest Region XC Championships,

our girls and boys varsity team came in 5th and 3rd respectively in a meet that included some of the

best running teams in Virginia. Varsity Boys, after their qualifying performance at regionals, would

come in 14th place at the Virginia High School League State Cross Country Championships, making

them the first team in Patriot history to make it to a state championship, ending a successful second

chapter as Patriot’s Cross Country Team.

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CLUBS, DEPARTMENTS, AND ACTIVITIES

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The Patriot Boosters Program is not a program or department of the Prince William County Public Schools but an

independent organization which has obtained the approval of PWCS to support its schools, students, teams, programs, and extracurricular activities. All funds raised by the Patriot Boosters Program are used for school-related

purposes.

BOOSTER CLUB

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BOOSTER CLUB

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PTSA

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PTSA

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PTSA

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Be positive and be YOURSELF. Make your own decisions.

LIBRARY NEWS

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The only person who can hold back your DREAMS is you.

LIBRARY NEWS

It’s that time again to RE-LINK your VIC card! Our Together In Education program kicks off August

1 each year! Please be a supporter for our school and RE-LINK your VIC cards! You can link your

card at the register, Customer Service desk, or harristeeter.com

Patriot High School Organization Number is 8559

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Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia recently adopted the Be There campaign for 2013– a multi-media campaign inspiring parents to be more engaged with their school-aged children in everyday life-learning environments. The campaign’s message will be integrated with the district’s overall message of “Providing a World-Class Education” in print, online, radio and other forms, showing that the County supports greater parent involvement– in and out of the classroom setting.

“Prince William County is a flagship division and will be influential in securing other divisions outside the area to join the campaign,” said David Voss, creator of Be There and president of Voss & Associates. “With Manassas City Schools launching the campaign at the same time, it will show communities how two divisions can cooperate to reach all the parents in the wide area, getting them more involved with their children’s education.”

“It is exciting to be reminding parents of the many simple ways they can play an active role in preparing their children for success every day; that’s what ‘Be There’ is all about,” said Prince William County Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Steven Walts. “When parents, our community, and our schools all work together, the investment pays off for every single child, and for the future we share. I am also looking forward to doing Be There activities with my daughter, Delaney.”

“We need parents and families to embrace our schools, support our teachers, talk to their children about school work, make sure they are ready to learn each day and compliment them when they do well,” said Catherine Magouryrk, the Manassas City Schools Superintendent.

The effort will be added to more than 100 other school districts across the country that have taken the pledge to add this vital component to their existing communications plans for increasing parent involvement and student achievement.

Be There is a nationally recognized campaign supported by the Virginia School Board Association and the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, as well as the National School Board Association and National School Public Relations Association.

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Parent Tips

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YEARBOOK ORDER FORM

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YEARBOOK ORDER FORM

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Patriot High School Administrative Team

Dr. Michael E. Bishop, Principal

Ms. Madre Mack., Assistant Principal

Mrs. Emily Utter, Assistant Principal

Ms. Stephanie Hicks, Assistant Principal

Mr. Lance Sherrill, Teacher on Administrative Assignment

Ms. Terri Snoots, Director of School Counseling

Mr. Brad Qualls, Director of Student Activities

Mr. John Lavely, Security

School Board

Mr. Milton C. Johns

Chairman At-Large

Mrs. Lisa E. Bell

Vice Chairman

Neabsco District

Mrs. Betty D. Covington Vacancy

Potomac District Woodbridge District

Mrs. Lillie Jessie Mrs. Alyson A. Satterwhite

Occoquan District Gainesville District

Dr. Michael I. Otaigbe Mr. Gil Trenum

Coles District Brentsville District

Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Steven L. Walts

“Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) does not discriminate in employment or in its educational programs and activities against qualified individuals on the basis of

race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability. PWCS provides equal access to the

Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

The following individual (s) will handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies, including Section 504 and Title IX: Associate Superintendent for Human Resources Prince

William County Public Schools

P.O. Box 389 Manassas, VA 20108

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CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

PATRIOT HIGH SCHOOL NON PROFIT ORG.

10504 KETTLE RUN RD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID

NOKESVILLE, VA 20181 MANASSAS, VIRGINIA

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED P

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