School News
March & April 2017
Headlines...
Mercer’s School
Counselors are on
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@MMS Counseling
Dear Mercer Parents/Guardians,
With no snow in sight and warm weather already here, Mercer is speeding into the middle of the third
quarter. Lots of things will be happening at Mercer as we move further into the Spring months.
Once again, Mercer will be hosting the annual PTSA Mercer Madness, the three-on-three basketball
tournament with lots of excitement. This will take place on March 10 th in the Mercer gyms. Come on
out and have some fun with the family. Food and drinks will be on sale in the cafeteria.
Academically, next up is the Writing SOL for eighth grade students. The multiple choice portion
begins on March 6th, followed by the short paper later that same week. As the rest of the SOL testing
approaches, please be sure to check the Mercer home page for all of the testing information.
PTSA Looking for
Board Member
Nominations
Mercer Madness
Is Back!
Purchase
Mercer Spiritwear
Rising 7th/8th Grade
Course Selection
Information
Rising 9th Grade
Course Selection
Information
John Champe &
Freedom High School
Important Dates
Academy of Science,
TJHSST, AET
Important Dates
This Spring will also begin Mercer’s preparations for the next school year. Staff will make visits to
each of the six feeder schools to talk to the rising sixth grade students. This year, Mercer’s band and
strings teachers will also visit the feeder schools to help make music selections for the students.
Additionally, the school counselors will finish up course selections with the students to identify the
teaching areas needed to meet the student requests. It is very important to carefully look over course
selections for your son/daughter. Be sure to check both content and elective class selections. Due to
the expected size and physical configuration of Mercer next year, the school counselors need all
schedule changes by May 5th. Parents of rising eighth grade students, mark your calendars for Monday,
May 1st, at 7:00 PM. Mercer staff will host an information session about the Mercer Annex in the
Champe auditorium.
Upon return from Spring Break, rising sixth grade students will be making visits to Mercer while the
rising ninth grade students will be heading to Champe to see all of the offerings on April 19 th. This day
will also mark the annual event of Mercer’s Living History Day, a day when many veterans of wars
past make their way into seventh grade classrooms to provide first-hand accounts of life during this
time. The students then incorporate this information into historical fiction writings and videos with the
collaboration of the media specialists in library. What a special day!
As SOL testing begins, it is important to provide your child with the best chance for success. One way
success can be met is through the retake process set forth by the state of Virginia testing office.
Developmental responsiveness, part of Mercer’s approach to middle school, understands that learning
does not have a deadline and that multiple attempts to demonstrate mastery may be needed, depending
on the student. Non-writing SOL testing is now included in this. Students who just miss (>376)
demonstrating proficiency on the non-writing SOL tests are allowed to retake the test. Mercer believes
that this extra opportunity afforded to the students provides them with an excellent chance to meet the
goal of proficiency. In addition to the retesting, Mercer teachers will analyze the first test’s score report
and create targeted remediation sessions to assist students in developing a better understanding of the
concepts missed. Mercer will notify parents of this process during the Spring testing window and asks
that you “opt-in” your child to be allowed to retest as soon as possible based upon the testing schedule.
This will provide the quickest path for your son/daughter to demonstrate mastery. Look for this next
month.
Have a great Spring Break with your families as we head down the home stretch of the remainder of the
school year.
“Roar, Mountain Lions, Roar”
School Counselor
Contact Information
Bob Phillips
Principal
It’s hard to believe Spring is almost here! The PTSA is busy getting ready for our upcoming
Spring events. Thank you to all the parents who are helping us; we couldn’t do it without you.
Our interior school beautification project is now complete. The next time you’re Mercer, be
sure to visit each house to look at our beautiful new murals. Thank you to Kari Cannistraro,
we love them!! Keep a lookout for our exterior school beautification project near the Kiss &
Ride. Students are working hard making planters.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR 2017/2018 EXECUTIVE PTSA BOARD MEMBERS
The following 2017/2018 PTSA Board Members positions are open:
PRESIDENT
TREASURER
VP of FUNDRAISING
VP of EVENTS
VP of COMMUNICATIONS
MERCER MADNESS IS ALMOST HERE!
Our ever-popular annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament will be held Friday March 10th,
5:00 PM—9:00 PM at Mercer. This is a great family event. Come enjoy some food and watch
friends play.
Please also consider helping us. We cannot do this large event without our wonderful
volunteers!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0449A9A928A3F85-mercer3
SPIRIT WEAR AVAILABLE ONLINE
Click on https://squareup.com/store/mercer-middle-school-ptsa to view the collection.
JOIN THE PTSA
It’s not too late to become a member! Help us reach our goal of 500 members. Families who
join during the month of March will be put into a raffle to win a Mercer shirt and hat.
Click on https://squareup.com/store/mercer-middle-school-ptsa to join.
PTSA GENERAL MEETING
Our next meeting will be on March 16th at 6:00 PM in the library. We will be voting on budget
expenditures. At our April 27th meeting, also at 6:00 PM, we will holding our board elections.
Rising 7th and 8th Grade Course Selection Information
(for students who will be in 7th or 8th grade during School Year 2017 - 2018)
Click here to view the Rising 7th and 8th Grade Course Selection Presentation!
Due to the complexity of the 2017-2018 schedule and the need for preliminary information to
determine staffing for the upcoming school year, the counseling department has locked all
courses requests. You are still able to make changes to course requests UNTIL MAY 5th by
contacting your child’s counselor. Please see below for the updated timeline and procedures.
2017-2018 Course Selection Timeline and Procedures:
To change a CORE course request (Math, Science, English or Social Studies), please
follow this procedure:
Step 1: Contact the teacher to gain an understanding of the reasons behind the recommendation.
Step 2: If you would still like to make a change after speaking with your child’s teacher, please
contact your student's current school counselor. Only counselors can make changes to core
courses.
To change an ELECTIVE course request: You may change an elective by emailing the
requested changes to your child’s counselor.
Counselor Contact information:
Rising 7th Graders, Last Names A - P: [email protected]
Rising 7th Graders, Last Names Q - Z: [email protected]
Rising 8th Graders, Last Names A - P: [email protected]
Rising 8th Graders, Last Names Q - Z: [email protected]
THE DEADLINE for ALL course selection changes
for rising 7th and 8th graders is May 5, 2017.
NO EXCEPTIONS will be made to this deadline.
Click on the link below for detailed information about our rising 7th grade elective courses:
Rising 7th Grade Elective Information
Rising 9th Grade Course Selection Information (for students who
will be in 9th Grade during School Year 2017 - 2018)
Please visit the JCHS Rising 9th Grade Course Selection Page!
Click here to view the Freedom High School Rising 9th Grade Parent Presentation.
JOHN CHAMPE HIGH SCHOOL IMPORTANT DATES
April 19: Rising 9th Grade Expo. Mercer Middle School’s 8th grade students will visit John
Champe High School to experience a day in the life of a high school student.
June 16: Last day for all course selection changes. NO course selection changes may be
made after this date!
**August 2017** Please note, high school athletics typically start beginning
in August. Please be mindful of this when planning summer vacations!
FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL IMPORTANT DATES
March 10 - Online course registration closes; after March 10, all schedule changes will need
to be made by contacting Mrs. Casterline ([email protected]) or Mrs. Miles
([email protected]).
April 24, 9:00 AM-1:00 PM: Freshman EXPO
May 1–31: NO COURSE REQUEST CHANGES
JUNE 1-16: LAST CHANCE FOR COURSE CHANGE REQUESTS
**August 2017** Please note, high school athletics typically start beginning
in August. Please be mindful of this when planning summer vacations!
ParentVUE/StudentVUE Resources
Resources for parents/students and staff can be found on the District ParentVUE site https://
www.lcps.org/Page/154534.
Quick Reference Guides are available to download; videos are available, as well, available in
both English and Spanish.
ACADEMY OF SCIENCE IMPORTANT DATES
March 2017: Decision letters postmarked to applicants.
April 2017: Dates to be announced:
- Accepted Student Meeting, and Notification Date for response forms
Based on space available, wait list students will be notified of a final decision.
Click here for the LCPS Academy of Science website.
THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL FOR SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY IMPORTANT DATES
April 30, 2017: Final admissions decisions posted/mailed no later than this date.
Click here for the TJ Admissions website.
THE LCPS ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING AND
TECHNOLOGY (AET) IMPORTANT DATES
March 2017: AET Offer Letters sent to students (tentative date).
April 2017: Open House for AET prospective students (date, location, time TBD).
April 2017: Accepted students must commit to attending the AET program.
Click here for more information about the AET Pathways.
Click here for AET Course Descriptions.
COUNSELOR CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any concerns or need to contact your child’s counselor, please call (703-957-4340)
or email:
Grade
Sixth Grade, Last Names A - P
Counselor
Ms. Kimberly Kenny
Email address
[email protected]
Sixth Grade, Last Names Q – Z
Mr. Daniel H. Kim
[email protected]
Seventh Grade, Last Names A – P
Ms. Jazlynn Finney
[email protected]
Seventh Grade, Last Names Q – Z
Mr. Daniel H. Kim
[email protected]
Eighth Grade, Last Names A – P
Ms. Megan Casterline
[email protected]
Eighth Grade, Last Names Q – Z;
Special Programs
Ms. Heidi Miles
[email protected]
MERCER MIDDLE SCHOOL, 42149 Greenstone Drive, Stone Ridge, VA 20105
HOME OF THE
MOUNTAIN LIONS
MERCER MIDDLE SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATION
Bob Phillips, Principal, [email protected]
Nick Cottone, Assistant Principal, [email protected]
Heather Ichimura, Assistant Principal, [email protected]
Chad O’Brien, Assistant Principal, [email protected]
Kimberly.Kenny, 6th Grade School Counselor (A-P), [email protected]
Daniel Kim, 6th & 7th Grade School Counselor (Q-Z), [email protected]
Jazzlyn Finney, 7th Grade School Counselor (A-P), [email protected]
Megan Casterline, 8th Grade School Counselor (A-P), [email protected]
Heidi Miles, 8th Grade School Counselor (Q-Z), [email protected]
6th Grade Dean, Janet Davidson, [email protected]
7th Grade Dean, Solomon Wright, [email protected]
8th Grade Dean, Kara Beckman, [email protected]
Claire Girard, 6th Grade Secretary, [email protected], 703-957-4346
Teresa Sisk, 7th Grade Secretary, [email protected], 703-957-4347
Kelly DiPierro, 8th Grade Secretary, [email protected], 703-957-4348
Sophia Brundick-Financial Secretary
Phone (703) 957-4340
Fax (703) 327-2719
Absentee Line ( 703) 957-4342
Clinic (703) 957-4343
www.lcps.org/mercer
Anyone Needing Assistance for Public Program
If, due to a disability, you need assistance to enable you to participate meaningfully in
any of the listed meetings or events at Mercer Middle School, please contact Assistant
Principal, Nick Cottone, at (703) 957-4340 at least five work days prior to the event.