South Stokes High School

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. This week we have exams at South Stokes High School. During the exam period students are allowed to leave school after their exam for the day if they bring a note dismissing them, however the buses will not dismiss until the end of the school day at 3:20. If your child is a bus rider and would like to leave after their exam, they will need a note giving them permission to ride home with another student or be picked up after their exam. If your child is exempt from this exam, they do not need to attend. Students taking state required EOC and CTE tests cannot be exempt from exams. Monday we will be testing first period exams and English 2 EOCs. On Tuesday we will be testing 2nd period exams and students that missed 1st period exams due to English 2 testing, Wednesday we are testing 3rd period exams, Thursday we are testing 4th period exams and Friday we are testing make up exams. If you have any questions about exams and exemptions, please call the school or email me. Seniors have required graduation practice on Wednesday at 1:30pm and Thursday at 1:00pm. Our graduation ceremony taking place on Friday, May 23rd at 7:30 in the football stadium. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Subject: Update on PowerSchool Data Breach and Ongoing Protection Measures Dear Stokes County Families, We want to make you aware of a recent update related to the PowerSchool data breach that was originally reported in January of this year. Recently, several schools and North Carolina Department of Pubic Instruction (NCDPI) employees across the state received messages from threat actors claiming to have access to student and teacher data from that breach. We have been informed that several Canadian school districts have received similar messages as well. Based on the current status of NCDPI’s investigation, they believe that the threat actors have access to the same data tables that were originally compromised. These data tables include student and staff names, contact information, social security numbers (limited student social security numbers), birthdays, medical notes, passwords (limited) and parent/guardian information. NCDPI has already notified appropriate law enforcement agencies, who are actively investigating this incident. We want to assure you that your Stokes County Schools and NCDPI have done everything possible to protect this information. PowerSchool, the vendor responsible for the incident, has taken full responsibility for the breach and is providing support services for those impacted. What You Need to Know: Please do not open any suspicious links or emails related to this incident. - Do not engage with anyone claiming to have this data. - PowerSchool is offering two years of free identity protection and credit monitoring to all affected students and educators through July 1, 2025. NCDPI is advocating for this window to be extended further to ensure everyone has time to enroll. Affected individuals can enroll in identity protection and credit monitoring at no cost to themselves here --> https://www.powerschool.com/security/sis-incident/notice-of-united-states-data-breach/ Services include: - Two years of complimentary identity protection for all students and educators affected - Two years of complimentary credit monitoring for all adult students and educators affected These services are available regardless of whether an individual's Social Security number was compromised. Additional protection: Impacted users can freeze their identity for free through the North Carolina Department of Justice. LINK: https://ncdoj.gov/protecting-consumers/protecting-your-identity/free-security-freeze/ As we continue to work through this incident, we are committed to supporting students, families and staff with transparency and care. Sincerely, Phillip Bradley Rice, Ed.D. Superintendent Stokes County Schools

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. I hope all of our Saura families have had a Happy Mother's Day. This week is our final week of classes before exams. Advanced Placement exams for students in AP classes will continue this week. Our Nursing Fundamental students will be having their graduation ceremony in the library at South Stokes this Thursday morning. Thursday evening, we invite you to our Band's Spring Concert, Legend of the Saura, a performance honoring 60 years of South Stokes High School. This Friday, May 16th, we invite our Saura families to our Academic Awards Day at South Stokes. The program will begin at 9:00 am in the main gym. This Friday evening the FFA will be having it's annual banquet in the main gym of South Stokes. A reminder to seniors that painted their parking spots this year, these spaces should be painted black by Sunday, May 18th, otherwise the repainting fee will be added to your account. With a look ahead, we have exams on the week of May 19th-23rd, with our graduation ceremony taking place on Friday, May 23rd at 7:30 at the football stadium. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to June Dunn. June is always willing to help her classmate when needed. June takes time to show compassion and uses patience. Thank you June, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, on Monday, soccer goes to Christ the King for the first round of the state playoffs, and Sawyer Slate heads to the state golf tournament. On Tuesday, softball will be traveling to Swain County to play in the third round of the state playoffs. On Friday we wish the following track athletes good luck at the state track meet at NC A&T: Brooke Burroughs, Kymani Brown, Zane Vassey and Eli Amos-Wall. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

🎨☀️ Summer Art Camp 2025!🎭🖌️ Get ready for a summer full of creativity at The Arts Place of Stokes (502 Main Street, Danbury, NC)! : Camp opportunities: 🌀 Pottery 🎭 Theatre Camp 🎨 Visual Arts 🧶 Weaving 🗿 Sculpture Perfect for young artists looking to explore their talents and make new friends! 📞 Call 336-593-8159 or visit www.stokesarts.org to register today—spots fill fast! #StokesArts #SummerArtCamp #NCArts

We are excited to announce our upcoming YOUth Matter event focused on safety, taking place on Thursday, May 8, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at Southeastern Stokes Middle School. This event is open to all families across the district and will feature two important presentations: Insight Human Services on prescription drug safety Stokes County Sheriff's Office on firearm safety Pizza will be provided. Please RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf7KhswB77ZdNyGmAbsBghRgOYC2sHN0-bbuPvn4m18fd844Q/viewform Please see the attached flier for more details, and don’t hesitate to reach out to Salena Howlett if you have any questions.

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. This week is Teacher Appreciation Week! Thank you to our dedicated teachers at South Stokes. Encourage your children to take a moment this week and thank their teachers. Students also have an opportunity to send their teachers a special shout out during lunch or through a google form on their class canvas page. This week also begins Advanced Placement exams for students in AP classes. Students in AP Biology have their exam on Monday morning. On Wednesday students that will be playing football this fall will be getting fit for the new Riddell Axiom helmets the school district has purchased to make our athletes safer. The fittings will begin at 8:30. Also on Wednesday, we will have medical staff at South Stokes to provide physicals for our student athletes. Our athletic director, Coach Clark, will be handing out information about this opportunity this Monday right after morning announcements. On Wednesday evening at 6:30, we will be having our National Honor Society Induction Ceremony in the Library at South Stokes. This Thursday, Friday, and Saturday our theater department will be presenting our spring musical Mama Mia! in the auditorium at South Stokes. Cost of admission is $10. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to Michael Siedlecki . Mike is always willing to help one of the students in the OCS program when needed. He provides compassion, shows leadership and encouragement to another Saura student who looks up to him . Thank you Mike, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, on Monday, golf will have regionals at Cedarbrook. On Tuesday, baseball and softball will be playing in the first round of the state playoffs, opponent and locations to be determined on Monday. On Tuesday, soccer travels to Mt. Airy, on Wednesday soccer hosts Walkertown, and on Thursday soccer travels to NCLA. On Saturday track will be traveling to North Stokes for regionals. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. This week we are celebrating the Special Olympics as we are hosting the rescheduled Stokes County Special Olympics this Friday May 2nd. On Monday we are wearing yellow and blue for Down Syndrome awareness, on Tuesday we are wearing green for Cerebral Palsy awareness, Wednesday we are wearing all the colors of the rainbow for autism awareness, Thursday we are wearing orange for developmental disabilities awareness and on Friday we are wearing our Saura gear to cheer on our Saura Special Olympians. On Tuesday is Saura Seniors Serve Day, when our seniors will be going to our feeder elementary schools in the South district for their graduation walk and to help the school with a service project, followed by a celebration at Horizons Park. Progress Reports will also go home on Tuesday. Prom Tickets for Juniors and Seniors will be given to students on Wednesday, April 30th during homeroom. Prom will be at Luna Trail on Saturday, May 3rd, 7-11 pm. On Wednesday during lunch, we will have a college and career resource fair at South Stokes. This will give students an opportunity to learn more about college and career opportunities after high school. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to Ellie White. To help prevent the spread of germs, Ellie cleaned all the desks in her teachers room during cold and flu season. Thank you Ellie, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, on Monday, baseball and softball have home games for the first round of the Conference Tournaments, soccer travels to East Wilkes. As our baseball team and softball teams progress through their tournaments, we will be hosting the baseball tournament, and the softball tournament will be at East Wilkes. On Tuesday, soccer hosts Elkin. On Thursday track will travel to North Stokes for the conference meet and soccer travels to Alleghany. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. I hope everyone has had a Happy Easter. This week we are celebrating the Special Olympics as we are hosting the Stokes County Special Olympics this Friday April 25th. The rain date is May 2nd. On Monday we are wearing yellow and blue for Down Syndrome awareness, on Tuesday we are wearing green for Cerebral Palsy awareness, Wednesday we are wearing all the colors of the rainbow for autism awareness, Thursday we are wearing orange for developmental disabilities awareness and on Friday we are wearing our Saura gear to cheer on our Saura Special Olympians. Prom Tickets for Juniors and Seniors will be on sale this week. Tickets are $40 a ticket and can be purchased on school cash online, or during third period in the cafeteria or Mrs. Barczy's on Monday and Tuesday or Mrs. Voss's classroom on Wednesday and Thursday. All fees must be paid, including lunch charges. Prom will be at Luna Trail on Saturday, May 3rd, 7-11 pm. On April 23rd, 24th and 25th South Stokes will be holding Farm Animal Days for students across the district. On Thursday spring athletes will have sports pictures after school. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to Jacob Hiatt. Jacob cares about the well being of his peers and often checks in on others. Thank you Jacob, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, on Monday, tennis travels to Elkin, soccer travels to North Stokes. On Tuesday, soccer travels to Starmount, golf travels to Roaring Gap, baseball travels to Elkin, and softball hosts North Stokes. On Wednesday baseball travels to Wilkes Central, and softball travels to East Wilkes. On Friday, baseball and softball host Elkin. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. We will have a four day week this week because school is out this Friday for Good Friday. Students return to school next Monday, the 21st, after Easter. This week we are having our Spring Spirit Week, with Monday being PJ Day, Tuesday is Teacher Student Swap Day, Wednesday is Tourist Day, and Thursday is Adam Sandler Day. On Thursday Seniors will have Cap and Gown pictures and we will be having a Pep Rally celebrating South Stokes and our Spring Athletes. On Monday we will be having homeroom to distribute important information to seniors about Cap and Gown pictures. With a look ahead, Prom Tickets for Juniors and Seniors will be on sale next week, April 21st - 24th. On April 25th we will be hosting the Special Olympics at South Stokes. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to Aaron Ramsey. A new student joined class and Aaron jumped in to help the new student get caught up and not feel overwhelmed. Thank you Aaron, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, on Monday, golf is at New River, tennis hosts East Wilkes, soccer hosts Mt. Airy, softball travels to West Stokes, and baseball travels to Starmount for a varsity only game. On Tuesday, tennis travels to Starmount, baseball travels to North Stokes, and soccer travels to Walkertown. On Wednesday track travels to North Stokes, and golf is at Hemlock. On Thursday, tennis travels to Mount Airy, baseball hosts North Stokes, softball hosts Surry Central, soccer hosts West Stokes and golf is at Pilot Mountain. On Friday, softball travels to Starmount. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. Outside date forms for the Junior-Senior Prom are available in the main office. These are due back to Mrs. Voss in room D3 or the main office by Friday, April 11th. Prom will be on Saturday, May 3rd and Luna's Trail. On Tuesday Seniors will pick up their cap and gowns during lunch in the lower lobby. Cap and Gown pictures will be on April 17th. This Friday the SSHS Band Boosters are hosting a paint Night at the South Stokes cafeteria at 5:00pm for the first session, and 7:00 pm for the second session. This Saturday, April 12th, we will be hosting a Spring Festival celebrating the 60th year of the founding of South Stokes. There will be games, inflatables, food trucks, and local vendors. The time is from 11:00 to 2:00 pm in the front lot of the school. Congratulations to Mr. Mercer's homeroom for winning our Saura March Madness Attendance Initiative. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to Izzy Lawson. Izzy dedicated many hours over the course of several weeks to updating, reorganizing, and rewriting over 60 Cadets' record folders containing all of the achievements, community service, and awards. We appreciate what she does for the JROTC program. Thank you Izzy, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, on Monday, golf is at cross creek. On Tuesday, tennis is at Alleghany, baseball hosts Starmount, soccer hosts Alleghany and softball travels to Mount Airy. On Wednesday track travels to North Stokes, golf is at Silo Run, and softball travels to East Surry. On Thursday, tennis hosts East Wilkes and golf is at Hemlock. On Friday, baseball travels to Starmount and softball travels to East Wilkes. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Little Folks Festival Saturday April 5th 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Hosted at Mount Olive Elementary School Address: 2145 Chestnut Grove Road King, NC

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. On Monday we will be having homeroom to pass out report cards. Students that owe fees will also be receiving fee reminders, and Juniors will receive their ACT score reports. On Tuesday we are having a Saura Spirit Night at Kobe Japanese Restaurant in Walnut Cove. Please come enjoy some food and show your support from 5-9. This week our Saura March Madness attendance initiative finishes with the final match up between Mrs. Gunter's Capybara's vs. Mr. Mercer's Bulldozers. We are encouraging our students to attend school everyday that they are healthy in the month of March, and the homeroom with the highest attendance rate will receive an off campus lunch. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to Ty Lawson. Ty worked on the vehicle of a staff member's family, on his own time, to ensure the task was completed after several hours of work. Thank you Ty, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, on Monday baseball hosts Providence Grove, on Tuesday tennis hosts Mount Airy, soccer hosts North Stokes, and softball travels to Elkin. On Wednesday tennis hosts East Surry, track travels to Mount Airy, soccer travels to Surry Central and golf plays at Hemlock. On Thursday, tennis hosts Elkin softball hosts North Surry. On Friday track travels to West Iredell, soccer travels to McMichael, and softball hosts Alleghany. On Saturday track travels to Dudley Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. I hope everyone had a fun and restful spring break. This week we begin the 4th quarter. On Wednesday, some our students will be going to UNC-G to attend the Opera. This Saturday the South Stokes Athletic Boosters Club will be having their annual $10,000 cash give away at 6:00 pm at South Stokes. If you are interested in getting a ticket, it is a $100 donation to the boosters and that will also get you a wonderful meal for two on the night of the event. You can call the school or reach out to our Boosters club if you are interested in a ticket. This week our Saura March Madness attendance initiative continues with the Final 4. We are encouraging our students to attend school everyday that they are healthy in the month of March, and the homeroom with the highest attendance rate will receive an off campus lunch. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to Allie Burgess. Allie volunteered to be a mentor for one of Mrs. Fouche's students and helped that student make a pasta skeleton with our Health Science 1 class . Thank you Allie, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, on Tuesday baseball hosts East Wilkes, tennis travels to East Wilkes, and softball hosts Starmount. On Wednesday tennis hosts West Stokes, and softball travels to McMichael and baseball hosts East Surry. On Thursday, tennis and soccer hosts Starmount. On Friday baseball travels to East Wilkes, soccer travels to Elkin, and softball travels to North Stokes.. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. This week school is out for Spring Break. Students will return back on Monday March 24th. I hope everyone has a great Spring Break and a Happy St. Patrick's Day. This week in Saura Sports, on Tuesday baseball hosts Mt. Airy, softball hosts East Wilkes, and tennis travels to Elkin. On Wednesday tennis travels to East Surry, and golf travels to Mt. Airy. On Thursday, golf travels to Pilot Mountain, tennis hosts Alleghany and softball travels to Surry Central On Friday baseball travels to Mt. Airy. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. This week 11th grade students will be taking the ACT on Tuesday, March 11th. Remind students to have fully charged Chromebooks for the ACT and do their best. The ACT is the nationally normed test used for college admissions as well as a measure used by North Carolina to assess our school's performance. On Wednesday, on March 12th, South Stokes will be hosting our spring blood drive. Please consider donating blood to help our community and save a life. This Friday is the last day of the 3rd quarter and spring break begins. School will be out next week, March 17th-21st. Students return on Monday, March 24th. This week our Saura March Madness attendance initiative continues with the Elite 8. We are encouraging our students to attend school everyday that they are healthy in the month of March, and the homeroom with the highest attendance rate will receive an off campus lunch. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to Nick and Noah Leophard. Nick and Noah Leophard were a tremendous help in the concession stand while the basketball teams were in the state tournament. Thank you Nick and Noah, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, congratulations to our boys basketball team on an incredible season, finishing in the Elite 8 of the state. On Monday we host Mount Airy in softball. On Tuesday baseball hosts Alleghany, soccer hosts East Wilkes, and softball travels to Alleghany. On Wednesday tennis hosts North Surry, and baseball travels to McMichael. On Thursday, track travels to North Stokes, and soccer travels to West Stokes. On Friday baseball hosts Alleghany. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. Congratulations to Eric Mercer, our Construction Technology Teacher for being named South Stokes 2025-2026 CTE Teacher of the Year. Mr. Mercer has done a fantastic job inspiring students and helping our school accomplish several building projects. This week we our ACT Test Review Sessions at South Stokes continues. These sessions are 1 hour long, after school and are geared towards helping our Juniors perform well on the ACT assessment next week. This Tuesday we will have a math review in F4 with Mrs. Hunter, on Wednesday Ms. Johnson will be hosting a session on Science in room C14, and on Thursday Ms. Holmes will be leading a session on English in D7. All sessions are 3:30 - 4:30 and students can choose to go to the sessions they need help with. We will have sign ups in the main office. Please bring paper, pencil, and a calculator for math and science, and snacks will be provided. This week our Saura March Madness attendance initiative begins. We are encouraging our students to attend school everyday that they are healthy in the month of March, and the homeroom with the highest attendance rate will receive an off campus lunch. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to Ricky Daley. Ricky volunteered to be a mentor for one of Mrs. Fouche's students and also helps Mrs. Duggins by running errands before school. Thank you Ricky, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, congratulations to our boys basketball team on advancing to the third round of the state tournament. On Tuesday we host Eastern Randolph, the doors will open at 6:00pm, and the game begins at 7:00pm. Due to generous donations from the community, the first 100 students will get free admission to the game as well as food, drink and games at a tailgate party. Thank you to Kobe Japanese, Banner Team properties, Paul's Cycling and fitness, Moorefield's Garage, Donna Shaffer, Bam Hairston, Kings Promise, Lisa and Randy Bullins, Logan Wilson, and Clifton Plumbing for their sponsorship. Let's pack the Saura dome Tuesday night! On Monday, baseball travels to South Davidson, golf is at cross creek, and soccer travels to East Surry. On Tuesday baseball travels to Walkertown, on Wednesday golf is at Hemlock, tennis is at East Surry, soccer hosts Surry Central and softball hosts East Surry. On Thursday, golf is at Hemlock, tennis and softball are both at North Surry. On Friday tennis hosts West Stokes, baseball hosts McMichael, and soccer travels to NCLA. On Saturday, the track team will travel to North Stokes. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Hello Sauras! This is Chris Bottoms with your Saura Weekly Update. This Monday February 24th, we will be administering the ASVAB to some of our students at South Stokes. This week we will begin our ACT Test Review Sessions at South Stokes. These sessions are 1 hour long, after school and are geared towards helping our Juniors perform well on the ACT assessment in March. This Tuesday we will have a math review in F4 with Mrs. Hunter, on Wednesday Ms. Johnson will be hosting a session on Science in room C14, and on Thursday Ms. Holmes will be leading a session on English in D7. All sessions are 3:30 - 4:30 and students can choose to go to the sessions they need help with. We will have sign ups in the main office. Please bring paper, pencil, and a calculator for math and science, and snacks will be provided. This Wednesday there will be an information session for students interested in Dual Enrollment with Forsyth Tech program. Students can find out more about taking community college courses while at South Stokes. THe meeting will be at 10:00 am and will be in the media center. This month is Career and Technical Education Month and on Thursday we will be celebrating our students that have received certifications and credentials through our CTE programs after third period in the gym. This week we will have visitors from the Forsyth Tech Mechatronics program and Wieland Copper to discuss different career paths that CTE classes can help students be successful after school. On Friday we will be on the Homeroom schedule as we gear up for our annual attendance initiative Saura March Madness. We are encouraging our students to attend school everyday that they are healthy in the month of March. This week's Saura Shout Out goes to Lane Birchfield. Lane was a big help to our PE department by using her skills as a welder to fix the leg extension machine. This helped our school and the weightlifting program tremendously. Thank you Lane, for your kindness and leadership. This week in Saura Sports, congratulations to our girls basketball team in being Conference Tournament champions of our NW1A conference tournament. The last time this happened was 2002! Congratulations to the boys basketball team in being Conference Tournament Champions for the 4th year in a row. Both teams have a home game in the first round of the state tournament this week on Tuesday. We will share start times later this week through social media. Good luck to Linkin Vanriijsewik and Justin Joyce as they wrestle in the State Tournament today and Monday in Greensboro at the Coliseum. Spring sports are underway as baseball hosts Forbush on Wednesday and soccer hosts McMichael. Baseball hosts Walkertown on Thursday and will travel to Providence Grove on Saturday to play against Chatham Charter. Thank you for your support of South Stokes High School, and as always, GO SAURAS!

Weather Announcement: Friday, February 21st, 2025 Stokes County Schools will operate on a 2 hour delay.

🚨 Important Announcement: School Closure 🚨 Weather Announcement - February 20th, 2025 Due to the unexpected snow, Stokes County Schools will close today. We will not run buses today. Secondary parents: If your children were already on buses, their school will contact you to let you know at which elementary school they are located. Elementary school will start dismissal at 9:15. Please be safe traveling to pick up your child. We will supervise your child until you arrive. If you cannot pick up your child by 11:00 am, please contact your child’s school to make further arrangements. I apologize for the late notice and the inconvenience. Please be safe.

Weather Announcement: February 20th, 2025 Due to unforecasted burst of snow, some of the secondary roads are impacted. There will be a 3 hour delay for Middle and High Schools. If your student is on a bus they will continue to the school. Elementary schools o a normal schedule.