James Monroe High School Dr. John B. Gordon III, Principal

Dear Parents and Friends: Greetings and best wishes for a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year! I hope that the winter break and holiday season energized you and our students for the challenges which lay ahead. On January 4 interim re-ports will be distributed in all classes. On January 8 the Guidance De-partment will sponsor a Financial Aid Workshop at 7:30 P.M. in the lec-ture hall. On January 17 the P.T.S.A. will hold a meeting at 6:30 P.M. in the lecture hall. School will be closed on January 21 in observance of Martin Luther King Day. Please encourage your student to be in at-tendance for the examination review sessions which will be conducted by all teachers. Mid-term exams for classes which meet on the A/B schedule, Final Term 1 Examinations, and end of course SOLs will be given January 16—25. School will not be in session on January 28, as this is a teacher workday. The second term of the 2012-2013 school year will begin on January 29, and report cards will be sent home with students on February 1. The winter sports season is in full swing. The girls’ and boys’ varsity and J.V. basketball teams have looked impressive in the early part of the season. During the winter break the Yellow Jackets were on the hard courts in tournament play. The varsity girls’ participated in the Brooke Point tournament December 27-29, and the varsity boys’ bas-ketball team participated in the Colonial Forge tournament December 28-29. In the pool, the boys’ and girls’ swimming teams will resume competition on January 11 as they host King George in a home meet at the University of Mary Washington. Great expectations surround these teams, and you are encouraged to come out and cheer them on. On behalf of the administration, faculty, and staff, I wish you and your children the very best as we enter the year 2013. Sincerely, Dr. John B. Gordon III Principal

In this issue...

Page 2 Exam Schedule,

Announcements from Stu-

dent Services

Page 3 Fall Sports Awards

Page 4 DECA Competition

Results, Financial Aid

Workshop, National Honor

Society News

Page 5 Giant Bonus Bucks,

Food Lion & Bottom Dol-

lar Programs, Inclement

Weather Announcements

Page 6 Menu for January

Page 7 Calendar for Janu-

ary

Principal’s Newsletter January 2013 Page 2

FINAL EXAMS AND MID-TERM EXAMS Final exams are given in every course and are designed to cover the content objectives and skills of the entire term. Each exam counts 20% of the final grade. Exam periods are two hours long. Students who are absent from examination periods will not be allowed to make up the exam unless they present a doctor’s excuse, court or-der, or have prior approval from Dr. Gordon. Only seniors are allowed to leave their final exam of the day as soon as they have completed it. They must, however, leave the building promptly. An exam exemption excuses the senior from the exam only, not from regular scheduled clas-ses. Seniors exempt from an examination in a class shall meet the following criteria: They have an A in a regular course They have an A or B in an AP or Advanced

course (this course must be a weighted course with an L2 designation).

ALL underclassmen must remain in the examina-tion room until the end of the examination period. NO EARLY DISMISSALS WILL BE GRANTED DURING EXAMS. It is requested that parents not come to the school during the examination time to secure their student’s release. This prac-tice is disruptive to the examination environment, and classes will not be disturbed for an individual student’s early release. When students are not scheduled for an ex-am, they need not report to school.

SEMESTER EXAM SCHEDULE The first semester/term exam schedule for the 2012-2013 School Year is as follows: Wednesday, January 16, 2013—A Day—Regular Dismissal 7:45—9:45 Period 1 EXAM/SOL and A1 EXAM 9:50—11:10 Period 2 11:15—1:20 Period 3 1:25—2:45 Period 4 Thursday, January 17, 2013—B Day—Early Dismissal 7:45—9:45 Period 2 EXAM/SOL and B2 EXAM 9:50—12:00 Period 3 12:05—1:30 Period 4 Friday, January 18, 2013—A Day—Early Dismissal 7:45—9:45 Period 3 EXAM/SOL 10:45 One bus returns to pick up Math SOL students

Monday, January 21, 2013—Martin Luther King Day—No School Tuesday, January 22, 2013—B Day—Early Dismissal 7:45—9:45 Period 4 EXAM/SOL and B4 Exam 10:45 One bus returns to pick up Math SOL students Wednesday, January 23, 2013—A Day—Early Dismissal 7:45—9:45 A2 EXAM and REVIEW for Period 1 & 2 Expedited Retakes 9:50—10:10 Dismissal for A2 Exam Students/Break 10:15—12:45 SOL Expedited Retakes Period 1 & 2 12:45 One bus returns to pick up Expedited Retake Students Thursday, January 24, 2013—B Day—Early Dismissal 7:45—9:45 B1 EXAM and REVIEW for Period 3 & 4 Expedited Retakes 9:50—10:10 Dismissal for B1 Exam Students/Break 10:15—12:45 SOL Expedited Retakes Period 3 & 4 12:45 One bus returns to pick up Expedited Retake Students

Friday, January 25, 2013—A Day—Early Dismissal

7:45—9:45 Period A4 EXAM and REVIEW for any Expedited Retake (students with more Than one expedited retake on the same day or Students with A/B Exam and Expedited Retake conflicts) 9:50—10:10 Dismissal for A4 Exam Students/Break 10:15—12:45 Expedited Retakes 12:45 One bus returns to pick up Expedited Retake Students Students

The next meeting of the Special Education Advi-sory Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, January 9, at 6:30 P.M. in the James Monroe High School library. All persons with an interest in special education are welcome to attend, and a pot luck dinner will be held.

Principal’s Newsletter January 2013 Page 3

On December 11 James Monroe High School hon-ored the fall sports’ athletes with a reception in the commons area followed by an awards assembly in the auditorium. The evening was sponsored by the James Monroe Athletic Department. CHEERLEADING/FOOTBALL M.V.P. Taunyae Jackson Incentive Anna Katherine Bowles Coaches’ Ellie Bailey J.V. Coaches’ Lainie Martin CHEERLEADING/COMPETITION M.V.P. Ashlyn Marine Incentive Inga Gudmundsson GOLF M.V.P. Marsden Dyson Incentive Nathan Healey Coaches’ Blake Olsen FOOTBALL M.V.P. Jay Scroggins Incentive Jarmal Bevels, Antonio

Wynn-Coleman Coaches’ Matt Forjan, Glenn Taylor,

Tevin Brooks J.V. Coaches’ Deonta Nelson, Markeez Coleman Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks Competitive Spirit Award & Scholarship Eric Nelson Calley Farmer Memorial “Lineman Award” Derek Cunningham George Coghill “Special Teams” Award Darryl Dyson, David Dit Dennis Johnson Memorial Award Eric Nelson, Tony Scott Mel Hunter Award Scott Allison, Brad Davis, Steven Bryant

CROSS COUNTRY (BOYS) M.V.P. Knick McKay Incentive Josh Rehm Coaches’ Jeremiah Wallace J.V. Coaches’ David Hough Elvis Jiminez Memorial Spirit Award Alexandra Price, Daniel McManus CROSS COUNTRY (GIRLS) M.V.P. Katherine Smith Incentive Samantha Kissane Coaches’ Elizabeth McAuliff J.V. Coaches’ Kyrsten McGuinness FIELD HOCKEY Offensive M.V.P. Hannah Fisher Defensive M.V.P. Sarah Miller Incentive Cleo Morris Coaches’ Eva Gudmundsson J.V. Coaches’ Caroline Smith, Teagan Hicks VOLLEYBALL M.V.P. Cara Lambert Incentive Sierra Davis Coaches’ Connor Forjan J.V. Coaches Courtney Walcott

Principal’s Newsletter January 2013 Page 4

Parents and students are encouraged to attend a workshop on January 8, 2013 to learn valuable information

regarding the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The workshop will be held in the lecture hall

(Room 120) from 7:30—8:30 P.M.

In October thirty-four new members were inducted into the JMHS Chapter of the National Honor Society, bring-ing the chapter’s total to sixty-three members. The chapter’s holiday project was to donate twenty new back-packs to the Fredericksburg area’s homeless population served by Micah Ecumenical Ministries. Each back-pack contained gloves, a hat, a blanket, four pairs of chemical hand-warmers, peppermint candy, a Chapstick, and $20.00 in fast food gift cards. All items were purchased by club members. NHS members also served as bell ringers for the Salvation Army kettle bells at the Spotsylvania Towne Center during the holiday season. Club members found time for fellowship and good cheer when they celebrated the holidays as a group at their annual Christmas pot luck social. As a reminder, the annual Valentine’s Day carnation message fundraiser will begin soon. Watch for further de-tails on line or in the next Principal’s Newsletter.

Marketing students participated in District 18 DECA Competitive Event at the Spotsylvania Towne Center on December 12. The following students were recognized for placing in individual events: Inga Gudmundsson—Principles of Marketing (Comprehensive Test) 2nd Place Althea Hart—Principles of Hospitality (Comprehensive Test) 1st Place Annie Dyer—Principles of Hospitality (Comprehensive Test) 3rd Place Marchelle Williams—Retail Merchandising (Role Play 1) 1st Place Amani Jones—Retail Merchandising (Comprehensive Test) 2nd Place Cassidy Thomas—Principles of Business (Comprehensive Test) 2nd Place Cory Fore—Hospitality and Lodging (Comprehensive Test) 3rd Place Olivia Gibson—Apparel and Accessories (Comprehensive Test) 1st Place The following students qualified for the Virginia DECA Competitive Events in Virginia Beach, March 1-3, 2013: Emma Miller-Richards—Principles of Hospitality (Overall Winner)1st Place Briana McKenzie—Principles of Finance (Overall Winner) 1st Place Vicki Holloway—Apparel and Accessories (Overall Winner) 3rd Place Sarah Neubert—Business Services (Overall Winner) 2nd Place Meredith Huddle—Business Services (Overall Winner) 3rd Place Brandon Cameron—Social Media (Overall Winner) 1st Place Isaac Evans—Job Interview (Overall Winner) 2nd Place Jay Scroggins—Sports and Entertainment (Overall Winner) 2nd Place Asante Quintana—Sports and Entertainment (Overall Winner) 1st Place The following students will compete in the state competition with written manuals they have prepared this year: Catherine O’Donnell, Kiana Mitchell, Taunyae Jackson, Marchelle Williams, Caroline Proctor.

Principal’s Newsletter January 2013 Page 5

Information concerning school closings or delays for Fredericks-burg City Public Schools may be found by checking one of the fol-lowing: Fredericksburg City Public Schools website:

www.cityschools.com www.fredericksburg.com Local Educational Access Channel 18 WFLS Radio (FM 93.3) WVBX Radio (FM 99.3) WWUZ Radio (FM 96.9) WFVA/B101.5 Radio (FM 101.5/AM 1230) WGRQ Radio (Q 96) WGRX Radio (Thunder 104.5) WTVR—Channel 6 (Richmond) WRC—Channel 4 (D.C.) WUSA—Channel 9 (D.C.) WRIC—Channel 8 (Richmond) We encourage parents to visit our website or listen to one of the radio or television stations listed above. Announcements are post-ed as quickly as possible.