Dear Parents and Friends, Woohoo! We have successfully survived the blizzard of 2016, revised our plan for SOL testing, and started our second term as scheduled on February 4. February 11 is the last day for Term 2 schedule changes. On February 12 the school will operate on an early dis-missal bell schedule, with dismissal at 12:00, and report cards for Term 1 will be distribut-ed. School will be closed in observance of Presidents’ Day on February 15. An Open House will be held on February 18 from 6:00 P.M. until 8:15 P.M., please make plans to attend as course registration information will be presented and parents will have the op-portunity to meet their student’s teachers. Interim reports will be distributed on February 23 and JAYEM AM for Term 2 will begin on February 24. I am excited to announce that the upperclassmen will present The Wiz beginning on February 25 and continuing through February 27, at 7:00 P.M. in the auditorium. Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for gen-eral admission and will be available at the door.

As a reminder, James Monroe High School provides ample opportunity for students to make up seat time due to excessive absences. Please monitor your child’s attendance and pay close attention to attendance letters, which are mailed when a student receives four, six, and eight absences to a class. I also want to take this time to clarify that parental notes enable a student to make-up work when absent without penalty, but the absence still counts towards the student’s overall total. Our attendance policy is posted on our school website on the left side. The time is approaching when students will be asked to select their courses for the 2016-2017 school year. Course selections are extremely important and serve as the basis for all scheduling for the ensuing school year. It is important that parents understand and be-come involved in helping their students make appropriate choices. Student registration information will be available on line through the parent and student portals. Students will complete registration on line with the assistance of the school counselors from February 22 through March 4. Students are required to make eleven course selections (eight de-sired courses and three alternate choices). Following the course request process, school counselors will meet with students during the month of March to review course selections and to provide specific, personalized direction. Please read the information included in this newsletter and discuss the contents with your child. I wish you and your child the very best as we enter the second half of the school year. Respectfully,

Dr. Taneshia Rachal Principal

In this issue...

Yearbook News, NHS Carnation Sales, SEAC Meets, Guidance News

Page 2

January Athletes of the Month, Spring Sports Information

Page 3

James Monroe High School Athletic Hall of Fame Information and Nomination Form

Pages 4 & 5

Term 2 Open House

Page 6

Calendar for February

Page 7

James Monroe High School Principal’s Newsletter, February 2016, Page 2

The National Honor Society will sponsor the annual carnation sale until February 9. Beautiful long-stemmed carnations will be sold for $2.00 and delivered along with a personal note to all schools in the city on February 12. Let a special student or staff member know he/she is appreciated. Par-ents are welcome to place orders. Please lend your support to the National Honor Society as this is their only fund raiser and all net proceeds go to charities. Carnation orders can be placed with any National Honor Society member, Mr. Karl Gron (Room 228), Mrs. Jewell Cunningham (Room 106) or Mrs. Alice Cobey in the library. Please support the National Honor Society and make someone feel special this Valentine’s Day!

The final Senior Ad Night for parents to place an ad in the 2016 yearbook will be held on Tuesday, Feb-ruary 9, from 6:00-8:00 P.M. in room 248. Parents should bring photos and written sentiments, and the yearbook staff will take care of the rest. Please also consider donating a yearbook to a senior who can-not otherwise afford one. Our Angel Fund is cur-rently taking donations of $50.00 for this purpose. Students will be notified by the guidance department if they are chosen to be recipients of a donated book. Please contact jmhsechoad@gmail.com for more information.

The next meeting of the Fredericksburg Special Edu-cation Advisory Committee (SEAC) is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. on Thursday, February 25, at Hugh Mer-cer. The Central Rappahannock Regional Library will present Talking Books. All parents with an interest in special education are encouraged to attend!

TERM 2 The deadline for Term 2 Schedule Changes is February 11, 2016. A parent note/signature is required for course level changes.

MID-YEAR GRADES Seniors who need their mid-year grades sent to a college must fill out a transcript request with Mrs. Ripley in the Counseling Center. These grades are not sent out without a written request from the senior. TESTING NEWS AND UPDATES SAT—Register online www.collegeboard.com or secure an application in the guidance office. The JM High School Code is 470-885. The deadline to sign up for the March 5 test date is February 5. ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) will be administered March 9 at James Monroe. Interested students must register in the guidance office by February 26. There is no charge and no military obligation. WIDA —All students who are classified as Limited English Proficient will test February 22-26.

mailto:jmhsechoad@gmail.com

James Monroe High School Principal’s Newsletter, February 2016, Page 3

TJ is one of the hardest working team members on the girl’s team. She leads her lane during eve-ry workout and sets the standard for hard work. She never shies away from a challenge and broke 7 minutes when she swam the 500 freestyle for the first time. TJ mostly swims the 50 and 100 free, but is also strong enough to compete in any other event.

Matt has been the main scorer of points for the boy’s team. He has qualified for States in the 50 freestyle so far and is hoping to repeat it for the 100 free. He is also one of the team captains and dedicated to taking the team to the next level. Matt swims everything from 50 to 500 free and the 200 IM, so it makes him a big asset to the team. He has been accepted to the Randolph-Macon swim team.

Spring sports’ practices begin on February 22. In order for a student to be eligible to try out he/she must have a 2.0 G.P.A. and meet V.H.S.L. requirements as of the report card issued on February 9. All athletes must have a current sports physical on file. Listed below are the sports being offered, the head coach(es) for each sport, the practice location, and the game location. Questions regard-ing spring sports should be directed to Mary Crismon, Student Activities Director.

Sport Coach Practice Location Game Location

Boys’ Soccer Shamus Gordon Walker-Grant Maury Stadium

Boys’ Tennis George Christoforatis James Monroe James Monroe

Girls’ Soccer Andrew McClung James Monroe Maury Stadium

Girls’ Tennis Robyn Castles James Monroe James Monroe

Track & Field Darryl Dyson Tammy Clark

James Monroe James Monroe

Baseball Rich Serbay Walker-Grant Walker-Grant

Softball Dennis Brown James Monroe James Monroe

Lacrosse TBD Fredericksburg Field House

Maury

James Monroe High School Principal’s Newsletter, February 2016, Page 4

James Monroe High School Athletic Hall of Fame James Monroe High School has a history of athletic excellence which began in 1901 when the doors were opened at Fredericksburg High School and continues to the present. In order to recognize individuals who have led the Yellow Jackets to athletic success over the past 114 years, the administration of James Monroe High School has established the James Monroe High School Athletic Hall of Fame. The fourth class of this hall of fame will be inducted in May 2016. A maximum of five inductees will be selected. Criteria for Selection: The nominee must, during and following his/her career at James Monroe High School, have exemplified the pride, spirit, and success that is James Monroe High School Athletics. The Nominee, if an athlete, must be a JMHS graduate and have been out of high school for

at least ten years. The Nominee, if a coach, must have coached at JMHS for ten years. The Nominee, if a contributor, must be a member of the community who has made a signifi-

cant contribution to JMHS Athletics. Nomination Process: Any JMHS staff member (past or present) or community member may nominate. Nomination deadline will be March 25, 2016. A nomination form is included in this newsletter. Additional forms are available in the office. Nominations must be submitted on a nomination form and include a resume of the nomi-

nee’s years, service, and accomplishments, and should include the nominee’s current con-tact information.

The person doing the nominating should include his/her contact information. Return completed nomination forms to Mary Crismon, Student Activities Director, JMHS.

A Hall of Fame selection committee, composed of four persons, will be selected by the prin-cipal and athletic director.

The inductee will be recognized at the Hall of Fame awards ceremony and receive a suita-ble award. A plaque commemorating his/her contribution to JMHS Athletics will be perma-nently displayed in the Athletic Hall of Fame hallway outside of the gymnasium.

James Monroe High School Principal’s Newsletter, February 2016, Page 5

James Monroe High School Athletic Hall of Fame Nomination Form

Name of Nominee _________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________ City ______________________________ State ___________ Zip Code ______ Home Telephone ___________________ Cell Phone _____________________ Years of Sports Participation at James Monroe ________ through ___________ Sports Participated In ______________________________________________ Outstanding Statistics ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Honors Received _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name of Nominator ________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________ City ______________________________ State ___________ Zip Code ______ Home Telephone ___________________ Cell Phone _____________________ Will you be able to attend? Yes _____ No _____