Guidance Newsletter Archive

December 4 , 2006

Dear Parents,

As we round the bend of the school year, please take a minute to think about your student’s progress in your classes. The next stretch of school after winter break is a very comprehensive one, so spend some time spent during the break discussing academic or organizational issues with your student. The 30 minute “student assistance period” is an extremely effective method for staying current with their studies.

Here are some important dates for your calendar:
 
Winter break - December 23rd - January 1st
January 15th - Holiday for Martin Luther King Day
January 24th - Second quarter ends
January 25th and 26th - teacher workdays, no school for students

Interims will be given out on December 19. Be sure to ask to see them!  If you have any questions or concerns, please email the teacher by going to our website, www.fcps.edu/MadisonHS/ and scroll down to the bottom of the page to “Staff Email and Voicemail" (by last name) and then click on the teacher you wish to contact.  Remember that our “Student Assistance Period” of 30 minutes each day is an excellent opportunity for getting assistance from your teacher, preparing for upcoming tests, and for making up missed work.

PSAT results should be given out to students in the week before winter. Please remember these are PRACTICE tests and the colleges do not see them. Also, the grades a student makes, particularly this year, are far more important to the colleges than test scores. Colleges accept students with a very wide range of test scores. They focus much more on GPA. And the difficulty level of the classes the student took or is taking.

Curriculum Night -February 1st - at Madison from 7 - 9 p.m.  Please come and explore the classes available to your student. This night will give you a chance to become exposed to all of the academic and elective offerings that Madison will offer next year. Even though the actual course registration for your students doesn’t begin until February, it's not too early to be thinking about and discussing possible options for next year's classes.

Junior Class news

College Planning for Juniors- From Jan. 3-12th, all of the juniors will be going into the College and Career Center for an introductory session on college planning. This is traditionally when our students start researching colleges in earnest. Later in the winter, you will be invited by your student’s counselor for ran individual meeting concerning their individual search

Junior College Night for junior students and their parents is Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 pm. Representatives from The University of Virginia, Roanoke College, Radford University, and James Madison University will be involved in a panel discussion about various aspects of the college admissions process, and will be available to answer questions.

Senior Class news

College Financial Aid Meeting – December 5, 2006 at 7:00pm in Warhawk Hall
Katherine Cooper, Assistant Director for Financial Planning & Assistance from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College will present information to help parents understand the different kinds of aid available. This meeting will provide a variety of information to help with the financial aid process.

College Application deadlines- For schools that have a January 1 application deadline, transcript request forms should be in by Thursday, Dec. 7 (generally, it’s 12 working days before the deadline that it is due). For those schools with January 15 deadlines, the transcript requests are due on Jan. 2. Those schools with rolling admissions should be processed immediately. Neither the counselors nor our transcript secretary will be in the office during the winter break, so please plan accordingly.

Let the college acceptances begin! Students are beginning to hear from colleges and universities. Be sure to share this information with Mrs. Paddock in the Guidance Office when you hear the good news.

Seniors dues are $100.00. Thank you to all of the parents who have paid their students’ senior dues. This fee provides for the graduation ceremony, program for baccalaureate and graduation, cap and gown, diploma cover, two senior field trips, traditional senior gift to the school, an end-of-year picnic and expenses associated with the senior year. If you are on free or reduced lunch you need to provide your FCPS letter of award to receive a reduced fee. Dues must be collected by December 21, 2006 (the day before winter break). Checks need to be made payable to JMHS in the amount of $100.00 and turned into Mrs. Otto in the Career Center.

Graduation, which seems like it is right around the corner, will be held on Wednesday, June 13, 2006, 7:30 p.m. at the Robinson High School Field House. You will receive detailed graduation information in the spring.

Scholarship Opportunities

Virginia Tech College of Engineering Scholarships
Davenport Leaders & Dean’s Scholars are an elite group of engineering students. As a prospective engineering freshman, you are invited to submit an application for these prestigious scholarship programs. The deadline is February 1, 2007. For information and application materials visit http://www.eng.vt.edu/academics/scholarships_pros.php

Society of Women Engineers Visitation Weekend at UVA
High school female juniors and seniors interested in Math and Science will have the opportunity to learn about majors and careers in engineering, meet other young women with similar interests, enjoy activities, guest speakers and workshops. Applications are due by January 31, 2007 and are available in the Career Center.

Summer journalism program -10-day all-expenses-paid held in August at Princeton University for students from under resourced financial backgrounds.
All application materials are available at www.princeton.edu/~sjp.

Lastly, as the holiday season approaches, take some time out to have fun with your family!

Happy Holidays! 
Guidance Staff

703-319-2322

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