Guidance Newsletter Archive

January 2 , 2007

Dear parents,

Hope the winter break was a restful time and you were able to spend some time with your families! Things are heating up for the second half of the year here at Madison.

College Planning Night for Juniors and Parents
Wednesday, January 10, 2007, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. JMHS Auditorium
Admissions representatives from Longwood University, Radford University, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech will serve on a panel to discuss a variety of college related topics and the admissions process in general. The Junior class dinner will precede this event at 5:30 pm in the cafeteria. Signup is needed for the junior dinner, but not for the college program.

Junior College/Career Units
During the month of January, the Junior Class will have the opportunity to become familiar with the resources that are available in the College/Career Center, get a counselor’s overview about the college process, take an in depth Personality Profiler and begin to research colleges and careers. Students will receive a Junior/Senior Handbook that has relevant information to assist in the post-secondary planning process. This Handbook is also available in the Madison Guidance Section on Blackboard at fcps.blackboard.com under the “Career Center Info” button.

Our Curriculum Night will be held on February 1, 2007 from 7:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M (Snow date 2.5.07). This program will provide parents and students, grades 8 – 11, an opportunity to learn about academic classes, elective classes, and course requirements that are available to your student. Teachers and departments from Madison, as well as the FCPS Academies, will have displays and information throughout the building (maps will be provided) to provide you and your student with an excellent opportunity to find out about the different curricular offerings and requirements, and to ask questions about course sequence, course content, and activities. Counselors will be available to provide information about guidance services and SOL test requirements. The Career Center will also be open.

AP CLASSES: During this program, there will be special presentations for students (and parents) who are considering enrolling in an AP class for the 2007-08 school year. Students and parents have had difficulty in the past understanding the rigorous nature of AP classes and the TIME required in these classes. Teachers will present the expectations and curriculum of the classes, so that students and parents can weigh the demands of the course against the rest of the student’s obligations, both academic and extracurricular. Our policy on dropping AP/Honors classes is going to become more restrictive next year; therefore, we want you to choose these classes wisely.

An Elective Fair will be held for all students on Feb.2 during the school day. Students will have an opportunity to visit three elective presentations to help them with their choices. This opportunity does not substitute for the information received at the evening curriculum program, but will supplement it. This will give students a chance to explore the entire range of elective courses that will be offered at Madison next year.

Academy Open Houses- Marshall Academy will be holding a parent/student open house on January 17 from 7:00-8:00 pm. Fairfax Academy will be holding a similar open house on February 27, from 7:30-9:00 pm. These programs will give you a chance to see what type of classes these Academies offer.

Interims were given out on December 19. Be sure to ask to see them!  If you have any questions or concerns, please email the teacher; click here to find his or her email address.

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.

Blackboard.com- there is a wealth of Guidance related information on Blackboard.com. In the future, we will be putting more guidance information on Blackboard and less on Madison’s website, so please login and begin surfing.

Senior Class news

U.S. Military Academy and ROTC Night
Madison High School, Warhawk Hall February 22, 2007, 7:00 pm
Representatives from all five military academies: Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine; and all three military ROTC: Army, Navy, and Air Force programs will be at Madison High School to explain the process of applying to the academies and the ROTC programs. All students and parents are welcome.

Virginia Tech Pamplin Scholars www.univhonors.vt.edu and click under “Scholarships”
The Pamplin Scholars Program consists of two scholarships: the Pamplin Leader Award (one year academic merit-based $1,000 scholarship presented to one qualified student from each public high school in Virginia) and the Pamplin Scholar Award (chosen from the pool of applicants form the Pamplin Leader Award) Visit http://www.univhonors.vt.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=122 for the application and criteria. Must be postmarked by February 1, 2007.

Have a great January!

Guidance Staff

703-319-2322

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