Excel in Mind, Body and Character

George Mason High School Newsletter

Tyrone Q. Byrd, Principal May, 2011

Dear Mustang Parents and Guardians,

The end of the 2010 – 11 school year is quickly coming to a close. On the morning of Wednesday, May 11,
you will be able to view your child’s updated and accurate interim grade for each class through AccessGM.
Each quarter grade (two per semester) constitutes 40% of the semester grade.

June 16th (final day of classes) will arrive in the blink of an eye and the next several weeks promise to pass
quickly. This is especially true given the wide variety of end-of-year activities we have planned for our
students. Activities such as the spring play, Fire Drill Picnic, Senior Field Day, and an exciting array of
sports events promise to quicken the pace and tax our collective capacity to keep up with our daily demands.
We must work collaboratively to ensure that each of our children are prepared and supported for the
remainder of the school year. Two key components are being informed and establishing priorities. Further
down in this newsletter please find Calendar Information, and Guidelines with Final Exam Schedule for
Underclassmen. We expect that each will help you and your family both stay informed and establish
priorities.

The faculty of George Mason is committed to providing engaging, relevant, and challenging instructional
activities for the remainder of the school year. Please remind your children that our collective expectations
have not changed. We genuinely believe that our focus and ability to actively engage in the learning process
should be sharper now than they were in September. It is also important that you remind your children to
adhere strictly to all school rules at this time. This can be a dangerous time of year for young people. They
will need our guidance as they are confronted with opportunities to engage in certain risky behaviors. Let’s
work together to ensure that they make safe and responsible decisions at all times.

On behalf of the entire faculty and staff of George Mason, I offer our thanks to you for your continued
support. Our children are truly fortunate to have adults in their lives that genuinely care for them; adults who
are committed to offering guidance and encouragement as they face the countless challenges life presents at
this exciting time in their lives. We appreciate their daily readiness for the academic and social opportunities
they face and recognize that your positive influence has made our success that much more possible. We look
forward to seeing you around the campus as we bring this excellent school year to a close.

Sincerely,

Tyrone Q. Byrd
Principal

GO MUSTANGS!
PAGE 2 GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL

May 11
Parent Walk-In (PWI)
7:15 a.m. – 7:45 a.m. Early Release From School
May 11
Interims Available on AccessGM All 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th grade students are required to
May 12-14
be in school through the last regular day of the school
Spring Play – To Kill A Mockingbird
7:30 p.m. – Auditorium year.
May 21
Junior/Senior Prom – Hearts Are Wild Any student whose family has the exceptional need to
8:30 – Midnight remove him/her from school prior to our official last
Cherry Blossom Yacht day of school, Thursday, June 16 must submit a letter
Alexandria City Marina requesting an excused early release from school.
May 23 Such requests will be given administrative
IB Exams End consideration, but it is imperative that we receive the
May 24 written request immediately in order to allow time
Special Education Parent Meeting
for due consideration and to arrange alternative exam
8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Mustang Café – B121 schedules where necessary.
May 30
Memorial Day/School Closed
All Staff Holiday Last Regular School Day
June 1
PTSA Meeting
For Grades 8-11
7:30 p.m. – Library
June 2 Please be fully aware that instruction, end-of-year
Spring Band Concert review and examinations take place right up to the last
7:30 p.m. – Auditorium hour of the last day of school on June 16. Eighth
June 8 graders, freshmen, sophomores and juniors will be
8-9 Grade Awards Assembly
engaged in their final exams through Thursday, June
1:30 p.m. – Auditorium
10-12 Grade Awards Assembly 16.
7:00 p.m. –Auditorium
June 9
Spring Chorus Concert Final Examinations (8,9,10,11)
7:00 p.m. -- Auditorium
June 13-16 The final examination schedule is included in this
End-of-year Exams for grades 8, 9, 10 and 11
June 15 newsletter explaining attendance requirements.
Graduation 2011 Please read the exam information pages with care.
DAR Constitution Hall
5:00 p.m.
June 16
Last Day of School for Underclassmen
Final Examinations (12)
June 17
Last Day for Teachers
Seniors will be allowed some flexibility again this year
in scheduling their exams. This special schedule will
High School Awards Assemblies provide seniors some degree of control over their
preparation for exams. Some exams, however, will be
The awards assembly for the eighth graders and assigned to certain slots for departmental reasons.
freshmen will be on Wednesday, June 8, beginning at Where no mandatory assignment is made, the seniors
1:30 p.m. in the GM Auditorium. The awards may schedule their own sessions. ALL SENIORS
assembly for sophomores, juniors and seniors will be EXAMS MUST BE COMPLETED BY THURSDAY,
held on Wednesday, June 8, at 7:00 p.m. in the GM JUNE 9. Seniors have already received details
auditorium. Parents and guardians of students regarding this process together with vitally important
receiving an award will be notified by mail. graduation information through the mail.
PAGE 3 GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL

Return of Texts, Uniforms and 9 Muses

Other School Materials Literary and Arts Magazine
It is imperative during the final days of school that The 2011-2012 issue of the literary and arts
students return all textbooks, athletic equipment magazine 9 Muses will be published soon. The
and other materials which have been borrowed magazine will include approximately 50 pieces of
during the course of the year. Failure to return literature and artwork produced exclusively by
these items prior to June 16 will result in the GM students (grades 8-12). If you wish to
student's being placed on a text/equipment fine list purchase this unique collection of work you can
and will delay that student's receiving books and still do so. The price is $10. All checks should be
equipment at the start of the 2011-2012 school made payable to GMHS and dropped off in Mr.
year. Fines for lost or damaged books and Walsh's room (Trailer #2).
materials may be paid anytime prior to June 16.
Contact Ms. Baldo in the finance office for details
(248-5545). Please remember that the
text/equipment fine list for underclassmen will
not be available in the finance office until after
exams. Students should check with their teachers,
coaches, sponsors, Ms. Kemp in the library or
Coach Horn in the Athletic Director's office to see
if they owe any materials or have fines to pay.

IMPORTANT SUMMER GRADUATION

COURSE INFORMATION JUNE 15, 2011
FROM THE COUNSELING 5:00 P.M.
DAR CONSTITUTION HALL
OFFICE
If you plan to take a summer course for high
school verified credit you MUST contact your
counselor before you register for the course. LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
Students planning to take an SOL exam at another FOR UNDERCLASSMEN
high school MUST contact the GMHS Counseling JUNE 16, 2011
Department PRIOR to taking the exam in order for
the score to be verified for graduation credit and
included on the student’s transcript. For more
information, please see your counselor prior to
leaving for your summer break.
PAGE 4 GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL
Senior Reflections
Ceremony
The Senior Reflections ceremony will be held at
George Mason High School in the auditorium on
Sunday, June 5, at 5:00 p.m. This ceremony is
designed and staged entirely by seniors and
usually features music, readings and words of
reflection provided by the graduating class. This
is a time for the students to gather voluntarily to
enjoy each other's company and reflect on their
school experiences collectively. The seniors
welcome family members and others in the
school community to attend.
Graduation
Graduation will be held on Thursday, June 15, at
5:00 p.m. in DAR Constitution Hall, 18th & D
Streets, NW, Washington, DC. Admission to the
graduation ceremony is by ticket only. All guests
who occupy a seat (this includes small children
and baby seats) will need to have a ticket. A
mandatory graduation rehearsal will be held
earlier that day in the GM gymnasium. (A
separate letter has been mailed to seniors and their
parents and guardians with all the details.)
Community members who wish to attend the
ceremony are welcome to do so. Tickets may be
picked up at the GMHS office beginning June 1.
Graduation in Your Home
Falls Church Community Television Channel
12/2/35 will videotape the graduation ceremony
for air on FCC-TV and for purchase. For the Falls
Church Community Television programming
schedule check the Weekly Focus for dates.
Recently the All Night Graduation Celebration
Committee mailed to the parents/guardians of
seniors a letter containing information on the All
Night Graduation Celebration. In that same
mailing was information on how to purchase a
DVD produced by FCC-TV which contains
filming of the Senior Reflections Ceremony, the
2011 Graduation and the All Night Graduation
Celebration. The ANGC ticket is $40 and the
DVD is $30. If you have questions, please call
Susie Larcamp at 703-534-5402 or Cecily Shea
703-538-4455.
Volunteer to help the Class
of 2011 celebrate with their
ALL NIGHT GRADUATION
CELEBRATION
The All Night Grad Celebration(ANGC) is
gearing up for its 23rd year and the Volunteer
Committee has been asked to recruit more than
100 freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior
parents to help make this event as wonderful as it
has been for years. The Celebration follows the
graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, June 15th
and runs through the night.
There are several shifts, with all sorts of jobs to
do! And we welcome anyone who wants to work
from beginning to end - we had a few last year,
and all told us it was a great experience!
Volunteers can indicate their interest to the
committee by email
at gmhs_angc_volunteers@yahoo.com or contact
a committee member by phone: Stefani Lailari,
402-210-1343, stefani317@gmail.com; Laura
Brady, 703-237-1679, lbrady59@gmail.com.
PAGE 5 GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL

IB and AP Examinations Results

Juniors and seniors who have taken IB exams will be able to access their results via the internet on July 6,
2011. Each student has been issued a user name, a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and the website
address. This information will be mailed to each student on June 27, 2011.

Students who lose their access information or do not have access to the internet may come to the George
Mason High counseling office to pick up a printout of their scores. Because we want to protect this
information, we ask that students or parents show a picture ID.

Seniors who wish to have their IB transcripts sent free-of-charge to the college of their choice were given an
IB Transcript Request Form during the IB exams. We expect to receive 100% of them by May 23, 2011.
Students who have not yet requested an IB transcript have until Friday, June 3, 2011 to submit this request to
Mr. Misra, IB Coordinator.

Seniors that took an AP exam in a previous year, but did not take an AP exam this year, were provided with
a detailed explanation on how to request that an AP transcript be sent to the college or university of their
choice. It is up to the student to make sure that this occurs if they are not taking an AP exam this year. If a
student took an AP exam this year and completed the college section of their answer sheet a transcript will be
automatically sent from the College Board.

If you have any questions or concerns about the above information, please feel free to call Mr. Misra at
703.248.5590.

Fall Sports start as early as August 1st

Schedule your student’s sports physical today!
VHSL Physical Forms are the only acceptable forms
and a new one is required every school year. Remember
that certain healthcare providers require weeks to
produce the signed forms – plan ahead!! The form is
available on-line from the Athletic Department web
page or from the main office.

www.masonathletics.org
PAGE 6 GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL

GUIDELINES FOR UNDERCLASSMAN FINAL EXAMS

On June 133h eighth graders, freshmen, sophomores and juniors will begin taking their end-of-year
exams. These exams will count for 20% of the final semester grade. (Each of the two quarter grades
constitutes 40% of the semester grade.) It is very important that our students be well rested and prepared for
these exams. On the page 7 you will find the exam schedule for grades 8 through 11.

Please note the following about exams week:

• Monday, June 13, is the first of four exams-only days. No classes are held. As in the past, on
these days (Monday-Wednesday) students are only required to be in attendance for the
exam sessions: 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. During the exam
schedule, students who have two exam periods during the day (with the exception of 8th
graders) will be permitted to leave campus during the break time between exam periods and
return to campus after the break. Eighth graders are not allowed off campus. All school
conduct rules apply during the period of time off campus. Students who only have one exam
period are expected to be on campus only for that exam period. Upon completion of the exam
schedule on those three days, students will be dismissed. Thursday’s exam schedule is 8:00 –
10:00 a.m. with final bus departure at 10:10.

• On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday the Mustang Café will be open for high school
students between exams (10:05 – 10:25 a.m.). In place of the usual nutrition break fare, lunch
will be available for purchase. Students entitled to free or reduced-price lunch will receive the
lunch free or at the reduced price.

• Make-up sessions for students with EXCUSED ABSENCES ONLY must be individually
scheduled with the subject teacher during the unscheduled afternoons of Monday, Tuesday
or Wednesday.

• Buses will be running on a modified and reduced schedule following exams on Monday
through Wednesday, June 13-15. Buses will depart from GM at 12:37 p.m. on Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday and at 10:10 on Thursday after the last exam.

• LOCKER CLEANOUT: Students are strongly encouraged to

begin cleaning out their lockers prior to the last day of exams.
Items left after June 16 will be given away or discarded.

We wish all of our students well in their exams!

PAGE 7 GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL

2011 EXAM SCHEDULE FOR UNDERCLASSMEN

MON TUES WED THURS

June 13 June 14 June 15 June 16

8:00 Block Block Block Block

To 1 Exam 2 Exam 3 Exam 5 Exam
10:00

BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK

Block Block Block

10:30 7 Exam 6 Exam 4 Exam Make-up
to Sessions for
12:30 Excused
Absences
and those
who
performed at
the
graduation
-------------- --------------- ----------------- ceremony
Make-up Make-up
1:00 Sessions for Sessions for
to Excused Excused
3:00 Absences Absences

NOTE: MAKE-UP EXAMS FOR EXCUSED ABSENCES MUST BE SCHEDULED WITH THE TEACHER
DURING THE POST-DISMISSAL TIME.

Teachers will allow contract percussion, band and chorus students who performed in graduation
ceremonies to take their block 5 exam during the make-up session (10:30 – 12:30 p.m.) on Thursday, June
16, instead of earlier (at 8:00 a.m.) since these students will have been in Washington the previous evening
performing at the graduation ceremony. Please note that students are, of course, welcome to take the exam
with their classmates at 8:00 a.m. if they prefer. We ask that students, out of courtesy, let their block 5
teachers know if they plan to take advantage of the later (10:30 – 12:30 p.m.) session. Thank you.