The end of the semester was last Friday, January 20. We are one half of the way through the school year! We did our first visit to John Paul Jones Arena to discuss the Class of 2023 graduation on Tuesday, June 6 (6:00). We have a lot of school year left, but it is certainly moving quickly.

The first half of the year brought many successes, mainly the return to a school structure that felt most like the one we left pre-pandemic. I continue to marvel at the energy your students bring to school everyday. They are smart, eager to learn, and kind to each other. I am hopeful that they will continue to find experiences that interest them and opportunities for them to learn more about the world, large and small.

To that end, I am writing about an opportunity for students to apply to be on the school board as a student member. Click here to learn more and apply:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RAHAHUetfyGREvuQcd3RgSjVZ6-Hmo6Xm7sF8oTSuTk/copy

Applications are due by January 31. I know that is a tight turn around, but we just learned of the accelerated due date.

Grades are due from teachers at 9:00 am this Friday, January 27. First semester grades are "stored" and then averaged with second semester grades.

Essential Assignments (EA) must be passed to complete the course, so you may notice that your child has an Incomplete (I). Please work with the teacher and your child's counselor to make a plan.

Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS) invites you to attend a virtual community information forum focused on special education on Wednesday, January 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. You can join this forum, hosted by the ACPS Office of Community Engagement, by clicking on the following Zoom link:

https://k12albemarle.zoom.us/j/84153296673...

A panel of school division and higher education experts, along with community partners, will discuss current special education trends, best practices, and programming. Among specific areas that will be addressed are the school division’s special education programs; inclusive instructional practices; special education staffing; support provided from higher education and community partners; and information on how to access family resources. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions through Zoom’s Q&A feature.

Thank you to all who have dropped off snacks for our students! Please keep them coming, if you are able.

The other thing that we could use is small cups for water. We appreciate your support. Thank you, again.

On February 22, the division will be hosting an informational meeting (Zoom) to discuss the Career Learning Communities for 2023-24 and to answer families' questions. We will send the Zoom link out prior to the meeting. This is most applicable to rising 10th grade families; however, all are welcome.

Before extreme winter weather arrives, we want to make sure you know about the various scheduling options we will consider, how to find out about school schedule changes, and our plan for remote learning in the case of an extended closure.

When bad weather becomes a factor in the school schedule, our top priority is the safety of our students, staff, and other members of our community. For each unique weather event, we consider information from several sources to help us decide if we should open on time, open on a delay, close schools, or dismiss early.

The most complete resource for information is our Closings, Delays & Early Dismissals web page, which explains our inclement weather decision-making process and details our scheduling options, our decision and communication timelines, all of the ways you can find out about schedule changes, and more.

Check out the latest re: course registration from our counseling department. In person registration for rising 10th and 11th graders starts this week.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFRR1WECGA/view?utm_content=DAFRR1WECGA&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=embeds&utm_source=link

For the third consecutive year, the school division will be offering, free of charge, the College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) to all juniors on Wednesday, March 22nd. The test will be administered at all of our high schools on the morning of a regular school day. We will be providing registration information to families well in advance of the registration deadline.

We hope that, by sharing this information now, your family will not register and pay the $60 fee for the Saturday, March 11th SAT administration since the March 22nd administration is free to families.

While many colleges and universities no longer require SAT scores and families have a choice whether or not to include scores on student transcripts, taking the SAT can be helpful to college and university admission. Whether to report your test score to the college or university to which a student applies, is completely voluntary.

A strong test result can improve a student’s application for admission and also can enhance a student’s chance at earning scholarships. Often SAT test scores will advance a student’s candidacy for admission if the student’s GPA does not accurately represent the quality of their work or potential.

Kahn Academy, which is a non-profit dedicated to supporting students in their preparation for college, offers free SAT practice tests. Click here https://www.khanacademy.org/about to learn more about Kahn and here https://signup.collegeboard.org/official-sat-practice/ for information on practice tests.

For more information on the SAT, please contact your student’s school counselor.

Auditions for Crybaby are this Wednesday through Friday after school in the auditorium. The play is from May 11-14. A great way to get involved in an awesome production!

Seniors and families – the Senior Makeup Picture Day is this Thursday, January 26th from 8:30am – 11:30am in the Auditorium. If you have not gotten a senior photo yet, or wish to retake your school photo, come on by. If you want the optional formal pose, wear a white T-shirt (photographers will provide you with a tux cover) or a spaghetti-strap shirt (photographers will provide you with a drape cover). Seniors, please come by the Auditorium when it is least disruptive to your schedule.

Dear seniors and families of MHS seniors,

2022 yearbooks are now for sale! They are $65. Please purchase them through Balfour (www.balfour.com). Balfour also sends you direct marketing materials via email, and you can use their links to order the same book.

Along with the yearbook, you have the option to purchase a “student ad” for your graduating senior. (You might hear people refer to these as ‘baby ads’ because families often include photos of their seniors when they were little.) This is a privilege extended only to seniors; it is optional and certainly not required. Our deadline for all ad submissions is Friday, March 18th.

If you would like to purchase an ad, you will do so on Balfour, using a very similar process to buying a yearbook itself. Here are the steps:

1. Visit www.balfour.com and search for Monticello High School (be sure to pick the one in Charlottesville)

2. Shop “Yearbook products” and purchase the ad size you want. Our prices are: ¼ page = $25; ½ page = $50; ¾ page - $75; Full page - $100. Please see the attached image if you cannot find this ad purchase option.

3. Create an account on Balfour.com

4. Look for an email within 1 business day confirming your Ad Workspace is available

5. Log into your Balfour.com account and look under My Orders to design your ad. Watch this short video to see how to design.

6. When you’re ready, choose “Submit Your Ad” to send it to the yearbook staff.

The attached flyer explains how to design an ad as well.

The design process is relatively easy and very well explained by Balfour – but we know this can be daunting! If you purchase an ad but need our support in designing, please send your senior to G104 during 4B or right after school. Our yearbook staff and I can support your student in designing the ad. If you want the ad to remain a surprise but are having trouble designing, check out the resources below, call the Balfour support line, or email me with questions.

Sincerely,

Ms. Deegan