Last Tuesday, September 10, the JM community celebrated the unveiling of "Habitat," Fredericksburg City Public Schools' latest and fourth mural contribution by local artists Sophia Pineda and Gabriel Pons. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was emceed by Principal Petty and featured performance by the JM drumline, Monroe Singers, and marching band. School Board Member Malvina Rollins Kay provided opening remarks. "Habitat" was made possible by the initiative of JM teachers Casey Willging, David Lovegrove, Megan Waite, Lueden "Ms. S" Sheikhnureldin, along with the Pineda family and Cary Street Partners. A big thank-you to volunteers Vickey Barrera, Gillian Hoback, Dante Jenkins, and Megan Shaughnessy, as well as to Sherwin Williams for donating all paint supplies.

Ms. Kay said, "We all come to the table with special gifts, and it's how we choose to use and share those gifts that's important."

Pons shared with the audience that when he was beginning the mural work, he thought back to something that one of his first design professors said: "Suspend disbelief." Referencing the scale of the mural, Pons said he and Sophia had to "suspend disbelief in the sense that it can't be done, that it's too long, too tall, too high, too hot — and at one point too dark and too cold."

Want to read more about JM alumnus Sophia Pineda's contributions to the art world?

Looking to learn more about FCPS partner Gabriel Pons?

On September 11, 2024, 15 JM students and 12 WGMS students provided insight and guidance for the direction of Fredericksburg City Public Schools' new CTE emphasis. Each student focus group session was led by CTE consultants Dr. Scott Baker and Dr. Rob Benson. New CTE Coordinator Delia Clayton-Fulcher attended with Superintendent Marci Catlett and Deputy Superintendent Matt Eberhardt.

"Student voice is critical as we move forward with our emphasis on CTE," Catlett said. "We will rely on their guidance and passion for future thinking."

Moving forward, these participants will become the FCPS Student CTE Advisory Committee: Madison Abbott (12), Jaselyn Boyd (6), Zachary Colon (9), Anokhi Desai (6), Aysha Durrani (9), Samir Durrani (6), Marelli Guadarrama (10), Elijah Holmes (11), Chris Ienco (11), June Jonas (11), Aniya Lewis (8), Asher Lingo (6), River Lingo (11), Sawyer Lingo (8), Adam Loudhabachi (8), Dunya Karimi (7), Malia Kay (6), Mohammad Majeedi (7), Mahnaz Niazi (8), Ana Payne (10), Ty'Kori Pettus (12), Ashlly Ramirez (12), Fatima Shakeel (11), Amari Smith (8), Lundyn Taylor (6), Ismail Walcott (7), Sarai Walley (9), Dallas Wilson (9), and Dheer Zalavadia (10).

Hispanic Heritage Month, which began yesterday and will continue through October 15, celebrates the contributions of Hispanic Americans to our history, art, music, and culture. Students from all of our schools will be learning about Hispanic culture in their classes in the coming weeks.

Please join us on Tuesday, September 17, at 5:30pm in the James Monroe High School Auditorium for a special viewing of What I Wish My Parents Knew, a film produced to help parents better understand how they can support their children's mental health. The first 25 families to register for the screening will receive the Tell My Story card game for free. Tell My Story is designed to enhance communication between parents and their teens around the topic of mental health.

Childcare will not be available for this event. Refreshments will be available.

On Monday, September 9, a proposed elementary school zoning map for the 2025-26 school year was presented to the Fredericksburg City Public School Board. Please review.

September is Attendance Awareness Month. Did you know that missing 10% of the school year—2 days a month—makes it difficult to learn to read by 3rd Grade, succeed in middle school, and graduate high school? Just two monthly absences can significantly impact the path to academic success. Be Present and Be Powerful! We love seeing our students at school each day. This month, consider taking some time to learn what you can do to fight chronic absenteeism.

We're looking for highly motivated folks who are passionate about working with kids. We have excellent programs to help career switchers, long-time teachers, and new college grads succeed in Fredericksburg.

Interested? Check out our available jobs at https://fxbg.link/FCPSJobOpportunities, or contact our Human Resources Department at (540) 372-1130.

• Field Hockey (WGMS) vs. Fredericksburg Academy — 4pm @ Walker-Grant Middle School
• Volleyball (JV) vs. Armstrong — 6pm @ James Monroe High School
• Volleyball (Varsity) vs. Armstrong — 7:15pm @ James Monroe High School

• Basketball (WGMS Girls) vs. Louisa — 4:30pm @ Walker-Grant Middle School
• Volleyball (JV) vs. Culpeper — 5pm @ James Monroe High School
• Volleyball (Varsity) vs. Culpeper — 6:30pm @ James Monroe High School
• Field Hockey (JV) vs. Culpeper — 5pm @ Maury Stadium
• Field Hockey (Varsity) vs. Culpeper — 6:30pm @ Maury Stadium

• Field Hockey (WGMS) vs. Holy Cross — 4:30pm @ Walker-Grant Middle School
• Cross Country vs. Caroline, Culpeper & Spotsylvania — 5pm @ Pratt Park

• Basketball (WGMS Girls) vs. King George — 4:30pm @ Walker-Grant Middle School
• Football (WGMS) vs. Prospect Heights — 4:30pm @ Prospect Heights Middle School
• Golf vs. Courtland — 5pm @ Fredericksburg Country Club
• Volleyball (JV) vs. Courtland — 5pm @ James Monroe High School
• Volleyball (Varsity) vs. Courtland — 6:30pm @ James Monroe High School
• Field Hockey (JV) vs. Courtland — 5pm @ Maury Stadium
• Field Hockey (Varsity) vs. Courtland — 6:30pm @ Maury Stadium

Please be aware that the Family Community Picnic originally scheduled for Thursday, September 26, has been cancelled.

Check back often with our Community Resources Hub for updates on what's going on around the 'Burg. Consider bookmarking this link: Community Resources | Fredericksburg City Schools (fxbgschools.us)

Family Engagement on Demand is an online platform for schools that provides families with 24/7 access to streaming videos on academic and social/emotional topics to help them support their child's learning at home.

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