Striving for Excellence

George Mason High School Newsletter

Tyrone Q. Byrd, Principal June, 2010

Dear Parents & Guardians:

Happy June! Congratulations to one and all for the successful completion of the 2009 – 10 school
year. Yet another year filled with exceptional academic, athletic, and artistic success. We overcame minor
distractions and the blizzard of a lifetime (we hope☺). George Mason caught the attention of the White
House and we were visited by Mr. Arnie Duncan, Secretary of the Department of Education. We advanced
to the national level in robotics and the scholastic bowl and our teams brought home six state championships.
Our artists and musicians continued our tradition of earning superior ratings in multiple competitions and the
Cappies raved about both our fall and spring plays. This has been a truly exceptional year.

On June 17th the class of 2010 graduated in prestigious Constitution Hall before an adoring and proud
crowd filled with family members, and the George Mason faculty. The young adults will be missed at
Mason, but we recognize that they have goals to accomplish and dreams to fulfill. Our entire community
now renews its collective commitment to providing relevant, engaging, and challenging instructional
experiences for our children in an environment where risks are encouraged and support is continually
offered. We are confident that the successes of yesterday are attainable tomorrow and that each child at
Mason can accomplish success in all ways imaginable. At George Mason we have committed ourselves to
Excel in Mind, Body, and Character. Our success is dependant upon our ability to support and compliment
the efforts of each other. The intimate nature of our school compels us to mine contributions from every
member of our community and we have a proud tradition of success in this regard.

The excitement that surrounds the beginning of a new school has energized our faculty and staff.
Mason teachers, counselors, and administrators are eager to begin new relationships and strengthen existing
ones with you and your children. It is our great fortune to have a talented, dedicated, and caring collection of
professionals to instruct and guide our children. It is by no accident that our children regularly achieve at
such high academic, artistic, and social levels. The collaborative effort of Mason and your family provides
the foundation our young people need to achieve greatness in life.

Your student's final report card for the 2009 - 10 school year was mailed on Friday, June 25th. The
SOL Writing and Non-Writing Score Reports were also included if your student took the writing and/or non-
writing SOLs in the spring. We are quite pleased with the preliminary reports of our students’ collective
performance on the SOL tests which show that again we have surpassed state accreditation targets. We are
very proud of our students’ performance and the superb level of instruction they are receiving in the
classroom.

Have a great summer and please look for another letter from your partners at Mason some time in
August.
Sincerely,

Tyrone Q. Byrd
Principal
Excel in Mind, Body and Character
PAGE 2 GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Our summer hours in the high school office are 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday

Senior Portraits
Senior pictures (coat and tie for men, black drape—provided by the photographer—for women) will be taken July 6,
from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

News from the Counseling Office

• Your student's course request verification listing was enclosed with report cards. Please review this
information carefully. Please note that this may include an alternate elective(s). Your student's course schedule
will be finalized in August.

• Block 3 assignments will be posted in the George Mason High School office on Thursday,
September 2. Student schedules will be distributed in a special Block 3 session on the first day of school.

• Students who wish to take the SAT or SAT subject tests on October 9, 2010, may register online over the
summer; the deadline is September 10. The web address is www.collegeboard.com. Students without access
to the Internet can also register by requesting a 2010-2011 registration form from The College Board at:
College Board SAT Program, P.O. Box 6200, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6200. Students may also register
for the ACT given on October 23, 2010; the deadline is September 17. The web address is
www.actstudent.org. To order a paper form for the ACT, please write to: ACT Registration Department, P.O.
Box 414, Iowa City, IA 52243-0414.

INFOSNAP Registration
New and returning student registration instructions were mailed with report cards. Corrections and approval of your
child’s demographic data deadline is August 13. It is extremely important this data be updated on or before
August 13 so that our clinic has all the students’ emergency information before they return on September 7.

REQUIRED SUMMER PROGRAM LETTERS WERE INCLUDED IN

REPORT CARD PACKETS.

Provided by GMHS English Department

Back-to-School Night
Thursday, September 16
7:00 p.m.
PAGE 3 GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

8th Grade Orientation

(sponsored by Mustang Ambassadors)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

12:00pm – 3:00pm (lunch will be served!)

George Mason High School Mustang Café

Details will follow in August

 ASON
ATHLETICS
FALL 2010 PRACTICE INFORMATION
The table below indicates the first scheduled practice dates for Fall Sports. Most teams have
summer conditioning or events and new students should check our website for coach contact
information: www.masonathletics.org!

No student, returning or new, will be allowed to participate in any tryout or practice session until
they have turned in a completed VHSL Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Physical
Examination Form #2. This form is different than the school entry physical and the school entry
physical is not sufficient for athletic participation - even for tryouts and practices.

NO EXCEPTIONS TO THE PHYSICAL RULE CAN BE GRANTED - PERIOD!!!

The Form is available on-line at: www.masonathletics.org.

Program First Date/ Tryouts Time Location Summer Contact

August 6, 2010 Coach Horn
Football 3:30 PM Equipment Room
Equipment Issue Hornt@fccps.org
August 9, 2010 * 3:30 PM Mustang Café Coach Horn
th th
* All 8 – 12 graders will report on this day. Practice will run Monday –
Saturday throughout August.
Please email Coach Horn about mini-camp August 2-5, 6-9pm!!
Coach Bravin
Cross Country August 9, 2010 7:00AM Stadium Field
Bravinj@fccps org
Please check with Coach Bravin about camp August 1-6!
10:30 Coach Horn
Golf August 2 - 3, 2010 Cafeteria
AM hornt@fccps.org
Candidates will leave from GM to go to Fairfax National at 10:45 on both days.
Varsity August 9,10,11 Mustang Gym at Coach Rizzi
9AM
Volleyball 2010 * MEHMS rizzie@fccps.org
August 9,10,11 Mustang Gym at Coach McCann
JV Volleyball 9AM
2010 * MEHMS walkerl@fccps.org
* Please check with Coach Rizzi about camp at GMHS August 2-5!
Competition August 2-6 4:00PM Coach Bird
Main Gym
Cheer August 7 9AM Birdb@fccps.org

NEW STUDENTS - Please check with the Guidance Dept. to be sure you are
ELIGIBLE and ask them to contact Coach Horn at hornt@fccps.org when you register!
SUMMER SCHOOL STUDENTS - Please contact your coach IMMEDIATELY if you
will be unable to attend ANY sessions because of summer school.

Please check our website daily over the summer for news and notes from the coaches!
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING HOURS!
At: www.masonathletics.org