Greetings from Fork Union Military Academy!
I hope this email finds you well. Below you will find this week's parent update with the most recent edition of the Front & Center - the bi-weekly newsletter with updates from around campus. Please do not forget to scroll down for the weekly updates!
The Front & Center - May 10, 2024
Below you will find all the new information that has been added this week. As a reminder, please visit the Parents Page on forkunion.com to view all the following information. These are posted under Announcements each week.
Click here to visit the Fork Union Parents Page.
We are excited to announce that we are exceeding our application goal for the 2024-2025 academic year! As a result, we want to prioritize our current students by ensuring they have the opportunity to secure their spot and financial aid for next year.
If you have not yet re-enrolled for the 2024-2025 academic year, please contact an Admissions Office representative as soon as possible to discuss your plans. This will help us finalize our enrollment numbers and better serve all of our students.
To contact the Admissions Office, please email admissions@fuma.org.
Senior White Pants for Senior Parade
The Commandant's Department is requiring all seniors to bring in their white pants that will be worn during the Senior Parade and Graduation by Monday, May 20. Please bring them in next week to be inspected. All white pants need to be pressed prior to the Senior Parade (Friday, May 24).
Uniform of the Day Reminder
The Corps of Cadets will wear their Class B Uniform on Tuesdays only for the next two weeks. On Thursdays, the Uniform of the Day will be DCUs. Since there is a parade on Friday for the following two weeks, students will wear the Class A Uniform each of those Fridays.
The Uniform of the Day Schedule from May 6 through May 24 will be:
Uniform of the Day for the Week of Memorial Day
All Day Students are required to attend class on Monday, May 27 for Memorial Day. The Academy will hold a Memorial Day Ceremony at 3 PM. The Uniform of the Day for Monday, May 27 is Class A.
For the remainder of the week of May 27, the Uniform of the Day is: Tuesday - DCUs, Wednesday - DCUs, Thursday: Class B, and Friday - DCUs.
The College Placement Department has set the Academy's annual College T-Shirt Day for Wednesday, May 15. We encourage all seniors to participate by wearing a shirt from the college/destination he is committing to for next year. This will be the day we celebrate National Decision Day.
Parents, please make sure your senior has his t-shirt that displays his 2024-25 destination on campus by Monday, May 13. The uniform of the day will be DCU bottoms paired with his t-shirt.
Does your cadet need a special treat to get him through the home stretch of the school year? Has he done something recently that deserves a treat? Does he have a birthday in May?
Ms. Rhonda White, our Coordinator of Assessments & Student Records, provides parents with the opportunity to treat their cadet with something sweet and special. Do you want to do something special to surprise your cadet while at FUMA? Treat him to a birthday surprise, a pick-me-up, or "just because" treat from the list below.
For more information, please contact Ms. Rhonda White at whiter@fuma.org
Below you will find the major events that are scheduled throughout the next several months. Please keep in mind that details on these events could possibly change due to weather and other circumstances. Please mark your calendars for the following dates:
Wednesday, May 15 | College T-Shirt Day
All Day | Seniors, Staff & Faculty are welcome to wear their college t-shirt during the class day to celebrate the senior's destination for the 2024-2025 year.
Friday, May 17 | First Responders Parade
2:00 PM | First Responders Parade | Stadium Field | Parents are welcome. Cadets are eligible to go on leave following the parade.
Friday, May 24 | Senior Parade
2:00 PM | Senior Parade | Stadium Field | Parents are welcome. Cadets are eligible to go on leave following the parade.
Monday, May 27 | Memorial Day
All Day | Class Day | Memorial Day is a regular school day. All day students must attend class.
3:00 PM | Memorial Day Ceremony | Parents are welcome.
Below you will find important archived information that has been released in previous weeks.
It is time to plan your End of the Year travel! The last week of school is Sunday, June 2 through Saturday, June 8. We have several dates where we would love to have parents here on campus as well as multiple dates when cadets depart campus. Please keep in mind that details on these events could possibly change due to weather and other circumstances. Please mark your calendars for the following events:
Saturday, June 1 (Not a Leave Weekend)
10:00 AM | Cadet Fun Day | Stadium Field |
Staff and faculty will provide a mandatory fun day for cadets starting during brunch.
Sunday, June 2
6:15 PM | Full Year Exemplary Conduct Cookout | Social Center |
Monday, June 3 (Normal Class Day)
6:15 PM | Middle School Ice Cream Social | Social Center | Parents welcome.
Tuesday, June 4 (Normal Class Day)
Last day of class for 7th graders.
Wednesday, June 5
10:00 AM | 7th Grade Ceremony | Chapel | Parents are welcome.
7th graders will be dismissed from campus after ceremony.
4:00 PM | Upper School Awards Ceremony | Wicker Chapel | Parents are welcome.
Dinner will be served in the Estes Dining Hall at 5:00 PM. Parents who attend the awards are welcome to stay for dinner.
Thursday, June 6
Term 5 Final Exam Day
Grades 8 through 11 are dismissed from campus at 12:30 PM.
4:30 PM | Senior Cookout | Middle School Circle | Parents are welcome.
6:00 PM | Senior Awards Ceremony | Wicker Chapel | Parents are welcome.
Friday, June 7
8:30 AM | Baccalaureate | Wicker Chapel | Closed to Spectators/Parents
10:00 AM | Upper School Graduation | Football Field | All are welcome. No tickets required unless under weather plan.
Seniors are dismissed from campus after graduation.
Please bookmark the link to our Academic Calendar for the 2023-2024 year. This calendar highlights all the major events on campus for the academic year, including dates of when each term begins and ends, leave weekends, SAT and ACT tests and all holiday breaks.
The easy way to find it on forkunion.com is under Academics - Academic Calendar.
The Academy has announced that cadets in good standing are eligible for weekend leaves following all Friday parades. This does not include Alumni Weekend. Below are the weekends cadets are eligible for a leave weekend:
Friday, April 26, 2024 | 2:00 PM | Military Appreciation Parade | Eligible Cadets Leave Weekend
Friday, May 10, 2024 | 2:00 PM | Mother's Day Parade | Eligible Cadets Leave Weekend
Friday, May 17, 2024 | 2:00 PM | First Responders Parade | Eligible Cadets Leave Weekend
Friday, May 24, 2024 | 2:00 PM | Senior Day Parade | Eligible Cadets Leave Weekend
As always, please submit your Leave Request through the Orah Parent Portal.
Did you know that Fork Union offers a Visiting Family Guide? It lives on forkunion.com and offers discounts to local hotels in the area for Fork Union families. You can stay at the Best Western and the Hilton Garden Inn for 15-percent off when you call directly. Click here to view.
Call these hotels now to plan any visit to campus as we enter the spring and parade seasons.
The 2024 Skirmisher yearbook is now on sale! This year's edition will be almost 50% larger than recent years! The books will be distributed in late May before the cadets leave campus but must be pre-ordered via the Jostens web site to guarantee your cadet gets a copy: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1119984/Fork-Union-Military-Academy/. Order your cadet's yearbook today!
The Parents Association of Fork Union Military Academy is a voluntary association of parents who wish to support the mission of the Academy with their time, talents, and gifts. The Association provides direct support to the Academy's educational programs and technologies through their dues and fundraising endeavors. It also helps encourage parent participation and facilitates parent communication and networking.
Each year, the Parents Association helps with arranging Carpools for Cadet Transportation. Below is the Carpool List for the academic year. Please read the instructions provided in the document. If interested, submit your information to families in your area.
Please consider joining the Parents Association! Click here to become a member.
Should you have any questions regarding your son’s class options and graduation plan, please contact their respective academic scheduler:
It's time to schedule your cadet's portraits! We are pleased to be able to recommend Kristin Firewicz Studios to our cadet families. Kristin is a professional photographer contracted by the Academy to take campus photos throughout the year and has been specializing in high school senior photography for over 10 years. Kristin is local to Fork Union and has a studio on campus. For more information regarding booking your cadet's private session, please visit her website for special FUMA rates: Kristin Firewicz Studios.
You can view photos almost daily of your son throughout the academic year at: photos.forkunion.com.