Each Friday during the 2023-2024 Academic Year, Fork Union Military Academy will send a Friday Update to all parents. Please make sure you read the entire page as this includes important information throughout the school year.
Below you will find all the new information that has been added this week.
On Thursday, October 12, the Uniform of the Day will be DCU's in preparation for the 125th Celebration. Class B's will not be worn on Thursday, October 12.
We were very pleased to have more than 100 members of our cadet families register for our Parent Association Town Hall: Meet the Commandant online event held this past Monday evening, October 2nd.
We were even more happy to have so many of you attend that live event and contribute questions both before and during the webinar event. In fact, there were so many questions received prior to and during the online event, we weren't able to get to all of them. We have included those unanswered questions, with written responses from our Commandant, in the link below:
The Parents Association invites you to attend a virtual town hall on Monday, October 9 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Our special guest for this online event will be the Fork Union Military Academy's 12th President, Capt. Mark Black, USN (ret.). We will learn more about Capt. Black's background and experience, his vision for Fork Union Military Academy's future, and have an opportunity to address questions you might have live during this event.
Please register for this event by entering your name and email address. For those who can't attend our live session, we will provide a recording.
It's time to start thinking about ordering your cadet's class ring which will be presented to him at the annual Ring Ceremony at the Academy in the spring with parents invited. A Jostens representative will be set up in the dining hall during the Meet & Greet on Parents Day. Please stop by and get details and look at the sample class rings. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. White at .
Please review this handout about Class Rings.
The Academy works hard to provide fun activities for the cadets. Below you will find the weekly activities that Mr. York sends to cadets each week. These are different each week:
Below you will find important archived information that has been released in previous weeks.
The Uniform of the Day: On Tuesday's and Thursday's the Corps of Cadet will wear the Class B Uniform. On Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's DCU's will be the Uniform of the Day, unless otherwise announced.
On Thursday, October 12, the Uniform of the Day will be DCU's in preparation for the 125th Celebration. Class B's will not be worn on Thursday, October 12.
Mandatory Parades: There are two parades scheduled for the fall. It is mandatory for Day Students to attend all parades. The first parade of the academic year is set for Sunday, October 15 at 1:30 PM. The following weekend, the Parent's Day Parade is scheduled for Friday, October 20 at 2:30 PM. Day Students should arrive to campus 45 minutes prior to the parade start time.
Founder's Day Weekend: Day Students are required to attend the 125th Celebration Parade on Sunday, October 15 at 1:30 PM. All Day Students should plan to arrive on campus by 12:45 PM in Class B's. Officers will need to have their maroon sashes.
Work & Family Travel are not excusals for calendar events, including mandatory parades. Please plan all work schedules and family travel around the scheduled events on the Academic Calendar.
Extra Duty: All Day Students are responsible for their own Extra Duty requirements. This year, Extra Duty will be performed from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM daily. If a Day Student receives demerits with tours that require Extra Duty, it is the Day Student's responsibility to organize arrangements with their TAC Officer to work off their tours.
The Commandant's Department works hard with each company to provide a private Facebook Group for Alpha, Bravo and Charlie Companies. These groups are great ways to interact with the company TAC Officer, network with families and see candid photos for your cadet.
If you have not joined your cadet's Facebook group, you can find the links below:
The Academy's annual Parent's Day Weekend is approaching fast! Please join us for an afternoon of festivities, prior to having a three-day weekend with your cadet. Below are details regarding Parent's Day on Friday, October 20, 2023.
Monday, October 23 is not a class day. All cadets who depart campus are required to return by 7:00 PM Monday evening. Please keep in mind, the Academy does not offer FUMA transportation for Parent's Weekend since it is not mandatory for cadets to leave campus.
If your cadet cannot depart campus for Parents Weekend Leave, the Academy has planned many activities to keep your cadet occupied and having fun.
It's an exciting year for Fork Union Military Academy as the school turns 125 years old on Sunday, October 15, 2023. We will celebrate all weekend with alumni, faculty and staff, parents and cadets, while officially welcoming our 12th school president CAPT Mark Black on Sunday. A Change of Command ceremony will be celebrated on Sunday, October 15 at 1:30 PM during the parade.
To learn more about the 125th Anniversary Celebration, please click here.
Please keep in mind, it is not a leave weekend for cadets.
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.
Earlier this year, Mrs. Kelsey Hill, Director of College Placement & Academic Services, held Zoom meetings for parents of each grade level. In case you missed her session, you can view her videos here:
Fork Union Military Academy depends on the Orah App for all cadet accountability purposes. Parents must use Orah when requesting their cadet to depart campus for any reason. With the first Leave Weekend of the academic year approaching, please read the detailed information on how to set up your Orah Account below:
The first leave weekend is set for Friday, September 29 through October 1. Not all cadets are guaranteed approval for leaves. TAC Officers have to approve all Leave Requests through the Orah Parent Portal. If a Leave Request is not submitted, the cadet cannot depart campus.
Fork Union does not provide FUMA Transportation for Leave Weekends. Parents must find a way to provide their own departures for their cadets.
If your cadet wants to leave campus with another FUMA cadet, both parents must provide approval by both submitting a Leave Request.
Please note that all cadets need to depart campus on Friday, November 17, 2023 for Thanksgiving Break Leave. This is the first Major Leave of the academic year. Since all cadets must depart campus, the Academy does offer FUMA Transportation from and to campus for Thanksgiving Break. Thanksgiving Break starts on Friday, November 17 at 12:30 PM and ends on Sunday, November 26 at 7 PM.
Cadets are able to depart campus after 12:30 PM. If your cadet needs to take a FUMA shuttle to an airport, please arrange his travel to allow proper time to arrive at the airport. All FUMA shuttles depart campus at 1:30 PM and it take approximately 1 hour to arrive at an airport.
All transportation and leave requests for Major Leaves must be done through Orah. If your cadet needs FUMA Transportation, please reach out to Mr. BJ York at . All FUMA Transportation request must be submitted to Mr. York two-weeks in advance. Please have all FUMA Transportation requests for Thanksgiving Break to Mr. York by Nov. 1.
The best way to stay connected with your son for the next several weeks, believe it or not, is by mail! Please allow the Academy time to set up your son's email and room phones. In the meantime, you can use the addresses below for sending mail and packages to your cadet:
Address for Cadet Mail (Letters, Envelops, Magazines, etc.)
Cadet *First Name* *Last Name*
*Company Name* Company (i.e. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie or Delta)
Fork Union Military Academy
PO Box 278
Fork Union, VA 23055
Address for Cadet Packages
Cadet *First Name* *Last Name*
*Company Name* Company (i.e. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie or Delta)
Fork Union Military Academy
4744 James Madison HWY
Fork Union, VA 23055
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.
Ms. Rhonda White, Coordinator of Assessments & Student Records, provides parents with the opportunity to treat their cadet with something special. Choose from the following:
For more information, please contact Ms. Rhonda White at .
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.
Act fast so you do not miss out on the beautiful fall colors this season!
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.
Please bookmark the link to the FUMA Athletics website. The athletic website will be your home for all game schedules, rosters and news stories. Below you will find the direct link to the Athletics Calendar:
FUMA Athletics also offers a mobile app! Follow the link to download the FUMA Athletics App for all updates including, news stories, rosters, and schedule changes. The app allows you to receive direct messages on all schedule updates and changes, so please allow push notifications in your settings.
Fork Union Military Academy works hard to live stream most events that happen on campus for our parents to view. We stream all home athletic events on the Fork Union Military Academy YouTube Channel. We are also able to stream events that are in the Wicker Chapel and Parades.
Please subscribe to the Fork Union YouTube Channel to get alerts on when Fork Union Military Academy is live.
Should you have any questions regarding your son’s class options and graduation plan, please contact their respective academic scheduler:
You can view photos almost daily of your son throughout the academic year at: photos.forkunion.com.
Please always check the Academic Calendar for updates on events. Below are a few coming up in the next couple months: