Luther Jackson December 16, 2024
GovDelivery2 days 20 hours ago- Upcoming Events :
- Admin Team Information:
- Checking Students Out From School:
- Attendance Matters:
- Advanced Academics Spring Referral:
- From the County:
- After-School on Fridays?
- Falls Church High School Curriculum Night:
- Good things to know:
- How to Report Incidents of Discrimination & Harassment:
- From Student Services:
- Counselors:
- PTA Corner:
- From our Clinic:
- From Tech Support:
- Digital Resource Consent Needed
- ChromeBook Update:
December 23, 2024 - January 5, 2025- (Winter Break)
January 20, 2025- Holiday (Martin Luther King, Jr's Birthday/Inauguration Day)
Admin Team Information: Checking Students Out From School:Families, remember that when coming to the school to pick up your student, an official photo ID must be presented to the Main Office staff. Please understand that this is for security purposes. Driver’s licenses, passports, and military IDs are appropriate examples of official IDs.
Attendance Matters:Regular school attendance is crucial for student success, and we are committed to ensuring all students have the opportunity to learn and thrive. Missing just 10% of school — just two days a month — negatively affects a student’s academic performance. When students reach six (6) or more days absent from school they will be invited to attend our Attendance Recovery Program. These are after-school sessions to make up for missed instructional time. This will help them stay on track with their coursework and avoid falling behind. Student may also choose for other After-School Academic offerings, such as staying with a teacher, to make up for missed instructional time.
Benefits of Attending After-School Sessions:
- Catch up on missed classwork and assignments
- Receive personalized assistance from teachers
- Improve academic performance and understanding
December 20th Snow Much Fun - Perfect Attendance Celebration!
To encourage strong attendance during the busy holiday season, we're excited to announce a special event, "Snow Much Fun," scheduled for December 20th during the last block of the day. This event is exclusively for students who maintain perfect attendance (this means coming to school each day!) from December 10th to 20th. This initiative aims to combat the typical increase in absences leading up to winter break, which can significantly impact our school's overall chronic absenteeism rate. There are also other fun events scheduled during these days such as spirit days and raffles. Please support your student by ensuring they are at school each day! Attendance Matters! .
Advanced Academics Spring Referral:Parents interested in referring your student for the Spring Level IV Screening must submit a Level IV Referral form to Shawn English, Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART), by December 15, 2024. It may be helpful for you to complete and submit the Parent/Guardian Questionnaire in addition to your referral form.This can also be found on the page that is linked above. Once I receive the referral form, a request for work samples and ratings will be requested from your student’s current teachers. Then the information will be passed along to the screening committee. The screening committee will meet in the spring and make the appropriate recommendations for your student.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].
From the County:⏰ Update on Potential Changes to Middle School Start Times
At Tuesday’s School Board work session, staff from Prismatic Services, Inc., presented options for adjusting start times at FCPS middle schools. As a reminder, Prismatic is charged with developing an action plan to help the School Board reach its goal of starting middle school at or after 8 a.m.
The presentation includes five options for adjusting middle school start times based on the consultant’s analysis from community forums, surveys, and interviews with staff, parents, associations, and other groups. The School Board will provide next steps to the superintendent.
Watch a video of the work session. Visit the Middle School Start Times webpage for more information on the project.
🍲 Food Assistance and Resource Guide Food insecurity impacts more than 96,000 Fairfax County residents. There are many resources available to support those who need food assistance. Learn how to help these families and the many resources available to support those who need food assistance on Fairfax County’s website or view the county’s Human Services Resource Guide.
📚 Bundle Up With Books Over Break
Fairfax County Public Library’s (FCPL) winter reading adventure has begun and will continue through Friday, January 31, 2025. Visit your local FCPL library branch or visit their website to register and get a sneak peek at the prizes being offered. Check out their Winter Reading Events webpage to learn about laser tag, movie nights, crafting sessions, Noon-Year Eve celebrations, and book discussions. ⛄ Get Outdoors for Winter Fun!
The Fairfax County Park Authority has rounded up its seasonal fun into a handy list of events happening across the county.
Learn more about the Winter Wonderland and the Holiday Train at Burke Lake Park, Holiday on the Farm at Frying Pan Farm Park, and many more fun events.
After-School on Fridays?
-->COMING IN JANUARY<-- Group Guitar Class
Whether you're a regular John Mayer, or you can't remember if a guitar has 4 or 6 strings, this is your chance to start learning or sharpen the face-melting skills you already have. Fridays, after school, starting in January. We'll provide the guitar (there's a $20 rental fee... talk to Mr. Hoffert if that's an issue).
January 17-March 21 (10 weeks)
Each activity has room for a max of 20 students, so sign up today!
Students must register separately for these two Friday activities, using the form below.
Falls Church High School Curriculum Night:Fall Church High School Curriculum Night - January 9th 6:15-8:00pm
We wanted to share with you that the first big event to begin our academic advising season will be our curriculum night. We will hold the event in person, hosted by our Principal, Director of Student Services, Academy Administrator, Director of Student Activities and department representatives.
Who: Students, Parents & Caregivers of 8th, 9th, 10th, & 11th graders that will be attending FCHS in the Fall of 2025. We are also planning specialized sessions for Multilingual Learners (formally ESOL), Literacy courses, Advanced Academics (Honors, AP, & DE), and Math pathways.
When: January 9, 2025, 6:15pm presentation, 7:00pm academic fair with representatives available to answer questions about content and levels including the elective options.
Where: Falls Church High School Lecture hall and cafeteria (Door 7 & 9)
What: Curriculum night is a presentation to families regarding course selection information, diploma requirements, Academy opportunities and curriculum information. The Falls Church Academy is included and holds an open house to allow all eligible high school students a chance to learn about the Academy offerings. Academy representatives from Marshall, Fairfax, Edison, Chantilly, and West Po are also present.
Why: Your child will be selecting his/her/their courses for the next school year, this presentation offers lots of information on making the best choices for a successful school year.
Good things to know:When students need to miss school, it is important for parents/guardians to communicate those absences with the school. This can be done by calling the attendance phone line at 703-204-8282.
Whether students miss school because of illness or any other reason, missing school leads to learning loss.
Help your child succeed by encouraging them to attend as many days as possible, but do make sure your child stays home if they are sick. Visit FCPS’ website for information on when to keep your child at home.
If your child has a chronic illness, make sure to notify their teacher so that support can be provided if needed. Also, keep an open line of communication with your school's public health staff.
Read about how families can help form good attendance habits. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!
📋 Permission Forms
Families can easily grant permission for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. Parents can opt their child in or out of resources including online educational tools, school counseling services, and tutoring services. They can also change how student information is managed. Visit the Parent Digital Consent webpage to access the system. See how to use the tool.
How to Report Incidents of Discrimination & Harassment:The "Discrimination and Harassment: Let's Talk" platform is an essential tool that allows anyone within our school community to report incidents of discrimination, harassment, or other concerning behaviors confidentially. More information about the platform, including how to access and use it, can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/submit-discrimination-and-harassment-report.
From Student Services:Middle and High School Students Will Soon Choose Courses for the 2025-2026 School Year
Beginning in January 2025, rising 7th to 12th grade students will meet with their school counselors to discuss course selection for next year. We encourage families to actively participate in this important transition process to ensure students select courses that align with their personal interests, career goals, and postsecondary aspirations while striving to reach their highest academic potential.
Planning which courses to take next year – and in future years – must be given considerable thought. The Graduation Requirements and Course Planning page provides information about graduation requirements and course offering information that students and families can preview to make informed decisions to plan for success in high school and beyond. Reviewing the Program of Studies may also be helpful in reviewing the wide variety of courses offered in FCPS. Be sure to also refer to your school’s website for your school-specific course catalog and course selection information.
As students choose courses, it is important to remind them to consider the following:
- Current academic strengths and habits;
- Graduation requirements (high school students);
- Interests and career and postsecondary goals;
- Personal well-being; and
- Extracurricular activities and other commitments that may impact students' time and energy.
School-life balance is an important consideration as students strive for academic and personal success. Families are welcome to contact their student’s school counselor with questions.
Return Your Federal Impact Aid Survey
FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available online in SIS ParentVUE. If you have not already filled out the form online, we have provided paper forms to your student through their Advisory class. Please be sure to return them to your students' Advisory Teacher.
Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important, because information from this survey resulted in more than $4 million in funding last year from the U.S. Department of Education. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.
Please watch this video and visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page for more information.
Full-Time AAP Referral Window Reminder
Families who wish for their student to be considered for full-time Advanced Academic Program (AAP) services must submit the Full-Time Referral Form to the school’s Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (Ms. English) or principal by December 15, 2024.
No late forms will be accepted.
Translated versions of the referral form are available in: Arabic | Chinese | English | Korean | Spanish | Urdu | Vietnamese.
Please ensure submissions are completed before the deadline. For questions, contact your local AART or school principal.
Counselors:Counselors are assigned by alphabet and your first point of contact for any question or concerns you might have.
PTA Corner:Holiday Celebration Party, Friday, December 20: Please join us to celebrate with our LJMS teachers and staff at our annual Winter Celebration! The PTA will provide a taco bar lunch for teachers during all lunch periods on Friday, December 20. Join in the fun by providing additional food and drink, volunteering your time, or providing funds to support this effort. More details are here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0844A8AB22A6FFC34-53649393-2024
PTA Membership: The LJMS PTA serves as a bridge between our school's administration, teachers, and parents, fostering a supportive student environment. You are invited to become a PTA member and donate online at https://jacksonmspta.org/
Contact [email protected]
From our Clinic: From Tech Support:Parents can complete the Lightspeed Parent Report Request. This request provides parents with Weekly Parent Reports delivered by Lightspeed directly to an authorized parent email over the weekend. These reports summarize the websites visited by the student while using an FCPS device.
At the bottom of the weekly report, parents can register for the Parent Relay Portal, which provides detailed browsing information. The sign-up is embedded within the Lightspeed report and does not require any further submission to IT or IT intervention. The extended access also gives parents the ability to pause internet access on their child’s FCPS laptop during non-school hours, such as dinner or bedtime. However, parents cannot pause the internet during the school day.
Digital Resource Consent Needed Families,We Need Your Consent for Select Digital Resources
At Jackson Middle School, our teachers will use a variety of digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. Please find the link to the digital form, where you can give your consent, here: https://digitalconsent.fcps.edu/ispb/r/is01/pdcp/login?session=17253181329964. You can find further direction here: a list of the resources that require parental consent here: https://www.fcps.edu/family-resources/technology/digital-resources/consent.
Need technical support? Call the Parent Technology Help Desk at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS). This will be answered by staff members from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
ChromeBook Update:If a student returns a Chromebook damaged, they will receive a warning, and if there is a second instance of the same damage, they will have to pay for the repair cost. If a student returns a Chromebook damaged and the case is removed, they will have to pay for the repair cost in the first instance. Repair costs are listed below.
HP Fortis Parts
Cost
Chromebook replacement
$444
Charger
$10
System Board
$315
Screen
$90
Keyboard and palm rest
$48
Touchpad
$21
Heatsink
$30
Daughterboard
$22
Base enclosure
$20
Bezel
$18
Speaker
$16
3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church, Virginia, 22042 | Main Office: 703-204-8100
Attendance: 703.204.8282 | Web | Twitter | Instagram