Ask your senior if they would like to help welcome Freshmen as they enter TJ for the first time ever.
They will help greet the freshmen in the morning during arrival, lead IBET Q&As, and help them learn their way around TJ! Only seniors returning in-person are eligible to sign up.
They can click here for more info and to sign up.
Are you bored of sitting in front of a screen all day? Do you miss your TJ friends? Grab your mask and make a plan to run or walk the WE ARE ONE TJ 5K!!
On the weekend of April 9,10,11, anytime and anywhere, make a plan to get outside and reconnect with friends, family, or perhaps with nature. Just estimate a 5K route and start moving!
Download the playlist at: https://tinyurl.com/WeAreOneTJ5KPlaylist
Post your 5K photos (we miss seeing you!) at: https://www.facebook.com/OneTJ5k
HAVE FUN!
The PTSA Health & Wellness Committee
On Friday, March 5th from 5-8 PM, TJ small groups will come together in a Tri-Wizard Tournament type event, competing in Pictionary, racing to complete a virtual Escape Room, and facing off in Family Feud!
To register your small group for the event, RSVP here and fill out this Google Form by Wednesday, March 3rd 11:59 PM: https://forms.gle/nGmhXLmHv1XoYL8U8
You also need to register for the Zoom meeting in advance for this event:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAlduispjsqHtGquiFXLVvQJxlyIyi84ak7
After registering for the Zoom meeting, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
This event is also open to those not in small groups as well. You can sign up individually using the same form and we will sort you in a random group during the event.
While school will not look like what students are used to, there is probably a mixture of excitement with a bit of worry and the unknown for students and staff coming back in person. It has been almost a full year since students have attended classes at TJ (and some are stepping into the school for the first time as TJ students)! Help us start each new group off with a warm, enthusiastic welcome as the students arrive to school.
We plan to have a small group of parents spread along the entry lane just like we have done in the past for AP exams (except with masks)–holding posters with positive messages and cheering them on. Sign up here to join the fun!
Tuesday, March 2 greeters
This Friday, seniors will have the opportunity to see their classmates in front of the dome from 4:00pm-5:00pm.
This event is for all Seniors regardless if they are doing concurrent or virtual learning.
There will also be snacks and drinks provided by the TJ PTSA.
Masks will be required and social distancing will be in effect.
You can rsvp for the event here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b094eafa82ba1f94-february
If you have any questions feel free to contact Mr. Shawn Frank at sjfrank@fcps.edu
Election Status: Started. Closes Friday Feb 26, 11pm
UPDATE 2021-02-026 7:22PM: About 20% have voted. Please read this following email that I have asked parents to post on WeChat and other forums to help clear up some confusion and disappointment as folks who are not members try to vote, and then folks buy memberships expecting to vote in this election:
Dear TJ Parents,
Thank you for your interest in voting in this TJ PTSA election. Only TJ PTSA members may vote in TJ PTSA elections.
If you would like to join the TJ PTSA please follow the instructions here: https://tjptsa.com/join/
Each membership allows one vote. Students can also vote if they purchase a student membership and their email address is in AtoZ, and the membership was assigned to them.
Please note that the registered voters list is locked at the start of each election, so even if you join today you won’t be able to vote in this election, but you will be able to vote in future elections and surveys, including the May election of TJ PTSA EC Officers.
We hope you would join the PTSA just to support the good work we do for the students, teachers, and parents.
If you had purchased a TJ PTSA membership before February 22, 2021 and have not received an email with voting instructions from tellers@tjptsa.org (look in your spam/junk folders) then please email tellers@tjptsa.org from the email address you registered in AtoZ Connect and I will help you vote.
This election closes tonight at 11pm.
Sincerely,
Nick Costescu, TJ PTSA President
UPDATE 2021-02-25 8:49pm: 15% of our 800 some registered voters have voted. Please vote!
UPDATE 2021-02-24 12:49pm: So far 10% of our 800 some registered voters have voted. This is your opportunity to help shape next year’s EC. Please vote! Links were sent out to all PTSA members. Email the president if you were a member as of 2/22/2021 and didn’t get a link to vote (but first check your spam and other email folders).
UPDATE 2021-02-23 5:57pm: A few folks are having problems with the email verification. I can see when that happens and I’ve been sending out custom links individually. Please use that link to finish your ballet if you had a problem with VerifyMe.
All TJ PTSA members (as of 2021-02-21) can vote in this election. We are electing our 5 member Nominating Committee. These 5 volunteers will interview applicants for next year’s Executive Committee Officers and recommend a slate with the top candidate for each position.
For more info on what the Nominating Committee does, see this post.
An email with a link to the ballot has been sent to all TJ PTSA members. If you are a 2020-21 member and have not received a ballot please email tellers@tjptsa.org.
Please check back with this post for updates.
The PTSA Diversity Committee of the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will hold its next Diversity in STEM Talk in March! This series is especially for elementary and middle school students in grades 4-8.
Join us Monday, March 15, at 6 p.m. to hear from Vern Williams, former math teacher in the Fairfax County Public Schools and current math teacher at BASIS Independent McLean in Tysons Corner. Mr. Williams taught mathematics in FCPS for 40 years and taught in the gifted and talented program for over 30 years. Among numerous other awards, Mr. Williams was the 1990 Fairfax County Public Schools teacher of the year and he received two awards for distinguished teaching from the Mathematical Association of America. His special interest is teaching traditional and rigorous mathematics to gifted middle school students. Join us to hear from this master teacher!
Parents, register at this Zoom link: http://bit.ly/TJStemTalk3
Submit questions in advance here: https://bit.ly/tjdiversitytalks
If you missed our February 8 talk on robotics, you can view the recording here: https://tjptsa.com/2020-02-12-diversity-stem-talk-2-video-available/
All parents and guardians are welcome to join with TJ staff as we work on PTSA-supported mental health & wellness events and programs at our monthly meeting. (Meetings normally take place on the first Monday of the month, 1:30-3 PM.) Join by video on Google Meet (see the PTSA calendar event info to join by phone).
NOTE: A link to the Q&A livestream will be sent out to all parents and guardians on February 23.
Family Guide for 2020-21 Return to School – TJ Edition
Dear TJ Families,
Concurrent instruction here at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will begin on March 2 for grades 9 and 12, and March 9 for grades 10 and 11. We eagerly anticipate the arrival of students who have chosen to return to in-person learning and we have extensively prepared to keep them safe. We will also continue to deliver the same high quality instruction to students who have chosen to remain fully online.
We know there are a lot of questions in regard to concurrent learning both from those who have chosen to return to in-person learning as well as those who have chose to remain virtual. To help answer some of those questions, Dr. Bonitatibus will be hosting a virtual Q&A session on Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 7-8 p.m. To ensure all questions are answered, families can submit their questions to this Google Form.
In addition, we have prepared a Return to School family guide that can be accessed here. Families that have students who have chosen to return to in-person learning are encouraged to watch this video where Dr. Bonitatibus tours TJ and shows you the mitigation efforts in place to keep students safe.
Finally, all this information can be found in one convenient location on TJ’s website here. Bookmark this page as updates will be made as new information comes in.
Sincerely,
TJ Administration
This meeting will be rescheduled due to the snow day. Check back for an update.
4:15-5:15 PM
*Note the new time, 15 minutes earlier, due to the new bell schedule*
All parents, guardians, and students are invited to join the Mental Health Coalition, led by SGA and the student mental health group Minds Matter. MHC brings together students, administration, teachers, counselors and parents to coordinate mental health and wellness efforts for the TJ community. Video link available on the PTSA Google calendar. Meetings occur monthly on the 3rd Thursday, 4:15-5:15 PM.