The TJ Hospitality Committee sent out $20 Appreciation Gift Cards to everyone who works at TJ (since we can not have our usual Staff Appreciation Lunches). Here are just a few of the many thank you notes TJ teachers and staff have written in response to receiving these gift cards funded by you, our members.

To donate, please read this post. We still need to fund this effort.

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This past Winter Break, 2022 Class Council hosted various events to promote holiday spirit and class bonding. Towards the beginning of break, they hosted a game night for students to relax and have fun after a stressful year. Additionally, dozens of students participated in a week-long game of Holiday Assassins, where students interacted with one another to convince their opponents to say a holiday-themed target word. Lastly, 2022 Class Council organized a decoration contest, where students were able to submit photos of their holiday-themed decor around the house.

Below is a picture of one of the holiday decoration contest submissions.

For the 2nd Semester, TJ SGA is opening up sign-ups again for the Small Groups program! The Small Groups program is a great opportunity for you to socialize with others throughout the rest of this virtual school year. When you sign up, we will sort you into groups of 6-10 based on hobbies, interests, etc. Throughout the year, small groups can meet regularly to catch up via video call with each other, play online games, study together, watch movies, etc.

For more information on the Small Groups program, please see https://tinyurl.com/SmallGroupsInfoPacket.

To sign up, please fill out this form by Friday, January 22th 11:59 PM. All small groups will be overseen by a student facilitator. The facilitator will be responsible for leading, organizing group meetings, and helping group members get acquainted with each other. If you would be interested in being a student facilitator for a group, please note so in the Google Form.

Attention TJ Families!

Hope everyone has been enjoying their break! TJHSST Class of 2022 is hosting a mask sale – perfect for when we go back to school or just for the pandemic in general! We have two mask options – TJHSST (left photo) and Class of 2022 (right photo). If you would like to support the Class of 2022 (Prom and ANGP), please fill out these TWO forms (one is for MySchoolBucks, one is for shipping): 

https://tinyurl.com/tjhsstmasks
https://tinyurl.com/tjhsstmasksform

Thank you so much and enjoy the rest of your break!

Sincerely,
TJHSST Class of 2022

Fairfax County Council PTA (FCCPTA) is pleased to announce our 2020-21 Student Technology Mini-Grant Program.

Through a generous donation from the Fairfax County NAACP, FCCPTA is offering Fairfax County Public School students (in grades 3-11) an opportunity to obtain a $500 mini-grant for the purchase of a computer and/or technology-related device or equipment.

There are six (6) mini-grants available. In order to apply, the student or their parent/guardian MUST be a member of a PTA/PTSA.

Application deadline: Friday, January 15, 2021
For more information, contact Michelle Leete at vp.communications@fccpta.org

Student Mini-Grant Application

On Dec 17, the FCPS School Board voted to change the TJ Admissions policy. More details here.

If you’d like to provide feedback on the policy, feel free to contact these policymakers: https://tjptsa.com/policymakers/

This is an email I received from an at-large School Board member. A few things it does not mention, but the link above does, include that the admission test, application fee, and teach recommendations have been eliminated. Teach recommendations have been replaced by “experience factors”.

TJ admissions section from the email from FCPS School Board Member-at-large Rachna Sizemore Heizer is below. Click here to see the complete email.

TJHSST Admissions 

Our Board reviewed options for revising admissions to the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) admissions process and voted to implement a holistic review admissions process.

• On September 5, 2020 the Superintendent proposed a Merit Lottery process for admissions. 

• After Board review and comment, the Superintendent revised this plan to present to the Board two different TJ admissions plans – a hybrid merit lottery admissions plan and a holistic review admissions plan. More details on these plans are in the links below:
  • Presentation
  • White Paper
  • Video recording of work session
• After hearing from many community advocates and much Board discussion, on December 17th, the School Board voted to change the admissions policy for TJHSST to a holistic review as detailed in pages 10, 11, and 12 of the presentation linked above.
  • A holistic review will be done of students whose applications demonstrate enhanced merit, which includes being enrolled in Algebra I in 8th grade as well as demonstrating strong preparedness for TJ through enrollment in honors classes.
  • Students will be evaluated on their grade point average (GPA); a portrait sheet where they will be asked to demonstrate Portrait of a Graduate attributes and 21st century skills; a problem-solving essay; and experience factors, including students who are economically disadvantaged, English language learners, special education students, or students who are currently attending underrepresented middle schools. 
• 550 seats will available to the freshman class  
• The top 1.5 percent of the eighth grade class at each public middle school who meet the standards will be eligible for admission. 
• The remaining seats will be offered to the highest-evaluated students. There will not be regional pathways for admissions.
• The Board also voted to make the process opt out versus opt in for all eligible students, asked for a community outreach plan to reach out to eligible students and their families to encourage applications and asked for the Superintendent to report on the diversity of the class, attrition rates and more in a public meeting.
• More Information Here