October 26, 2020

Dear TJHSST Parents and Guardians, 

Today we successfully welcomed back over 40 seniors to select senior research labs. Students and teachers were excited to see each other and we strictly adhered to all healthy protocols.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is planning to bring additional student groups back to school for in-person instruction in the near future, using a phased approach. We will continue to follow strict safety and health protocols to minimize health risks for students and staff. To learn more, visit here.

TJHSST students, along with all high school students, are scheduled to return on January 26, 2021 (tentative) for in-person instruction.

Schools will be using concurrent instruction for students who receive in-person instruction. This means teachers will be teaching students who are on campus. Simultaneously, students who are at home will log in virtually to have the instruction streamed. Here is a video that demonstrates how a concurrent classroom will look.

Based on current plans, students who elect in-person instruction will receive two days of teacher-led instruction in the school building and two days of teacher-led instruction at home. This split approach is to accommodate classroom space for social distancing. Students who elect all-virtual learning will continue to receive four days of teacher-led instruction at home.

Mondays will continue to be a full day of independent learning for students to give our teachers more time to prepare and plan the week’s lessons. Some schools are already piloting concurrent instruction. The Superintendent will report his findings on the pilot program at the November 12 School Board work session.

We will honor the choice you made in the FCPS July survey to determine the setting for instruction. If you chose in-person instruction, we will assume your student(s) will return to in-person instruction in accordance with the schedule above. If you chose all-virtual instruction, we will assume you will continue in that format.

If your circumstances have changed since the July survey, please fill out this form from FCPS by November 6, 2020. You will receive a confirmation email from FCPS after completing the form. If you are changing your decision from virtual to in-person learning, we will try our best to accommodate your request based on the availability of staff and space. This form must be filled out by Friday, November 6, 2020, or your original choice from July will stand.

We will strive to minimize the impact of the transition to concurrent instruction; however, some students may experience a change in teachers, schedule, or class assignment as we work to accommodate everyone’s preferences. Additionally, due to health concerns, not every teacher will return to the building to teach in-person. If returning to in-person learning, your student may be in a class with a teacher instructing virtually and a staff member monitoring the class. Due to privacy issues, the school will not disclose in advance which teachers will be in which setting.

Thank you for your support and cooperation as we continue on our collective journey to deliver the best instruction for all TJHSST students.

Best,

​​​​​​​Ann N. Bonitatibus, Ed.D.

Principal, TJHSST

Haycock Science Club is looking for
High School student volunteers

From the Haycock PTA:

Original flyer.

Enthusiastic high school student volunteers are needed to
run virtual sessions for Science Olympiad topics to Elementary
School students in grades 3 through 5. These online sessions start
from November 2nd, 2020.

We would prefer to have 2 high schoolers working as partners
for each session. Most of the topics for 4th and 5th grades are the
same and we welcome the same partners to deliver for both grade
sessions if possible.

Sign up to volunteer.

Please email haycocksodiva@gmail.com for any questions

Hello!

First, please allow me to thank you for your extreme patience with regards to name plate mailings. I had no idea how much time and energy setting up my virtual classroom and getting school up and running would take. I’ve had name plates in envelopes ready to go for weeks; all that was left was making sure I had all the addresses and getting this mail-merged document ready to go.

If you are a current TJ student, a few announcements:

1. We WILL be holding school pictures – both for seniors and underclassmen – at TJ. I don’t have exact dates yet, but as soon as I do, I will let you know, but it should be before winter break. If you are unable to travel to TJ for your school picture, never fear. We will have options available so that you can both appear in the yearbook and receive a student ID.

2. We WILL have a yearbook this year! The staff is hard at work and doing some pretty incredible things to make sure you will never forget the GOOD that comes out of this school year. To order your 2021 TJ Yearbook, visit www.yearbookordercenter.com and use school code 13621. You can also scan this QR code.
   

3. With your purchase, you receive the yearbook, Threshold literary magazine, Teknos scientific journal, and a year of tjTODAY. Because no one is in the building to receive the print edition, we will be mailing hard copies to families who purchase a publications package. If you would like to receive a hard copy of tjTODAY, all you need to do is order your publications package by October 12. When you order, please fill in your mailing address so we know where to send your magazine! I’ll send out reminders monthly so you can begin to receive tjTODAY as soon as you make your yearbook purchase.

4. Getting pictures for the yearbook this year will be…interesting. If you’d like to help us out, please consider submitting photos using this link: https://tinyurl.com/2021PhotoSubmission. Submission does not guarantee publication, but we greatly appreciate your support either way! We are looking mainly for candid photos; more info and “How-To’s” to come!

That’s all for now! Look to your class and TJ parent Facebook groups for more info. If you would like to receive Remind updates from TJ Media, please join our group on Remind: https://www.remind.com/join/tjmed.

As always, if you have questions, feel free to email me (EHarris1@fcps.edu).

Ms. Harris

If you purchased a 2019-20 printed TJ PTSA directory you can now pick it up, they have been rescued from the TJ school building.

Please contact the TJ PTSA president to arrange a pickup.

An email will be sent out to everyone who purchased one in AtoZ as well.

2021 TJHSST SENIOR PORTRAIT SPECIFICATIONS

We will be holding senior portrait sittings at TJHSST for the Class of 2021. You should have received an email from Prestige Portraits (a branch of LifeTouch, our official photographer), with instructions for scheduling an appointment. Here are our current dates:

• 11/10 – 11/13, 3:30pm – 9pm
• 12/5 – 9am – 3:30pm
• 12/12 – 9am – 3:30pm
• 12/19 – 9am – 3:30pm

You will schedule directly with Prestige Portraits, not with Ms. Harris.

DRESS: FCPS has decided that seniors WILL NOT be allowed to use the shared tuxes and drapes that used to be provided by Prestige. As a result, the TJ yearbook staff has decided that students may wear whatever they like, provided that the dress is more formal in nature. Solid colored dress shirts/tops work well for the camera; jackets and ties are optional. YOU DEFINITELY DO NOT NEED TO RENT SPECIAL CLOTHING. Here are some samples for outfit ideas:

Please understand that the “no shared clothing” rule is FCPS policy, not Prestige Portraits or TJHSST.

POSE: Head and shoulder shots ONLY. Hands should not be visible. No hats. No sport team logos. No props (i.e. sport equipment, toys, wigs, benches, chairs, etc.).

APPROXIMATE SIZE: The printed photo will be approximately 1 ^3/8” wide by 1 ^5/8” long. The head size is approximately 1” from the top of the head to the bottom of the chin.

FOR THIS YEAR ONLY: If you are uncomfortable traveling to TJ for your senior portrait for any reason, you are more than welcome to submit your own senior portrait. More information on how to submit coming in November. If you plan to take your own portrait, please make sure the photos meet the same specifications listed above.

DEADLINE: The yearbook staff must receive all photographs by January 8 in order for the picture to be included in the yearbook. Photos that do not fulfill the above requirements (including the submission deadline) will NOT be accepted.

According to this TJHSST bulletin, the School Board approved the changes to the TJ Admissions policy.

Please contact your policymakers directly to voice your opinion of this plan.

Here is an excerpt from the bulletin:

The Fairfax County School Board recently approved changes to the TJHSST admissions process. Starting with the next admission cycle for the Class of 2025 entering in the fall of 2021, the application fee has been eliminated along with the admissions standardized tests. In several weeks, Dr. Brabrand will return to the school board with updated information about the revised merit lottery proposal currently on the table for consideration.

Thanks to many in our community who have been actively involved in a variety of engagement sessions such as town halls, listening forums, and school board meetings. Continue to stay tuned for possible opportunities in the coming weeks. You may continue to submit feedback to school board members and FCPS leadership at tjcomments@fcps.edu.