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Dear TJ Families:
We have had a tremendous opening to the first quarter of the school year! Beyond the excitement of new classes, new friends and new ways to celebrate Homecoming, our staff have students have excelled in many arenas.
Teknos, our scientific journal, is a national finalist for publications of its kind. Not to be outdone, our student journalists with tjTODAY have also received state and national recognition with scholastic press associations. We’ve had students named to the World Robot Olympiad finals, another student was the only high schooler to present at the American Physiological Society, band and orchestra students have received top rankings, athletic teams have advanced in district tournaments, drama students just staged an original production written by their teacher Andrew Reid,and a TJ student was the youngest competitor in the recent Marine Corp Marathon. And if you happen to go for a stroll along the Alexandria waterfront and wander into The Torpedo Factory, you will see a display by TJ art teacher Tim Davis.
Each day we stay focused on three key goals identified in our School Improvement and Innovation Plan: academic workload, academic integrity and literacy across the curriculum. Embedded within these initiatives is our work with Challenge Success. We anticipate receiving by the end of November results to the recent student survey regarding wellness. In the meanwhile, you may find this white paper informative as it points to research about engagement in college mattering more than rankings.
Finally, we’ve had some comings and goings on our staff during the past month. Joan Burch, our 8th period coordinator extraordinaire, has left TJ to pursue other ventures and we wished her much fulfillment and happiness along with enduring gratitude. We anticipate this role will be filled by the end of the month. Also, we have welcomed to our staff Geosystems teacher, Dr. Kathy Phillips, Sci-Tech IBET teacher Ms. Kristen Kucko, and English teacher Ms. Molly Gorman.
On behalf of the entire staff, thank you for supporting our fine school each day. We look forward to an equally active and successful second quarter. As you read additional news in this bulletin, please consider nominating TJ staff members for FCPS recognition- we’re so proud of our work with our students, and praise is most meaningful when it comes from our families.
Sincerely,
Ann N. Bonitatibus, Ed.D.
Principal
All First Quarter report cards will be printed and distributed to students on November 13. While parents may view the PDF of a report card in ParentVUE, FCPS does not yet offer the option to “Go Paperless.” The option may be available in the spring semester and we will share updates to this process as they become available.
Employee Award Nominations
The FCPS Employee Award is an annual awards program designed to celebrate employee success and increase recognition of outstanding employees across the school system. We are now taking nominations for the FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards and would love to have TJ staff included among the honorees! To submit a nomination for a TJHSST Outstanding Employee in one of the six categories, please complete the nomination through this Google form. Students, parents, and staff may nominate an employee in one or more categories. All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category. Please click on the link here to get started. If you have any questions please contact Assistant Principal Mike Yohe at mayohe@fcps.edu. Note: the deadline for nominations in November 26. Thank you for recognizing our fine staff members.
The TJ Partnership Fund is currently reviewing grant applications for TJHSST student groups that support TJHSST’s academic environment, contribute to a standard of excellence, and benefit balance and the school life experience for up to $1,500. Interested applicants must read the TJ Partnership Fund Policy, Process, and Reporting Requirements, and submit a TJ Partnership Fund Student Group Grant Application by November 15 to room 115 or via email to jritt@fcps.edu. To learn more, visit the TJPF website.
On Thursday and Friday, November 8 and 9, we will be conducting our Vision and Hearing Screenings in the Health Room. All 10th graders will be screened during their PE/Health Class (including online PE students) and any new students to FCPS in 9th, 11th, and 12th grades will also be screened. Students who wear glasses/contacts need to bring/wear them on those days.
If you are interested in volunteering anytime on either or both of these days, please contact Tanya Holloway, School Health Aide by emailing her at tholloway@fcps.edu or calling 703-750-8320. Please leave your name, contact information, and the time slot(s) (8:30-3:30, 8:30-12:00, or 12:30-3:30) that you are available.
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