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Message from Principal Magliola
Dear Jackson Families,
As we enter February and the celebration of Black History Month (Feb 1 - 29), it seems very appropriate to reflect on our school and its origin. Luther Jackson Middle School, which officially opened in 1965, was formerly known as Luther Jackson High School. LJHS, FCPS' first and only all-black high school, opened in 1954; the same year Brown v. Board established the landmark ruling that "separate but equal" was unconstitutional. Remembering the Little Rock Nine and the national fight for Civil Rights continuing during the late 1950's and 1960's, schools began to fully integrate and Luther Jackson HS eventually transitioned to a fully integrated Luther Jackson MS.
While there is so much more of a story to tell, it is extremely powerful to reflect on our rich school history and recognize our significance in creating powerful and positive outcomes for all students from all backgrounds. Since our inception, Luther Jackson MS has always placed a high value on identifying what our students need and the resources required to meet those needs. Please take a look at the clip provided in this link; it was created by FCPS as an explanation of why LJMS is named after Luther Porter Jackson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LgeLOkwE84
I encourage all of us to bring the history of Luther Jackson to life this month and to our students through meaningful learning opportunities and conversations. We will be working throughout the month of February in celebrating many aspects of black history and showcasing the important history of Luther Jackson Middle School.
Finally this week, I would like to share how greatly encouraged I am after our pyramid schools came together with our two new school board members, Dr. Ricardy Anderson and Mr. Karl Frisch, to discuss the many great initiatives underway in our schools. Principals from all pyramid schools came together with our school board representatives to share how our students are developing the skills to meet the challenges they will face in a global context. I left our time together feeling a strong sense of pride for our pyramid and excitement for the level of support and commitment both Dr. Anderson and Mr. Frisch have for our students. I am confident our district and schools will be effectively represented for years to come.
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Michael Magliola, Principal
Contact Information: Twitter: @MagliolaMinutes Email: mjmagliola@fcps.edu Website: https://jacksonms.fcps.edu/
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Important Dates
Feb. 3rd-7th - Counselor Appreciation Week
February 5th - Marshall HS Curriculum Night
February 21st - Winter Dance (After School)
February 17th - NO SCHOOL, Washington's Bday
Feb. 17th-21st - Custodian Appreciation Week
March 3rd - NO SCHOOL, School Planning Day
April 6th-10th - SPRING BREAK
April 13th - NO SCHOOL, Teacher Workday
April 25th - FCHS Jaguar 5K
Progress Reports and Grades
Feb. 4 -Report cards are distributed to students to take home
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Positivity Project Lesson for the Week
Social-Intelligence
How can we always be aware of other people's feelings? Why do we do what we do and are we are we always aware of the impact of our actions?
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Equity Corner @ LJMS
As part of our daily instruction, how do we cultivate a “culture of thinking” when working with our students?
In the article, “When Kids Have Structure for Thinking, Better Learning Emerges,” Katrina Schwartz states that “In a culture of thinking, students recognize that collective and individual thinking is valued, visible and actively promoted as part of the regular day-to-day experience of all group members.”
Here are “thinking moves” described in this article:
- Naming: being able to identify the parts and pieces of a thing
- Inquiry: questioning should drive the process throughout
- Looking at different perspectives and viewpoints
- Reasoning with evidence
- Making connections to prior knowledge, across subject areas, even into personal lives
- Uncovering complexity
- Capture the heart and make firm conclusions
- Building explanations, interpretations and theories.
Learning takes place when students are engaged with the content and have time to be metacognitive by being given opportunities to reflect. Let’s continue to ask ourselves, “what thinking lives in my classroom?”
Career Day Volunteers Needed
We are looking for volunteers to participate in Career Day this year! Career Day is a fantastic opportunity for our 8th grade students to learn firsthand about all different types of careers as they prepare to head to high school and begin to plan for their futures. Have a family member who has a cool job? Invite them! Career Day this year will be held on the morning of Thursday, April 16th; if you need additional information about the day please contact Amber Hill (adhill@fcps.edu) for details.
Thank you in advance for your help and support!
Career Day Committee
15th Annual Falls Church 5K
The 15th Annual FCHS Jaguar 5K Run/Walk and Kids 1 Mile Run will be taking place on Saturday, April 25, 2020! The registration form is attached and more information can be found onwww.jaguar5k.com . Early registration is strongly encouraged as the price goes up starting on April 1st.
Nominations for EIP
Early Identification Program nominations:
The Early Identification Program (EIP) is a multi-year college preparatory program for students who will be the first in their family to complete a four-year college degree in the United States. EIP is a collaboration between Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and George Mason University (GMU). The EIP is one of four programs that comprise the College Success Program in FCPS. Students are nominated for the EIP prep program in 7th grade – please note, 7th grade is the only time students can apply for EIP.
*To request that your child be nominated, please contact Ms. DeVault, School Counselor, at jmdevault@fcps.edu or (703) 204-8295 by February 6, 2020. Please see attachment for additional information.
The next Food For Neighbors Red Bag collection event is coming up on Saturday, March 7th.
At our January 11th collection event, we collected food (Red Bags) from 80 donors! Over 40 volunteers either drove to pick up those Red Bags or they sorted all of the food in the Jackson cafeteria. All of the contributions from the January event stayed within the LJMS community.
For our next event on March 7th, our goal is to have 200 committed Red Bag donors. Please help us meet this goal! The more Red Bags we collect, the more food we will have to help support our school community. Two hundred committed donors is an ideal number for our school to have the biggest impact on the food insecure families in our community.
You can find more information on the Food For Neighbors Red Bag program and how we implement it at Luther Jackson at these links:
https://jacksonms.fcps.edu/announcements/weekend-snack-program
https://ljmspta.org/
https://www.foodforneighbors.org/red-bag-program/
If you have more questions about the program, or want to get involved, reach out to our local FFN Event Coordinator, Terri Radziewski at tradzi@outlook.com.
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PTA News
PTA Meetings in 2020
Wednesday March 11 - 7pm
Wednesday May 13 - 7pm
Wednesday June 10 - 7pm
SCA Needs Your Help! Winter Dance February 21st (2:30-4:30 pm)
SCA is planning the Winter Dance for Friday, February 21st. It will be After School from 2:30 until 4:30. In order, for the dance to be successful, we need some help selling tickets, providing snacks, and chaperoning the dance. Food donations are also welcome.
Please sign up today to make the Winter Dance successful. Click here to sign up.
Principal’s Project
Every year, LJMS PTA supports the Principal Project. Some of the examples are water stations, lunch table. This year Principal Magliola’s vision is to renovate the school insignia in the front lobby and landscaping in front of the school. If you know any sponsor(s) and/or want help with these projects, please email to President@ljmspta.org
Food for Neighbors
On Saturday, January 11, 8 drivers went around to collect 80 bags and several volunteers sorted over 1000 pounds of food items. A typical driving route takes approximately 60-75 minutes. We need more red bag donors and drivers. Let’s shoot for a goal of 200 bags on the March 7 event. Request a New Bag - https://www.foodforneighbors.org/red-bag-program/. Get Involved - https://www.foodforneighbors.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Red Bag Pickup dates in 2020:
March 7
May 2
September 12
VAPTA Contests and Scholarship Applications
Virginia PTA Citizenship Essay Contest - “WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A GOOD CITIZEN?” Deadline: Entries are due to district directors by February 1, 2020. Click here for more details Virginia PTA Power Plates Program – for here for more details.
Mark Your Calendar:
Friday, February 21, 2:30-4:30 pm – SCA Winter Dance
Saturday, March 7 - Food for Neighbor event
Wednesday, March 11 - 7 pm - PTA Meeting
Tuesday, March 24- Restaurant Night at Panera Bread
Wednesday, May 13 - 7 pm - PTA Meeting
Wednesday, June 10 - 7 pm - PTA Meeting
This week, students work together and discuss their learning, we enjoy fine-dining at our favorite local Spanish restaurant, meet as a CT to plan for the 3rd quarter, and team-build as an AVID family. It's always a great week at Jackson!
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Be Informed, Stay Involved
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