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Message from Principal Magliola
Dear Jackson Families,
Schools across the nation have seen an increase in vaping due to the introduction of products which are not immediately identifiable as vaping devices or cartridges. As a staff and community, we need to ask the question of do our students know how to evaluate risk accurately and clearly? This week, I would like to share a TED talk that recently resinated with me in the work we as educators and parents are doing together. I hope it provides you a moment to reflect on how you encourage your child to make healthy choices and the conversation frameworks we can use in educating them to make the best possible decisions they may be contemplating.
Kashfia Rahman (not a former FCPS or LJMS student), who at the time this was produced was entering her freshman year at Harvard, has some thoughts about what our students may be considering in taking on risk-inherent behavior. Speaking as a youth and having conducted her own research at her local high school, Kashfia has an interesting perspective on why teenagers respond differently to risk in different situations. I hope you enjoy your evening and let's continue working together in ensuring Luther Jackson Middle School is able to create environments where all students are safe and experience the highest levels of success!
From TED Salons: US Air Force - "Why do teenagers sometimes make outrageous, risky choices? Do they suddenly become reckless, or are they just going through a natural phase? To find out, Kashfia Rahman -- winner of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (and a Harvard freshman) -- designed and conducted an experiment to test how high school students respond to and get used to risk, and how it changes their still-developing brains. What she discovered about risk and decision-making could change how we think about why teens do what they do."
https://www.ted.com/talks/kashfia_rahman_how_risk_taking_changes_a_teenager_s_brain#t-436690
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Important Dates
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
March 7th - Food for Neighbors “Red Bag” event
March 24- Restaurant Night at Panera Bread
March 31 (new) – Advocacy Night at Fairfax County Government Center
April 6th-10th - SPRING BREAK
April 13th - NO SCHOOL, Teacher Workday
April 25th - FCHS Jaguar 5K
May 13 - 7 pm - PTA Meeting at LJMS
June 10 - 7 pm - PTA Meeting at LJMS
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Positivity Project Lesson for the Week
Love
This week we will learn how love is imperative to an individual’s happiness and
fulfillment in life. Click here to read the character card.
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Equity Corner @ LJMS
There are a plethora of ways to infuse black history into our instruction. In the article, “Teaching Black History in Culturally Responsive Ways,” Ryan Miller discusses how to use texts by black authors and how to teach students about important local black figures. The NEA also provides a wealth of resources. To continue to support our students in practicing and applying Portrait of a Graduate skills, let’s choose a resource to use in the classroom and consider a Project Zero Thinking Routine, such as Question Starts.
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.
MATH COUNTS takes 4th place at GMU!
We are so proud of our students for their hard work and effort! WAY TO GO in representing Luther Jackson MS...
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. We are currently about 50 donors away from meeting that goal. The more Red Bags we collect, the more food we will have to help support our school community. Two hundred committed donors would make a very big impact on families in our community facing food insecurity.
You can find more information on the Food For Neighbors Red Bag program, how to volunteer to support our goal, and how we implement the program 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 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.
Please contact Maggee Alberston at mmalbertson@fcps.edu or Kate Lauderdale at kllauderdale@fcps.edu if you have any questions.
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
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
Follow Us on
https://ljmspta.org
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/649106008600084/
Twitter @LJMS_PTA
This week, we came together as a staff for our February faculty meeting, observed Pear Deck in action, reviewed adjectives in Spanish using dice, established team-building in FACS through a card stacking activity, and developed thinking routines in English 8.
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Be Informed, Stay Involved
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