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Dear TJHSST Families:
I hope you enjoyed the recent winter break and all that the holiday season had to offer. As we usher in a new calendar year at TJ, we are grateful for the many milestones we have achieved and look forward to a bright future. I am so very proud of our TJ community's unrelenting focus on supporting our students' wellness, both academic and emotional, each and every day. We've seen tremendous growth in our students this past fall semester and have no doubt the trajectory will continue.
As we head into second semester, we invite parents/guardians to attend our Virtual Curriculum Information Night for Parents/Guardians of current freshmen, sophomores and juniors, this coming Tuesday, January 10. Students will also attend a curriculum fair on Wednesday, January 11 during eighth period, which will then be followed up in the coming weeks with counselors advising students on individual course selections. See reminders below regarding the virtual event.
On behalf of the entire TJ faculty and staff, thank you for your support in making our first semester a successful one!
Sincerely,
Dr. Ann N. Bonitatibus
TJHSST Proud Principal
The following information is a "Cliff's Notes" version of information that was sent to parents/guardians of the class of 2024, 2025, and 2026 on Thursday, January 9. Please check your inboxes for the full message.
Who: Current parents/guardians of Class of 2024, 2025, 2026
What: Curriculum Information Night
When: January 10, 2023
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Why: Share info about course offering and program sequences to help students make decisions about classes to take next school year.
Mode: Virtual
Where: Schoology All Parents/Guardians course.
Resources: In Schoology folder in link above or via the Zoom link in the menu on the left side of the Schoology page. Links to all sessions are in "Curriculum Night Parent Resources" folder.
Sessions: Drop-in format. Info presented at beginning of each session with Q&A to follow.
What to do now: Please log in to Schoology using the link above prior to January 10 to ensure your access. Registration not necessary.
Sneak peek: Our website is live with our TJ Course Offering Guide and Academic FAQs.
Questions regarding the Curriculum Information Night for parents/guardians may be directed to Communications Specialist Mike Roth.
TJ REVERB, the CubeSat made by students at TJHSST, and launched to the International Space Station (ISS) back in November, was deployed from the ISS in the early morning hours on December 29.
Take a look at the moment it was launched.
Members of TJ Space are currently monitoring TJ REVERB for a response and are hoping to have an update for the public soon! In the meantime, they've continued to get press for their remarkable achievements. Here are some of the features from the past few weeks.
Feature and Interview with TJ Students on NBC4
WUSA Interview with Ms. Kucko and junior Khoi Dinh
WJLA ABC 7 Feature Story
Each month we will feature important reminders and advice from our Student Services department.
Dates to Remember
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DATE
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EVENT
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Monday, January 9
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Class of 2025 Wellness Screening during Advisory
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Tuesday, January 10 | 6pm
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Curriculum Night-Virtual-for all TJHSST parents/guardians
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Wednesday, January 11
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Curriculum Fair during 8th period for students
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Wednesday, January 18
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Class of 2024 College Kickoff during 8th period for students
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Thursday, January 19 | 6pm
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Class of 2024 College Kickoff-Virtual-for Class of 2024 parents/guardians
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Wednesday, January 25
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End of Quarter-2-hour early release for all students
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Academic Advising for the 2023-2024 School Year
Students meet with their counselor individually to choose classes for the 2023-2024 school year.
Students can select their classes beforehand using SIS StudentVue and then discuss those selections at the meeting.
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Students of:
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Meeting with Counselor Dates
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Class of 2024 via Physics and AP Physics Class
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January 30 through February 10
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Class of 2025 via World History & Geography
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February 13 through February 24
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Class of 2026 via IBEST
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February 27 through March 10
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The TJ English Department is happy to offer a new opportunity for students who wish to get help with coursework from their English class or who would like to spend time working on English assignments with a teacher available for support.
Students will be able to sign up for the new English Worktime during 8th period B Block on Fridays beginning in January. During the sessions, students will work on current or missing English assignments individually, in small groups, or with direct teacher support as appropriate in order to master the skills necessary for success.
Teachers may also assign students who need to complete missing assignments to English Worktime so that they are able to use this devoted time to catch up and build their skills.
Please encourage your student to take advantage of this opportunity as needed! If you have questions, please contact Humanities Division Leader Susie Lebryk-Chao or Assistant Principal Cynthia Hawkins.
Prior to the beginning of Winter Break, the TJ PTSA provided coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks to the TJ Staff as a way of showing appreciation for all their hard work so far during the 2022-23 school year. The TJ Elves (administration team) were happy to help distribute. Thank you PTSA!
Here is a photo gallery of the event.
Back in December, the HUM 10 team of Susie Lebryk-Chao, Haywon Yi, and librarian Katy Oskoui had their students participate in a "Medieval Market Fair" to help learn about how everyday life operated back in those times. Students were broken up into groups to represent real historical regions in Europe and the Middle East by playing the part of regular citizens. They then visited each others booths at the fair to learn about the different items they produce and learn more about daily life in each region.
Here is a photo gallery of the event.
On December 14, the TJ Theater Arts program hosted several classes from Weyanoke Elementary School. TJ student performers took four of the students' favorite children's books and turned them into plays to introduce them to theater.
Here is a photo gallery of the fun.
Before winter break, the TJ Orchestra serenaded the TJ students and staff with a holiday concert in Nobel Commons during lunch! We have some highlights available on our YouTube Channel.
In each newsletter we want to give some quick shout outs to TJ staff, students, teams, and alumni:
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Congratulations to the Lincoln-Douglas Debate Team for their performance at the annual Princeton Classic tournament back in December. The freshman novice squad had spectacular results with first and third place finishers!
- TJ's long-term astronomy project to place a model of our solar system built to scale throughout Fairfax and Loudoun Counties got some press in the Fairfax Times. A lot of students have teamed up over the past three years to make this project happen.
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The Model UN Club is excited about their upcoming opportunities to compete in January! They will attend a local conference this weekend hosted by Chantilly High School (CHMUN, Jan 6 -7) and will then be gearing up for their biggest national competition of the year, the Ivy League Model UN Conference (ILMUNC, Jan 26 – 29) hosted by the University of Pennsylvania in downtown Philly. They thank everyone for their continued support of their program!
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TJ Wrestling and head coach Charles Phillips have had several girls compete in the co-ed program over the past decade. Some of the current female wrestlers joined the DMV Download Podcast on WTOP to discuss their experience and explain how wrestling not only makes them stronger and brings them into a community, it gives them a new-found sense of confidence.
- Design and Tech teacher Jane Iyengar shared that TJ is a national finalist in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM Competition. Good luck!
To ensure safety, students who self-carry over the counter or prescription emergency medications must have a Medication Authorization form properly completed by a licensed prescriber and signed by the parent/guardian on file in the health room. If your student is self-carrying any medications at school and you have not provided a Medication Authorization this school year, please contact PHN Dee Wilkes at 571-536-9780 or LWilkes@fcps.edu. You can find the FCPS Medication Authorization here.
Please be aware our former School Health Aide, Tanya Holloway, has been hired as our new front office assistant filling the vacancy left by Becky Fornaris who was promoted to Administrative Assistant in the Athletics and Activities Office. Congrats to both! Katy Huezo will be your point of contact in our health clinic until a permanent aide is named, and Nurse Wilkes continues to serve TJ.
Hello TJ! Spring Sports (Baseball, Softball, Soccer, Lacrosse, Track, Tennis, Crew) will start on February 20. Paperwork (physical and registration) is due Feb 17. Make sure to look for important information on our website and social media accounts.
How to Stay in Touch with TJ Athletics
TJ Athletics Website - https://tjsths.rschoolteams.com/
TJ Athletics New You Choose Sign Up - https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/VAEDUFCPS/subscriber/new
Instagram – @TJHSST_Sports
Twitter – @TJHSST_Sports
Link Tree - https://linktr.ee/tj_athletics
Here are our Winter Sports team photos and January calendar!
 
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is on Twitter! Visit @TJHSST_Official for news, upcoming events, reminders of important deadlines, and updates of all the fun activities going on at the school.
Be sure to give us a follow!
Jan. 9: Partner for Safe Driving Assembly held in auditorium at 7 p.m. No signup required.
Jan. 10: Curriculum Night (virtual) for parents/guardians
Jan. 11: Curriculum Fair in eighth period for grades 9-11.
Jan. 11: Winter Orchestra Concert in auditorium at 7 p.m.
Jan. 16: MLK Holiday - no school for students or staff
Jan. 17: Midterm Exams - Periods 1 and 3
Jan. 18: Midterm Exams - Periods 5 and 7
Jan. 19: Religious or Cultural Observance Day (Orthodox Epiphany) - school remains in session with normal hours.
Jan. 20: Midterm Exams - Periods 6 and makeup
Jan. 24: Midterm Exams - Periods 2 and 4
Jan. 25: Modified Red Day - 2 hour early release
Jan. 26: Staff Development Day - no school for students
Jan. 27: Teacher Workday - no school for students. End of 2nd Quarter/1st Semester.
Jan. 30: Beginning of 3rd Quarter/2nd Semester
Feb. 3: Next News You Choose newsletter released.
Feb. 20: Presidents' Day Holiday - no school for students or staff
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