February 17, 2025- Student/Staff Holiday (President's Day and Washington's Birthday)
Families, remember that when coming to the school to pick up your student, an official photo ID must be presented to the Main Office staff. Please understand that this is for security purposes. Driver’s licenses, passports, and military IDs are appropriate examples of official IDs.
Regular school attendance is crucial for student success, and we are committed to ensuring all students have the opportunity to learn and thrive. Missing just 10% of school — just two days a month — negatively affects a student’s academic performance. When students reach six (6) or more days absent from school they will be invited to attend our Attendance Recovery Program. These are after-school sessions to make up for missed instructional time. This will help them stay on track with their coursework and avoid falling behind. Student may also choose for other After-School Academic offerings, such as staying with a teacher, to make up for missed instructional time.
Benefits of Attending After-School Sessions:
- Catch up on missed classwork and assignments
- Receive personalized assistance from teachers
- Improve academic performance and understanding
Rising 8th Grade Course Selection
Rising 8th-grade students will begin selecting their courses for next year starting the week of February 3rd when they meet with their LJMS counselors.
We encourage families to review course selection information on our Academic Advising website: https://jacksonms.fcps.edu/student-services/course-selection.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your student’s counselor. Thank you for your support in helping your student plan for a successful 8th-grade year!
Office of the Ombuds: At Your Service!
Ombuds staff engage with FCPS employees, families, and students to offer resources and improve the experience of each and every member of the FCPS community. They work as an independent confidential resource to help get answers to questions, resolve concerns, and hear complaints regarding FCPS matters.
Ombuds office staff members are available to help resolve disagreements between parents/caregivers and schools. They do not change or make decisions, policies, or regulations; take sides; or provide legal advice.
Anyone with concerns, questions, or complaints to share with the Office of the Ombuds may call 571-423-4014, email ombuds@fcps.edu, or visit their webpage, where you may Submit a Question.
-->COMING IN JANUARY<--
Group Guitar Class
Whether you're a regular John Mayer, or you can't remember if a guitar has 4 or 6 strings, this is your chance to start learning or sharpen the face-melting skills you already have. Fridays, after school, starting in January. We'll provide the guitar (there's a $20 rental fee... talk to Mr. Hoffert if that's an issue).
January 17-March 21 (10 weeks)
Each activity has room for a max of 20 students, so sign up today!
Students must register separately for these two Friday activities, using the form below.
FRIDAY ACTIVITY REGISTRATION
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The 7th annual STEM Essay Contest sponsored by the McLean Area Branch of AAUW (American Association of University Women) is now open. The contest challenges 7th and 8th girls and boys to discover and publicize women including women of color (non-white) who made a difference in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields, but who received little or no recognition for their contributions while they were alive. Strong preference is given to essays about women who are not well known even today.
Each student is asked to write an essay of no more than 500 words to describe one woman's contribution to STEM, discuss the impact, and clearly state why he or she picked that woman. The branch will award five prizes: 1st Place ($100) and four Honorable Mention prizes (each $25).
Two versions of the application form (a fillable PDF and a Word document), which include essay guidelines and instructions for submission, are available on the branch website at https://mclean-va.aauw.net/stem-essay-contest-2025-copy/.The deadline is February 10, 2025, at 11:00 pm ET, and the winners will be recognized at the Branch dinner on March 18, 2025, at the McLean Community Center.
Civics teachers are taking their classes to Finance Park (next to Frost MS) on the following dates:
- Holzshu & Smith on Feb 11
- Duerst & Knight (not 1st) on Feb 12
- Taft on Feb 13
- Carter & Gartner on Feb 14
We would love to have parent volunteers to help the students learn about making a budget and paying bills – if you’ve done that then you’re qualified!
Please register for the day your child is going: https://jagw.volunteerhub.com/vv2/lp/jafpfc#_=_
When students need to miss school, it is important for parents/guardians to communicate those absences with the school. This can be done by calling the attendance phone line at 703-204-8282.
Whether students miss school because of illness or any other reason, missing school leads to learning loss.
Help your child succeed by encouraging them to attend as many days as possible, but do make sure your child stays home if they are sick. Visit FCPS’ website for information on when to keep your child at home.
If your child has a chronic illness, make sure to notify their teacher so that support can be provided if needed. Also, keep an open line of communication with your school's public health staff.
Read about how families can help form good attendance habits. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!
📋 Permission Forms
Families can easily grant permission for their children to access a variety of school resources through the Parent Digital Consent system. Parents can opt their child in or out of resources including online educational tools, school counseling services, and tutoring services. They can also change how student information is managed. Visit the Parent Digital Consent webpage to access the system. See how to use the tool.
The "Discrimination and Harassment: Let's Talk" platform is an essential tool that allows anyone within our school community to report incidents of discrimination, harassment, or other concerning behaviors confidentially. More information about the platform, including how to access and use it, can be found at https://www.fcps.edu/submit-discrimination-and-harassment-report.
Counselors are assigned by alphabet and your first point of contact for any question or concerns you might have.
PTA Meeting: Our next PTA meeting will be online on Tuesday, February 4th, at 7 pm. Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Nj_vofOkS5ShZRNjZAGc7Q
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Nomination Committee and Audit Committee: We are actively seeking volunteers for the nomination and audit committees. As a nomination committee member, you help find and nominate PTA officers for the next school year. You can also nominate yourself for any of the open positions. We are also seeking volunteers to conduct an internal audit of PTA financial accounts. If interested, please email president@jacksonmspta.org.
PTA website: Visit our website to become a PTA member, donate online, or to buy spirit wear at https://jacksonmspta.org/
 
Parents can complete the Lightspeed Parent Report Request. This request provides parents with Weekly Parent Reports delivered by Lightspeed directly to an authorized parent email over the weekend. These reports summarize the websites visited by the student while using an FCPS device.
At the bottom of the weekly report, parents can register for the Parent Relay Portal, which provides detailed browsing information. The sign-up is embedded within the Lightspeed report and does not require any further submission to IT or IT intervention. The extended access also gives parents the ability to pause internet access on their child’s FCPS laptop during non-school hours, such as dinner or bedtime. However, parents cannot pause the internet during the school day.
Families,
We Need Your Consent for Select Digital Resources
At Jackson Middle School, our teachers will use a variety of digital resources to support student learning and promote communication and collaboration with students and families. Some of the digital resources your child may use this year will require your consent before they can be used. Please find the link to the digital form, where you can give your consent, here: https://digitalconsent.fcps.edu/ispb/r/is01/pdcp/login?session=17253181329964. You can find further direction here: a list of the resources that require parental consent here: https://www.fcps.edu/family-resources/technology/digital-resources/consent.
Need technical support? Call the Parent Technology Help Desk at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS). This will be answered by staff members from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
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If a student returns a Chromebook damaged, they will receive a warning, and if there is a second instance of the same damage, they will have to pay for the repair cost. If a student returns a Chromebook damaged and the case is removed, they will have to pay for the repair cost in the first instance. Repair costs are listed below.
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HP Fortis Parts
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Cost
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Chromebook replacement
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$444
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Charger
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$10
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System Board
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$315
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Screen
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$90
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Keyboard and palm rest
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$48
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Touchpad
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$21
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Heatsink
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$30
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Daughterboard
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$22
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Base enclosure
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$20
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Bezel
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$18
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Speaker
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$16
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