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May 23, 2025 Heritage Night- 6 pm- 8pm
May 26, 2025 Holiday (Memorial Day)
June 11, 2025 Last of School (Early Release)
Employee Conversations
Community Conversations
Interpreter services will be provided for all events.
Feel free to submit questions anytime on the Superintendent’s webpage or by emailing Superintendent@fcps.edu.
Counselors are assigned by alphabet and your first point of contact for any question or concerns you might have.
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
 Dear LJ Parents and Guardians, Limiting hallway wandering during school hours is a simple step that makes a big difference in keeping our middle school safe. When students make it to class on time and stay in classrooms or supervised areas, it’s easier for staff to know who’s where—reducing the chance of unnoticed incidents like bullying, accidents, or strangers slipping in. By encouraging kids to move purposefully between classes, we create a safer, more secure environment where everyone’s accounted for.
For my position as a School Resource Officer, this isn't about the rules—it’s about safety. Fewer students roaming means fewer opportunities for trouble, from minor scuffles to bigger safety risks. We’ve seen that schools with clear hallway expectations report fewer incidents and have faster resolutions to any problems that occur. Partnering with us to reinforce this habit at home—like reminding your student to head straight to class—helps keep our school a safe, focused place for everyone.
Take care,
SRO E.J. Green (342395)
Fairfax County Police Department
SOL Testing Begins Next Thursday, May 1
As we prepare for SOL testing, please take note of the following important reminders:
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Retake Permission Form: If you have not yet given the school permission for your student to retake SOL tests (if eligible), please take a moment to complete the Parent Retakes Permission for SOL Retakes Form here.
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Chromebook Requirements: On testing days, students must bring their fully charged FCPS-issued Chromebook to school.
Chargers: Students also need to bring their school-issued charger. If your student no longer has their charger, a replacement can be purchased for $25.00. Payment can be made through MySchoolBucks, or students may bring cash or check to Room 502.
Upcoming SOL Test Dates:
- Thursday, May 1, 2025 – Reading SOL
- Wednesday, May 7, 2025 – Science SOL
- Tuesday, May 13, 2025 – Math SOL
Protect Your Child from Measles: What You Need to Know
Measles cases continue to rise in the US. About 1 in 5 people who get measles end up in the hospital. Measles can cause severe complications like a lung infection (pneumonia), brain inflammation (encephalitis), and possibly death, even with medical care. Symptoms of measles typically include:
- High fever (may spike up to 104°F)
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red, watery eyes
- A rash that appears around 3-5 days after other symptoms begin. The rash typically starts on the face and spreads down the body.
The best way to protect a child from measles is by getting two doses of the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine.
If you are unsure of your child's vaccination status or your personal vaccination status, talk to your health care provider. If your child needs an immunization, make an appointment with your health care provider, visit the Fairfax County Health Department website for a list of child immunization clinics, or view other Immunization Resources.
Share Feedback With County Health Department on School Health Services The Fairfax County Health Department and Fairfax County Public Schools School Health Services invite parents/caregivers of FCPS students to participate in a survey on satisfaction with school health room services. The survey takes about five minutes to complete and will be open until Monday, May 5.
School health rooms (clinics) are managed by public health nurses and school health aides. Those staff provide care for students who become sick or injured during the school day, who require medications during the school day, and/or who have a chronic health condition that requires management during the school day.
Additionally, the school health room staff:
- Provide health education, communicable disease prevention, and health screenings.
- Work with schools to help address the root causes of population health disparities so that all students have equitable access to educational and health opportunities.
- Ensure that students have care for minor injuries and illnesses, and chronic health conditions, thus helping to minimize health barriers to learning.
Discover Exciting Summer Learning Activities and Ideas
Attend the FCPS Summer Extravaganza on Saturday, May 10, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., at Woodson High School and get a jump on summer learning and fun! At this free event, participants can engage in educational and enrichment activities designed to inspire curiosity and growth.
An FCPS Student Program Marketplace will feature student-made goods for sale. Proceeds will support the students’ programs.
Learn about summer programs and resources available from community and business partners. Enjoy face painting, touring a fire truck, student performances, and much more! Visit the Summer Extravaganza webpage.
Increasing Access to Middle School Algebra 1
FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan Goal 3: Academic Growth and Excellence places a focus on successful completion of Algebra 1 by eighth grade. To increase access to Algebra 1 for middle school students, the school division has decided to streamline the criteria for taking Algebra 1 Honors in seventh grade.
With the simplified criteria, Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test (IAAT) scores are no longer a prerequisite when selecting either Mathematics 7 Honors or Algebra 1 Honors. Although it is not a requirement for advanced math, families may still use the test scores to help decide which level of mathematics their child signs up for.
Families of students who took the IAAT this winter will receive their score report by the end of this month. Students who were scheduled for the IAAT but did not get to complete the test will have the chance to opt-in for a makeup test at the end of the year. Parents/caregivers will receive information about this makeup testing opportunity.
Additional information and copies of upcoming family communication can be found on the IAAT webpage. It’s Time to Talk About Fentanyl: Become Unskippable
National Fentanyl Awareness Day is Tuesday, April 29. Learn fentanyl facts and how to have short, impactful conversations in a way that teens are more likely to listen. Get everything you need to prepare by visiting the Fentanyl Awareness webpage. Supporting Resources are on the bottom of the page.
 Attention LJMS! This Wednesday, April 30th in honor of the Mean Girls opening, we will have a PINK OUT! All students who wear pink will get a chance to win free Mean Girls tickets and a show shirt! So let’s be FETCH and let’s PINK OUT!
LJMS Drama proudly presents our spring musical, Mean Girls, Jr. Come out and support our amazing cast & crew who have been working since January on the show. Tickets are $6 pre-sale and $8 at the door. Buy them on our LJMS Website or by using the QR code on the poster! Thursday May 1st 7:00 pm, Friday May 2nd 7:00 pm & Saturday May 3rd 2:30 pm & 7:00 pm.
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts has awarded grants to 14 teachers at public high schools and middle schools in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., to fund music, dance, and theater projects in their classrooms.
Three teachers at FCPS schools are among the grant recipients. The grants are part of Wolf Trap’s Grants for Performing Arts Teachers, an annual program that issues financial awards to support area public school teachers who are working to bring new and exciting performing arts experiences to their students.
All grantees and their students are invited to participate in a celebratory day of learning at Wolf Trap; participating high school students will perform at The Barns at Wolf Trap on Monday, April 28.
 Grants awarded to teachers in FCPS include Stacey M. Jones, Luther Jackson Middle School, (pictured above) for the project “Reviving Ghanian Traditions Through the Blues Workshops” Students in Luther Jackson Middle School's advanced theater arts class will work with Kennedy Center Teaching Artist and Focus 5 Consultant Imani Gonzalez, to learn about Ghanian traditions, connecting the African culture to the African American tradition of the Blues. Studying the blues genre will allow students to explore and tell their own stories. Students will write monologues to connect with the long tradition of defiant storytelling in the face of adversity. Bringing this type of cultural integration into the classroom will strengthen students' sense of identity while promoting acceptance of other cultures through a better understanding of how we are all connected.
 James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s TONY award winning musical follows everyone's favorite storybook characters as they travel “into the woods” to achieve their goals and break the Witch’s curse.
Performances begin on Thursday, May 1st and run for 2 weekends with a family friendly matinee on Saturday, May 10th of only Act 1.
Oakton won the BVD Best Musical Award last year for their musical PIPPIN, sending Best Actress Meera Ayyar (who plays the Witch) on to perform at last years Jimmy Awards. With a Cast, Orchestra and Crew of over 125 of Oakton’s top talent, you won’t want to miss this show.
Tickets are available here
More cast information here
Senator Mark Warner will be hosting his annual Academy Day on Saturday, April 26th at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg. This event is for any middle or high school student, their parents/guardians, and school counselors in VA interested in the service academies. Event details are below.
PTA Board for 2025-26 school year: Thank you to the Nominating Committee members, Olga, Molly, and Ricardo, for nominating the following LJMS PTA officers for the 2025-26 school year:
- President: Karen Lee
- Vice President: Olga Rozell
- Treasurer: Alison Paddock
- Secretary: Molly Huh
The above officers will be voted on at our May 2025 PTA meeting.
Restaurant Fundraiser: Ready for a mouthwatering meal that supports a great cause? Join us at Pupatella Pizzeria (5104 Wilson Blvd.) on Tuesday, April 29th, between 11:30 AM and 9:00 PM, and make a difference! With every order you place, 20% will be donated to Luther Jackson Middle School PTA.
Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5-9: Teachers Light the Way to Brighter Futures. Join us in celebrating the remarkable staff and teachers at LJMS by signing up at:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0844A8AB22A6FFC34-56459153-2025#/
You can also donate via Zelle to treasurer@jacksonmspta.org or via our PTA online store
https://ljmspta.givebacks.com/store/items/1186549
Any amount is appreciated and welcome!
Food Pantry Distribution Coordinator: We need a volunteer to help with the food
pantry distributions every other Wednesday from 4-5:30 pm next school year. Students
prepare the food bags, so the coordinator just needs to arrive early to ensure the bags
are set out and assist students in distributing the food to families when they arrive.
Ability to speak Spanish is a plus, but not required. If you are interested in helping,
contact Megan Dho at megandho@gmail.com.
Grocery Bag Donation Drive for Food Pantry: The food pantry has run out of the
brown paper grocery bags we use to deliver food to families. If you have any spare
bags, please bring them into the office. We need at least 160 bags to get us through
the rest of the year.
School boundary review: One of our PTA members serves on the Superintendent's Boundary Review Advisory Committee. If you want to connect with them to share any inputs or concerns, please send a note to FallsChurchBRACRep1@gmail.com
Proposed cuts to After-school programs: A proposed budget reduction for FY2026 could eliminate funding for the Middle School After-School (MSAS) program in all 27 Fairfax County middle schools, including LJMS.
Intramural Sports, Performing Arts rehearsals, after-school tutoring and homework help, teacher office hours, and many enrichment activities like College Career & Exploration, Science Olympiad, TSA, Math Counts, NJHS, and Model UN could all go away.
Please contact your Fairfax County Supervisors immediately to express your support for the Middle School After-School Program. You can find contact information for your representatives on the Fairfax County website: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/myneighborhood/
PTA website: Visit our website to become a PTA member, donate online, or buy spirit wear at https://jacksonmspta.org/
Exciting news! SoCo Summer Strings is returning this summer! The camp will be hosted at South County Middle School from July 7-18, 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM (weekdays only). Camp is open to all rising 5th-9th grade students with at least one year of experience on the violin, viola, cello, or bass. Students will participate in two large ensemble rehearsals, an instrument-specific technique class, and a sectional each day.
You can find more information and register for camp at www.schsorchestra.org/soco-summer-strings. Register early to save money and reserve your student’s spot!
See below for information about two different summer program opportunities available for rising 7th and 8th graders here at Luther Jackson:
How to Survive Middle School, July 30-31
VIP Camp Poe, July 1-31
 Registration is on hold right now...
At this time, we are not currently accepting registrations for the VIP Summer Camps as this program may not be available or may be restructured. The current Fairfax County budget proposal includes eliminating funding for the middle school after-school program specialists who design and run the VIP summer camps.
• Fairfax County has opportunities for community members to submit feedback on the budget proposal. You can find them at this link: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/take-survey-submit-feedback-fy26-budget-proposal
• Town Hall Budget Meeting Calendar is here: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/budget/fy-2026-budget-town-hall-meetings
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.
 
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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$481
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Charger
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$25
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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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