 Dear Jackson Family,
As I prepare to transition to my new role, I want to take a moment to share my heartfelt gratitude. Serving as the principal of Jackson Middle School has been one of the greatest honors of my career. Over the past four years, I have been continually inspired by the dedication of our staff, the resilience and creativity of our students, and the trust and support of our families. Together, we have built a community centered on care, high expectations, and a shared commitment to helping every student thrive. Each of you have helped shape and expand my capacity as a leader and broadened my view of what our communities are capable of. Thank you.
I am also pleased to be able to introduce Ms. Pamela Brumfield, who will serve as Jackson Middle School’s interim principal beginning September 2, 2025. Ms. Brumfield is a retired principal with a wealth of experience and knowledge, and she is excited to partner with the staff, students, and families of the Falls Church Pyramid. I am confident that her leadership will ensure a smooth transition as the Region 2 leadership team works with our community to select Jackson’s next principal.
I very much look forward to hearing of and seeing the wonderful accomplishments I know Jackson will achieve in the future.
Finally… we’re begging at this point…please do not drop your children off on Gallows or in the middle of the parking lot. Kiss and ride really cannot become live action Mario Cart. There. I said it. Someone must. 😄
With gratitude,
RJ
August 29th- No school/ Labor Day Break (Holiday)
Sept. 1st--- No school/ Labor Day Break (Holiday)
Sept. 10- Back to School Night (5:30pm-7:30pm) FLE presentation at 5pm
Counselors are assigned by alphabet and your first point of contact for any question or concerns you might have.
If your child still has their Chromebook, please have them bring it on the first day of school and they can return it to room 502 or the main office.
Hope you can join us at the close of Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 10 for our PTA General Meeting from 7:30 to 8:00 in the auditorium! Learn about our plans for the year and how you can help support the PTA! Join the PTA and purchase spiritwear including t-shirts and hoodies at: https://ljmspta.givebacks.com/shop For questions about the LJMS PTA, please email PTA@jacksonmspta.org!
Did you know that LJ has a food pantry? Your help is needed to restock the shelves for the new school year! One way you can support the 80 families that are helped through the pantry is by becoming a Food For Neighbors (FFN) Red Bag donor. To learn more and become a Red Bag donor, please go to: https://foodforneighbors.org/red-bag-program/ We will highlight additional ways you can support the food pantry in future issues of this newsletter!
✨ Mark your calendars! The LJ After Hours Interest Meeting and Activities Fair will be after school on Thursday, September 11 from 2:30-4:30 PM. This is your chance to explore all of our amazing clubs and sports, meet coaches and sponsors, and find the activity that’s right for you. Every activity and sport will have a table so you can learn more and get connected. Late buses will be provided.
🏃♂️ Cross Country- If you love distance running, challenging yourself, or trying something new—cross country could be for you!
🏀 Basketball- Exciting news! Basketball is now an interscholastic sport at Luther Jackson! That means you’ll be competing against other schools, representing LJ on the court, and showing your Tiger pride just like Cross Country.
👉 Important Note: If you plan to participate in interscholastic sports (cross country or basketball), you must complete the required forms (linked below). Please see Mr. Klucker (Room 202) for cross country, Mr. Bailey (Gym) for basketball, or Ms. McCabe (Room 404) if you have questions.
For all other clubs and activities, no forms are needed—just come to the fair and get involved! We can't wait!
How to Register for MS Interscholastic Sports (Only Cross-Country and Basketball)
STEP 1- Complete AND Submit the FCPS MS Athletics Registration Google Form online (link)
STEP 2- Complete AND turn in the Middle School Athletics Physical Form (PPE) (link) to the After-School Specialist (Ms. McCabe in room 404)
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Forms expire 14 months after they are signed. ALL PPE after July 1, 2025 NEED to be on the NEW FORMS *Be sure that your form doesn’t expire before your season ends! (Ex: Nov. 15th CC ends, so PPE needs to be after Sept 15, 2024)
STEP 3- Complete AND turn in the Emergency Care Card (ECC) (link) to the After-School Specialist (Ms. McCabe in room 404) -This MUST be filled out for EACH SEASON (siblings need their own)
The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) online application portal will open Monday, October 20th, at 4:00PM. Representatives from TJHSST will be giving an information presentation on Monday, September 15th, at 2:30PM in the LJMS auditorium. The presentation is approximately 30 minutes with additional time for questions and answers. Both students and parents are invited to attend. No registration is necessary. Please note that students attending this information session will need to sign up for a second after school session if they are not leaving school with a parent after the presentation. For more information, please go to the TJ Admissions webpage at https://www.fcps.edu/tjadmissions. Please visit the TJHSST website to understand the required courses that students need to take in their 8th grade year in order to apply to TJHSS. Please contact Mr. Tickle at BRTickle@fcps.edu or 703 204 8124 for questions or for help with the application process.
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.
Back to School Night at LJMS – September 10th!
We are so excited to welcome our LJMS families to Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 10th from 5:30–7:30pm! Families will have the opportunity to follow their student’s schedule, meet teachers, explore the building, and learn all about what students will be experiencing this school year.
This is one of our favorite events of the year, and we can’t wait to partner with you as we kick off a great school year together. We look forward to seeing you there!
Advisory at LJMS
This year, Advisory will take place every Wednesday and Friday during 4th period. Advisory is a county-supported program that allows us to build relationships, strengthen our school community, and provide students with important lessons and supports. During this time, students will engage in activities such as community-building, schoolwide lessons, academic check-ins, and interventions. Advisory is an important part of the LJMS experience and helps ensure every student feels connected and supported.
Student advisories may change if students are identified as needing additional support throughout the year.
FCPS Required Forms
This is a friendly reminder to please complete all required forms for your student. These forms ensure we have the most up-to-date information and resources to best support your child throughout the school year. You can find the forms here:
LJMS Required Forms
If you need assistance with completing forms or accessing ParentVUE, please reach out to our Family Liaison, Mr. Ricardo Bethencourt, who is happy to support you.
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.
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.
All those students interested in auditioning for our fall play, Adventures of Alice in Wonderland, please come to an interest meeting in the MPR during B session on Sept. 11th. If you cannot make it, no worries- please see Ms. Stacey in room 419 or email her at:smjones3@fcps.edu
Auditions will be Sept. 17th or 18th.
The backstage interest meeting for the fall play will be Tuesday, September 16th. Backstage interviews will be Wednesday the 24th . Questions? Please email Mr. McLellan at: lmclellan1@fcps.edu.
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/is01/r/pdcp/
. 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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