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in this issue:
October 13: Indigenous Peoples' Day - No School/Staff Development Day
October 20: Diwali - FCPS Schools/Offices Closed; TJHSST Applications Open
October 22: PTA Meeting - 7:00 PM - KJMS Library
October 23: Fairfax Pyramid Chorus Concert @ FHS - 7:00pm
October 24: Picture Make-Up Day
October 31 - End of 1st Quarter - Students dismissed @ 12:15
Dear KJMS Families,
We had a wonderful turnout last week for our PTA meeting. I encourage you to take a few minutes to become a member of our PTA and look forward to collaborating with our PTA this year. A reminder that students do not have school on Monday (Indigenous Peoples Day). Save the date for next Friday, October 17th, for Fairfax High School homecoming events, including the parade at 4:00 PM.
If you have any questions or concerns you can contact our main office at 703-934-2400 or contact me directly at cmsmith@fcps.edu.
Enjoy your weekend!
Chris Smith
Principal - Katherine Johnson MS
Use FCPS Cares to recognize any of our staff members
We are excited to announce that this year’s Career Day will take place on November 12th from 8:15 AM to 10:40 AM, and we are looking for enthusiastic presenters to share their careers with our students! If you are interested in participating as a presenter, please complete the registration form using the link below. The deadline to register is Oct 17th.
Your experiences and insights can have a lasting impact on our students as they explore various career paths. Thank you for your support in making this event a success. We look forward to showcasing the amazing careers within our KJMS community!
Please see the FAQs (see below) and reach out to School Counselor Curtiss Barnes at crbarnes@fcps.edu if you have questions.
KJMS Career Day Presenter Registration
ML students and their families are invited to a potluck dinner at Katherine Johnson Middle School. We hope to encourage student success by building relationships among teachers, students, and their families. Play games, win prizes, and have fun!
Please bring a typical dish from your culture or country to share at dinner. Families are invited to wear traditional clothing from their countries.
Date: Thursday, October 30, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM -8:00 PM
Location: Katherine Johnson Middle School, Cafeteria Door 7
- 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM – Bring your traditional dish to the cafeteria & meet other families
- 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM - Games for all ages, Bingo, followed by dinner
- 7:30 PM - 8:00PM - Get a chance to win prizes
Help make streets and sidewalks safer in old town and city wide. Share your thoughts! Move Fairfax City is a plan to improve transportation safety and walkability throughout the city and in Old Town Fairfax. We want your input! Click the links below to:
Take a brief survey: This survey asks about your experiences walking, biking, driving, or taking the bus throughout the city and in Old Town, as well as your priorities for Old Town Fairfax.
Leave comments on a map: This interactive map allows you to pin specific locations on the map where it feels difficult or unsafe to walk, bike, drive, or wait for the bus.
Fairfax County Public Schools provides families a free service to help you stay informed about your child’s online activity.
Starting October 12, 2025, parents and caregivers will automatically receive a weekly Lightspeed Student Online Activity Report. This report provides a summary of the websites your child visited during the previous week and is delivered every Sunday to your email directly from Lightspeed, our internet content filter.
The email contains:
- Subject: Filter Portal Weekly Report
- From: do_not_reply@lightspeedsystems.com
For more information, click on the below - FCPS webpage:
Lightspeed Parent Report Request - Get information about your child’s internet activity on their FCPS laptop
Cell phones can significantly impact academic performance — research has shown that it takes students 10 minutes or more to shift their focus back to learning after being interrupted by a single cell phone notification! You can help keep our schools phone-free (and your child focused on learning) by:
- Reminding your child about FCPS’ cell phone policy and telling them why you support it.
- Contacting your school’s front office (rather than your child directly) if there is a family emergency during the school day.
- Contacting your child about non-urgent matters before or after the school day.
- Waiting to respond to non-urgent texts from your child until the school day is over.
Learn more about FCPS’ cell phone and personal device policy. Also, view our Media Balance and Well-Being Toolkit for resources to help your child maintain a healthy and balanced relationship with technology at home.
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Food For Neighbors, mission is to collect and distribute food to students in need, offering essential nourishment that helps them thrive both academically and personally. Your support plays a critical role in making this possible.
www.foodforneighbors.org for more information.
The D.C. chapter of INTEGIRLS is hosting a beginner-friendly, in-person math competition Saturday, December 13th from 10 AM – 3 PM at the Bioscience Education Center at Montgomery College Germantown Campus! Our mission at INTEGIRLS is to encourage girls and non-binaries in STEM fields through math competitions and events. This year, we will have math competition rounds (individual and team), an estimathon, a speaker event, awards ceremony, provided lunch, and lots of fun STEM activities. Teams of up to 4 students will be able to connect with and enjoy math with other girls and non-binaries around the DMV. There will be a lot of prizes and fun swag for all participants.
Register here directly or go to the INTEGIRLS D.C. website (dc.integirls.org) to learn more about the competition.
Fairfax High School's Fall drama camp: Matilad will be on Tuesday, November 4th, which is a teacher workday. Please click on the link below to register at: Matilda Drama Camp via Eventbrite - Registration
- When: Tuesday, November 4
- Time: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
- Where: Fairfax High School - 3501 Lion Run, Fairfax, VA 22030
- Who: For any child in 1st to 8th grade
- Cost: $65 per child and $45 for FCPS employees
- Questions: Email: fhsdramacamp@gmail.com
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology will be hosting the 13th annual Invitational Science Fair in mid-April, and would like to invite 5th-8th graders to participate. Admission to the science fair is completely free.
Participants will complete a research project of their choice and present it in-person at the fair in April. We help students prepare for this fair by holding multiple sessions to teach them important STEM skills, including brainstorming, building an experimental design diagram, data collection and analysis, scientific writing, and presentation.
The first interest/information session for prospective students and their parents is October 17th, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Both sessions will be held in-person at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and virtually through Zoom. During this session, they will go over the goals and guidelines of the fair and introduce students to a multitude of project ideas.
All interested students should sign up using the form at this link: 2026 TJ Invitational Science Fair Interest Form
DATE: November 1, 2025
SETUP: 9:00 AM MEAL PACKING: 2:00-4:00 PM
LOCATION: Katherine Johnson Middle School Cafeteria
3801 Jermantown Rd, Fairfax, VA 22030
Register now to volunteer to help setup and/or pack 15,000 meals to put food on the table for children and families in Fairfax County. You can also donate to help raise $15000 ($1 per meal) to fund this Meal Creation event. Everyone is welcome!
Generosity Feeds Fairfax County, VA
The 71st annual Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair will be held at Robinson Secondary School from March 13 to 15, 2026. The fair is open to the public on Sunday, March 15, from 1 to 3 p.m., during the fair’s Open House. Come and see the project displays and congratulate our student participants on the inspired work they are doing!
Make-ups and retakes are scheduled for Friday, October 24th.
This opportunity is for the following students:
- Students who were absent on the original picture days (September 4th & 5th).
- Students who enrolled at KJMS after September 5th.
- Students who purchased a picture package and wish to have their picture retaken. Please ensure your child brings the original photos to return to the photographer on retake day.
If your child is eligible for a make-up or retake, please complete the form below. A pass will be provided to your child allowing them to have their picture taken.
Absentee and Re-take Picture Day Form
If these criteria do not apply to your student, you may disregard this email.
For any questions, please contact Emily Gardiner at eegardiner@fcps.edu.
In response to the rich linguistic and cultural diversity of our community, students in grades 7-12 are offered the opportunity to take the World Languages Credit By Exam (WLCBE) each fall. The WLCBE assesses language proficiency in languages other than English and recognizes the strengths that our students bring as effective communicators in multiple languages. This assessment may be used to award world language credits towards graduation, determine course placement for language courses offered in FCPS, and fulfill the world languages requirements for the Virginia Seal of Biliteracy.
The exam is offered in the fall each school year. A student may participate in the exam two times per language total (only once per year per language), between grades 7 and 12. In other words, students have two chances per language to earn credits by taking the exam. Students who wish to take the exam should be able to proficiently understand directions and communicate in the testing language, and will be asked to speak and write (type), and/or sign/interpret for ASL.
For more information, including languages offered, how to prepare for the exam, and scoring criteria, please visit the World Language Credit By Exam website. Students are also invited to speak with their school counselor for further information.
To register, please complete and submit the registration form to your student’s school counselor by the fall registration deadline.
Registration is currently open and closes on Friday, October 17, at 4 p.m. NO LATE REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Students who register will take the test at school during the school day on either November 13 or November 14 (depending on which language test is being taken).
Your voice matters, and Dr. Reid wants to hear from you! Parents are partners, working with us to set our students up for long-term success at school and in life.
A series of Community Conversations will be held across the school division to discuss current challenges and future opportunities. These events are also a chance for you to share your thoughts with Dr. Reid and ask her questions. Events are planned for the following dates from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. To register for the October 3 meeting, please click that date below. Registration links for the other dates will be available soon:
Child care and interpretation services will be provided. Events are open to all. Please check our website for updates.
In addition to our students and teachers, we estimate millions of visits by students and community members to Fairfax County schools through more than 500,000 events. Most of the public meeting and recreational facilities available in the county are FCPS facilities.
FCPS works with the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services and with the Fairfax County Park Authority to ensure that school facilities and athletic fields are available to the public after school hours.
The 2025 Bond Referendum will be on the ballot in November. Vote on Tuesday, November 4. Learn more about registering to vote and make a voting plan.
FCPS’ October community boundary review meetings will begin on Monday, October 13. Each of the 12 meetings will focus on two pyramids. Our area will be covered at the meeting on
Tuesday, October 28
6:30 PM to 8 PM
Fairfax High School, Library
in person or virtual
Register by clicking “in person” or “virtual,” based on how you would like to participate.
At the meeting, the consultant will present the latest draft boundary map (Scenario 4) and potential changes specific to our pyramid and the Woodson Pyramid. Participants will also be invited to ask questions.
If you are unable to attend the meeting for our pyramid, you are welcome to attend any meeting that is convenient. View the full list of October boundary meetings.
Visit the Comprehensive Boundary Review webpage for more information.
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Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Monday, October 13, is a student holiday and staff development day for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
FCPS will be offering lunch and a snack at no cost to children aged 18 and under on October 13 at participating schools.
Diwali
Monday, October 20, is a school holiday for Diwali. All schools and offices are closed.
See the complete school year calendar.
In case you missed it in FCPS This Week, the school division shared updates on the following topics:
- FCPS Overperforms State and Global SAT Averages
- October Community Boundary Review Meetings
- Online Activity Reports for Students
Read FCPS This Week to learn more about these topics. If you are not already receiving this weekly newsletter, please sign up today.
Katherine Johnson Middle School (KJMS)
Sign up today!
KJMS PTA Webpage
Sign up here to join the PTA: Givebacks
7th Grade:
Captains – Tyisha Williamson
Hokies – Dayle Ranallo
Patriots – Friday Oeur
Spartans – Curtiss Barnes
8th Grade:
Highlanders – Tyisha Williamson
Panthers – Dayle Ranallo
Nighthawks – Friday Oeur
Cavaliers – Curtiss Barnes
If you need to contact one of our parent liaisons, Ana Maxey (Mon.- Fri.) or Jennie Choi (Tues. & Wed.), please call 703-934-2454 and leave a message with your name, your student's name and phone number. You may also contact them via email: Ana Maxey at ajmaxey@fcps.edu or Jennie Choi at jchoi4@fcps.edu
Family Information Line Available in Nine Languages
Parents/caregivers who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese may call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS. View the list of phone numbers.
Family Resource Center
The Family Resource Center (PRC) offers free workshops (webinars), consultations, a lending library, and resources to help adults support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities.
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FCPS Cares
Do you want to celebrate a Katherine Johnson employee who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way, or goes beyond what is expected? If so, then click here to share with everyone.
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Stay in Touch with Us
Parents/caregivers who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese may call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS.
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