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Nov. 20-22 Fall Play- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Nov. 26-28 Holiday (Thanksgiving) Building is closed
Dec. 10- Band Winter Concert
Dec. 16-Chorus Winter Concert
Dec. 17- Orchestra Winter Concert
Dec. 22-Jan. 2- Winter Break
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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.
On-Time Attendance
We are off to a great start to the school year. Now students are settled in their classes and know the routines. We stress to our teachers bell-to-bell instruction to maximize instructional time and learning. If you drop your student off at school, make sure that they do not have to rush and arrive late to school. Help our students develop the habit of being punctual. Also encourage your student to arrive at each class on time. Arriving late is a classroom interruption and distraction for the teacher and all students.
We will begin to reinforce our school’s tardy policy, which includes tardy sweeps, detention, and parent contact for repeated tardiness. We will also recognize punctuality with fun incentives for our students. Thank you for your support.
Updated Attendance Codes
Attendance Codes have been updated for the 2025-26 school year. These updates will allow schools to better identify the primary reasons for student absences, which will help school teams identify patterns of absenteeism, make informed decisions, and develop effective strategies to improve attendance. Please note which codes qualify as “Excused” and which are “Unexcused.”
Codes no longer used:
- EXC-Excused
- PRE-Prearranged Absence
- UNL-Unexcused Local
Updated Code:
- MED-Illness or Injury Related
Excused Codes:
- COL-College Visit
- FAM-Family Emergency
- FRL-Funeral
- LGL-Legal Obligations
- MAP-Medical Appointment (Prescheduled)
- MIL-Deployment Related
- OEX-Other-Excused
Unexcused Codes:
- NON-Non-School Activity
- OUN-Other- Not Excused
- VAO-Vacation, Outing, or Non-Emergency Family Travel / Visit
Counselor On Leave
As a reminder, Dr. Simmons, our counselor for students with last names Re–Z, is currently on leave. We hope for her return soon. In her absence, please reach out to any of the other counselors or Mr. Zubieta for support.
Social and Emotional Learning Screener: Parent Reports Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener last month, providing information on skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions. The screener also asks students how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
Individual student SEL Screener results will be available to families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE the week of November 17. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be shared by our school.
For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or reach out to school staff.
Monitoring Support for Your Child in ParentVUE All FCPS schools use an approach called Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to make sure every student gets the help they need to learn.
MTSS helps school teams deliver high-quality instruction for all students and provide extra time, support, and interventions as needed. Families are partners in this process. We will share information about your child’s individual learning, needs, and progress.
You may view your child's intervention plans and progress in SIS ParentVUE. Expect progress to be updated quarterly, with report card due dates.
Window for Full-Time AAP Referrals Closes on December 15
Parents and guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services must submit the AAP Full-Time Referral Form to Laura Ballou (liballou@fcps.edu) no later than December 15, 2025.
Each year, families can submit a referral for full-time AAP services any time from the first day of school through December 15. No late referrals for full-time AAP services will be accepted. Once a referral is received, our school will compile information related to the student. Then, a committee of six trained professionals from across the county will review materials to determine eligibility for full-time AAP services.
Next Steps for Parents
Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. Parents may request a copy of their child’s materials after February 20, 2026, by emailing Laura Ballou (liballou@fcps.edu)
At the elementary level, referrals for subject-specific and part-time AAP are screened by our school. If you miss the full-time referral deadline, your student can still be screened for subject-specific or part-time AAP services for the remainder of the year.
At the middle school level, honors courses are open to all students. For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs webpage.
Prepping for Thanksgiving
As we head into the Thanksgiving break, the Student Services team would like to extend our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones. We hope this time provides a chance to rest, reconnect, and recenter as we continue through the school year.
We are incredibly proud of our students, their hard work, resilience, and dedication shine each day. This break is well deserved for everyone.
✨DO YOU KNOW AN AMAZING EMPLOYEE? ✨
We are now accepting nominations to recognize our outstanding employees at Luther Jackson Middle School for the 2025 - 2026 school year.
If you have worked with an outstanding employee at Luther Jackson, FCPS wants your help recognizing them. Tiger families are invited to nominate outstanding employees.
🏆 NOMINATIONS FOR...
- Outstanding Professional Employee
- Outstanding Operational Employee
🗓️DEADLINE: The deadline to submit a nomination is Tuesday, November 25, 2025.
SUBMISSIONS: Submissions can be made by completing the form linked here: https://forms.gle/MEWfkZjNVXC5wVuZ7
🐯Thank you for supporting our outstanding Tiger Staff!
✨¿CONOCES A ALGÚN EMPLEADO INCREÍBLE? ✨
Estamos aceptando nominaciones para reconocer a nuestros empleados destacados de la Escuela Luther Jackson para el año escolar 2025-2026.
¡FCPS NECESITA TU AYUDA!
Si has trabajado con un empleado destacado en la Escuela Luther Jackson, FCPS necesita tu ayuda para reconocerlo. Invitamos a las familias de Tigre a nominar a empleados destacados.
🏆 NOMINACIONES PARA...
- Maestro Destacado
- Maestro Nuevo Destacado
- Director Destacado
- Líder Destacado
- Empleado Profesional Destacado
- Empleado Operativo Destacado
🗓️FECHA LÍMITE: La fecha límite para enviar una nominación es 25 de noviembre de 2025.
¡ENVÍA TU NOMINACIÓN AQUÍ! Las propuestas pueden enviarse completando el formulario disponible aquí: https://forms.gle/MEWfkZjNVXC5wVuZ7
🐯Gracias por apoyar a nuestro excelente equipo de Tigre.
This week, are incoming principal, Ms. Sherrill, came to be interviewed by our MC student, Isabelle. It was wonderful sharing this video with all the students & staff so they could learn a little bit more about her. We are excited to welcome Ms. Sherrill to our school starting this Monday, November 24, 2025!
You can find the interview by clicking on the link below:
https://youtu.be/ywJkde4GZh0
All After-School Activities Canceled – Monday, November 24 & Tuesday, November 25
Please note that all after-school activities are canceled on Monday, November 24 and Tuesday, November 25. There will be no clubs, sports, or supervision on these dates.
All programs will resume as normal the following week.
 Life is full of stories — let’s tell ours! Arena Stage invites you to join Voices of Now, a free after-school program at Jackson where students work together to create a show sharing real life, real ideas, and real perspectives.
No experience needed — just come as you are.
You’ll make new friends, try new things, and surprise yourself.
Voices of Now is an autobiographical devised theatre program. Devised theater is when performers collaborate to make the script, choreography, and overall story for performance. Inspiration for a devised play can come from anywhere – in Voices of Now, the inspiration comes from the artists’ stories and lived experiences.
 Ticket sales during all lunches will begin this Thursday, Nov 12th and run until Friday, Nov 21st. Tickets are $6 pre-sale and available at the door for $8
Come out and support the cast & crew of our fall play, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Tickets are now available online on our LJMS Website and using the QR code located on the poster. Watch Alice as she meets fantastical creatures like the Caterpillar and crazy people like the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts as she travels through the colorful world of Wonderland. Show dates are Nov 20,21st & 22nd. Tickets also available during lunches the week before the show and at the door. See you there!
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.
Chromebook damage, procedures, and replacement costs
Students will receive a warning for the first instance of damage to a Chromebook as long as the case is on and the damage was not intentional. If the case is off or the damage was intentional, then they will be required to pay for the damage on the first offence. When this happens, Mr. Waldren will inform the student that they will be restricted to using a classroom loaner laptop in each class. He will also let the student know that he will email their administrator about the incident. The student's administrator will then meet with the student and contact their parents. If the student is required to pay for the damage, they will receive a replacement Chromebook after they pay for the damage. Pricing for damage and replacement Chromebook costs is listed below.
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HP Chromebook Parts
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Cost
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Chromebook replacement
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$481
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Screen
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$90
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Charger
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$30
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Case
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$34
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Keyboard and palm rest
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$37
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System Board
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$190
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Touchpad
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$22
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Daughterboard
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$17
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Top Cover
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$23
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Bottom Cover
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$17
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Bezel
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$18
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Speaker
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$46
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Webcam
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$25
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WiFi Card
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$19
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Lightspeed Parent Portal parent controls
FCPS has enabled new parent controls within the Lightspeed Parent Portal to support families in managing screentime on FCPS devices. Parents can now manage their child's access to YouTube as well as pause web browsing on district-issued devices, during designated "After School Hours" while students are off the FCPS network.
These parental controls are only active Monday-Friday from 3:30 PM to 6:00 AM, and all day on weekends and student holidays when students are off the FCPS network. Parental controls do not interfere with district filtering policies during the instructional day. Parents can register for the Parent Portal using the link provided in their weekly Lightspeed Online Student Activity Report email.
For more information about the Parent Portal, please visit the Lightspeed Parent Portal page on the FCPS website.
LJMS PTA Restaurant Nights
Thank you to everyone who supported the LJMS PTA at the Guapo's restaurant night earlier this week! Our next restaurant night will be at the Silver Diner (Merrifield) on Thursday, December 4 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Mark your calendars now and plan to join us then or order online that evening!
 Thank You For Your Generosity
Thank you also to the community for supporting the LJMS Food Pantry's Thanksgiving Drive! Thanks to your generosity, many families that are helped by the food pantry will receive a full Thanksgiving meal!
LJMS PTA on Social Media
The PTA has a private PTA Facebook group (Luther Jackson Middle School PTA) and a public Facebook page. Please be sure to join the Facebook group and like our Facebook page!
To join the PTA and support our LJMS community, go to: https://ljmspta.givebacks.com/shop
Please email pta@jacksonmspta.org with any questions!
Fall 2025 screening is only available to students newly enrolled in FCPS after January 1, 2025, who were not screened in Spring 2025.
For information pertaining to the screening process, testing and identification timeline or identification and placement, please contact Laura Ballou at liballou@fcps.edu.
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.
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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