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Monday, January 12- ALL after-school activities resume
Monday, January 19- Holiday (Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday) School Closed
Wednesday, January 28 - 2 Hour Early Release and End of 2nd Quarter
Thursday, January 29 - Staff Development Day - Student Holiday
Friday, January 30 - Teacher Workday - Student Holiday
Monday, February 16 - Presidents' Day - School Closed
Tuesday, February 17 - Teacher Workday - Student Holiday
Wednesday, February 18 - First Full Day of Ramadan (begins at sundown)
The entire 2025-2026 FCPS Calendar can be found here.
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.
Course Selection and Curriculum Nights
Students are meeting with their counselors to discuss course selection for the next school year. Families are encouraged to attend Curriculum Nights to learn more about course offerings, academic pathways, and special programs.
Luther Jackson Middle School will host its Curriculum Night on January 21 from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at Luther Jackson Middle School. Families of current 8th grade students are also encouraged to attend Curriculum Nights at their students’ future high schools to learn more about high school course offerings, graduation requirements, and specialized programs. Information and links to high school Curriculum Nights can be found on each high school’s website.
Course Selection Timeline
- Rising 8th Grade (LJMS): Course selection will begin the first week of February, following the end of Quarter 2.
- Rising 7th Grade: Course selection will take place throughout the month of February.
- Rising 9th Grade: High schools will meet with their respective rising 9th graders between January 22 and February 13.
For more information on our course selection process and timeline, please visit our Course Selection website:https://jacksonms.fcps.edu/student-services/course-selection
School-life balance is an important consideration for students as they strive for academic and personal success. You may contact your student’s school counselor with questions.
Graduation Requirements and Planning
Planning which courses to take next year — and in future years — must be given considerable thought. Students and families should review the Graduation Requirements and Course Planning webpage to make informed decisions while planning for success in high school and beyond.
The curriculum webpage may also be helpful. Refer to our course catalog and course selection webpages: https://insys.fcps.edu/CourseCatOnline/coursegroup/396/nocourselist/1/1/1/1;title=coursegroup
Mark Your Calendar: Academy Open Houses
FCPS high school academies are holding open houses for interested students. Open houses are a great opportunity to visit classrooms and labs, and meet instructors and academy counselors.
An academy is a center within a high school that offers advanced technical and specialized courses to prepare students for postsecondary education and/or career fields. Academy elective courses provide students with various career experiences, including shadowing, mentoring, or internships with local businesses.
Students can explore more than a dozen career fields through FCPS academies! Watch this video to learn more about academy programs.
View the calendar of Academy Open Houses.
Follow Our Budget Process
Encourage your neighbors, friends, and community members to follow the FCPS budget process and look for opportunities to share your ideas about funding public education. Key decision dates and engagement opportunities are coming up in the next few weeks:
The Fairfax County delegation to the General Assembly will hold a public hearing regarding the upcoming 2026 session on Saturday, January 10, at 9 a.m. in the Board Auditorium at the Fairfax County Government Center.
Fairfax County residents can sign up in advance to speak at the hearing online or contact the Department of Clerk Services at 703-324-3151, TTY 711, by Thursday, January 8, at noon.
Thursday, January 22, Dr. Reid will present the proposed budget to the School Board.
The EIP is a multiyear (five year) college preparatory program for students who will be the first in their families to attend a four-year college in the United States. EIP is a collaborative effort between Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and George Mason University (GMU). EIP provides services that include:
- An after-school tutoring or Academic Mentoring Program (AMP).
- Saturday programs for remediation and enrichment in science and mathematics.
- College information sessions for juniors and seniors that include guidance on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), writing their college essays, and filling out college applications.
- A mandatory Strengthening the Family workshop for the parents and/or guardians of EIP students.
- A mandatory, three-week Summer Academy during July on the Fairfax campus of GMU for rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders.
- A cohort of fellow-EIP students and family members who encourage and support one another.
- Transportation is provided for students for many of the EIP events.
Only 7th grade students are eligible to apply for EIP. If accepted, they will start the program in 8th grade and participate until high school graduation. EIP students maintaining a 3.2 GPA are guaranteed admission to GMU. Those who maintain a 3.5 GPA are invited to apply for a GMU scholarship.
If you would like your student to apply to EIP, please complete this google form. Once completed, your student will be on the list that is shared with George Mason University and the FCPS EIP office. Next steps will be provided after submission of the google form.
 Coming next week, Arena Stage is hosting their Voices of Now after-school workshops. Voices of Now is an after-school program for students who want to talk about real stuff that matters to them and make something creative with it. Everyone is invited to come to a workshop and see what it’s about. Workshops are on Monday and Wednesday from 2:30 to 4:30. Check it out and see if it’s something for you.
All after school activities will resume next week on Monday, January 12. Please see the Activities page on our Luther Jackson website for this quarter's offerings and all things after school.
Additionally, please check that your child is eligible for after school by giving consent through the digital resource consent form: https://digitalconsent.fcps.edu/ispb/is01/r/pdcp/.
There will be an information session during Curriculum Night on January 21st, as well to answer any questions about the after school program.
February 20: The Social Lives of Twice exceptional (2e) Students: Friendship, Belonging, and Identity
Families will understand how some 2e students navigate peer relationships and how to support them establishing authentic connections.
May 15: Beyond High School: Preparing Twice exceptional Students for College, Career, and Adult Life Through Executive Functioning and Essential Life Skills.
Families will learn strategies to support 2e students in developing executive functioning skills and essential life skills while empowering them to navigate college career, and independent adult life successfully.
Register here for the webinar series
Head to Chipotle Monday, January 12th to help support our music department!
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.
Upcoming Restaurant Nights!
Please plan to join us for two upcoming restaurant nights that will help the PTA raise funds to support school and PTA activities!
Thursday, January 22 at Five Guys in Merrifield, 4 pm to 8 pm
Thursday, February 12 at Nando's in Mosaic, 4 pm to 9 pm (Use code NANDOS2025 when ordering in store or online)
LJMS Parents Are the Pulse of the PTA!
Join the LJMS PTA Multilingual Outreach Committee!
We are looking for volunteers who speak a second language and have a desire to volunteer within the LJMS community to join this committee. If you're interested, please email pta@jacksonmspta.org. Thanks so much! Join and Follow the PTA on Facebook!
Please be sure to join our 'Luther Jackson Middle School PTA' private Facebook group and like our public page. Just search 'Luther Jackson Middle School PTA' on Facebook and you will find our group and page!
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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