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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
📢 Important Update: Upcoming WIDA Testing at LJMS
We want to keep our families informed about the upcoming WIDA testing schedule at Luther Jackson Middle School.
For students participating in the WIDA assessments, please ensure they arrive at school promptly at 7:30 AM on each of the testing dates listed below. Being on time helps ensure a smooth start for everyone!
What about students not testing? Students who are not participating in the WIDA exam will engage in other meaningful academic activities during the testing block.
Class Schedule Note: The testing block concludes at 10:00 AM. At that time, all students will move to their regular Even Day classes for the remainder of the school day.
🗓️ WIDA Testing Schedule
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February 9th (updated date due to snow closure): Reading Domain
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February 11th (updated date due to snow closure): Listening Domain
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February 23rd: Writing Domain
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February 24th – March 6th: Speaking Domain
Thank you for your continued partnership and support in ensuring our students succeed!
Director of Student Services, Nick Zubieta onzubieta@fcps.edu
 College Partnership Program Applications now open!
Help Keep Jackson Phone-Free!
Please remind your student that cell phones and personal devices (AirPods, earbuds, headsets, other items connected to the internet) must be off and away for the entire school day (bell to bell). Cell phones are also not permitted to be used as an instructional tool.
FCPS’ cell phone policy helps students stay focused, safe, and engaged at school. Visit FCPS’ cell phone policy webpage for more information and answers to frequently asked questions, including consequences for cell phone policy violations and exceptions for students with medical conditions or IEP/504 plans.
If you need to contact your student during the school day, please call our front office at (703) 204-8100.
Spanish:¡Ayúdenos a Mantener Luther Jackson Libre de Celulares!
Por favor, recuérdale a su estudiante que los teléfonos celulares y dispositivos personales (como airpods, earbuds, audífonos, u otros aparatos conectados a internet) deben estar apagados y guardados durante todo el día de clases (del timbre de entrada hasta el de salida). Los teléfonos celulares tampoco están permitidos para ser usados como herramienta instruccional.
La política de FCPS sobre teléfonos celulares ayuda a los estudiantes a mantenerse enfocados, seguros e involucrados en la escuela. Visite nuestra página web de la política sobre teléfonos celulares para que encuentre más información y respuestas a las preguntas comunes, incluyendo también las consecuencias a las violaciones a la política sobre teléfonos celulares, las excepciones dadas a estudiantes que tengan alguna enfermedad o que estén en planes IEP/504, y más.
Si necesita contactar a su estudiante durante el día de clases, por favor llame a nuestra oficina principal al (703) 204-8100.
CTE Summer Academy is a weekly enrichment program that allows students to dive deeper into CTE program areas, and encourages skill development and career exploration.
Students choose 4 classes each week they participate and learn new content, discover interests, and build their skills.
New to 2026! We’re offering after care!
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Location - Robinson SS
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Transportation from select FCPS schools is provided!
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Cost - $300 per week
Back for 2026 programs, we will be offering tuition assistance. More information on our webpages.
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Dates -
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Week 1: July 6 - 10
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Week 2: July 13 - 17
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Week 3: July 20 - 24
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Week 4: July 27 - 31
New to 2026! We’re offering a 4th week of our programs!
Students will choose four (4) classes each week to build their own specialized summer learning program. Courses are available in all CTE program areas: Business and Information Technology, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health and Medical, Marketing, Technology and Engineering, and Trade and Industrial.
Classes offered through CTE Summer Academy are introductory and do not require previous knowledge of the content.
For the list and schedule of classes being offered, please visit our webpage!
Registration is open from February 2 to June 5, 2026.
Students can register online by visiting the CTE Summer Academy webpage and clicking on the register button.
Visit the CTE Summer Academy webpage: bit.ly/FCPS_CSA for more information! Capture this year’s memories with our school yearbook, featuring highlights from events, clubs, sports, and everyday moments. Don’t miss out on this keepsake your student will treasure! Go to this link to purchase your yearbook today.
The 8th annual STEM Essay Contest sponsored by the McLean Area Branch of AAUW (American Association of University Women) is now open. The contest challenges 7th and 8th girls and boys to discover and publicize women including women of color (non-white) who made a difference in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields, but who received little or no recognition for their contributions while they were alive. Strong preference is given to essays about women who are not well known even today.
Each student is asked to write an essay of no more than 500 words to describe one woman's contribution to STEM, discuss the impact, and clearly state why he or she picked that woman. The branch will award five prizes: 1st Place ($100) and four Honorable Mention prizes (each $25).
Two versions of the application form (a fillable PDF and a Word document), which include essay guidelines and instructions for submission, are available on the branch website at https://mclean-va.aauw.net/stem-essay-contest-2026/ The deadline is February 8, 2026, at 11:00 pm ET, and the winners will be recognized at the Branch dinner on March 24, 2026, at the McLean Community Center.
There will be NO after school on the following dates in February:
Tuesday Feb 10
Monday Feb 16
New offerings for the 3rd quarter are posted on our LJ Website!
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
Luther Jackson is on social media! Check out our Facebook and Instagram @lutherjacksonms for all things LJ.
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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$494
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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.
Nando's Next Thursday!
We hope you can join us next week for the LJMS PTA's next restaurant night on Thursday, February 12 at Nando's in Mosaic, 4 PM to 9 PM (use code NANDOS2025 when ordering in store or online)!
LJMS PTA on Facebook
Please be sure to join our 'Luther Jackson Middle School PTA' Facebook group! It's a great place to learn about upcoming programs and ask questions!
Faculty Fairies
Join one of the most beloved groups at LJMS–the Faculty Fairies! Bring joy to the teachers and staff of LJ by bringing in treats and drinks to the teacher’s lounge! Check out the Faculty Fairies Sign Up Genius at: https://tinyurl.com/3jz6ypfc and let’s fill all of the slots for the rest of the school year! Thank you so much for supporting the LJMS teachers and staff in this meaningful way!
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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