Dear TJHSST Families,
There is a lot of excitement in the air as we are only one week away from celebrating 40 years of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology! There are a lot of parts to it, so I put down a full schedule in this week's newsletter. We also have a website so you can see any future changes between now and the event.
We hope our current families will take advantage of our Networking event, we look forward to you meeting with several of our alumni who will talk to your child about their career path - including their time at Jefferson and college that got them to where they are today. Sign up information is in an article below.
I also have an article about the AP Opt-Out deadline that is coming up at the end of the month.
Hey TJ Families,
Remember there is no school on Monday as it is a Religious or Cultural Observance Day (Diwali). This includes the staff as well, so our main office will be CLOSED the entire day.
From our Safety and Security Office, some important reminders for both drop-off in the morning and pick-up in the afternoon.
- No parking, student pick up or drop offs in front of the building at any time. This is a fire lane.
- Late arrivals, enter the visitor lot, drop off your student in the lot and proceed off campus.
- There should be no “U” turns in front of the building.
- At dismissal students are not to be picked up from the side or staff lots.
- Kiss and ride pick up is only in the back parking lot between doors 7 and 9.
- Students are to exit out of doors. 1, 7, 9 and 12.
We hope to see as many of our TJ Community as possible at our 40th Anniversary celebration next weekend (Oct. 24-25)! That includes, alumni, current students, former and current staff, former and current parents/guardians - you are all invited! Here is the full schedule:
Friday, October 24 – TJHSST Alumni Tailgate and Football Game:
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5:00-6:30 p.m. – Tailgate at the turf practice field next to the main stadium.
- Event is free – all alumni, current/former staff, students and their parents are invited!
- Will feature 6 food trucks!
- We will have a DJ!
- This is meant for everyone to gather, mingle, reminisce with old friends, and make new ones!
- Boosters will sell merchandise! Get your TJ gear and support our many academic and athletic clubs!
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6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. – Football vs Catholic
- Join us a TJ Football takes on Catholic High School out of Virginia Beach! Tickets are only $7 for adults and $5 for students, and can be purchased in advance!
- We will host a pregame ceremony (around 6:40 p.m.) that recognizes all former faculty/staff who are in attendance
- During halftime we will be recognizing alums in attendance.
- The TJ Partnership Fund will be recognizing its initial members of the 1985 Club!
Saturday, October 25 – Open House at TJHSST (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)
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10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. – All alumni, current and former staff, current students, parents and former parents are invited to drop by TJ and come and go as you wish! Come visit the school. Those who have not been here since 2017 can see the amazing renovations!
- We have a group of current TJ students known as the “TJ Ambassadors” who will giving tours every 30 minutes. They will also be able to give you an idea of what life is like at TJ today.
- Tours Sign-up
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11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. – Alumni/Student Networking Event in Lecture Hall and Surrounding Classrooms
- Student and Parent/Guardian Sign-Up
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TJ Alumni Sign-Up
- TJ Alumni who have found success in various careers will be giving presentations in the auditorium for current TJ students (and their parents) who could be interested in pursuing a similar path. They will also have the opportunity to network. This will all take place in the Lecture Hall and the classrooms near by it in Hopper Commons. Current students (and their parents) are encouraged to sign-up at the first link above. Alums interested in participating should fill out the second link above.
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12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. – Former faculty/staff Meet and Greet in cafeteria
- We have invited all former faculty and staff to come during this time (we will provide them lunch). We encourage you to drop by and say hi!
- Currently scheduled to attend (more to come and list is subject to change):
- Nancy Anwyll
- Sally Bellacqua
- Jerry Berry
- Shirley Bloomquist
- Pam Curtis
- Pat Gabriel
- Ann Greenwood
- Jane Gullickson
- Toby Horn
- Susie Lebryk-Chao
- Elizabeth Lodal
- Patricia Montgomery
- Tim O'Reilly
- Jim Rose
- Betsy Sandstrom
- Eleanor Saslaw
- Marilyn Schoon
- Rich Slivoskey
- Mike Steuben
- Sharon (Baker) Webb
- Gary Young
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10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Oral History Recording
- We are trying to create an oral history of TJHSST. We encourage participation from people who are willing to sit down with TJ Director of Communications Mike Roth and his TJ Ambassadors and tell the story of their time at TJ. This is mostly being done over the Zoom/phone, but for those who are interested in doing this in person, there will be a couple of TJ Ambassadors available to record.
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10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Merchandise, Food and Babysitting
- Get Your TJ Merch!
- We will have several of our booster clubs in Gym 1 with TJ merch available to purchase! Currently scheduled (subject to change):
- TJ Academic Boosters
- Colonial Athletic Boosters
- PTSA
- TJ Partnership Fund
- TJ Theatre Boosters
- Food Available for purchase
- There will be several food trucks outside our main dome entrance with food to purchase.
- Child supervision available!
- Want to take your tour and participate in the activities, but not sure your child(ren) will be interested? Our National Honor Society (with parental supervision) will be available to look after your kids with several fun activities. See this sign-up sheet to express interest, or stop by and sign them in the day of as we will take walk-ins!
Saturday, October 25 – Banquet at Hilton Tysons Corner (6:00-10:00 p.m.)
- This event is being hosted by the TJ Partnership Fund.
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Tickets are $99 and are available here!
- We will be announcing the formation of the TJ Hall of Honor at the event.
- Hear from our VIPs as we celebrate 40 years of TJHSST and look towards the future!
- Come join us dinner, drinks and dancing for alumni, former and current staff, and various other members of the TJ community!
- Dress is business casual.
- This event is 18+ and is not meant for our current TJ students.
As part of TJ’s 40th Anniversary Celebration we are excited to invite you to attend our Alumni and Student Networking event on Saturday, October 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. inside TJ’s auditorium.
From among those who are in town for the 40th Anniversary Celebration we are gathering a group of alumni representing a diverse group of industries and career paths who are willing to speak about their journey with current TJ students. They will be a panel in the auditorium, followed by the opportunity for students to network one-on-one or in small groups to get their questions answered.
Both current TJ students and their parents/guardians are welcome to attend. Students are allowed to attend the networking event without a parent/guardian present, but we will need written or emailed permission from the parent/guardian for them to do so.
If you are interested in attending, please fill out this Google Form. We are still in the process of finalizing the roster of alumni attending, so if you have specific requests for different industries or career paths, there is space on the form to provide them. We will release the names of the alumni attending in the coming weeks.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at mbroth@fcps.edu.
All tests for courses in which students are enrolled will be ordered if a student does not opt out by October 31st. If a student exceeds their six exams paid for by FCPS they will be billed a $99 nonrefundable fee for each AP exam and $124 nonrefundable fee for each IB exam. If a student does not opt out by October 31st, and does not sit for the exam, exam fees are nonrefundable.
Additional information on FCPS AP/IB exam fee policies can be found on the FCPS website.
Need to get ahold of someone at TJ? Here is some commonly requested contact information:
Main Office - 703-750-8300
Attendance Office - thomasjeffersonhigh.attendance@fcps.edu
Student Services - 703-750-8340
Student Activities - 703-750-8333
Security - 703-750-8331
Administration Contact Information
Mr. Michael Mukai - Principal
Ms. Betsy Fawsett - Associate Principal
Ms. Yaara Crane - Subschool Principal (oversees Class of 2026 Science and Technology Division)
Mr. Shawn Frank - Subschool Principal (oversees Class of 2027 and Mathematics and Computer Science Division)
Mr. Dylan Forshay - Subschool Principal (oversees Class of 2028 and World Language, Art, Music, and Physical Education Division)
Ms. Volita Russell - Subschool Principal (oversees Class of 2029 and Humanities Division)
Ms. Sara Wright - Director of Student Services (oversees Counselors, Social Worker, School Psychologist and other staff providing student support)
Ms. Leah Conte - Director of Student Activities (oversees Activities Office, 8th Period, Athletic Office, Building Maintenance, Custodians, Food Services)
Mr. Mike Roth - Communications Specialist (oversees NewsYouChoose and eNotify, Event promotions, print/digital text, photo, video, Social Media accounts, TJHSST Webmaster and Visitors US & International (TJPF)
For another specific staff member, please use our Staff Directory to find contact information.
TJ's Anchor/Blue/Red Day Calendar
October 20 - Religious or Cultural Observance Day (Diwali) - no school for students or staff
October 22 - Fall Orchestra Concert - 7 p.m. in auditorium
October 24-25 - TJHSST 40th Anniversary Celebration
October 31 - Modified Red Day with 2-hour Early Release (End of 1st Quarter)
November 3 - School Planning Day - no school for students
November 4 - Teacher Workday - no school for students
November 5 - This Wednesday will be an Anchor Day for TJ
November 7 - November News You Choose newsletter will be released
November 10 - This Monday will be a Blue Day for TJ
November 11 - Veterans Day - no school for students or staff
November 17 - Modified Anchor Day with 60 minute advisory and no JLC
November 24 - This Monday will be a Red Day for TJ
November 26-28 - Thanksgiving Holiday - no school for students or staff
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