Welcome to the PTSA!

Please read our mission statement, support the ptsa, browse our committees, and volunteer! Scroll down to read all the latest news.

Welcome Class of 2012!

Please visit our special welcome page for lots of helpful information to assist you in your transition to TJ.

PTSA Meeting — May 12

The next PTSA meeting will be held on Monday, May 12, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. in the school library. (Agenda)

2008-2009 Student Parking — 5/5 through 5/23

The Safety and Security office is planning parking for the 2008-09 school year. Parking applications for rising Seniors and Juniors will be available in the Main Office and the security offices beginning Monday, May 5, through May 23. This paper application must be returned by June 2. In addition to the paper application, you must complete an Online (intranet) application by June 2.

Check out this survey from more than 1,000 teens from April 2007: Don't be a typical teen driver.

Help Wanted: AP Exam Proctors — May 5-16

Help is needed to monitor AP Exams May 5-16. Please sign up for at least two time spots. Morning and afternoon shifts are available on each of the exam days. Morning people should arrive at 8:00 a.m. or as close to that time as you can. The exam begins at 8:30 a.m. Afternoon people should arrive at noon and the exam begins at 12:30 p.m.

Parents are needed to help distribute and collect exam material and keep tabs on the test takers. Someone else is in charge — you are a helper. To volunteer or for more information, please contact

Kathy Young
as soon as possible. Please let Kathy know what days and shifts you can work.

UPDATE 5/01/08 — AP Exam Proctors

Proctors are still needed to help monitor AP exams for the following slots:

Exams vary in length but the average is 3 hours.

Fairgrade Presentation — May 20

FAIRGRADE is a parent advocacy group whose research has demonstrated that current FCPS grading policies put students at a disadvantage with respect to college admissions, merit scholarships, honors programs, NCAA athletic eligibility, and car insurance "good-driver" discounts.

A Fairgrade presentation will be held on May 20, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the TJHSST Auditorium. The presentation will present FAIRGRADE's findings.

Fairgrade presentations also will be held on:

For more information, please read their flyer, visit the Fairgrade website, and sign their petition.

TJ Summer School Registration — May 12

Applications for all for-credit, summer school courses at TJHSST will be accepted starting on May 12 and will continue to be accepted until courses are filled.

The summer school program will take place July 8 through August 7 at TJHSST. Registration forms are available online and complete registration packets will be accepted and processed at TJHSST May 12 – May 23. Completed registration packets may be dropped off in the designated box in the TJ main office or mailed to the school, but they must be received no later than June 24, 2008. Confirmation of registration will begin on or about May 30, 2008. Additional information about summer school at TJ can be found on the TJ website and about FCPS Summer programs in general on the FCPS website.

To contact the summer school office, please dial (703) 750-5019 or email the Summer School Principal,

Heather Sondel.

May 8: Summer School Update

Summer school packets will be collected during lunch and after school (4:00 – 4:30 pm) beginning on Monday, May 12 in the cafeteria. There will be a two-week window during which packets will be collected (May 12 – 23). Every effort will be made to accommodate ALL course requests. Summer school packets will ONLY be accepted if complete. A complete packet consists of the following:

TJHSST Summer Tech Institute Registration — May 12

TJ offers the 2008 Summer Technology Institute for students completing the 7th or 8th grade during Spring 2008 (rising 8th and/or 9th graders) regardless of high school enrollment. These enrichment courses provide hands-on experiences with a focus on the uses of technology. Courses will focus on the use of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) using hands-on approaches and research-based methods, and may explore aspects of art, English, humanities or other disciplines with an integration of technology. Complete information regarding all course offerings, dates, and descriptions will be made available on the TJ website.

Most classes will be five-day courses from 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM. Students are expected to bring their own lunches and provide their own transportation. Costs are $200 for each course. Registration for courses will begin approximately May 12, 2008 and must be completed through the FCPS Office of Adult and Community Education.

Senior Issue of tjTODAY — May 16

One of the enduring traditions of senior year is the senior issue of tjTODAY. Six years ago, we started including personal ads, and the practice quickly became incredibly popular. The deadline for ads is May 16. Bring your contract and payment to Room 107. You can send your ad electronically to

Jennifer Seavey.
We can scan non-electronic ads and guarantee we will get priceless photos back to you.
– Jennifer Seavey, Adviser to tjTODAY

Fashion for a Cause — May 21

TJ's Fashion for A Cause club is hosting a 1920's themed fashion show to showcase student designs (along with other clothing brands) while raising money for two medical charities, the Autism Society of America and the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.

The Art and Decor Committee needs props for the "speakeasy/lounge" area of the show:

The committee can also use parent and student volunteers to help decorate/set up the cafeteria the afternoon before the event as well as help clean up afterwards. They are working on getting those hours eligible for NHS service.

If you can donate or loan props for the show or are willing to volunteer, please contact the

Fashion for A Cause
club or their sponsor,

The fashion show will be held on Wednesday, May 21, 2008, in the cafeteria 7-9 pm.

Technology Mentorship Fair — May 28

Parents of Pre-Mentorship Students (Juniors) are needed to assist with the 2008 Technology Mentorship Fair on May 28. Please return the volunteer form by e-mail with your choice of time by May 19th.

Music Opportunities for K–12 — May 28

Does your child love music? Is he or she looking for opportunities to rehearse and perform outside of school? Come hear about music programs in this area, for elementary through high school students. The program will include five panel members, who will provide information about options for beginning to very advanced student musicians. Panelists include: Tomoko Azuma, Executive Director of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras; Caroline Desmond, Managing Director of the Fairfax Choral Society; Tina Dove, Director of the Virginia campus of the Levine School of Music; Kerry Silva, Director of the Performing Arts Camp of Shenandoah University; and Gretta Sandberg, an experienced FCPS orchestra director and strings teacher.

This program is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28, at 7:30 PM, in the Luther Jackson MS auditorium, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church, Virginia. It is sponsored by the Fairfax County Association for the Gifted. Admission is free and open to the general public. For more information, contact Louise Epstein at (703) 917-7960.

PTSA Elections — June 9

The Nominating Committee presented the following slate of officers to serve on the PTSA Executive Committee for the 2008-09 school year:

Election of these nominees will take place at the PTSA General Meeting of members on Monday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Project Hospitality

The Safe Community Coalition's Project Hospitality tackles a serious local and national problem: underage drinking. As we move from prom to senior trips to graduation day, we want our seniors, with the help of their parents, to be safe.

TJ Solar Panel Initiative

TJ Solar Panel Initiative is a group of students at TJ working to raise enough money to partially power TJ off of solar panels. Their project has been wholeheartedly approved by not only the TJ administration, but the FCPS administration as well.

Thier goal is to purchase a solar photovoltaic system (including all needed parts) by the end of this school year, to have it installed over the summer, and to have it fully operational by the 2008-2009 school year. To reach their goal, they need to raise $20,000 by April; they have raised almost $4,000 so far.

The benefits of solar panels are fourfold:

It is important to note that when TJ is renovated, these panels can be moved from one place to another and be integrated in the future TJ building.

Any help that can be provided would be greatly appreciated and would put us closer towards success. For more information, or to make a donation, please visit the TJ Solar Panel Initiative website. If you have any questions, please email

Varun Bansal
(2009).

2008-2009 School Budget Update

Thanks to all those who provided comments to the Board of Supervisors on Fairfax County Public Schools budget needs. The Board of Supervisors will have their next budget meeting on April 18 with their mark-up session on April 21. (The mark-up should be shown on Channel 16/web cast as it is open to the public, but there is no public comment period.) They will adopt the budget on April 28, which is when the amount of the County transfer to FCPS will be finalized.

Once the amount is finalized, the Fairfax County School Board will begin to finalize the School Budget. On May 14 and 15th, the School Board will again hold public hearings on the School Budget. According to the School Board calendar, the speaker's list opens at 6 a.m. on May 2. You may sign up to speak. The School Board will vote on the final School Budget on May 22.

The twelfth edition in a series of weekly updates on the FY 2009 Fairfax County Public Schools budget was posted on April 11 on the schools' FY2009 web page.

Wish List

Refrigerator & Microwave

The Student Services Department is in need of a full-size refrigerator to replace their 2 mini fridges. Cold food = happy counselors! (Delivery needed, also!) They are also in desperate need of a microwave oven. The fire marshal made them remove their prehistoric microwave because of a recent fire alarm & evacuation. If you can help, please contact

Kerry Campane
at (703) 750-8344.

Computers

Just before the holidays, Ms. Bettie Stegall's community service club requested a number of used computers. The computers will be used in a retirement home for elderly scientists to write their life stories. Imagine the elation by all when they received numerous offers!

The project still needs about four more computers in good working order, as well as a couple of laptops for those residents unable to get to the computer lab being developed. The names of the donors will be engraved on a plaque in the lab at Washington House once it is complete. Thank you for any help you might be able to give.

To contact

Ms. Stegall
about computer donations, please phone (703) 750-8300 (leave messages with Ms. Stead) or cell phone (703) 501-2182.

All-Night Grad Party — June 14th, 2008

We invite all parents to get involved in All Night Grad Party planning! Many volunteers are needed to ensure a successful and memorable night for our graduates. We need volunteers:

Junior Parents: By Tradition – An Important Part of the TJ All Night Grad Party!

By tradition at TJ, the Senior Class has been able to rely on the help of junior parents to pull off ANGP since it is on the same night as senior graduation, Saturday, June 14th, 2008.

Junior parents are needed to help during the day and evening of graduation so that senior parent volunteers can attend the graduation ceremony with their families. This also provides an opportunity for junior parents to learn how to run a successful ANGP for their students the following year. Please contact our

Volunteer Committee Chair,
Sue Anderson, to sign up for a shift.

Senior Parents: ANGP Chaperones Needed

For further information, please contact

Bernadette & Ed Saperstein,
Co-Chairs of the All Night Grad Party 2008, at (703) 757-9010.

Shop with eScrip and Help TJ

Check out eScrip's 3 easy ways to earn money for our group. Register your Safeway or credit/debit card with eScrip, designate TJ (code: 154534149), and then shop on-line or in person with your registered card. A percentage of your purchases will be donated to the PTSA.

Ongoing PTSA Projects