The Tiger Times
The Thomas Jefferson Elementary Parent Newsletter
October 11, 2019
Chalk Dust: Notes From The Principal's Desk
Now that the year is settling in, TJ, like all FCCPS schools, will begin crafting and implementing school improvement plans that meet the three major FCCPS district goals for this year: continuing to improve our IB/PYP program, closing academic achievement gaps, and creating a caring community and climate. While all of us -- including families -- has some responsibility in this, I wanted to share with you the general process TJ uses to drive this work.
Already this year, our team leaders, an instructional group comprised of representatives from each of our grade levels and content areas, have overviewed data from the last school year. We have looked at SOL results not only from TJ, but even from other neighboring schools in order to better ascertain how we are performing, what some of our triumphs are, and what some of our grow areas might be. Team leaders will continue this work and will leverage the expertise of some of our specialists and division coordinators in order to identify and implement the most impact practices to help us actualize these three goals.
This strategic work has already benefited our school and our kids. For example, last year, one of our instructional goals was to elevate the math performance of our ESOL students. Thanks to the good work on our teachers and specialists, our math pass rate among ESOL students improved by 12 percentage points. Another of our instructional goals was to continue to develop the capacity of our teachers and increase their comfort level with the daily implementation of PYP. In an end of the year survey last year, over 90% of our teachers reported feeling more comfortable with PYP than they did at the beginning of the year.
The bottom line is that this type of strategic work directly benefits our kids. It results in a higher quality educational program for them, better teachers for current and future students, and better school for our community. The work of school improvement is taxing and challenging, but there is no question that it is time well spent.
FCCPS Letter On COPPA And Online Student Privacy
Technology is one of the many tools that teachers use in classrooms to customize and enhance instruction. Consequently, FCCPS must, and does, take student privacy seriously and only shares information with educational software applications and websites that comply with Federal privacy laws.
Some educational software applications and web-based services you may be familiar with that our students and teachers use are MyOn Books, Dreambox, Brain Pop, Kahoot, Quizlet, Google Docs, etc. These educational programs are integral to supporting the teaching and learning process and are used across all grade levels and schools as part of our general instruction, intervention, and enrichment programs.
For our students to use these programs and services, some information such as the student’s name, grade, and FCCPS-issued email address is provided. FCCPS ensures that student-issued email accounts are structured so that only FCCPS staff and students can send emails to FCCPS student email accounts.
If you do not want your student(s)’ information released to our educational software partners and wish to opt-out of the use of these instructional tools, please notify us at optout@fccps.org within ten (10) days.
A list of the many sites used in our classrooms, with links to their privacy policies and terms of services, can be found on our district website: https://goo.gl/7QKzkm.
Thank you for your support for Thomas Jefferson Elementary School.
2020-2021 School Year Calendar
2020- 2021 FCCPS School Calendar Development
The Falls Church School Board will be considering the calendar for the 2020-2021 school year. Due to a new state law, school divisions are permitted to start school before Labor Day for the first time.
The School Board is seeking robust community input as they consider this possible change.
All are invited to attend public meetings to learn about the topic, and provide feedback.
October 17, 6:00-7:00 p.m. in GMHS Mustang Cafe.
November 14, 6:30-7:30 p.m. in GMHS Mustang Cafe.
Check out the FAQ document for more information.
Odyssey Of the Mind Registration
It's time to sign up for Odyssey of the Mind again! In effort to go paper-less, we have an online sign-up form that can be accessed here - https://forms.gle/HR3HRvtpGf2nBkZd8.
There is an interest meeting in Room 241 on Tuesday, October 22 from 5:30-6:30. Final registrations are due Friday, October 25. Please send any questions to tjesom@gmail.com.
First Student Council Meeting Moved to October 16
5th Grade Families Invited to MEH Event
No School Monday
Math Kangaroo Competition Upcoming
Thomas Jefferson Elementary is hosting the Math Kangaroo Competition again this year. We have made the testing site private. When you register, click on the “by invitation” tab and enter code: VAFALLS0004606@20MK
Please go online to www.mathkangaroo.org and register your students if they would like to participate in this international mathematics competition occurring at TJ on Thursday, March 19 at 6 pm. Cost: $21
Registration closes on December 15, 2019. Don’t delay! Space is limited! Questions? You can contact Laura Coates: coatesl@fccps.org
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, night of the event: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c45abaa2aa31-math1
Follow Us On Twitter
Early Release Wednesday Dates
Oct. 23, 30
Nov. 13, 20
Dec. 4, 11, 20 (12/20 is a Friday)
Jan. 8, 29
Feb. 5, 12, 26
Mar. 4, 18, 25
Apr. 1, 22, 29
May 6, 13, 20
Jun. 3, 10, 17
A reminder to the TJ Family that due to not having school on Monday, October 14, Wednesday, October 16 is a full day Wednesday.
Information About ACE
About TJ
Email: pswanson@fccps.org
Website: https://tj.fccps.org/
Location: 601 South Oak Street, Falls Church, VA, USA
Phone: (703) 248-5661
Twitter: @tjtigers
Previous Issues Of The Tiger Times
September 13: https://www.smore.com/ygsvk