Welcome Freshmen!

This site is continually updated — check back for updates!

Congratulations TJ Class of 2014!

We bet you have lots of questions. Well, we are here to help. Many of your questions can be answered by information on the webpage. If you still have questions, don't hesitate to contact us at

PTSA
. The most important first step in becoming part of the community is to register to be in our database by entering your information into the directory system. You will need to set up an account and then you can enter your information into the directory system and our volunteer system.

Other Information

Welcome Gatherings

The PTSA representatives for each Fairfax County Cluster and participating Counties host gatherings for the TJ '14 freshmen and their families. To help the PTSA reps plan these gatherings, please contact your rep and register in the PTSA Directory immediately:

Why should you attend these gatherings?

At each gathering, current TJ students and parents answer questions about classes, homework, sports, other activities and parent volunteer opportunities. Also, this is a great way to meet other TJ '14 students and arrange carpools for summer school, summer athletic practices, and more.

Gatherings for new freshmen will be divided into these groups:

Fairfax County clusters serve school "pyramids":

Contact your local TJ PTSA Representative, Cluster Liaison and PTSA Vice President:

Louise Epstein
, or Corresponding Secretary: for information about your local gathering.

TJ Class 2014 Welcome Family Gatherings
RSVP Today (by invitation only)
Check Website for Changes & Updates
Fairfax Cluster Contact Date/ Time/ Location/Format
Fairfax County: Cluster 1 (Herndon HS, Langley HS, and McLean HS) Please RSVP to Cluster 1 rep. 703-862-3618 May 31, 4 - 7 PM, 7685 Ballestrade Ct., McLean (home of Rajni Goel) Pot luck, drinks provided. Details on this flyer.
Fairfax County: Cluster 2 (Falls Church HS, Madison HS, and Marshall HS) Please RSVP to Cluster 2 rep. 703-281-5618 or 703-204-9103
June 20, 2 - 4 PM, Green Springs Garden (main building), 4603 Green Springs Rd., Alexandria (near TJ) Joint Cluster 2/3 Party, pot luck, drinks provided. Details on this flyer
Fairfax County: Cluster 3 (Annandale HS, Stuart HS, and Woodson HS) Please RSVP to Cluster 3 rep. 703-256-2081 June 20, 2 - 4 PM, Green Springs Garden (main building), 4603 Green Springs Rd., Alexandria (near TJ) Joint Cluster 2/3 Party, pot luck, drinks provided. Details on this flyer
Fairfax County: Cluster 4 (Hayfield SS, Mt. Vernon HS, West Potomac HS) Please RSVP to the Cluster 4 rep. 703-768-1288 June 6, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, Mt. Vernon Gov't Center, 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria. Light dessert will be served. Details on this flyer.
Fairfax County: Cluster 5 (Edison HS, Lee HS, South County SS) Please RSVP to the Cluster 5 rep. 703-643-9085 Choose the Cluster 4 or Cluster 6 party, depending on where you live, and the Cluster 5 rep will be at both parties.
Fairfax County: Cluster 6 (Lake Braddock HS, Robinson SS, West Springfield Please RSVP to Cluster 6 rep. 703-455-8445 or 703-426-0986 June 12, 10:30 AM to 12 noon, Burke Center Library. Potluck - bring appetizer or dessert, drinks provided. Details on this flyer
Fairfax County: Cluster 7 (Centreville HS, Chantilly HS, Fairfax HS) Please RSVP to Cluster 7 rep. 703-968-2673 or 703-266-2575
June 12, 1 to 3 PM, Centreville Regional Library. Potluck - bring appetizer or dessert. More details at on the flyer
Fairfax County: Cluster 8 (Oakton HS, South Lakes HS, Westfield HS) Please RSVP to Cluster 8 rep. 703-501-6428 or 703-787-6688
June 12th, 3:30 - 5:30 PM, Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr., Reston International potluck, details on this flyer
More Counties Contact Date/ Time/ Location/Format
Arlington/
Falls Church		 Please RSVP to Arlington County reps by May 21st 703-527-2359 or 703-522-4499
May 23 (Sunday), 5 - 7 PM, 2515 N. Upland St., Arlington (home of Nan Morley)
Potluck. More details on this flyer.
Loudoun County RSVP to Loudoun County rep 703-723-0265 or 703-433-5657 June 13, 2:30 to 4:30 PM, Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, Ashburn
Potluck - bring appetizer or dessert. More details on this flyer.
Prince William/
Fauquier		 Please RSVP to Prince William County rep. 703-754-9277 June 12, 9 - 11 AM, Saturday, June 20, 2-5 pm
Location: Kelly Leadership Building (Atrium), 1475 Bristow Road, Manassas
Pot luck, drinks provided. Details on this flyer

Keep in Touch

Fairfax County Public Schools's vendor for the Keep in Touch (KIT) notification system is Blackboard Connect (formerly NTI, Connect-ED). For information on how to create or update your Keep in Touch contact information, visit the FCPS KIT page. Parents at TJ are strongly encouraged to register for KIT and to establish a Blackboard account (when school begins) as important information from the school is send using these systems.

Guide to Giving

TJ staff and students rely on funding from the PTSA, the many TJ Booster organizations, and the TJ Partnership Fund. To understand the purposes and structure of these different organizations and the level of contribution typical for each activity — both financial and volunteer — please read our Guide to Giving.

Commuting

In Fairfax County, students usually ride the neighborhood bus to their base high school with the base school kids. Then they transfer to a bus which takes them to TJ.

Outside of Fairfax County, there are "hubs" — schools where the kids catch their bus to TJ.

Many parents drive their kids directly to the base high school to save time and/or to let their kids sleep in a bit. Some parents form parent carpools to take kids directly to TJ. The directory, which is available in the main office, lists students by zip code — a handy way to set up carpools.

A majority of TJ students are engaged in some form of after school activity from sports to music or drama to academic clubs. It is common practice to develop carpools at the beginning of each seasonal activity, so don't hesitate to contact others at the first couple of practices or meetings.

Read the TJ Bell Schedule webpage to learn all about red, blue, anchor, and JLC days.

Note that when FCPS closes two hours early, TJ is dismissed at 10:50 a.m. When schools open two hours late, follow your regular schedule plus 2 hours, except on JLC days when 2 hour late arrival means arrive by 10:30 a.m.

We highly encourage you to contact your cluster representative with any questions about TJ.

Language Assistance

Do you need language assistance? We can help you overcome your language barriers for school events and teacher/counselor communication, and by providing a parent volunteer's contact information if you have any questions. FCPS interpreters can be requested if 5 or more families request them 2 weeks before a school event or teacher/counselor meeting. Translations of excerpts from the PTSA newsletter (Techcetera) are available on our PTSA website. A list of Volunteer opportunities for Language Minority Parents is available in English, Chinese, and Korean. Our Cultural Liaison parent volunteers hold meetings and are available to assist you. Contact any PTSA officer if you need assistance.

SOL Tests

SOL information can be found in the FCPS summer school booklet, Encore. For more information on requirement or for students new to FCPS, contact TJ's Assessment Coach, Adam Wong.

A to Z – A Beginners Guide to TJHSST

You will want to quickly understand the language used at our school, so make sure you read and keep handy the distinctive, bright blue covered, booklet titled "From AudLob to Zzzzs" which you will find in your PTSA Welcome Packet. Intended as a guide for parents (since the incoming students will quickly learn the language) this booklet is chock full of the words and abbreviations that make understanding daily life at TJHSST so much easier. You'll find out that AudLob is TJ Speak for the Auditorium Lobby, where to go if you are invited to a meeting at the CCC, why some students feel confident in arriving late to school on Thursday mornings and lots of other fun TJ information? Written by a parent of a student of the class of 2006 and updated annually, this booklet is intended to help TJHSST parents feel comfortable in their role of guiding their student through the world of TJ.

Techcetera

Tech cetera, the PTSA newsletter, is available online each month. Excerpts are translated into Korean.

Volunteering

We have volunteer opportunities galore! The best way to be matched with the perfect "job" is to enter your preferences and skills in the Directory & Volunteer Information System. Volunteer information is not published, but is used to help match parents and opportunities. So please, enter your information into the Directory and fill in your parent participation (volunteer) information. Thanks!

Fundraising

Support the PTSA and you help TJ. It can be as easy as registering your Giant, Safeway, and Harris Teeter cards or shopping online through the PTSA portal for Amazon.com or eScrip. Everything you need to know is on our Support the PTSA webpage.

Maps