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Nov. 20-22 Fall Play- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Nov. 26-28 Holiday (Thanksgiving) Building is closed
Dec. 10- Band Winter Concert
Dec. 16-Chorus Winter Concert
Dec. 17- Orchestra Winter Concert
Dec. 22-Jan. 2- Winter Break
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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
Counselor On Leave
As a reminder, Dr. Simmons, our counselor for students with last names Re–Z, is currently on leave. We hope for her return soon. In her absence, please reach out to any of the other counselors or Mr. Zubieta for support.
Social and Emotional Learning Screener: Parent Reports Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener last month, providing information on skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions. The screener also asks students how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
Individual student SEL Screener results will be available to families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE the week of November 17. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be shared by our school.
For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or reach out to school staff.
Monitoring Support for Your Child in ParentVUE All FCPS schools use an approach called Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to make sure every student gets the help they need to learn.
MTSS helps school teams deliver high-quality instruction for all students and provide extra time, support, and interventions as needed. Families are partners in this process. We will share information about your child’s individual learning, needs, and progress.
You may view your child's intervention plans and progress in SIS ParentVUE. Expect progress to be updated quarterly, with report card due dates.
Window for Full-Time AAP Referrals Closes on December 15
Parents and guardians of students in Grades 2-7 who would like their student to be considered for full-time Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) services must submit the AAP Full-Time Referral Form to Laura Ballou (liballou@fcps.edu) no later than December 15, 2025.
Each year, families can submit a referral for full-time AAP services any time from the first day of school through December 15. No late referrals for full-time AAP services will be accepted. Once a referral is received, our school will compile information related to the student. Then, a committee of six trained professionals from across the county will review materials to determine eligibility for full-time AAP services.
Next Steps for Parents
Eligibility decisions are communicated by early April. Parents may request a copy of their child’s materials after February 20, 2026, by emailing Laura Ballou (liballou@fcps.edu)
At the elementary level, referrals for subject-specific and part-time AAP are screened by our school. If you miss the full-time referral deadline, your student can still be screened for subject-specific or part-time AAP services for the remainder of the year.
At the middle school level, honors courses are open to all students. For more information, please visit the Advanced Academic Programs webpage.
Prepping for Thanksgiving
As we head into the Thanksgiving break, the Student Services team would like to extend our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones. We hope this time provides a chance to rest, reconnect, and recenter as we continue through the school year.
We are incredibly proud of our students, their hard work, resilience, and dedication shine each day. This break is well deserved for everyone.
✨DO YOU KNOW AN AMAZING EMPLOYEE? ✨
We are now accepting nominations to recognize our outstanding employees at Luther Jackson Middle School for the 2025 - 2026 school year.
If you have worked with an outstanding employee at Luther Jackson, FCPS wants your help recognizing them. Tiger families are invited to nominate outstanding employees.
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