General Information and Frequently Asked Questions for the Class of 2021

A: Technically, no. You can graduate from TJ within four years never having gone to summer school. However, if you have an interest in pursuing four years of an elective (i.e. band, orchestra, journalism, photojournalism, etc.), taking summer school may be the only way to get to take some of the higher level STEM course work that you came to TJ to take. To familiarize yourself with your elective options and how to fit it all in, consider listening to the podcast “TJ Four Year Plan for 2015 and Beyond” located on the TJHSST YouTube channel page.

A: Visit the Summer School web page. Please be aware that incoming students will not be able to register for Summer School until after they have formally registered for TJHSST.

A: Econ and Personal Finance, Geometry Honors, and Health & PE 9 may be taken online for credit. For more information about FCPS’s online summer campus, please refer to: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/summer-learning-programs. Please know that online classes are typically not the same preparation/course as the ones offered at TJ over the summer. Permission must be provided by the HS Director of Student Services.

Please be aware that students can only take ONE CREDIT in the Summer.

A: TJ freshmen come from lots of different middle schools, many of which have different curriculums, syllabi, and expectations. To make certain that you’re going into the right math and language classes, please take the time to meet with our curriculum specialists here tonight. They can make specific suggestions based on your (child’s) previous instruction. Remember also that TJ is not a race; if you’re not completely confident in your (child’s) understanding, consider repeating the course to ensure a strong foundation, especially in the math and language areas. For more information about World Language classes, please contact the World Language Division Manager.

A: If your child took a high school credit in middle school and wishes to have it removed from their transcript, there is a one-time window to do so next year. Please talk to your child’s counselor within the first quarter of next year about the pros and cons of doing so. If you decide to expunge a credit earned in middle school (usually a foreign language or math credit), your counselor will need something in writing. Expunging the class also means that any verified credits (earned when you pass the class and the coordinating SOL) become expunged too.

A: Summer school: yes - on a space available basis. Regular classes: no. No preference is given to those students who register tonight vs. those that register later this week. Please be aware that we will be sending verification emails to parents soon after the published deadline to ensure that what was submitted and transcribed into the student information system was done accurately.

A: It is likely that you will get the classes you want. That said, a small percentage of students will not receive their first choice due to conflicts, hence why we require that all students select alternates just in case. Please make sure that you place your electives in the order that you’d like to take them. Pleasse use this as an opportunity to explore areas of study that you might not have considered otherwise.

A: Approximately 45%.

A: Approximately 45%.

A: Yes! INCOMING students now have the ability to create their network accounts and reset their network passwords from home. An email will be sent shortly after Registration Night with information about how to accomplish this. Note: accounts will need to be reset again on campus at the start of the school year.

A: A complete list is available on the Online Scheduler. Several year-long and semester classes are available. Naturally, if you select semester courses, please pick two. The Online Scheduler can be found at: https://fcps.tjhsst.edu/coursemgmt/selector but will not be accessible by incoming students until after all students have been formally registered and received their @tjhsst.edu accounts.

A: Some incoming freshmen will try and place out of TJHSST Math 5 in order to get to take AP Calculus BC sooner. You would still need to take TJHSST Math 4 before taking AP Calculus BC, which you could do in the Spring following TJHSST Research Statistics 1. This is not necessarily recommended, yet some advanced math students still try. Last year, very few freshmen successfully passed the placement test. If you are planning on taking the placement test, please still register for TJHSST Research Statistics 1 & TJHSST Math 4. The placement test will be administered in mid August. See the Guidelines for Acceleration through Math and CS Courses (pdf).

A:

If your child is coming from a Fairfax County Public School, we already have your child's SOL scores.

If your child attended a public middle school outside of Fairfax County Public School, we are hopeful that your scores will come with your child’s records. Sometimes, however, they do not. Please retain copies of your child’s official score report that should be sent home by the middle school, just in case. If needed, you child’s counselor will contact you in the Fall.

If your child attended a private middle school or was homeschooled and has never taken SOL exams, your child will be scheduled to take them after the start of the school year.

A: Parents will not receive their own log in information. They will, however, be included on all emails sent to their child’s issued 2021student@tjhsst.edu account throughout the summer.

A: Admissions acceptances are due to the TJHSST Admissions office no later than April 7, 2017. The deadline to register for classes will be announced after we have first had an opportunity to get all of the students registered and provided an @tjhsst.edu account to help facilitate this process.

A: Transportation information for Fairfax County residents is generally available and mailed home in mid to late August.

For non-Fairfax County residents, each of the participating school districts manage their own transportation process. Please contact them directly for specific information.

A: Requests to take a non-FCPS course are approved on a case by case basis by the Director of Student Services. While we do not encourage students to take Summer School, if a student wants to do so, we would prefer that the student take a course offered and taught by TJHSST.

A: No, it is not necessary. World History & Geography 2 at TJHSST is a stand-alone course taken in 10th grade that does not have a prerequisite. Additionally, World History & Geography 2 begins with a brief overview of the World 1 material, so students have the necessary context for the course.

A: Biology 1, English 9, Design & Technology, Health & PE 9, Math, World Language, Elective

A: Please refer to the Guidelines for Acceleration through Math and CS (pdf) for information about how to register and expected timelines.

A: Please sign up for the course that you would naturally take without there being a placement test. Students who successfully pass the placement test will be contacted upon completion and will be placed into the next level course after they have passed the test - not before.

A: Yes, but it is not recommended. Please be aware that should you choose to enroll in an online class that is also a diploma requirement, it must taken:

1. as one of the student’s seven classes &
2. off-campus during first period

Students will not be permitted to be on campus during this period, and parents will be responsible for transporting their child to school.

A: No. There is no such requirement in FCPS.

A: Students may now register for courses using their @tjhsst.edu network accounts by accessing the TJHSST Online Course Selector. The deadline to register for classes will be announced after we have first had an opportunity to get all of the students registered and provided an @tjhsst.edu account to help facilitate this process.

A: There are over 100 academic opportunities, extracurricular clubs, and activities available for students during 8th period. However, academic credit is not available to be earned via 8th period.

A: Students should sign up for the next level of language in sequence. Information about a World Language skills assessment will be e-mailed to families soon.