Thomas Jefferson Middle School (Arlington County, Virginia)
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Thomas Jefferson Middle School
| Established | 1971 |
|---|---|
| School type | public school |
| Principal | Ms. Sharon Monde |
| Enrollment | 598 |
| Colors | Blue, Gold, White |
| Nickname | Jackets |
| Rival School | Kenmore Middle School Swanson Middle School |
| Homepage | Official Site |
| Feeds | Wakefield High School Washington-Lee High School |
Thomas Jefferson Middle School -- commonly referred to as "Jefferson" or "TJ"-- is located at 120 South Old Glebe Road in Arlington, Virginia. It's current principal is Ms. Sharon Monde and is administered by the Arlington Public Schools system. As of 2006-2007, there are 598 students enrolled and over 77 teachers (53 of which have their Master's Degree). It is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Jefferson's athletes are so named the Jackets and wear the colors blue, gold, and white.
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[edit] History
Thomas Jefferson Middle School opened it's doors for the first time in 1971 (As a jail) and was named after the third president of the United States. It is administered by the Arlington Public Schools, and as of 2006-2007, there are 598 students enrolled and over 77 teachers (53 of which have their Master's Degree).
[edit] Building Structure and Location
(photo by Daniel Ryan)
Thomas Jefferson Middle School is located at 120 South Old Glebe Road in Arlington, Viginia. It is built as a rectangle with three individual corridors for each grade. Upon entering the main entrance of the school, the administrative offices are to the left and the library is further down the long hall. Here, the three corridors extend themselves to another long hall in which various classrooms are located. Also, three individual staircases are located that lead students to a lower level where lockers are located in individual lobbies. The sixth grade lobby is green, the seventh grade lobby is yellow, and the eighth grade lobby is blue. The sixth and seven grade lobbies are also used as cafeteria seating with the kitchen in the middle. These two lobbies also have small corridors that lead to the school gymnasium.
Jefferson was designed for use as not only a school but also for community recreation, with the second-largest gymnasium in the state and a community theater. The school district works with the local Division of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources to share the facilities.[1]
[edit] Auditorium/Theater
At the north end of the school building, opposite the administrative offices, is the auditorium in which students can practice technical work using audio and lighting equpiment. Beneath the stage, all and any musical accompaniment is staged during performances. Access to the "pit" is located in a lower level beneath the auditorium, where other rooms used for makeup and costumes and instrumental, choral, and dramatic rehearsal. Access to this area -- otherwise known as the Performing Arts Department -- is located adjacent to the lower level of the school building.
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre at the middle school and is used by the community. The theater can seat 715 people before the proscenium stage.[2]
[edit] Gymnasium
The school's (massive) gymnasium is actually a part of the Thomas Jefferson Community Center. It is the second largest gymnasium in the state of Virginia. Indoors, a quarter-mile track runs around three basketball courts and past athletic equipment. Outdoors, a half-mile bike trail runs around two athletic fields, two diamonds, and past tennis courts. With the very large space, Arlington County uses the area for the annual Arlington County Fair every August.[3]
[edit] Location
Thomas Jefferson is located right off of Arlington Blvd or Route 50, and is approximately one half-mile south of Ballston Commons Mall. It is centralized for students in both North and South Arlington. Students of Jefferson feed to Wakefield High School, Washington-Lee High School, and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax, Virginia.
[edit] Student Life
[edit] Demographics
Unlike many middle schools in the United States, Jefferson is not predominantly White.
Its demographic breakdown in two recent school years is as follows:[4]
| Ethnicity | School 2006-2007[5] |
School 2004-2005[6] |
State Avg. 2004-2005[6] |
| Hispanic | 38.6% | 44% | 7% |
| Black | 28.8% | 23% | 27% |
| White, non-Hispanic | 19.8% | 22% | 60% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 12.4% | 10% | 5% |
| Unspecified | <1% | 1% | |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native | 00.3% | <1% | <1% |
Other student statistics:[6]
| School | State Ave. | |
| Attendance rate | 96% | 95% |
| Eligible, free/lower-price lunch | 73% | 33% |
As of 2006-2007, 60 students receive ESL support.
[edit] About the Students
[edit] The School Day
The start of the school day is the same for all students. Each grade stands outside it's respective entrance before the doors are unlocked by the administration. All students head to their respective lobby to their lockers prior to going to Teacher/Advisor (T/A) class in which video announcements are viewed. Following T/A, each grade has a different core and elective schedule. Sixth grade would attend core classes, take a break to eat lunch after third, and then attend electives. Seventh grade would take a break between their core classes to eat lunch after fourth period and attend electives. Eighth grade would first attend electives prior to attending core classes and taking a lunch break after 5th period. After school, students are privileged to partake in various academic and athletic activities. An "activity bus" is provided for students who need a ride home. If athletic activities succumb to long hours, a "sports bus" is provided later in the day.
[edit] The Traditions
- At the beginning of the school year, the two eighth grade teams host picnics for the students. Pizza and snacks are served and silly games are played with teams devised of the individual T/A's. The winning teams usually go home with trinkets.
- Jefferson puts a large emphasis on their educational development on international and cultural unity. To put the icing on the cake, Jefferson hosts an International Night in which students and faculty celebrate with food, music, and dance.
- In the late Spring, the best of the best eighth grade athletes and the quirkiest of the quirky faculty go head to head in an annual Student vs. Teacher Basketball Game. The entire school would gather for one afternoon to watch the rumble. To bring a little comic relief to the game, faculty also dress up in silly athletic garb (including cheerleading skirts!).
[edit] Clubs and Activities
Jefferson offers many opportunities for students to participate in various clubs and activities to support their academics and challenge them to learn and grow outside the classroom. Such activities include:
Nationally Recognized:
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Scholastic Activities:
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[edit] Performing Arts
Jefferson's Music Department travels every Spring to participate in the Music in the Parks comptition. The troup travels to various amusement parks and play against other elementary and middle schools. Each group (chorus, orchestra, band) usually come home with grade II honors. In recent years, the troup also comes home with the Esprit de Corps honor (usually given to the school with the most poise and discipline).
[edit] Mah Jongg
For more than a dozen years (as of 2007) teacher Sandy Tevelin has been offering her sixth-grade students the opportunity to learn mah jongg. In some years, nobody is interested, but every few years it clicks with a group. Some students, juniors in college, come back to play with her. The students skip eating in the cafeteria in return for a quick lunch in her classroom and playing the game there.[7]
[edit] Academics
[edit] Teams
At the opening of the school, there were six "teams", two for each grade. A "team" consisted of a team of teachers to teach a certain group of 120 to 130 students. These were the following:
- 6th Grade: Turbo Tigers, High Flyers
- 7th Grade: Seven Wonders, Penguins
- 8th Grade: Gator Eights, Electric Eights
In recent years, some teams have either changed names or have combined:
- 6th Grade: Turbo Tigers, Dolphins
- 7th Grade: Panthers (due to decreased enrollment)
- 8th Grade: Gators, Eagles
[edit] Special Programs
- Tutoring: Thomas Jefferson Middle School has a tutoring partnership with the following programs: Defense Information Systems Agency, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the Fort Myer Military Community.
- Community Service: Thomas Jefferson Middle School has a community service partnership with the following programs: Arlington Food Assistance Center, Arlington Street People's Assistance Network, Cherrydale Nursing Home, and Patrick Henry Elementary School.
[edit] Testing
Jefferson is a fully accredited school based on the SOL exams conducted by the state of Virginia.
[edit] Standards of Learning (SOL) test results
| Grade | Subject | Year | School passing |
State Ave. passing |
|
| Grade 6 | English: Reading | 2006 | 78% | 83% | |
| Grade 6 | Math | 2006 | 28% | 51% | |
| Grade 7 | English: Reading | 2006 | 72% | 81% | |
| Grade 7 | Math | 2006 | 42% | 44% | |
| Grade 8 | English: Reading | 2006 | 62% | 78% | |
| Grade 8 | English: Reading | 2005 | 65% | ||
| Grade 8 | English: Reading | 2004 | 66% | ||
| Grade 8 | English: Reading | 2003 | 53% | ||
| Grade 8 | Science | 2006 | 80% | 87% | |
| Grade 8 | Science | 2005 | 80% | 77% | |
| Grade 8 | Science | 2004 | 80% | 88% | |
| Grade 8 | Science | 2003 | 80% | 79% | |
| Grade 8 | English: Writing | 2006 | 92% | 87% | |
| Grade 8 | English: Writing | 2005 | 62% | ||
| Grade 8 | English: Writing | 2004 | 75% | ||
| Grade 8 | English: Writing | 2003 | 70% | ||
| Grade 8 | Math | 2006 | 70% | 76% | |
| Grade 8 | Math | 2005 | 75% | ||
| Grade 8 | Math | 2004 | 80% | ||
| Grade 8 | Math | 2003 | 75% |
Source: Virginia Department of Education[8]
[edit] Athletics
Jefferson's athletes are so named the Jackets and wear the colors blue, gold, and white.
[edit] List of Teams
| Boys Athletics: | Girls Athletics:
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[edit] References
- ^ [.[1]Arlington Public Schools Web site
- ^ [2]Directions Web page, "Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia Web site, accessed March 5, 2007
- ^ Arlington County Fair Online [3]
- ^ Find all information about Thomas Jefferson Middle School on the Local School Profile [4]
- ^ Find all information about Thomas Jefferson Middle School on the Local School Profile [5]
- ^ a b c [6]Jefferson School teacher/student statistics page, Great Schools Web site, accessed March 5, 2007
- ^ [7]Bahrampour, Tara, "An Old Tradition Clicks With Students: Ancient Game of Mah-Jongg Breaks the Ice, Builds Friendships Among 6th-Graders" article, The Washington Post, May 26, 2006, page B02, accessed March 5, 2007
- ^ [8]Web page for Jefferson Middle School test results, Great Schools Web site, accessed March 5, 2007
[edit] External links
- Thomas Jefferson Middle School Homepage
- Great Schools website pages on Thomas Jefferson Middle School
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The Arlington Public Schools System of Arlington County, Virginia |
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