Advice for new TJ Parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adding:

New parents - If ur kid is truly not exceptional in math and sciences, reconsider TJ.

TJ math is brutal. So are physics and chemistry.

An underprepared kid will land up with half a dozen Bs at TJ vs all As at base school.


And make sure ur kid wants to go to TJ - don’t force them!

Good luck!

Have you considered that some kids might be happy to work hard for their Bs at a school with a lot of motivated peers? There is nothing wrong with a well earned B. There will be plenty of colleges that those kids can apply to and receive an excellent eduation at.

Which world are you living in????

UVA requires near perfect grades. Bs will tank your chances at most target schools.




No one likes to suffer TJ math and land with a B.


The bottom 25% at TJ ( weighted gpa below 4.0) surely would be better off at base school and yes they would be much happier there as their efforts would have resulted in better grades also.

I don’t know of a single TJ kid who happily accepts a B

I was raised, and have raised my child in the same way, that earning a B when you have made your best effort is fine. And I know that you can go to good colleges with B’s on your transcript. I attended a SLAC that no one here has heard of and then completed my PhD at a top 20 program in my field. You can very well in life without attending an Ivy or UVA or a top 25 school, or a top 50 school.

That said, my kid has been fine in math and math competitions to date. I think he’ll be fine with TJ math. If not, we’ll help him figure it out.

[Anonymous]

Latin- a large group of TJ kids compete at the Virginia Latin convention. It’s a lot of fun- they spend the weekend in Richmond. There are so many activities involving Latin and I encourage everyone to consider it.

Summer PE is great for sophomore PE. Plan getting your drivers license early to get it done and out of the way. Freshman PE is hard.

At TJ, a lot of kids will take summer school because it is easier to get As. I know a lot of people prioritize vacations- but most of the kids I know do it over Christmas break because internships are super important too.

Do a sport at TJ. It helps if your kid socializes with upper classes.

Also- be prepared to volunteer a lot. The kids have so many activities and things don’t get done without parental involvement. It’s worth it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adding:

New parents - If ur kid is truly not exceptional in math and sciences, reconsider TJ.

TJ math is brutal. So are physics and chemistry.

An underprepared kid will land up with half a dozen Bs at TJ vs all As at base school.


And make sure ur kid wants to go to TJ - don’t force them!

Good luck!

Have you considered that some kids might be happy to work hard for their Bs at a school with a lot of motivated peers? There is nothing wrong with a well earned B. There will be plenty of colleges that those kids can apply to and receive an excellent eduation at.

Which world are you living in????

UVA requires near perfect grades. Bs will tank your chances at most target schools.




No one likes to suffer TJ math and land with a B.


The bottom 25% at TJ ( weighted gpa below 4.0) surely would be better off at base school and yes they would be much happier there as their efforts would have resulted in better grades also.

I don’t know of a single TJ kid who happily accepts a B

A single, or couple of, B grades does not equal a weighted gpa below 4.0. Almost all classes at TJ are weighted 0.5 or 1.0. Many TJ students are admitted to UVA without "near perfect grades".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Latin- a large group of TJ kids compete at the Virginia Latin convention. It’s a lot of fun- they spend the weekend in Richmond. There are so many activities involving Latin and I encourage everyone to consider it.

Summer PE is great for sophomore PE. Plan getting your drivers license early to get it done and out of the way. Freshman PE is hard.

At TJ, a lot of kids will take summer school because it is easier to get As. I know a lot of people prioritize vacations- but most of the kids I know do it over Christmas break because internships are super important too.

Do a sport at TJ. It helps if your kid socializes with upper classes.

Also- be prepared to volunteer a lot. The kids have so many activities and things don’t get done without parental involvement. It’s worth it!

Can you elaborate on what some parental volunteer opportunities are?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

I wanted to ask if you have any experience with the Virtual Virginia Summer PE class.

We are not able to do FCPS Summer PE because my son will be out of state during the last week of class, and FCPS requires an in-person final test. Because of that, we are considering Virtual Virginia instead.
Do you know if the final test for Virtual Virginia Summer PE can be completed while the student is out of state, and whether it can be taken at any available time? Or are the final test dates strict?
Also, my son is currently taking Spanish 1 in middle school. Do you think he should take Spanish 2 over the summer next year?
Thank you again for your help.

My daughter used Virtual Virginia for PE the summer before sophomore year. You need to get it cleared by the school (call, there is a process for this). It was asynchronous and she did some of it while traveling out of the country. Only problem was for rising sophomores taking PE, FCPS includes drivers ed and Virtual Virginia does not. So we had to pay for the driving course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Adding:

New parents - If ur kid is truly not exceptional in math and sciences, reconsider TJ.

TJ math is brutal. So are physics and chemistry.

An underprepared kid will land up with half a dozen Bs at TJ vs all As at base school.


And make sure ur kid wants to go to TJ - don’t force them!

Good luck!

+1

Lots of kids will get 5s on the AP exam but a B- in the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latin- a large group of TJ kids compete at the Virginia Latin convention. It’s a lot of fun- they spend the weekend in Richmond. There are so many activities involving Latin and I encourage everyone to consider it.

Summer PE is great for sophomore PE. Plan getting your drivers license early to get it done and out of the way. Freshman PE is hard.

At TJ, a lot of kids will take summer school because it is easier to get As. I know a lot of people prioritize vacations- but most of the kids I know do it over Christmas break because internships are super important too.

Do a sport at TJ. It helps if your kid socializes with upper classes.

Also- be prepared to volunteer a lot. The kids have so many activities and things don’t get done without parental involvement. It’s worth it!

Can you elaborate on what some parental volunteer opportunities are?

DP.

The PTA is always looking for volunteers and is worth joining.

There are also separate volunteer booster organizations for athletics generally, and academics.

Beyond the general athletic boosters, each individual sport (if your child chooses to participate) will have its own group of boosters/volunteers.

TJ has myriad clubs for 8th period and your freshman can join up to 4 clubs; some of these clubs may offer opportunities for parent volunteers.

Due to the geographical dispersion of TJ families, many activities struggle to fill all available volunteer positions; please consider volunteering if/when you can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to TJ! I am a parent of a freshman and appreciated some of the advice I found on this site last year. Hoping to pay it forward.

1. Consider taking PE over the summer- it will allow your child to take either an elective or a history class.
2. History is not a required freshman course, but 4 years are needed. So, you can double up in future years or do PE over the summer.
3. Spanish and French are quite difficult at TJ. If your child was planning to take Spanish 3 at their base school, Spanish 2 is likely where he/she will land and even that may be a struggle. Consider switching to Russian, German, or Mandarin if there is an interest.

My kid is waitlisted but hopeful lol

I thought band could be taken as 8th period? My kid wants to do marching band . Are you saying they can't fit it in their schedule unless they do summer classes?

As for Spanish, he is currently in immersion so hopefully spanish would be okay...at their home school they would go in at spanish immersion 9 and then Spanish V. I thought I heard he goes directly to AP spanish at TJ, but maybe I misremembered

No, band is an actual class. 8th period is when all thr clubs meet at TJ. 8th period classes are ones th kid would do online I believe since classes don’t meet during the club times at TJ.

Marching band is a great experience and I highly recommend it. Most kids do take a summer class to make space for it. I suppose you could shift a different class into the 8th period slot (one that can be done virtually) but summer session seems the easier route.

Virtual VA PE is a good way to do that in an asynchronous manner. Also DD did the extra social studies class through Loudoun since they offer some Asynchronous summer classes and FCPS does not. She did have to get prior approval for it though from TJ.

[Anonymous]

Parents also please mentally prepare for the kids not accepted to the clubs they want to, especially the very popular.

Yes, already in TJ but still not enough seat .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adding:

New parents - If ur kid is truly not exceptional in math and sciences, reconsider TJ.

TJ math is brutal. So are physics and chemistry.

An underprepared kid will land up with half a dozen Bs at TJ vs all As at base school.


And make sure ur kid wants to go to TJ - don’t force them!

Good luck!

Have you considered that some kids might be happy to work hard for their Bs at a school with a lot of motivated peers? There is nothing wrong with a well earned B. There will be plenty of colleges that those kids can apply to and receive an excellent eduation at.

DP

There are AP math classes where a student can get a 5 on the AP exam and still end up with a C in the class.

Your kid doesn't have to love math, they just have to be good at it.

Very few kids are going to graduate with straight As.

But if your kid can't handle the rigor, stay away.

A lot of kids return to their base school after freshman year with torpedoed GPAs.

Give it a shot but stay on top of their grades early in the fall semester and be ready to pull the ejection cord back to their base school so their grades can recover in time for their first report card.

Why does it feel like this is a parent trying to get the waitlist to move?

PP.

I have a kid at TJ.
I'm not saying don't go, I am saying be ready to pull the ejection cord.
I'm sure there are kids that sail through TJ but my kid is working extremely hard to maintain straight As.

I have said this before and I will say it again here.
Routinely Top 2% on COGAT/NNAT/Iowa/etc + hard working student, then TJ should be fine
Routinely top 5% then they have to be pretty driven and have an affinity for math/science
If they are outside the top 5% you should be ready to pull the ejection cord.
If they are outside the top 10%, I don't think it will work out well for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to TJ! I am a parent of a freshman and appreciated some of the advice I found on this site last year. Hoping to pay it forward.

1. Consider taking PE over the summer- it will allow your child to take either an elective or a history class.
2. History is not a required freshman course, but 4 years are needed. So, you can double up in future years or do PE over the summer.
3. Spanish and French are quite difficult at TJ. If your child was planning to take Spanish 3 at their base school, Spanish 2 is likely where he/she will land and even that may be a struggle. Consider switching to Russian, German, or Mandarin if there is an interest.

My kid is waitlisted but hopeful lol

I thought band could be taken as 8th period? My kid wants to do marching band . Are you saying they can't fit it in their schedule unless they do summer classes?

As for Spanish, he is currently in immersion so hopefully spanish would be okay...at their home school they would go in at spanish immersion 9 and then Spanish V. I thought I heard he goes directly to AP spanish at TJ, but maybe I misremembered

No, band is an actual class. 8th period is when all thr clubs meet at TJ. 8th period classes are ones th kid would do online I believe since classes don’t meet during the club times at TJ.

Marching band is a great experience and I highly recommend it. Most kids do take a summer class to make space for it. I suppose you could shift a different class into the 8th period slot (one that can be done virtually) but summer session seems the easier route.

Virtual VA PE is a good way to do that in an asynchronous manner. Also DD did the extra social studies class through Loudoun since they offer some Asynchronous summer classes and FCPS does not. She did have to get prior approval for it though from TJ.

Just to clarify a couple things PP mentioned -

Band is an actual class and very difficult to fit into your schedule all 4 years without taking summer classes (DS did PE the summer before 9th and is doing PE and Econ and Personal Finance this summer before 10th). Even with summer classes he considered dropping band so he could fit in another academic elective.

Marching band is not a class - it is an extracurricular. It begins 3 weeks before school starts. Rehearsals are 3 days a week after school, and then they play at 4-5 football games and 4-5 weekend competitions. It is really time consuming but some kids absolutely love it. My son is not one of those kids and likely won't do marching band this coming year.

I have not heard of an option to take classes virtually during 8th period. Clubs meet during that time. the kids must sign up for 8th period options in advance. If there isn't a club meeting that catches your kid's eye, there are options for study hall or you can also meet with teachers for extra help during that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW, my kid hasn’t found Spanish to be too difficult. I’m not disputing that other kids have found it to be challenging, but as with everything know your own kid.

Did your kid stay with Spanish 1 at TJ? The only people I k ow of that said it is manageable were those that started it from scratch at TJ. More typical is kids coming in with 1 or 2 years of it at the MS.

My kid took two years of Spanish in middle school, took Spanish 2 their freshman year at TJ (per the standard recommendation at the time), took Spanish 3 sophomore year, and is now in AP Spanish as a junior.

So the kids jump from Spanish 3 to AP? I guess it makes sense that it’s harder in that case. At our base school, AP Spanish is after Spanish 4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to TJ! I am a parent of a freshman and appreciated some of the advice I found on this site last year. Hoping to pay it forward.

1. Consider taking PE over the summer- it will allow your child to take either an elective or a history class.
2. History is not a required freshman course, but 4 years are needed. So, you can double up in future years or do PE over the summer.
3. Spanish and French are quite difficult at TJ. If your child was planning to take Spanish 3 at their base school, Spanish 2 is likely where he/she will land and even that may be a struggle. Consider switching to Russian, German, or Mandarin if there is an interest.

My kid is waitlisted but hopeful lol

I thought band could be taken as 8th period? My kid wants to do marching band . Are you saying they can't fit it in their schedule unless they do summer classes?

As for Spanish, he is currently in immersion so hopefully spanish would be okay...at their home school they would go in at spanish immersion 9 and then Spanish V. I thought I heard he goes directly to AP spanish at TJ, but maybe I misremembered

No, band is an actual class. 8th period is when all thr clubs meet at TJ. 8th period classes are ones th kid would do online I believe since classes don’t meet during the club times at TJ.

Marching band is a great experience and I highly recommend it. Most kids do take a summer class to make space for it. I suppose you could shift a different class into the 8th period slot (one that can be done virtually) but summer session seems the easier route.

Virtual VA PE is a good way to do that in an asynchronous manner. Also DD did the extra social studies class through Loudoun since they offer some Asynchronous summer classes and FCPS does not. She did have to get prior approval for it though from TJ.

Just to clarify a couple things PP mentioned -

Band is an actual class and very difficult to fit into your schedule all 4 years without taking summer classes (DS did PE the summer before 9th and is doing PE and Econ and Personal Finance this summer before 10th). Even with summer classes he considered dropping band so he could fit in another academic elective.

Marching band is not a class - it is an extracurricular. It begins 3 weeks before school starts. Rehearsals are 3 days a week after school, and then they play at 4-5 football games and 4-5 weekend competitions. It is really time consuming but some kids absolutely love it. My son is not one of those kids and likely won't do marching band this coming year.

I have not heard of an option to take classes virtually during 8th period. Clubs meet during that time. the kids must sign up for 8th period options in advance. If there isn't a club meeting that catches your kid's eye, there are options for study hall or you can also meet with teachers for extra help during that time.

Thanks for clarifying. He cant take any summer classes this year (he goes to sleepwalking camp, likely the last yr). He is in APS so they are currently taking world geo for HS credit and then is essentially in Spanish 4 (he would jump straight to AP ibelieve due to immersion, since there isnt a spanish 5 at Tj it seems ). So was hoping (if he gets off wait list) that those would help his schedule a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to TJ! I am a parent of a freshman and appreciated some of the advice I found on this site last year. Hoping to pay it forward.

1. Consider taking PE over the summer- it will allow your child to take either an elective or a history class.
2. History is not a required freshman course, but 4 years are needed. So, you can double up in future years or do PE over the summer.
3. Spanish and French are quite difficult at TJ. If your child was planning to take Spanish 3 at their base school, Spanish 2 is likely where he/she will land and even that may be a struggle. Consider switching to Russian, German, or Mandarin if there is an interest.

My kid is waitlisted but hopeful lol

I thought band could be taken as 8th period? My kid wants to do marching band . Are you saying they can't fit it in their schedule unless they do summer classes?

As for Spanish, he is currently in immersion so hopefully spanish would be okay...at their home school they would go in at spanish immersion 9 and then Spanish V. I thought I heard he goes directly to AP spanish at TJ, but maybe I misremembered

No, band is an actual class. 8th period is when all thr clubs meet at TJ. 8th period classes are ones th kid would do online I believe since classes don’t meet during the club times at TJ.

Marching band is a great experience and I highly recommend it. Most kids do take a summer class to make space for it. I suppose you could shift a different class into the 8th period slot (one that can be done virtually) but summer session seems the easier route.

Virtual VA PE is a good way to do that in an asynchronous manner. Also DD did the extra social studies class through Loudoun since they offer some Asynchronous summer classes and FCPS does not. She did have to get prior approval for it though from TJ.

Just to clarify a couple things PP mentioned -

Band is an actual class and very difficult to fit into your schedule all 4 years without taking summer classes (DS did PE the summer before 9th and is doing PE and Econ and Personal Finance this summer before 10th). Even with summer classes he considered dropping band so he could fit in another academic elective.

Marching band is not a class - it is an extracurricular. It begins 3 weeks before school starts. Rehearsals are 3 days a week after school, and then they play at 4-5 football games and 4-5 weekend competitions. It is really time consuming but some kids absolutely love it. My son is not one of those kids and likely won't do marching band this coming year.

I have not heard of an option to take classes virtually during 8th period. Clubs meet during that time. the kids must sign up for 8th period options in advance. If there isn't a club meeting that catches your kid's eye, there are options for study hall or you can also meet with teachers for extra help during that time.

Thanks for clarifying. He cant take any summer classes this year (he goes to sleepwalking camp, likely the last yr). He is in APS so they are currently taking world geo for HS credit and then is essentially in Spanish 4 (he would jump straight to AP ibelieve due to immersion, since there isnt a spanish 5 at Tj it seems ). So was hoping (if he gets off wait list) that those would help his schedule a bit.

Sleep away camp not walking ha ha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Adding:

New parents - If ur kid is truly not exceptional in math and sciences, reconsider TJ.

TJ math is brutal. So are physics and chemistry.

An underprepared kid will land up with half a dozen Bs at TJ vs all As at base school.


And make sure ur kid wants to go to TJ - don’t force them!

Good luck!

And here come the waitlisted parents trying to get you to turn down your spot at the school.