Governor Thomas Johnson High School August 20, 2021 Patriot News
Dates and times are subject to change
For details on the 2021-2022 school calendar please visit here.
Hello Patriot Family,
What an opening week it has been! We have welcomed nearly 2000 students and 230 staff. Our halls have been filled with energy as we journey back to in person learning. Day one was certainly a hot one and as Murphy’s Law would have it one of our air conditioners failed. The staff and students were amazing and maintained course to get through the day. We are happy to share all has been repaired and the building temperature has been much more pleasant the past two days.
If a broken air conditioner wasn’t enough, we had to go into Lock-out/Lock-down procedures on Thursday for police activity and an incident in one of our near communities. This occurred right before dismissal and could have been problematic, but not for our Patriots. Our students and staff complied immediately with directives and all was in safe order in the Governor’s House! Situations like these can cause worry. As your child’s principal I could not be prouder of our response and teamwork. We ask our community to recognize communication to parents and guardians with explanation or further direction will come as soon as possible. In the cases of extreme emergency, we ask that parents not call in the immediacy of the event, because we need to keep our phone lines clear for emergency management. FCPS administrators, teachers and staff have been thoroughly trained and are doing everything to keep students safe.
Technology. This has been a challenge for some of our students and Chromebook troubleshooting is on-going. Thank you for your patience. FCPS has been working around the clock to fix the issues to get all our students up and running. Teachers have been reminded to exercise flexibility during these opening days with assignment submission.
Masks. Most of our students are doing an amazing job with compliance and have truly made the mask a nonissue for learning. We do still have a few that require constant reminders about wearing it appropriately throughout the day. We know this is an adjustment for many and there are mixed opinions about masks. With that said, I do appreciate everyone’s efforts to keep learning as the priority with a team focus for continuous forward progress for the best interest of our students. It feels so wonderful to have them back, so let’s show a united Patriot Nation Front. I thank all of our students for their respectful effort!
I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend and gets the rest we need to gear up for a 5-day week! Please remind your student of the importance of attendance and arriving on time to school. Good habits are made in the first few weeks; unfortunately, so are poor habits. Let’s create good ones for success.
Tracey K. Kibler
Principal
Attendance Information: If your student is going to be absent, late or needs to leave early please email: tjhs.attendance@fcps.org with your student's name, grade, date, time, and reason for absence.
Student Parking Application: If you are a student that will be driving to school, we require you to have a parking permit. Please fill out the attached google form. Once the application is complete, see Ms. Vance in the AP Office with your $10 student parking fee and a TJ Student Parking Pass will be assigned to you. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Vance deborah.vance@fcps.org.
Bus Information: At this time, only students who are assigned to a bus may travel on that bus. Other students may not ride a bus that is not assigned to them. To access your students bus information please go the the following FCPS site.
Our Counselors are available: If you would like to make an appointment with your assigned counselor, you can email them or phone them directly.
Please see the August Counseling Newsletter
Below are the Counseling Schoology Access Codes:
Athletic Boosters Information: https://tjpatriotathletics.com/athletic-boosters/
2021 Fall Sports: We are looking forward to a great 2021 Fall Sports Season with spectators at our athletic events. Athletic spectator fees will be $6 for Adults and $2 for children. When indoors, spectators will wear face coverings, when outdoors, spectators are recommended to wear face coverings when physical distancing cannot be maintained. All individuals are encouraged to wear face coverings in any setting whenever they would feel more safe.
For the current athletic events schedule, please click here: TJ Athletic Events
A quick reminder of dates, as they currently stand:
Senior Make Up Portraits: The Senior Portrait Dates for August are FULL. On Monday, September 27 times are open for scheduling. Students who still need to schedule portraits can visit https://prestigeportraits.com/ to make an appointment in September.
National Honor Society: For all juniors and seniors who received a letter about joining the National Honor Society here at TJ, next Tuesday, August, 24 at 2:30 PM in Mr. Raymond's room 1102, we will be having a meeting for those interested in applying and learning more about the application process. This meeting will cover the same information discussed in the Google Meet last June. If you did not receive a letter and would like to know if you are academically eligible to apply, please see Mr. Raymond in room 1102.
2022 Safe and Sane Meeting: There is a Safe and Sane meeting for the class of 2022 on Monday, August 23rd, in the Media Center at 7pm. Lots of work to be done and many hands and ideas are needed. All are invited, including family of juniors wanting info to prepare for next year. Meetings will be on the fourth Monday of every month in the Media Center, a reminder will go out via Find Out First. If you are interested in helping but are unable to attend the meeting, you can contact Lara and Mary Ann at tjsafeandsane@gmail.com.
TJ Athletic Boosters Meeting and Elections: Our monthly meeting will be held this Monday, August 23 at 7 PM via Zoom. Among taking care of current business, we will hold our elections for the Board for the 2021-2022 school year. Board members enjoy the added benefits of:
*playoff games do not allow for use of season passes. The past & current Board members have done a remarkable job supporting our student athletes throughout the years. We are a proud group who works collaboratively to support all athletes, all athletics programs, the coaches and the Athletics Directors. Now it is your turn to take the helm and support your student athletes. Please consider running for:
There are many other ways to get involved, (Committee & Chairperson opportunities) which will be discussed on Monday, but these are the key positions that must be filled in order to keep our TJ Athletics Boosters running. Please join our meeting via Zoom, at this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86254596590?pwd=NThPQjdLUEVKdkJucnNkNGZ2YmhqZz09#success
Little Patriot's Preschool: Now enrolling children ages 3-5 years old for the 2021-2022 Little Patriot's Preschool. The Preschool will begin on October 5. We will host two sessions:
A child is not eligible to attend all day. Children must be fully potty-trained. Parents may Pre-Register for the Preschool through the following google form. For more information on enrollment, please contact Ms. Carr at (240)236-8306.
Need Help?
Gov. Thomas Johnson HS
1501 N. Market Street
Frederick, MD 21701
240-236-8200 Phone 240-236-8201 Fax