TJ Update | July 8, 2020

7/8/2020

TJ Communication sent via email on Wednesday, July 8, 2020

https://mailchi.mp/tjs.org/tj-update-june32020-3969181

Head of School Transition

As of July 1, 2020, Dr. Matthew Troutman, formally succeeded Dr. Elizabeth Holekamp as the fifth Head of School. We thank Dr. Holekamp for her nine years of dedicated service, and warmly welcome Dr. Troutman to his new chapter in school leadership.

Dr. Troutman would like to invite parents and students to connect with him virtually as an opportunity to get to know one another (or become reacquainted with him in his new role) on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. Two times are available: 8:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m. Times are local to St. Louis (CDT). Please consider this to be an informal meet-and-greet, please come and stay for as long as you are able.

Please RSVP to Steve Backer, Director of Development & Constituent Relations, at sbacker@tjs.org in order to receive Zoom credentials.

Welcome to TJ!

Please join us in welcoming Steve Backer to the role of Director of Development and Constituent Relations. Steve brings a wealth of expertise, energy, and enthusiasm—a perfect fit during what may be the most exciting time in TJ's history.

Steve spent the past two years as the Association Sales Manager with Atrium Hospitality where he oversaw the

southwest Missouri market bringing statewide, national, and international conventions to Springfield Missouri. Prior to entering the hospitality industry, Steve spent most of his career in development within higher education, working various roles with Drury University, Monmouth College, and Southeast Missouri State University.
Steve recently moved to St. Louis with his wife, Laura (also in education); their new daughter, Allison; and a 10 year old pug, Molli. In his spare time, he volunteers with his fraternity and church, enjoys college football and the St. Louis Cardinals, and is an aspiring amateur golfer.

Please join us in welcoming Kendal McCarter who will be joining the faculty on August 12th. He comes to us from Clayton-Bradley Academy outside of Knoxville, TN and brings a background in brain-based learning and project-based learning. At TJ, he will teach AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, and Accelerated Physics.

Enrollment Forms Available on MyTJS

All students: Pertinent enrollment forms—medical forms, permissions, opening day travel plans, etc.—are now available on MyTJS. When you log in, you will see a yellow banner announcing that you have forms to review. Simply click on the blue text to access the forms. Please complete these electronic forms by July 24, 2020. (You will be prompted to send copies of immunization records and physical examination forms separately.)

International students: We are aware of the new mandate imposed by ICE as of Monday, July 6, 2020. In consultation with The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), TJ has confirmed that the plans and procedures for the fall semester will maintain our students' F-1 Visa eligibility under the new restrictions. We urge all international students to continue their preparation for an August 24th arrival to campus.

New students: Please confirm the date and time of your Visa appointment, and send that information to Mrs. Kim Fiala (kfiala@tjs.org), Assistant to the Head of School and Registrar for her records.

Reopening plans shared on July 20

The faculty have been diligently working to reimagine class configurations and daily schedules to ensure that the mission and spirit of TJ remain intact. On Monday, July 6th, the CDC released information pertinent to schools and reopening procedures. The staff, alongside the faculty leadership, are working to marry the previously described programmatic modifications with necessary space and sanitation requirements. More details will be shared on Monday, July 20th.

Parent Grade Level Representatives

We always need parent volunteers for events and activities; we’re also committed to finding more ways to connect parents socially. That includes our out-of-town parents of boarding students!

Grade Representatives
As a grade representative, you would be responsible for assisting the TJPA, and the school, with communication about community events and volunteer opportunities. Grade representatives are asked to connect with new families in their grade via email and/or phone over the summer months and to serve as a resource. You would also serve as the point person to the TJPA on behalf of the parents in your grade. Other grade representative duties may include organizing an informal grade-level get-together, assisting faculty in securing chaperones for various field trips, assisting Mrs. Correa, Director of Residential Life, in securing host families for international students over Thanksgiving Break, recruiting and securing volunteers to support various community events. We need one parent volunteer per grade to serve as a representative for the year.

We hope that you will communicate your interest to TJPA@tjs.org and to Steve Backer, Director of Development & Constituent Relations, (sbacker@tjs.org) as soon as possible.

Review TJ on Niche.com

Niche.com remains the number one referrer to tjs.org, and an indispensable point of reference for prospective parents. As such, Niche.com rankings are critical to our ability to recruit top domestic and international students. Each July, Niche.com aggregates the information from individual school's profiles and releases the annual rankings in September. Reviews are the most heavily weighted component in Niche.com's algorithm to determine rankings. We ask our TJ community to please consider submitting a review before July 15th in order to positively impact next year's ranking.

Please click on the following links to view our profile and current rankings.
To submit a review, please click here.

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TJ Update | July 8, 2020

Thomas Jefferson School