Weekly Newsletter

2025 Summer Bridge Registration is Now Open!

Rising 9th graders and school staff will get to know each other while building their understanding of high school. Students will enjoy various activities, such as team-building games, scavenger hunts to get to know their new schools, excursions and field trips, creative projects, performances, and presentations about high school and beyond. More information on signing up will be provided closer to the date.

Eligible students: Current 8th graders attending Jackson-Reed in the fall and enrolled for SY25-26.

Dates: Monday, August 4th-Thursday, August 7th

Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

8:45 am: Check-in
9:00 am- 9:15 am: Breakfast
11:30 am- 12:00 pm: Lunch

Register for the 2025 Summer Bridge Program at J-R!

Class of 2029 (Rising Freshman) Important Info

Welcome, Class of 2029! Please see the information below for all rising freshman students and families to support with the transition into SY 2025-2026.

Communication

Student information via ASPEN (DCPS Information Management System) will transfer/rollover to Jackson-Reed on August 8. Until then, we won’t have access to your records/contact information — no need to reach out! Once the rollover is complete, we’ll send a Summer Newsletter confirming the transition and sharing key updates. In the meantime, stay informed by signing up for the PTSO Newsletter below, which includes general school news and grade-specific information.

Class of 2029 Support Team

The following staff and faculty will be supporting the Class of 2029 for SY 25-26.

Assistant Principal: Marc Minsker
9th Grade Enrollment POC: Tasha Maritano
9th Grade School Counselor (A-K): Partice Maites
9th Grade School Counselor (L-Z): Ramona Singletary-Robertson
Multilingual School Counselor: Camilla Navarette
Attendance Counselor: Jazmine Elliot
9th Grade Dean: Tyrell Scott
9th Grade Restorative Justice Coordinator: Minoso Rodgers
9th Grade Social Worker: Tina Johnson
Bilingual Social Worker: Luis Morales

Register for Summer Bridge: Starts Mon, Aug 4

Rising 9th graders and school staff will get to know each other while building their understanding of high school. Students will enjoy various activities, such as team-building games, scavenger hunts to get to know their new schools, excursions and field trips, creative projects, performances, and presentations about high school and beyond.

Eligible students: Rising 9th-graders enrolled for SY25-26.
Dates: Monday, August 4th-Thursday, August 7th
Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
- 8:45 am: Check-in
- 9:00 am- 9:15 am: Breakfast
- 11:30 am- 12:00 pm: Lunch
Register here

Schedules and Change Request Process (View the Bell Schedule)

Student schedules will be available for parents/guardians and students to view in ASPEN after August 8th (ASPEN rollover). Students should review their schedules and check for the following:

There is a scheduled class at all periods.
There are no courses scheduled for which the student has already earned credit.

Students may request a change in their schedule for the following reasons:

The student has already taken, passed, AND earned credit for the course.
The student needs the course for an Academy requirement.
The student needs the course for a graduation requirement.
Students in 9^th grade may only make a schedule change request for elective courses.

The schedule change request process is as follows:

Students must follow their given schedule until a change has been officially made by the School Counselor and is reflected in ASPEN
To request a change, students must complete the online Course Change Requests Form (will be sent via email, newsletter, and on Canvas), which will be open from Monday, August 25^th, to Monday, September 8th only. After September 8^th, schedule change requests will not be authorized.
Students will receive an email from their School Counselor indicating if the change has been accepted or denied. If the School Counselor needs to meet with the student in person, they will schedule that meeting via email.
Students will only visit their School Counselor in person if they have an incomplete schedule or the School Counselor invites them to an in-person meeting.

Device Distribution Schedule (Starting Letter of Last name)

Mon, Aug 4 – Thu, Aug 7
- Freshman Participating in Summer Bridge
Mon, August 11
- Rising Freshmen (A-F): 8:30 am – 10:00 am
- Rising Freshmen (G-L): 10:00 am – 11:30am
- Rising Freshmen (M-Q): 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
- Rising Freshmen (R-Z): 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Mon, August 18
- Rising Freshmen (A-F): 8:30 am – 10:00 am
- Rising Freshmen (G-L) : 10:00am – 11:30am
- Rising Freshmen (M-Q): 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
- Rising Freshmen (R-Z): 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Tue, August 19
- All Rising Freshmen Family Orientation, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Important Dates & Events (All Dates/Times Tentative & Subject to Change)

Freshman/Class of 2029 Parent/Guardian Summer Orientation: Tue, Aug 19 from 5:30 pm- 6:30 pm
Freshman/Class of 2029 Town Hall (Students Only): Tue, Aug 26 from 2:45 pm – 3:30 pm
Noche Para Familias: Wed, Sep 17 from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Back-to-School Night/NAF Night: Thu, Sep 25 from 5:45 pm – 8:00 pm
Open House & NAF Engineering Expo: Thu, Dec 11 from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Athletic Information & Tryout Dates

All students participating in athletics at Jackson-Reed are required to complete the 2025-2026 DCPS Student-Athlete Participation Packet. Please use the J-R Atheltics Information Sheet to access coaches’ contact information and see the fall season tryout dates below. Updated athletics information can be found on the Jackson-Reed Athletics page/website.

Boys Soccer (Varsity and JV) Tryouts – August 18th through August 22nd – 6:00 am-8:00 am
Girls Soccer (Varsity and JV) Tryouts – August 18th -22nd from 8:00 am-11:00 am in J-R Stadium
Volleyball (Varsity and JV) – August 7th -8th – 4:30pm-6:00pm – J-R Main Gym
Field Hockey – August 25th-28th – 3:45 pm-5:45 pm J-R Stadium
Cheer Tryouts – July 15th – 17th from 4-6 pm in the Aux Gym
Cross Country – please reach out to Coach TC
Football – please reach out to Coach Strickland

Cell Phone Listening Session Presentation

This presentation captures the key themes, concerns, and recommendations that emerged from our community discussion on Monday, June 16, across the three stations: Storage Solutions, Communication Protocols, and Implementation Concerns and Priorities. The information gathered will help inform how Jackson-Reed shapes its school-level implementation of the new DCPS Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy. Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed their thoughts.

Optional Summer Assignments for Students

Please see the SY 25-26 optional summer assignments by Department.

Science

Biology Summer Engagement
Physics
- Reading: "We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe" by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson
- Assignment: Stellar Death and Evolution
- Additional Resource: List of stars and their characteristics as observed by telescopes and other optical instruments.
Environmental Science Reading List

Math

Health & P.E.

Community Service Projects: Get involved in your community! Volunteer at a health clinic, join a youth fitness program, or help organize a health fair. It’s a great way to make a difference while learning.
Health Reflection Journals: Keep a journal where you reflect on your health choices, set personal goals, and track your progress. Write claims about your decisions, support them with evidence (like research or personal stories), and reason through your reflections.
Reading: "Running Against the Odds" by Desmond Dunham

English

English Summer Reading List by Grade

ESOL

Summer Activities for Multilingual Learners

Social Studies

Museum Scavenger Hunt Activities: Rising juniors and seniors can begin exploring and familiarizing themselves with the content in U.S. History, D.C. History, and U.S. Government by visiting the local museums listed and completing the scavenger hunts below.
- Museum of American History Scavenger Hunt
- National Museum of African American History Topic Hunt

Visual Arts

AP Art Summer Work

Jackson-Reed HS Diplomas & Photos

Graduates and Families,

We’re excited to inform you that diplomas are ready for pickup in the Jackson-Reed Counseling Suite from Fri, June 27 – Fri, Aug 15! Pick-up hours are from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. To keep your diploma in good condition, please remember to bring your diploma cover when you come by.

You can also download your graduation photos using the information below.

Congratulations once again on your achievement!

-TIGERS R.O.A.R.

Even though the day is over, the memories are just beginning! Use the link below to access your image gallery.

Text 11976Grad25 to 90738* or visit https://my.photoday.com/g and enter your phone number followed by your access code to get started.

School Year 2025-2026 Student Schedules

Preliminary student schedules for SY26 are available for review in Aspen. Please note, that these are not the final schedules, as counselors will be balancing classes over the summer. Juniors and Seniors will have in-person opportunities to meet with their counselors in August to review transcripts and request schedule changes. All students will have the opportunity to make schedule change requests during the first 10 days of the school year. For questions about the scheduling process, please get in touch with AP Hawkins.

Date(s)	Event Info
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Date(s)	Event Info

Title	Organization	Description	Opp Type	Due Date
Girl Security's National Fellows Program	Girl Security	Girl Security’s National Fellows program is a free, virtual, yearlong program for girls, women, and gender minorities ages 16-22 interested in careers in the national security sector. The application window will open in September for the 2025-2026 academic year. Program Highlights Completely virtual with live and self-paced content Explore national security topics like cybersecurity, AI, law, policy, etc. Participate in a virtual design challenge where participants develop a solution for a real-world security problem Upon completion, participants gain access to a suite of benefits including o Professional development resources o Pathway opportunities with corporate partners, like Google’s Cybersecurity Certification Certificate o A robust …	Internship, Job	10/01/2025
American Friends Service Committee		Human Rights, Peace and Justice initiatives and education. On and off site.		01/30/2026
Title	Organization	Description	Opp Type	Due Date

June 22, 2025