Welcome to the 2026-2027 School Year!

Dear Students and Families,

Nice to meet you! My name is Chris, and I am thrilled to start our new school year with all of you. I hope you have had a wonderful, restful summer and are looking forward to the new school year as much as I am.

To prepare for our transition to the brand new Grace Hopper Center, I spent part of my summer reading a biography about Grace Hopper. Hopper was a truly inspiring pioneer who made massive contributions to Computer Science and to education. Here's one quote that stood out to me:

The most important thing I've accomplished, other than building the compiler, is training young people. They come to me, you know, and say, 'Do you think we can do this?' I say, 'Try it.' And, I back 'em up. They need that. I keep track of them as they get older and I stir 'em up at intervals so they don't forget to take chances.

I look forward to sharing more stories about Grace Hopper with our students, and to doing my best to continuing that legacy of developing future generations of computer scientists.

My classes are all "Dual Enrolled," which means that students receive grades and credit through Northern Virginia Community College. These classes are rigorous and challenging, I have high expectations for my students, and many of my grading policies and procedures are different from other APS classes. Please read the "Dual Enrollment Expectations Contract" and syllabus linked from each course homepage and reach out to me with any questions.

I'd like to highlight one specific element from that contract: students in my courses produce real portfolio websites that are published on the public internet. These classes include frequent instruction and reflection about professionalism, digital citizenship, and digital footprints. I believe that it's powerful for students to present their own identities and work, but know that comfort levels with this activity vary. I will support students and families who would prefer alternate ways of demonstrating their knowledge, and will make sure my students know that they are responsible for the content that they choose to publish. I maintain my own personal portfolio website here: https://chrismjon.es/.

My goal is to be an excellent teacher, and I firmly believe that a strong partnership between school and home is essential for our students' success. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, suggestions, or concerns throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Chris Jones
Computer Science Teacher
Grace Hopper Center