 Caption: AVID students did a service project of washing teachers' cars on the teacher workday last week. They washed more than 25 cars, a tremendous effort. We so appreciated their work. A
special thank you to Ms. Diamond, Ms. Elsisi, and our parent volunteers!
From the Principal's Desk: We are excited to
introduce a new structure to our PAWS period starting in the 2nd quarter. This
change will allow students to select an enrichment activity to participate in
twice a week. Read more about it below!
Introducing
PAWS Enrichment at KMS
Kilmer
Middle School will be introducing a new structure to our PAWS period beginning
the start of the second quarter. Currently, PAWS is a period for students to
engage in extended learning time to include opportunities for students to read,
make-up assignments, receive additional support from teachers, work on group
projects, study, and visit the library. This extended learning time will
continue during PAWS on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Our new addition to
PAWS will be the opportunity for all students to participate in one enrichment
activity of their choice on Mondays & Wednesdays.
These
PAWS enrichment days will provide students the opportunity to select an
activity which meets their personal interests, learning styles, and preferred
modes of expression. Research shows that enrichment activities enhance the
classroom learning environment, improve goal achievement in both current
academic courses and in the pursuit of long-term career goals, as well as
provide time for students to build new relationships with a teacher and peers
who have a common interest.
This coming Monday, students will learn about our new
enrichment model during their PAWS period. A presentation will inform students
about enrichment and the next steps for selecting their top 5 enrichment
activities. The links below are a list of the activities to be offered for PAWS
enrichment. One list is for seventh grade students and one list for eighth
grade students. After viewing Monday’s presentation, students will have one
week to submit a google form with their ranked top 5 enrichment activities.
Students are not guaranteed their top choice, but we will guarantee one of
their top 5! If students do not get their first choice, they will have an
opportunity to select another activity for 3rd quarter! The google form,
student presentation, and list of enrichment activities and descriptions will
be available on students’ Blackboard sites and the Kilmer Middle School website
under the Student tab. Please review the list of activities and descriptions
with your child this weekend, so that he or she can begin to think about their
top 5 choices! Students will have all next week to submit their top 5
enrichment activities. Assigned enrichment activities will be shared with
students on Wednesday, November 9th, the first day of second
quarter!
Seventh
Grade Enrichment Activities
Eighth
Grade Enrichment Activities
Weekly
PAWS Schedule beginning Monday, November 14th!
Drama Club
The next Drama Club session will be on Tuesday,
October 18th from 2:25-3:30 in the cafeteria. Over 80 students
attended the first session and it was a blast! Please be sure to review the
Drama Club information sheet at kmsdrama.org
to learn about session dates and Theatre Sports auditions. Email Mrs. Rumberger at mdrumberger@fcps.edu with questions.
NJHS Update
8th grade students who had a cumulative GPA of a 3.7
in 7th grade will be eligible to apply for NJHS starting Wednesday of next
week. Information and the application process will be available on the website
for students and families at that time.
Rock Wall Fundraiser
The Kilmer Physical Education department is excited to
announce that a rock wall is in our future! Our plan includes the
installation of a traverse rock wall measuring 28 feet long by 10 feet tall in
addition to monkey bars over the double doors. The total cost of $15,110
is totally achievable with your help. Our goal is to reach this objective
by the end of the year; the sooner we get the funds the sooner the learning and
fun can begin. Our first fundraiser, “Sponsor a Hold Campaign,” started at Community
Night. The wall is made up of 175 regular hand holds that can each be sponsored
for a $25 contribution and 12 adapted hand holds that can be each sponsored for $50;
donors’ names will be engraved on a plaque and proudly displayed in the school
gymnasium. Donations (cash or checks to Kilmer MS) can be dropped off at the main office or with your
child’s PE teacher; please include the name you would like to have on the
plaque. Email Brandon Filsinger at bbfilsinger@fcps.edu with any questions.
Backstage for Kilmer’s Got Talent
Students who are interested in assisting behind
the scenes for Kilmer’s Got Talent should attend the Tech Crew Interest Meeting
on Tuesday, October 18th from 3:45-4:15 in Room G103, the Black Box
Theatre. Students will learn about various opportunities such as lighting,
sound, backstage, etc. and be able to select their area of interest. Email Mrs. Rumberger at mdrumberger@fcps.edu with questions.
Interested in auditioning for High School Musical?
Students interested in auditioning for High
School Musical, Jr. are invited to attend a High School Musical Movie Party
after school on Wednesday, October 19th from 2:25-4:45 (both after
school blocks) in Room G103, the Black Box Theatre. This is an excellent
opportunity for students to learn what the musical is about and hear songs
ahead of time. Email Mrs. Rumberger at mdrumberger@fcps.edu with questions.
Greetings from After School:
There are two blocks after school,
2:25-3:30pm (blue) and 3:45-4:45pm (green). Students do not have to stay
for the second block and may walk or be picked up at 3:30pm. Students may not
leave and return for second block activities; they must stay. Homework Lab is
open from 2:25-4:45pm. Activities and Club descriptions are being
added/updated to the Afterschool Activities Calendar at http://www.fcps.edu/KilmerMS/activities/afterschool.html.
Please check it often.
The list of Capital One Coders has been
posted for student review in the Cafeteria. Students
interested in taking the American Math Competition 8 Test should
register at https://goo.gl/forms/l5OzOxI59XxXVTbl2
or see Mrs. Baxley for more information. Students
interested in participating in Math Counts should register at https://goo.gl/V9GahS
Questions? Please contact the After School
Program Specialist Ms. Kardelis at kckardelis@fcps.edu
or 703.846.8846
Drama Site
Did you know that the Kilmer Middle School Drama
Department has a website? Kmsdrama.org is
updated every week and is your number one resource for all drama related
events. Please visit the site frequently to make sure your information is
up-to-date! As always, you may e-mail Molly Rumberger, KMS Theatre Arts
Teacher, at mdrumberger@fcps.edu with
any questions.
Meals Tax?
Fairfax
County voters will have the opportunity to vote for a 4% meals tax
on November 8. The tax would apply to all prepared foods and beverages
including in grocery stores. Many surrounding towns and cities already
have a meals tax, including Vienna, Herndon, Fairfax City, Alexandria and
Arlington. The meals tax would bring in about $100 million to the county's
annual budget, with 70% designated to go to our schools. The Fairfax
County PTA umbrella organization is a strong proponent of the meals tax
initiative. For more information about the proposal: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/mealstax/
Cybersecurity Youth Conference
In
recognition of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Marshall Academy—a Governor’s
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Academy—and George Mason
University (GMU) will host the first Cybersecurity Youth Conference on
Saturday, October 29, at GMU’s Fairfax campus. The conference is designed
to expose elementary, middle, and high school students and their parents to
cybersecurity fundamentals. The event is sponsored by Northrop Grumman, IBM,
Booz Allen, Symantec, and the University of Virginia (U.Va.). For
more information, click http://tinyurl.com/jx94lkz
FCPS
Weekly Progress Reports beginning next week
Beginning the
week of October 17, 2016, all MS and HS
students’ parents that have registered for a
SIS Parent Account and have a primary email address recorded in SIS
will begin receiving FCPS Weekly Progress Reports. You can login to your SIS
Parent account now to verify you have a primary email address within the
system. It is listed under the My Account tab. If it is blank, enter the email
address where you would like to receive the progress reports and click on
update account. On Monday, October 17, you will also have the ability to
change the preferences set for receiving these reports. Options including which
day of the week, and when grades are below certain thresholds can be set for
sending the progress reports under the My Account tab in your SIS Parent
account. Weekly progress reports for all of your middle and high school
students will be included in one email. FCPS elementary schools do not use
the SIS gradebook and therefore are not included in these reports. For
questions about a specific progress report or grade you can login into your SIS
Parent Account to find detailed gradebook information. Additionally, your student’s
teacher is always the best resource to answer any gradebook questions that you
may have.
Additional
information regarding the FCPS Weekly Progress Reports can be found on the SIS
Parent Account Overview web page, https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/student-information-system-sis-fcps/sis-parent-account-overview
Important Info about Busses
Please remind your child that it is against school policy to eat on busses. Students may be allergic or have food intolerances and may be impacted by food eaten or opened on the bus.
Kilmer in the News!
Our librarians, Gretchen Hazlin and Susanna Carey, utilized Breakout.Edu sessions to introduce the library to our 7th graders. It was such a hit that FCPS came out to create a video. You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAMSGkUKLNc. Follow Mr. James on Twitter to stay in the know. @RLJamesRon or Principal James.
Schoolwide Fundraiser Product Dates
If your student participated in the fundraiser, here are some important dates.
- Cookie dough will be delivered to Kilmer Wednesday,
Nov 2; it must be picked up that afternoon (2:45 to 6pm) and delivered
to purchaser
- Magazines will be sent directly
to purchaser
The after school glow party for those who have earned
this prize is scheduled for Tuesday,
October 25th, from 2:30 to 3:45
Dunn Loring Fire Station Open House
Open House
is tomorrow, October 15th, 2016 and is the one day a year all the fire
departments in the county open up their doors to the public as part of Fire
Prevention Week. This Open House runs from 10 AM - 4 PM with activities all day for
the kids to learn all about fire safety.
Upcoming Dates
Week of October 17 - Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) trips for 7th graders
Tuesday, October 18 - PTA meeting, 7pm
Friday, October 21 - 8th grade Band Night at Madison HS, 6pm
Friday, October 28 - Music Fundraiser Ends
Saturday, October 29 - District 12 Honor Choir Auditions
Friday, November 4 - Students released at 12:15pm
The 2016-17 FCPS School Calendar can be found HERE
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