Message from Mr. Azimi
Dear Thoreau Community:
As we officially enter the month of
June and look forward to the final two weeks of the school year, I would like
to revisit three topics I have written about in Thoreau Matters
throughout 2017-2018.
Boundary
Change: The Fairfax County School
Board approved the boundary changes to Thoreau and Luther Jackson Middle
Schools in February so that we can relieve Jackson of its overcrowded student
population. Effective 2018-2019, we will welcome over 1,200 students
through our front doors on the first day of school. In addition, we are
currently hiring nearly 25 staff positions as a result of our upcoming student
population growth. Our renovated/expanded building is adequately suited
to embrace our new students and I look forward to also welcoming the wonderful
new teachers we have hired from all over the country to join our
community.
Executive
Functioning a.k.a. Steps to Success:
This was our second year formalizing and putting a plan into place regarding
our multi-year focus on executive functioning skills. Students engaged in
lessons ranging from organizing their backpacks and binders, to managing their
time both at school and at home. These Steps to Success lessons
took place during our 40-minute Eagle Time period every two weeks. Our
executive functioning committee of teachers will continue to review and tweak
the lessons from this year in order to build upon our successes. We will
continue to be more intentional and purposeful to afford our students the
opportunity to actually engage more in the application of the topics being
covered.
Project-Based
Learning: Finally, this was also our
second year formalizing and putting a plan into place regarding our multi-year
focus on project-based learning (PBL). We spent this school year educating the remainder of our faculty in this instructional practice so that they are now all trained. Teachers
spent this year having students engage in projects that ranged from topics like
societal issues to environmental stewardship. Many parents in our
community were wonderful to come in and participate as authentic audience
members during the presentation phase of PBLs. I am also excited that
this was the Madison pyramid’s first year participating with Vienna mayor
Laurie DiRocco and the Town of Vienna on PBL opportunities. Teachers and
students were afforded the opportunity to engage in solving actual problems
facing the Town of Vienna throughout the school year. This partnership
with the Town of Vienna culminated on May 18th in a Share Fair with students from
Madison, Thoreau, and our feeder elementary schools presenting their projects
to Mayor DiRocco and members of her staff. We look forward to partnering with
the Mayor and the Town again next year so that even more of our students will
have the chance to problem-solve issues facing our local community through
project-based learning. Images from the Share Fair can be seen below.
I felt it was important that I circle back in this second-to-last issue of Thoreau Matters on school-wide topics from this current school year. I look forward to sharing more updates with you next year as we continue to work toward refining these initiatives.
Sincerely,
Yusef Azimi
Upcoming Important Dates
- Thursday, May 31st - Last Day for After-School Activities
- Thursday, May 31st - Last Day for Late Buses
- Friday, June 1st - 8th Grade Dance
 Town of Vienna Mayor DiRocco (far right) speaks with one of her staff members as students prepare to present their PBL at Thoreau on
Friday, May 18th.
 Thoreau students present at the Madison Pyramid Share Fair.
 Cunningham Park Elementary students happily share their PBL.
Student Learning Plan - Current 8th Grade Students
All Thoreau 8th
graders are working with their counselor and teachers to develop a
Student Learning Plan to discover their personal strengths and interests,
create goals to help them achieve success, and plan for their future.
This link gives details about the School Learning
Plan and how a parent can help his/her child.
8th
Grade Parents!
Once you have reviewed your child's plan, completing this verification form will serve as your
signature. For more information about your child's SLP, visit the SLP website.
Teens and Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are behaviors that can lead to serious health problems. These behaviors can begin in childhood and affect both boys and girls. Eating disorders are treatable when discovered early. In 2013, Virginia passed a law requiring that every school system provide information to parents annually about eating disorders. This information is given to parents of students in grades 5 through 12. Please see this link for important details and the links below as valuable resources.
Academy of Eating Disorders (AED)
Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders (F.E.A.S.T)
National Eating Disorders Association - Confidential Helpline 1-800-931-2237
Thoreau Theatre End-of-the-Year Ceremony
The theatre department end-of-the-year award ceremony will take place in the cafeteria on Monday, June 4th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Any Thoreau student who participated in theatre class or any theatre event this year is invited. Parents and students should RSVP here. Please come celebrate the theatre department's successes and say farewell to our 8th graders!
2018-2019 Thoreau Yearbook Club
Would your child like to help preserve memories for our
students and staff? The Thoreau Yearbook Club is looking for dedicated
and creative students to join our team. Please direct questions to Ms. BenZion,
yearbook sponsor, at gbenzion@fcps.edu
The link to the yearbook club application can be found here.
Where Are You Going This Fall?
If you will not be attending Thoreau (rising 8th graders) or a Fairfax County high school (rising 9th graders) this fall, please let Thoreau Student Services know now. Please click here and fill out this form. Student Services will make sure all transcripts are forwarded to your child’s new school so his/her file is complete. If you have any questions, please contact Thoreau registrar Denise Schwandt at 703-846-8003 or dschwandt@fcps.edu.
Thoreau Health Room News
The Thoreau health room reminds parents and guardians that all medications stored in the health room must be picked up no later than 12:15 PM on the last day of school, Friday, June 15, 2018. Medication left in the health room after that time will be discarded. It is school policy that medications must be picked up by the parent or guardian. Medication cannot be sent home with your child.
 Mr. Isom's Spanish students present their PBL in class Tuesday, May 22nd.
TJ Prep Camp
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is holding a TJ Prep Camp for rising 8th grade students. The camp will take place at Luther Jackson Middle School. Two sessions are being offered during the months of July and August. Please see this link for details.
Thoreau Excellence in Action Summer Camp
This week-long program is designed by our own staff members to provide students with the essential background knowledge and skills that will help them have a successful transition to middle school. For more information and to
register, please see details here.
Two sessions will be offered, running 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
Session 1: Monday, July 16th - Friday, July 20th
Session 2: Monday, July 30th - Friday, August 3rd
Thoreau Ambassador Program
Do you like to meet new people? Do you like helping others? Do you like volunteering at school wide events?
If you answer yes to any or
all of these questions, the Thoreau Ambassador Program may be of interest to
you. A Student Ambassador at Thoreau is someone who will
represent our school positively and help build community within our school.
Student Ambassadors are asked to provide new students with an introduction to
Thoreau by giving them a tour of the school, help them with their locker,
introduce them to their teachers and provide them with a familiar face on
their team. We are looking for outgoing, responsible, friendly students
who are willing to spend time with new students and families to make them feel
welcome to our community.
Instructions and the application can be found here.
Contact Thoreau registrar Denise Schwandt at dschwandt@fcps.edu with questions.
Student Learning Plan - Current 8th Grade Students
All Thoreau 8th graders are working with their counselor and teachers to develop a Student Learning Plan to discover their personal strengths and interests, create goals to help them achieve success, and plan for their future. This link gives details about the School Learning Plan and how a parent can help his/her child.
8th Grade Parents! Once you have reviewed your child's plan, completing this verification form will serve as your signature. For more information about your child's SLP, visit the SLP website.
Madison HS Summer Acceleration Academy
Madison HS will offer face-to-face courses this summer in Geometry Honors, Health & PE 9 and Health & PE 10.
Registration is open to Madison, Marshall, McLean, and Oakton High School students. Click here for more information.
Madison HS Bridges Program
Madison will once again hold its annual Bridges program for rising 9th grade students. This summer program is designed to help bridge the connection between middle and high school through a camp-type program very similar to Thoreau’s annual Excellence in Action summer program for rising 7th grade students. Details can be found here.
Marshall High School Sports Physical Nights
All incoming freshman to Marshall High School who intend to participate in athletics, must turn in a completed physical form before they can participate in off season workouts or try out for a team. All fall teams will have summer workouts so it is important to get this paperwork completed. This link contains a flyer with details about the sports physical night.
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Marshall HS, Tuesday, June 12th
Please see this link for details.
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Thank you to all who volunteered, donated or supported Thoreau this year.
It was greatly appreciated!
2018-2019 PTA Board Members
Congratulations and THANK YOU to our 2018-2019 PTA Officers!
- President - Emily Korff
- Vice President - Stacey Leimbach
- Treasurer - Amanda Dixon
- Secretary - Debbie Gardner
And, THANK YOU to our 2017-2018 PTA officers: President Beth Eachus, Vice President Stacey Leimbach, Treasurer Laura Schmorrow and Secretary Sarah Helmicki.
We are still looking for PTA Board members and chairpersons for the 2018-2019 school year. Open positions include 7th Grade Dinner co-chair, Garden, Directory co-chair and School Supplies Coordinator (this position runs now through September 2018). Please contact current PTA President Beth Eachus at president@thoreaupta.org for more information.
8th Grade Dance
The 8th Grade Dance will
be held on Friday, June
1st from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. There will be a DJ, photo booth, giveaways, raffles, food, drinks, and Rita's Italian Ice! More information can be found here. Volunteers are needed to make this event a
success. Please see this link to sign-up.
Thank you to chairs Diana Nash and Paris Jacobs!
Thoreau Food Program
In partnership with the PTA, Thoreau Student Services will be packaging and sending home weekend food bags for families in need. We are looking for donations of non-perishable food items as identified on this Amazon shopping list. For your convenience, these items may be ordered from Amazon and delivered directly to the school. Donations may also be purchased and dropped off in the Thoreau front office to the attention of Director of Student Services Rebecca Aguilar. Gift cards are also greatly appreciated.
Thoreau School Store
Volunteers are NEEDED for the Thoreau School Store. Please see this link for the updated schedule that runs through the end of the school year. The School Store provides a service to the students
and raises funds for the school so your help is greatly appreciated. Huge
thanks to school store chairs Tana
Keeffe and Negin
Dehn for all of their
efforts!
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