Message from Mr. Azimi
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Dear Thoreau Community,
Welcome to the last day of school! This final Thoreau Matters message of the 2018-2019 school year affords me the opportunity to offer my gratitude. I extend my sincere appreciation to our dedicated faculty and staff who collectively commit to enrich the lives of our students. I thank our parents and families who tirelessly support Thoreau in numerous ways and a very special thank you goes out to our PTA who is always there for us. I am grateful to Navy Federal Credit Union, our loyal business partner of 29 years, for the mentorship they offer a number of our students as well as the financial support they provide us. While no school is perfect, there really is not a day that does not go by where either a student, employee, parent, or community member tells me the positive experience and sentiments he/she feels about Thoreau.
I would like to wish farewell to the following staff members who are leaving our school. I thank them for their service and I wish them the very best in their future endeavors.
- Mr. Trevor Barry, technology education teacher - 1 year of service to Thoreau - leaving FCPS to work for Loudoun County (Va.) Public Schools.
- Ms. Nicole Cammarota, English teacher - 2 years of service to Thoreau - leaving FCPS to move to New Jersey.
- Ms. Sydney Carr, art teacher – 1 year of service to Thoreau – transferring within FCPS to a split assignment between Madison HS and Herndon HS.
- Ms. Lynn Darcy, instructional assistant – 1 year of service to Thoreau – one-year-only assignment.
- Ms. Kristen Fennel, multiple disabilities teacher – 4 years of service to Thoreau – transferring within FCPS to Mosby Woods ES.
- Ms. Megan Gibson, social studies teacher – 2 years of service to Thoreau – leaving FCPS for a career change.
- Ms. Amanda Herlihy, multiple disabilities teacher – 6 years of service to Thoreau – leave of absence from FCPS to serve the Peace Corps.
- Ms. Katy Kownacki, English teacher – 3 years of service to Thoreau – transferring to a school closer to home.
- Ms. Valerie Sink, hourly English teacher – 3 years of service to Thoreau – retirement.
- Ms. Janessa Torrey, learning disabilities teacher – 2 years of service to Thoreau – leaving FCPS to move to Colorado.
- Mr. Mike Ulderich, technology education teacher – 8 years of service to Thoreau – leaving FCPS to move to Pennsylvania.
- Ms. Kyra Watkins, instructional assistant – 1 year of service to Thoreau – one-year-only assignment.
- Ms. Kimberly Yeo, librarian – 6 years of service to Thoreau – transferring within FCPS to Twain MS.
Finally, I would like to say goodbye to all of our students who are leaving Thoreau, particularly our 8th graders. I wish success and happiness to our 428 8th graders who will attend Madison, our 82 8th graders who will attend Oakton, our 39 8th graders who will attend Marshall, our two 8th graders who will attend TJHSST, and the remaining students who will attend high school elsewhere. Have a fantastic and safe summer!
Sincerely,
Yusef Azimi
Upcoming Important Dates
- Monday, July 15th - Friday, July 19th: Excellence in Action (EIA) summer program for rising 7th grade
- Monday, July 29th - Friday, August 2nd: Excellence in Action (EIA) summer program for rising 7th grade
- Monday, August 26th: First Day of School
- Friday, August 30th - Monday, September 2nd: Labor Day Holiday
 Thoreau English students enjoyed warm weather reading in our old courtyard.
Thoreau Summer Office Hours
Beginning Monday, June 17th, Thoreau summer office hours will be 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The office will be closed the week of Monday, July 1st - Friday, July 5th. The counselors and teachers return to Thoreau mid-August.
Student Services Updates
Academic and Career Plan
During the week of May 27th, Thoreau counselors will meet with 8th grade students to continue their work on their Academic and Career Plan (formerly known as the Student Learning Plan). While this work begins in elementary school, your child will work with their teachers and school counselors throughout their time in FCPS to discover their personal strengths and interests, create goals to help them achieve success, plan for courses that meet high school graduation requirements, and prepare for life after high school. The development of the ACP starts in middle school and is updated regularly through high school as each student's academic, personal, and career goals evolve.
This plan connects to the FCPS strategic plan, supports Portrait of a Graduate attributes, and is also required by Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). VDOE requires that the student's parent or guardian review this plan and provide a signature or verification of review. When reviewing the plan with your child, you can coach him or her to make decisions about college and careers that match his or her personal strengths, interests, and goals, recognizing there are multiple pathways to success. Please visit this link for more information about how to access the plan and provide your electronic signature through a simple verification form.
This letter from Thoreau student services director Rebecca Aguilar gives additional details.
SOL Scores, Course Verifications, SIS Access, and Report Cards
SOL Scores: An official SOL score report, including all test results, will be sent home with the final report card.
Course Verifications: Course verifications will be sent home on or before Friday, June 28th. Please review your child's course requests and follow the instructions to make any necessary changes. Requests for changes must be received in writing by Friday, July 12th.
You may also review your child's course requests through your SIS ParentVue account. In the Course Request tab, you will see a verification list of the courses you and your child selected for the 2019-2020 school year. This is NOT a schedule. Class schedules will not be finalized until mid-August.
Students who would like a printed copy of their class schedule prior to the first day of school may join us for our Open House on Thursday, August 22nd from 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM. If you or your child is unable to attend this event, class schedules will be available in SIS for you to access at home beginning on Thursday, Ausust 22nd.
Student Information System (SIS): Access to SIS ParentVue and StudentVue accounts will be down for end-of-year processing on Friday, June 21st at 4:00 PM and remain unavailable for several weeks. After that time, students and parents will once again be able to access their accounts, but the Grade Book and Report Card views will have no data. This is due to the fact that the system will reset to the 2019-2020 school year.
Report Cards: Report cards will be mailed home from Thoreau to parents the week of June 17th.
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 Jill Hendelman at 703-846-8003 or jhendelman@fcps.edu.
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, helping them with their lockers, introducing them to their teachers and providing 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 Jill Hendelman at jhendelman@fcps.edu with questions.
Thoreau Excellence in Action Summer Camp
This week-long program is designed by our own staff members to provide rising 7th grade 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 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
Session 1: Monday July 15th - Friday, July 19th
Session 2: Monday, July 29th - Friday, August 2nd
Thomas Jefferson HSST Info Session
Thomas Jefferson HSST will come to Thoreau on Friday, September 6th at 2:30 PM in Eagle Hall for their information session. Stay tuned for more information to follow.
Rising 7th Grade English Summer Reading List
Thoreau's 7th grade English department has provided this suggested 2019 Rising 7th Grade Summer Reading List. Happy Reading!
Madison HS Marching Band
Madison Marching Band has announced fees for the 2019-2020 school year. Next year's fees total $385 and are broken down into a $150 deposit, a $200 balance and a $25 shoe fee. Payment can be made through MySchoolBucks.com. Look for the Madison Marching Band logo.
Madison HS Athletics
Madison Athletic Summer Camps
Madison is offering baseball, basketball, field hockey, softball, volleyball and wrestling summer camps. This flyer gives dates, times, costs, grade requirement, and contact information for coaches of each sport. This is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door at Madison before the school year begins.
Madison Fall Sports
Madison's athletics department has released information regarding their fall sports programs. This flyer gives details about a sports physical night, contact information for the coaches of eight sports, and tryout details.
Marshall HS Summer Reading
Marshall HS has posted their summer reading page which provides summer reading assignments for rising 9th grade students. The link to the reading page can be found here.
 8th grade students Ava Novielli, Nicole Williamson, Kaelyn Graham, Cassidy Shaw, and Kareena Singh enjoyed the 8th grade party held on Friday, May 31st. Thank you to the PTA and all of the parents who volunteered their time and resources to make this a wonderful night for our students.
PTA News and Announcements
PTA 2019-2020 Leadership
The PTA membership recently elected the following new leadership for the 2019-2020 school year:
- Andrea Kramer will serve as PTA president. Her son is a rising 8th grader at Thoreau and her daughter is at Marshall Road ES. Andrea was born in California but has lived in seven states.
- Irina Smirnoff, who was born in the Ukraine, has now lived in the US for half of her life. She has three sons - one each in middle school, high school and college. She will be taking on the role of PTA vice president.
- Amy Vernon is the proud mom of three daughters, also one each in middle school, high school and college. Amy looks forward to her third time through Thoreau where she will serve as PTA treasurer.
- Wendy Pearson will have two sons at Thoreau next year. Wendy attended Thoreau in 7th and 8th grade and graduated from Madison HS. Wendy returns to Thoreau as the PTA secretary.
Thank you to these parents for stepping up and serving our community in the coming year!
School Supply Kits
As a non-fundraising service to families, the PTA is pleased to offer school supply kits to provide families a convenient way to purchase what your child needs. Supply kits may be ordered online now through Tuesday, June 30th, and are delivered to Thoreau for pick-up at the Open House on Thursday, August 22nd. Kits cost $65.00 for 7th grade, $60.00 for 8th grade, and $140 for the TI-84 Plus graphing calculator for students taking Algebra, Algebra Honors, Geometry, and Math 8. Sales tax is added and charged upon checkout. To place an order, go to the EPI website, enter our school ID, THO119 (3 letters/3numbers), and follow the directions to complete your order.
These are the lists of general school supplies for the 2019-2020 school year.
Supply List - 7th Grade
Supply List - 8th Grade
Please note that some teachers and elective courses may require other supplies for their classes in addition to these lists. Students will receive information regarding those supplies during the first week of school.
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.
 Office assistants Hilda Gomez and Meg Dwyer would like to wish all Thoreau students a wonderful summer and best of luck to our rising 9th graders!
|
