Message from Mr. Coch
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Dear Thoreau Community:
Please read a couple of announcements for this week's newsletter.
Thanksgiving
We hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. This is always a great time to give thanks. The Thoreau staff wants to express their sincere appreciation to the school community and especially for the delicious pie that was given to each staff member last week. Our staff is so grateful to have such a dedicated PTA, parents, and students at the school. We hope that everyone had an opportunity to spend time with family and friends during the break. My wife and I hosted my family from Ohio. We watched football, ate, and played games while my wife and sister-in-law battled the crowds shopping.
Inclement Weather
With the winter season approaching, please make sure you are aware of delays, closings, and early releases. FCPS provides information about closing and delays in many ways including:
- posted to FCPS Twitter and Facebook pages
- posted to www.fcps.edu
- email and text messages sent to parents (using the parent contact information listed in weCare@school)
- email sent to News You Choose subscribers of Delayed Openings and School Closings
- posted on FCPS cable Channel 21
- area radio and television stations
Winter Break: Office Closed
The office will be closed during the winter break from Monday, December 23rd through Friday, January 3rd.
Have a great week!
Jon Coch
Interim Principal
Upcoming Important Dates
- Monday, December 9th: Orchestra winter concert, Madison HS, 7:00 PM
- Thursday, December 12th: Band winter concert, Madison HS, 7:00 PM
- Thursday, December 19th: Choir winter concert, Madison HS, 6:00 PM
- Friday, December 20th: No after-school activities or late buses
- Monday, December 23rd - Friday, January 3rd: Winter holiday
Technology education teacher Paul Gentille's students, (l-r) Brendan, Firnas, Jak, Joseph and Jack coded and built a Lego EV3 robotic hand. They hope to change the future in a way that would help people with disabilities.
Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Level IV Referrals
Parents or guardians of seventh grade students may initiate the full-time AAP Level IV screening process by completing and submitting an Advanced Academic Programs Level IV Referral Form to their child’s school counselor no later than Thursday, January 9, 2020. No late referrals will be accepted.
AAP Level IV services are available to students in grades 3-8. Students may be found eligible for full-time placement in AAP Level IV center classes through a central selection process and receive a highly challenging instructional program in science, social studies and English.
Multiple criteria are reviewed by a central selection committee to determine eligibility for all FCPS advanced academic services. More information about AAP services available at the middle school level may be found here.
If you have any questions, you should contact your child’s counselor or Thoreau Director of Student Services, Rebecca Aguilar, at rjaguilar1@fcps.edu.
Student Services Updates
For your planning purposes, please make note of the following registration events in preparation for the 2020-2021 school year:
Rising 9th Grade Academic Advising and Course Registration Information - Please see individual school sites for additional details.
Oakton HS Curriculum Night - Wednesday, January 8th at Oakton HS
Madison HS Curriculum Night - Thursday, January 9th at Madison HS
Marshall HS Curriculum Night - Wednesday, February 5th at Marshall HS
In addition to these high school sponsored events, high school counselors from Madison, Marshall and Oakton high schools will be meeting with students on Tuesday, January 7th and Wednesday, January 8th within the school day during our Eagle Time block. Students will bring home course selection sheets and will meet with Thoreau counselors to discuss course registrations during the months of January and February.
Rising 8th Grade Academic Advising and Course Registration Information
Thoreau counselors will conduct course presentations in mid-February and will continue to work with students and families through mid-March to complete this process.
Rising 7th Grade Academic Advising and Course Registration Information
Thoreau Activities Fair for Rising 7th grade students - Tuesday, February 4th and Wednesday, February 5th from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Students are transported to Thoreau from feeder elementary schools for this event.
Thoreau Curriculum Night and Family Open House - Thursday, February 6th at Thoreau from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Student Council Association (SCA) Food Drive
The SCA is hosting a competition between teams to collect canned food and nonperishable items to donate to Food for Others, located in Fairfax. Canned goods and nonperishable items can be sent to school with your child and delivered to his/her science classroom through this week. The canned food drive ends Friday, December 6th. Thank you for your support!
Chaperone Opportunity for 8th Grade Parents
The 8th grade math and civics departments are looking for additional chaperones for the December field trips to Finance Park. Students will be going on the field trip with their respective team. These are the dates each team will attend:
- Monday, December 9th: Hawks (Valenti)
- Tuesday, December 10th: Hawks (Christoff)
Follow this link to get more information and to sign-up. Thanks!
2019-2020 Thoreau Yearbook
This year's yearbook is a collection of Thoreau student memories you will cherish for years to come. It will include hundreds of pictures of activities and school events. Over 400 yearbooks have been sold which brings our remaining inventory to 50%. Thank you to all who have purchased a yearbook. We hope the magnet distributed to yearbook purchasers will serve as a helpful reminder.
If you would like to donate the purchase of a yearbook, please send cash or a check payable to Thoreau MS along with a note indicating "yearbook donation" to Ms. BenZion/yearbook. Donations are appreciated. Thank you in advance for supporting our students.
- A generic version of the yearbook can be purchased through December for $35.00, and for $40.00 beginning in January at MySchoolBucks.com.
- An upgraded version can be purchased for an additional cost at yearbookforever.com. This site will show the customized prices and options.
Questions? Please contact Thoreau yearbook sponsor Ms. Galeet BenZion at gbenzion@fcps.edu.
Science teacher Jody Jacobs and her 2nd period class pose in front of the
"We are Family" periodic table.
My School Bucks (MSB) Update
MSB is up and running for class fees and school store purchases. Please visit My School Bucks.
After-School Programs and Late Buses
After-school programs and buses are underway. After-school information will always be communicated via our website, the TMS after-school Google site, the PTA newsletter, Eagle News (our morning news show), and will be published in future issues of Thoreau Matters.
For planning purposes, the last day of after-school activities is Thursday, May 28th. The after-school program will not meet on student holidays, or during inclement weather cancellations. In addition, there will be no after-school activities or buses on the following dates:
- Friday, December 20th
- Friday, January 17th
- Friday, February 14th
- Friday, April 3rd
- Friday, May 22nd
Vienna's Club Phoenix
Want to hang out with your friends, play fun games and participate in some pretty awesome events? The Vienna Teen Center's Club Phoenix is your place to be during after-school hours!
Thoreau's after-school program is offering a Club Phoenix shuttle bus that will transport students from Thoreau to the teen center at 3:15 PM every Thursday that the after-school program is running. Only students who participate in Thoreau's after-school program and are registered with Club Phoenix will be able to use this service. This is a first-come, first-serve service. Only the first 20 students will be accepted. The students will then be able to participate in Club Phoenix activities until the center closes at 6:30 PM. Students will need a mode of transportation home from the center. The registration form is available at the teen center, in Thoreau's front office or via email to Vienna teen center employee Natalie Duncan at Natalie.Duncan@ViennaVA.gov. Please submit your Club Phoenix teen shuttle registration form to Thoreau after-school specialist Colleen Taylor as soon as possible, but know that your child can not ride the shuttle bus until a registration form has been received and approved by Colleen Taylor.
nPTA News and Announcements
Thoreau Directory
The PTA coordinates a web-based directory (hosted by AtoZ Connect) to provide families an easy way to connect with their children's classmates and their families. Our online directory allows parents to verify and edit their own listings. To ensure we have the most up-to-date information for each family, please follow the instructions and unique link that were emailed to parents on Saturday, November 23rd. Verification of information will only take a few minutes and can be done from your phone or other device.
Dining for Dollars Spirit Night
You can enjoy meeting up with other Thoreau families and help the PTA raise funds to support our school simply by going out to eat. Our next Dining for Dollars spirit event will be Tuesday, December 10th at the Vienna Inn located at 120 Maple Ave E., Vienna, Va. Come all day from 7:00 AM until midnight. Mention Thoreau when paying at the register and Vienna Inn will donate a portion of your purchase to the PTA. Join others in the community for delicious food and a fun time!
Help the PTA
Please join the PTA and consider making a donation to our no-fuss fundraiser.
Other easy ways you can earn money for Thoreau are:
- register your Harris Teeter VIC card with school code 3258
- designate Thoreau for your Amazon Smile charity
- keep collecting and sending in Box Top
Andrea Kramer, Thoreau PTA President
president@thoreaupta.org
2019-20 PTA Board Members
Andrea Kramer, President
Irina Smirnoff, Vice President
Amy Vernon, Treasurer
Wendy Pearson, Secretary
Thoreau Food Program
Thoreau is piloting the first middle school program with Food for Others this year. Food for Others is an organization that provides schools with weekly "Power Packs." These packs include nonperishable food items for school-aged children in need. Families who would like to contribute can do so directly with Food for Others.
Puzzle problem solving in the library.
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