 A huge thank you to our 8th grade student volunteers for beautifying our PTA school store with their artwork! The following 8th grade students volunteered 6-8 hours of their after-school time to paint our school store: Csepke, Jillian, Keira, and Anna Pearl.
From the Principal's Desk:
Greetings, Kilmer Cougar Families!
We have had lots going on this week: the fantastic Choral Concert on Monday, the amazing Orchestra Concert on Wednesday, the Marshall Singers caroling through the halls today, the awesome in-school winter assembly featuring our top musical groups plus showcasing some winners from Kilmer's Got Talent also on Friday plus the Haha Holiday Show this evening.
If you missed any of that, you still have an opportunity to hear the Band Concert on Monday and the Pyramid Snow Show with orchestras from our elementary schools through high school.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Spirit Week
Next week is Spirit Week sponsored by the Student Council Association. We encourage students to dress in the below themes:
Monday 12/16- Neon Day
Tuesday 12/17- Teacher Student Swap (teachers dress like students, students dress like teachers)
Wednesday 12/18- Twin Day
Thursday 12/19- Kilmer Spirit
Friday 12/20- Pajama Day
We look forward to seeing lots of spirit!
Finance Park
Dear Parents - after a brief course on financial literacy jointly taught in Math and Civics classes in December and January, all students will embark on a field trip to Finance Park in mid-January to put what they've learned to good use. A field trip information packet with a permission form have been posted to your child’s Civics teachers’ Blackboard or Google Classroom site. Please print, sign, and return the attached permission form no later than Wednesday, December 18.
In addition, we are in critical need of parent and guardian support to make this trip a success, and we would really appreciate if you could join us! Parents who have accompanied us in the past have given very high reviews to the experience and some have even come back in subsequent years to join us again. Please visit (https://kilmerms.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/inline-files/FP%20KMS%20Volunteer%20Flyer%202-Side%202019-20%20FINAL.pdf) for more details. Thanks in advance for your help!
PTA School Store
The Kilmer School Store is open weekly on Tuesdays/Fridays and on special holiday occasions. Please stop by during cafeteria hours to see our newly student-painted Kilmer School Store, and to shop for your school items (pencils/pens/binders/folders/etc.) and additional spirit wear and candy!
The Kilmer School Store is a parent-volunteer store with all proceeds going back to the school. The store is open weekly on Tuesdays/Fridays, from 10:03-12:37 pm lunch slots.
Student Absences Next Week
Please notify us of student absences or early departures for the winter holidays by using the link at https://kilmerms.fcps.edu/attendance, by leaving a message at 703-846-8888 or by sending in a note with your child.
Thank you so much for your support during this busy time.
Kilmer in the News
Did you see Kilmer is in the News? We are so proud of Ms. Jones and her PAWS class. They decided to do a service project throughout the month of November (remember the request for plastic bags?) and weaved plastic mats for homeless veterans in Washington, DC. They presented the mats to Tucker Jones of the organization, Homeless Hope, who provides warm clothes and other supplies to homeless individuals. Read the Spotlight article posted on the FCPS website here.
A Note from Ms. Jones' PAWS class
Dear Kilmer Community, Thank you for your incredible support for our service project! Your efforts allowed us to collect and repurpose thousands of plastic bags. We used the bags to create waterproof, insulating sleep mats for the homeless in DC. This week we finished the mats and presented them to our community partner, Tucker Jones of Homeless Hope, who will distribute them this weekend. Our class learned so much from this project. We learned to work together to solve problems, to persist through challenges, and to think outside of ourselves to serve our community. We couldn’t have done it without you! Sincerely, Mrs. Jones’ PAWS Class
Absences Add Up! Schedule Family Travel During School Breaks
Fairfax County Public Schools is required to keep track of student participation in school, through attendance reporting to the state of Virginia.
It is vital that parents access the school attendance phone line or attendance e-mail when they know that their students will miss school. Knowing the reason why students are absent helps school personnel understand if a specific reason (such as illness or family hardship) is keeping them out of school.
When parents know that their students must be out for a specific period (four or more days in a row), students should come to the front office to pick up a prearranged absence form. This must be done at least three to five days in advance of the absence. This gives administrators and teachers time to consider the work, tests, and projects the student may need to turn in upon their return to school. Parents should avoid end-of-semester or end-of-course exam periods, state testing periods, etc., when making plans. Please make every effort to arrange travel during school breaks.
Absences add up, and research indicates that missing 10 percent of the school year, for any reason, can have a negative impact on student success. Learn more about FCPS’ attendance expectations.
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 main office will be closed during the winter break from Monday, December 23rd through Friday, January 3rd.
Kilmer Weekend Food Program
The Kilmer Pantry is being established to send students home with a weekend pack to help them have enough food over the weekend. Many children depend on the meals they receive while in school, then on the weekend, they may not have enough to get by.
The Pantry will provide weekend bags with non-perishable food to students every week starting in December. Distribution will be done in a discreet manner.
To meet our goal of providing weekend meals to children in need, we are currently collecting donations.
- Donate non-perishable foods and bring them to the main office of Kilmer Middle School (see link for suggestions of what could be donated).
- Shop a sample pack on this Amazon Wishlist (updated link) and have the food delivered directly to Kilmer c/o Charlene Horne.
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Donate funds directly to the PTA and we’ll do the shopping for you!
If you want your student to receive a weekend food bag, please contact your child’s counselor.
Thank you for your support
Greetings from After School:
Transportation is available to students staying after school Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, departing at 4:45PM. All students must be picked up promptly and no later than 4:45PM. Late Bus routes are posted in the cafeteria. Please be aware that after school late bus numbers and routes may differ from your child's normal school day bus routes.
There are two blocks after school, 2:15-3:30PM and 3:45-4:45PM. 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 afterschool activities; they must stay. Students should bring a snack from home, they may also purchase snack from the vending machine after school or during lunch. Parents/Guardians must complete the required Afterschool Registration Form before their student stays after.
12/17 - NO Intramural Sports/Gym Closed (Concert Setup)
Survey for shuttle to Vienna Teen Center/Phoenix Club for registered (Phoenix Club) participants @3:30PM
Kilmer's After-School Program is looking to partner with the Vienna Teen Center’s Club Phoenix. One service that we are looking at potentially offering is a shuttle bus that would transport students from our KMS Afterschool Program to Club Phoenix. Only students with a completed Kilmer MS Afterschool Registration Form and Club Phoenix Registration Form will be able to use this service. Students may participate in Club Phoenix activities until the center closes at 6:30PM Monday-Thursday and 10PM on Fridays. Parents/Guardians are responsible for transportation home from Vienna Teen Center. Please complete the KMS Afterschool to Vienna Teen Center Shuttle Survey so we can gauge Parent/Student interest. Survey results will be used to coordinate a schedule. Vienna Teen Center Questions? Email Natalie Duncan Natalie.Duncan@ViennaVA.gov
Questions? Please contact the After School Program Specialist Ms. Kardelis at kckardelis@fcps.edu or 703.846.8820
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Upcoming Dates
Monday, December 16 - Band Concert, Marshall HS, 7pm
Tuesday, December 17 - Pyramid Orchestra Snow Show, Kilmer MS
Monday, December 23 - January 3 - Winter Break
Monday, January 6, 2020 - School resumes
The 2019-20 FCPS School Calendar can be found HERE.
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