Message from Dr. Cipperly
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Dear Parents & Guardians,
It is with heavy hearts that we witness what is happening now in our country. Thoreau Middle School staff are firmly committed to FCPS values as stated by Superintendent Brabrand: racism and hatred have no place in our community.
As race and equity issues continue to be at the forefront of the news, students may struggle with what they are seeing and hearing. Should you need any support in helping your children process their emotions and understand what they are seeing in the news, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are happy to provide any supports that are needed. Our teachers have been given resources as well as our entire clinical team comprised of counselors, our school social worker, and our school psychologist. All staff email addresses can be found on the Thoreau MS website. If you prefer, your son or daughter may email their counselor directly so we can offer them a place online to talk things through. If you are struggling on how or where to begin these conversations, please do not hesitate to reach out to us as well. We will join with you to support your child.
Sincerely,
Catherine M. Cipperly, Ed.D.
Interim Principal
Thoreau Middle School
 English teacher Michelle Gabro shows her love for Thoreau!
Virtual Parent Program With Corinne Coppola
Please join us online for this virtual parent program with Corinne Coppola!
Parenting Through Transitions: Coping Strategies for Uncertain Times will be held on Thursday, June 11th at 5:00 PM.
Life has changed for good. How we show up during this time is critical for our well-being and the well-being of our families. Learn tools and techniques to navigate turbulent waters and times of change within your home and family life. Transform feelings of being overwhelmed, anxious and stressed to calm, confident and compassionate.
Corinne has worked with thousands of young people and adults teaching simple and sustainable practices in times of stress, anxiety and trauma to help them experience greater joy, calm & ease. She has worked with High Schools & Middle School communities throughout Fairfax & Arlington Counties and is a regular presenter at FCPS Parent Resource Center and was the keynote speaker for FCPS HS & MS counselors conference. Additionally, she is an active member of the Safe Community Coalition -Mental Health Committee in McLean, VA. Corinne has a private practice in McLean, VA and works with clients in small groups and 1:1 settings virtually and in-person.
To register and receive the link for this program email Corinne at corinne@corinnecoppola.com
Academic and Career Plan for 8th Grade Students
All 8th grade students will continue to develop an Academic and Career Plan (ACP) that supports their current work as well as helps them plan for the future. 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 the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). VDOE requires that the student’s parent or guardian review this plan.
See this link for details about the plan.
Once you have reviewed your child’s plan, use this link to complete the verification. The completion of this form will serve as your signature. This must be completed by Friday, July 10, 2020.
An Amazing Art Walk
Thoreau art teacher Lori Eshbaugh created this incredible video for her art foundations, extensions and 3D art explorations students. It features a sampling of art made by students during the distance learning phase of our second semester. We appreciate this even more at this time since we are unable to display and share student art in our school building. Well done Ms. Eshbaugh and all of the talented Thoreau art students.
Is Your Family Moving This Summer?
If your answer is yes, please fill out the “Student’s Intentions for the Next School Year” form found here. Also email Student Services Assistant Jill Hendelman at jhendelman@fcps.edu.
Commitment to Community Service Student Awards
Applications are now available for the Thoreau Letter Award and the Navy Federal Credit Union Award of Excellence. These are two awards given annually to recognize Thoreau students demonstrating a commitment to community service. Both awards require the completion of an online application submitted by students. The applications can be found in the above links. The deadline for the applications is Friday, June 5th. Questions about these awards should be directed to your child's counselor or to Director of Student Services Rebecca Aguilar at rjaguilar1@fcps.edu.
Thoreau's Virtual After-School Program
FCPS After-School Specialists have put together a number of virtual after-school activities to engage middle school students in the arts, music, STEM, physical fitness, cooking, games, puzzles, literature, and more – things students can do at home.
Thoreau students can access these virtual after-school activities by joining the "Thoreau MS After-School @ Home" Google Classroom. The classroom code is: tj6oces.
Once your student has joined the classroom, there are a variety of activities (topics) they can choose from in the "Classwork" tab. We hope your students enjoy this site, and that it helps them actively pursue their interests during this time of social distancing. If you or your student have ideas for other activities, please email your After-School Program Specialist, Colleen Taylor at cmtaylor1@fcps.edu or use the "FCPS MS @ Home Interest Form" located on the classroom home page.
Be Safe! Be Active! And know that we are here for you and your family!
 Thoreau Spanish and ESOL teacher Denise Poole shows how she handles self care.
Virtual VIP Camp
The Middle School VIP program will be going virtual for the summer! During these unprecedented times of social distancing and virtual learning, we want to offer your child a summer experience that is safe and full of fitness, friends, fun and enrichment. FCPS and Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (DNCS) have teamed up to offer a 5- week virtual program for rising 7th and 8th graders in Fairfax County. We will also be extending this invitation to our rising 9th graders to help keep them connected this summer.
Participants will have the opportunity to engage in virtual activities in the arts, music, STEM, physical fitness, cooking, games, puzzles, literature, and more – things students can do at home. The program is led by FCPS After-School Specialists and DNCS Teen/Community Center Staff.
Details
- Dates – Monday – Thursday from June 29th - July 30th
- A mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities
- Synchronous – staff and students are online working together at the same time
- Asynchronous – activities that students can work on at any time
- Location – Virtual
- Cost – Free
Registration Process
The online registration will be available by the beginning of June. You will be sent another email with a link to the application. Participants will receive further details/instructions in mid-June.
We hope you will consider Virtual VIP this summer!
Thoreau Yearbook News
After the reopening of Thoreau's school building and administrative offices, a date will be announced for the distribution of the 2019-2020 yearbook. Thanks for your patience.
Marshall HS Statesmen Athletic Information
Marshall High School would like to invite all rising 9th graders interested in participating in a fall sport to join our Fall Sports Google Classroom. It can be joined using the code: s3qlp42 in the FCPS Google Classroom app. This link provides coaches emails as well as tryout dates and general sports information. All incoming freshman as academically eligible for 2020-21 fall and winter sports
Madison HS Warhawk Athletic Information
Madison HS has provided information for rising 9th grade student athletes
from each fall sport program in lieu of an interest meeting. In this link, please click the google doc/form/classroom link of your corresponding sport and complete the information. The completed information will be sent directly to the coach.
Oakton HS Cougar Athletic Information
All incoming freshmen should check out the team pages on www.oaktonathletics.org for information about pre-season conditioning and tryouts for Oakton HS fall sports. This link has emails for the coaches where students can ask to be put on the coach's email distribution lists. All incoming freshmen are academically eligible for 2020-2021 fall and winter sports.
Images from Thoreau's Virtual Spirit Week
 Thoreau 7th grade student Sofia does a great job representing her favorite character.
 Thoreau school based technology specialist Bob Deluca shows us his favorite character!
 Thoreau 8th grade student Simon shows his school and band spirit!
 Science teacher Ted Loht"mugging" with his Thoreau gear.
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For science teacher Missy Galus self-care means spending time outdoors.
We hope that all of our Thoreau family will have a wonderful summer, stay healthy, and enjoy plenty of time outdoors!
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