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A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
On Thursday, Dr. Brendan Menuey, Executive Principal for Region 2, visited Kilmer MS and I had the pleasure of walking him through classrooms. I took him to visit a few 7th grade science classes, and we saw our students busy preparing for March Mammal Madness. March Mammal Madness is a yearly tournament hosted by scientists from Arizona State University in which 65 different animals compete in simulated combat competitions to be the ultimate champion. Students research organisms and create trading cards to share with their classmates. Students will use their trading cards to select their choice of ultimate champion next week. We encourage families to join the fun and play along too. If you’d like more information, reach out to your child’s science teacher.
On Monday, March 13, Kilmer Middle School parents/guardians will be contacted through email with a link to the FCPS Principal Evaluation Parent/Guardian Feedback Form Online. This questionnaire is part of the Performance Evaluation Program and offers parents/guardians an opportunity to provide anonymous input about various topics related to our school. These topics include instructional leadership, school climate, management (human resources and organizational), communication and community relations, culturally responsive and equitable leadership, and professionalism. The questionnaire will be collected online between March 13 and March 24. When you receive an email from FCPS Surveys, please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire. Thank you in advance.
Lastly, another huge thank you to the PTA for providing coffee and a continental breakfast for the staff this morning! Have a great weekend, and as always, reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
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Pictures of the Week
Mr. Sapp led our Choir Groups in a fantastic demonstration of singing in the Pre-assessment concert the other day in preparation for the annual Assessment concert.
Ms. Fogel led our Orchestra ensembles in beautiful performances in the Pre-assessment concert in preparation for the annual Assessment concert.
College Partnership Program
Kilmer will be hosting a parent coffee with a presentation on the College Partnership Program next Thursday, March 9th from 5:00-6:00 PM. The College Partnership Program (CPP) is designed to support students who are from populations that are traditionally underrepresented in college and the first in their family to attend college in the US. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP using this link. Please reach out to Jessica Rosas-Diego, jrosasdiego@fcps.edu if you have any questions.
Spirit Week - March 13-17
Finance Park
Dear Parents – we need your help! After a brief unit on financial literacy taught in Civics classes in the coming weeks, all 8th grade students will embark on a field trip to Finance Park in mid-March to put what they've learned to good use. We are critically in need of parent and guardian support to make this trip a success, and we would really appreciate it 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://www.myja.org/parents/fairfax for more details. Thanks in advance for your help!
SOL Testing Update
SOL Testing will occur on the following dates:
- Reading 7 & 8 SOLs: Monday, 5/15
- Math 7, Math 8, Algebra, Geometry & Algebra 2 SOLs: Thursday, 5/18
- Science 8 SOL: Tuesday, 5/23
Makeup testing will be held several times throughout the testing window. If you have not done so already, please fill out the SOL retake form linked below and return it to the school testing coordinator, Marileigh Blake, by Monday, May 1st, 2023
SOL Retake Form:
English Arabic Chinese Korean Spanish Urdu Vietnamese
If you have any questions, please contact Marileigh Blake at mlblake@fcps.edu or 703-846-8885.
Support Kilmer Drama!
Spring SEL Screener
Students will take the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener on Thursday, March 9 during 4th period Advisory classes. The SEL screener is administered twice during the school year. Opt out forms submitted at the beginning of the school year apply to both the fall and spring screener. Please email your student’s counselor or Erin Kestler etkestler@fcps.edu if you have questions about the screener or opt-out. For more information about the screener visit: FCPS SEL Screener
Spring Photos
Victor O’Neill Photography Studios will be at Kilmer on Monday, March 13 and Tuesday, March 14 to take spring photos for all interested students. A sign up sheet will be sent out next week for interested students to sign up to get their photo taken.
Each week Ms. Kardelis will post a detailed overview of our After School Program to our website. Please visit Kilmer’s website at https://kilmerms.fcps.edu/afterschool_newsletter to find the weekly After School newsletter.
Marshall & Madison HS Rising 9th Grade Activities Fairs - Field Trip
8th Grade Students attending Marshall & Madison will receive a permission form in SCIENCE between Feb. 21st-24th to attend an Activities Fair on Friday, March 24th. Participants will receive information about athletics, fine arts, and extracurricular opportunities available to them next year.
Students on the Marshall trip will have lunch at Marshall ($3.50 cash) & those on the Madison trip will eat when they return to Kilmer.
Completed forms with Student and Guardian/Parent signatures should be turned in through SCIENCE - the deadline is March 3rd.
If a student loses their pre-printed permission form, they may print another from Schoology > All Students Course > Materials > Rising 9th Grade Activities Fair.
It is very important that field trip participants arrive at school on time on March 24th for transportation groupings and departures.
Course Registration Timeline for the 2023-2024 School Year
All students will participate in an academic advising session with their school counselor to finalize their course selections for the 2023-2024 school year. Course requests will be entered in SIS StudentVue. Students are encouraged to speak with their teachers and school counselors about recommendations for the next school year in order to select courses that reflect their academic strengths, abilities, and interests. Academic advising will be complete by Friday, March 17.
- Eighth Grade Course Registration Resources:
Marshall HS IB Information Night Presentation
Marshall HS Course Registration Resources
Madison High School Course Registration Resources
Tutor.com - Extra Help for Students at No Cost to Families
With Tutor.com through Schoology, FCPS students are able to get learning help at any time, even from bilingual tutors! Students in FCPS meet with tutors thousands of times each week to practice reading, prepare for an upcoming math test, write computer programs, study for the SAT, or to get feedback on scholarship essays–all at no cost to their families! If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take just a few minutes to connect with a tutor with your child. More info about Tutor.com in FCPS is available here.
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