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A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
Last night I had the privilege of attending the National Junior Honor Society induction ceremony for Kilmer students. When I look at the work all Kilmer students do I regularly think to myself, “The future is bright.” Last night was just a snapshot of the amazing students we have here at Kilmer. I heard countless presentations from students about their service learning experiences, and it was inspiring to see students work so hard to serve others. I heard about students organizing food drives, clothing drives, collecting eyeglasses to donate, setting up tutoring opportunities for their peers, and many more examples.
As middle schoolers continue to develop, I believe it’s imperative that as educators and families, we coach and support our students to “choose to do something difficult.” It’s when we push ourselves just outside of our comfort zone, when something is really difficult, and when we have to critically think to problem solve, adjust, collaborate, and communicate, that’s when we see the most growth. Ultimately, we are able to look back at a challenge and feel incredibly proud about the work we did, and the lessons we learned. These are conversations that Kilmer staff are regularly having with our students, and as I mentioned above, I’m regularly seeing students do this.
When we come back next week we begin the month of May! Students have been working hard and I will continue to communicate with them that we won’t let up until the last day of school on Friday, June 16th.
I hope everyone has a great weekend. As always, reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
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This week history came alive this week for our seventh grade students at Kilmer’s World War II Museum. Students acted as historians as they worked in small groups to handle and investigate artifacts from the 1940s. Students examined a variety of primary sources including ration cards, photographs, yearbooks, newspapers, sand from Omaha Beach, telegraphs, and much more. Guided by their teachers and our Kilmer librarians, this was an opportunity for students to engage in authentic inquiry, while developing Portrait of a Graduate skills such as critical thinking and collaboration.
   National Junior Honor Society Service Learning Gallery & Induction Ceremony
Over the course of this school year, students have completed service learning projects centered around NJHS’s service learning pillars: citizenship, service, character, leadership and scholarship. During the gallery walk, students presented their service learning projects. These projects sought to problem solve and address concerns in the greater Fairfax County community. Following the gallery walk, 147 students took the NJHS Honor Pledge and were inducted into Kilmer Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society.
8th Grade End of Year Field Trip
The 8th grade end of year field trip will be to The St. James in Springfield. Students will have the opportunity to participate in obstacle courses, ice skating, rock climbing, a ropes course, soccer, flag football, and other organized activities and games. The cost of the trip is $50, which includes transportation and lunch. Payment will be collected via MySchoolBucks. If your child is going on the field trip, complete the St. James the Field Trip Permission Slip and the St. James Waiver. Signed forms should be returned to your child’s English teacher by May 19, 2023. Students will receive additional information about the trip during their English class beginning Monday April 24th. Please contact the main office with any questions.
8th Grade Recognition Ceremony
The 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony will take place on June 13th and June 14th. Students will be recognized by teams. Please see below to determine when your child’s ceremony will be held.
SOL Testing Information 2022-2023
The spring SOL testing calendar can be found below. Details about testing days and changes to the bell schedule will be communicated regularly to students ahead of the testing window. Students will receive information about testing dates, times, and locations in their fcpsschool.net email account. All testing will begin at 7:30 am on the days listed below. It is important that students come to school on time on these testing days. If a student is absent on their testing day, makeup tests can occur throughout the testing window.
- Once all tests are complete, there is a retake window for eligible students. Communication with parents of eligible students will happen at a later date. Parent permission is required for a student to retake.
- Retakes (if eligible): Wednesday, 5/31-Friday, 6/2
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 at mlblake@fcps.edu, by Monday, May 1st, 2023
SOL Retake Form: English Arabic Chinese Korean Spanish Urdu Vietnamese
If you have any questions regarding testing, please contact Kilmer’s school test coordinator, Marileigh Blake, at mlblake@fcps.edu or 703-846-8885.
Save the Date - 8th Grade Semiformal Dance
Save the date for the SCA sponsored 8th Grade Semi-Formal. The dance will be Friday June 9 from 6-8 PM at Kilmer. More details will be shared in May.
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.
A Few Reminders/Highlights This Week
Anytime a student stays after school for any reason they must sign in using our Afterschool Attendance form. This is not optional and helps us respond to parent inquiries and locate students quickly and accurately.
STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED:
- TO LEAVE SCHOOL GROUNDS & RETURN FOR LATE BUS or PICKUP
- ON THE FIELD or ANY SPACE WITHOUT PERMISSION/SUPERVISION
Marshall HS Volleyball Team Clinic @KMS Gym
When: Tuesday – May 2nd
Time: 3:30 – 4:45PM (2nd Block)
Marshall HS Freshman Football Strength Program
When: Tuesdays >> End of school year
Where: @Marshall High School > Drop off/Pick up Door 5
Time: 2:55 - 3:40PM **Families responsible for transportation to & from
Questions > Coach Masten george.masten@yahoo.com
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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