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A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
As Teacher (Staff) Appreciation Week comes to a close it’s a great time to celebrate the fantastic work that happens at Kilmer on a daily basis. A huge thank you to the PTA for bringing in lunch, Ben & Jerry’s, and a Kilmer water bottle for all staff members throughout the week!
I shared with staff a few weeks ago that I believe one of the highest forms of praise is peer recognition. There is power when we take a few minutes to write a quick note letting other people know that the work they do does not go unnoticed. I often say public education is too complex to do alone, and there’s value when we express our gratitude towards the work of our colleagues, as well as the impact people have in the building. As a staff we started a system of recognition called “Kilmer Shout Outs.” Within a few days over 50 Shout Out cards were submitted and delivered, and that total continues to climb. One way for you to recognize Kilmer staff is through the FCPS CARES Program. Parents and community members can submit their story to recognize an employee for going above and beyond to help others and show they care. Please consider submitting a story of a Kilmer staff member who has gone above and beyond to support your student.
This past Saturday, the Fairfax County Special Education PTA (SEPTA) recognized teachers including our very own reading teacher Jenny Murphy who was nominated for the Outstanding Secondary Special Education Teacher award. Congratulations, Ms. Murphy! This honor is very well deserved!
Lastly, SOLs start next week. Please see the calendar and blurb below for more information on testing days and procedures.
I hope everyone has a great weekend. As always, reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
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Congratulations to Jenny Murphy! Ms. Murphy is a special education teacher at Kilmer MS, and she was nominated for the 2022-2023 Fairfax County Special Education PTA Award recognizing outstanding achievement in supporting students with disabilities and learning differences in Fairfax County Public Schools.
 Congratulations to our Symphonic Orchestra who performed the National Anthem for the School Board Meeting on May 11! Led by Mr. Katz, the orchestra provided an amazing performance for all, and as you can see above, students were excited to be there!
   From treats in team meetings to meals and goodies from the PTA and administration, it was a great week celebrating our teachers!
SCA Sponsored 8th Grade Starry Night Semi-Formal Dance
This year’s 8th grade semi-formal will be on June 9th from 6 – 8 pm at Kilmer Middle School. Celebrate your amazing time at Kilmer with music, dancing, a photobooth, and dinner. Tickets are $10 and must be purchased at school with cash.
Tickets will be sold
- Before School in the cafeteria on Friday, June 2; Monday, June 5; Tuesday, June 6; Wednesday, June 7; and Thursday, June 8.
- During All Lunches on Tuesday, June 6, Wednesday; June 7; and Thursday, June 8,
Our students have chosen a Starry Night theme. If you have any star themed decorations that you no longer need, SCA would love to use your decorations for the dance this year.
Please contact Ms. Mattix (kmattix1@fcps.edu) and Ms. Spracklin (ecaulestia@fcps.edu) with any questions.
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.
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.
Middle School Athletics Coming This Fall
FCPS has designated funding in the budget for 2023-24 for middle school spring and fall athletic activities to support student well-being at no cost to students. Pending budget adoption, this will be the first time FCPS has offered middle school students a chance to participate in extracurricular sports programs. Middle schools will start with cross country this fall. Track will follow in spring 2024.
Any middle school students who would like to participate in athletics will need to have a Virginia High School League (VHSL) pre-participation examination (PPE). The physical exam form must be completed and signed by a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant. Fairfax County public high schools will offer PPEs at a cost of $50 per student through June 17. Students who receive free or reduced meals are eligible to receive an exam at no cost. Learn more about PPE and middle school athletics.
Social Media Reboot
There is SO MUCH RESEARCH about social media overuse and how it impacts many teens and adults. According to the CDC, kids aged 11-14 spend an average of 9 hours of entertainment screen time each day. According to Pew Research, the majority of teens use social media, 95% use Youtube, 67% use TikTok, etc.
Taking time off social media is a CHALLENGE. Time off one’s device frees time for hanging out with friends in real life, homework or other things you’ve been meaning to try.
Josie Blanton, a former Kilmer student, and a Girl Scout Gold Award recipient, is partnering with the KMS PTA to host the event again after much success last year. One student said: "This is a good reminder we don't need social media."
Social Media REBOOT is coming soon! Mark your calendar to join us on May 31 to PAUSE YOUR SCROLL for just one day. More info coming soon!
Fentanyl Community Meeting
FCPS Summer Programs
Still looking for something to do over the summer? Check out the Kilmer MS Summer Programs Guide for a variety of recreational, academic, and enrichment summer programs available to students in FCPS. Additional information can be found on the FCPS summer learning website
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.
LATE BUS Transportation Ends Thursday, May 25th
Students needing to stay after school following this date must schedule an appointment with their teacher(s). Families are responsible for transportation.
Competition Game: Ingenius - Sat. 5/20 @10AM – 2PM at Luther Jackson Middle School
Ingenius is an abstract tile-placement game in which players take turns placing colored tiles onto a hexagon grid. Score points by strategically placing your tiles to your advantage and keep opponents from scoring by blocking their tile placement.
(1-4 PLAYERS) Game Info > https://www.appianboardgameclub.org/games.html. If interested in competing, see Ms. KK to register a team!
Marshall HS Volleyball Team Clinic @KMS Gym
Time: 3:30 – 4:45 PM (2nd Block)
Broadway Desserts Auditions
- Performance > Fri. 6/02 @7PM
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
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. 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.
SEL Screener Parent Reports
Students in grades 3-12 took the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener in March. The SEL Screener reports will be mailed directly to families in the next week. This website includes both the Parent Report as well as a Family Guide to support you in understanding results and ideas for talking with your student about their results. Both are available in multiple languages. To learn more about SEL and how we support students at school and at home please see the FCPS SEL website. Please reach out to our school counselors, school psychologist or school social worker with any questions.
Course Registration for 2023-2024
Academic Advising for seventh and eighth grade students is now complete. To see the list of courses your child selected for the 2023-2024 school year, please log in to your SIS ParentVUE account and click on the Course Requests tab. Directions for viewing course requests online through ParentVUE are here: Online Course Requests in ParentVue. This list of courses is NOT a schedule, but a confirmation of the courses entered into the student information system.
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Seventh Grade Students: Parents can request to change a course or report an error by contacting their child’s school counselor. All requests must be submitted by email no later than Friday, June 2. Schedule changes will not be accommodated at the start of the school year.
Eighth Grade Students: Kilmer can no longer assist with changes to high school courses. Please contact the office of student services at the high school your child is attending if you have questions about the courses listed in ParentVue.
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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