Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year!
August 7, 2023
Dear Thoreau Families,
We hope that you have read our Welcome Back letter you received in the mail last week. There is something nostalgic about getting a letter in the mail to jump start a new school year. Please note that all future communication from me will be in the form of this weekly newsletter called “Thoreau Matters.” It will be sent at the end of each week and contains all of the important information and announcements regarding Thoreau Middle School. Please read below for important back to school information. It is a lot of information, but it helps to answer many of the commonly asked questions that arise as we prepare to open the new school year. Additionally we are adding answers to frequently asked questions on our website: https://thoreaums.fcps.edu/
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! It is going to be a great year!
Sincerely,
Teresa Khuluki
Principal
Student Schedules
We look forward to welcoming everyone back in just 2 weeks! Over the course of the next few weeks, counselors will be working on resolving schedule conflicts and will be reaching out to those students who are impacted. In the meantime, any schedules found on 3rd party applications (such as Talking points, NoRed Ink, Clever, etc.) are not official and may well be adjusted. Official schedules will be available in SIS (StudentVue and ParentVue) as of 6am on Thursday, August 17th. We ask that you kindly wait until official schedules become available in SIS before reaching out as there is a tremendous amount of work remaining in the scheduling process.
Enjoy the last few days of summer and we’ll see you very soon!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Aguilar
Director of Student Services
Orientation and Open House Information
New Parent Orientation: Wednesday, August 16, 9:00 AM VIRTUAL
Please join the Thoreau Administration for a virtual parent coffee to learn more about Thoreau policies, initiatives and Q&A! The link for the webinar will be sent to all families closer to the event.
New Student Orientation: Thursday, August 17, 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Students new to Thoreau Middle School (to include all 7th grade students and 8th grade students new to Thoreau) will have an opportunity to follow their class schedule and meet their teachers. This event is for students only; parents are welcome to join their students later in the day at our Open House event detailed below.
Transportation to/from New Student Orientation:
Buses will depart from the following locations at the times listed below:
Cunningham Park Elementary 8:45 AM
Flint Hill Elementary 8:40 AM
Louise Archer Elementary 8:40 AM
Marshall Road Elementary 8:40 AM
Mosaic Elementary 8:30 AM
Oakton Elementary 8:30 AM
Stenwood Elementary 8:40 AM
Vienna Elementary 8:40 AM
Please plan on arriving at the elementary school approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled bus departure time. If your elementary school is not listed, you may go to the nearest school from the above list. Buses will depart
at approximately 11:30 AM to return students to their local elementary school. If you are planning to drop your child off at Thoreau please follow the Kiss n’ Ride signs to Door 12.
Open House: Thursday, August 17, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
All Thoreau Middle School students and families are invited to join us for our open house
where you will be able to:
★ Pick up a copy of your class schedule
★ Learn about after school programs and activities
★ Drop off medical forms and medications
★ Pick up pre-ordered school supply kits from our PTA
★ Use MySchoolBucks to pay class fees or add money to your child’s lunch account
★ Walk the building to locate your classes and meet your teachers
In preparation for New Student Orientation and the First Day of School...
Student schedules will be available in StudentVue and ParentVue at 6:00 AM on Thursday, August 17th. Please log in and note your child's 1st Period class and room number as this is where they will pick up a copy of their schedule.
Staff will also be available at school to assist any students unable to log in for any reason!
Join the Thoreau PTA
As you prepare for the new school year, please consider joining the Thoreau PTA. Memberships are $15 for one adult and $25 for a family membership for two adults. More info can be found here. We would also very much appreciate a one-time donation of $50 per family as part of our No-Fuss Fundraiser. Your membership and donation are both tax-deductible, and they help the PTA support the teachers, staff, and students in our Thoreau community. Please see the PTA website: http://thoreaupta.org/ which includes the link to the PTA Facebook page.
SIS ParentVue
Access your student’s attendance records, grades, and assignments at any time with SIS ParentVUE. Caregivers should receive an activation code when they register their child. Once you have activated a ParentVUE account for an FCPS student, you will keep the same account until the student graduates. Information about students in the same family can be accessed through the same ParentVUE account. Access SIS ParentVUE by using an app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android devices. Need help creating a SIS ParentVUE account? This video walks through the steps. Find out more about SIS ParentVUE.
New School Year, New Strategic Plan
August not only marks the start of a new school year for FCPS, but our division is now officially being guided by our new 2023-30 strategic plan. This student-centered plan serves as our North Star for how teachers and staff will continue to ensure excellence, equity, and opportunity for each and every student. Our students are preparing for careers that don’t exist today! In order to keep pace with their needs, we have reimagined our plans for the future and how to best serve our students in this new era.
Need a refresher on the strategic plan pillars, goals, and measures before school begins? View the Strategic Plan webpage.
weCare@School Transition
As we continue to streamline FCPS applications and systems, FCPS has retired weCare@School at the end of last school year and will be moving that process into SIS ParentVUE. Parents will be able to log into ParentVUE to update emergency contacts, phone numbers, and student health conditions. The process should be much simpler for parents and easier for schools to access.
Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications Available
According to the Centers for Disease Control, eating breakfast at school is associated with better attendance rates, fewer missed school days, and better test scores. Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals receive breakfast and lunch at school at no cost. Families in FCPS that are earning less than 185% of the poverty level can receive meals for their students at no cost. Families should complete the application before the start of each school year. Approved applications may also qualify students for additional benefits. Apply on the Free and Reduced-Price Meals webpage.
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