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A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
January’s school schedule is always a bit choppy with the holidays and end of the quarter, and the Snow Days and two-hour late start last week complicated it even further. Although, I’m sure most students weren’t complaining.🙂 A reminder that our Green/Blue schedule does not change when we have Snow Days. The Green or Blue day is skipped and we stick to our original Green/Blue schedule. Also, when we have a two-hour delay due to weather, our modified schedule is always available on the website, as well as a few other schedule variations. If you’re interested, our schedules can be found HERE.
On that note, we have our second early release day this week on Thursday, January 25. Students will be released at 12:15 pm, and we have revised our bell schedule to include a grab ‘n go lunch at the end of the day. The last period has an extra 10 minutes to allow students buying lunch to be dismissed from class on a staggered basis to go to the cafeteria. They will then go directly to their buses or kiss-and-ride.
Lastly, at the start of each quarter, students may be assigned to a new Learning Seminar for various reasons including opportunities for additional remediation in math or English. Any student who has a change to their learning seminar will remain with one of their teachers. On Monday, January 29, students can view their schedule in SIS Studentvue to see if their 4th period Learning Seminar has changed. Students with a schedule change will receive a new schedule prior to 4th period.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and we look forward to seeing students tomorrow. As always, reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
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- February 15 - IB Information Night at Kilmer Middle school, 5-6 pm (Rescheduled from January 16). For more information, see course registration curriculum events under important information.
  A huge thank you to Kilmer’s custodial crew. Although staff and students enjoyed a Snow Day on Tuesday and Friday, our custodians were here clearing the walkways, sidewalks, and driveways.
 Students applied the volleyball skills they have been learning in actual games this past week.
Congratulations - District 12 All-District Band
The District 12 All-District Band Auditions took place on Saturday, 1/13 and the results are in! Congratulations to the following Symphonic Band students who earned membership into the District 12 All-District Band, which will be held at Oakton High School on February 1-3:
- Arushi P. – flute
- Jessica M. – bassoon
- Josh F. – clarinet
- Sam Z. – clarinet
- Lily D. – clarinet
- Henry W. – clarinet
- Emily A. – clarinet
- Jordan D. – bass clarinet
- Haakon A. – alto sax
- Savannah W. – French horn
- Kevin K. – tuba
- Jayden N. – percussion
The following students are alternates and will be “called up” to play if needed:
- Simon T. – flute
- Kavya T. – flute
- Mariana D. C. – bass clarinet
- Sophia L. – alto sax
- Ashley S. – tenor sax
- Roark G. – baritone sax
- Miriam W. – trumpet
- Praveer S. – trombone
- Beakal A. – euphonium
- Sasha R. - percussion
Congratulations to Junior District Honors Orchestra
We had 7 Kilmer Students who participated in the Junior District Honors Orchestra last weekend at Langley High School. Pictured from left to right we have: Kai Zinner, Ben Woerdehoff, Claire Goaslind, Kate Kim, Sarah Wang, Jeremiah Yeh, and Jakob Donovan
Learning Seminar Changes
At the start of each quarter, students may be assigned to a new Learning Seminar for various reasons including opportunities for additional remediation in math or English. Any student who has a change to their learning seminar will remain with one of their teachers. On Monday, January 29, students can view their schedule in SIS Studentvue to see if their 4th period Learning Seminar has changed. Students with a schedule change will receive a new schedule prior to 4th period.
Health and Physical Education FLE Announcement
Instruction of the Human Growth and Development unit (gender separate) will take place from January 29th through February 1st during HPE class. Instruction of the Emotional and Social Health unit will take place during regular health class during the 3rd quarter.
If you choose to opt your student out of any or all of these lessons, please fill out the opt out form for your student’s grade level and have your student return the form to Ms. Wood in student services: FLE opt out forms.
To view the lessons in both FLE units please login to Schoology and click on the All Parents/Guardians course. On that page there is a folder called Parent Preview - FLE Instruction with the FLE lessons. If you have any questions, please contact your student’s HPE teacher.
Upcoming 2024-2025 Course Registration Curriculum Events
Eighth Grade Students attending Marshall High School for Ninth Grade:
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February 8 - Marshall High School counselors visit Kilmer to speak with eighth grade students attending Marshall for ninth grade.
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February 8 - Marshall High School Rising 9th Grade Orientation, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
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February 15 - Marshall High School IB Information Night, 5:00 pm at Kilmer Cafeteria
- Kilmer Middle School has rescheduled the Marshall High School IB Information Night for Thursday, February 15 at 5:00 pm in the Kilmer Middle School Cafeteria. IB Coordinators are excited to visit and meet Kilmer’s community to give an overview of the IB Program at Marshall and its prerequisites. There will also be student speakers sharing their experiences about different aspects of the IB program. IB coordinators and Marshall students look forward to answering questions the Kilmer community may have about the program.
Eighth Grade Students attending Madison High School for Ninth Grade:
- Students and parents can visit the Madison High School Academic Advising google site to learn more about course options for ninth grade and view slides from the Rising 9th grade curriculum Night.
Seventh Grade Course Registration Events:
- Rising 8th Grade Algebra Night – Tuesday, January 30, 2024 from 5pm – 6pm
- Kilmer Middle School’s math department is holding an informational session to discuss the pathways available for students to take Algebra or Algebra Honors next school year. Families and students who are currently enrolled in Math 7 or Math 7 Honors are encouraged to attend. The event will include information about the Algebra courses, summer opportunities and the ability to ask questions/speak directly with Kilmer’s math teachers. Please note: this session is not for 7th grade students who are currently enrolled in Algebra.
Academic Advising for 7th and 8th Grade Students:
To assist with course selection, a school-wide course kick-off for the 2024-2025 school year will take place on January 31 and February 1. During this time teachers in all classes will present course options connected to their content for the next grade level. Following the course kick-off students will participate in a one on one academic advising session with their school counselor to finalize course selections for the 2024-2025 school year.
For more information about course registration timelines for seventh and eighth grade students, please visit our Course Registration and Curriculum Resource page on the Kilmer Website.
End of Quarter SIS StudentVue and ParentVue Availability
The SIS StudentVUE and ParentVue Gradebook module will be unavailable from Thursday, January 25 at 4 pm to Monday February 5 at 6 am to allow for teachers to complete their second quarter grades.
Second Semester Schedules
Students can view their second semester schedules on Friday, January 26 at 4 pm in SIS StudentVUE. Students with new semester electives will begin these courses on Monday, January 29. The new elective on your child’s schedule is one of the electives your child selected last spring. We cannot accommodate course changes at this point in the school year. A request to change an elective would impact other classes and most elective classes are at capacity.
Early Release Bell Schedule
We have our second early release day on Thursday, January 25, and have revised our bell schedule to include a grab ‘n go lunch at the end of the day. The last period has an extra 10 minutes to allow students buying lunch to be dismissed from class on a staggered basis to go to the cafeteria. They will then go directly to their buses or kiss-and-ride.
After School Activities News/Updates
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. If you have any questions regarding our After School Program please reach out to Kim Kardelis (After School Specialist) at kckardelis@fcps.edu.
Lightspeed on Student Computers
As part of our commitment to creating a safe and focused learning environment for your children, we are excited to introduce a new tool that our teachers will utilize: Lightspeed Software.
Here are some key benefits of Lightspeed Software:
- Enhanced Focus: With real-time monitoring capabilities, teachers can closely monitor students' laptop activities during class. This helps ensure students stay engaged with the lesson material and minimize distractions.
- Support for Individualized Learning: Lightspeed Software allows teachers to tailor their approach to individual student needs. Educators can provide personalized support by understanding how each student interacts with digital resources, ensuring that every student receives the attention and guidance they require. They can create groups and push out websites and tasks targeted to students’ needs, whether researching for a project or reviewing for a test.
- Silent Assistance Signals and Check-Ins: One of the unique features of Lightspeed Software is the ability for students to signal when they need assistance silently. This ensures that students feel comfortable seeking help without disrupting the class flow. Teachers can also send out polls, reminders, and check-ins for students as a class or individually.
- Restricting Access to the Web: Teachers can turn off or pause internet access and restrict students to specific sites during school hours. This, again, ensures students are focused on learning and minimizes distractions.
We understand the importance of balancing technology in education with maintaining a focused and secure learning environment. Lightspeed Software is designed with these considerations in mind, and it will contribute significantly to the overall success of our students.
Student laptops will only be monitored during school hours. The regular filters remain in place on school devices, but once they are home, teachers cannot monitor your students. As parents, we would like to encourage you to sign up for your own Lightspeed reports, which will allow you to see how your child is spending time on the computer during and after school hours.
Yearbook
Did you purchase your 2023-2024 yearbook yet? Yearbooks are currently on sale! Once we get the final count of pre-sale books, we may not have any extra to sell at the end of the year, so guarantee yours today before it’s too late. Click here to Purchase a yearbook
Lightspeed Parent Report
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