|
A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
This week I was reminded of how middle school students meet expectations when we clearly define the standard, support them along the way, and hold them accountable. A few weeks ago, we began implementing Tardy Sweeps (unannounced) to ensure our students get to class on time and ready to learn. I’m happy to report that most of our Tardy Sweeps (again, these are unannounced) result in ZERO students being tardy. In a school of 1,200 students, this is a great accomplishment. I’m proud of our students and their commitment to doing the right thing, and being ready to learn!
This past Tuesday, members of FCPS’s Senior Leadership Team came to Kilmer to conduct Instructional Rounds. Senior Leadership is visiting schools throughout the county this year to align themselves around instructional practices. We were excited to be selected as one of the host schools. The Leadership Team was excited to see Kilmer teachers and students in action as they visited a total of sixteen classrooms across both grade levels.
Although students are off today, our staff is hard at work wrapping up the end of the 2nd quarter (1st Semester). Monday is the first day of the second semester, and many students will be starting a new semester elective course. In addition, many students will have a new Learning Seminar class. We have been communicating with students to check their schedules in SIS, and on Monday, we’ll assist students with their new schedules (if applicable) by making announcements throughout the day.
Lastly, there will be NO Afterschool Activities or Late Bus Transportation on Wednesday, January 31st – students must depart at 2:15 PM (regular dismissal) so we can prepare for the Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night.
As always, reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
|
 |
Note: At Kilmer, we have “Green Days ” and “Blue Days.” On “Green Days” students attend periods 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, and on “Blue Days” students attend periods 2, 3, 4, 6, 8.
- 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.
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.
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.
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 quarter report cards will be available in SIS ParentVUE on February 5 at 6 am.
Upcoming 2024-2025 Course Registration Curriculum Events
Eighth Grade Students attending Marshall High School for Ninth Grade:
-
February 8 - Marshall High School counselors visit Kilmer to speak with eighth grade students attending Marshall for ninth grade.
-
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 Event:
-
Rising 8th Grade Algebra Night – Tuesday, January 30, 2024 from 5pm – 6pm
- 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 select their initial courses in SIS StudentVUE and 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.
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.
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.
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.
Lightspeed Parent Report
|
