|
A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
On Wednesday, we hosted our Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night. It is one of my favorite events of the year because the energy is palpable from our rising 7th graders and their families. Also, we had many current 7th and 8th graders working as part of our new Student Ambassador program and it’s a testament to what middle schoolers can do when given the opportunity. The Student Ambassadors were answering questions, talking with rising 7th graders, and helped to guide families around the building. I was stopped by countless parents who complimented our current Kilmer students and the work they were doing as Student Ambassadors.
It’s hard to believe that in February (and with half of the school year left) we start planning for next year. Just as we hosted rising 7th graders this past week, Marshall Counselors will be coming to Kilmer on Thursday to preview course options for our 8th graders going to high school. Kilmer’s counselors work closely with Marshall (and Madison) counselors to ensure our 8th graders have all the information they need when selecting their courses for next year. Please reach out to our counselors if you have any questions.
Lastly, we’ve rescheduled the Marshall IB Night at Kilmer for Thursday, February 15 from 5-6 PM.
As always, reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
|
 |
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.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night this past week! The building was packed with Rising 7th graders and their families.
Kilmer’s Track & Field Team
Kilmer is hosting its first Track & Field season this Spring as a part of the FCPS Middle School Athletics Program! Practices will be held after school beginning in March before Spring Break (schedule/details coming soon). Open to all students - No experience required!
- Track Events: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m
- Field Events: Long Jump and Shot Put
- Track Meets begin in April and each team will have four (rain date is first week in May)
What Is Required to Participate?
Students and parents will need to complete several steps prior to participating in middle school sports, including:
Forms must be submitted to Ms. Kardelis, After-School Program Specialist. You can email forms to kckardelis@fcps.edu or drop them off in the main office.
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. A copy of your child’s report card will be sent home on Friday, February 9.
Upcoming 2024-2025 Course Registration Curriculum Events
8th Grade Students attending Marshall High School for 9th Grade:
-
February 8 - Marshall High School counselors visit Kilmer to speak with eighth grade students attending Marshall for ninth grade. Students will be assigned to a session either 3rd or 4th period to meet with their ninth grade school counselor to learn more about course options and the transition to high school. Assigned sessions will be shared with students next week.
-
February 9 - After meeting with Marshall school counselors and attending the Rising 9th Grade Orientation at Marshall High School, eighth grade students will select their initial courses for ninth grade in SIS StudentVUE on Friday, February 9.
-
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.
8th Grade Students attending Madison High School for 9th 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. Initial course selection took place in January. Kilmer school counselors will continue to meet one on one with students to finalize courses.
7th Grade Students - Course Options for 8th Grade
- A school-wide course kick off for the 2024-2025 school year took place on Wednesday and Thursday this past week. During this time teachers in all classes shared course options connected to their content for the next grade level. Following the course kick-off, seventh grade students selected their initial courses in SIS StudentVUE.
- To learn more about course options for eighth grade students view the online Eighth Grade Course Catalog and view Course Videos created by Kilmer teachers.
Academic Advising for 7th and 8th Grade Students:
All students will participate in one-on-one academic advising sessions with their Kilmer school counselor to finalize course selections for the 2024-2025 school year. Academic Advising sessions will take place February-March.
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.
Lexia Update
As part of an FCPS initiative, students complete 15 minutes of Lexia Power Up or Lexia Core5 in their English Language Arts (ELA) block. Lexia is an evidence-based, computer-based program that adapts instruction to meet the needs of learners in the categories of grammar, word study, and comprehension. With the start of 3rd Quarter, grading categories have been adjusted for 7th grade English Language Arts (ELA): Assessment 50 percent, Evidence 30 percent, Practice 10 percent, and Lexia 10 Percent.
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
|
