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A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
This past week was National School Counselor Week. I’m grateful for the work our Student Services team does on a daily basis. They help create a culture of success for all of our students through counseling, assisting students with academic strategies, collaborating with our teachers and families, and so much more. Please consider sending our counselors a thank you for all that they do.
I’m pleased to announce our new assistant principal, Emily Castro. Ms. Castro will be joining us on Tuesday, February 20th. Emily joined FCPS in 2016 as a high school math teacher. In addition to teaching math, Emily served as the Math Department Chair and the Student Government Association sponsor at Justice High School and Lake Braddock High School. Over the past three years, Emily served as the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and Social-Emotional Learning Coordinator for Lake Braddock Middle and High Schools. This Fall, Emily served as an Assistant Principal at Laurel Ridge Elementary School, overseeing their special education services site. Emily earned her B.S. in Mathematics and M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from Virginia Tech. Emily lives in D.C. and enjoys traveling with her husband, cheering on her favorite football teams, and spending time with friends.
A reminder, we’ve rescheduled the Marshall IB Night at Kilmer for this upcoming Thursday, February 15 from 5-6 PM. Also, students will receive their printed report cards on Monday afternoon so be on the lookout.
Lastly, now’s the time to sign up for our inaugural Track & Field season. More information can be found below under “Important Information.”
As always, reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
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 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.
Congratulations to Kilmer students who made the District XII All-District Middle School Band!
- Front Row (left to right): Emily Ackerman, Henry Wang, Savannah Weise, Lily Davison, Jessica Malcov, Arushi Pathak, Jordan Douglas, Jasper Diffell
- Back Row: Kevin Kosumi, Samuel Zhang, Josh Fields, Haakon Anderson, Miriam Willis, Jayden Naughton
Welcome, Emily Castro - Assistant Principal
Emily Castro is excited to be joining the Kilmer community as the new Assistant Principal on Tuesday, February 20th. Emily joined FCPS in 2016 as a high school math teacher. Emily taught math, served as the math department chair, and was the Student Government Association sponsor at Justice High School and Lake Braddock High School. Over the past three years, Emily served as the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and Social-Emotional Learning Coordinator for Lake Braddock Middle and High Schools. This Fall, Emily served as an Assistant Principal at Laurel Ridge Elementary School, overseeing their special education services site. Emily earned her B.S. in Mathematics and M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from Virginia Tech. Emily lives in D.C. and enjoys traveling with her husband, cheering on her favorite football teams, and spending time with friends.
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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
What Is Required to Participate?
Students and parents will need to complete several steps prior to participating in middle school sports, including:
2nd Quarter Report Cards
Second quarter report cards are now available in SIS ParentVUE. A copy of your child’s report card will be sent home on Monday, February 12.
Upcoming 2024-2025 Course Registration Curriculum Events
8th Grade Students attending Marshall High School for 9th Grade:
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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.
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.
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. Students and parents can view course requests through SIS StudentVUE and ParentVUE. If a student or parent has questions about course requests, please contact the school counselor. Access directions for viewing course requests here: Online Course Requests.
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.
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
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