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A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
There is always a lot going on in the Spring, especially in schools. At Kilmer, we work hard to walk a line between focusing on the here and now, while also previewing (and getting kids excited about) next year. An example of this is our current focus on motivating students to finish the last three weeks of the 3rd quarter strong, while also preparing for Kilmer’s Spring Musical - Legally Blonde, Cross Town Hoops, and our upcoming Spirit Week. We are simultaneously providing academic advising for next year, planning to take our 8th graders to Marshall and Madison for Activities Day, and sharing information about freshman sports for next year. With this in mind, each week I’ll highlight various programs, events, and information in this newsletter to ensure all the information is in one place.
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.
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Monday, March 4 - Students will participate in the SEL Screener during Learning Seminar. Additional details are listed under important information.
- Kilmer’s Spring Musical - Legally Blonde
- March 13 - Student performance, 2:30 pm in the cafeteria
- March 15 - 7 pm in the cafeteria
- March 16 - 2 pm & 7 pm in the cafeteria
Science 7 launched March Mammal Madness. Students will research an animal to learn about classification of mammals. They will compete in a bracket through the next month.
Thank you so much for the PTA provided lunch for all staff!
Middle School Track & Field
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 March 12th and held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week (with a possible additional practice on Monday’s for field event(s) as the season progresses).
There will be an interest meeting Thursday, March 7th from 4:30-5:00 pm in-person at Kilmer for families. Open to all - No experience required!
Track Events
- 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m
Field Events
Track Meet Dates
Math Spirit Week
March 14 - Bell Schedule Change
I wanted to bring to your attention a schedule change to Thursday, March 14th. With our current calendar 8th graders will be missing two Green Days in the upcoming weeks. First, when March 5th was flipped to a Virtual School Planning Day, FCPS stated that March 5th should be treated like a “snow day” and the A/B calendar was not updated. Additionally, March 15th is 8th Grade Activities Day at Marshall and Madison, and our 8th graders will be gone for a majority of the day. Both March 5th and March 15th are Green Days, and with an already shorter 3rd quarter (compared to other quarters) this eliminates a substantial amount of instructional time for Green Day classes. To help with the imbalance created by March 5 and March 15th, we are changing Thursday, March 14th to a straight day schedule (meaning all classes will meet that day). The exact schedule will be shared with students next week
Rising 9th Grade Activities Fair Field Trips
8th Grade Students attending Marshall or Madison HS will receive a permission form in SCIENCE in the coming weeks to attend an Activities Fair on Friday, March 15th. Participants will receive information about athletics, fine arts, and extracurricular opportunities available to them next year. Completed forms with Student and Guardian/Parent signatures should be turned in through SCIENCE or to Main Office no later than March 7th. Students on the Marshall trip will have Lunch at Marshall - $3.50 Cash, those on the Madison trip will eat when they return to Kilmer.
2024-2025 Course Registration
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 information, timelines, and curriculum resources for seventh and eighth grade students, please visit our Course Registration and Curriculum Resource page on the Kilmer Website. High school resources for Marshall and Madison High School are included on this page as well.
Spring SEL Screener
FCPS is committed to supporting all students’ mental wellness and social and emotional learning. FCPS approved a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener that students use to share their perspectives on how well their school and community help them develop skills they need to succeed. All students in grades 3-12 have the opportunity to participate in the screener twice a year during the fall and spring.
Students will participate in the Spring SEL Screener during fourth period Learning Seminar on Monday, March 4. Students who have opted out, will not have access to the screener. Opt-outs are submitted one time each year. Therefore, the Opt-outs submitted prior to the fall screener will remain in place for the spring screener.
For more information about the SEL Screener and access to its content, please click on the following link: Social Emotional Learning Screener (SEL).
Volunteer Opportunity for Lemon Road Elementary School
Lemon Road’s annual basketball game is coming up on March 15th at Marshall High School and the Lemon Road PTA is hoping some Kilmer students might be interested in volunteering and earning service hours. Please use the following link to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4CA4AE2FA5FD0-47599128-basketball?useFullSite=true#/
Freshman Football at Madison High School
Driving on Wolftrap
We’ve received concerns from the surrounding community about Kilmer drivers exiting onto Wolftrap Rd without checking for oncoming traffic. There have been several near accidents. Please be sure to look both ways when exiting Kilmer’s parking lot and please do not assume that cars traveling on Wolftrap are turning into the Kilmer Parking Lot. Let’s keep our students, families and community members safe.
TJHSST Math Tutors
Beginning March 4th, Kilmer students will have another opportunity to receive additional support in math. Each Monday from 7:00am to 7:25am, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology students will be available for math tutoring in the math modular. All Kilmer students are welcome to attend.
Family Engagement Survey: March 3-22
Fairfax County Public Schools will administer our third Family Engagement Survey from Sunday, March 3 - Friday, March 22. The survey is designed to gather data to better recognize, understand, respect, and address family strengths and needs in our school community. The survey will also be used to measure our current success with family engagement and allow us to deepen that engagement and continue building trust while empowering families to support their students’ success.
Families will receive an email from K12 Insight to complete the survey. It will be available in English, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Pashto, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Paper surveys, translated into these nine languages, will be available at each school. There will also be a public link on the FCPS website for families to access the survey.
All responses will be confidential. No personally identifiable information will be shared with school or district staff. Survey results will be used to develop a plan to improve family and school partnerships throughout the division to support student success
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 Parent Report
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