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A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope all of our students had a relaxing break. Our staff is encouraging them to work hard and finish strong as we enter the final quarter of the 2023-2024 school year.
Next Friday, April 12th, 8th graders will take the IRW (Integrated Reading and Writing) during 4th period. All students will begin taking their SOLs in May. Testing dates can be found below. We are also beginning our SOL Test Prep next week. Leading up to the SOL, English, Math, and Science teachers will be giving students passes to Learning Seminar for targeted review sessions.
Additionally, we have several upcoming events to celebrate the end of the year. Eighth graders will take a field trip to St. James, while seventh graders will participate in our annual Activities Day on Friday, June 7th. Also, 8th grade promotion ceremonies will be held in June by team. Dates can be found below so please mark your calendars. More information will be coming in future newsletters.
Finally, 3rd Quarter report cards are heading home next week. Students will receive a copy of their report card during 7th period on Friday, April 12 and report cards will also be available in ParentVue.
As always, reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
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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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Friday, 4/12: 8th Grade IRW (Integrated Reading and Writing) Test
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Thursday, 5/9: Reading SOLs
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Tuesday, 5/14: Math SOLs
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Friday, 5/17: Science SOL
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Friday, 6/7: 8th Grade Field Trip to St. James & 7th Grade Activities Day
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Monday, 6/10: Guardians (8am) and Pegasus (12:30pm) Team Promotion Ceremonies
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Tuesday, 6/11: Constellations (8am) and Voyagers (12:30pm) Team Promotion Ceremonies
Congratulations to Landon Meng! Landon took learning JavaScript to an all-new level by creating slides to be used to teach advanced skills. Topics covered are for-loops, and/or/not booleans, arrays, and sprite groups. All the writing and code was written by Landon and will be shared with Coding teachers throughout the county. Impressive to say the least!
Course Registration for 24-25
Academic Advising for 7th and 8th grade students is now closed. To see the list of courses your child selected for the 2024-2025 school year, please log in to your SIS ParentVUE account and click on the Course Requests tab. Access directions for viewing course requests here: Online Course Requests. This list of courses is NOT a schedule, but a confirmation of the courses entered into the student information system.
7th Grade Students: Parents can submit a request to change a course or report an error by contacting a Kilmer school counselor by email. All requests must be submitted by email no later than Friday, May 31. Schedule changes will not be accommodated at the start of the school year. When viewing your child’s course selections, please consider the following:
- Music placements will be updated after spring auditions are complete.
- If your child receives special education or ESOL services, courses are subject to change and will be determined based on a student’s English language proficiency level or IEP service hours.
8th Grade Students: Kilmer can no longer assist with changes to high school courses. Please contact the office of student services at the high school your child is attending if you have questions about 9th grade courses.
8th Grade End of Year Events
Save the date for the 8th Grade Team Promotion Ceremonies! More information will be coming soon. If you need to know which team your child is on, please ask your student. It is also listed in SIS in their class schedule.
Solar Eclipse - April 8
A solar eclipse is happening on April 8, 2024. It's a rare and exciting astronomical phenomenon, and one that requires important safety reminders. Looking directly at the sun, even during an eclipse, can permanently damage your eyes.
Here's what you need to know:
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Don't look at the sun without approved eyewear. This applies to students and staff, and we encourage you to reinforce this at home.
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Regular sunglasses are not good enough. The NASA website has more information about eye safety.
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Eclipse timing: The eclipse starts around 2:04 p.m., peaks at 3:20 p.m. (which coincides with dismissal for some students), and ends around 4:32 p.m. Please remind your child to be especially vigilant about eye safety during dismissal. If you have concerns about your child walking or riding the bus home, please arrange for alternative transportation.
For more details, visit the FCPS Solar Eclipse webpage.
April 12 - Bell Schedule
Next Friday, April 12th, 8th graders will take the IRW (Integrated Reading and Writing) during 4th period. All students will begin taking their SOLs in May. Below is the bell schedule
Athletic Physicals
Athletic physicals are required for middle and high school student-athletes. Beginning May 1, 2024, FCPS high schools will offer athletic pre-participation physical exams for students interested in middle school sports during the 2024-25 school year. These events serve as the primary fundraiser for our high school athletic training programs and each exam costs $50. Rising middle school students are eligible to receive a physical at no cost although donations to the HS athletic training program are welcomed.
Pre-registration is highly encouraged; walk-in appointments may not be available. You can register here: Student registration. Once your registration is received, the school’s athletic trainer will contact you to confirm your appointment time. Athletic physical exams must be completed on this form: FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Physical Examination Form (PPE).
If you are a medical professional (MD, DO, NP, PA, ATC, PT, EMT, etc.) interested in volunteering your time in support of these events, please register to help out: Volunteer registration.
Lemon Road Volunteer Opportunity
Lemon Road Elementary’s Spring Fair is April 20th. Kilmer Middle School students are encouraged to volunteer to assist with the event. SignUp Genius Link:
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/4090F4CA4AE2FA5FD0-47599119-lemon
3rd Quarter Grades
The end of 3rd quarter is next Friday, March 22. The gradebook module in SIS StudentVUE and ParentVUE will be unavailable from Friday, March 22 at 4 pm until Monday, April 15 at 6 am. At that time, report cards will be visible in ParentVUE. Students will receive a copy of their 3rd quarter report card during 7th period on Friday, April 12.
Attendance Reminder
Our goal this school year is to partner with families to help minimize the number of days students are absent. We understand each year may present extenuating circumstances that lead to missed days. FCPS has created a Health Flyer for Parents indicating when a parent should keep their child home from school. When planning trips or having your child participate in non-school activities during school hours, please keep in mind that absences add up quickly and these types of absences will be documented as unexcused locally (UNL). The Virginia Department of Education considers students who are absent 10 percent of the school year, or just two days per month, chronically absent. If your child is currently in jeopardy of being identified as chronically absent for the school year, you will receive further communication from our Director of Student Services to develop a plan for helping your child attend school for the remainder of the year. In addition, school counselors will continue to monitor and support students when attendance begins to impact their academic progress and well-being. Please review FCPS Attendance Policies and resources to encourage regular school attendance. Parents can also view their child’s attendance record in SIS ParentVUE.
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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.
TJHSST Math Tutors
Beginning March 4th, Kilmer students will have another opportunity to receive additional support in math. Each Monday from 7:00 am to 7:25 am, 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.
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 Mondays for field event(s) as the season progresses).
Track Events
- 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m
Field Events
Track Meet Dates
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.
Lightspeed Parent Report
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