A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
Each week I’ll send out a newsletter on Friday afternoons sharing highlights from the week and important information and updates. If you have received this message you’re already signed up for our weekly newsletter, but please share THIS link with others who may want to receive Kilmer’s weekly newsletter.
This summer we’ve been hard at work preparing to welcome staff and students for the 2024-25 school year. As a reminder,
registration is OPEN for our Rising 7th Grade Shifting Gears Program scheduled for August 7th or 8th (The afternoon session on August 8th is full) from 8 AM - 12 PM. These are identical Shifting Gears sessions, and students should only attend one session. Shifting Gears is a transition program offered for ALL rising 7th grade students at Kilmer Middle School. Students will get to meet students from other elementary schools, familiarize themselves with Kilmer’s campus, receive their FCPS laptop, and learn what it’s like to be a middle school student. If you haven’t already, please access this link to select the session that works best with your child’s summer schedule.
Lastly, don’t forget about Kilmer’s Open House on Thursday, August 15. We are strongly encouraging 7th grade students to attend between 2:00-4:00 pm and 8th grade students to attend between 4:00-5:00 pm. We recognize there may be students who are siblings or extenuating circumstances preventing a student from attending during their designated time. We would like families to follow these timeframes to the greatest extent possible, but understand if you must come at a different time because of family schedules/commitments.
Have a great weekend. As always, reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
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Upcoming Dates:
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August 15 - Open House for 7th & 8th grade, 2-5 PM.
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August 30 & September 2 - Labor Day, 4-day weekend
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September 5 - Save the Date! Back-to-School Night at Kilmer MS, more details to follow.
- FCPS School Calendar 2024-25
Last call for Shifting Gears!
Shifting Gears is our 7th grade orientation program that takes place on August 7th and 8th. We still have slots available for Session1 (August 7 from 8 am – 12 pm) and Session 2 ( August 8 from 8 am -12 pm). Session 3 is full. Shifting Gears is a transition program that will be offered this summer for ALL rising seventh grade students at Kilmer Middle School. At Shifting Gears, students will get to meet students from other elementary schools, become comfortable with Kilmer’s campus, and learn what it’s like to be a middle school student. Through fun activities and informative lessons, the program will focus on helping students with the transition to middle school and alleviate concerns students may have. There are three 4-hour Shifting Gears sessions available this summer. Students can only attend one session. Registration is now open on Kilmer's website, or using THIS link.
8th Grade Student Volunteers Needed for Shifting Gears
Next week, we will host Shifting Gears, our 7th grade orientation program. To ensure the program runs smoothly, we have several rising 8th grade volunteers helping during each session. Mr. Prevost is still seeking a few more volunteers.
We need additional help for:
- Session 1 on August 7 (8 am – 12 pm)
- Both sessions on August 8 (8 am – 12 pm and 12 pm – 4 pm)
Bus transportation will be available if needed to and from our feeder elementary school each day. Students who volunteer will earn service hours. If your student is interested, please have them contact Mr. Prevost at pmprevost@fcps.edu by Monday, August 5, at 3 pm.
Kilmer Open House and Class Schedules
Kilmer’s Open House sets an inviting atmosphere and welcoming tone for the school year. We will hold one Open House event for both grade levels on Thursday, August 17 from 2:00-5:00 pm. We are encouraging 7th grade students and families to attend the event between 2:00 - 4:00 pm and 8th grade students and families to attend between 4:00 - 5:00 pm. During our Open House event, students will pick up their FCPS laptop, locate their classes throughout the building, and meet Kilmer staff. The clinic will also be open to drop off medications.
Students can view their class schedule prior to the open house through SIS StudentVUE beginning at 6:00 am on Thursday, August 15. StudentVue can be accessed through students FCPS laptop or through the SIS StudentVUE mobile app. Class schedules will also be visible for parents in SIS ParentVUE. Please add the mobile apps to your phones prior to the open house to assist your child with locating their classes. School maps will also be available.
Updating Student information through SIS ParentVUE
The Online Verification Update (OVU) packet in SIS ParentVUE allows parents to review and update phone numbers, emergency contacts, and health information (such as health conditions and immunizations). The enrolling parent can access OVU through their SIS ParentVUE account. Parents/Guardians can continue to use traditional paper forms to submit changes to Kilmer Middle School. Paper forms can be submitted to the Kilmer Student Services Office.
Important: Do not use the OVU packet if your address has changed or if you moved to another FCPS school. Contact the Kilmer Student Services Office directly to complete address updates or to withdraw and transfer your student to the new school.
7th Grade Immunization Requirement
All students entering 7th grade will be required to receive one dose of each of the following immunizations prior to the beginning of school: Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis booster (Tdap), Meningococcal vaccine (MenACWY) and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
- To meet the Meningococcal (MenACWY) requirement, the vaccination must be administered at age 10 or older.
- As a parent/guardian, you may decide that your child not receive the HPV vaccination. The school does not require documentation if a parent/guardian elects for their student not to receive the HPV vaccination.
If you have not submitted immunization documentation to your child’s elementary school this past spring or to Kilmer Middle School this summer, please submit an updated immunization record showing that your child has received the missing immunization(s).
If you have questions regarding your child’s immunization status, please contact Gail Wood, Student Services Assistant at gmwood@fcps.edu .
2024-2025 School Supplies
Kilmer Middle School will provide every student with:
- A Chromebook laptop
- Laptop case
- Laptop charger
- Wired headphones*
*Students are welcome to bring in a personal pair of wired headphones to use. Students will not be permitted to use bluetooth devices or wireless earbuds with school laptops or personal devices during the school day. Kilmer will provide wired headphones to all students.
Below is a general list of school supplies we recommend students start the year off with. Each teacher will share the supplies needed for their course during the first week of school and students will have until September 3 to bring those items in. If you are in need of school supplies and/or a backpack, please contact our Family Liaison, Jessica Rosas Diego (jrosasdiego@fcps.edu).
- Backpack
- Water bottle
- Lined loose-leaf paper
- Spiral notebook
- Folder
- Pens (blue, black)
- Pencils
- Post-it notes
- Ruler
- Highlighter
Securly Pass
Our biggest priority at Kilmer is the safety of all of our students, including knowing where students are in case of emergencies. To support us in this work, Kilmer, along with many schools across FCPS, will be implementing Securly Pass for the 2024-2025 school year.
Securly Pass is an online platform that allows Kilmer staff to issue hall passes to students anytime they need to leave a classroom. This new platform helps us to manage how many students are in the hallways during the school day, helps us keep students in the classroom during essential instruction, and creates a safe environment for our students.
Students are able to access Securly Pass through their school-issued device using any web browser. Students may request a pass to leave the classroom or request an appointment with a staff member (counselor, administrator, clinic team, etc.). Staff are able to automatically approve the passes quickly, with limited impact on the instruction of the classroom.
Students will have three hall passes per day for their personal use but can request additional passes from their teachers if the need arises. While students are out of the classroom, the pass system monitors how long they are gone so that teachers can focus on the remaining students in the classroom. Our administrative team and security staff are able to monitor active hall passes building wide to ensure we are able to provide effective supervision in appropriate areas.
Bell Schedule
Link to the bell schedule on the Kilmer Website (PDF link included on the site for families who want to download and/or print)
Parent Digital Consent - Forms
Beginning August 1, many of the parental consent and opt-out forms will be made available through a new Parent Digital Consent System. A parent or guardian will need to log-in using their SIS ParentVue username (email address) and password. If you have just registered your SIS ParentVUE account you will need to wait 24 hours before you can log in to the Digital Consent System. The SIS ParentVUE Account Overview page has information about registration and how to get support with your account.
Some forms in the system are required (like the Digital Resource Consent), while others, like the Family Education Opt-out form, are optional. If you have more than one child in FCPS, you must fill out the forms for each.
Cell Phones
Earlier this week, Kilmer families received an email about our school’s participation in FCPS’ cell phone storage pilot program. Kilmer is not one of the identified middle schools using Yondr pouches to secure cell phones during the school day, but is part of the “control group” implementing FCPS’ current cell phone usage policy. Middle schools in the control group will be focused on consistent implementation of the policy and documentation in SIS. Under the policy cell phones, tablets, and accessories like airpods must be off and away (in a backpack or locker) from 7:30am-2:15pm. As part of the first few weeks of school, we will support learning around these expectations and routines with our teachers and students. We will also provide opportunities to partner and communicate with our families about how this will look at Kilmer. Below you can see a snapshot of what to expect when a student’s phone is confiscated when not following the “off and away” expectation during the school day:
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Marshall Pyramid Statement
The Marshall Pyramid principals are committed to cultivating a culture of belonging in which all students are valued and their strengths and interests are developed to achieve academic excellence. We model what we ask our staff and students to do with each other as principals.
- We collaborate and problem solve.
- We focus on creating trusting partnerships.
- We make connections and build relationships.
Each school in the Marshall Pyramid is actively committed to building a pre-K through 12th grade framework for our students that embodies educational excellence and a culture of belonging. We look forward to continuing to partner with our students, staff, families, and community in this endeavor and wish everyone a continued safe and happy school year.
Multilingual Learners Summit
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