Kilmer Community,
As I mentioned last week, we started a new initiative with Positive Referrals to celebrate positive behavior demonstrated by our students. It’s rewarding to recognize students who make such a positive impact on our school community. Each Friday, students who receive a Positive Referral throughout the week are invited to pick up a reward during lunch. Starting this week, I will highlight just a few of the Positive Referrals submitted by staff for our students in the weekly newsletter (see below).
Also, don’t forget about Back-to-School Night next Thursday, September 5, from 6-8 PM. There’s a lot of information below including a period-by-period bell schedule, as well as a guide to access your child’s schedule beforehand. We look forward to seeing you there!
I hope you have a great long weekend. As always, reach out if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
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Here are just a few of the Positive Referrals received by our Kilmer Cougars from staff members this week!
Neema O. - Neema's class came from English to the Library for orientation. She was one of the last to arrive in the library and had her hands full with things that her peers had left in the classroom as they hurried out -- one student's drum stick bag, another's syllabus. And then she made sure to get the items back to their original owners. What a thoughtful, positive role model!
Iris B.V. - Iris is a wonderful group member to her teammates. She is always willing to lend a hand and help out her group when someone doesn't know what to do. Iris also helps her group stay on task so they can all finish their work and understand the material. Thank you Iris!
Josh H. - Josh helped out as a new student ambassador for a student who is new to the country. He was so responsible and made sure the student understood where to go for his classes. Thank you Josh for your willingness to support other students. You are a terrific leader!
 Upcoming Dates:
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September 5 - Back-to-School Night at Kilmer MS, 6-8 PM. Additional details included under the important information section.
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September 17-20 - 7th Grade MWEE Field Trip (9/17-Comets Team, 9/18-Sirius Team, 9/19-Supernovas Team, 9/20-Starbursts Team)
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September 19-20 - Picture Day through HPE Classes (Classes that conflict with the MWEE field trip will still be able to take their picture on 9/19 or 9/20.)
Ms. Smith’s English 7 classes made a “Word of the Year Wall” which includes their positive commitments and goals for this school year.
Ms. Kozik’s Theater classes learned about types of theaters and how their origins from Ancient Rome evolved to the theaters we have today.
Students enjoying a game of Uno during Recess time. Students have the option to choose between an outdoor space or indoor space for Recess.
Back-to-School-Night
Back-to-School Night is Wednesday, September 5 from 6:00-8:00 pm. During Back-to-School Night, families will follow their child’s schedule and attend sessions with each teacher to learn about the curriculum in each course.
Schedule
Families will start in their child’s 1st period class, and follow the bell schedule below. We will ring a bell to signal the beginning/end of each period.
Please make sure you have access to your child’s schedule with classroom locations during the event. You can access class schedules through the SIS ParentVUE Mobile App or have your child share it with you. Families will only attend periods 1-7. Period 8 and 9 are our Learning Seminar periods and period 10 is not a class, it is your child’s Interdisciplinary Team assignment.
- Videos: Navigating SIS ParentVue
English Spanish Arabic Vietnamese Korean Farsi Urdu Chinese
Understanding Your Child’s Schedule in the SIS ParentVUE Mobile App
Parking
Parking options for Back-to-School Night include Kilmer’s parking lot and street parking. Even with these options, parking can be tight so you may want to consider carpooling with a friend or neighbor. Please DO NOT park at the Nation’s Capital Swim Club.
Learning Seminar
On your student's schedule, you will see an 8th & 9th period Learning Seminar course. Learning Seminar is a 90 minute academic block on Wednesdays and Fridays. During this time students have the opportunity to:
- Visit one of their teachers for support
- Participate in remediation or intervention to improve academic skills
- Work on homework, retake assessments, or engage in learning extensions
To help students structure their time during this class, students are using a digital Student Daily Agenda. Each student has created their own copy of this document, which can be found in their All Students: Schoology page. Students will begin each Learning Seminar period by opening their agenda and using it to track daily assignments, check for passes to see teachers, and access online platforms such as Lexia and Mathspace. We encourage parents to review this agenda with your student at home and refer back to it as we continue to help them build their time management and organizational skills throughout the year.
Locker Update
Students will have the option to request a hall locker during the third week of school. A locker request form will be posted on Schoology, Tuesday, Sept. 3. Students will have until Friday, September 6 to submit their request. Students who make a request will receive their locker assignments and locker combinations by email on Monday, September 16. With the introduction of FCPS laptops, the amount of lockers requested by students has significantly decreased over the past couple years. If your child is in need of a locker prior to these dates, please contact your child’s school counselor.
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.
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.
Middle School Sports – Cross Country
Kilmer hosts Fall Cross Country as a part of the FCPS Middle School Athletics Program
and is open to all—no experience required! We will have two Cross Country Team information sessions (4:30-5 pm or 5:15-5:45 pm) at the After School Activities Fair held from 4-6 pm September 9th at Kilmer.
Practices will be held after school from 2:30-3:30 pm beginning the week of September 9th. Practices will occur each week on Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday (subject to change). Late Bus Transportation is provided at 4:45 pm.
Cross Country Meet Schedule*:
- 9/21 - 8:30-10:00 am, @ Robinson SS
- 9/28 - 8:30-10:00 am, @ Herndon MS
- 10/5 - 8:30-10:00 am, @ Kilmer MS
- 10/19 - 10:30-12:00 pm, @ Poe MS
- 10/26 - Meet location and time TBD
*Students must participate in at least 3 practices prior to competing.
What Is Required? Students and parents will need to complete several steps prior to participating, including:
- Student-Athletes in FCPS are required to be covered by medical insurance
Forms must be submitted to Ms. Kardelis, After-School Program Specialist and Kilmer Athletic Coordinator at kckardelis@fcps.edu. Forms may also be dropped off in the collection box in the Main Office.
Reminder, please be sure to sign up to receive information from the PTA. Unless you opt-in, you will not hear from us!
- Click here to join the new Kilmer PTA facebook group. The group is private and limited to Kilmer families and staff - so please be sure to answer the security questions so we can approve your membership. You may also use this group to post questions and other information related to Kilmer.
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Joining the Kilmer website is free and will allow you to receive the Kilmer PTA's email newsletter as well as access the student directory.
- Don’t forget to JOIN THE PTA!
Reach out to the Executive Board with any questions.
Damaged Chromebooks
All students have been given a brand new Chromebook for the 2024-2025 school year. An important reminder, please ensure your student keeps the protective cover on. These protective covers are vital to keeping Chromebooks in great condition. If a Chromebook is damaged (meaning willfully, or by being careless), families will be charged through MySchoolBucks. A breakdown of costs are below:
Attendance
Our goal is to partner with families to help minimize the number of days students are absent. Getting your student into the habit of daily attendance helps reduce stress and makes it easier to connect with friends and teachers. We understand that each year presents different extenuating circumstances that lead to missed days. However, we hope to increase communication in regards to absences to reduce impact on your student’s well-being. FCPS has created a Health Flyer for Parents indicating when a parent should keep their child home from school. Please review FCPS Attendance Policies and resources to encourage regular school attendance.
Beginning in the 24-25 school year, parents/legal guardians can report up to two consecutive absences through SIS ParentVUE. Learn more about attendance reporting through ParentVUE HERE. Families can also report absences by emailing KilmerMiddle.Attendance@fcps.edu or calling 703-846-8888 before 9:00 am each day. If parent contact is not made within 48 hours, the absences will be recorded as unexcused.
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 are 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) to KMSImmunization@fcps.edu. Starting Monday, September 30, students who have not provided proof of immunization will not be allowed to attend school.
If you have questions regarding your child’s immunization status, please contact Gail Wood, Student Services Assistant at gmwood@fcps.edu.
Lightspeed Parent Report
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