Kilmer Community,
It’s been a great week! Last Saturday, I attended Kilmer’s first cross country meet of the season at Robinson Secondary School. The weather was beautiful (unlike the rainy days we’ve had pretty much everyday since then 🙂) and I couldn’t be more proud of the effort and sportsmanship shown by our Kilmer Cougars. Tomorrow, the team will be at Herndon Middle School if you’d like to come out and support our athletes.
A reminder about our morning Kiss & Ride, for the safety of our students and staff, please be mindful of your speed when dropping off your child in the Kiss & Ride lanes. As of late, we’ve noticed an uptick in speeding cars. Please slow down.
This week some teachers began inviting students to their classrooms for intervention sessions during Learning Seminar if they did not show mastery of concepts on a common formative assessment. Using Learning Seminar (8th and 9th period) to reteach concepts is just one more way that Kilmer teachers support our students’ learning. Students can also request a pass to visit a teacher during Learning Seminar for extra help by filling out the Google Form on their teacher’s Schoology page.
Have a wonderful weekend and as always, reach out with any questions or concerns.
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!
Brielle A. - Brielle consistently makes good choices in both English 7 and Learning Seminar. Brielle displays the Portrait of a Graduate traits of resilience and adaptability.
Christopher G. E. - Christopher is an amazing teammate and model student. His patience and kindness are so appreciated.
Hashim E. - Thanks for being the student who will help clean up trash even if it isn't yours. You have gone out of your way to help and you do it with a smile. I appreciate how you set a great example for your peers!
Nico P. - Nico consistently makes good choices and finds strategies to succeed in both English 7 and Learning Seminar. I am proud of his flexibility and problem-solving skills. Nico displays the Portrait of a Graduate traits of resilience and adaptability.
 Upcoming Dates:
It was a beautiful day for running last Saturday at Kilmer’s first cross country meet of the season at Robinson Secondary. Congratulations to all the runners! Tomorrow (Saturday, 9/28) our team will be at Herndon MS.
Kilmer students who create our KTV New Show improvised with a makeshift studio when we briefly lost power this week.
Welcome Chuck Miller
Mr. Chuck Miller will be serving as Kilmer’s Acting Assistant Principal once Erin Kestler goes out on maternity leave (his start date is October 1st). Mr. Miller has years of administrative experience, most recently serving as Principal at Whitman Middle School in FCPS. Please see his bio below.
Chuck Miller has spent the last 36 years as a secondary educator. After a decade in Arizona, Chuck moved to FCPS and spent 26 years as a teacher and administrator. Chuck retired in June 2023 after spending 7 years as the Principal at Mark Twain Middle School. He is happy to return to working in schools where he can support students and teachers.
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World Language
This year's World Languages Credit by Exam will be administered at each FCPS middle, high, and secondary school. The World Languages Credit by Exam is an optional test for students in grades 7-12 who can speak and write (type) proficiently in a language other than English. Based on the results of the exam, they can earn 1, 2, and/or 3 passing world language credits. Students who wish to take the exam should be able to proficiently understand and communicate in the testing language, and will be asked to listen, read, speak, write/type, and/or sign/interpret for ASL. For more information on how to prepare for the exam and scoring criteria you may visit the FCPS website.
Registration opens on Monday, September 9th and closes on Thursday, October 3rd. Late registrations will not be accepted. The 2024 World Languages Credit by Exam will be administered at Kilmer, during the school day, this year.
Students will be able to register using the sign-up form posted in the All Students Schoology page. Once your student's counselor completes the registration you will receive a confirmation email with additional details about the date and time of the exam. If you have any questions about registering for this exam, please reach out directly to your student's counselor.
Thomas Jefferson High School Student/Parent Information Night
Thursday, October 10h 5:00 - 6:00 pm
All students interested in applying for the Freshman round of the Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology may join us for a one hour presentation given by a TJHSST representative in the Kilmer Cafeteria. The majority of the hour will be dedicated to a question and answer session, and we recommend that all those interested in participating view this video prior to attending the presentation. You can find additional information including important application deadlines here. If you have any questions about this event, please contact your student’s counselor.
On Time to Class
To help create a smooth and effective learning environment, we ask that students make every effort to arrive on time to each class. Please review Kilmer’s response to tardies outlined below. These will begin on October 1, 2024. Parents/guardians will be notified if your child is assigned lunch or after school detention.
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Tardy Sweeps: Tardy sweeps will begin in October and occur randomly throughout the year. A tardy sweep means if your child arrives to class after the bell, the teacher’s door will be locked, and a staff member will record the tardy. Students who are recorded in a tardy sweep will be assigned lunch detention.
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Class Tardies: Students may receive an office referral from their teacher if they reach four tardies to a single class. Students who receive an office referral will be assigned after school detention.
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Excessive Tardies: Students who reach a total of 10 or more tardies in a calendar month will be assigned an after school detention.
Regularly monitoring your student's tardies in ParentVue helps ensure they stay on track with punctuality and reinforces good habits for academic success. It is important for students to be in all classes on time every day, we will work with you and your child should there be issues or concerns that prevent them from getting to classes on time.
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.
Join the PTA and Friends of Kilmer and Enter to Win $200 in Amazon Gift Cards!
Joining the PTA is a fantastic way to support our students and teachers while having a say in the activities and initiatives that make our school a great place for everyone. PTA memberships are only $20 per family per year. As a thank you for your support, we will be raffling off two $100 in Amazon gift cards! Everyone who joins prior to 8:30 am on Tuesday, October 15th will be automatically entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card!
There will also be a drawing to win an additional $100 Amazon gift card for anyone who donates to Friends of Kilmer. The drawing will be made at the 7 pm PTA meeting on Oct 15th, you do not need to be present at the PTA meeting to win. Click HERE to purchase your PTA membership and contribute! For those of you that already purchased memberships prior to this announcement, we thank you, and you will also be participating in the raffle.
September is Hunger Awareness Month
60,000 Fairfax County kids are on free or reduced meals. 55,000 receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Kids attending class hungry are at risk for decreased academic performance. Food insecurity affects kids' concentration, mood, and memory. The Kilmer Food Pantry was established to send these students home with a weekend food pack to help them have enough to eat for the weekend. The Kilmer Food Pantry is proud to have expanded services, including providing meals throughout the month, offering school supplies, and providing warm coats and new socks in the winter.
We can't do this without the generosity and support of our Kilmer Middle School community. There are many ways to support food insecurity at Kilmer.
Here's how you can help now!
- Donate non-perishable food items from our Amazon wishlist. Items will be delivered directly to Kilmer Middle.
- Donate non-perishable items on the marked carts in the main office (See suggestions below for ideas).
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Donate funds directly to the PTA and we’ll do the shopping for you!
Learn more at: https://kilmerpta.membershiptoolkit.com/foodpantry
Reach out to the Executive Board with any questions.
Lightspeed Parent Report
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