A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
We began Positive Referrals this week 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 coming up on Thursday, September 18, from 6-8 PM. I hope everyone has a great long Labor Day 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!
Alice C. - Alice, thank you for starting the year strong, coming prepared to class, and ready to learn. I so much appreciated when you helped other students in Learning Seminar today. I look forward to having a great year together!
Athena S. - Athena took time to come chat with me about any school supplies that I needed for the year, and then brought me some items the following week. She has also had such a positive attitude as we have started the year, and I appreciate that so much. I'm so happy to have her in class this year!
Lionel G.E. - Lionel comes into class and is consistently ready to work and quick to help those around him, you're a superstar Lionel!
Sufia M. - Sufia learned that another student's birthday was coming up. This student is a big Taylor Swift fan. Sufia gave this student a Taylor Swift bracelet as a gift even though Sufia did not know this student. The other student was extremely happy!
 Upcoming Dates
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August 29 & September 1 - Labor Day, 4-day weekend
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September 8 - Afterschool Activities Fair, 4:00-6:00 pm, Kilmer gym; This is an opportunity for students and families to learn more about Kilmer afterschool activities, meet club sponsors, and connect with local businesses and teen centers. Visit Kilmer’s website for more information along with required forms.
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September 9 - Due to the special election on Tuesday, September 9th, all FCPS schools will be closed.
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September 15 - First day of afterschool program and late buses; afterschool dismissal is 4:45pm
Phone-Free, But Make It Creative! 📱🎨
One student added her own artistic flair to her new cell phone pouch! With the new system in place, students now lock their phones away for the school day, and this creative touch shows how they’re making the pouches their own.
Congratulations to Sharon Bonneau, Bethany Thomas, and the 2024-2025 Band students! Our band program received the designation of a Virginia Honor Band by earning superior ratings at the State Performance Assessment (both Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble), having 11 students earn membership into the District 12 All-District Band, and having 26 students earn superior ratings at the District 12 Solo and Ensemble Festival. Here’s to another great year!
Ensuring Student Safety: Register for Volunteer FCPS
At Kilmer, our volunteers are a vital part of our school community. We deeply value the time and care they give to our students.
Recent updates to our volunteer process focus on one primary goal: keeping students safe.
These updates — such as checks against the sex offender registry and, in some cases, criminal background checks — are safety measures that will help us maintain a secure and supportive learning environment for every student in our care.
We encourage all our parents and community members interested in supporting our students by volunteering at school to visit Kilmer, click “Learn More,” and then “Sign Up.” After you create a profile, you will view an orientation video and complete a volunteer application.
Volunteer FCPS ensures a safe, consistent, and welcoming environment at all of our schools. All volunteers must be registered in Volunteer FCPS. This includes individuals who volunteer to chaperone on field trips, work at book fairs, and help out regularly in classrooms, libraries, or cafeterias. Volunteers who work unsupervised with students will also be required to undergo a background check.
We understand these changes may seem disruptive, especially for long-time volunteers. Our intent is to ensure that our students feel safe and supported with each and every person they encounter at school.
As a reminder, all volunteers — and visitors to a school — are required to sign in by scanning their ID at our visitor kiosk. Visit the Volunteer FCPS Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more.
Students Arriving Late
Students are expected to be in their seats by the 7:30AM late bell. Students who arrive to school after 7:30 will need to check in at the main office and receive a late pass before making their way to class. While in the main office, students will be required to lock their phone in their pouch. Please ensure your child arrives on time so they’re ready to start the day successfully. Thank you for your support!
Seeking a Cross Country and Track & Field Coach
We are looking for a new Cross Country and Track & Field Coach, and a small stipend is available. Responsibilities include administering tasks to prepare for the season, holding meetings with students and families, planning and running practice plans, and monitoring student wellness and safety concerns. If interested, please email Assistant Principal Nishi Langhorne at nmlanghorne@fcps.edu.
Lockers
A locker request form is now posted on Schoology. Students have until next Wednesday, September 3rd to submit their request.
Students who complete the form will be able to view their locker assignments and combinations in SIS StudentVUE by Wednesday, September 10. Please note that hall lockers are optional and not required. With the introduction of FCPS laptops, the number of students requesting lockers has significantly decreased over the past few years.
If your child needs a locker prior to these dates, please contact your child’s school counselor.
Family Life Education (FLE) Information Night
You are invited to a preview of the Family Life Education (FLE) program at Kilmer Middle School on September 18, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in room B116. This is a chance to review the lessons and media and speak with Health & PE staff.
All FLE materials are available online in the Kilmer All Parents/Guardians Course on Schoology. You can access it using your SIS Parent account login.
If you don't want your child to participate in the FLE program, you can opt them out of any or all lessons. The opt-out form is available in the Parent Digital Consent (PDC) system. If you can't access PDC, you can get a paper form from the main office. Opt-out forms for students with modified curriculum are available on the FCPS website. Students who opt out will receive alternative non-FLE health instruction. For specific dates of FLE lessons, please contact your child's teacher.
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.
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. Any student who misses 10% of the school year (18 days or more) whether the absences are unexcused, excused, or pre-arranged, is considered chronically absent and may require additional support or intervention.
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 Visit one of their teachers for extra support (beginning Friday, September 5)
- Participate in remediation or intervention to strengthen academic skills
- Work on homework, retake assessments, or engage in learning extensions
To help students structure their time during this class, each student has received a paper Student Daily Agenda. Learning Seminar is a great time for students to check Schoology and SIS StudentVUE, use those tools to update their agendas, and stay on top of their assignments.
We encourage parents to review their student’s agenda at home each night to help them strengthen time management and organizational skills throughout the year.
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, including information about how to sign up for Cross Country. If you have any questions regarding our After School Program please reach out to Kim Kardelis, After School Specialist, at kckardelis@fcps.edu.
Student Pickup
A few reminders from Kilmer’s main office about procedures for picking up students early or checking them in late:
- A driver’s license or similar photo ID is required to check out a student during the day. Only parents, legal guardians, and people on the student’s emergency contact list may check out a student. If someone else is picking up your student, please send an email from your email address we have on file, to KilmerMiddle.Attendance@fcps.edu that includes the full name of the person, the full name of your student, the reason for check-out, and the date of the early dismissal.
- When you arrive at the school, please ring the front entrance doorbell and let the front office know that you are checking your student in for late arrival or picking your student up for early dismissal. After entering the building, please sign your child out using the computer in the office.
- Students are not to contact their parents via cell phone/text messaging during school hours. If they need to contact you during the school day, they can use the phone in the main office.
Yearbook: Available for Pre-Order!
Get ahead of the curve and save! Pre-order your student’s yearbook by October 30th to get our lowest price of $35. Go to yearbookforever.com to place your order or scan the QR code on the graphic.
Damaged Chromebooks
All students have been given a Chromebook for the 2025-2026 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:
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 student.
Free and Reduced-Price Meals
The application for free and reduced-priced meals is available for the 2025-26 school year. Students who were approved for free and reduced-price lunch last year are eligible for the first 30 days of school this year (or until a new application is processed). Families should re-apply as soon as possible for the 2025-26 school year, so eligible students continue to receive meals at no cost.
Executive Board Contact Information
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