A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
We’ve really settled into the school year, and students continue to work hard in class (while having some fun too!). A reminder about our upcoming PTA meeting this Tuesday, October 14th. We’ll meet at 7 pm, continuing with our hybrid model. I’ll send out a link next week if you plan on joining virtually.
Also, if you haven't already, please join the PTA. As a thank you for your support, the PTA will be raffling off two $100 Amazon gift cards! Everyone who joins prior to 8:30 am on Tuesday, October 14th will be automatically entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card!
I hope you have a wonderful 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!
Will C. - Will, It was awesome how you connected our lesson in class to what you had worked on in Lexia! Keep up the hard work!
Taylor B. - Taylor, you've been super on it and have had a positive attitude when receiving feedback. Keep it up!
Rigel M. - Rigel, Thank you for always volunteering to help out with the lanyards at lunch. Your kindness does not go unnoticed! Sincerely, Mr. Katz
Seungmin K. - Seungmin, you tried really hard at spot-shot today. You made several baskets. You were having a lot of fun. I like to see you enjoying PE class.
Jerome C. - Jerome demonstrated empathy and generosity when he gave his water bottle to another student who was thirsty.
 Upcoming Dates
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October 14-17 - 7th Grade Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) Field Trip
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October 21-22 - 7th Grade students will participate in the Signs of Suicide Mental Health Screening during their US History class. To accommodate meetings with students identified for follow-up, the bell schedule on Tuesday, October 21st has been modified. Schedule: 7, 3, 5, 1 (1st period will occur at the end of the day)
🎉 September Students of the Month! Congratulations to our September Student of the Month award recipients! Each student earned a positive referral, a $10 gift card, and a chance to join a celebration with friends at the end of the quarter. 🌟👏 #KilmerPride #StudentOfTheMonth #CelebratingSuccess
Carlos Alvarado Hidalgo, Tristan Burger, Ada Ertekin, Ndeye Penda Fall, Alayna Feeney, Eli Fraatz, Ava Hammaker, Eleanor Hawkins, Bryson Hylton, Nusaiybah Karim, Aydin Kolonda, Chloe Lee, Ismail Moujtahid, Ameen Rhanime, Alexis Trimble, and Henry Wottawah
📚 Station Rotation Fun in the Library! 🧭 Our 7th graders collaborated with classmates while learning about main idea and supporting details in the library this week.💡✨ #KilmerLibrary #EnglishExploration #StationRotation
♟️ Checkmate Indoors! A rainy Wednesday couldn’t stop the fun—students spent indoor recess playing chess, strategizing, and sharpening their minds! 🌧️🧠 #KilmerRecess #ChessInAction #BrainGames
🏐 Game On! 8th Grade Health & PE classes are diving into a new unit with Omnikin Ball—a fun way to build teamwork, communication, and sportsmanship while staying active! 💪✨ #KilmerHPE #TeamworkInAction #OmnikinBall
🎉 Congratulations to the 2025–2026 Student Government Association Officers!
We are excited to announce our SGA officers for the new school year! Five 8th graders and two 7th graders will be working alongside our SGA sponsor, Mr. Prevost, to plan fun activities and events for the Kilmer student body.
👩🍳👨🍳 Rolling Into Teamwork!
Students in Family & Consumer Science baked up some delicious cinnamon rolls this week—each group of four taking on roles from baker to dishwasher. Sweet teamwork never smelled so good! 🍴✨ #KilmerCooks #TeamworkInAction
🔬 TJHSST Information Night! Parents and students joined us to learn about the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology application process, explore planning for the future, and discover opportunities for students interested in science and math. ✨📚 #KilmerSTEM #FutureScientists #TJHSST
Kilmer Fall Festival
Students are welcome to stay after school on Thursday, October 16th for the Fall Carnival.
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When: Thursday, October 16th - beginning after school until 4:40 pm
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Where: At Kilmer Middle School
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Who: Open to all Kilmer Middle School Students.
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How Much: Free for KMS Students to attend.
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Activities: KMS Students can enjoy the following Fall Carnival attractions provided by the Kilmer Middle School PTA:
- Inflatables, including the Leaps and Bounds Wipeout Inflatable
- Human foosball
- Hippo chow down
- The Gauntlet” Obstacle Course Challenge Rental
- Double hoops challenge
- DJ and dancing,
- Concessions stand and food trucks, including Paisanos Pizza, Kona Ice, Ben&Jerry's, BRING CASH OR CARD FOR FOOD
- Sports and games
- Selfie station,
- Fall photo ops, and
- MORE!!!
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Volunteers: WE NEED YOU! The PTA will need some parent volunteers who can monitor our games/inflatables/stations. Please sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4CA4AC22A5F4C70-58725174-kilmer?useFullSite=true#/. Reach out to president@kilmerpta.org if you have any questions.
- Students who plan to attend the Fall Festival must complete the Afterschool Weekly Sign-Up Form. All attendees will report to the gym directly following dismissal. Students may not go out to the bus loop and then come back in. There will be no afterschool clubs or “Cougars Den” on this day.
A Message from Our New Family Liaison, Mabel Morales
My name is Mabel Morales, and I’m excited to introduce myself as the new Family Liaison at Kilmer Middle School. My role is to help strengthen communication and connections between families, students, and our school community.
I’m here to support you by:
- Helping families navigate school resources and communication
- Promoting family engagement and participation in school activities
- Providing bilingual support (English/Spanish) for communication
- Partnering with teachers and staff to ensure every family feels welcome and informed
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever have questions, need assistance, or would like to get more involved at Kilmer. I look forward to working together to make this a successful and positive school year for every student.
Mabel MoralesFamily Liaison | Kilmer Middle SchoolStudent Services Office📞 School: 703-846-8890 | 📱 Work Cell: 571-424-9646 ✉️ mvmorales@fcps.edu
Estoy aquí para ayudar — en inglés o en español.
TJ Investigative Science Outreach - Science Fair
TJ Investigative Science Outreach, a student-led organization at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is hosting the 13th annual Invitational Science Fair in mid-April, and would like to invite 5th-8th graders to participate. Admission to the Science Fair is completely free.
Participants will complete a research project of their choice and present it in person at the fair in April. We help students prepare for this fair by holding multiple sessions to teach them important STEM skills, including brainstorming, building an experimental design diagram, data collection and analysis, scientific writing, and presentation.
Our first interest/information session for prospective students and their parents is October 17th, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. We will be holding this session both in-person at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and virtually through Zoom. During this session, we will go over the goals and guidelines of the fair and introduce students to a multitude of project ideas. All interested students should sign up using the form at the link: https://tinyurl.com/TJISOinterest2526 (OR) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVfAHTXSwycbtLVbgtC3cJ96-o9htK0Aq4jJ4TosDn62X3xQ/viewform?usp=dialog
If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at tjhsstsciencefair@gmail.com. Check out the website at tjsciencefair.wordpress.com for more information.
7th Grade Mental Health Program
This school year, school staff are working to teach students about mental health and how to seek help if they are worried about themselves or a friend. FCPS uses a program called Signs of Suicide (SOS). The SOS program will take place during your child’s US History class on either October 21 or 22. During this time, students will watch age-appropriate video clips and participate in a guided discussion about depression, suicide, and what to do if they are concerned about a friend. Following the video, students will complete a brief depression screening tool. We encourage parents to visit www.sossignsofsuicide.org/parent for information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn. You can also view this parent video and the e-Notify sent to parents on September 24th to learn more about the program. To accommodate meetings with students identified for follow-up, the bell schedule on Tuesday, October 21st has been modified. Schedule: 7, 3, 5, 1 (1st period will occur at the end of the day)
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in this program or if you would like to opt your child out of this program, please contact your child’s school counselor by Friday, October 10.
PTA Website
Stay up to date with news and information from the PTA by visiting the PTA website: https://kilmerpta.membershiptoolkit.com/
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 14th 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 Tuesday, Oct 14th, you do not need to be present at the PTA meeting to win. Click HERE to log in and 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.
Executive Board Contact Information
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.
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.
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