A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
On Wednesday, we did a schoolwide cell phone pouch refresher lesson during Learning Seminar. We reminded students of our cell phone expectations, and met with each student individually to ensure their pouch is still in working order or to get them pouch if they received a phone over the holidays. I explained to students the “why” behind our approach. Not only is it state law for phones to be off and away all day 🙂, but more importantly, having phones away for the day helps students focus on their classes, teachers, and peers more easily. I also shared with students year-over-year data from the 2024-25 to 2025-26 school year (pre-pouches vs. having pouches). To date, we’ve seen a 79% reduction in cellphone referrals! Students are doing a great job, and we’ll keep reminding students of the expectations to ensure they’re getting the most out of school each and every day.
Finally, the semester ends on Wednesday, 1/28 (2-hour early release), and there is no school for students on Thursday, 1/29, and Friday, 1/30, for a teacher workday and professional development. Please remind your student to check SIS StudentVUE to stay on top of their grades in the next couple of weeks and reach out to their teachers if they have any questions.
Have a great rest of your 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!
Savannah G. - Worked diligently on an assignment. She asked questions and used her notes to complete the assignment. Great job!
Claire B. - Thank you for adding to the classroom community spirit by entering our Snowperson Contest and being chosen by your classmates as the BEST SNOWPERSON :)
Adaluis R. - Thank you so much for helping another student with Math during Learning Seminar. I think it really helped and that is very kind of you to do so!
Josiah J. - Enthusiastically participated in the class discussion. After asking, he took the initiative to look up words on his computer to verify unfamiliar words for the teacher. Thanks for helping everyone learn!
Samantha S. - Thank you for staying after class to help reset our classroom by pushing in chairs, putting books away, and straightening things up -- all without being asked! I really appreciate your help.
 Upcoming Dates
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January 19 - No School, MLK Jr. Holiday
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January 28 - End of Quarter 2 (1st Semester), 2-hour early dismissal
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January 29 - Staff Development Day - no students
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January 30 - Teacher Workday - no students
Save the Date: Rising 8th and 9th Grade Course Registration EventsCourse Selection for the 2026–2027 school year begins in January! Please mark your calendar for the following events to learn more about course options for 8th and 9th grade.
- January 13 – Madison High School Rising 9th Grade Curriculum Night, 6:00–7:00 PM: Audience, 8th Grade families with students attending Madison for 9th grade.
- January 16 – Madison High School Counselor Visits during Learning Seminar: Audience, 8th grade students attending Madison will meet their future counselors and learn about 9th grade course options and the transition to High School
- January 21 – Marshall High School IB Information Night, 5:00 PM: Audience, 7th and 8th grade families
- January 21 – Rising 8th Grade Math Presentation, 6:00 PM: Audience, 7th grade families
- February 5 – Marshall High School Rising 9th Grade Orientation, 6:00–8:00 PM: Audience, 8th grade families with students attending Marshall for 9th grade
- February 6 – Marshall High School Counselor Visits during Learning Seminar: Audience, 8th grade students attending Marshall will meet their future counselor and learn about 9th grade course options and the transition to High School
- February 6 – 8th Grade Elective Fair during Learning Seminar: Audience, Current 7th grade students will explore elective course options for 8th grade
Families can access the Course Selection page on the Kilmer website to explore course options, review course selection information, and view academic advising timelines for all grade levels.
  Students in civics experienced a lesson on Watergate from our librarians using the OPCVL (Origin, Purpose, Content, Value, and Limitation) approach, which is a structured way to critically analyze a historical source.
 There was a lot of excitement in the building this week as students were able to reconnect after winter break.
Learning Seminar Updates: Flexible Support for Students
Learning Seminar periods are flexible and may change throughout the school year to ensure students receive subject-specific support, allow teachers to work with different groups of students based on current data and instructional needs, and provide opportunities for some students to participate in teacher-sponsored enrichment activities. When changes occur, students remain with one of their current teachers or a teacher sponsor, and both students and families are notified of the start date and reason for the change.
A significant number of students will have changes to their 8th and/or 9th period Learning Seminar classes beginning in the 3rd quarter. Students with a new Learning Seminar assignment will begin their new class on Wednesday, February 4. Updated schedules will be visible in SIS StudentVue and ParentVue on February 2.
Health and Physical Education: Family Life Education Units
Instruction of the Human Growth and Development unit (gender separate) will take place from February 3rd through February 6th during HPE class. Instruction of the Emotional and Social Health unit will take place during regular health class during the 3rd quarter.
If you choose to opt your student out of any or all of these lessons, please print and fill out the opt out form for your student’s grade level and have your student return the form to Ms. Wood in student services. The opt out forms can be found at the following link: https://kilmerms.fcps.edu/department/health-physical-education
To view the lessons in both FLE units, please login to Schoology and click on the All Parents/Guardians course. On that page there is a folder called Parent Preview - FLE Instruction with the FLE lessons.
If you have any questions, please contact your student’s HPE teacher.
Upcoming Course Selection Activities: January 12-16
Each week, we will highlight the course selection activities scheduled for the following week and share additional information to support students who will be participating.
Students Attending Madison High School for 9th Grade
On Tuesday, January 13, Madison High School will host its Rising 9th Grade Curriculum Night from 6:00–7:00 PM. This event is intended for 8th grade students and families who will attend Madison High School for 9th grade. Madison families can learn more about Rising 9th Grade events and the course selection process for the 2026–2027 school year by visiting Madison High School’s Course Selection page: https://madisonhs.fcps.edu/student-services/Course-Selection .
Following Curriculum Night, Madison High School counselors will visit Kilmer during Learning Seminar on Friday, January 16, to speak with students about 9th grade course options and begin the course selection process. Students will then meet one on one with their Kilmer school counselor to finalize their 9th grade course selections.
Crosstown Hoops
Kilmer will compete in its annual basketball tournament versus Thoreau Middle School on Thursday, April 9th at Madison HS. This event is a fundraiser sponsored by the Kilmer PTA. School administration will determine “eligibility” to participate based on students being in good standing.
All participants must submit a valid Middle School Sports Athletic Physical Examination. Physicals are valid for 14 months, and physicals submitted for other FCPS MS sports also meet this requirement.
Families must complete several required steps before tryouts:
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Afterschool Registration Consent
- FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Physical Examination (PPE) Form
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The PPE Form, must be completely filled in and properly signed (pages 1-3) attesting that you have been examined, found to be physically fit for athletic competition no more than 14 calendar months prior to the date on which report was signed.
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Proof of Medical/Accident Insurance Coverage (on PPE Form) Any student participating in voluntary Afterschool athletic programs, must have insurance.
- Hard/paper copies of PPE and ECC Forms must be turned in at the Main Office for review, processing and approval. *Students may not be cleared for participation the same day they submit forms. **Blank copies are available in the Main Office.
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Athletic Registration Form * Link coming soon
Tryouts 2:30 - 3:30PM
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7th & 8th Grade Girls (Ms. Zein)
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7th Grade Boys (Mr. Gonzalez)
- Tues. Jan. 20
- Thurs. Jan. 22
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8th Grade Boys (Mr. Sirdofsky)
- Thurs. Feb. 19
- Tues. Feb. 24
- Thurs. Feb. 26
- Students must be cleared (Athletic Physicals and All forms completed) by Ms. KK before in order to try out.
- Late Bus Transportation at 4:45 PM
- Students may not leave and return for tryouts - they must have appropriate footwear.
Graduation Status Now Available in ParentVUE & StudentVUE
A new Graduation Status section is now available in ParentVUE and StudentVUE. The Graduation Status is a tool that helps parents and students monitor and track their progress in meeting graduation requirements. This feature includes progress towards the Standard or Advanced Studies diploma for high school students and middle school students who have enrolled in one or more high school courses. This new graduation status section is available in addition to the course history and unofficial transcript options in ParentVUE and StudentVUE. To view the graduation status section, please take the following steps:
- Login to your SIS ParentVUE Account
- Go to “Course History” for your middle or high school student
- Go to “Graduation Status” and toggle “on”
For questions about graduation requirements, please contact your school counselor. Additional information about ParentVUE is available on the following website: https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/student-information-system-sis-fcps/sis-parent-account-overview
Madison HS Athletics 101 Session
PTA Website
Stay up to date with news and information from the PTA by visiting the PTA website: https://kilmerpta.membershiptoolkit.com/
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.
Math Tutoring Supports
Kilmer students can access free peer math tutoring from student volunteers at Thomas Jefferson High School. This program is open to all students seeking extra support with assignments and concepts. Join us every Monday morning (or Tuesday if there is no school Monday) from 7:00–7:25 AM in Room F122/123. Additionally, our Kilmer Math Department has created a peer tutoring program during Learning Seminar. Math teachers will facilitate peer tutors to work with students for math support. If you are interested in this support for your child, you can reach out to your child’s math teacher.
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