Dear Thoreau Families,

We are delighted to welcome our students back following the winter break and holiday season. I wish you and your family a Happy New Year, and extend my sincere hopes for a healthy, joyful, and successful 2026.

The start of a new calendar year is a great time to refocus. Our dedicated staff is committed to providing a supportive and engaging learning environment for every student. We look forward to a semester full of chances for academic growth, personal development, and celebrating student achievements.

Sincerely,

Teresa Khuluki

Principal

🏀Crosstown Hoops🔥

Thoreau will compete in its annual basketball tournament versus Kilmer Middle School on Thursday, April 9th at Madison HS. This event is a fundraiser sponsored by the Thoreau PTA. School administration will determine “eligibility” to participate based on students being in good standing. 

We will be holding a student interest meeting after school on Tuesday, January 20th. 

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. 

Tryouts will be the week of February 2. Families must submit several required steps before tryouts.

•  Afterschool Registration Consent  

•  FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Physical Examination (PPE) Form

• 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.

• 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. 

•  Emergency Care Card (ECC) Form 
• Athletic Registration Form 

Important Reminders:

🔔 Second Quarter Ends

 The second quarter officially ends on January 28th. Please review your child's assignments and grades in the Student Information System (SIS) later next week. If you have any concerns about their academic progress, please don't hesitate to contact their teachers to discuss necessary support, such as extra help sessions during Eagle Time or after school.

📊Upcoming Student Experience Survey at Thoreau💬 Our school will participate in the FCPS Student Experience Survey. This survey will gather important feedback from students about their school experiences to help FCPS make meaningful improvements. All students in grades 6-12, except those who have opted out, will receive a link to the survey in their FCPS email on February 23. We will administer the survey during the school day between Monday, February 23, and Friday, March 6. Any student may take the survey at home, if they are unable to take the survey during the school day. You will receive a communication with details on how to preview the survey and opt your child out, if you choose. The electronic opt-out form can also be accessed at this link. We believe it's important to hear from our students about what we're doing well and where we can improve. This work also aligns with the equity commitments in FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan, which include a focus on amplifying student voice and experiences as we work toward meeting plan goals.

🗓️Registration & Course Planning Timeline📝

Below is the schedule of key academic advising, registration, and transition events for Rising 7th, Rising 8th, and Rising 9th Grade students.

Rising 7th Grade

• Wednesday, January 14, 2026
• Rising 7th Grade Parent Coffee: 9:00–10:00 AM
• Thursday, February 5, 2026; Snow date: February 11, 2026. 
• Rising 7th Grade Curriculum Night and Open House: General information about Thoreau MS, elective courses, introduction to resources and the registration process, and breakout sessions for math and AAP. For additional details, see our school’s website.
• Thursday, February 5, 2026 & Friday, February 6, 2026
• Rising 7th Grade Visits: Course presentations and Activity Fair. Elementary students transported to Thoreau MS - 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• February 2, 2026 – February 13, 2026
• Thoreau counselors visit elementary schools to present courses and review the StudentVue registration process and available resources. Day and time will be set with individual elementary schools as requested.
• Friday, March 2, 2026
• Rising 7th Grade course selections due in SIS StudentVue. Deadline for AAP decisions: March 1, 2026. Thoreau will communicate with elementary schools regarding any missing course requests.

Rising 8th Grade

• Thursday, February 12, 2026 & Friday, February 13, 2026
• Rising 8th Grade presentations through Science 7.
• Thursday, February 12, 2026
• Rising 8th Grade Math Night.
• Rising 8th Grade Core Curriculum Information Night. 
• For additional details, see our school’s website.
• February 17, 2026 – February 26, 2026
• Rising 8th Grade Academic Advising Feedback Conversations (between students and teachers regarding 8th grade course selections).
• Friday, February 27, 2026
• 8th Grade courses due in StudentVue.

Rising 9th Grade

• Tuesday, January 13, 2026: Madison HS Rising 9th Grade Curriculum Night. Snow date: January 15, 2026. For additional details, see your school’s website.
• Thursday, January 8, 2026: Oakton HS Rising 9th Grade Curriculum Night. Snow date: January 27, 2026. For additional details, see your school’s website.
• Friday, January 16, 2026: Oakton HS counselors visit Thoreau for Rising 9th Grade High School Presentation.
• January 12, 2026 – January 23, 2026: Rising 9th Grade Academic Advising Feedback Conversations (between students and teachers regarding 9th-grade course selections).
• Friday, January 23, 2026: 9th-grade courses at Madison HS and Oakton HS due in StudentVue.
• Wednesday, February 4, 2026: Marshall HS counselors visit Thoreau for Rising 9th Grade High School Presentation 
• January 26, 2026 – February 27, 2026: One-to-one academic advising through science for rising 9th-grade students.
• Thursday, February 5, 2026: Marshall HS Rising 9th Grade Curriculum Night.
• Monday, February 9, 2026: Marshall HS course selections due in StudentVue.
• Monday, April 13, 2026: Marshall HS, Madison HS, and Oakton HS Activities Fair.

📝Assessments📊

Students in grades 3-8 participate in state assessments each year. State assessments measure how students are learning grade level standards. Format and timing of state assessments vary by subject and grade level.

The SOL assessment schedule can be found below. The testing schedule will impact the bell schedule each day. Please avoid prearranged student absences on the dates your child will be taking an SOL test. 

More information about these assessments can be found on the webpage: SOL Tests in Elementary and Middle Schools (https://www.fcps.edu/node/42716). The Grade Level Tests webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/node/50045) outlines the division testing schedule for required assessments at each grade. School staff will contact you with the specific dates your student is scheduled to take spring SOL tests. 

The state allows elementary and middle school students who fail a spring SOL test to have another attempt before the end of the school year. Retests are not offered for the integrated reading and writing (IRW) component. Parent/guardian permission is required for the school to retest any student in grades 3-8. A decision not to allow retesting will not impact your student’s course grade or academic record. If you believe your student would benefit from a second opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and skills on the spring SOL test, submit your decision using the Parent Digital Consent application (https://www.fcps.edu/family-resources/technology/digitalresources/consent). This application uses your SIS ParentVUE login.

If you have questions about state assessments or about SOL retesting, contact your student’s teacher or Thoreau’s School Testing Coordinator, Erin Lynch (emlynch@fcps.edu). 

🏫Madison Athletics 101🏀

Madison High School is hosting an “Athletics 101” presentation for parents and students on Tuesday, January 27th.  This presentation is designed to provide incoming 9th grade parents and their students information about what they can expect as they transition into the high school athletics world. 

🏆Performing Arts Students' Winter Achievements🎭

The first semester has been a busy one for the performing arts department with many successes to celebrate.  Congratulations to the performing arts department on a successful fall fundraiser.  All 2500 boxes of cookie dough were delivered and distributed throughout our community.  Thank you for supporting our music students and helping us to reach our fundraising goals!  All of our Ensembles (Band, Choir and Orchestra) shared tremendous winter concert performances with our community and we are beginning preparations for our annual state assessment performances in March.

Choir and orchestra students had the opportunity to participate in District Honor Ensemble Auditions.  Thoreau Choir will be represented by the following 35 students: Valeria Atoche, Abigail Banagan, Alexandra Blinde, Cullen Brennan, Levi Broadbent, Ilsa Corfield, Jack Dorney, Hannah Eberly, Euna Edin, Connor Etris, Ian Gangopadhyay, Pema Gyalpo, Natalie Haapapuro, Annie Harrell, Owen Kelly, Brandt Kitchen, Lucia McCarthy, Maya Mejia, James Mudrick, Amelia Munoz, Meera Natekar, Gabriel Nguyen, James O’Connor, Poyraz Ozek, Sarina Patel, Nadia Peralta, Dolma Rinzin, Nellie Schneider-Jardine, Lina Senhaji, Raina Sennert, Eva Shnekendorf, Maia Smith, Naomi Trillet, Sam Walker, Karma Womatsang. Thoreau Orchestras will be represented by the following 12 students at District Orchestra this weekend:  Jonathan Chun, Yuna Chung, Hannah Kwon, Alexander Moon, Eloise Pang, Andrew Park, Anais Sulaiman, Timothy Sun, Naomi Trillet, Ruoyi Wang, Aaron Yang, Clare Zhu and Milo Harman (1st Alternate).

Are you ready to "BEE" amazing? It’s Time to Register for the 2026 TMS Spelling Bee!🐝🔤

The Thoreau PTA will be hosting the 2026 Spelling Bee on Thursday, February 19, 2026 from 6:30-9:00pm in the Cafeteria (snow date is Tuesday, February 24).

All Thoreau students are invited to participate.  Registration is currently open now through February 6th and you can sign up here:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0E4FADAD2EA6FF2-61114203-speller#/

Upon registration, you will receive study materials and more information about the Spelling Bee.  Please Note:  do NOT use FCPS student address as the contact e-mail -– use the parent address or a non-FCPS student address (the FCPS student address can only receive e-mails from within the school).  No late registrations will be accepted past Feb. 6th.

The Thoreau Spelling Bee Champion will compete with other regional school champions in the Fairfax County Spelling Bee on March 22, 2026.  

Questions?  Contact TMS Spelling Bee Coordinator, Meredith Campbell at mere0098@hotmail.com.

The Thoreau MS Spelling Bee is sponsored by your Thoreau MS PTA and is part of the Fairfax County Spelling Bee Program.

✨The 25-26 yearbook is a gift worth waiting for📘

Scan to send a text to order, or go to:

Escanea para enviar un mensaje de texto para pedirlo o visita:

jostens.com/ybkgift

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