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Dear Thoreau Families,
At Thoreau Middle School, we strive to maintain a safe, respectful, and high-quality learning environment for all students. Our school culture is built on the foundation of RISE: Respect, Integrity, Service, and Engagement.
I am writing to inform you of a message I shared with the student body today regarding a recent increase in disruptive behavior in our bathrooms and cafeteria. While these actions are limited to a small group of students, the impact is being felt by everyone, and I want to ensure you are aware of the steps we are taking to address these concerns.
Areas of Concern
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Restroom Vandalism: We have seen a spike in intentional damage in the boys' restrooms, including clogged toilets, broken sensors, and damage to ceiling tiles. This behavior shows a significant lack of respect for our facility and our hardworking custodial staff.
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Cafeteria Conduct: There have been increasing instances of students leaving trash behind, throwing food, and, most concerningly, speaking disrespectfully to the staff members who supervise lunch.
Next Steps and Consequences
To maintain order and safety, we have implemented the following protocols and communicated these to our students:
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Restroom Restrictions: If vandalism persists, we will begin closing specific restrooms to increase supervision. This may result in limited bathroom pass availability and centralized restroom access during transition times.
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Cafeteria Privileges: Students who cannot follow directions or clean up after themselves will lose the privilege of sitting with friends. This includes the implementation of assigned seating or removal from the cafeteria setting entirely.
How You Can Help
We are asking for your partnership in reinforcing the importance of RISE at home. Please have a conversation with your student about the value of respecting school property and the adults who support them every day. We want our students to understand that their environment is a reflection of their choices.
I want to extend a sincere thank you to the MANY students who continue to lead by example and treat Thoreau with pride. We are committed to ensuring these few distractions do not take away from their middle school experience.
Thank you for your continued support of our school community.
Sincerely,
Teresa Khuluki
Principal
Winter weather will be here before you know it! Watch this video to see how weather closing decisions are made at FCPS.
FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible, including email, text, social media, the new FCPS mobile app, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.
Be sure to plan for the winter season. Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE, bookmark the FCPS website, and arrange emergency child care if needed.
Gone are the days of digging through emails or hunting for bookmarks. The FCPS app provides a custom experience that is both powerful and easy to use. Here’s how it makes life easier:
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Customized for Your Family: Do you have students at two (or more!) schools? You can "follow" multiple schools to get a feed of news, notices, and events.
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No Sign-In Required: Access essential content like district-wide announcements, live updates, and school calendars instantly. There’s no password to remember, and no login is required.
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Real-Time Notifications: Get push notifications for urgent updates including weather announcements.
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Everything in One Place: From bell schedules and staff directories to athletic event locations and school menus, the app is a central hub for all things FCPS.
To ensure every family stays informed, the app supports automatic translation for more than 100 languages. Learn more about the app or download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
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.
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
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Thursday, February 5, 2026; Snow date: February 11, 2026.
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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
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Friday, January 23, 2026: Madison HS and Oakton HS 9th Grade courses due in StudentVue.
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Wednesday, February 4, 2026: Rising 9th Grade High School Presentation (Marshall HS counselors visit Thoreau.)
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January 26, 2026 – February 27, 2026: One-to-one academic advising through science for rising 9th grade students.
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Thursday, February 5, 2026: Marshall HS Rising 9th Grade Curriculum Night.
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Monday, February 9, 2026: Marshall HS course selections due in StudentVue.
Monday, April 13, 2026: Marshall HS, Madison HS, and Oakton HS Activities Fair.
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.
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Date
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7th Grade
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8th Grade
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March 25th
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Integrated Reading & Writing (IRW)
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May 6th
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Reading
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Reading
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May 13th
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Science
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May 20th
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Math
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Math
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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).
The College Partnership Program (CPP) application is now open for rising 9th Graders.
CPP offers programming to help prepare students and families from 9th grade all the way through applying to and enrolling in college. The deadline to apply is February 20, 2026.
Please reach out to Ms. Turner for any questions. kjturner@fcps.edu
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.
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.
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.
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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.
- 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.
ALL PAPERWORK MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE THOREAU MAIN OFFICE BEFORE TRYOUTS BEGIN
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