A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
We’ve finished up the bulk of SOL testing this week, and moving forward, we just have make-ups and retakes. Students and teachers continue to be hard at work in these final weeks. Now is a great time to check ParentVue and talk with your students about their grades and the end of the 4th quarter.
With the end of the year approaching, we look forward to celebrating our students. We have lots of activities coming up in the next few weeks, including 8th grade promotion ceremonies, the 8th grade semi-formal, and the Spring Festival Day for both 7th and 8th. Please check below for details.
Finally, we had our last PTA meeting for this year on Thursday, and I want to thank Wendy Rosner, President, Mandy Ryan, Secretary, and Laura Roper, Treasurer, for serving on the executive board for the past two years. They’ve been great partners, and it’s been a pleasure working with them. Heading into next school year, I look forward to working with our new executive board. Please welcome Cooky Bysura, President-elect, Katie Dulaney, Secretary-elect, and Reshma Kari, Treasurer-elect.
Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, reach out with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
|
Here are just a few of the Positive Referrals received by our Kilmer Cougars from staff members this week!
Camden D. - Camden consistently demonstrates exceptional kindness, leadership, and character in PE class each and every day. He naturally includes peers who don't have a group, and he always treats them with patience, encouragement, and genuine respect. He regularly helps classmates during games and goes out of his way to make everyone feel valued and included.
In addition to being an outstanding role model for inclusion and sportsmanship, Camden is thoughtful in the small things as well. He is often the first student holding the door open for others and consistently shows maturity beyond his years. His positive attitude, strong character, and respectful personality make a lasting impact on both his peers and teachers. Camden is truly a gentleman and an exceptional young man. Great job!
Leonora C. - Leonora demonstrated outstanding effort, sportsmanship, and athletic ability during our basketball shooting contest. She competed against more than 80 other girls (and 1st place boy) earning first place through her hard work, focus, and determination.
Leonora consistently gives her best effort in PE class, encourages others, and sets a positive example through her attitude and perseverance. I am proud of the dedication and leadership she continues to show every day. Great job!
Ava H. - Ava is always one of the first students to volunteer to help others, and she takes the initiative to walk around the classroom to make sure everything is cleaned up before class ends. She consistently demonstrates positive behavior in our class, and I am truly going to miss her next year.
Nila B. - Nila, I appreciate how well your Book Club did the silent discussion! Your group's focus was exemplary.
-
May 29 - Broadway Desserts, 7:00 pm at Kilmer MS Cafeteria
-
June 2 - Band Spring Concert, 7:00 pm at Marshall HS
-
June 3 - Orchestra Spring Concert, 7:00 pm at Marshall HS
-
June 10 - Guardians Team Promotion Ceremony, 8:30-10:00 am
-
June 10 - Pegasus Team Promotion Ceremony, 12:30-2:00 pm
-
June 11 - Constellations Team Promotion Ceremony, 8:30-10:00 am
-
June 11 - Voyagers Team Promotion Ceremony, 12:30-2:00 pm
-
June 12 - Spring Festival Day, modified Anchor day bell schedule
-
June 12 - Save the Date! - 8th Grade Semi-Formal Dance, 6-8 pm
-
June 17 - Last Day of School - 2 Hour Early Release
Kilmer’s outgoing and incoming PTA Board! Thanks to President Wendy Rosner, Secretary Mandy Ryan, and Treasurer Laura Roper for serving on the executive board for the past two years. Please welcome Cooky Bysura, President-elect, Katie Dulaney, Secretary-elect, and Reshma Kari, Treasurer-elect for the upcoming 2026-27 school year.
Kilmer’s Odyssey of the Mind team qualified for the World Finals at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. They'll head out next week to compete against teams from all over the world. Congratulations, and best of luck at the World Finals!
Hula hooping fun in PE. Thanks to Ms. Drumheller for the picture…what’s not pictured is she jumped in the action herself and joined the students 🙂.
Chess during lunch time!
Congratulations to the Kilmer MS Chorus Department! They celebrated their hard work at their Spring Concert on Thursday evening. Several students were recognized for their outstanding performance in Chorus, and five students were selected for the District Honors Choir.
8th Grade Promotion Ceremonies - June 10 and June 11 at Kilmer MS
We look forward to welcoming families for the 8th Grade Promotion Ceremonies. Please note some important information:
- All visitors will need to check-in to our visitor system. There is an option to pre-register, or, you can sign-in on paper when you arrive.
- All visitors will need to pass through the Open Gate metal detector system after signing in and prior to entering the ceremony. You may walk through with a bag and will only need to remove large, metal items. To help us expedite this process, if you have any of the following items, have them out of your bag and ready to pass around the metal detectors: metal water bottles, umbrellas, metal glasses cases, laptops, iPads, and cameras.
- To ensure enough time for student arrival and visitor check-ins, the morning ceremonies have been moved back by 30 minutes. The Guardians and Constellations Team ceremonies will begin at 8:30 am, instead of 8:00 am.
- If you would like to take your student home after the ceremony, we will have tables outside the cafeteria for a check-out process. Please be sure to bring your ID.
 |
Spring Festival Day - Friday, June 12
The Spring Festival will be during school on Friday, June 12. 7th Grade students will attend in the morning. 8th Grade students will attend at lunch time and in the afternoon. To celebrate our 8th graders completing middle school, there will be food trucks with items available for purchase, and all 8th graders will receive 2 pieces of pizza. When students are not at the Festival, they will be rotating through their classes engaging in activities.
Yearbooks are arriving soon - last chance to purchase!
Don’t miss out! Purchase your student’s 25-26 yearbook today by going to yearbookforever.com and searching “Kilmer.” Questions? Email Paige Knisley at paknisley@fcps.edu.
8th Grade Semi-Formal Dance - Friday, June 12 from 6:00-8:00 pm at Kilmer MS
Tickets will go on sale in June during lunches - stay tuned for more information!
SOL Scores
Preliminary SOL scores currently post to SIS Test History twice weekly for access in ParentVUE, StudentVUE, TeacherVUE. For more information, please check out the FCPS webpage: SOL Results webpage. The week of June 8, SOL family score report PDFs will post to SIS ParentVUE Documents.
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.
New Cellphone Policy Starts July 1
On Thursday, May 7, the Fairfax County School Board approved changes to the FCPS Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R). The approved changes include updated guidance for cellphone possession and use, to align the FCPS cellphone policy with Senate Bill 108. This new Virginia law goes into effect on July 1 and states that all schools in the Commonwealth must follow a “bell-to-bell” phone-free policy.
This means that starting July 1, 2026, across all grade levels at FCPS, student cellphones, phone accessories, and all smart devices (including watches that serve a dual purpose, such as smart watches, as well as earbuds, headsets, smart glasses, and other other items connected to the internet) must be off and personally stored (i.e., put away in backpacks) for the duration of the school day — thus, no cellphones from bell to bell.
High school students will no longer be able to use cellphones and personal devices during lunchtime. More details are available on the FCPS Cellphone Policy webpage.
Free Math Tutoring every Monday Morning
Every week, TJ students come to Kilmer to offer free math tutoring. This is typically on Mondays (or the first day of the week if Monday is a holiday). Join us in F123 from 7-7:30 am.
FCPS Cares
Want a quick way to recognize an employee or team? Share an FCPS CARES! Families, colleagues, and students are all invited to submit. The FCPS CARES is automatically sent to the recipient(s) and their supervisor, and is posted on fcps.edu. Additionally, each month one school in each region wins a staff celebration from HR. Consider submitting an FCPS Cares to show our staff that their hard work is appreciated!
|
|
