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Dear Thoreau Families,
Welcome back to an outstanding start to the new academic year! Our halls and classrooms are once again alive with incredible energy, bright smiles, and the vibrant spirit of our student body. Thanks to the hard work of our dedicated faculty, the ongoing collaboration with our families, and the wonderful attitudes of our kids, our opening week went off without a hitch. It has been fantastic to watch our students adapt to new routines, forge great connections with their teachers, and jump right into learning. We are eager to maintain this momentum as we head into the first quarter!
We hope you will join us for Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 2nd, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. This evening is an important opportunity to meet your child’s teachers, learn more about their classes and expectations, and get a glimpse into their daily experience at school. Please see the detailed information below. Parking will be very challenging so we have made additional arrangements to support you.
Sincerely,
Teresa Khuluki
Principal
September 2, 2026
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
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Period
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Time
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1
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5:00-5:10
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2
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5:15-5:25
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3
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5:30-5:40
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10
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5:45-6:00 Welcome and Announcements from Administration
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6
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6:05-6:15
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7
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6:20-6:30
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8
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6:35-6:45
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9
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6:50-7:00
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There will be two sessions available for families prior to the start of BTSN:
- 4:30 pm – FLE Preview | Gym 1
- 4:30 pm– Multilingual Learners Parent Session | A103
Please note that we have very limited parking at Thoreau, so we encourage the following:
- Carpooling or walking
- We have arranged permission for parking in the Church For All Nations rear lot, accessible via Amanda Place. Please vacate this lot immediately after our event concludes to accommodate their 7:30 PM service.
- We have arranged an FCPS shuttle bus between Cunningham Park Elementary School (1001 Park St, Vienna, VA 22180) and Thoreau MS. Buses run from 4:30–5:30 PM, with return trips beginning at 7:00 PM until all families are transported.
Picture Day – Your Photos, Your Way!
About a week after Picture Day, families can preview, personalize, and order student photos online. Orders can include photo packages or individual items and will be shipped directly to your home.
Thoreau Middle School Code: FE246726
Order Photos: JostensPix.com/Shop
Questions? Call Jostens at 1-877-515-1447.
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Picture Days are coming up! Student pictures will be taken on Monday, August 31, and Tuesday, September 1 during PE classes. With pictures scheduled across both Blue and Gold days, every student will have an opportunity to have their picture taken.
Students who have PE 3rd period every day will follow a separate schedule:
- 8th graders will take pictures on Monday
- 7th graders will take pictures on Tuesday.
Picture Make-Up/Retake Day will be Friday, October 23.
Please see the Picture Day information below for additional details, including what to wear and how to view and order your student’s photos.
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Our Mission: We are a group of Thoreau parents, caregivers, teachers and staff members who seek to carry out the mission of the National PTA: to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. We organize a number of initiatives throughout the year to achieve this end:
- Skate Night
- Crosstown Hoops
- 7th Grade Dinner
- 8th Grade End-of-Year Dinner
- Spelling Bee
- Reflections Art Contest
- Spirit Wear
- Hospitality & Staff App
- Principal & Staff Grants
https://thoreaupta.org/
Students had fun working together to build a cup pyramid using only four strings and a rubber band in STEM this week with Ms. Bolanos. This activity supported the following Portrait of a Graduate competencies: Collaboration, Communication, Critical thinking, Creativity, Goal resilience
We'd love to offer our students academic enrichment opportunities here at Thoreau after school, but we are in need of volunteer sponsors! If you are interested in volunteering to sponsor an after school academic enrichment club at Thoreau, please contact Hannah Converse, AART. Hannah's email: hpconverse@fcps.edu
After-School Programs Begin the Week of September 14!
We’re excited to get after-school activities underway at Thoreau! If you have not registered your student for after-school yet, please complete the After-School Registration Form. All students participating in after-school activities must be registered.
Our first activity schedule will be posted by September 11, with programming and late buses beginning the week of September 14.
Late buses will be available Monday–Thursday. Parent/guardian pick-up is required for Friday activities.
New clubs, activities, and opportunities will continue to be added throughout the school year, so be sure to check back for updates!
MS Sports - Cross Country
Cross Country is coming this fall! Practices will begin the week of September 14.
Students and parents will need to complete several steps prior to participating in middle school sports, including:
- A completed FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Physical Examination Form (PPE). This must be submitted to school before any kind of participation, including tryouts or practice as a member of any school Interscholastic competitive athletic team. Once this packet is completed in it's entirety, you (or your student) can drop it off at the main office.
- Each student-athlete and a parent/guardian will complete a registration process (coming soon!) that includes the state-mandated concussion education program and Emergency Care Card information before the student participates in middle school sports. Additionally, you must complete the Thoreau Thoreau MS Registration Link - https://forms.gle/Y5GSVGUXFusd6ECJ8
- Any student participating in voluntary after school athletic programs, must have medical/accident insurance. Families may choose to purchase student accident coverage, serviced by K&K Insurance Group Inc. to satisfy this requirement.
- Each student-athlete and a parent/guardian will review the FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Health Education Program prior to the student’s participation in middle school athletic activities.
For more information on FCPS Middle School Sports, go to the Student Athlete page of the FCPS website.
Walt Pegues is excited to join the Thoreau community and lead our after-school program. With experience as a teacher, football coach, and youth development professional, he is passionate about helping students connect, explore new interests, and grow.
Mr. P plans to offer a variety of opportunities, including academic support, enrichment, athletics, STEAM, and more. Families and community members are encouraged to share ideas and get involved!
📧 Contact Mr. P: wlpegues@fcps.edu
In addition to the After-School Program, all middle schools in Fairfax County have interscholastic sports activities. Currently we have Cross Country in the Fall, Track & Field in the Spring, and we may have the opportunity for additional sport activities. These require additional paperwork and a sports physical.
Students and parents will need to complete several steps prior to participating in middle school sports, including:
- A completed FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Physical Examination Form (PPE). This must be submitted to school before any kind of participation, including tryouts or practice as a member of any school Interscholastic competitive athletic team. Once this packet is completed in it's entirety, you (or your student) can drop it off at the main office.
- Each student-athlete and a parent/guardian will complete a registration process (coming soon!) that includes the state-mandated concussion education program and Emergency Care Card information before the student participates in middle school sports. Additionally, you must complete the Thoreau Thoreau MS Registration Link - https://forms.gle/Y5GSVGUXFusd6ECJ8
- Any student participating in voluntary after school athletic programs, must have medical/accident insurance. Families may choose to purchase student accident coverage, serviced by K&K Insurance Group Inc. to satisfy this requirement.
- Each student-athlete and a parent/guardian will review the FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Health Education Program prior to the student’s participation in middle school athletic activities.
For more information on FCPS Middle School Sports, go to the Student Athlete page of the FCPS website.
County Fair at Warhawk Stadium 🎪
Join us for the County Fair at Warhawk Stadium on September 3, 2026, from 5:00–7:00 PM!
Bring your family and friends for a fun evening featuring local food trucks and vendors, as well as a bounce house!
Admission: Kids – $5 | Adults – $7
Location: Warhawk Stadium, 2500 James Madison Drive, Vienna, VA 22181
We hope to see you there!
Family Life Education Parent Preview Session
There will be a Family Life Education (FLE) parent session on Wednesday, September 2nd, at 4:30pm inGym 1.
Human Growth and Development (HGD) and Emotional and Social Health (ESH) lessons will bepresented beginning in December through Health & Physical Education (HPE) classes. Parents mayreview the materials through our Schoology All Parents Course and detailed grade-level programdescriptions are available online here.
FCPS provides a comprehensive, sequential FLE program for students in grades K-12. Instruction is seenas a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learningessential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the FLE program. Students who areopted out are provided with age-appropriate alternative health instruction, and every effort is made tofoster respect for family choices. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this schoolyear, please complete the opt-out form found here and return it to your child’s HPE teacher as soon aspossible.
For Questions, Please Contact:
- Thoreau MS Health and Physical Education Teachers
- Ashley McKendree, 7th/8th Grade HPE Teacher- almckendree@fcps.edu
- Devon Sanborn, 7th Grade HPE Teacher/Department Chair- ddsanborn@fcps.edu
- Kevin Long, 7th and 8th Grade HPE Teacher- kmlong@fcps.edu
- Travis Warren, 7th Grade HPE Teacher- tjwarren@fcps.edu
- Giuliana Chastain, 8th Grade HPE Teacher- awantignani@fcps.edu
- TJ Ehrsam, 8th Grade HPE Teacher- tjehrsam@fcps.edu
- Emily Kenny, 8th Grade HPE Teacher- ejkenny@fcps.edu
- Blair Piddington, 8th Grade HPE Teacher- btpiddington@fcps.edu
- School Administration
- Rebecca Aguilar, Thoreau Director of Student Services- rjaguilar1@fcps.edu
- Central Office Staff
- Laura Schomer, K-12 Family Life Education- ljschomer@fcps.edu
- Carrie Reynolds, K-12 Coordinator for FLE/HPE- cfreynolds@fcps.edu
All students in Grades 2-7 may be screened for Advanced Academics services by referral. The referral window is open from the first day of school through December 15, annually for returning FCPS families. Do not wait for test scores or the universal screener referral. No referrals for Full-Time screening will be accepted after the spring screening deadline of December 15, annually. Families who are new to the county as of January 2026 may submit a referral for fall screening. This includes any family that was in private school or even families that were in the county but left for a gap. The deadline for fall screening referrals is October 15th. The deadline for spring screening referrals is December 15th.
Administrators, teachers, parents or guardians, students or peers, or other adults who know of a child’s advanced potential may submit an Advanced Academic Full-Time Referral Form. The completed form should be submitted to the AART: Hannah Converse (hpconverse@fcps.edu). You will receive, in writing, receipt of the referral.
For further information on Advanced Academics in FCPS, please consult the webpage: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/advanced-academic-programs-aap/forms-advanced-academic-program-aap
Parents/caregivers who speak Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, or Vietnamese may call a telephone information line for general information about FCPS. View the list of phone numbers.
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