A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
We’ve finished up another busy week at Kilmer and are in the final stretch before summer. Students and teachers continue to be hard at work in these final two weeks. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to check ParentVue and talk with your students about their grades and finishing the 4th quarter strong.
With the end of the year, we are looking forward to celebrating our students. We have lots of memorable activities coming up next week, including the 8th grade promotion ceremonies, the 8th grade semi-formal, and the Spring Festival. Please check below for details.
Finally, we’ll be collecting laptops and cell phone pouches the last week of school. 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!
Ishan B. - Ishaan was a huge help with organizing collage materials, thank you!
Will C. - Will, the amount of thinking you put into your Book Club work is commendable!
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!
Ayra M. - Arya, Great job keeping up with your grades and checking in!
Aziza A. - Aziza is a respectful student with a positive attitude!
 Upcoming Dates:
-
June 9 - 8th Grade Yearbook distribution during all lunches
-
June 10 - Guardians Team Promotion Ceremony, 8:30-10:00 am
-
June 10 - 7th Grade Yearbook distribution during all lunches
-
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 - 8th Grade Semi-Formal Dance, 6-8:00 pm, Kilmer MS Cafeteria
-
June 15 & 16 - Students turn in laptops
-
June 17 - Students turn in cellphone pouches
-
June 17 - Last Day of School - 2 Hour Early Release
 Congratulations to our Kilmer Cougars who qualified for, and competed at, the FCPS Middle School Championship Meet this past Saturday! We had lots of athletes get personal bests, and a huge shout out to Madeline Halphen for winning 1st place in shot put for the entire division!
Kilmer’s Odyssey of the Mind team (Violet Dulaney, Krystal Hwang, Ishti Jain, Astrid Louie, Michelle Ning, Zahra Shah, and Vania Subramonian), went to Iowa State University last week to compete in the World Finals! “The Trainiacs” were excited to watch some amazing performances from their competitors, trade pins, and make new friends from across the world, while performing their 8-minute skit, requiring them to build a train that completed multiple trips and overcame several obstacles. They ended up placing 15th out of 57 teams! Thanks to the Kilmer PTA for their support!
Congratulations to Lucas Gebhart for receiving the Director’s Award in band for the 2025-26 school year. Also, congratulations to Ms. Sharon Bonneau on an outstanding career and fantastic final performance. We wish her well in her retirement!
Shout out to our fabulous Orchestra for their entertaining concert Wednesday night…Mr. Katz spiced things up with some themed costumes!
Students in Dr. Wright’s Science 8 class are conducting their own experiments and get to practice being real-life scientists!
 Congratulations to our May Student of the Month award recipients! Each student earned a positive referral, a $10 gift card, and a chance to win a celebration with friends at the end of the quarter.
Callie Arrington (All Traits), Joshua Cordone (Goal Directed and Resilient), Keiry Cornejo Revelo (Ethical and Global Citizen), Mary Cornman (Communicator), Leela Dave (All Traits), Nicholas DePalo (Ethical and Global Citizen), Oliver Gusky (Goal Directed and Resilient), Pradyumna Ram Jonnagaddala (All Traits), Ivan Labau (Collaborator), Leo Malhabour (Collaborator), Ethan Merrill (All Traits), Reime Romero (Communicator), Muhammad Saad (Creative and Critical Thinker), Chloe Salmons (Creative and Critical Thinker), Sophia Sanchez (Creative and Critical Thinker), Deven Shah (Creative and Critical Thinker)
End of Year Attendance Reminder
As we approach the final week of school, regular attendance is expected through the last day of classes on Wednesday, June 18. Students will continue participating in meaningful learning activities, end of year celebrations, and important closing procedures. Please note that laptop collection will take place on Tuesday, June 17, and cell phone pouches will be collected on Wednesday, June 18.
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 here!! - Sales end TONIGHT!
Yearbook sales end TONIGHT (Friday, June 5) at midnight. Purchase your student’s 25-26 yearbook today by going to yearbookforever.com and searching “Kilmer.”
Students who have purchased Yearbooks will receive them during lunches next week. 8th graders will receive them on June 9th and 7th graders will receive them on June 10th.
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
Get ready for a night of fun, food, and celebration! Tickets are $15 and include admission, snacks and food, and dessert from Ben & Jerry’s.
- Tickets are available for purchase online on MySchoolBucks through Thursday, June 11.
- Students may also purchase tickets in person during lunch on Wednesday, June 10 and Thursday, June 11.
- ⚠️ Tickets will not be sold at the door, so be sure to purchase yours in advance!
Don't miss this exciting end-of-year event—we can't wait to celebrate with you!
Request to Expunge High School Courses
In 7th or 8th grade, parents may request that a student's high school mathematics, world language, or ESOL course (Developing ELD and Academic Language) be expunged from the student's high school transcript and the student not earn high school credit for the course. Any student receiving a C or below in a high school credit course (Algebra 1, Geometry, or a World Language) should consider expunging and retaking the course next school year. We encourage students to speak with their teachers to gain their feedback about this option.
The “Request to Expunge High School Courses taken in Middle School” form must be submitted no later than the end of the first nine weeks of the 25-26 school year. Once the school receives the written request form to expunge the grade, student services will complete the process to completely remove the course from the student's transcript.
8th Grade Parents - Academic Career Plan Verification in Naviance
Each year, your child develops an Academic and Career Plan that supports their growth. This plan helps your child plan for their future. Your child will work with teachers and school counselors to discover their personal strengths and interests. They will also create goals to help them achieve success, plan for courses that meet high school graduation requirements, and prepare for life after high school. The development of this plan starts in middle school. Students update their plans during high school as their goals evolve. This plan supports on time graduation as well as college and career readiness. It is required by the Virginia Department of Education. Each student’s parent or guardian must review this plan at the end of 8th grade and again at the end of 10th grade.
You or your child can log into Naviance Student at www.fcps.edu/Naviance . Please review the following information together with your child: Results of the strengths and career surveys, personal, academic, and/or career goals, and draft course plan for high school. Once in your child’s account, select “About Me” from the top menu then choose “About Me Home”. Here you can review the work that your child has completed. Once you have reviewed your child’s plan, complete the verification form at https://forms.gle/Y9XqDgWkfbn5HsKAA. The completion of this form will serve as your signature. Please complete this form by Wednesday June 17, 2026.
End of Year Medication Pick-up from the Clinic
If your student has medication stored in the school health room, it must be picked up prior to dismissal on June 17. Medication left in the health room after that time will be destroyed. It is school policy that medications must be picked up by the parent or guardian. Medication cannot be sent home with your student.
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
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.
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.
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!
|
|
