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Principal's Message

Greetings Tiger Families!

It is hard to believe we only have eight more days of school before the 2025-26 school year is in the books. We are looking forward to continuing our catalog of year-end activities and celebrations in the coming days, including our talent show on June 11th, our 8th grade dance on June 12th, our academic awards ceremony on June 16th and our field/activity day on the last day of school – June 17th. Please note, this day is also a two-hour early release. These events are student privileges we plan for our students who have already, and continue to, show their best effort in attendance, positive decision-making, and academic achievement. We are fortunate to have so many students who are committed to finishing this school year strong!  

There is so much to celebrate from this school year and we look forward to continuing to do so in the next two weeks. To our families who also have seniors graduating (including Edison’s ceremony tonight), congratulations!

Sincerely,

Matt

Twain’s Weekly Schedule 

Monday, June 8: Anchor Day Schedule

Tuesday, June 9:  Odd Day Schedule

Wednesday, June 10:  Even Day Schedule

Thursday, June 11: Odd Day Schedule

Friday, June 12: Even Day Schedule

After School Program

Calendar Reminders: Last Day of School

Last Day of School (Early Dismissal)

Wednesday, June 17, is the last day of school. All middle and elementary schools will operate on a two-hour early release schedule that day. Twain will dismiss at 12:15 PM on this date.  

2026-27 First Day of School

Monday, August 24, is the first day of school for the 2026-27 school year! Be sure to bookmark the 2026-27 School Year Calendar. 

Congratulations Twain Chamber Orchestra!

The Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) has selected our Chamber Orchestra to perform at the State Conference in November 2026! This invitation comes as a direct result of our assessment performance in March, and we have been chosen through a highly competitive application and review process. Only two middle school orchestras in the commonwealth are selected to perform at this event where our Tigers will be able to showcase the talent and success of the Twain Orchestra Program!

This is the first time in the illustrious history of Twain that we have received an invitation to perform at the VMEA State Conference. Congratulations to Mr. Garfield-Levine and our entire orchestra program!

Twain Track & Field Championship Meet Results

The FCPS Middle School Track & Field Championships were held last weekend at Robinson Secondary School. We are proud to announce that we had many top 12 performances including 4 1st place performances! This culminated in our boys team earning the overall first place championship for all middle schools!

Some top 12 results from the meet are included below:

• Bryce Gross – 1st place in 100 m, 6th place in 200m
• Buddy Worthem – 1st place 400m, 1st place 800m, 1st place long jump
• Joshua Linn – 11th place 1600m, 1th place 800m
• Caleb Forest – 14th place shot put
• Preston Julius, Joshua Linn, George Appiah, Buddy Worthem – 3rd place 4x400m relay
• Maryam Mutwally – 9th place 100m, 9th place 200m
• Riley Davis, Ana Caetano Ferreira, Olive Denniston, Maryam Mutwally – 12th place 4x400m relay

Congratulations to our student-athletes and Coaches Marsh, Henry, and Smith on another successful season for our Tigers!

June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month and Caribbean American Heritage Month. 

In FCPS, and at Twain we celebrate the various heritage and history months that contribute to the great diversity that makes Mark Twain Middle School. We mark the achievements of LGBTQIA+ individuals form our community and beyond as we continue to strive for a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for all. Caribbean Americans represent a kaleidoscope of languages, customs, music, art and cuisine that enrich our larger and local community every day. Thank you to all Tigers for contributing to the beautiful tapestry that makes us Twain!

Twain Named Virginia Music Educators Association Blue Ribbon School for the 3rd Year in a Row!

Congratulations to our band, orchestra and choir programs for once again earning this prestigious honor for the superior ratings earned by our students at their assessments this spring. Thank you to Mr. Kluttz, Mr. Garfield-Levin, and Ms. Tolpa for your leadership and dedication to our musical Tigers!

End of Year Medication Pick-up

The school health room is reminding parents and guardians that all medication stored in the health room must be picked up no later than the student dismissal time on the last day of school. 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. If your student will be enrolled in a summer program sponsored by Fairfax County Public Schools, the existing medication authorization form(s) may be used for the summer program, but you will need to pick up the medication on the last day of school and deliver the medication and completed forms to the summer learning site on the first day of the summer program. Please let the health room know if you would like a copy of the form(s).

Medication authorization forms for next school year may be obtained from the school or online at the School Health Services page. A medication authorization form is required for any medication, prescription or over-the-counter, to be kept at school. Please be sure medication orders are clear. All information on the form must be completed. Part I must be signed and dated by the parent or guardian. Part II must be signed and dated by your health care provider. Approved over-the-counter medications given for headaches, muscle aches, orthodontic pain, or menstrual cramps do not need a health care provider’s signature. Antibiotic or antiviral medications for 10 consecutive school days or less do not require a health care provider’s signature either. For all asthma medications, a Virginia Asthma Action Plan must be provided. More detailed information is available on the back of the medication authorization form(s).

Over-the-counter medication must be in the unopened original container and clearly labeled by the parent or guardian. No more than 100 pills/tablets of OTC medication should be brought to school at a time. All prescription medication, including samples, must be labeled by the pharmacist or health care provider. Please make sure that the label clearly states your student’s name, the name of the medication, the dosage of the medication, and the time to be given.

Your cooperation will ensure that we can safely give your student, their medication. If you have any questions, please contact your school health room aide, at 703-313-3710.

Calendar Survey: Your Feedback Matters! 

FCPS values your input as we plan future school calendars. On Friday, June 5, all caregivers and FCPS staff will receive an email from noreply@fcps.edu containing a unique link to complete the FCPS Calendar Survey.

Please take a few minutes to share your priorities and perspectives by Monday, June 22, at 11:59 p.m.

Your individual responses will be kept confidential and will not be shared with school staff or used in any way that identifies you or your student. Only aggregate, summary-level results will be reported to the Fairfax County School Board.

If you do not receive a link to the survey or have technical difficulties completing the survey, please contact the FCPS Office of Research and Program Evaluation.

Summer Immunization Events for All FCPS Students

Inspire Health Alliance, in partnership with FCPS, will be providing school-required immunizations this summer. Immunizations will be provided at no out-of-pocket cost to students or families. Registering families will be required to provide insurance information, if applicable, but students without insurance may still participate.Visit the FCPS and Inspire Health Alliance Student Immunization Events webpage for dates, times, and locations. Additional event dates will be made available and shared four to five weeks prior to the event on the webpage. Additional immunization resources are also available.

Summer Meals for Students

Starting Monday, June 22, no-cost meals will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis at the sites and times listed on the FCPS Summer Food Service Program webpage. Students must remain on site while eating their meals.

This year, thanks to generous support from Educate Fairfax, families may also receive one no-cost breakfast and lunch per adult at the following elementary schools: Braddock, Dogwood, Glen Forest, Hutchison, Hybla Valley, and London Towne.

Summer sites will continue to be added, so please check the Summer Food webpage regularly for updates.

Information on Laptop and Charger Return

All students will be turning in their FCPS issued laptop and charger on Thursday, June 11 & Friday, June 12.  Collection will take place during your student’s regularly scheduled Math class.

If your student will be participating in an FCPS summer learning opportunity, they will be allowed to keep their laptop for the summer.  If you know your student will be participating in a summer learning opportunity and needs to use their FCPS laptop please complete this form.  For verification purposes having the student submit the form from their school google account is best, however any google account can complete the form.  Please make sure to have your students correct student ID.

Prior to laptop turn in please remove all student placed stickers (not barcodes) and wrap up their power.

• If your student has lost their power cord the cost is $29. Please do not purchase a replacement power cord through outside stores or vendors they will not be accepted.
• If your student has lost their laptop the cost is $601.

You can pay through www.myschoolbucks.com or with check in the main office. Note: payments made to www.myschoolbucks.com may take 24 hours for payment to register at the school.

Moving?

If you are moving, please update your address with us as soon as you’ve moved. If you are moving during the current school year and your student’s last day will be prior to May 22, you can find the withdrawal process on the Registrar’s Corner page of the Twain Website. If you are moving and your student’s last day will be May 22 or later, please follow the process below to submit the Student Intentions for Next School Year form.

Student Enrollment SY 26-27:

• For students returning to Twain, any forms which need updating will be indicated in future correspondence leading up to Tiger Fest in August.

• If your rising 7th or rising 8th grader will NOT attend Twain next school year, or your rising 9th grader will not be attending FCPS for high school, please complete the Student Intentions for Next School Year form and submit it to Christina Spencer cmspencer@fcps.edu as soon as possible.
• If transferring to a non-public (private) school, please indicate the location and whether it is religiously or non-religiously affiliated.
• If transferring to a DODEA/American school outside of the US, select the option for “Public School Division in the US”
• If attending a non-DEDEA school in another country, select “I do not intend to enroll in any public or nonpublic school next year” and name the school/country in “Other”.

Obtaining Student Records for School Transfer:

Should you indicate that your child(ren) will NOT attend Twain/FCPS for the 2026-2027 school year, the submitted form serves as your official withdrawal notice and no further action will be required. If their last day in attendance will be prior to the last day of school, June 17, you must still communicate their attendance.

Once you have registered your child(ren) at another school:

• Rising 7th and 8th Graders: The new school should be advised by you to send an official request for student records to your child’s previous school. For rising 8th grade students, that’s Christina Spencer cmspencer@fcps.edu at Twain. Rising 7th - If you notified the elementary school prior to the end of the school year that your child would not go to Twain, the new school should be referred to the elementary school where your child’s file will remain. 
• Rising 9th Graders: If you notified us prior to June 17 that your child will not attend FCPS for 9th grade, the new school should be advised by you to send an official request for student records to Christina Spencer cmspencer@fcps.edu. If you did not notify us prior to June 17, they should be referred to contact the high school where your student would have attended if they remained in FCPS.

Twain 8th Grade Dance is on June 12th!

The 8th Grade Dance will take place on June 12th from 6:00–8:00 PM. Tickets are $5 and go on sale June 9th through 11th. Tickets will not be sold the day of the dance or at the door that evening. Student eligibility to attend the dance is based on positive attendance and behavior during the school day. Our theme this year is “An Evening in Paris,” which was voted on by the students. You can find ways to support the dance by reviewing the weekly PTA newsletter, sent each week on Wednesdays.  

4700 Franconia Rd, Alexandria, VA 22310  |  Main: 703.313.3700
Attendance: 703.313.3737 | After-School Program: 703.313.3711
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