GovDelivery | Kilmer Middle School

Giving Thanks #13

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Wishing you and your family a joyous Thanksgiving

Kilmer’s NJHS Stage 1 Activities Due December 1

Congratulations again, to our new NJHS candidates!

On November 13, Kilmer NJHS Candidates began their year of service learning with two Stage 1: Investigation activities in the NJHS Schoology Course. These asynchronous activities are due on December 1. Office hours were held to accommodate questions on 11/17 and 11/19. The first all-candidate meeting is in the NJHS Schoology BBCU link on December 10 from 2:30 - 3:30 pm.

The NJHS Committee communicates with candidates in the NJHS Schoology Course and students’ school email accounts. NJHS is ready to Make A Difference!

Yearbook Portraits

Students have three options to include a yearbook portrait in our yearbook.

As noted in last week’s News You Choose, families will receive a communication from Lifetouch this week for an appointment on Photo Day - Thursday, December 10, Friday, December 11 and Thursday, December 17 from 3-7pm. If you did not receive an email, the link to sign up is https://booknow.appointment-plus.com/ckhqrh94. A make-up day will be held in February. Photos will take place in the gym and hallway with required health and safety guidelines. All students must wear a mask except when their photo is taken. Upon arriving at the Kilmer campus, parents should park around the bus loop and remain in their car until their student is finished (~20 minutes). Students will begin the photo process with the Health Screening Station at the school entrance by the trailers at the back of the parking lot. We will have people out directing traffic and showing students where to go.
We are also working with our yearbook publisher, Walsworth, to use a downloadable app in order to take portraits with plain backgrounds. More information to come within the next few weeks.
Parents can also send in portraits of their students to include in the yearbook. More information to come within the next few weeks.

Cougars Connect - Student Engagement

We realize how challenging it is to feel connected in the virtual environment and want to have some fun recognizing students making progress to engage and connect in their classes.

What does student engagement look like in a virtual learning environment?

It can look like…

using the mic or camera in class discussions and breakouts
being responsive in chat discussions
consistently participating in interactive class activities (e.g., polls, Padlets and Jamboard)
going to office hours to connect with a teacher
sending messages to teachers to ask questions

…really any way a student is an active participant in virtual learning!

Teachers will encourage students to interact and engage on a variety of levels as it fits their classes. Please keep in mind that although we encourage camera use, using the camera is never required. If you or your student have concerns about any barriers to engaging in class, please connect with his/her counselor who can help.

Every month, teachers will nominate one (or more) students for student engagement from each of their classes. There will be a monthly drawing from the pool of nominated students. Monthly winners from each grade will be recognized through KTV and students recognized will be able to choose a reward from a variety of options.

We hope this is a fun way to encourage student engagement in the virtual environment.

Afterschool

As a reminder all students must have a completed Kilmer Middle Afterschool General Registration Form on file to participate. Updates, club descriptions and meeting details are located in the Schoology Afterschool Group - access code 2W54-ZSDS-BKJMV. Contact After School Program Specialist, Kimberly Kardelis with questions.

My Science Olympiad is a new program that complements Science Olympiad’s traditional tournament contests and is available to all middle school students who love STEM and want to stay engaged – at home or at school. This is open to students whether or not they are a part of a school team. Kilmer will not offer the Science Olympiad this year.

Kilmer Pantry

The Kilmer Pantry is being replenished to provide non-perishable food items to our families in need. We plan to begin food distribution in mid-December.

We are collecting items through a drive thru donation every Monday from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you next Monday, Nov, 30th.

In addition families are invited to donate non-perishable food items by direct shipping from Amazon, Target, Walmart, or wherever you shop (send to the attention of Debra David at Kilmer). This Amazon WishList includes a list of potential items to donate.

Donation requests include: Pasta sauce, canned tomatoes, pasta, rice, beans, cereal, oatmeal, cooking oil, peanut butter, crackers, microwave popcorn, granola bars, canned fruit/applesauce, canned tuna, canned veggies, instant macaroni and cheese.

We are grateful for the support of our Kilmer Community and are hopeful to see you at one of our Monday drive thru donation times.

If you want your family to receive food, please contact your child’s counselor.

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

Concurrent Teaching #12

GovDelivery 6 days 10 hours ago

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Ms. Ehsani demonstrating concurrent teaching model.

A message from Principal, Amy Miller:

Dear Kilmer Families,

As we head into the Thanksgiving Holidays, I want to take a moment to let you all know how thankful I am for the Kilmer Community. Although this Thanksgiving will look different for many of us, I am hopeful that we all can find some joy in the season with the people who we love the most.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Amy Miller

Principal

Attendance

If your student will not be attending classes Monday (11/23) and/or Tuesday (11/24), please call the attendance line at 703 846 8888.

We will follow the regular bell schedule on Tuesday, November 24..

Afterschool

NO Afterschool Activities Nov. 23rd-27th. *HaHaHoliday Practice will take place on Tuesday at its regular time.

Kilmer Pantry

The Kilmer Pantry is being replenished to provide non-perishable food items to our families in need. We plan to begin food distribution in mid-December.

We are collecting items through a drive thru donation every Monday from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you next Monday, Nov, 23. .

In addition families are invited to donate non-perishable food items by direct shipping from Amazon, Target, Walmart, or wherever you shop (send to the attention of Debra David at Kilmer). We will have an Amazon WishList starting next week.

We are grateful for the support of our Kilmer Community and are hopeful to see you at one of our Monday drive thru donation times.

If you want your family to receive food, please contact your child’s counselor.

Picture Day

Save the Date - we will have our annual picture day on Thursday, December 10, Friday, December 11 and Thursday, December 17 from 3-7pm. Please check your email - you should receive a communication from our photographer, Lifetouch, within the next few days with a link to sign up for a picture appointment time. Photos will take place in the gym with required health and safety guidelines. All students must wear a mask except when their photo is taken. Upon arriving at the Kilmer campus, parents should park around the bus loop and remain in their car until their student is finished (~20 minutes). Students will begin the photo process with the Health Screening Station at the school entrance by the trailers at the back of the parking lot. We will have people out directing traffic and showing students where to go.

Parent Schoology Meeting Recording

Thank you to all our parents who attended our Schoology meeting earlier this week. Topics covered included parent access to Schoology, clarity around gradebooks, tracking and reviewing assignments, the Schoology calendar and contacting teachers. The recording and slide deck are both available on our website.

Important Update on Grab and Go Meals: Delivery Times and Some Bus Stop Locations Have Changed

Fairfax County Public Schools is offering no-cost nutritious meals to ALL students through June 30, 2021. Meals are available at school sites and along bus routes.

As of November 9, grab and go bus delivery times and some bus stop locations have changed. The updated bus schedule is now available online. Bus delivery times were changed to accommodate the need for more buses to transport students returning to school buildings for in-person learning.

Breakfast and lunch meals are offered Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). Breakfast and lunch are served at the same time. Breakfast and lunch are also offered at no-cost to any student who attends in-person instruction at a school Monday-Friday. Meals for Saturday and Sunday are offered at sites and on bus routes every Friday.

More information is available online, or by calling the Office of Food and Nutrition Services at 703-813-4800.

Scoliosis Fact Sheet

Information on scoliosis and methods for early detection.

The Scoliosis Fact Sheet and translations are available at:

https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/school-health-services

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

As we approach a time of year when families are accustomed to traveling, many may find they need to reschedule or cancel plans due to the pandemic. While it’s not quite the same as visiting loved ones or exploring new spots, we want to encourage our community to use the Kilmer Library as your travel agent!

We share a range of different #VirtualVacations that will take you around the world through sightseeing, activities and recommended reading -- all without the cost of airline tickets or a hotel! Climb aboard and travel with us! Check out all of our destinations at http://kilmerlibrary.org/virtual-vacation. And, if there’s somewhere else you’d like to visit, reach out to Gretchen Hazlin, librarian (gehazlin@fcps.edu) and we’ll plan another trip!

New employment opportunity in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)!

FCPS schools and centers will be hiring classroom monitors to provide in-person classroom assistance for students when a staff member remains virtual. If you would like more information about the position, please review the job description and qualifications online and apply if interested. Please feel free to share information about this opportunity with anyone else you think may be interested.

FCPS is seeking individuals to serve as substitute teachers!

Are you or somebody you know interested in substitute teaching with FCPS? Apply here or attend one of our Friday information sessions to learn more! To sign up for a session visit our substitute information page here. Say Yes 2 FCPS!

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

First Quarter Report Cards #11

GovDelivery 1 week 6 days ago

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We were excited to see our teachers who came for the drive by to receive a goodie bag and treat! Pictured: Ms. Miller greeting Ms. Terry and and her puppy BB.

A message from Principal, Amy Miller:

Dear Kilmer Families,

It was a joy to visit several classes this week. It was exciting to see students engaging in learning about biomes and ecosystems in Science, plot and perspective in English, and learning about Growth Mindset and engaging in discussion about the top ten inventions in Engineering.

We are looking forward to our Schoology Parent Meeting on Monday, November 16 at 7:00 PM. During this meeting we will share helpful tips about navigating Schoology and how to support your student. We will send the BBCU link for this meeting on Monday morning.

We are excited about the Crosstown Cup. A friendly competition between Thoreau Middle School and Kilmer Middle School. The goal for each school is to complete the most exercise in a month. Please see below for more information and enter your daily exercise into this form.

Sincerely,

Amy Miller

Principal

1st Quarter Grading Report Cards

The gradebook module in SIS ParentVue and SIS StudentVue is now open. First quarter report cards can now be viewed in SIS Student Vue and Parent VUE. In addition, Kilmer Middle School will be mailing a paper copy of your student’s 1st quarter report card. If you have opted to “Go Paperless” in ParentVue, you will receive only online report cards beginning 2nd quarter. This will not impact any other mailings from FCPS other than the report cards for secondary students.

To take advantage of the paperless options, parents and/or guardians will need to log into ParentVUE, then go to “My Account” and select "Go Paperless" All parents who live with the student and share the same address must have a SIS ParentVUE account and must select the paperless option to prevent mailing of the printed report cards. The “Go Paperless” option will apply to all their associated students, no matter what school level. PDF report cards will be visible in ParentVUE and StudentVUE. Any student whose parents/guardians did not select to “Go Paperless” will receive a printed copy in the mail.

Kilmer Middle School will be mailing a paper copy of your student’s 1st quarter report card towards the end of next week.

Schoology Parent Information Session

We will be holding a parent information session specifically on how to navigate Schoology on Monday, November 16 from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM. We will send the link out the morning of November 16 via enotify.

Family Life Education (FLE): Virtual Parent Preview Of The FLE Curriculum

Tuesday, November 17th from 7:00-8:00. Link will be sent Tuesday morning.

The KMS Health & Physical Education teachers will be available on Tuesday, November 17th from 7:00-8:00 in the BBCU link to review and answer any questions about the FCPS FLE Health Units, which include Emotional and Social Health and Human Growth and Development.

The School Board has approved a revision to regulation 3204 to allow FLE opt-out forms to be distributed electronically for the school year 2020-2021. Parents/guardians wishing to opt their child out of instruction may complete and return the opt-out form or scan or email a copy of the completed form to Sarah Groh <sfgroh@fcps.edu>

If you do not have access to the actual opt-out form, please send an email.

Click on the link to read an overview of the materials at your leisure.

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle-school-academics-7-8/family-life-education-fle

To view grade-specific lessons, log in to FCPS 24-7 Parent View: Click on E-Cart: Click on Family life Curriculum. You will be able to view the content in more detail.

https://fcps.blackboard.com/

We look forward to joining us in the BBCU Parents Link on Tuesday, November 17th, from 7:00-8:00 for our first Virtual Parent Preview Night of the FCPS FLE curriculum.

Any questions, please email Ann Mackenzie at ahmackenzie@fcps.edu.

FLE Gatehouse Letter to Parents

Kilmer’s NJHS Candidate Notifications Emailed on November 10

Congratulations to our new NJHS candidates!

On November 10, Kilmer NJHS Candidate Notifications were emailed to candidates’ school email accounts [@fcpsschools.net]. We look forward to starting our year of Service Learning together, with the NJHS emphasis on Scholarship, Citizenship, Leadership, Service, and Character.

Candidates are members of the NJHS Schoology Course. The NJHS Committee will communicate with candidates in Schoology and their school email accounts.

The first NJHS Schoology assignment is due on December 1. The first all-candidate meeting is in the Schoology BBCU link on December 10 at 2:30 pm. More information will be available soon in the NJHS Schoology Course.

NJHS is ready to Make a Difference!

Fine Arts Department News

Even though we're virtual, we've still got talent!! Kilmer's Got Talent, our annual talent show will be live streamed on November 13th at 7:30pm, accessed by a link sent to you when you purchase your tickets through a donation. Come see our talented students sing, dance, and play instruments as they compete for the title of Kilmer’s Most Talented! Sean Kenny and Nikisha Kozik will be back again with their hilarious jokes and unbearable puns as this year’s hosts!

Tickets can be purchased in any dollar amount of your choosing. This is considered a donation to the Drama department for future events. Tickets are available at kmsdrama.org!

https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/2543819/kilmers-got-talent-virtual-performance-vienna-kilmer-middle-school-theatre

PTA Reflections Program

Congratulations to Sophia Tzvetanov whose poem and song titled "Share a Song" have won both the Literature and Music Middle School divisions of the 2020 Kilmer Reflections art contest. We are very proud to have her poem and song represent Kilmer Middle School in the Fairfax County level Reflections contest. Thank you to all of the students who also submitted entries.

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

Starting this month, we will begin offering THIRD THURSDAYS for Cougars @ the Curb, our curbside book checkout service. What does this mean? We are expanding curbside pick-up once each month to evening hours with the goal towards making this service more accessible to students and families. On the Third Thursday of each month -- this month that’s Thursday, November 19 -- we’ll be open from 5:00pm-7:00pm.

We also continue to be open each and every Monday from 1:00pm-3:30pm. Watch our promo video to learn more about Cougars @ the Curb! And find all of the details on our flyer.

Upcoming Cougars @ the Curb hours:

Monday, November 16, 1:00pm-3:30pm
Thursday, November 19, 5:00pm-7:00pm

Questions? Please reach out to Gretchen Hazlin, librarian, at gehazlin@fcps.edu.

Greetings from Afterschool

Activities continue rolling out and more students are joining each day. Please check for updates, club descriptions and meeting details under the Afterschool Group in Schoology. Individual club enrollment requests, descriptions and the Afterschool Activities Calendar are located under Resources, if an enrollment request link is not listed then that club does not require one. Next Week At A Glance:

Kilmer will not host/sponsor a school Science Olympiad Team(s) this year. MY SO (My Science Olympiad) is a new program that complements Science Olympiad’s traditional tournament contests and is available to all middle school students who love STEM and want to stay engaged – at home or at school. We realize students may be eager to begin SO STEM sessions/lessons and to make families aware of the MY SO platform opportunities. This is open to students whether or not they are a part of a school team. This is not a requirement, students in no way have to participate in MY SO.

NO Afterschool 11/23-11/27 (HaHaHoliday practice will take place)

The code to access this group is 2W54-ZSDS-BKJMV but all students have been enrolled already. Should you have any difficulties with it please contact Kimberly Kardelis, After School Program Specialist at kckardelis@fcps.edu.

Crosstown Cup

Kilmer Cougars, we are getting psyched about the Crosstown Cup! So far, we've had 47 responses from 20 students and staff logging their exercise!! But just imagine what we could do if EVERYONE participated!!

The Crosstown Cup is taking the place of Crosstown Hoops this year! Instead of a single basketball game, it's a year-long competition! Students and staff are logging their miles and the monthly exercises (November is Squatsvember). We will be comparing our numbers with Thoreau at the end of each month.

The more often you log your exercise, the more likely your name will be pulled to win a raffle prize at the end of the month. And hey -- we want to bring the Crosstown Cup to the Kilmer office at the end of November! So get out there -- walk, run, crawl -- and do some squats!! Let's claim the Crosstown Cup!!!

Enter your daily exercise into this form.

Kilmer Pantry

The Kilmer Pantry is being replenished to provide non-perishable food items to our families in need. We plan to begin food distribution in mid-December.

We are collecting items through a drive thru donation every Monday from 3:00 – 5:00 pm, beginning next Monday, November 16th.

In addition families are invited to donate non-perishable food items by direct shipping from Amazon, Target, Walmart, or wherever you shop (send to the attention of Debra David at Kilmer). We will have an Amazon WishList starting next week.

We are grateful for the support of our Kilmer Community and are hopeful to see you at one of our Monday drive thru donation times.

If you want your family to receive food, please contact your child’s counselor.

New employment opportunity in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)!

FCPS is seeking individuals to serve as substitute teachers!

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

November 11 - Two Hr. Early Release #10

GovDelivery 2 weeks 6 days ago

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Maria Yeager, our attendance office assistant, does an amazing job communicating with our community and families. Thank you for your diligence and hard work!

A message from Principal, Amy Miller:

Dear Kilmer Families,

As we begin the second quarter, I want to take a moment to thank our entire Kilmer Community (teachers, parents, and students) for partnering together during this year. This is a challenging year but what is clear is the commitment of the Kilmer Community. Thank you.

To kick-off this quarter, the PAWS Advisory lesson will focus on encouraging students to engage in class by using their microphones and cameras on BBCU. We will not require students to turn on their cameras but we do want to encourage it and work to make students feel comfortable with it.

A reminder that, Wednesday, November 11 is a two hour early release day. The bell schedule for the day is below.

Sincerely,

Amy Miller

Principal

Wednesday, November 11-Two Hour Early Release

Wednesday, November 11 is a two-hour early release day for students.Students will attend periods 2, 4, 6, and 8 but for a shorter amount of time. Below is the bell schedule for Wednesday, November 11.

For Fourth Period PAWS, students will check-in with the PAWS Advisory teacher and at 8:45 AM students and teachers will transition to office hours for the remainder of the period.

Drama Department News

Tickets can be purchased in any dollar amount of your choosing. This is considered a donation to the Drama department for future events. Tickets are available at https://www.kmsdrama.org/

https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/2543819/kilmers-got-talent-virtual-performance-vienna-kilmer-middle-school-theatre

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

Did you know that the Kilmer Library offers access to a whole range of great and fun-to-read magazines? From Science World to Girls’ Life to Sports Illustrated to Car and Driver to Do It Yourself and more, we have so many different options!

Your students can get to our magazine collection through the library’s Schoology page or go to our web page: https://www.kilmerlibrary.org/magazines. Find passwords on Schoology or by sending a message to Gretchen Hazlin, librarian, at gehazlin@fcps.edu.

Important Updates on Grab and Go Meals

Fairfax County Public Schools is offering no-cost nutritious meals to ALL students through June 30, 2021. Meals are available at school sites and along bus routes.

Beginning Monday, November 9, grab and go bus delivery times and some bus stop locations will change. The updated bus schedule will be posted on November 6.

Breakfast and lunch meals are offered Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). Breakfast and lunch are served at the same time. Breakfast and lunch are also offered at no cost to any student who attends in-person instruction at a school Monday-Friday. Meals for Saturday and Sunday are offered at sites and on bus routes every Friday.

More information is available online, or by calling the Office of Food and Nutrition Services at 703-813-4800.

National Junior Honor Society

Incorporating Service Learning Into Education

Kilmer Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society focuses on Service Learning, using the model presented by FCPS Service Learning and The Complete Guide to Service Learning manual by Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A.

To realize the five components of NJHS: Citizenship, Scholarship, Character, Leadership, and Service, Kilmer’s NJHS uses a guided research-based learning method to help students address an authentic community need. Student initiative and structured time for reflection on the service experience are key elements. Students finish the year able to demonstrate their acquired skills and knowledge in a Service Learning Gallery, and subsequent Induction into the National Junior Honor Society.

NJHS has made accommodations to the service learning process to respond to the current virtual environment.

On October 22, Kilmer's National Junior Honor Society sent eligible 8th graders an email invitation to apply for candidacy, with an electronic deadline of November 3, 2020.

Students selected as NJHS candidates for the 2020-2021 year will be notified through their school email by November 10, 2020.

To learn more about the application process, requirements and activities of Kilmer’s NJHS chapter, view the NJHS page on the KMS website. NJHS is ready to Make A Difference!

Schoology Parent Information Session

We will be holding a parent information session specifically on how to navigate Schoology on Monday, November 16 from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM. We will send the link out the morning of November 16 via enotify.

Greetings from After School

Next Week At A Glance:

Kilmer is not able to host/sponsor a school Science Olympiad Team(s) this year. MY SO (My Science Olympiad) is a new program that complements Science Olympiad’s traditional tournament contests and is available to all middle school students who love STEM and want to stay engaged – at home or at school. We realize students may be eager to begin SO STEM sessions/lessons and to make families aware of the MY SO platform opportunities. This is open to students whether or not they are a part of a school team. This is not a requirement, students in no way have to participate in MY SO.

**Updates for Debate will be posted once confirmed.

**NO Afterschool 11/23-11/27

The Afterschool Program is for all students, and we are looking forward to a program that offers meaningful experiences. As a reminder all students must have a completed Kilmer Middle Afterschool General Registration Form on file to participate. The code to access this group is 2W54-ZSDS-BKJMV but all students have been enrolled already. Should you have any difficulties with it please contact Kimberly Kardelis, After School Program Specilist at kckardelis@fcps.edu.

Kilmer Virtual Orchestra Video

Kilmer’s Orchestra program presents their 1st Virtual Orchestra video, a spooky rendition of The Abandoned Funhouse by Brian Balamages here. It’s fantastic, give it a listen. It will give you chills. Thank you to Ms. Fogel and all the students who participated.

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

Return to School Parent Sessions #9

GovDelivery 3 weeks 6 days ago

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We were excited to welcome our first small cohort of students back to the building on October 26, 2020

A message from Principal, Amy Miller:

Dear Kilmer Families,

This past Monday we welcomed our first small cohort of students back to Kilmer. It was exciting to see the students and have them back in the building!

Thank you to the families who joined us for our Return to School Parent Information Sessions this past week. We have posted the recordings and the presentation to our Kilmer website.

Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful:

Return to School

Student Health and Safety Document

Return to School Family Guide

We will be holding a parent information session specifically on how to navigate Schoology on Monday, November 16 at 7:00 PM. We will send the link out the morning of November 16 via eNotify.

Monday, November 2 and Tuesday, November 3 are student holidays. There will be no synchronous classes.

Sincerely,

Amy Miller

Principal

1st Quarter Grading and Report Cards

The end of the 1st quarter is November 2nd. The gradebook module in SIS ParentVue and SIS StudentVue will be closed from Monday, November 2 at 4pm until FrSat, Nov 7, 2020 at 6am in order for teachers to have the time to complete 1st quarter grades.

“Go Paperless” Report Card Option Reminder

Parents and/or guardians can opt to “Go Paperless” in ParentVUE and receive only online report cards. This will not impact any other mailings from FCPS other than the report cards for secondary students. To take advantage of the paperless options, parents and/or guardians will need to log into ParentVUE, then go to “My Account” and select "Go Paperless" All parents who live with the student and share the same address must have a SIS ParentVUE account and must select the paperless option to prevent mailing of the printed report cards. The “Go Paperless” option will apply to all their associated students, no matter what school level. PDF report cards will be visible in ParentVUE and StudentVUE. Any student whose parents/guardians did not select to “Go Paperless” will receive a printed copy in the mail.

Student All Course in Schoology

The Student All page in Schoology is a great place to keep track of student activities, events and information throughout the school year. Here, students and parents can quickly find teacher office hours (look in Start Here folder), bell schedules, student tech tips, important school wide messages, and the morning announcements. The morning announcements include information on opportunities like NJHS, yearbook, and afterschool activities. Click the video linked below to learn more about navigating Student All and how to find the announcements!

Video: Parent Navigation for Student All Course

Schoology Parent Information Session

We will be holding a parent information session specifically on how to navigate Schoology on Monday, November 16 at 7:00 PM. We will send the link out the morning of November 16 via eNotify.

NJHS Candidate Forms Due by November 3

On October 22, Kilmer's National Junior Honor Society sent eligible 8th graders an email invitation to apply for candidacy.

The Candidate Form must be received electronically by November 3, 2020, in order for the student to be considered for candidacy.

Students selected as NJHS candidates for the 2020-2021 year will be notified through their school email by November 10, 2020.

To learn more about the application process, requirements and activities of Kilmer’s NJHS chapter, view the NJHS page on the KMS website.

Kilmer is proud to continue iTs tradition of service learning with NJHS. Cougars make a difference!

American Math Competition (AMC) 8 Test

There are still a few slots open for the AMC 8 Test. The Kilmer Math Department will be offering the American Math Competition (AMC 8) to a limited number of students. Interested students should complete the following interest form by using their school google account. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScV_wDp-jt2kYssCBmK-GdukSbrww3i9JEgNiswRN8Go6pELg/viewform?usp=sf_link We are opting for the online version of the test. The AMC 8 will be open to take between November 10 – 16, 2020.

For more information you can read it at https://www.maa.org/math-competitions/2020-2021-amc-online-policies. Due to the nature of the test being provided online, students will need to provide a parent email address that is willing and able to proctor/monitor the test.

For questions on accessing the form, please email Karen Bradford at KBradford2@fcps.edu.

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

It’s a long weekend for your students -- so it’s the perfect time to pick up a few books to read for fun! Even though your kids won’t be in school on Monday, Cougars @ the Curb, our Kilmer Library curbside checkout program is still happening.

Access the catalog
Put some books on hold:
Look for a Schoology message from the library noting that books are ready
Pick up books at Kilmer’s Door #3 between 1:00pm and 3:30pm on Mondays!

We hope to see you on Monday, November 2!

Greetings from After School

Next Week At A Glance:

MY SO (My Science Olympiad) is a new program that complements Science Olympiad’s traditional tournament contests and is available to all middle school students who love STEM and want to stay engaged – at home or at school. We realize students may be eager to begin SO STEM sessions/lessons and to make families aware of the MY SO platform opportunities. This is open to students whether or not they are a part of a school team. This is not a requirement, students in no way have to participate in MY SO.

**Updates for Debate and Science Olympiad will be posted once confirmed.

**NO Afterschool 11/23-11/27

Family Life Education (FLE): Virtual Parent Preview Of The FLE Curriculum

Tuesday, November 17th from 7:00-8:00. The meeting link will be sent out the morning of the meeting.

If you do not have access to the actual opt-out form, please send an email.

Click on the link to read an overview of the materials at your leisure.

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/middle-school-academics-7-8/family-life-education-fle

To view grade-specific lessons, log in to FCPS 24-7 Parent View: Click on E-Cart: Click on Family life Curriculum. You will be able to view the content in more detail.

https://fcps.blackboard.com/

We look forward to joining us in the BBCU Parents Link on Tuesday, November 17th, from 7:00-8:00 for our first Virtual Parent Preview Night of the FCPS FLE curriculum.

Any questions, please email Ann Mackenzie at ahmackenzie@fcps.edu.

FLE Gatehouse Letter to Parents

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

October National Principals Month #8

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October Is National Principals Month

Thank you, Ms. Miller!

A message from Principal, Amy Miller:

Dear Kilmer Families,

We are excited to welcome our first small cohort of students back to the building starting on Monday, October 26. The students will start with attending on Monday mornings only. For more information about the Phased In Plan for Return to School, please follow this link to the School Board presentation made on Thursday, October 15. Here is the link to the recording of Dr. Brabrand’s Town Hall held on Monday, October 19 with a focus on the Return to School. As information evolves, I will be sure to share the updates with the Kilmer community.

As we finish out the final week of the quarter please remember:

refer to SIS ParentVue to see your student’s grades
October 30 is a two-hour early release for students (bell schedule is below)
November 2 and November 3 are student holidays.

We will be holding a Parent Information Session on Schoology in November. Please help us with the planning of this session by responding to the questions in this form.

Sincerely,

Amy Miller

Principal

Friday, October 30-Two Hour Early Release

Friday, October 30 is a two-hour early release day for students.Students will attend periods 2, 4, 6, and 8 but for a shorter amount of time. Below is the bell schedule for Friday, October 30 next week.

For Fourth Period PAWS, students will check-in with the PAWS Advisory teacher and at 8:45 AM students and teachers will transition to office hours for the remainder of the period.

Middle School 2-Hour Early Release Schedule 2020-21

Friday, October 30

Start Time

End Time

Minutes

2nd Period

7:30 AM

8:20 AM

50 minutes

4th Period

8:35 AM

9:25 AM

50 minutes

6th Period

9:40 AM

10:30 AM

50 minutes

8th Period

10:45 AM

11:35 AM

50 minutes

Lunch

11:45 AM

12:15 PM

30 minutes

Schoology Parent Information Session

We will be holding a Parent Information Session on Schoology in November. Please help us with the planning of this session by responding to the questions in this form. We will announce the date and time of the session in an upcoming News You Choose.

1st Quarter Grading and Report Cards

The end of the 1st quarter is Friday, October 30th. The gradebook module in SIS ParentVue and SIS StudentVue will be closed from Friday, October 30, 2020, at 4pm until Saturday, November 7, 2020, at 6am in order for teachers to have the time to complete 1st quarter grades.

“Go Paperless” Report Card Option Reminder

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

Earlier this week, we sent out overdue notices to your students’ fcpsschools.net email addresses for books still out from last year. If you have the book(s) and are able to return them, we would LOVE to have them back. We'll even take books back that you may still have out from elementary school -- it's easy for us to get those books returned for you.

A great time to drop books off at Kilmer is during our Cougars @ the Curb curbside checkout hours on Mondays between 1:00pm and 3:30pm. We have a cart for BOOK RETURNS right near Door #3. And, if you’re returning books, encourage your child to put some books on hold for a fun pick-up at the same time! Learn more about Cougars @ the Curb in our promo video!

However, please know that we absolutely understand that we are in unprecedented times. If you cannot get these books returned to the Kilmer Library, do not worry about them at this point in time.

Questions? Reach out to Gretchen Hazlin, librarian, at gehazlin@fcps.edu.

Drama Theatre News

Did you miss the first round of auditions for Kilmer’s Theatre Sports team? Good News!! You can still audition!! Auditions will take place in the After School Schoology Group on Thursday, October 29, 2020 from 2:30 – 3:30. Auditions will be in the form of playing improv games with Mr. Bergen, so come and play with us! Email Mrs. Kozik at nkozik@fcps.edu with any questions or concerns!”

Greetings from After School

Next Week At A Glance:

The Afterschool Program is for all students, and we are looking forward to a program that offers meaningful experiences. As a reminder all students must have a completed Kilmer Middle Afterschool General Registration Form on file to participate.

The code to access this group is 2W54-ZSDS-BKJMV but all students have been enrolled already. **Updates for Debate and Science Olympiad will be posted once confirmed. Should you have any difficulties with it please contact Kimberly Kardelis, After School Program Specilist at kckardelis@fcps.edu.

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

Thank you PTA! #7

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Thank you to our amazing PTA! They provided teachers with a Kilmer coffee mug and an assortment of candy.

Pictured: Jo Neuber, Andrew Shatokhin, Michelle Boback and Jen Bishop.

A message from Principal, Amy Miller:

Dear Kilmer Families,

We so appreciate the PTA’s support and show of appreciation for our teachers! Thank you so much!

The Kilmer Afterschool Program is entering its third week and is going well! More and more students are becoming active each day. In our first 2 weeks we had over 200 students log in and participate in our Afterschool Program. Below are a few highlights from our teachers:

The students that participate in basketball afterschool really want to keep working hard even though we are virtual. One student said, " practice makes perfect anywhere". -Ms. Harris

The highlight of my after school session, Cookie Crumbs, was the enthusiasm shown by the student participants. They eagerly arrived and told me they were excited to begin baking. They suggested types of cookies to make in future sessions, asked for recipes, and added a festive spirit while simultaneously creating cookies. -Mrs. Drumheller

Last week my group of students were so sad we were only meeting for 45 minutes & this week we have a former Kilmer student, currently at TJ, coming to help me out. It was his idea to revive a KMS QuizBowl team. -Mrs. Flanery de Tichoc

If you have any questions about the Kilmer Afterschool Program, please reach out to Kim Kardelis at kckardelis@fcps.edu

Sincerely,

Amy Miller

Principal

SIS GradeBook

The SIS grade book module is now available in SIS StudentVue and SIS ParentVue. To view student grades for each course, please view the grade book module. The students can see grades in Schoology but they are not necessarily accurate because the Schoology and SIS are not synched.

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

Did you know that even though we are still virtual and cannot open our physical makerspace, we still have maker activities for our Kilmer students online? Ask your student to show you the “Explore the Makerspace” section of our Kilmer Library Schoology Course! Help build a collaborative digital mosaic, find resources on coding, 3D design, computer game creating, duct tape projects, origami, and other paper crafts. Or venture into the Kilmer virtual escape room to focus on creative problem solving skills.

Two-Hour Early Release - Friday, October 30

Friday, October 30 is the last day of the first quarter and is a two-hour early release day for students.Students will attend periods 2, 4, 6, and 8 but for a shorter amount of time. We will send out a bell schedule for Friday, October 30 next week.

Schoology Parent Information Session

National Junior Honor Society

Kilmer’s National Junior Honor Society will begin again soon, with Candidate Invitations/Forms and Parent Letters emailed to student and parent accounts the week of October 19. Requirements to become an NJHS candidate are as follows:

The candidate must be a member of the 8th grade class.
The candidate must have been in attendance at Kilmer Middle School since at least September.
The candidate must have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.70, as of June, 2020.
Electronic receipt of the completed Candidate Form, with signatures, by the deadline, November 3.

Kilmer Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society focuses on Service Learning, using the model presented by FCPS Service Learning and The Complete Guide to Service Learning manual by Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A.

To realize the five components of NJHS: Citizenship, Scholarship, Character, Leadership, and Service, Kilmer’s NJHS uses a guided research-based learning method to help students address an authentic community need. Student initiative and structured time for reflection on the service experience are key elements. Students finish the year able to demonstrate their acquired skills and knowledge in a Service Learning Gallery, and subsequent Induction into the National Junior Honor Society.

NJHS has made accommodations to our service learning process to respond to the current virtual environment.

Cougars are proud to continue our tradition of service learning at Kilmer MS.

NJHS is ready to Make A Difference!

Scoliosis Fact Sheet

To meet the state requirement for the provision of parent educational information on scoliosis, all Fairfax County Public Schools must provide a scoliosis fact sheet to parents or guardians of students in grades 5-12 within 60 business days of the school start date.

The Scoliosis Fact Sheet and translations are available at:

https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/school-health-services

PTA Reflections Program

The National PTA Reflections program is a competition that encourages students to explore the arts and express themselves by providing positive recognition for their artistic efforts. This year's theme is "I matter because..." Categories include dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography or visual arts. There is also a Special Artists division for those who may need special accommodations. The submission deadline is 10/23/20. For more information about the program, go to the Reflections section on the PTA webpage at (kilmerpta.org).

Greetings from AfterSchool

Thank you all for a successful 2nd week of clubs! Activities will continue to roll out over the next few weeks. We are excited to get started and look forward to connecting with students. Please check for updates, club descriptions and meeting details under the Afterschool Group in Schoology. Individual club enrollment forms are located under Resources, if an enrollment request link is not listed then that club does not require one.

**Start Dates for Debate and Science Olympiad will be posted once confirmed.

The code to access this group is 2W54-ZSDS-BKJMV but all students have been enrolled already. Should you have any difficulties with it please contact Kimberly Kardelis at kckardelis@fcps.edu.

Kilmer’s Got Talent

Even though we're virtual, we've still got talent!! Kilmer's Got Talent, our annual talent show will be live streamed on November 6th at 7pm, accessed by a link sent to you when you purchase your tickets through a donation. Come see our talented students sing, dance, play instruments, and solve rubrics cubes in under two minutes !

Tickets can be purchased in any dollar amount of your choosing. This is considered a donation to the Drama department for future events. These will be available starting November 4th at kmsdrama.org! Email Nikisha Kozik at nkozik@fcps.edu with any questions!

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

Book Club opportunities #6

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Thank you Mr. Openshaw, our technology specialist, for supporting our students, staff, and community with technology assistance and troubleshooting!

A message from Principal, Amy Miller:

Dear Kilmer Families,

This week I began my student roundtables. I met with two groups of seventh grade students to learn about how the year is going, get to know our students, and get student feedback. I will be meeting with two groups of eighth graders next week. I will be holding student roundtables every month. On the morning announcements, I shared with students that they should let their school counselor know if they are interested in participating. This is definitely one of the highlights of my week!

Monday, October 12 is a student holiday in recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We hope everyone has an enjoyable long weekend.

Sincerely,

Amy Miller

Principal

Updating your Settings in Schoology

Did you know that you can set your Schoology account to receive a Weekly Summary of your child(ren)’s Schoology activity? The summary includes grades for any assignments/assessments in Schoology, lists of overdue and upcoming work, and recent activity. You can also set an alert so that you automatically get an email if your child(ren) haven’t turned in an assignment by the due date.

To adjust your settings login to Schoology (lms.fcps.edu) using the username and password that you use for ParentVue. Click on the drop-down menu next to your name in the top right corner of the screen and click on your child’s name. Then click on the drop-down menu again, and click Settings. Click on the tab at the top that says Notifications and adjust the settings to your preferences. Click Save Changes.

SIS Grade Book

The SIS grade book module is now available in SIS StudentVue and SIS ParentVue. To view student grades for each course, please view the grade book module.

The students can see grades in Schoology but they are not necessarily accurate because the Schoology and SIS are not synched.

Action Needed: SR&R Updates and SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form

Parents and guardians, please review the Student Rights and Responsibilities and related resources at www.fcps.edu/srr . After reviewing the information, fill out the SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form using the following link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeU08rMqhUiHZxFMqFtJ1rfWhxZQGhouyqYVn9E92JwG0jGZA/viewform?usp=sf_link

(All links should be opened in Google Chrome.) The form must be filled out one time per student. Please use this link only for Kilmer students.

PTA Reflections Program

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

We are excited to offer two book club opportunities for students hosted by the library!

Book Chat & Games: We invite students to join us every Monday at 1pm to chat about books and to play book-themed games together! The first meeting of this club will be on Monday, October 19 in the Library Schoology Course / Collaborate Ultra. Reach out to Ms. Carey, librarian, with questions at socarey@fcps.edu.

Social Justice Book Club: Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities. If your child wants to explore these issues further, we hope they will participate in our Social Justice Book Club. Together we will read and discuss topics that we all care about. Help make the world a better place! Our interest meeting is on Wednesday, October 14 at 2:30pm. Questions? Connect with Mrs. Hazlin, librarian, at gehazlin@fcps.edu.

And, even though October 12 is a student holiday, we are still open for Cougars @ the Curb, our curbside library checkout service, 1:00pm-3:30pm that day. We hope that perhaps the holiday makes it easier for some families to be able to come by for a pickup!

Greetings from Afterschool

Thank you all for a successful 1st week of clubs! Activities will continue to roll out over the next few weeks. We are excited to get started and look forward to connecting with students. Please check for updates, club descriptions and meeting details under the Afterschool Group in Schoology. Individual club enrollment forms are located under Resources, if an enrollment request link is not listed then that club does not require one.

Tuesday

TSA

Animal Crossing

Cookie Crumbs

Dance Fusion

Sports Talk

Creative Writing

SCA

7th Grade Girls’ Friendship Circle

Wednesday

Math Counts

Sis

Fitness Dance

Social Justice Book Club

Thursday

Science Olympiad

Art

Knitting

Dance Fusion

Quiz Bowl

Latin Youth Leadership en Espanol

Friday

Art

Students may receive a unique individual link from Blackboard Collaborate Ultra to their FCPS Gmail accounts to access club meetings outside of Schoology. We also have partnerships with other middle schools for joint programming. For these clubs, students will use our Schoology Collaborate Ultra to access the Google Classroom Google Meets. Attendance is taken after school through BBCU.

The code to access this group is 2W54-ZSDS-BKJMV but all students have been enrolled already. Should you have any difficulties with it please contact Kimberly Kardelis at kckardelis@fcps.edu. The Afterschool Program is for all students, and we are looking forward to a program that offers meaningful experiences. As a reminder all students must have a completed Kilmer Middle Afterschool General Registration Form on file to participate.

Scoliosis Fact Sheet

The Scoliosis Fact Sheet and translations are available at:

https://www.fcps.edu/resources/student-safety-and-wellness/school-health-services

FCPSOn

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

Walk the Block #4

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Starting October 7th parents, students, neighbors are encouraged to walk the block before school starts. This will give students a chance to wake up their brains and fit in a little exercise before sitting down to a day of virtual school. Walks will be held weekly. Schools, neighborhoods or families can register to participate. More information can be found here https://www.fcps.edu/resources/safety-and-transportation/transportation-services/safe-routes-school-srts.

A message from Principal, Amy Miller:

Dear Kilmer Families,

It is hard to believe that October is already here! As we conclude this fourth week of school, I want to take a moment to thank you for your support as we have started this school year and as we are adjusting to virtual learning.

As we visited classes this week, it was exciting to see how much small group work was happening. There were multiple opportunities for students to choose the group that best fit their learning style. There were also many examples of students exploring a variety of multi-media resources to engage in inquiry, drawing conclusions, and forming opinions.

I also want to take a moment to thank the PTA for all of their support of the Kilmer Community. Spirit Wear is always a popular item and we so appreciate the PTA's partnership in organizing the Kilmer Spirit Wear for our students and staff. If you have not done so already, please consider joining the PTA. Please visit the Kilmer PTA website to learn more about the PTA and for membership information.

Sincerely,

Amy Miller

Principal

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is acknowledged annually from September 15-October 15. The celebration was created to honor the rich history, culture, and many contributions of Hispanic Americans. Learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month.

SIS Weekly Progress Reports begin Monday, October 5, 2020

Due to the delayed school opening and virtual start, SIS weekly progress reports to parents are now set to begin on Monday, October 5, 2020. If you have registered for SIS ParentVUE and have a primary email address recorded in ParentVUE, you can receive your student’s Weekly Progress Report via email. For the 2020-21 school year, Weekly Progress Reports are scheduled to begin on Monday, October 5, 2020. This report provides a summary of your student’s grades for the current quarter. To activate the Weekly Progress Reports via email, login to your SIS ParentVUE account and verify that you have a primary email address within the system. It is listed under the “My Account” tab.

If it is blank, enter the email address where you would like to receive the progress reports, and click on “Update account.” Once your email is confirmed, return to the “My Account” tab to activate and select your preferences for receiving these reports. Emails will be sent according to your selected preferences. Weekly Progress Reports for all of your middle and high school students will be included in one email. For additional help, refer to the quick reference guide for FCPS parents/guardians.

Parents can also access student grades through ParentVUE via the Grade Book tab.

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

The Library Equity Access Pass (LEAP)

As of October 1, 2020, all students (PreK-12) in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) will have LEAP accounts at FCPL. These public library virtual accounts will allow students to check out up to three print items at a time for six weeks each (no renewals).

Why is LEAP Awesome?

A student only needs their name, not a physical library card, to check out materials.
LEAP accounts never charge fines or fees.
A student can have both a LEAP account AND a standard library account (application online and in library branches). Standard accounts allow users to place holds on materials and access FCPL’s digital resources such as eBooks and databases.

More about LEAP, including information in Arabaic, Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

The Afterschool Activities Open House

Students have an opportunity to meet club sponsors on Monday, October 5th from 2:30-4:45PM. Please check for updates, club descriptions and meeting details under the Afterschool Group in Schoology. The code to access this group is 2W54-ZSDS-BKJMV. Should you have any difficulties with it please contact Kim Kardelis at kckardelis@fcps.edu .

Clubs begin Tuesday, October 6th. Students may receive a unique individual link from Blackboard Collaborate Ultra to their FCPS Gmail accounts to access club meetings outside of Schoology. We are excited to get started and look forward to connecting with students.

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

Community Book Talk #4

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Join us for Kilmer's Community Book Talk - September 30

A message from Principal, Amy Miller

Dear Kilmer families,

Thank you for attending the Kilmer Virtual Back-to-School Night this past week. You can view the recordings or power points of the Back-to-School Night presentations by going to the “Start Here” folder for each course in Schoology.

Next week, the students will engage in a lesson on the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities during fourth period PAWS Advisory. Every year we ask that parents and guardians complete the SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form. Please see below for additional information and to complete the form.

We are looking forward to our next Community Book Talk this Wednesday, September 30, at 3:30 pm. We will be discussing STAMPED: RACISM, ANTIRACISM, AND YOU by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.

Sincerely,

Amy Miller

Principal

Attendance

If your child is going to miss all day or part of the instructional day, please call the attendance line at 703 846 88888 or go online at https://kilmerms.fcps.edu/ and submit the online form.

Submit a Student Absence Online

Action Needed: SR&R Updates and SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeU08rMqhUiHZxFMqFtJ1rfWhxZQGhouyqYVn9E92JwG0jGZA/viewform?usp=sf_link

(All links should be opened in Google Chrome.) The form must be filled out one time per student. Please use this link only for Kilmer students.

Community Book Talk

We will be having our second Community Book Talk on STAMPED: RACISM, ANTIRACISM, AND YOU by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi on Wednesday, September 30th at 3:30 PM. If you would like to participate in this conversation, please sign up here.

As a reminder, our librarians have developed a website that has many resources. Please know that you are welcome to join the book talk even if you have not completed the reading of the book. We encourage you to explore our library website for antiracism resources. The website can be accessed here

“Go Paperless” Report Card Option Reminder

Parents can opt to “Go Paperless” in ParentVUE and receive only online report cards. This will not impact any other mailings from FCPS other than the report cards for secondary students and progress reports for ES students. To take advantage of the paperless options, parents and/or guardians will need to log into ParentVUE, then go to “My Account” and select "Go Paperless" All parents who live with the student and share the same address must have a SIS ParentVUE account and must select the paperless option to prevent mailing of the printed report cards. The “Go Paperless” option will apply to all their associated students, no matter what school level.

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

Giving our students access to books is incredibly important to us in the library! Students can easily find eBooks and audiobooks through our online collections with just a few clicks. Check out this video to see how our Kilmer Cougars have a whole library of books at their fingertips.

Also, we know that eBooks aren’t for everyone and that reading a print book is a great way to pull back from the screen a bit. Cougars @ the Curb, our Kilmer Library curbside checkout service is now open for business on Mondays from 1:00pm to 3:30pm! Watch our promo video to learn more! And find all of the details on how to participate in Cougars @ the Curb on our flyer. Questions? Please reach out to Gretchen Hazlin, librarian, at gehazlin@fcps.edu.

News form Afterschool

Afterschool has gone virtual! All students must have a completed Kilmer Middle Afterschool General Registration Form on file.

From 3:30-5:15PM students are invited to meet club sponsors, hear details and ask questions during our Afterschool Activities Open House on Monday, September 28th. Clubs will meet beginning this Tuesday, the 29th at 2:30PM. Activities will continue to roll out in the coming weeks. Students should check their FCPS emails for the Afterschool Group Schoology Code on Monday morning – the session links and times for the Open House will be provided there. They will also be able to access descriptions and /access details.

What if you miss Open House? Don’t Panic! Contact kckardelis@fcps.edu or the club sponsor.

Mondays

All students must log in at 8:30 AM on Monday mornings with their fourth period PAWS Advisory teacher. Attendance will be taken.

Reflections Program

Submission Due Date: Friday, October 23, 2020

Contact: Virginia Lee

Review official rules here.

Instructions for Submission:

Click on the link below for the DIVISION (Middle School or Special Artists) and CATEGORY for your entry.

Fill out the fields on the 1st page of the form.

Submit your entry file via dropbox on the 2nd page of the form.

Middle School Division - Categories:

Middle School Division / Dance Category

Middle School Division / Film Category

Middle School Division / Literature Category

Middle School Division / Music Category

Middle School Division / Photography Category

Middle School Division / Visual Category

Special Artists Division - Categories:

Special Artists Division / Dance Category

Special Artists Division / Film Category

Special Artists Division / Literature Category

Special Artists Division / Music Category

Special Artists Division / Photography Category

Special Artists Division / Visual Category

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

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Back-to-School Night #3

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Meet your child's teachers at BTSN!

A message from the Principal:

Dear Kilmer Families,

We are looking forward to Virtual Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 23, from 5:00PM - 7:00 PM. To join the Virtual Back-to-School Night, parents/guardians will login to their parent Schoology account and access the BTSN link in the banner at the top of each course. Please view this video: https://bit.ly/KMSbstn to see how to access the BTSN links in Schoology.

This week the administrative team enjoyed visiting classes. We had the chance to join elective classes including Band, Orchestra, Chorus and World Languages. In Art, students were working with zentangles and designs. In English, students were working on friendly letters. Across the classes we visited, we saw many examples of students collaborating together to develop their virtual class norms and expectations of each other and the use of technology.

We look forward to seeing all of our students at 8:30 AM on Monday morning. Students should log into their Fourth Period PAWS Advisory class.

Sincerely,

Amy Miller

Principal

Action Needed: SR&R Updates and SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form

Parents and guardians, please review the Student Rights and Responsibilities and related resources at www.fcps.edu/srr. After reviewing the information, fill out the SR&R Parent Acknowledgement Form using the following link:

https://forms.gle/kT6Di29weBYbUJ2K7

(All links should be opened in Google Chrome.) The form must be filled out one time per student.

Back-To-School-Night

Virtual Back to School Night will be on Wednesday, September 23, from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM. Families will be visiting their student’s classes to meet the teacher and learn about the course. The schedule for the evening is below. Please note that the schedule does not include 4th Period (PAWS Advisory).

To join the Virtual Back-to-School Night, parents/guardians will login into their parent Schoology account and access the BTSN link in the banner at the top of each course. Please view this video: https://bit.ly/KMSbstn to see how to access the BTSN links in Schoology.

We highly recommend that you try to login to your Schoology parent account before Wednesday, September 23. You can access the Schoology login page by going to http://lms.fcps.edu/ and login with your ParentVue account information. Please note that you will not see the BTSN link until September 23 but we want to make sure you can get into your account before Back-to-School Night.

Important Information about Grab and Go Meals

Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) continues to update times and locations for grab and go meals posted on the website. It is important for families to have this information. Grab and go meals are available to ALL students. In addition, FNS will offer breakfast and lunch meals for Saturday during distribution on Fridays. Food distribution locations and times are posted and updated frequently on the website:https://www.fcps.edu/return-school/food/bus

Did you pick up your grab and go meal today? FCPS is providing grab and go breakfast and lunch to ALL students Monday through Friday. And you don’t have to pay for it! https://www.fcps.edu/return-school/food

Please share this information with a safe adult who is in charge in your home.

FCPS buses are traveling to different neighborhoods and delivering meals at bus stops. Check the website for the bus stop locations.

Community Book Talk

As a reminder our librarians have developed a website that has many resources. Please know that you are welcome to join the book talk even if you have not completed the reading of the book. We encourage you to explore our library website for antiracism resources. The website can be accessed here.

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

We are super excited to begin our Kilmer Library curbside checkout program! Cougars @ the Curb will be open on Monday afternoons from 1:00-3:30pm and will allow us to get books into the hands of our students. Students can put books on hold through our library catalog or request a genre grab bag of books. Once the books are available, students will receive an email (emails will go out on Fridays to fcpsschools.net accounts) to come to Cougars @ the Curb the following Monday. Find all of the details about this program on our flyer!

Questions? Reach out to Gretchen Hazlin, librarian at gehazlin@fcps.edu.

Email and Text Messaging for Parent Communication

Stay connected with your student’s school. Email and text messaging is the easiest and fastest way for FCPS to reach you in case of an emergency or to send important information about school.

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) communicates all emergency and essential information to parents via email. The information is also translated into eight languages: Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Information communicated via email includes:

School closings and delays
Attendance
Emergencies at school
Low lunch balance
Power, phone, or internet outages at school
Bus delays
Testing dates

When providing an e-mail address to FCPS, please avoid using an educational (.edu-including fcps.edu), military (.mil) or government (.gov) email address. The security settings on government servers often block messages from FCPS. It is a best practice to not use work related email addresses; therefore, it is important to use an email address from another internet service provider such as Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc.

Please make sure your parent cell phone numbers are listed in the “cell telephone” fields in the parent/guardian contact information section on the emergency care information form for each of your children. Parents and guardians can view and update emergency contact information online using the weCare@school feature of FCPS 24-7 Learning. Standard message and data charges may apply for text messages depending on their cell phone service plan.

Please view this link with more information.

https://www.fcps.edu/resources/parent-communication-overview/fcps-text-messaging-parents-and-students

Strategies to Help Students

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

Day 1

GovDelivery 2 months 2 weeks ago

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Mr. Lindgren's Successful Day 1 of Virtual Learning

A message from principal, Amy Miller:

Dear Kilmer Families,

Thank you for your partnership as we kicked off this school year. The Kilmer staff was very excited to connect with our students. The administrative team enjoyed joining classes and participating in the community builders that were happening in the classes.

I want to take a moment to thank the Kilmer PTA for purchasing Kilmer t-shirts for all of our seventh grade students. We were able to distribute them during laptop distribution. Thank you to our PTA for your continued support of Kilmer.

We are looking forward to Virtual Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 23, from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM. Families will have a chance to visit their student’s classes and meet the teachers.

Sincerely,

Amy Miller

Principal

What’s on the Shelf: News from the Kilmer Library

Today, all Kilmer students went through library orientation during our PAWS Advisory period. Students worked through a digital escape room as an introduction to our program – they explored the library’s Schoology page and learned how to find electronic books and audiobooks using MackinVIA.

Ask your child:

What’s the best resource in the Kilmer Library?
Where on the Kilmer Library’s Schoology page can you find hands-on activities like coding and crafting?
What are some ways to find books in the Kilmer Library?

We are beginning a Kilmer Library curbside checkout service in the next few weeks – stay tuned for more information!

Questions about the library? Reach out to Kilmer’s librarians: Gretchen Hazlin (gehazlin@fcps.edu) and Susanna Carey (socarey@fcps.edu).

Mondays

At 8:30 am, all students are required to check-in with their PAWS Advisory teacher. Attendance will be taken. During this time, the students will set their goals and schedule for the day. From 9:00-11:30, students can visit teacher and counselor office hours, select students will be in intervention through synchronous instruction, and there will be some enrichment opportunities. Students will have asynchronous assignments to complete on Mondays.

Back-to-School Night

Virtual Back-to-School Night will be on Wednesday, September 23, from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Families will be visiting their student’s classes to meet the teacher and learn about the course. The schedule for the evening is below.

To join the Virtual Back-to-School Night, parents/guardians will login into their parent Schoology account and access the BTSN link in the banner at the top of each course. We will send video and print directions closer to September 23.

Digital Permission Form

Thank you to everyone who has completed the digital tools permission form. We are at a 70% response rate. Our goal is a 100% response rate. If you have not yet completed the online form please do so by following this link: https://isweb.fcps.edu/iscontacts/techpermform.cfm?secure=

FCPS Technology Supports

FCPS has a Technology Help Desk that is open seven days a week from 7:00 AM - 11:00 PM. You can reach the Technology Help desk at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS). Interpreters are available.

FCPS also has an online portal to support technology needs. The online portal can be accessed here: https://itweb.fcps.edu/itsupport/

1. Trouble shooting videos:

Troubleshooting for sound issues on your FCPS laptop

English Espanol Arabic Korean

Troubleshooting for mic issues on your FCPS laptop

English Espanol Arabic Korean

Troubleshooting for camera issues on your FCPS laptop

English Espanol Arabic Korean

2. To do a hard Restart of the laptop: Go to Start , select the Power button, and then select Restart.

3. Frequently Asked Questions regarding Student Passwords

Are students going to have to change their FCPS network passwords?

No, students should NOT change their password unless it was forgotten. FCPS will extend passwords, so students who remember their passwords will continue to use their current password throughout distance learning.

Will student passwords expire during distance learning?

No, the IT Service Desk will continue to extend student password expiration dates through distance learning. Students should NOT change their password unless it was forgotten. The only exception is if the student is on-site and directed to change their password by an FCPS staff member.

Do students have to go to an FCPS building and connect to the FCPS Wi-Fi in order for the password change to “stick”?

If a student has forgotten a password and makes a change to it, then yes, they will need to connect to FCPS Wi-Fi to sync their new network password with their FCPSOn computer. This can be done simply by driving through the bus lane or walking near the front door of an FCPS building with the laptop and connecting to the network. However, please note that a student can reset their password and use a personal device to continue with distance learning without connecting to FCPS Wi-Fi.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Application Process

The TJHSST application window for current eighth-grade students has changed. Information about the updated application window will be shared as soon as possible. Please check https://www.fcps.edu/registration/thomas-jefferson-admissions for the most up to date information regarding the application and testing process.

Credit Exam for World Languages

The 2020 Credit Exam for World Languages has been postponed until the spring of 2021.

SIS ParentVUE and StudentVUE

Student grades are available online through SIS ParentVUE and SIS StudentVUE. The gradebook will open on Thursday, Sept 17th for parents and students. Parent accounts from the last school year are still active.

If you need a SIS ParentVUE account or cannot remember your username:

Click on this link: https://itweb.fcps.edu/ParentView/index.cfm

If you do not remember the password:

Click on this link and select “Forgot Password”: https://sisparent.fcps.edu/PVUE/login_parent_pxp_ovr2.aspx?regenerateSessionId=True

If you have requested a SIS ParentVUE account, we continue to process the large number of requests we have received and appreciate your patience.

A message from the PTA

With this unprecedented school year underway, we are going to need your help more than ever.

Kilmer parents have been incredibly generous in the past supporting our various PTA initiatives and we are hoping that generosity continues this year.

We are going to begin the school year focusing on how we can support the students and the staff in the virtual environment. We will also be focusing on ways to show our teachers how much we appreciate everything that they are doing. Please consider becoming a PTA member and also donating to the specific categories that we will be focusing on. We will need your support to be able to make all of this happen!

If you are in a position to do so, Click Here to join through your P4SS account! If you are more comfortable supporting via a check, the forms along with the details are available on the PTA website. (http://kilmer.my-pta.org/)

Please join us for our 1st virtual meeting on Monday, September 21st at 9:30 AM. Details for how to join the meeting will be sent out closer to the date. In order to vote on any agenda items, you will need to be a member of the PTA. All parents are welcome to join the meeting.

If you are currently not receiving the PTA Newsletter and would like to be added to the distribution list please send an email to kilmerpta@gmail.com

Please don't hesitate to reach out to any of the PTA board members with any questions or suggestions on how to make this year successful.

Michelle Boback - President

Jean Lee - Vice-President

Poorani Jeyasekar - Secretary

Jennifer Bishop - Treasurer

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

First Day of School - September 8, 2020 #1

GovDelivery 2 months 3 weeks ago

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KMS School(ogy) House Rocks 2020-2021

A message from principal, Amy Miller:

Dear Kilmer Families,

It was exciting to have so many of our students participate in our Virtual Open House this past Thursday. Although starting in a very different way than some of us wanted or expected, we are excited to kick-off the school year with the first day of school on Tuesday, September 8.

Included in this News You Choose is bell schedule information,attendance information, resources to support with technology and more.

Please take a moment to complete the digital resources permission form found here: https://isweb.fcps.edu/iscontacts/techpermform.cfm?secure=

Have a great weekend and we will see your students on Tuesday!

The first day of school is Tuesday, September 8. Here is the bell schedule:

Attendance

We are looking forward to having all of our students in class on Day 1. Attendance is mandatory during virtual learning. Attendance will be taken on Mondays at 8:30 am during PAWS Advisory check in and Tuesday - Thursday every period. If your student is not able to attend virtual classes, please call 703 846 8888 to report your student’s absence or complete the attendance form on the Kilmer Website. https://kilmerms.fcps.edu/

As a reminder, if your student is absent, it is the student’s responsibility to watch the recording in Schoology for each class period they missed. Students are also responsible for completing asynchronous assignments. Flexibility with due dates will be granted if a student is sick.

If your student misses a class period due to an unforeseen circumstance, for example, connectivity issues, please have your student email the teacher to explain why he or she missed the class. Every class session is recorded and posted in Schoology.

Locker Items

We still have locker and PE items that were not picked up this summer. Please come by on Monday, September 14, between 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm to pick up your belongings. If you cannot make this time, please email Mercedes Rasmussen (mgrasmussen@fcps.edu). If we do not hear from you or you do not pick up your items by Monday, September 14, all items will be donated.

Digital Permission Form

Many of the digital tools your student may access this year require parental consent. FCPS has developed an electronic permission form for the tools that we will be using. Please take a moment to complete this digital permission form which includes an updated list of tools.We ask that you complete this electronic version even if you completed a paper version. Here is the link to the digital permission form:https://isweb.fcps.edu/iscontacts/techpermform.cfm?secure=

FCPS Technology Supports

FCPS has a Technology Help Desk that is open seven days a week from 7:00 AM - 11:00 PM. You can reach the Technology Help desk at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS). Interpreters are available.

FCPS also has an online portal to support technology needs. The online portal can be accessed here: https://itweb.fcps.edu/itsupport/

8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, VA 22182 | Phone: 703-846-8800

Attendance: 703-846-8888 | Web | Twitter | Facebook

2 hours 1 minute ago

Kilmer Middle School News and announcements

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