A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
We’ve had a great week celebrating our 8th graders! Thanks to all of the families who cheered on our 8th graders at their promotion ceremonies. It was wonderful to see our school community coming together to mark this important milestone in our students’ FCPS journey.
We look forward to seeing all of our 8th graders at the dance tonight (6:00-8:00 pm). As a reminder, tickets will not be sold at the door.
Next week, we will be winding down the school year. This includes collecting laptops on Monday and Tuesday, and cell phone pouches on the last day of school. Please see below for details.
Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, reach out with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
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Here are just a few of the Positive Referrals received by our Kilmer Cougars from staff members this week!
Ava C. - Ava brings so much positivity to class each day!
Jayan P. - Jayan kindly helped another student clean up their water spill. He grabbed paper towels from the bathroom and stayed after class to dry up the water.
Hendrik P. - Nice job with your concert review. Excellent work!
Olivia S. & Ishan B. - You were a huge help with organizing collage materials. Thank you!
 Upcoming Dates:
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June 15 & 16 - Students turn in laptops
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June 17 - Students turn in cellphone pouches
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June 17 - Last Day of School - 2 Hour Early Release
 Our Kilmer staff and families gathered to celebrate our 8th graders this week at our annual 8th grade promotion ceremonies! Congrats to all of our 8th graders!
Aira Kayastha (8th grade) won Constituting America’s National “We the Future” contest for “Honorable Mention Middle School PSA” for her outstanding creative work about the U.S. Constitution. Not only does Aira win a $100 scholarship, she will also receive national promotion of her winning work. Congratulations to Aira Kayastha for winning Honorable Mention—Middle School PSA.
 Seventh-grade students collaborated on Civil Rights Movement projects in their history classes.
Shout out to our fabulous Orchestra for their entertaining concert Wednesday night…Mr. Katz spiced things up with some themed costumes!
 Kilmer students participated in our celebratory Spring Festival today. The festival included bounce houses, soccer, football, games, and a DJ. Plus, as a special treat, 8th graders were treated to a pizza party and could also purchase items from a variety of food trucks.
End of Year Attendance Reminder
As we approach the final week of school, regular attendance is expected through the last day of classes on Wednesday, June 17. Students will continue participating in meaningful learning activities, end of year celebrations, and important closing procedures. Please note that laptop collection will take place on Monday and Tuesday, June 16 & 17th, and cell phone pouches will be collected on Wednesday, June 17.
Yearbooks are here!
Yearbooks were distributed to students during lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday. If your student ordered a yearbook online and has not received one, they can see Ms. Knisley or Ms. Martinucci to pick one up. Questions? Email paknisley@fcps.edu.
Request to Expunge High School Courses
In 7th or 8th grade, parents may request that a student's high school mathematics, world language, or ESOL course (Developing ELD and Academic Language) be expunged from the student's high school transcript and the student not earn high school credit for the course. Any student receiving a C or below in a high school credit course (Algebra 1, Geometry, or a World Language) should consider expunging and retaking the course next school year. We encourage students to speak with their teachers to gain their feedback about this option.
The “Request to Expunge High School Courses taken in Middle School” form must be submitted no later than the end of the first nine weeks of the 25-26 school year. Once the school receives the written request form to expunge the grade, student services will complete the process to completely remove the course from the student's transcript.
8th Grade Parents - Academic Career Plan Verification in Naviance
Each year, your child develops an Academic and Career Plan that supports their growth. This plan helps your child plan for their future. Your child will work with teachers and school counselors to discover their personal strengths and interests. They will also create goals to help them achieve success, plan for courses that meet high school graduation requirements, and prepare for life after high school. The development of this plan starts in middle school. Students update their plans during high school as their goals evolve. This plan supports on time graduation as well as college and career readiness. It is required by the Virginia Department of Education. Each student’s parent or guardian must review this plan at the end of 8th grade and again at the end of 10th grade.
You or your child can log into Naviance Student at www.fcps.edu/Naviance . Please review the following information together with your child: Results of the strengths and career surveys, personal, academic, and/or career goals, and draft course plan for high school. Once in your child’s account, select “About Me” from the top menu then choose “About Me Home”. Here you can review the work that your child has completed. Once you have reviewed your child’s plan, complete the verification form at https://forms.gle/Y9XqDgWkfbn5HsKAA. The completion of this form will serve as your signature. Please complete this form by Wednesday June 17, 2026.
End of Year Medication Pick-up from the Clinic
If your student has medication stored in the school health room, it must be picked up prior to dismissal on June 17. Medication left in the health room after that time will be destroyed. It is school policy that medications must be picked up by the parent or guardian. Medication cannot be sent home with your student.
Report Cards
Final Report Cards can be viewed in SIS ParentVue on Monday, June 22.
SOL Scores
Preliminary SOL scores currently post to SIS Test History twice weekly for access in ParentVUE, StudentVUE, TeacherVUE. For more information, please check out the FCPS webpage: SOL Results webpage. The week of June 8, SOL family score report PDFs will post to SIS ParentVUE Documents.
New Cellphone Policy Starts July 1
On Thursday, May 7, the Fairfax County School Board approved changes to the FCPS Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R). The approved changes include updated guidance for cellphone possession and use, to align the FCPS cellphone policy with Senate Bill 108. This new Virginia law goes into effect on July 1 and states that all schools in the Commonwealth must follow a “bell-to-bell” phone-free policy.
This means that starting July 1, 2026, across all grade levels at FCPS, student cellphones, phone accessories, and all smart devices (including watches that serve a dual purpose, such as smart watches, as well as earbuds, headsets, smart glasses, and other other items connected to the internet) must be off and personally stored (i.e., put away in backpacks) for the duration of the school day — thus, no cellphones from bell to bell.
High school students will no longer be able to use cellphones and personal devices during lunchtime. More details are available on the FCPS Cellphone Policy webpage.
FCPS Cares
Want a quick way to recognize an employee or team? Share an FCPS CARES! Families, colleagues, and students are all invited to submit. The FCPS CARES is automatically sent to the recipient(s) and their supervisor, and is posted on fcps.edu. Additionally, each month one school in each region wins a staff celebration from HR. Consider submitting an FCPS Cares to show our staff that their hard work is appreciated!
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