A message from Principal Steven McFarlane
Kilmer Community,
It’s been a fantastic year! We finished the year with a mixture of fun and “work,” as evidenced by the pictures below. Kilmer has great students, and whether they’re returning to Kilmer next year, or headed off to a new adventure, we wish them the best.
This is our final newsletter for the 2025-26 school year, and as we head into summer, a reminder that our front office hours are 9 -1 pm. I hope everyone has a wonderful summer!
Sincerely,
Steven McFarlane
Principal
|
Upcoming Dates:
 Fun times at the 8th grade dance this past Friday evening!
 Our 7th grade science classes wrapped up the year by taking their learning outdoors! Using a dichotomous key, students practiced observation and classification skills as they identified trees around the Kilmer campus. The beautiful weather made it a perfect day for hands-on science.
For their end of the year project, students in Ms. Blake’s 8th grade science classes designed their own experiments. They chose their own questions to investigate, wrote their own procedures, collected the data, and presented their work in a science fair style share fair.
Kilmer’s FROGS (Get2Green) Club had an outstanding year, launching the school’s first garden with fall crops of carrots, lettuce, and leafy greens and planting a thriving spring garden filled with squash, cucumbers, peas, and other vegetables. Students also partnered with the Crochet Club to create bird nests for a local wildlife rehabilitation program, promoted paper and cardboard recycling throughout the school, and earned Kilmer’s first Eco-Schools Green Flag certification.
 The Kilmer MS Orchestra Program has been recognized by the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association as a ‘program of honor’ for the 2025-2026 school year, making it one of the most prestigious distinctions our orchestra program can achieve. Congratulations to Mr. Katz and all of our orchestra members!
Kilmer’s staff taking part in our annual tradition of waving off students into summer!
Report Cards
Final Report Cards can be viewed in SIS ParentVue on Monday, June 22.
Cell Phone Pouch Turn-In
Students who did not turn in their cell phone pouch can drop them off at the front office during summer office hours which are from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. The cell phone pouch replacement cost is $18, but will be removed from a student's account if the pouch is returned this summer.
Computer Turn-In
Students who did not turn in their laptops and chargers can drop them off at the front office during summer office hours which are from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. The replacement costs are listed below, and will be removed from a student’s account if their Chromebook/case/charger is returned this summer.
- Chromebook charger replacement cost = $27.75
- Chromebook case replacement cost = $34
- Chromebook replacement cost = $444
Summer Math Resources
The Kilmer MS Math Department has created resources for students to practice their math skills over the summer. Specific assignments for rising 7th and 8th graders at Kilmer are available in DeltaMath and are recommended to be completed by Monday, August 24 but are expected to be completed by Tuesday, September 8, 2026. DeltaMath offers interactive problems and instant feedback to keep skills strong and prevent summer slide.
How to access DeltaMath:
- Go to DeltaMath/student
- Enter class code:
-
Math 7: L725-238H
-
PreAlgebra/PreAlgebra Honors: U7MF-6SX4
-
Algebra 1/Algebra 1 Honors: UE3E-T9Q3
-
Geometry Honors: F38L-F23R
If your student does not have access to a device or reliable internet, additional practice worksheets are linked below:
Rising 7th Graders and new 8th Graders: Join us at Shifting Gears!
Kilmer’s Shifting Gears Orientation Program is a one-day session designed for rising 7th grade students and 8th grade students who are new to FCPS. The program helps students make a smooth transition to middle school.
Choose one session to register for:
-
Session 1: August 13, 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Kilmer MS
-
Session 2: August 13, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM at Kilmer MS*
- *Rising 8th grade students who are new to FCPS are asked to register for Session 2 so they can be grouped with other 8th grade students.
-
Session 3: August 14, 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM at Kilmer MS
Click here to register for Shifting Gears 2026.
Click here for more information about Shifting Gears, including payment information.
FCPS Summer Learning Resources
FCPS Summer Learning Resources are now available for students and families. Resources are organized by grade level and provide opportunities for students to review previously taught concepts, practice skills, and explore new ideas throughout the summer. Families can access the resources at any time as one of many ways to support continued learning and engagement over the summer. Additional resources will continue to be added throughout June.
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.
The “Request to Expunge High School Courses taken in Middle School” form must be submitted by the end of the first nine weeks of the 26-27 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.
Summer Health Room Hours
If your student is returning to Kilmer MS next year, the health room (clinic) will be open in August to receive medications for students. Medications must be dropped off by a parent or guardian and they must be unopened and clearly labeled. The health room will be open at the following times:
- August 13 from 8:00-10:00 am and 3:00-5:00 pm
- August 14 from 8:00-1:00 pm
- August 13-21 from 8:00-2:00 pm
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.
|
