April 19, 2018 Volume 5 Issue 16

Thoreau Matters is published every two weeks by the Thoreau Administration and the PTA

to inform the community of important information about school life at Thoreau Middle School.

THOREAU MATTERS

RISING 9TH GR NEWS 2

MADISON HS NEWS 2

HS SPORTS PHYSICALS 2

HOSTING STUDENTS 2

RISING 7TH GR NEWS 3

SPRING SOL CALENDAR 3

THOREAU PICTURES 4

THEATRE DRAMA NEWS 5

LITTLE MERMAID JR. 6

NEWS & NOTEWORTHY 7

PTA UPDATE 7

MESSAGE FROM MR. AZIMI

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES Friday, April 20th - Rising 9th Grade Activities Fair

Tuesday, April 24th & Wednesday, April 25th - Rising 7th Grade Activities Fair

Friday, April 27th - Sunday, April 29th - The Little Mermaid Jr. Spring Musical

Tuesday, May 14th - Thursday, May 24th - Spring SOL Testing

Dear Thoreau Community:

Teacher Appreciation Week will be celebrated the week of May 7-11 at Thoreau. I actually call it Staff Appreciation Week

because I believe it is not only important to formally celebrate our terrific faculty, but also the dedicated staff that work in

our school in so many supportive roles. I have been asked in years past to share my suggestion for the best gift to honor a

teacher or staff member. My response has always been for a person to put his/her sentiments down on paper or in an

email. I know I speak for many educators that the greatest gift they can receive is a letter from a student or parent with

words that express appreciation and gratitude. Such letters/emails carry sentimental value for years to come and

reinforce for educators the invaluable work they do for students. Furthermore, I encourage students and parents to

include me on email correspondence as it is my pleasure to read positive feedback about the Thoreau teachers and

staff. If you feel inclined to write a message, the Thoreau staff directory can be found here and my email address for your

reference is Yusef.Azimi@fcps.edu.

Sincerely,

Yusef Azimi

Inside this issue:

Thoreau’s technology education

department was honored with the

Program of Excellence Award for

having the top program in the

Commonwealth of Virginia. They

were also awarded with the

International Excellence Award,

recognizing Thoreau for innovative

STEM curricular approaches,

specifically the 3D cell project that

Thoreau’s tech ed department does

in collaboration with Thoreau’s

science department.

Congratulations!

Volume 5 Issue 16

Activities Fair: Madison and Marshall will both hold their respective activities fair on Friday, April 20th. Our rising 9th

graders will go on a field trip that day to participate in their future high school’s fair. Students can expect to receive

important information about extracurricular activities and learn more about their upcoming transition to high school.

Madison-bound students will depart Thoreau around 9:30 AM on 9 buses and will return at approximately 11:45 AM.

These students should bring a bagged lunch or money to purchase lunch from Thoreau’s cafeteria.

Marshall-bound students will depart Thoreau around 9:30 AM on 1 bus and will return at approximately 12:45 PM. These

students will eat lunch at Marshall HS so they will need to either bring a bagged lunch or $3.25 to purchase lunch. Lunch

PINS for students will not work at Marshall.

Madison will once again hold its annual Bridges program for rising 9th grade students. This summer program is designed

to help bridge the connection between middle and high school through a camp-type program very similar to Thoreau’s

annual Excellence in Action summer program for rising 7th grade students. Details can be found here.

Madison HS will offer face-to-face courses this summer in Geometry Honors, Health & PE 9 and Health & PE 10.

Registration is open to Madison, Marshall, McLean, and Oakton High School students. Click here for more information.

Madison HS Summer Acceleration Academy

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All incoming freshman to Madison and Marshall High

Schools who intend to participate in athletics, must turn in

a completed physical form before they can

participate in off season workouts or try out for a team. All

fall teams will have summer workouts so it is important to

get this paperwork completed. These links contain flyers

with details about the sports physical nights at each school.

Madison High School, Monday, May 21. Please see this link

for details.

Marshall High School, Tuesday, June 12. Please see this

link for details.

High School Sports Physical Nights

Madison HS Bridges Program

Rising 9th Grade Activities Fair

Opportunity to Host A

French Exchange Student Thoreau’s World Languages Department has a unique

cultural opportunity! A group of 26 students from

Marseille, France will be visiting our area from

Wednesday, April 25th through Sunday, May 6th. At

this time we are in need of a host for one boy. If you

are able to bring one boy into your home and

family life for the short time they are here, please

email Mme. Locke, Thoreau’s French teacher, at

noelle.locke@fcps.edu. Merci!

Page 3

Spring SOL Testing Calendar

Volume 5 Issue 16

Rising 7th Grade Activities

Excellence In Action Summer Camp

This week-long program is designed by our own staff members to provide students with the essential background

knowledge and skills that will help them have a successful transition to middle school. For more information and to

register, please see details here. Two sessions will be offered, running 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM.

Session 1: Monday, July 16th - Friday, July 20th

Session 2: Monday, July 30th - Friday, August 3rd

Rising 7th Grade Activities Fair

The Activities Fair is a fun and interactive day where students learn about Thoreau and middle school culture. Rising 7th

grade students will visit Thoreau during the school day from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Bus

transportation is provided to Thoreau from feeder elementary schools on the following dates:

Tues, April 24th

Wed, April 25th

Marshall Road Louise Archer

Mosby Woods Cunningham Park

Oakton Flint Hill

Stenwood Vienna

Thoreau 7th and 8th graders will be taking the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests from Tuesday, May 15th through

Thursday, May 24th with make-up testing and expedited retakes continuing into the month of June. These tests are

required of all Virginia students in grades 3-12. SOL tests measure the extent to which students have learned the content

and skills specified in the Virginia Standards of Learning. Thoreau students will be tested according to the schedule below.

Please assist your child in doing well on these tests by making sure he/she is well-rested and eats a good breakfast on

his/her testing days. Also, please avoid scheduling appointments on days your child will be tested.

If you have any questions or concerns about the date your child will be testing, please contact Sunnie Chung, Thoreau

testing coordinator, at shchung@fcps.edu

June 2018 May 2018

Crosstown Hoops

Volume 5 Issue 16

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Thank you to everyone who volunteered and made

Crosstown Hoops successful again this year!

Poet Natalie Illum, disability activist and singer,

conducted a poetry assembly for Thoreau students.

Three amazing Thoreau students, Alanna, Natasha and

Elsa visited the Dominican Republic over spring break and

did community service work.

Volume 5 Issue 16

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Thoreau Drama News

Journey "under the sea" this spring with Ariel and her aquatic friends in Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr. In a magical

underwater kingdom, the beautiful young mermaid, Ariel, longs to leave her ocean home, and her fins behind, and live in

the world above. First, she’ll have to defy her father, King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula, and convince

the handsome Prince Eric that she’s the girl whose enchanting voice he has been seeking. Based on one of Hans

Christian Andersen's most beloved stories, Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr. is an enchanting look at the sacrifices we all

make for love and acceptance. The Little Mermaid Jr. is suitable for audiences three years old and up. Young audience

members are always encouraged to come dressed as Ariel, Ursula, Triton or their favorite Little Mermaid character!

Visit www.thoreaumsdrama.com to buy tickets now! Tickets can be bought online or at the door.

PERFORMANCES:

Friday, April 27th @ 7:00 PM

Saturday, April 28th @ 2:00 PM

(Understudy show)

Saturday, April 28th @ 7:00 PM

Sunday, April 29th @ 2:00 PM

A Sneak Peek at Ursula and the Crew

Spirit Week will be held Monday, April 23rd - Friday, April

27th. This week is designed to support the theatre

program as they prepare to perform the Spring Musical at

the end of the week. Come out and show your support!

Monday, April 23rd: Hawaiian Day - Wear sunglasses, flower leis, flowered or colorful shirts, grass skirts and sandals.

Tuesday, April 24th: Under the Sea - Dress out in all blue or green clothes to show your inner ocean. Wednesday, April 25th: Disney Day - Dress as your favorite Disney character.

Thursday, April 26th: Dynamic Duo Day - Find a partner and recreate a famous duo. Friday, April 27th: PJ Day - Wear school-appropriate pj’s (no slippers allowed).

Thoreau Variety Show

The International Thespian Honor Society is hosting the

Thoreau Variety Show on Thursday, May 31st at 6:00 PM.

A variety show is a night of entertainment made up of

different performances, including singing, dancing, magic,

acrobatics, juggling, and more! Students can do

everything from playing the clarinet to yo-yoing to

performing a dance routine. Solo and group

performances are welcome. Acts should be between one

and three minutes long. Auditions will take place

after-school on Monday, May 7th. Stay tuned for details.

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Volume 5 Issue 16

Volume 5 Issue 16

PTA NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Thoreau Matters is

published every two weeks

by Thoreau Administration

and the PTA to inform the

community of important

information about school life

at Thoreau Middle School.

Main Office: 703-846-8000

Attendance: 703-846-8080

Thoreau Website:

thoreaums.fcps.edu

PTA Website:

www.ThoreauPTA.org

Page 7

We are looking for PTA Board Members for the 2018-19 school year. Please contact Beth Eachus at

president@thoreaupta.org for more information.

The 8th Grade Party will be held on Friday, June 1st and volunteers are needed. Please sign-up if you can help.

Thank you to all who volunteered to support our Thoreau Auction. We are hosting an online auction this

year and are in need of donations. If you are interested or have an idea for a donation, please contact

Beth Eachus at President@ThoreauPTA.org.

New Schedule! Volunteers are NEEDED for the Thoreau School Store. Please see the UPDATED schedule through the

end of the school year. The school store provides a service to the students and raises funds for the school so your help

is greatly appreciated. Huge thanks to school store chairs Tana Keeffe and Negin Dehn for all of their

efforts!

Fairfax County Council of PTA’s Health & Wellness survey is addressed to parents to gauge their opinions of their chil-

dren’s experiences in school. For middle and high school students, the questions are geared toward stress and sleep.

The link can be found here.

Our next Dining for Dollars event will be held on Tuesday, April 24th at Chipotle. Many thanks to parent

Michelle Alonso for chairing Dining for Dollars this year! We are looking for a chair for the 2018 - 2019.

Thank you AGAIN to all the volunteers, teachers, staff, and students for making Crosstown Hoops such a success. HUGE

thanks again to our Thoreau PTA VP Stacey Leimbach for her incredible efforts! Also, a special thank you to the Fairfax

Falcons for playing at our event.

Sincerely,

Beth Eachus, PTA President

President@ThoreauPTA.org

NEWS AND NOTEWORTHY

Thoreau/Navy Federal Art Show is scheduled and we would appreciate volunteers for

set-up on Friday, May 11th at 10:00 AM, and take-down on Friday, May 25th at 10:00

AM. Volunteers will pick-up the art from Thoreau and transport it to Navy Federal, hang

and display the art, and enjoy lunch courtesy of NFCU. On Friday, May 25th,

volunteers will take down the art and return it to Thoreau. Sign-up to volunteer here.

Please contact Thoreau art teacher Lori Eshbaugh for more information.

Thoreau Yearbooks Available for Purchase: To purchase a yearbook, send a check for

$39.00 with your child’s first name, last name, and grade on the memo line. The check

should be made out to Thoreau Middle School, and be placed in an envelope with

Ms. BenZion/Yearbook on it. The envelope can be left in the main office.

Where Are You Going This Fall? If you will not be attending Thoreau (rising 8th graders)

or a Fairfax County high school (rising 9th graders) this fall, please let Thoreau Student

Services know now. Please click here and fill out this form. Student Services will make

sure all transcripts are forwarded to your child’s new school so his/her file is com-

plete. If you have any questions, please contact Thoreau registrar Denise Schwandt at

703-846-8003 or dschwandt@fcps.edu.