November 30, 2017 Volume 5 Issue 7

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

Dear Thoreau Community:

I am pleased to share that Navy Federal Credit Union (NFCU), our loyal business partner for 28 years, was just

announced as the 2017 FCPS Business Partner of the Year. NFCU was recognized last week at the annual

Superintendent’s Luncheon for their work as a valuable contributor to Thoreau. The luncheon was held at the McLean

Hilton and I was honored to attend with several members of the Thoreau staff to join the NFCU liaisons who were in

attendance. Four school-business partnerships were finalists for FCPS Business Partner of the Year and it was a true

pleasure to have our NFCU/Thoreau relationship recognized as the winner.

Our partnership with NFCU has a very important goal which is to enhance student motivation and learning. NFCU

employees volunteer as speakers, tutors, activity sponsors, and mentors to Thoreau students. NFCU provides special

recognition for students earning straight As, teacher appreciation luncheons, student and faculty awards for service,

financial support for faculty professional development, and funds for printing a number of publications. Additionally,

they coordinate Project Neighbors which provides holiday gifts, food, clothing, furniture, and support to Thoreau families

in need. Our students annually exhibit their artwork at NFCU’s offices and perform choral, band, and orchestra concerts

for their employees. Through their commitment to these programs, Navy Federal employees demonstrate that

volunteers can truly make a difference in the lives of our Thoreau students.

Thank you to NFCU for the last 28 years and here’s to another 28 to come!

Sincerely,

Yusef Azimi

NOMINATE

OUTSTANDING THOREAU

EMPLOYEES

2

AAP LEVEL IV

REFERRALS 2

DECEMBER NEWS FROM

THE SCA 3

DECEMBER MUSIC

CONCERTS 3

THE LITTLE MERMAID,

JR. 3

HOUR OF CODE 3

NEWS/NOTEWORTHY 4

PTA NEWS 4

MESSAGE FROM MR. AZIMI

Inside this issue:

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

Winter Break - Monday, December 18th through Monday, January 1st

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday - Monday, January 15th

Navy Federal Credit Union and Thoreau

2017 FCPS Business Partner of the Year

THOREAU MATTERS

Nominate Outstanding Thoreau Employees

Page 2

Students enjoyed time with therapy dogs from PALs during Eagle Time at

the beginning of November.

FCPS award nomination season has opened and we welcome nominations for the following

categories: Outstanding New Teacher (a teacher within their first three years of teaching),

Outstanding Leader, Outstanding Support Employee, and Outstanding Hourly Employee.

Last year, Thoreau’s Teacher of the Year was Ms. Amanda Rollison. She will be put forward this

year as the Outstanding Teacher from our school and will go on to the Madison Pyramid level

where a Pyramid Outstanding Teacher will be selected.

The selection process for awards will be conducted at the school level, the Madison pyramid level,

then our Region 1 level. The Region 1 office will select winners for all of the school-based awards.

Each of the five FCPS regions will then select winners who will serve as the finalists for the overall

FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards.

In order to have as many Thoreau employees recognized as possible, you are encouraged to

nominate those you truly believe are outstanding. Please use this link to nominate any Thoreau

teacher or staff member who you think deserves recognition. The deadline for nominations is Friday, January 12th.

The nomination process is simple and only asks for a few sentences about your nominee. If you have any questions or

would like more information, please contact Tresa Krukowski, principal’s administrative assistant, at 703-846-8002 or

tjkrukowski@fcps.edu.

Parents or guardians of seventh grade students may

initiate the full-time AAP Level IV screening process by

completing and submitting an Advanced Academic

Programs Level IV Referral Form to their child’s school

counselor no later than Friday, January 12th. No late

referrals will be accepted.

AAP Level IV services are available to students in

grades 3-8. Students may be found eligible for full-

time placement in AAP Level IV Center classes through

a central selection process and receive a highly

challenging instructional program in science, social

studies and English.

Multiple criteria are reviewed by a central selection

committee to determine eligibility for all FCPS advanced

academic services. More information about AAP

services available at the middle school level may be found

here.

If you have any questions, you can contact

Thoreau director of student services Rebecca Aguilar at

rjaguilar1@fcps.edu.

Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Level IV Referrals

Volume 5 Issue 7

The Little Mermaid, Jr. Journey "under the sea" with Ariel and her aquatic friends in Disney's The Little

Mermaid Jr., adapted from Disney's Broadway production and the motion

picture. Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved stories, The

Little Mermaid Jr. is an enchanting look at the sacrifices we all make for love

and acceptance.

The performances are on the following dates:

Friday, April 27th at 7:00PM; Saturday, April 28th at 2:00PM and 7:00PM;

Sunday, April 29th at 2:00PM.

Auditions were held this week. The callback list will be posted by Thursday, November 30th. Callbacks will be held on

Monday, December 4th from 2:30PM to 4:30PM in the cafeteria. The cast list will be posted by Wednesday, December

6th.

Tech crew forms are due by Friday, December 8th. The tech crew list will be posted on Monday, December 11th.

All forms and information for students can be found on the Thoreau Theatre website at www.thoreaumsdrama.com.

December Music Concerts Orchestra Winter Concert

Monday, December 4th, 7:00PM at Madison HS

Madison Pyramid Orchestra Winter Concert

Tuesday, December 5th, 7:00PM at Madison HS

Band Winter Concert

Thursday, December 7th, 7:00PM at Madison HS

Chorus Winter Concert

Wednesday, December 13th, 7:00PM at Madison HS

Orchestra Performance at Union Station

Thursday, December 14th 10:30AM at Union Station

December News from the SCA Non-perishable Food Drive: Students are encouraged

to bring non-perishable food items for the annual SCA

Food Drive. Items can be dropped off in science

teachers’ classrooms.

Ugly Sweater Day: Wear your ugly holiday sweater on

Friday, December 15th.

After-School Movie: Students are invited to stay after-

school on Monday, December 11th during all three

sessions in the cafeteria to watch the movie Elf.

Concessions will be available for sale to benefit the

SCA.

The Hour of Code is a global

movement reaching tens of

millions of students in 180+

countries.

Thoreau will be hosting this after-

school activity on Monday,

Wednesday and Thursday, December 4th, 6th and

7th in the Library.

Students are welcome to come on one or all days and

can work as individuals or in groups. For more

information about this global event, click here.

Hour of Code

Local children’s book author Leslie Hackman signs a copy of the

book she co-wrote and illustrated called Bearabesque and the

Humility Slippers for one of Ms. Gabro’s 7th grade English students.

Her students wrote their own children’s books that will be sent to

their former elementary schools for their first PBL project.

Page 4

Volume 5 Issue 7

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.

Main Office: 703-846-8000

Attendance: 703-846-8080

Thoreau Website:

www.fcps.edu/ThoreauMS

PTA Website:

www.ThoreauPTA.org

News/Noteworthy

First Quarter Honor Roll - We congratulate our students for their scholarship and

inclusion on the first quarter All-A and A/B honor rolls. To access the list of the students,

please visit your Blackboard account and view Thoreau MS Activities

2017-2018.

Wheels to Africa - The Madison HS Students for Environmental Action Club (SEA Club) are

holding a bike drive with Wheels to Africa on Saturday, December 9th from

10:00AM-3:00PM in the front parking lot at Madison HS. Wheels to Africa is a non-profit

organization that collects donated bikes to be reused to help those in Africa find food,

water, healthcare, jobs, and an education. Bikes will be accepted in any condition

and age.

Thoreau Yearbook - To purchase a yearbook, visit MySchoolBucks. To purchase a

personalized yearbook, visit www.yearbookforever.com. If you have questions or

comments, please contact Ms. Galeet BenZion, Thoreau yearbook sponsor, at

gbenzion@fcps.edu.

PTA NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

FCPS is considering four different calendar options for the 2018-2019 school year. Information about the draft

calendars can be found by clicking here. The Fairfax County Council of PTAs (FCCPTA) is collecting survey responses to

be shared with the Fairfax County School Board. The survey can be found here and must be completed by Friday,

December 1st.

Dining for Dollars: Our next Dining for Dollars event will be at the Vienna Inn all day from 7:00AM-12AM on Monday,

December 11th. A bucket at the register will be labelled Thoreau Dining For Dollars for your receipts. Huge thanks to

parent Michelle Alonso for organizing our Dining for Dollars events!

Magazines Needed: Thoreau family and consumer science teacher Phyllis Taylor is looking for magazine

donations such as Women’s Day, Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, food-related magazines, etc., to use for

posters for her foodborne illness unit. Thank you!

Sign up for Giant Rewards today and earn money for Thoreau every time you shop! Click here and enter Group

#02131 We are also looking for a Giant Rewards

coordinator. Please contact Beth Eachus if you are interested.

Pies for Teachers and Staff: The PTA continued a wonderful

Thoreau tradition of sending a pie home with each staff

member for Thanksgiving! It is a huge favorite tradition of the

staff! Thank you to all that donated and made this event an

overwhelming success!

Sincerely,

Beth Eachus

President@ThoreauPTA.org Parent volunteers contribute to the

annual PTA pie-giving to Thoreau staff.