Roadrunner's Digest

Good evening FMS Families and Staff,

Thank you for another great week at Farquhar! This week, we’re excited to celebrate Kindness Week at FMS. Our Roadrunners will be participating in activities that highlight the power of small acts of kindness and their impact on the well-being of our school community. We look forward to seeing our students embrace this important ROCK value throughout the week!

Additionally, with inclement weather in the forecast, please take a moment to review the MCPS operating status and color codes to stay informed about any schedule changes. You can find this information on the MCPS website and through MCPS alerts.

Stay safe, and let’s make it a great week of kindness!

In this newsletter you will find:

• This week's bell schedules
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• After School Activities Schedule
• FMS Counseling Updates
• NEW: It's Kindness Week!
• Candygram Fundraiser
• HBCU College Fair
• NEW: NJHS Valentines for Vets
• Course Registration Process
• UPDATE: Audition for Legally Blonde, Jr.!!
• Has your student lost their chromebook?
• MCPS Things to Know

PTA Corner:

• Volunteers needed
• New PTA Treasurer Needed
• February PTA meeting 2/11
• 2025 OBGC Girls Lacrosse
• Join the PTA

Thank you to the following Roadrunners who have made a positive impact on our learning community!

• Addison English
• Brittany Hawkins
• Patti Tyler
• Ms. Campbell
• Ms.Chaney
• Juan Luis Díaz
• Maddie hamilton
• Nori C
• Taylor
• Lorena
• Brooklyn Markwood
• Paisley Formichelli
• Emilia A
• Serenity Lawson
• Bridget Harper
• Natuniah P
• Anna W
• Katie Mays
• Zoe Anim
• Ainsley W
• Charis
• Autumn A
• Ella Shore
• Gianna Conroy
• Bella Eapen
• Menna A
• Hayley T.
• Hiwote Amslau
• Alia Jawando

Would you like to recognize a student or staff member?

Submit a SHOUT-OUT!

Thank you for taking a moment to thank a Roadrunner who has made a meaningful difference.

Activities end at 4:15 and students must be picked up no later than 4:30. Students should take the activity bus if they cannot be picked up by 4:30, as the main office closes at this time.

Please check out the School Counseling Website for information regarding community events, SSL opportunities and mental health resources.

Kindness Week encourages students to perform acts of kindness in school, at home and in the community. The purpose of the week is to highlight how actions, big and small, can make a difference. Students will be able to participate in a variety of activities throughout Kindness Week. Kindness is one of our signature Farquhar ROCK values.

We are excited to announce that Farquhar Middle School’s Counseling Department is sponsoring a Valentine’s Day fundraiser! This event is designed to promote kindness, support our school’s programs, and bring the community together during this season of love and appreciation.

Students and families will have the opportunity to purchase $2 Candy Grams and a $5 plushies and send a special message to friends, teachers, and staff. All proceeds from the fundraiser will directly benefit the Counseling Department, helping to provide important resources and programs for our students. Pre-order begins today via your school SCO account. All SCO orders will incur a .25 cent administrative fee. Students can purchase in-person during Connect Time starting February 5th- 12th. Quantities are limited.

All online purchases must be made by midnight on 02/12. All in-person purchases must be made by the close of school on 02/12. Goodies will be delivered during the school day on 2/14.

How You Can Help:

• Send a Valentine’s message: Have your child send a kind note or token of appreciation to a friend or staff member.
• Spread the word: Encourage others to get involved and make this fundraiser a success!

We hope this Valentine’s Day brings joy and a sense of connection to all of our students, staff, and families. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in making Farquhar Middle School a welcoming and caring environment for everyone.

Warm regards,
The Farquhar Middle School Counseling Department

Join Ms. Mason, Ms. Payne, and Mrs. Page to attend the Montgomery County HBCU Fair on Friday, February 14, 2025! Due to low sign-up numbers, Farquhar will no longer be providing bus transportation to the event. Students are still encouraged to attend!

NJHS Current Members and New Inductees - will create Valentine’s Day cards at home using paper, colored pencils, markers, glitter, and other creative materials! Each NJHS member/ inductee is responsible for making at least three Valentines. These cards will serve as thank-you notes for First Responders to express our appreciation for their service in our community.

Deadline for Valentines: Wednesday, 2/12/25

• Drop off your cards to Mr. Lichvar in Room 004. There will be a box next to the Boxlight. Please submit your Valentines after the meeting- during CT or between classes.
• Please attach a paperclip with your name to each card.
• All Valentines for Veterans will be delivered to local fire and police stations.

Course Registration Process for 2025 – 2026 School Year

Students and families of rising 7th and 8th graders will engage in the course registration process for next school year, 2025 – 2026, during the upcoming months of February and March. Students will have an opportunity to hear about their elective course options in 7th and 8th grade during the week of February 10th. They will complete an electives interest survey that week. Then, during the week of March 10th, students will select their electives courses for next year. Please take some time over the next few weeks to review the Farquhar M.S. Course Bulletin, which is posted on the FMS website. The 2025-2026 Course Bulletin link is included here.

Please reach out to your child’s counselor if you have any questions related to the course registration process. Ms. Councilman and Ms. Lazaris will also share a presentation on the course registration process during the February 11th PTA meeting. We hope to see you there.

We are thrilled to announce that the student interest in Legally Blonde, Jr. has been overwhelming! Due to the volume of students auditioning, the audition process has been adjusted:

• Auditions will still be next Tues. - Thurs. February 11th - 13th
• Students will be assigned an audition day (either Tues., Wed., or Thurs.).
• On the audition day, students will perform both the singing and acting audition.
• There will be no callbacks.
• The Audition Information Slides have been updated in the Google classroom to reflect this information.
• Audition dates were communicated on Friday, February 7 via the Google classroom linked below.

Please direct any questions to Dr. Higley at Christine_L_Higley@mcpsmd.org.

Families, we need your help! We are experiencing an uptick in the number of students requesting Day Loaner Chromebooks for 5 consecutive days or more. If the student’s Chromebook is missing and it’s been 5 or more consecutive days with a day loaner, a School Cash Online (SCO) obligation for a lost Chromebook ($312) will be placed on your student’s account.

To help prevent students from receiving this obligation, we’re asking families to be sure your student brings their Chromebook charged to school every day. If their Chromebook is missing and unable to be found, please have your student tell the main office and a new Chromebook will be issued to them along with the SCO obligation.

Each week, MCPS shares a community message with helpful system-wide information, reminders, and invitations to events. Though they are sent out via email, we will always link them here.

VOLUNTEERS: Our FMS staff is AMAZING and we are in need of volunteers to support with snacks for the upcoming staff meetings. Please sign up here. The next staff meeting is Monday, October 7th and we need a volunteer!

The PTA is looking for a new treasurer, as our current Treasurer's term will be ending. We will be sharing more information in the coming weeks, so if you are interested, stay tuned!

If you have any questions about how our current treasurer manages this role, please reach out to our PTA president, Kristin Menefee, at menefeekristin@gmail.com.

February 11th at 7pm EST via Zoom. FMS counselors will be providing information and answering questions about class registration and we will share PTA updates.

The Olney Girls Lacrosse program was created to offer youth girls the opportunity to learn, play and love the game of lacrosse. We want to be the best recreational program in the area focused on promoting and educating players, coaches and families in the skill, knowledge, sportsmanship and love of lacrosse. NEW AND EXPERIENCED PLAYERS WELCOME! See attached flyer for more details.

Direct donations to the FMS PTA are our primary source of fundraising! Help us avoid sales-based fundraisers!

• If you have already joined, but have NOT made a tax-deductible donation, we encourage you to do so. Any amount is appreciated!
• If you have not yet joined, please join, and donate, today!

Your direct donations help the PTA fund:

• Math, English, and STEM materials
• Counseling and wellness initiatives
• Field trips
• Arts, music, and athletic activities,
• Staff appreciation
• Parent/family resources

Feel free to contact me anytime and follow Farquhar on Twitter!

Email: Angelica_L_Smith@mcpsmd.org
Phone: 240-740-1200
Twitter: @farquharms