Roadrunner's Digest

Hello Farquhar Families and Staff!!

It was wonderful to see so many of you at our Back-to-School Night on Thursday! We had an amazing turn out, and I was encouraged to see our families and staff connecting with each other. I feel incredibly fortunate to serve such a warm and welcoming community. Thank you, also, for sharing your feedback on the event in our survey.

Our vision for Back-to-School Night was for families to have more authentic, informative, and interactive experiences during classroom visits, and for families to feel welcomed and supported by FMS staff. I'm pleased to share that we received over 200 responses that conveyed the following:

• 99% felt welcomed by FMS staff

• 99% enjoyed the experiences during classroom visits
• 98% felt the information received was helpful
• 97% felt the evening met or exceeded expectations
• 97% report their child has had a positive experience at FMS in the first two weeks

We always aim for our community engagement events to inspire home-to-school collaboration and trust! This includes finding creative ways to increase time for families to personally interact with staff, and advocating for ALL our feeder high schools to schedule events on nights that do not conflict with each other. If you were not able to join us, or if you didn't have the opportunity to visit a teacher's classroom presentation, please do not hesitate to reach out to them directly or check their Canvas classroom! The image below is a word cloud that was generated by your responses to the survey's final question: What is one word to describe your experience at Back-to-School Night?" The larger the word, the more frequent it appeared in the survey results.

Thank you, again, for your continued support and collaboration, and have an excellent week!

In this newsletter you will find:

• This week's bell schedules
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• NEW: MAP-R Testing Tuesday
• NEW: Hispanic Heritage Month @ FMS
• NEW: Transportation Check-in
• NEW: Picture Day is September 17!
• NEW: Directory Opt-out & Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment Info
• NEW: Social Studies Curriculum Night Webinar 9/12
• NEW: 8th Grade NEC HS Info Session
• UPDATE: Outdoor Education Parent Meeting & Volunteer Info
• NEW: Clarksburg HS Application-Based Special Programs
  
• UPDATE: Family Life & Human Sexuality Curriculum: Virtual Parent Meeting
• EF Travel Opportunity
• MCPS Things to Know

PTA Corner:

• Order FMS Spiritwear!
• Save the date: October 8
• Support Restaurant Night 10/24
• Join the PTA

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

• Kristina Mason
  
• Dr. Abreu
• Ms. Campbell
• Moira Kenyon
• Amy Councilman
• Andre Jones
• Patrick McNaboe
• Kris Rhone
• Joseph Kombe
• Bridget Harper
• Ms. Gina Foster
• Ms. Smith
• Roy Lynn
• Vy-Anh Hoang
• Joshua Showers
• AnnaLee Havens

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.

Students will be taking the MAP-R (Measures of Academic Progress) assessment on Tuesday, September 10th. This test is an important tool that helps us understand each student’s academic strengths and areas where they may need additional support.

To help your child perform their best, please encourage them to get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast on the day of the test. Additionally, make sure their Chromebook is fully charged the night before to avoid any technical issues. It is crucial for students to give their best effort! See schedule below:

Hello families and FMS Community! We are so excited for the start of Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15th and running through October 15th! To celebrate the contributions and elevate the voices of Hispanic and Latinx individuals, and celebrate their vast cultural identities, we will have a variety of school-wide initiatives through the month, as well as a culminating community night celebration on Thursday, October 10th from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

At the school-level, we will be displaying student work that centers Hispanic countries and communities, playing music during transitions on Fridays, displaying cultural artifacts in the display case in the foyer, highlighting Hispanic culture and accomplishments on the morning announcements, displaying Hispanic national flags in grade-level hallways, and more!

At our community night event, we will have opportunities for students and families to listen to stories read aloud and told in Spanish, have students create a wax museum where they present on important historical figures, view dance performances, participate in a recipe exchange, and other activities. We are looking forward to a wonderful of highlighting, elevating, and celebrating the rich culture of our Hispanic students and communities.

As we're landing in a rhythm for arrival and dismissal, please take note of the following reminders and expectations for transportation:

• Take extreme caution when driving around the car loop at dismissal. It is a one-lane loop. Passing cars in the loop increases the risk for fender-benders.
• Pulling into staff parking spaces and turning around also slows the flow of traffic.Thank you for your patience in the car loop.
• Students are expected to ride their assigned bus at all times. Transportation routes buses based on home addresses and eligibility, and overcrowded buses will be addressed by administration.
• Arrangements to ride a different bus home can be made in advance by writing a note that must be verified by the main office before dismissal.
• Students attempting to ride a non-assigned bus in the afternoon will be directed to their correct bus.
• Students must ride their assigned bus in the mornings.

On Friday, all students received the following two documents. (Please be sure to review both)

Annual Notice for Directory Information and Student Privacy

• Please read the directions carefully and ONLY return the completed and signed form if you wish to withhold directory information.
• The form must be returned to the FMS main office by Thursday, September 12th.

Notification of Rights Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA)

The Social Studies Department is holding its first Curriculum Night Webinar 9/12/24 at 6:30pm on Black American History. Register at http//bit.ly/3yZsvZm.

Do you have 8th grade students and live in the NEC? Please see below for upcoming events!

Not sure if you live in the NEC? Please use this link: https://gis.mcpsmd.org/SchoolAssignmentTool2/AddressInput.xhtml

Any individuals interested in chaperoning Outdoor Education this year should reach out to Mr. Eisenhower, 6th grade Team Leader, at Mark_A_Eisenhower@mcpsmd.org.

All families of sixth grade students are invited to our Outdoor Education parent info meeting on Thursday, October 24, 2024 from 6:30 - 7:15pm.

• This meeting will be in HYBRID format. Come in-person to the Cafeteria, or join us on Zoom (link forthcoming)
• Spanish translation will be available in person
• Learn about the curriculum and experiences of Outdoor Ed
• Participate in the Q&A session

If you have an 8th grade student interested in pursuing either one of the application-based special programs at Clarksburg HS, an information session is coming up on September 26.

• The Advanced Placement Power Scholars (APPS) program
• Pathways in Network and Information Technology Program (P-TECH)
  

We are pleased to invite you to a virtual meeting on September 19th from 6:00-7:00 PM via Zoom to discuss the upcoming Family Life and Human Sexuality (FLHS) unit for our 7th and 8th grade health classes. This session aims to provide you with an overview of the curriculum and address any questions you may have regarding the topics covered. Information for the zoom and grade level letters reviewing the curriculum are below. We look forward to your participation and collaboration in supporting our students' education.

If you would like to request a separate meeting to review the materials with a translator in Spanish, please click here. We will be in touch soon with an alternative date and time for that meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/87822891229?pwd=ntJA2mfbtzFbvx14PRw3a5sJQ2HsWZ.1

Meeting ID: 878 2289 1229

Passcode: 453280

• 7th Grade (English) (Español)
• 8th Grade (English) (Español)

Though the 6th grade curriculum does not include FLHS instruction, information about the units covered is below.

• 6th Grade (English) (Español)

Step into the Middle Ages on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and under the towering spire of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin! In Belfast, old conflicts have given way to an influx of restored 19th-century architecture and a thriving arts scene. We will be traveling to Ireland & Scotland in the Summer of 2026. A parent interest meeting will be held on Zoom on Sept 18, 2024. If you are interested in attending the meeting, please RSVP here. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Amber Gramkow at amber_m_gramkow@mcpsmd.org. I look forward to traveling with you and your students.

--Ms. Gramkow

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.

There are amazing options for you and your family to choose from! Check out the flyer below or use the QR Code below. The store closes on September 22nd.

Our first full (virtual) PTA meeting on Tuesday, 10/8 at 7:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you there! Stay tuned for Zoom details.

We will have our first Restaurant Night scheduled at Chipotle on Nov. 4th from 4-8pm.

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