Roadrunner's Digest

Hello Farquhar Families and Staff!!

I hope you've enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend. Today is the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month! Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period. We're looking forward to honoring this beautiful heritage represented in our Roadrunner community.

Believe it or not, interims are on the horizon. On September 27, interim reports will be downloaded and sent to families via USPS on October 4. A great way to support your student is to check their grades with them weekly and develop a plan to prepare for upcoming assessments or make up missing work. If you are experiencing any issues accessing your student's grades on ParentVUE, please reach out to your grade level counselor.

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: Hispanic Heritage Month: Family Recipes
• TIMELY: Picture Day is September 17!
• NEW: After-school Activities Fair
• NEW: Upcoming SSL Opportunities
• NEW: MCPS Inclement Weather Message
• NEW: Social Studies Curriculum Events
• NEW: Upcoming Events for NEC 8th Graders
• NEW: MCPS High School Application Programs At-a-Glance
• NEW: Angel Tree 2024 Registration
• Outdoor Education Parent Meeting & Volunteer Info
• TIMELY: Family Life & Human Sexuality Curriculum: Virtual Parent Meeting
• TIMELY: 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!

• Ms. Via
• Ms. Bonfils
• Ms. Manion
• Ethel
• Roy Lynn
• Chris Beissel
• Ms. Tetze
• Ms. Fuentes
• Building Service Team
• Amber Gramkow
• Nikia Williams
• Emma Railey
• Mr. LaCroix
• Mrs. Bowles
• Ms. Gaske
• Sabrina Fuentes
• Ms. Campbell
• Annabel Cassel

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.

As part of our ongoing Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Farquhar, we are creating a recipe book to honor the stories and traditions of our Hispanic families. If you or a family member have a recipe from your Hispanic roots that you would like to share, we would love to add it to the book! Please complete this digital recipe card in Spanish or English. If you prefer, we also have paper copies available to students and families. Students can pick up a paper copy from Mr. Lynn in the main office, or from Dr. Abreu in room 220.

Also, please save the date for our Hispanic Heritage Night celebration on Thursday, October 10th from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. We will have opportunities for students and families to enjoy:

• Food trucks
• Storytelling
• Wax museum historical presentations
• Dance performances
• Recipe exchange, and more!

We hope you can join us for a wonderful of highlighting, elevating, and celebrating the rich culture of our Hispanic students and communities.

Students will learn about After School Activities on Wednesday, September 18th, during ROCK, where students will be encouraged to pick up permission slips for our fall after school activity programs. Activities fill up quickly and there can be waitlists, so please return the permission slips to the sponsors ASAP.

After-school activities begin Tuesday, October 1st and are scheduled on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:05—4:20p.m. Students will hear about activities during morning announcements and lunches, in case there are changes to any of the programs for the day.

Parents, please check the website for updates. Activity buses are provided each day and leave school at 4:30 p.m. Bus routes are different from the regular routes and are posted on the FMS website. Students who do not ride the Activity Buses are expected to be picked up no later than 4:30.

Upcoming SSL opportunities that might interest your student. The links are below for your reference.

• Wednesday, September 18th: Derwood Birthday Party (bake birthday treats, hand make cards, and/or prepare a fruit platter)
• Wednesday, September 18th: KindCasserole Meal Donation (make casserole at home then deliver to MoCo Reconnect in Silver Spring)
• Wednesday, September 25th: KindCasserole Meal Donation (make casserole at home then deliver to MoCo Reconnect in Silver Spring)
• Thursday, September 26th: New Leaf Dinner (cook taco meat, prepare a fruit platter, and/or shred cheese)

*NOTE: Students may earn SSL hours ONLY for the time spent preparing and/or making items (i.e. chopping, boiling, cooking, baking), but students may not earn SSL hours for donating purchased/store-bought items.

You can browse our upcoming SSL opportunities on our website. Our main SSL opportunities for the year are linked below for your convenience.

• KindSoup for Students
• KindCasserole Meal Support
• Derwood Shelter Meal Support
• Rockville Shelter Meal Support
• New Leaf Shelter Meal Support
• Adopt-a-Road Clean Ups

The safety of our MCPS community is critical, and being able to communicate with students, staff, and families during severe weather or other emergencies is of the utmost importance. Use this link to find all the ways you can connect with MCPS to receive emergency operational information from the school system. The current operating status options for the school district appear on the MCPS website and on individual school websites. In the event of a change in operational status, the link below will provide more information about the MCPS Operating Status options.

Parents mark your calendars:

MCPS Social Studies Office is having another Curriculum Night Webinar about how Asian American History is taught at MCPS K-12 on September 26, 2024 6:30pm. To register http://bit.ly/3yZsvZm

October 9, 2024 is Common Writing Task (CWT) Night at Farquhar! Come and learn how to support your student with this assignment. We will be meeting in the Media Center at Farquhar from 5:00 - 6:00pm.

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

In addition to the various academic programs in the local schools, Grade 8 students who live in Montgomery County may be eligible to apply to MCPS High School Regional/Countywide Application Programs (criteria-based/selective and interest based/lottery). For more information, visit the MCPS regional/countywide high school application programs website (below). Application season is expected to open in early October with a deadline of November 1, 2024.

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

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