Roadrunner's Digest
Mrs. Rivas-Smith's Newsletter for the Farquhar Community
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Message from the Principal
I hope you're enjoying the milder weather this weekend! Thank you for your continued support in ensuring your students are dressed appropriately during the winter months. As a reminder, we go outside for Open ROCK and a brief time during lunch whenever the feels-like temperature is above 30 degrees, and the ground is dry.
Students have been informed that they need a coat, pants, and closed shoes anytime the feels-like temperature is below 40 degrees. For safety reasons, those not properly dressed for weather below 40 will remain indoors during Open ROCK or outdoor lunch time.
Your partnership is vital in helping us create a safe and enjoyable environment for all our students, even on chilly days. Thank you for your attention to this as we navigate the colder months.
As always, thank you for your continued collaboration and support, and have an excellent week!
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: Personal Body Safety Lessons
- TIMELY for 7th Grade: Medieval Times Permission DUE TOMORROW
- NEW: KID Museum Event
- NEW: MCPS Meal Website
- NEW: Lost & Found Update
- NEW: MoCo CAP Lunch Bunch
- NEW: FMS Math Club
- UPDATE: Finance Park
- NEW: Sign up for Basketball Tryouts
- Thank you from Ms. Brown
- MCPS Things to Know
PTA Corner:
- December PTA meeting on Tuesday
- Volunteers needed
- Olney/Brookeville Toy Drive
- New PTA Treasurer Needed
- Restaurant Night @ Jersey Mike's
- Winter Social Volunteers Needed
- PTA Donation Drive for MLK Week of Service
- Upcoming Events and Winter Social
- Join the PTA
This Week's Bell Schedules
Friday's Open ROCK has been moved to this Tuesday 12/10
This Week's Roadrunner Shout-Outs
Thank you to the following Roadrunners who have made a positive impact on our learning community!
- Amelia Qureshi
- Victor Zavala
- Amani Ottiende
- Armaan Saini
- Jena Madengue
- Molly Bowers
- Zena Bochkarev
- Leah Brink
- Kristen Nguyen
- Iohanna Usita
- Ms. Tetze
- Ms. Fuentes
- Mr. Lichvar
- Ms. Affinitio
- Ms. Brown
- Mr. Kamie
- Mr. Kamie
- Ms. Moton
- Mr. Eisenhower
- Mr. Lacroix
- Emliy Casino
- Dani Affinito
- miles williams
- RIvers Cuomo
- Dr.Abreu
- Liana Taddesse
- Samuel Jones
Would you like to recognize a student or staff member?
Thank you for taking a moment to thank a Roadrunner who has made a meaningful difference.
This Week's After-School Activities
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.
FMS Counseling Updates
Please check out the School Counseling Website for information regarding community events, SSL opportunities and mental health resources.
NEW: Personal Body Safety Lessons
Montgomery County Public Schools is taking an active role in the prevention of child abuse and neglect through early prevention and intervention education.
On Wednesday, December 11th, Farquhar students will participate in a lesson during ROCK time on the topic of child abuse and neglect. The lessons are known as Personal Body Safety Lessons and their purpose is to help students to:
- Develop knowledge, decision making skills, and behaviors which promote safe living in the home, school, and community
- Learn skills for self-protection and identifying child abuse and neglect
- Learn skills for asking for help for self and others and practice reporting to a trusted adult
- Engage in positive and appropriate interactions with peers and adults.
If you have any questions or concerns about the topics that will be covered, please contact your child’s grade level counselor.
*Students should bring wired headphones for the PBSL lesson on Wednesday.
TIMELY for 7th GRADE: Medieval Times Permission Form Due TOMORROW
The 7th grade is traveling to Medieval Times for a culminating field trip on the Middle Ages. Field Trip packets went out and the SCO payment portal is open. Please make payment and turn in your permission slip to Mr. McNaboe as soon as possible. The last day to pay or turn in your permission slip is December 9th. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. McNaboe @ patrick_j_mcnaboe@mcpsmd.org.
NEW: KID Museum Event
KID Museum has a program created specifically for students in Grades 6, 7 and 8 and I was wondering if you would be able to help us spread the word to your students.
Middle School Maker Night is on Friday, January 24 from 5:30-8 pm at our 3 Bethesda Metro Center location. Participants will take over the museum as they try a variety of maker challenges using a wide array of tools and materials.
- Tickets are $10 per student but we also offer scholarships if cost is a barrier.
- Pizza and drinks will be provided to everyone who attends.
- Students will need to provide their own transportation to the museum.
NEW: MCPS Meal Website
MCPS is introducing a new interactive breakfast and lunch menu platform called MealViewer. Students, caregivers, school staff, nurses, and community members will have digital access to menus and meal information. MealViewer will launch on Sunday, December 8, 2024.
You can view the new platform on the MCPS website. PDF menus will remain available through December 2024. Starting January 1, 2025, PDF menus will no longer be available.
NEW: Lost & Found Update
All lost and found items to include (clothing, water bottles, lunch boxes, binders) must be picked up from the school cafeteria by Friday, December 20, 2024. All items that remain as of 3:00 p.m. on Friday, December 20th will be donated to charity.
NEW: MOCO CAP Lunch Bunch Tomorrow
The FMS Student Career Advisory Council Lunch Bunch is tomorrow Monday, 12/9, during lunch in Room 029. This month, a guest speaker from the USA Military will share insights about their career and their journey. To attend, pick up a pass in Merchant’s room (033) or Mr. Lichvar’s room (004).
NEW: FMS Math Club!
FMS will be competing in the AMC8 math competition this school year. This event occurs every year with middle school students across the U.S. It will take place on Thursday, January 23 at 3:15pm in the cafeteria. This competition is open to the first 30 FMS students that sign up. Here is the link to register. Please email Mr. Mark Eisenhower mark_a_eisenhower@mcpsmd.org with any questions.
UPDATE: Finance Park
NEW: Congrats to the NJHS Inductees!
Congrats to all the new NJHS inductees!
Students have been notified. Parents and caregivers, please submit the induction fee via School Cash. https://schoolcashonline.com/
As a reminder, here are the NJHS requirements for eligibility into the induction process at Farquhar Middle School. The NJHS is open to 7th and 8th graders who meet the following criteria:
Scholarship:
- GPA of 3.7 or higher.
Service:
- Voluntary contributions to the school or community without compensation.
Leadership:
- Resourceful students who are good problem solvers and idea contributors.
Character:
- Students who are cooperative, demonstrate honesty and reliability, and show respect, concern, and courtesy toward others.
Citizenship:
- Students who demonstrate positive civic engagement.
7th Grade Requirements:
- 4 consecutive marking periods with a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher.
- At least 20 SSL hours completed by the end of Quarter 1 in 7th grade.
- Marking periods considered: MP 2, 3, and 4 in 6th grade, as well as MP 1 in 7th grade.
8th Grade Requirements:
- 4 consecutive marking periods with a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher.
- At least 30 SSL hours completed by the end of Quarter 1 in 8th grade.
- Marking periods considered: MP 2, 3, and 4 in 7th grade, along with MP 1 in 8th grade.
The difference in SSL hours is due to the 10 hours of service students complete each year as part of the curriculum.
There was no formal application process.
This week, students were invited based on the criteria listed above.
Any questions please email Ms. Chaney or Mr. Lichvar.
Our first meeting will be in January 2025 after school. TBD.
Congrats to our FMS scholars!
NEW: Sign up for Basketball Tryouts
🏀 Basketball Tryouts for 7th & 8th Graders
- Who: 7th and 8th-grade students interested in trying out for the Boys' or Girls' basketball teams.
- Sign-Up: Please sign up online here.
- When:
- Girls' Tryouts: Starting December 10 and 11th.
- Boys' Tryouts: Week starting December 12th, 17th and 18th.
- Time: After school from 3:10 PM to 4:20 PM.
- Transportation: Activity buses will be available.
- Contact: For any questions, please reach out to Mr. Davis.
Don't miss your chance to be part of the team! Sign up today! 🏀
THANK YOU from Ms. Brown
A heartfelt thank you to every student who created a bookmark for patients undergoing chemotherapy. The winners of the bookmark contest are Molly Bowers, Eliza Hanif, and Maya Lute! Bookmark contest winners can come to the media center to receive their prizes.
This Week's MCPS Things to Know
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.
PTA Corner
December PTA Meeting on Tuesday
Our December PTA Meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 10th at 7pm EST. Zoom details will be shared no later than Sunday, December 8th. During this meeting, FMS administration will be sharing an update on student academic performance during MP1, ongoing work to combat hate-bias incidents, and an important update about chronic absenteeism. We hope to see you there!
Volunteers Needed for Snacks!
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!
Olney/Brookeville Toy Drive
Our 13th Annual Olney/Brookeville Toy Drive will take place December 15th from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.! We are collecting toys and gift cards for Mason Strong Village, Olney Help, and For3Sisters, all organizations within our Olney/Brookeville community. Please find the details in the Sign-Up Genius link below. Happy Holidays!
New PTA Treasurer Needed!
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!
FMS Restaurant Night @ Jersey Mike's
Support FMS by eating at Jersey Mike's on December 19th! Click below for details to make sure FMS gets credit for your purchase.
Upcoming Events
- PTA Donation Drive for MLK Week of Service: Details forthcoming!
- Winter Social- January 31, 2025 from 6-8pm at FMS.
Your donations make the difference!
JOINING, and DONATING, to the PTA directly supports students and our school community.
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
Contact Mrs. Rivas-Smith
Email: Angelica_L_Smith@mcpsmd.org
Phone: 240-740-1200
Twitter: @farquharms