Roadrunner's Digest

Good evening Farquhar Families,

I hope you're all enjoying a restful long weekend! Thanks to every student, staff member, and family member who encouraged our students to make it to class on time these last two weeks. I'm excited to share that over 94% of our students earned the incentive and enjoyed their icy treat on Friday! Let's keep up the great work and get even more students on board for our next round.

I wish all of our families observing Yom Kippur a meaningful, blessed holiday. Let's make it a great week!

In this week's newsletter you will find:

• This week's bell schedules
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• NEW: FMS Assessment Schedule
• NEW: Student Punctuality Incentive Round 2!
• NEW: Student Service Learning (SSL) Update
• NEW: EF Tours - Roadrunners Go To Europe!
• NEW: Hearing and Vision Screening
• NEW: Sherwood Cheer Clinic
• MCPS to Host Girls’ Summit
• Share Your Feedback on the 2024–2025 School Year Calendar
• Save-the-Date for School Picture Day!
• NEW: PTA Corner Updates on upcoming events

Need to get back to an previous edition of the Digest? Find them in the archive on our school's website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/farquharms/.

There is no school on Monday, September 25.

We will operate with regular bell schedules from September 26 - 29.

• Monday: NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday: Academic ROCK
• Wednesday: Advisory
• Thursday: Academic ROCK
• Friday: Open ROCK

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

• Mr. Ford
• Gabby Doldan
• Arya Pathak
• Annabel Cassel
• All the FMS teachers for a great Back-to-School-Night

Would you like to recognize a student or staff member?

Submit a SHOUT-OUT!

In an effort to ensure students are not overwhelmed with multiple assessments in one day, teachers across all subject areas agree to schedule their assessments on designated days of the week (see schedule below).

If teachers would like to schedule an assessment outside of this schedule, they will ensure that an assessment is not being given in the prioritized subject area first. If you find that your student's studying workload is not in alignment with this schedule, please reach out to your their teachers and grade level administrator.

We're excited to share that over 94% of our students earned the incentive and enjoyed their icy treat during lunch on Friday!

If your student did not earn the incentive on Friday, great news! September 26 will kick off ROUND 2. All students who earn no more than 5 unexcused tardies between September 26 and October 12 will earn the opportunity to purchase an icy treat on Friday, October 13.

You can support the incentive at home by monitoring your student's attendance in ParentVUE! The attendance code for an unexcused tardy is "TU". You can find period-by-period attendance records in ParentVUE by clicking the attendance tab from the left menu, then select the date. Attendance for each period will appear at the bottom of the screen when you scroll down.

If your student has earned the incentive, you will receive an email after school on October 12. Thank you for supporting our efforts to celebrate student responsibility.

Student Service Learning (SSL) is a Maryland state graduation requirement. Students must earn 75 SSL hours to graduate from high school and can start earning SSL hours the summer after grade 5. Students may continue to earn SSL hours throughout middle school and high school. Please review the links below for Student Service Learning updates for the 2023-2024 school year.

September SSL Updates

Upcoming SSL Opportunities

Please submit all summer SSL hours to Mrs. Rose in room 016 or to the SSL tray in the guidance office by Sept. 29th, if you want summer hours to be reflected on the quarter 1 report card. Summer hours submitted after September 29th may not get processed until quarter 2. All hours already submitted or submitted by Sept. 29th will be entered by the end of quarter 1.

Want to know how many hours your student has earned? Check out this resource on how to check your SSL hours on Student/Parent Vue.

We’re going to Europe in Summer 2024, and you’re invited!

We’re excited to tell you more about the trip we’re planning with EF Tours, our educational travel partner. Please be sure to register for this info session to be considered for this opportunity: https://bit.ly/45lhagS

When students travel, they expand their knowledge of the world around them, discover more about themselves, and grow more confident. These skills are critical for creating the global citizens of tomorrow, and we would love to have your student join us on this adventure.

In this info session, we’ll talk about:

• How this opportunity will benefit your student
• What we’ll see and do on our trip
• Everything that’s included in this experience
• How your child can earn academic credit
• How we’re keeping this safe and affordable
• How to enroll on this trip (before it fills up!) during EF’s risk-free enrollment period

There are limited spots on this trip, so we would love to have you attend this meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

Questions can be directed to Ms. Gramkow at Amber_M_Gramkow@mcpsmd.org.

MCPS is conducting hearing and vision screenings for all 8th grade students as well as those new to MCPS. At Farquhar, students will participate in their screening during their World Studies class on either Friday, September 29, or Monday, October 2. Screening will take place in the main office suite. Please direct questions to Mrs. Pignone at Trisha_N_Pignone@mcpsmd.org.

The district is inviting all MCPS families to the Girls’ Summit on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Clarksburg High School. This event will provide informative workshops geared towards middle and high school girls on a variety of current topics. Join us for a chance to network, participate in fun activities, learn valuable skills and enjoy a fashion show presented by White House Black Market celebrating diverse body types!

Sessions will be provided in English and Spanish, and will be organized by grade level. Student Service Learning (SSL) hours will be available for students. Topics and activities will include:

• Healthy relationships/dating violence

• Social media use and mental health, including cyberbullying

• Self-esteem

• Identifying symptoms of depression and anxiety

• Healthy eating and body image

• Music therapy, Zumba and Kaiser Permanente spin bikes for art therapy

• Narcan kits will be distributed and training will also be available.

RSVP

MCPS is seeking the community’s feedback as it works to finalize the 2024–2025 school calendar. Please complete this survey to share your input.

Your feedback represents an important component of the development process. MCPS will consider educational interests, operational needs, mandated school closures by state law, compliance with minimum instructional days and credit hour requirements, inclement weather and other emergencies, staff professional days and early release days, alignment with assessment schedules and more.

Take the survey

Friday, September 29, 2023: FMS PTA will host an appreciation breakfast for our school bus drivers. The PTA will provide breakfast and treats for our hardworking drivers. Please consider making a donation to support this event: https://fmspta.memberhub.com/store

Tuesday, October 3, 2023: In collaboration with the Sherwood High School PTA, the PTA is hosting a showing of the movie “Angst”.

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, all Farquhar students and their families are invited for a free viewing of the movie Angst on Tuesday, October 3rd in the Ertzman Theater, sponsored by the Mia Fontana Foundation and the Sherwood Cluster PTAs. A community discussion about addressing anxiety will follow. Free popcorn! Chick fil-A sandwiches, drinks, and other snacks will be available for purchase. Please rsvp here. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., program is from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 11: Join in the fun at the first Restaurant Night FMS fundraiser to kick off the annual Battle of the Classes. Participate and your grade can win a year end party!!

• Who: All FMS students and families
• What: Restaurant Night Battle of the Classes! Grade with the highest participation wins the Year End Party!!!
• When: Wed, Oct 11th, 2023 Time: 10 AM – 9 PM
• Where: Jersey Mike’s 3494 Olney Laytonsville Rd, Olney

How:

1. Present this linked flyer (dine in, take out) for sales to count.
2. Online order: Make sure you state your order is for the FMS PTA fundraiser.
3. Keep your Receipt, Label it with Grade
4. Next day: Drop receipt in Grade Level Bucket in FMS office!!

Why: Proceeds of this event support the FMS PTA budget and the class with the most participation will win an end of the year party!

Our PTA budget is primarily based on donations from families. If each family donates $20 above the membership cost it will help us meet our budget goal and enable us to support our student activities and staff appreciation. We have 133 members so far and would like to reach at least 200 PTA members!

Join AND Donate to the PTA at: https://fmspta.memberhub.com/store

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

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