Roadrunner's Digest

Good evening Farquhar Families,

I hope you've enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend without blowing away! We're looking forward to the week ahead. The end of our first marking period is approaching quickly! Students should be targeting any missing assignments and reassessments this week, as October 31 (next Wednesday) is the last day of the marking period. That's only eight school days away, so let's finish strong! We are also honoring Red Ribbon Week, so be sure to scroll down and check out how we'll be learning the importance of drug prevention.

In this week's newsletter you will find:

• This week's bell schedules
  
• After-School Activities Schedule
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• NEW: Bravo to Our Musical Roadrunners!
• NEW: SHAPE Maryland Recognition at Farquhar
• Eighth Grade High School Applications due November 3
  
• Outdoor Ed Forms Deadline November 8
• NEW: Info about National Junior Honors Society (NJHS)
• NEW: Red Ribbon Week Events 10/23-31
• NEW: Support Mental Health Awareness Week
• NEW: RJ Voices SSL Opportunity
• NEW: How to Earn the Superintendent's SSL Award
• Support FMS by shopping at Harris Teeter
  
• NEW: POMS Day Camp @ Blake HS
• NEW: International KIDpreneur Day

PTA Corner Updates

• Join the PTA!
• Support an FMS Staff Meeting
• Upcoming November 14 PTA Meeting
• Battle of the Classes @ Jersey Mike's
• FMS Spirit Wear Coming Soon
• Free-State PTA Wants to Hear From You

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/.

We will operate with regular bell schedules this week. Open ROCK will be replaced with Academic ROCK while our leadership team evaluates structures and processes to ensure student safety. Students will continue to have outside access during their regular 30-minute lunchtime.

• Monday: Academic ROCK
• Tuesday: Academic ROCK
• Wednesday: Advisory
• Thursday: Academic ROCK
• Friday: Academic ROCK

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

• Mr. Lichvar
• Mr. Ford
• Mrs. Vukovich
• Mr. Davis

Would you like to recognize a student or staff member?

Submit a SHOUT-OUT!

Congratulations to our FMS Band students who performed the National Anthem in the Mass Middle School Band at the MCPS Marching Band Showcase yesterday! Sending huge THANKS to Mrs. Lipford for providing our Roadrunners an opportunity to showcase their talents in the broader MCPS community!

Our very own Mrs. Bruns received the Simon A. McNeely Award from SHAPE Maryland last week! This award is presented to educators with at least five years professional experience for outstanding teaching and service in health and education. Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Bruns for this notable achievement!

Attention 8th grade Parents:

Grade 8 students now have access to apply for Regional/Countywide Special Programs using the high school common application found in ParentVUE.

Applications are due by Friday, Nov. 3. Programs-At-A-Glance, eligibility, frequently asked questions and October open house dates are available on this website.

Parents/Students have access to an Eligibility letter on Synergy which describes all the special high school programs students can apply to based on their home/base high school. Throughout October, the special high school programs will host open houses for interested students and families.

Please view resources linked here to learn more: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/high

Outdoor Ed forms went home on Wednesday 9/27. All forms are due to Mr. Lichvar by November 8, 2023.

Required:

• Parent/Guardian Approval for MCPS Transportation (Form 555-6)
• Outdoor Environmental Education Program Parent/Guardian Permission

If applicable:

• Anaphylaxis Form (Form 525-14)
• Authorization to Administer Prescribed Medication (Form 525-13)

All Online payments can be complete here https://schoolcashonline.com/

Any questions? Please email Mr. Eisenhower at mark_a_eisenhower@mcpsmd.org.

NJHS new inductee nominations will be announced after Marking Period 1 grades are processed. Students will receive a letter. NJHS is only for Grade 7 and Grade 8 students.

The NJHS at Farquhar Middle School is open to 7th and 8th graders who have the following qualifications:

• Scholarship
  GPA of 3.7 or higher
• Service
  This involves voluntary contributions made by a student to the school or community, done without compensation.
• Leadership
  Student leaders are those who are resourceful, good problem solvers, and idea contributors.
• Character
  The student of good character is cooperative; demonstrates high standards of honesty and reliability; shows courtesy, concern, and respect for others.
• Citizenship
  The student who demonstrates positive citizenship understands the importance of civic engagement.

7th grade:

• 4 consecutive marking periods with a cumulative GPA. of 3.7 or higher
• At least 20 SSL hours completed by quarter 1 of 7th grade year
• Marking periods that will be considered are MP's 2, 3 & 4 in 6th grade in addition to MP 1 in 7th grade.

8th grade:

• 4 consecutive marking periods with a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher
• At least 30 SSL hours completed by quarter 1 of 8th grade year
• Marking periods that will be considered are MP's 2, 3, & 4 in 7th grade in addition to MP 1 in 8th grade.

The difference in SSL hours is due to the fact that students earn 10 hours of service each year, which is embedded in the curriculum.

Once a student has met the requirements they will be notified in December of their eligibility.

NJHS announcements and updates will be communicated via Synergy. This is to assure parents and students are aware of information.

Red Ribbon Week takes place each year from October 23 through 31st. Everyday, Americans across the country make significant daily contributions to their communities by being the best they can be because they live Drug-Free. Students will be engaging in activities throughout the week to learn more about the importance of drug prevention.

Mental Health Awareness Week is taking place from October 30th -November 03rd. Raising awareness reduces the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and seeking treatment. This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is anxiety. During this week students will engage in a variety of activities and lessons that will raise their awareness about mental health and provide them with effective strategies to use when they might feel anxious.

In addition to student activities, we would also like to create a relaxation space for staff. In this space, they will receive flowers with positive affirmations from students and other staff members that they can utilize throughout the day to manage their self-care. We would like to provide hot tea, coffee, water, and snacks in the relaxation space, but we need your help to make this dream come true.

Please consider donating to help us create a relaxing space for staff to enjoy. Donations can be made via our Amazon Wishlist or purchased elsewhere and can be dropped off in person in the main office by November 02, 2023. We are asking for all donations to be store-bought. Your donation is greatly appreciated.

With Warm Regards,

The Counseling Department Staff

RJ Specialists host monthly virtual sessions for middle and high school students. Students should click on the link in the flyer to join the Canvas classroom to access meeting dates and the Zoom link. One SSL hour per meeting!

Click Here to Join RJ Student Voices

Direct any questions to Dr. Tarik Harris and Bethlehem Beru.

Students in middle school can earn the Superintendent's SSL award if they meet the requirements of 75+ hours by 4/5/24 in middle school. Make sure your SSL documentation is turned to counseling by the end of March so that it can be processed in time to earn the award! If you're close, don't delay! You're only eligible for the award once!

UPDATE: We now have 16 families participating to support FMS via Harris Teeter. Our goal is 50 families! Please consider linking your VIC card to FMS. Passive fundraising greatly supports our students.

The Together In Education program gives schools a chance to earn funds when you link your VIC card and shop Harris Teeter.

Any VIC member can link their card to a school.

Link your VIC card to support Farquhar Middle School. Simply sign in to your account, search for Farquhar, and you're done!

Harris Teeter donated $376 to FMS last year with only 26 families participating. Thank you for helping us reach our goal of 50 families this year!

We have 152 PTA members—a big thanks to all those who have joined. It is not too late to join and donate to the PTA.

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 152 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

Sign up to support a FMS monthly staff meeting!

Drop off a snack for the monthly staff meetings and the PTA will reimburse you up to $50 (per staff meeting). It's a great way to get involved and give back to our awesome FMS staff for all they do to support our kids.

Please join us as we meet with the FMS Administration to discuss bullying, harassment, the MCPS code of conduct, and our school's response to these issues. We will meet virtually via Zoom, please see the information below.

FMS PTA meeting

Tuesday, 11/14

7:00-8:00 p.m.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85177068679?pwd=oSuyZMDlGu01pu7E4FnQxdbT46EMul.1

Meeting ID: 851 7706 8679

Passcode: fms

We had a great showing at our first restaurant night at Jersey Mike’s! Our 6th graders are in 1st place for the Battle of the Classes. Our 8th graders are in second place and 7th graders are in 3rd place. Please remember you need to bring your receipts with your grade included on it to the front office so we can tally up the class with the most participation! Stay tuned for our next restaurant night.

Ready to get in the FMS spirit? We will be selling Farquhar t-shirts and sweatshirts in our online store next week so get ready Roadrunners!

Free State PTA is our Maryland PTA and they would like to hear from you about what are the most important priorities for our PTA to advocate for. Please complete the survey here

https://www.votervoice.net/FSPTA/Surveys/10019/Respond

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

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