Roadrunner's Digest

Good evening Farquhar Families,

This week was Kindness Week at FMS! Students spent their free time making commitments to kindness and spreading joy throughout the week. On Thursday, counseling and ambassadors visited staff with the kindness cart! They even got a chance to share some goodies with our interim superintendent, Dr. Monique Felder, when surprised us with a visit! On Friday, FMS students and staff decorated Kindness Rocks as part of Kindness Week. FMS counselors are excited to showcase these so students will see positive messages throughout the day!

We're excited for another fantastic week at Farquhar. There is no school on Monday, February 19 for President's Day. I want to draw your attention to two timely items in the digest this week:

1. The annual school survey for all families solicits your feedback for Farquhar and MCPS as a system. As both our school and our school district undergo major leadership transitions, your feedback is just as critical as ever. Thank you for taking the time to complete it by March 15.
2. For 7th grade families only, the form to request that your student be screened for accelerated and enriched instruction (otherwise known as gifted & talented or GT.

Scroll down for more information about both of these important topics!

Thank you so much for your continued trust and support, and have an excellent week!

In this week's newsletter you will find:

• This week's schedules
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• UPDATE: Black History Month @ FMS
• TIMELY: Your Voice Matters: Family Survey for School Improvement
• TIMELY: Gifted & Talented selection process for 7th grade
• NEW: MISA 8 Testing save the date
• NEW: Boys' and Girls' soccer tryouts info
• NEW: NJHS New Inductee Meeting February 20
• NEW: Community Wellness Fair March 12
• Annual doodle for Google contest info
• NEW: Instrumental music and theater updates
• 8th Grade Baby Pictures for Yearbook due February 29
• NEW: MCPS Piano Sale
• MCPS System Messages

PTA Corner Updates

• TIMELY: Pie Day at FMS
• UPDATE: Healthy Minds Initiative
• NEW: Order FMS Swag by March 18!
• COMING SOON: PTA Fundraiser at Chipotle March 11
• Parent Support for the IXL Initiative

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/.

Clubs 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.

Craft Club will not be meeting for the next few weeks. An announcement will be made once the club resumes meetings.

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

• Owen Bair
• Blen Daniel
• Ava Hardy
• Amaya Howell
• Olivia Rupper
• Cassandra Belton
• Shazia Hussain
• Hassan Ibrahim
• Yizeni Asmare
• Mr. Eisenhower
• Laurie Rose
• Mrs. McDonough
• Bruce Kight
• Luke Myers
• Ms. Lipford

Would you like to recognize a student, community member, or staff member?

Submit a SHOUT-OUT!

This week, our amazing staff and students celebrated Historically Black Colleges and Universities by representing their schools and attending 16th annual HBCU Fair. Our seventh grade students also kicked off a unit on Harriet Tubman and why dreams are worth pursuing.

We thank all of our dedicated students and staff who elevate the contributions of Americans of color all year round!

At Farquhar, we believe in the power of collaboration and the importance of your perspective. Your family's input is crucial in shaping the future of our school community, and we invite you to participate in our Family Survey.

This survey aims to gather valuable insights into your experiences and opinions regarding various aspects of our school district. Your honest feedback will help us understand what's working well and identify areas where we can improve to create a more supportive and engaging learning environment for all students.

Participating in this survey is easy, and it will only take a few minutes of your time. Your responses are completely confidential, and the information you provide will be used solely for the purpose of enhancing our educational programs and services. The survey closes March 15, 2024.

To access the survey, please click on the link provided below:

https://parentsurvey.mcpsmd.org/

We appreciate your commitment to our school community and value the unique perspectives each family brings. Together, we can continue to build a positive and thriving educational environment.

• Parents of students in Grade 7 who are part of the gifted and talented screening or rescreening process received a letter in the US Mail and on ParentVue with information about completing the Parent Input Form. This form must be completed by February 29, 2024 to be considered in the screening process for the current school year. If a parent does not have access the technology, paper copies of the form are located in the main office and should be turned into Jennifer Hallmark.
• Directions for accessing and completing the form are in the letter and shown in this video.
• Parents/guardians will need the student’s MCPS Google login information to complete the form.
• For more information about the criteria for GT designation and answers to frequently asked questions, please read: Understanding the Gifted and Talented Identification Process (2023-2024)

All eighth grade students will be taking the MISA Science test on March 5 and 6, 2024. This is an MSDE mandated state assessment, so thank you in advance for ensuring your student is present on time at school both days.

A brief boys' and girls' soccer tryout info meeting to be held during advisory on Tuesday February 20th in the Aux gym with Mr. Davis.

• NJHS New Inductees Meeting Tuesday 2.20 in room 004 at the start of Academic Rock.

The Farquhar school community is invited to attend our first annual community wellness fair during the evening of Tuesday, March 12th. There will be multiple sessions on mental health, social media, communication, and a variety of physical fitness activities including yoga, pickleball, basketball, martial arts, personal training, etc. The Pacha Mama juice truck will also be at the fair selling a variety of delicious juices and there will be 100 boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables for participants, provided by Hungry Harvest.

Attention all 6th graders, and 7th and 8th graders who are not currently enrolled in art with Mrs. Savage or Mrs. Merchant:

Google is hosting their annual Doodle for Google contest. This years prizes are bigger and better, there are more prizes to be won, and more ways to create! If you are interested in entering, please grab an entry packet located outside of Mrs. Savage’s art room ( room 127). Entries need to be given to Mrs. Savage by February 23rd in order to be submitted.

7/8 Band Important Update

Please note the 7/8 Band was reassigned to perform on the March 21 MCPS Adjudication date. This required performance will take place at Seneca Valley High School. Permission slips will go home next week with more information about this required performance.

Orchestra Reminder

6th, 7th, and 8th grade Orchestra students will perform at the March 15 MCPS Adjudication at Kennedy High School. We need parent volunteers to help transport our 3 basses. Permission slips will go home next week with more information with more information about this required performance.

Dear Edwina JR Callbacks, this week!

Students invited to callbacks received an email from Mrs. Lipford on Saturday morning with a permission slip for your assigned day. Email her at Jenny_M_Lipford@mcpsmd.org with any questions or stop by room 129.

To ensure that your student has their baby picture included in this year’s yearbook, fill out this Baby Picture Submission Google form, or send them via email directly to Ms. Gramkow at amber_m_gramkow@mcpsmd.org. The deadline to submit pictures is Thursday, February 29th. Any pictures submitted after the deadline will not be included in the yearbook.

Dear Staff, Parents, and Guardians:

We are pleased to inform you of an opportunity to purchase a piano for your family. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has an agreement with Schaeffer’s Piano Company, Inc., to provide MCPS with new grand, upright, and digital pianos to be used in schools. Schaeffer’s Piano Co. Inc., located in Rockville, Maryland, is the area’s oldest piano store. This agreement also provides MCPS families and staff an opportunity to purchase these and other pianos for considerably reduced prices at an annual piano sales event.

This year’s liquidation sales event will take place February 17-25, 2024, at 105 North Stonestreet Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850. Sales will be by appointment only to provide an opportunity for you to purchase these pianos before they are offered for sale to the public. All pianos will carry a 15-year transferable warranty. Each piano will come with a bench and one free in-house tuning.

For additional information, you may visit the Schaeffer’s Piano Company, Inc., website at https://www.schaefferspiano.com To make an appointment for the sale, between February 15-25, 2024, please call the Schaeffer’s Piano Company appointment desk at 301-424-1147.

We are grateful to be working with Schaeffer’s Piano Company, Inc., to support our school music programs and help MCPS keep new and well-maintained instruments in our schools each year. If you have any questions, please contact Schaeffer’s Piano Company, Inc., at 301-424-1144.

Rachel C. DuBois

Acting Chief of District Operations

• The 2024-2025 Change of School Assignment (COSA) transfer season is now open. The COSA process allows families to submit a request for their children to transfer out of their assigned home school. All COSA request applications must be submitted no later than Tuesday, April 2. Read full details. A special reminder to our current 8th graders on a COSA: All rising freshman must apply for a COSA to continue their feeder pattern.

• Join us for the Girls’ Summit on Saturday, March 9 at Northwood High School. This event will provide informative workshops geared towards students in grades 6–12 on a variety of current topics. Read more. RSVP

Any Way You Slice It, FMS Has the BEST Teachers and Staff! Happy Pi(e) Day! Join the FMS PTA in treating the amazing FMS staff by donating a pie for Pi Day. Pies can be homemade or store bought. To donate, please sign up and drop off the pies in the front office on March 13 from 7:45am-3:00pm. The staff will enjoy pies with their lunches the following day. Please indicate what type of pie you will be bringing in the comment section so we don't have too many duplicates. We thank you for your support!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090949ACAC2CA57-47572584-anyway

FMS PTA is excited to announce our first Wellness Fair on Tuesday, March 12th, 5:30-7:00 p.m. Join us and engage in activities and resources focused on physical and mental well-being including yoga, pickleball, personal training, anxiety, depression, and addressing overall mental health while balancing the influence of social media.

To follow up on our recent Healthy Minds family survey and insights from FMS administrators and counselors, check out the healthy mind family action plan by National PTA.

Sales raise money for the FMS PTA and are a great way to show off your school pride.

The store will be open February 14 and closes at midnight on Monday March 18th, 2024!

Here is the link and happy shopping:

https://farquharmiddle2024.itemorder.com/shop/home/

PTA provides funding for student programs from this and other fundraising events.

We thank you for your support!

March 11 at Chipotle in Olney. The battle of the classes continues!

At FMS, teachers utilize the IXL learning platform to provide students with practice opportunities in math and literacy that is tailored to their needs and meets them at their level. FMS has instituted an incentive program that is very popular with students. The students look forward to trading in their earned tickets for fun merchandise. As we begin the new year, the school is planning to restock the store and could use our help. Please consider purchasing incentive supplies for the IXL store through the Amazon Wish List: Amazon.com

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

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