Roadrunner's Digest

Good evening Farquhar Families,

I hope you've all had the opportunity to spend quality time with your loved ones this weekend. A chill is in the air, and we are looking forward to another great week at FMS. Now that after school activities are underway, we will begin including the after-school activities schedule in each weekly Digest.

There is no school for students on Monday, October 9. If have a younger student in grades 2-5 and are looking for a place for them to go on their day off, check out the announcement about KID museum offerings in the MCPS updates section of the Digest.

I send my deepest gratitude to all of the families and staff who have partnered together this week to strengthen community relationships, live out our ROCK values, and improve safety and transportation processes at Farquhar. It takes a village to help our students thrive, and your partnership and trust means everything to me.

In this week's newsletter you will find:

• This week's bell schedules
  
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• This week's after-school activities schedule
• NEW: Outdoor Ed Parent Meeting Webinar
• TIMELY: Outdoor Ed Forms & Payment Deadline
• NEW: Hallway Expectations Reminder
• NEW: Updates for 7th Grade Social Studies and Instrumental Music
• NEW: Culture of Respect Lesson 2023
• NEW: Support FMS by shopping at Harris Teeter
• TIMELY: Student Punctuality Incentive Round 2!
• NEW: MCPS Updates
• PTA Corner Updates on resources and 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/.

We will operate with regular bell schedules from October 9-13.

• Monday: NO SCHOOL (Professional Day for Teachers)
• 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!

• Mirna Cabrera
• Alyssa Cunneen
• Vanessa Gonzalez DeBerrios
• Amber Gramkow
• Matt Green
• Jennifer Hallmark

Would you like to recognize a student or staff member?

Submit a SHOUT-OUT!

All parents of sixth grade students are invited to attend our parent information meeting on Thursday, October 12 from 6:30 - 7:15pm on Zoom.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/84981441753?pwd=OEllSlE0Tkg2TFBicUQ4enNqeWJwZz09

Passcode: 624090

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 families in need of financial assistance should reach out to Mr. Eisenhower

(mark_a_eisenhower@mcpsmd.org) or or Mr. Lichvar (matthew_g_lichvar@mcpsmd.org).

In order to keep students and staff safe in the hallways, students continue to receive reminders about hallway expectations during the school day. These include:

• Walking safely
• Being mindful of others' personal space
• Respecting students and staff with our language
• Respecting our space, keeping it clear of food, trash, etc.

In addition, students are not permitted to:

• Carry personal bags to class (Chromebook cases provided by the school are allowed)
• Eat in the hallways during the school day (i.e. before or after lunch)

At FMS, staff utilize a hallway traffic ticket protocol to issue warnings and reminders when students engage in unsafe behaviors. Grade level team leaders will make contact home to families when a student receives three tickets. Students will be referred to administration if they receive a fourth ticket. Our goal in utilizing this process is to provide students with multiple opportunities to make safer choices before any disciplinary steps are taken. Your partnership in reinforcing these expectations at home is sincerely appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your grade level team leaders:

6th Grade:

Mr. Eisenhower (Mark_A_Eisenhower@mcpsmd.org)

Mr. Lichvar (Matthew_G_Lichvar@mcpsmd.org)

7th Grade:

Mrs. Affinito (Danielle_N_Affinito@mcpsmd.org)

Mr. McNaboe (Patrick_J_McNaboe@mcpsmd.org)

8th Grade:

Mrs. Bowles (Jeanann_S_Bowles@mcpsmd.org)

Mrs. Gaske (Michelle_R_Gaske@mcpsmd.org)

Students in seventh grade World Studies classes will begin the research process of their upcoming project. Parents should be on the lookout in their students' Canvas page for access to the research.

Attention 8th grade Parents:

On Tuesday, Oct. 10, Grade 8 students will have the opportunity 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.

Students will begin to explore the programs they are eligible to apply to this Wednesday during an advisory lesson.

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

FMS Orchestra performs at MCPS S.T.E.A.M.!

We have been asked to perform at the MCPS S.T.E.A.M. Festival on Saturday, October 21! The STEAM Festival highlights the educational, cultural and financial impact of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts And Mathematics (STEAM) in the county.

All orchestra families are asked to use this form to share your availability for this exciting performance opportunity.

Band (7th & 8th grade only):

The deadline to register for the Blake HS Middle School Band Night is Monday, October 9. Participating students should use this form to RSVP and note any food allergies.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is committed to ensuring our students are equipped with the information needed to be able to recognize signs of bullying/cyberbullying, harassment (including sexual harassment), hate-bias incidents, hazing, intimidation, and student gender norms. An online student training lesson, entitled “Culture of Respect,” has been developed for students in Grades 6–12. This online training lesson builds on last year’s student module and provides critical information that will help students better recognize the

signs of inappropriate behaviors, including the various ways to report alleged/concerning incidents. The training includes a student survey that will provide school leaders with valuable data to assess the current culture and climate of respect at their schools and determine potential next steps to plan for improvements.

Students will earn two Student Service Learning hours to complete the training.

The objectives of the training module are for students to know and be able to:

• Review collective responsibilities in promoting a positive school culture and ensuring the physical, social, and emotional safety for all students in alignment with the MCPS Be Well 365 initiative.
• Define bullying, cyberbullying, harassment (including sexual harassment), hate bias, hazing, intimidation, and student gender norms.
• Recognize signs of hazing, bullying, and harassment, including sexual harassment/assault.
• Identify reporting procedures to inform school administration of potential concerns and incidents. Analyze different scenarios and discuss possible consequences according to the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.
• Complete a feedback questionnaire, including an activity to help school administration gauge the level of concern in each of the areas addressed in the training module.

The training should take approximately 30 minutes to complete and will be accessible to all students via their myMCPS Classroom homepage beginning October 2, 2023. Students are asked to complete the training by December 1, 2023.

If you have any questions or concerns about the topics that will be covered, please contact me, or your child’s school counselor.

A pdf of this information can be found here.

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 are approaching the end of our incentive's second round. Students who have earned no more than 5 unexcused tardies to class will earn the opportunity to purchase an icy treat for $5 THIS Friday, October 13.

If your student has earned the incentive, you will receive an email after school on October 12.

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.

Thank you for supporting our efforts to celebrate student responsibility.

The National Hispanic College Fair will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13 at the Bohrer Park Community Center in Gaithersburg. Students can register with their high school’s college and career information coordinator by Wednesday, Oct. 11. More information

If you need somewhere for your student to go on Oct. 9 when school is out, KID Museum and MCPS are here to help. Students in Grades 2-5 can spend the day at the museum’s Bethesda Metro Center or Davis Library locations from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. The cost is $5.

• Register for Bethesda Metro Center location.
• Register for Davis Library location.

Families are invited to a FREE wellness fair from 1–4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Gaithersburg High School. The fair will be hosted by the Gaithersburg community schools. Join us for family fun, health resources, yoga, face painting and more! The high school is located at 101 Education Blvd. in Gaithersburg.

MVA Application Timeline for 2024-2025 School Year

• October 10, 2023- Application opens on ParentVUE
• November 3, 2023- Application deadline
• First Week of February 2024- Notification of results
• February 16, 2024- Deadline to Accept a Program Invitation
• February 16, 2024- Deadline to appeal results

Families interested in learning more about the MVA can join our virtual informational webinar on Wednesday, October 11th from 7:00 pm-7:45 pm

Please click the link below to join the webinar on October 11th:
https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/85976965468?pwd=R05GcTRPNy9sWTFPOW9CUjhoZzZOZz09
Passcode: MVA25

Current MVA families MUST reapply to continue in the program for the 2024-2025 school year.

If you have any questions, contact the MVA office at 240-740-6060.

Brook Codes Hackathon is a VIRTUAL hackathon through October 14th-15th. You can register here at bit.ly/bc23Register (use your home account)!

It is a 2-day long VIRTUAL hackathon intended for middle and high school students in MCPS. You will have a choice between beginner and advanced challenges (2 of each to choose from) on the weekend of the event. You will also be able to win prizes such as Sony Headphones, Amazon Echo Dots, or high quality Keyboards (many of each are up for grabs)!

You are not required to have ANY coding experience to participate. There will be fun workshops about various computer science/technology/career topics, mentors to assist you with your projects, movies/activities throughout the event, and more! It is a very inclusive event (whether you have programming experience or not)!

This year we not only have various workshops such as

• Java Foundations
• Ethical Hacking and How to Do It
• Cybersecurity
• Website Development
• Becoming an Electrical Engineer
• Girls in Physics

and more, but also more mentors to assist with projects! If you have any questions or concerns refer to our website: brookcodes.org or email us at brookcodes@gmail.com! Again, you can sign up for the event here at bit.ly/bc23Register. Brook Codes is a great time to spark your interest in coding/computer science so come out and have a good time in a tech environment :)

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

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!

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.

Parent Encouragement Program has some resources to help parents/families who might be seeing their child struggle with bullying. Please check out the information below

• Bullying & Friendship: Tools for Raising Kind & Resilient Kids
• Critical Topics in Parenting

A free 8-week virtual program on family resiliency also begins this week, offered in English, Spanish, and Amharic. For more information, see the flyer below or click here.

Please attend this meeting to learn about the County Operating Budget process.

There will be time to ask questions and voice your opinions.

The 2025 Operating Budget Forum is for MCCPTA Members.

The meeting is in-person, with an on-line option, on Monday, October 16th from 7:00 - 8:30 pm at the Executive Office Building in Rockville.

We have 143 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 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