Roadrunner's Digest
Mrs. Rivas-Smith's Newsletter for the Farquhar Community
Sunday, November 12, 2023
Message from the Principal
We are gearing up for another exciting week at Farquhar Middle School. Thank you to all parents who joined us this past Friday for our Open House. We had a great turn out and hope you enjoyed seeing your child engaged in the learning environment. Our sixth graders will be participating in Outdoor Education at Skycroft Center in Middletown, MD.
With the first quarter of the school year behind us and report cards delivered, it is now time to turn our focus to parent teacher conferences. Parent teacher conferences will take place on Monday, November 20th at Farquhar Middle School from 1:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. See details below including how and when to sign-up on ParentVue.
We look forward to an informative virtual PTA meeting this Tuesday, November 14th at 7:00pm. More information and the Zoom link can be found below.
In this week's newsletter you will find:
- This week's bell schedule
- This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
- NEW: Parent Teacher Conferences
- Open Rock and Three Lunch Bell Schedule (Starting 11/27)
- National Junior Honors Society (NJHS) Info
- Support FMS by shopping at Harris Teeter
PTA Corner Updates
- Join the PTA!
- Order your FMS Spirit Wear by November 13!
- Upcoming November 14 PTA Meeting
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/.
Bell Schedules for November 13-17
We will operate with regular bell schedules this week.
- Monday: Academic ROCK
- Tuesday: Academic ROCK
- Wednesday: Advisory
- Thursday: Academic ROCK
- Friday: Academic ROCK
Main Bell Schedule
After School Activities Schedule Nov. 13-17
This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs!
Thank you to the following Roadrunners who have made a positive impact on our learning community!
- Ms. Lazaris
- Ms. Payne
- Ms. Bronstein
- Ms. Bubis
Would you like to recognize a student or staff member?
Parent Teacher Conferences
With the first quarter of the school year behind us and report cards delivered, it is now time to turn our focus to parent teacher conferences.
Parent teacher conferences will take place on Monday, November 20th at Farquhar Middle School from 1:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
After collecting feedback from both parents and teachers, we are utilizing a variety of formats to meet with as many families as possible. Conferences will take place in three different formats, including parent scheduled one on one conferences, teacher requested team conferences, and parent drop ins.
The schedule for the evening is provided below:
1:00 - 3:30 p.m. - Parent scheduled one on one conferences in teacher classrooms and the main gym for electives teachers
Parents will utilize ParentVue to schedule a conference with the teacher(s) of their choice. Directions for using ParentVue to schedule a conference are provided in the document linked here
Conference sign ups will open on ParentVue this Tuesday, November 14th at 8:00 a.m.
3:45 - 5:15 p.m. - Team conferences pre-scheduled by the grade level counselors, held in the grade level team leaders’ classrooms
6:00 - 7:30 p.m. - Parent drop in conferences, held in the main gym for 6th grade and electives teachers and in the cafeteria for 7th and 8th grade teachers
During the conferences, we encourage parents and teachers to engage in an exchange of information so we can learn from each other how to best support our students to ensure their academic success and social/emotional well-being.
Teachers will share information regarding your child’s grade, first quarter data, classroom engagement and areas for growth. Parents will be invited to share information about their child’s goals, interests, strengths and areas of concern.
If you are unable to make it to the in person conferences on November 20th, we encourage you to complete the Google Form linked below to share information about your child with his/her teachers. If you do attend in person, please be ready to share your answer to one question from the survey below.
6th Grade Google Form
7th Grade Google Form
8th Grade Google Form
Open ROCK and Bell Schedule Details
As promised, the dedicated staff on our Instructional Leadership Team evaluated the safety and supervision plan for Open ROCK after listening to preliminary student and parent voice. We are excited to re-introduce Open ROCK to the student experience at Farquhar with an improved main bell schedule and a special Open ROCK schedule. Here are some details to put the improvements in context:
The three-lunch model:
In order to free up more staff members to support/supervise Open ROCK, Academic ROCK was separated from lunchtime. This allows for each grade level to have their own lunchtime (three-lunches) in the Main Bell schedule, which opens the door for an Open ROCK schedule (both pictured below) with adequate supervision.
What are the benefits of the Regular Bell Schedule?
- In separating students by grade level, they have more room to eat inside and play outside. They also have more access to limited playtime resources (i.e. balls) and the media center (limited capacity).
- Lunch is extended to 35 minutes to allow for more wellness time on a daily basis after students eat inside.
- Scheduling Academic ROCK at the same time for all students allows for teachers of multiple grade levels to be available for all students regardless of the teacher's schedule.
What are the benefits of the Open ROCK Schedule?
- Separating Open ROCK from lunch allows all students to have 30+ minutes of wellness time with safe supervision. This model allows supervision to increase from 6 staff members to approximately 20 staff members.
- Wellness time is in addition to lunch, eaten inside, affording two mental breaks for students on these days.
- The Open ROCK schedule will operate after interims and at the end of each marking period to honor and recognize academic milestones. If inclement weather prevents us from going outside, we move to a "rain date" or move inside as appropriate.
When is this starting?
We've heard all voices and we plan to start our new bell schedule on Monday, November 27th upon return from the Thanksgiving break.
Information about the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)
NJHS new inductee nominations will be announced after Marking Period 1 grades are processed. New inductees will be contacted after Thanksgiving break. NJHS announcements and updates will be communicated via Synergy to ensure parents and students are aware of information.
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.
LINK YOUR VIC CARD - LET'S GET 50 FAMILIES!
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!
PTA Corner
Join the PTA!
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
An Evening with Admin: Partnering to Prevent Bullying
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
ORDER YOUR FARQUHAR SPIRIT WEAR BY TOMORROW - NOVEMBER 13!
Contact Mrs. Rivas-Smith
Email: Angelica_L_Smith@mcpsmd.org
Phone: 240-740-1200
Twitter: @farquharms