Roadrunner's Digest
Mrs. Rivas-Smith's Newsletter for the Farquhar Community
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Message from the Principal
I hope this message finds you and your family well. We are cruising through the fourth quarter! Believe it or not, there are only ten school days before quarter 4 interims. I want to commend all our Roadrunners who have become skilled time managers and assignment organizers this school year. If you haven't done so, I highly encourage you to sit with your student once a week to review their grades, upcoming assessments, and any missing assignments. Staying on top of this will help our Roadrunners avoid stress and anxiety as grading and reporting deadlines approach.
We had a fantastic Take Your Child to Work day on Thursday! Our "little Roadrunners" enjoyed spending time with our students and staff who prepared exciting, engaging activities throughout the day. A special shout out to Mr. Rodriguez, Ms. Lipford, Ms. Mason, Ms. Brown, Ms. Townsend, Ms. Page, Ms. Savage, Ms. Bruns, Mr. Davis, Ms. Cunneen, Ms. Councilman, Ms. Trahern, and Ms. Pignone for dedicating their time and efforts to make the day a success.
Finally, thank you to the families who are on the ballot for the 24-25 FMS PTA Board. It's because of your dedication to the Farquhar community that students like these pictured below can earn incentives for refining their skills on the ELA and Math IXL platform. I know you will leave a lasting legacy on our school community!
Thank you for your support and partnership, and have an excellent week!
In this week's newsletter you will find:
- This week's schedules
- This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
- NEW: MCAP Social Studies 8
- NEW: 8th Grade Promotion & Ticket Info
- NEW: Counseling Resources Update
- Bake for Good @ FMS
- 8-hour SSL opportunity for 8th grade
- TIMELY: Get your tickets for Dear Edwina, Jr. @ FMS
- UPDATE: NJHS Clothing Drive
- Save the date for FMS STEAM Night May 9
- Share your expertise @ Career Day May 23!
PTA Corner Update:
- Support Staff Appreciation May 6-10
- We have our board nominations!
- Sherwood HS Gear
- 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/.
Main Bell Schedule April 29 - May 3
After School Activities April 29 - May 3
REMINDER: A note about transportation during after school activities...
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.
This Week's Roadrunner Shout Outs!
Thank you to the following Roadrunners who have made a positive impact on our learning community!
- Trisha Pignone
- Dawn Trahern
- Kris Rhone
- Angela Williams
- Shazia Hussain
- Alyssa Cunneen
- Tanya Campbell
- Heather Bruns
- Joe Mann
- Boston H.
- Eli Yarnell
- Andy Rivas
- Ms. Kenyon
- Mr. Green
Would you like to recognize a student, community member, or staff member?
NEW: MCAP Social Studies 8
Attention 8th grade students and families! MCAP Social Studies (SS) 8 will take place on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 and Wednesday, May 8, 2024. We appreciate you prioritizing student attendance for both of these days in order to complete the assessment.
We also remind all students to bring a charged Chromebook to school each day. It is a best practice to also ensure students have a good night's sleep and eat breakfast before all assessment days.
Please review the MCAP SS 8 Test Group List prior to testing so your student knows where to report for testing. This list will also be posted in the 8th grade hallway for reference. The schedule for MCAP SS 8 is below. (Note: All 6th and 7th grade students will follow a regular bell schedule)
If you have any questions, please contact Alyssa Cunneen at alyssa_d_cunneen@mcpsmd.org.
NEW: 8th Grade Promotion & Tickets
NEW: Counseling Resources Update
Please check out the FMS Counseling Website for upcoming community events!
Counseling Website: https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/fms-counseling/home
Bake for Good @ FMS May 8-9
We will do our first ever “Bake for Good” bread baking event after school on May 8th and 9th. Bake for the Good is a program created by the King Arthur Baking Company to teach students how to positively engage in their community while also learning the basics of baking bread! Students will work in teams to create loafs of bread that will be given to a local food pantry and should also be able to walk away with some bread to nosh on themselves. Sign up by completing this Google Form.
Questions?
Please contact Mr. Green @ Matthew_D_Green@mcpsmd.org
8-hour SSL Opportunity for 8th Grade
Calling all students in grades 8-12! Join us on Saturday, May 4, 2024 from 9am to 5pm to learn about how you can help end youth gun violence. Attendees will receive lunch and eight (8) SSL hours as a result of your participation.
You will hear from experts on mental health, gun violence prevention, Stop the Bleed campaign, and other useful tips in combating youth gun violence in Montgomery County.
Register now at http://bit.ly/2024maysummit for this helpful learning opportunity!
- When: Saturday, May 4, 2024, from 9 am to 5 pm.
- Where: The Universities at Shady Grove (9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD 20850)
- Who: For students in grades 8-12
TIMELY: Get your tickets to see Dear Edwina, Jr. @ FMS!
Tickets are NOW available for purchase through your SCO account. Tickets are $11.00. Children 4 and under may see the show for free.
Guests may use the links below to purchase their tickets.
Any ticket purchasing questions, please email Mrs. Trahern.
UPDATE: FMS NJHS Clothing Drive
Congratulations and THANK YOU to all the students and families who donated clothing for the NJHS clothing drive. We were able to collect over 1,500 items of clothing which will undoubtedly support families during this great time of need. Congratulations to Ms. Merchant's advisory class who won the challenge by collecting 622 items! Students in Ms. Merchant's advisory will enjoy an ice cream party this week.
Save the Date for FMS STEAM Night May 9
Hello FMS Community!
We are hosting our 3rd Annual STEAM Night on Thursday, May 9th, 2024 from
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.This extraordinary night features amazing opportunities, activities, and exposure to the world of STEM to our bright and eager students through an EXPO style format. It is all about community and sparking the curiosity of learning and exploration as our students learn to become future leaders, problem solvers, and outstanding citizens of this world. Meet people from all over the STEM community including the University of Maryland, Northrop Grumman, NASA, High School Robotics and so much more!
You and your family are invited to interact with the presentations, participate in the activities, and good food from our food trucks! Last year we were BLOWN AWAY when 300+ students, families, and community members came out to take part in this special event.This year, we expect nothing less and want YOU to be a part of it!
Hope to see you here on Thursday, May 9th!
If you are interested in becoming a Presenter/Volunteer to showcase a project, provide a STEAM activity, or share information about STEAM related clubs and activity, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM and save the date for 5/9/24.
Sincerely,
Kristina Mason, Heather Bruns, Shannon Sullivan, and Stephanie Seo Gould
Share your expertise @ Career Day 5/23!
Are you interested in presenting to our students or do you know someone who would? Please complete the Career Day Google Form by April 17
PTA Corner
Support Staff Appreciation
Staff Appreciation will be celebrated the week of May 6-10. FMS PTA would like to thank the staff for all they do with an iced coffee bar (Thursday) and lunch (Friday). Please consider donating to the purchase of lunch here.
We are also seeking donations for the coffee bar. All items can be dropped off in the main office on Wednesday, May 8 between the hours of 7:30am- 3:30pm. Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090949ACAC2CA57-49046586-coffee#/
We have our PTA Board Nominations!
We are grateful for all the parents who will be joining the FMS PTA Board next year! We hope you can join us for the PTA election on Thursday, May 9th at 6:15 p.m. in the FMS Cafeteria during STEAM night.
2024-2025 Farquhar Middle School PTA Election
The Farquhar Middle School PTA Nominating Committee presents the following slate of candidates for election for the 2024-2025 school year:
- For President –Kristin Menefee
- For Executive Vice President – Denise Roux
- For Treasurer – Jessica Ryan
- For Recording Secretary – Stephanie Brink
- For Program Vice Presidents – Aline Logbo
- For Education Vice President – Jennifer Kelly
- For Fundraising Vice President – Jeanne Fourie Zirkelbach
- For Communications Secretary- nominations accepted at the election. Must be a current FMS PTA member to be nominated and elected.
FMS PTA 2024 Nominating Committee:
Katie Morris kjkharrison96@msn.com
Marcia Munoz mvmunoz3@gmail.com
Kathleen Robergeau Hunt rhunt.k@gmail.com
Sherwood HS Gear
Attention families of future Sherwood Warriors!
Prepare your rising 9th grader with their own SHS gear!
Shop our online store at https://www.promoplace.com/sherwoodclassof28popup and have gear in hand before their 8th grade promotion. Sale ends on Monday, May 13th; orders can be picked up at Sherwood HS on May 30th or shipped to your home. Go Warriors!
If you are a Blake family and know about any gear that our rising Blake students can purchase, please contact kjharrison96@msn.com and we can promote it in our upcoming newsletters.
Parent Support for the IXL Initiative
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
Contact Mrs. Rivas-Smith
Email: Angelica_L_Smith@mcpsmd.org
Phone: 240-740-1200
Twitter: @farquharms