Roadrunner's Digest

Good evening Farquhar Families,

We enjoyed a great return to school, and are looking forward to another productive week ahead. We've reached that time of the year when students declare their preferences for next year's courses! Be sure to read the important announcement about course selection for all students.

This week, MAP testing will continue:

• On Monday-Wednesday, 6th grade digital literacy and 6-8th grade academic literacy classes will be taking MAP-R in their classes.
• On Tuesday, selected 7th grade students will take the Winter MAP-R and will be pulled to take the test in an alternative location.
• On Wednesday, selected 8th grade students will take the WInter MAP-R and will be pulled to take the test in an alternative location.

Any student who requires more time to complete their assessment will be provided with that time throughout this week and next week.

On Friday, January 12, we are excited for all of our students to participate in an activism project in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Successful completion of the planned activities will allows students to earn 2 SSL hours! We will operate with a special schedule that incorporates time for the project as well as our previously-scheduled Open ROCK time.

In this week's newsletter you will find:

• This week's schedules
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• NEW: SY25 Course Selection Information
• TIMELY: Girls' Basketball Game @ Home January 10
• NEW: Binder club for 6th grade is back!
• NEW: 6th grade permission slip DUE January 19
• NEW: Annual SMOB Nominating Convention
• REMINDER: Procedures for early pick ups
• 8th GRADE REMINDER: Payment & Plans for Skate Zone
• Parent Chaperones needed for 7th Grade Finance Park in March
• Upcoming NJHS Meetings

PTA Corner Updates

• NEW: Winter Social January 26 @ FMS
• UPDATE: Healthy Minds Initiative
• NEW: FMS PTA Fundraiser @ Jersey Mike's
• NEW: Parent Support for the IXL Initiative
• NEW: Educational Opportunity for Parents

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/.

Students will report to school at 8:15 and participate in the MLK Day of Service project in their Advisory class and Open ROCK. Standard classes will begin at 10:15am.

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

• The FMS Counseling Dept.
• Kristina Mason
• The Math Department
• Matthew Lichvar
• Duncan Glendinning
• Sam Ellis
• Matthew Thakur
• Eleanor Thompson
• Tessa Thompson
• Adniel Jean
• Christopher Geiger
• Nathen Cheung
• Katie Thompson
• Victor Zavala
• Layla Woldu
• Wyatt Tang
• Amelia Tang
• Lucas McGibbon
• Charlotte Cheung
• Amaya Howell
• Bryan Rodriguez
• Julie Lazaris

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

Submit a SHOUT-OUT!

January is an exciting time for schools and families to begin planning for and selecting their course programming for the following school year. During the month of January, counselors will visit classes to outline the courses available to students in the next school year, 2024 - 2025.

Farquhar students rising into grade 7 and grade 8 next year will participate in an advisory lesson this Wednesday, January 10th where they will receive a paper handout to bring home to select their electives courses for next school year. Then, during the following week, counselors will guide students to electronically select their electives courses. Please review the 2024 - 2025 Farquhar Middle School Course Bulletin by clicking here to advise your students and provide input on their course selections.

Farquhar students moving on to high school next year will also select their courses for 9th grade during the month of January. High school counselors from Sherwood H.S. and the Northeast Consortium (NEC) schools, including Blake, Paint Branch and Springbrook, will visit our 8th graders on January 25th. Students will complete the high school course registration process on that day. Please review the MCPS high school course bulletin for 2024 - 2025 by clicking here in order to advise your student and provide input on their course selections. You can also find the Sherwood High School articulation booklet here.

This Wednesday, January 10th at 5:30pm is our annual Incoming 9th Grade Family Course Fair night for our incoming 9th grade parents and students. Parents and students will be able to engage with the Sherwood PTSA, The Warrior Club, school clubs, resource teachers, and activity tables starting at 5:30 pm. Our band, cheer team, poms team will be showcasing their amazing talents and our ambassadors will be assisting as guides throughout the evening. At 6:30 pm we will begin our school counselor presentation explaining our course selection process for the 2024-2025 school year. Our school counselors will also provide an overview of the graduation requirements for the class of 2028. We highly encourage all parents and students of incoming 9th graders to attend!

Parents of 8th graders: If you also planned to attend the community meeting on principal selection at FMS on January 10 at 6:30 with Mr. David Adams, Acting Associate Superintendent, your student will receive the same course selection information from the Sherwood HS counselors when they visit FMS during the school day on January 25.

Come cheer for our girls basketball team at their first home game on Wednesday, January 10 at 3:20 in our main gym vs. Parkland MS. Our boys will travel to Parkland for their game. Go Roadrunners!

Grade 6 Binder Club will meet every Tuesday in room 004 during Academic Rock. This is for Grade 6 students only!

If you would like your student to join for organizational help, please email Ms. Pontes (Lucia_M_Pontes@mcpsmd.org) or Mr. Lichvar (Matthew_G_Lichvar@mcpsmd.org) for an invite!

Monday 1/8/24 Grade 6 will pass out permission slips for the Toby's Dinner Theater field trip on 1/30/24.

Make payments online at https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com. Students should turn in permission slips, medical info/ emergency form, and Prescription Medication if needed to Mr. Lichvar in Room 004.

For questions about payment, please email Mr. Eisenhower (Mark_A_Eisenhower@mcpsmd.org).

All permission slips and payments are due by Friday 1/19/24.

Is your student interested in seeing the process of the SMOB (Student Member of the Board of Education) election unfold? Would they want to attend the annual SMOB Nominating Convention to participate in the democratic process in the selection of our two finalists for MCPS's next SMOB? If so, please contact our SGA advisor, Ms. Affinito, by January 14th to learn more about the process to becoming a delegate to the SMOB Nominating Convention.

If you are picking your student up early from school, please be mindful to take the following steps:

• Send a note to our attendance secretary, Mrs. Slocum, at least 2 hours before you arrive, letting her know what time your student will be picked up.
• You can send a handwritten note with your student in the morning, or send an email to Nancy_Slocum@mcpsmd.org.
• Your student will be provided a pass to leave class five minutes before their pick up time, and they will wait for you in the main office.
• Enter the building and sign your student out on the clipboard available on the counter. This step is critical for safety and security.

Following these steps will ensure that your student is ready to leave on time, and minimizes interruptions to instruction.

Please ensure you've submitted payment if your 8th grade student is attending the Skate Zone field trip on January 30. The cost is $28 and includes the cost of lunch provided by Skate Zone. Pay online at https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com.

If your student is not attending, please notify the team leaders at Michelle_R_Gaske@mcpsmd.org and Jeanann_S_Bowles@mcpsmd.org.

If you are available and willing to support the 7th grade JA Finance Park field trip on March 14 or 18, please email Ms. Page at Miya_V_Page@mcpsmd.org.

Please take note of two important NJHS meetings coming up for current 8th grade members as well as new inductees:

• Grade 8 NJHS Current Member Meeting: Monday 1/8/24 in room 004 during Academic ROCK Time
• NJHS New Inductee Meeting: Tuesday 1/9/24 in room 004 during Academic ROCK Time

Email Ms. Chaney with any questions at Penny_J_Chaney@mcpsmd.org.

Winter Social Friday, 1/26 1:00-3:00 p.m. at FMS

The PTA is supporting the Winter Social at FMS on Friday, 1/26 1:00-3:00 p.m. We are looking for volunteers to help support this fun event. Sign up here.

Based on our recent Healthy Minds family survey and insights from FMS administrators and counselors, anxiety was found to be the number one mental health concern for students and families.

Please view the video and/or read the article for expert advice on anxiety. Each week we will share a resource/article about mental health and well-being.

· When: Thursday Jan 18 Time: 10 AM – 9 PM

· Where: Jersey Mike’s 3494 Olney Laytonsville Rd, Olney

· Why: A portion of the sales will be donated to the PTA budget

MCPS has a county wide initiative to meet the academic needs of all students through IXL Learning. At FMS, they 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

Montgomery County Parent Academy TO GO in partnership with Educational Connections is presenting the following workshop THIS WEEK on January 10, 2024:

The Truth About Learning Styles and Why It Matters to Your Child’s School Success

DATE: January 10, 2024

TIME: 6 - 7 PM

Register here: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/parentacademy/

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

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