Firebird Newsletter 2026-2027
Farb Middle School
Farb Staff
Fly High Firebirds!
The USS Essex Partners with Farb Middle School
Reminder No School Monday October 12, 2026
Important Dates for 2026-2027
October 26-30: ASB Spirit Week
October 28: Make-up Picture Day
October 30: ASB Huanted House at Lunch
October 30: End of 12 Week Grading Period
November 3: 6th Grade Sudents who have AVID this semester visit SDSU
November 10: 8th Grade Walk to Canyon Hills HS
November 11: No School - Veteran's Day
November 12: Canyon Hills HS Counselors will be at Farb to go over 9th grade schedules
November 12: Canyon Hills HS 9th Grade Parent Night at CHHS
November 14: AVID Academy 8-12
November 20: Lunch with a Loved One
Nov 23-27: No School - Thanksgiving Break
December 12: AVID Academy 8-12
December 14-18: ASB Spirit Week
December 17: ASB Dance (1:15-2:30)
December 18: Minimum Day
December 18: Last Day of Fall Semester - All Work due and Test/Quizzes taken or made up
Dec 21 - Jan 4: No School - Winter Vacation
January 5, 2027: First Day of Spring Semester
Jan 18: No School - Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday
January 29: Lunch with a Loved One
February 6: AVID Academy 8-12
Feb 8-11: ASB Spirit Week
Feb 12: End of the 6 week grading period
February 12: No School - President's Day
February 15: No School - President's Day
March 2: Spring Pictures - Pre Paid Only and New Students
March 8: No School
March 20: AVID Academy 8-12
March 25: 8th Grade Panoramic Picture 9 am
March 26: Mimimum Day
March 26: Lunch with a Loved One
March 26: End of the 12 Week Grading Period
March 29 - April 2: No School - Spring Break
April 15: Spring Open House
April 17: AVID Academy 8-12
April 26-May 7 State Testing - CAASPP
May 1: AVID Academy 8-12
May 8: AVID Academy 8-12
May 10-14: ASB Spirit Week
May 13: ASB Dance (1:15-2:30)
May 14: Lunch with a Loved One
May 19: 8th Grade Awards Night 6 pm
May 20: PTO 8th Grade Sneaker Ball 6-8 pm
May 21: ASB 8th Grade Trip to Round 1
May 24: 8th Grade Yearbook Party
May 24: 6th and 7th Grade Field Day and Yearbook Parties
May 26: 8th Grade Promotion
May 26: Minimum Day
May 26 - Last Day of School
Weekly Sunday Update
Sunday Update October 25, 2026
Good evening Farb Families! There is a lot happening this week at Farb. Make up pictures are this Wednesday, October 28. If you were unhappy with your pictures and would like to have them retaken, please email Marbella Acosta (macosta@sandi.net) or Mr. Myers (cmyers@sandi.net) by Tuesday 10/27. Also any student who is new or was absent on picture day last month will have their picture taken for the yearbook. This is also ASB spirit week, so please be sure to look below for themes and rules for Halloween costumes. Finally, the 5th graders from Vista Grande and Hancock Elementary will be visiting this week; thank you to our student leaders for giving tours. For more information please take a moment to review this week’s Sunday Update and have a great evening!
ASB Spirit Week
This week is our Fall ASB Spirit Week. Please see days below. On Friday October 30, students will be able to wear their Halloween costumes to school, but they must follow school rules: No Masks or anything that covers a student’s face, No fake or real weapons, and it must be middle school appropriate. We want students to enjoy the day, but we must also ensure safety on campus. We will also have our ASB Haunted House at Lunch. All students will have an opportunity to go through as long as they have at least a 2.0 gpa in citizenship with No U’s and they can not have been suspended since September 28, 2026 - We have told students this weekly on our live announcements.
Spirit Day Themes
Monday 10/26 Messy Monday (Messy hair, PJ’s, sloppy dress, etc)
Tuesday 10/27 Decades Day (Wear something from another decade)
Wednesday 10/28 Class Color Day (6th-Purple, 7th-Orange, 8th-Black)
Thursday 10/29 Anything But A Backpack Day
Friday 10/30 Halloween Costumes (see rules above)
End of 12 Week Grading Period
This Friday, October 30, is the end of the 12 week grading period. All work must be submitted this week and all tests/quizzes must be made up or retaken by this Friday. In addition, if your student was absent, they are still responsible for work they missed while they were out. Progress reports will be sent home next Friday (11/6/26). Reminder, the semester ends December 18, 2026.
Middle School Sports Update
Congratulations to all of the fall sports for a great season. You can now sign up for our winter sports, soccer and volleyball. Tryouts for winter sports are the week of November 2, 2026. Please see the link to sign up here. Tryouts and practices are Monday and Wednesdays after school from 2:45-4:15. For questions please contact Mr. Hundley (jhundley@sandi.net).
Art Exhibit
We are excited to announce that our students’ in our art classes have their art work displayed at the Old town San Diego State Historic Park from October 9-November 2. Thank you to Mrs. Colby for all of her hard work, to get our students' work on display. Please see the flyer in our Firebird Newsletter with more information.
Yearbooks
Yearbooks are now on sale. A flyer was sent home a week ago with information. See the Firebird newsletter with the flyer.
Early bird pricing is $33.00 per book
After January 1, 2027, the price increases to $35.00 per book
The hard cover upgrade is an additional $6.50 per book
If you ever have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out. You can email me (crizzo@sandi.net) or our Associate Principal, Mr. Myers( cmyers@sandi.net ).
Have a wonderful evening.
Courtney Rizzo
Principal
Farb's Clubs and Afterschool Support Schedule 26-27
Monday
Track and Field Practice 2:45-4:15
Boys and Girls Basketball Practice 2:45-4:15
ASB 2:30-3:30 in room 56
AVID Club 2:30 in room 33
Tuesday
Board Games, Chess, and Poke in the library at lunch
Builder's Club (sponsored by Tierrasanta Kiwanis) 2:30 in room 24
Culture Club 2:30-3:30 in room 54
Wednesday
ESports: 7th and 8th Grade Lunch in room 42
Track and Field Practice 2:45-4:15
Boys and Girls Basketball Practice 2:45-4:15
D and D Club 2:30 in room 32
Thursday
Military Kids Club 1:05-2:00 (Meeting in the lunch Court)
Friday
Teen Make Health Happen 7/8 lunch in room 63 and 6th lunch in library
Craft Club in the Library at lunch
Coming Soon: ASL, Spanish Through Art, JS2S,
Other Clubs will be added through out the year. If a student is interested in starting a club, please see Mrs. Rizzo.
Parent Corner
Farb's Student/Parent Handbook 2025-2026
SDUSD District Wide Cell Phone Policy begining August 11, 2025
Begining August 11, 2025 middle school student may not use their cell phone during school hours (7:55 am to 2:26 pm) ALL cell phones must be stored in students back pack and be turned off. Students may use their phone with permision in the front office only. SDUSD policy Here
School Office Contact Information
Farb Office Support: 858-397-6750
School Office Hours
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday and Fridays 7:30 am - 3:00
(Please note: 1st and 3rd Thursday's of the month the office closes at 2:00 for meetings)
Attendance and General Questions (Spanish)
Melissa Cantua: mcantua@sandi.net
Enrollment, Moving, or Request for Records
Monica Cortez mcortez@sandi.net
Attendance or Contracts
Cherri Hill chill3@sandi.net
Parent Portal/Powerschool Questions
Greg Zambrano gzambrano@sandi.net
Health Office
Health Tech: TBD (MTTh)
Nurse: Michelle March (WF) mmarch@sandi.net
Finance and PE Clothes
Marbella Acosta macosta4@sandi.net
Associate Principal
Chris Myers cmyers@sandi.net
Principal
Courtney Rizzo crizzo@sandi.net
Counseling Corner
Counseling Corner
Message from our Counselors
Welcome to a new school year parents and guardians! As School Counselors, we want to make sure that you know we are here to support you and your child. The Counseling Corner will provide you with updates so that you can stay informed. We will post resources that will be available to help support your child throughout the year. At this time, we are still getting everything set up, so be sure to check back in the future for more information.
We will continue to use a google form called the SSR (Student Support Request Form) that students can fill out when they would like to make an appointment to see a Counselor or the Associate Principal for non emergencies. Of course, we are always here for students when they are experiencing an immediate need, however, we ask that students use this form if they would like to see a Counselor sometime within the school day. This will ensure students will be seen in a timely manner without missing more class time as they wait.
We would like to give a warm welcome to Ms. O’Brien. She is Farb’s new Counselor bringing a restorative justice approach to the team. Restorative justice techniques are used as a way to repair harm amongst students without placing blame or being punitive. All perspectives are heard on neutral ground and everyone takes responsibility for their actions. It is a way of connecting actions with consequences by developing strong relationships and problem solving skills.
We are looking forward to working with your students. Please contact us if you need anything.
Ms. Andrews jrandrews@sandi.net
Mrs. Schad aschad@sandi.net
Mr. Jonny jpreston@sandi.net (Wellness Coordinator)
MFLC: On Site Military Counselor at Farb
Farb Middle School
Email: crizzo@sandi.net
Website: https://www.sandiegounified.org/schools/farb
Location: 4880 La Cuenta Drive, San Diego, CA, USA
Phone: 858-397-6750
Principal at Farb Middle School