Roadrunner's Digest

Happy Sunday, Farquhar Families and Staff!

This Tuesday, January 28, marks the end of the second marking period. It's a great time to check in with your child about missing assignments or studying for any final assessments. We also invite our students and staff to wear red in honor of Lunar New Year, which takes place on Wednesday, January 29. There is no school for students on Wednesday for grading and reporting. Let’s finish the quarter strong and continue building great habits for the rest of the year. Thank you for partnering with us!

A HUGE thank you is due to our FMS staff, students, and community for a successful MLK Week of Service! With your support and dedication, we accomplished the following:

• 350+ Food Donation Items
• 44 Friendship Bracelets for MedStar Patients
• 38 Cards for Soldiers, Health Care Workers and MedStar Patients
• 35 Dog Toys
• 27 Hygiene/Cleaning Kits for Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless
• 30 boxes of feminine products
• 8 packs of paper towel
• 7 packs of toilet paper
• 6 packs of diapers
• Read to over a dozen elementary school classrooms

I've been so encouraged to see our Roadrunners' commitment to serving the Olney community despite the challenges that the delays caused this week. Thank you for your continued support and partnership, and have an excellent week!

In this newsletter you will find:

• This week's bell schedules
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• After School Activities Schedule
• FMS Counseling Updates
• NEW: Wear Red for the Lunar New Year!
• TIMELY: Get your tickets to the dance this Friday!
• 7th Grade Families: JA Finance Park Update
• 8th Grade Families: HS Course Registration Deadlines Approaching
• Candygram Fundraiser
• HBCU College Fair
• COSA Application Process Opens Soon
• NJHS Meetings Coming Up
• MCPS Things to Know

PTA Corner:

• Volunteers needed
• New PTA Treasurer Needed
• Winter Social Volunteers Needed
• MCCPTA Tech Corner: MCCPTA Digital Balance Resolution
• Join the PTA

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

• Rowan Tate
• Tyler Kelly
• Daniel Mesfin
• Tendo Pool
• Liliana Tran
• Alia Jawando
• Sophia Polizos
• Elliot Wang
• Ava Hardy
• Zoey Locust
• Ms. Lazaris
• Mr. Kamie
• Ms. Moton
• Kristina Mason
• Amy Councilman
• Laila Madden
• Ms. Page
• Emely Casillo
• Blanche Tama
• Maddie hamilton
• Megan Burt
• Rowan Miller
• Jack Beesley
• Dr Abreu
• Mr. Green
• Mr. Lichvar
• Ms. Chaney

Would you like to recognize a student or staff member?

Submit a SHOUT-OUT!

Thank you for taking a moment to thank a Roadrunner who has made a meaningful difference.

Activities 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.

Please check out the School Counseling Website for information regarding community events, SSL opportunities and mental health resources.

The FMS Asian American Club is excited to invite all FMS community members to celebrate the Lunar New Year by wearing red on January 28. See details below.

Our PTA is excited to sponsor our first evening dance in many years! Music, photos, and light refreshments are included in the cost of a $10 ticket. We strongly encourage parents to purchase a ticket in advance so students can bypass the ticket line at the door. Tickets purchased at the door are cash only.

Mr. Green's and Ms. Page's classes will be going to JA Finance Park on February 6, 2025. We only have 4 parent volunteers and we need 10 more to help the students have an enriching experience. Please register to be a volunteer at: JA's VolunteerHub: https://vhub.at/jafpmc

Students attending Sherwood, Blake, Paint Branch, and Springbrook next school year- please be sure to review the presentations below as a family and submit course requests ASAP in Synergy.

Deadlines for submitting course requests in Synergy:

• 1/31 Sherwood
• 2/7 Paint Branch, Springbrook and Blake (PBHS requires a Google Form, Springbrook requires a Course Card)

Blake Course Registration

Sherwood Course Registration

Springbrook Course Registration

Paint Branch Course Information

If you have general questions or questions about additional schools, please reach out to Melanie Bronstein, 8th grade counselor : Melanie_E_Bronstein@mcpsmd.org

We are excited to announce that Farquhar Middle School’s Counseling Department is sponsoring a Valentine’s Day fundraiser! This event is designed to promote kindness, support our school’s programs, and bring the community together during this season of love and appreciation.

Students and families will have the opportunity to purchase $2 Candy Grams and a $5 plushies and send a special message to friends, teachers, and staff. All proceeds from the fundraiser will directly benefit the Counseling Department, helping to provide important resources and programs for our students. Pre-order begins today via your school SCO account. All SCO orders will incur a .25 cent administrative fee. Students can purchase in-person during Connect Time starting February 5th- 12th. Quantities are limited.

All online purchases must be made by midnight on 02/12. All in-person purchases must be made by the close of school on 02/12. Goodies will be delivered during the school day on 2/14.

How You Can Help:

• Send a Valentine’s message: Have your child send a kind note or token of appreciation to a friend or staff member.
• Spread the word: Encourage others to get involved and make this fundraiser a success!

We hope this Valentine’s Day brings joy and a sense of connection to all of our students, staff, and families. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in making Farquhar Middle School a welcoming and caring environment for everyone.

Warm regards,
The Farquhar Middle School Counseling Department

Join Ms. Mason, Ms. Payne, and Mrs. Page to attend the 17th Annual Montgomery County HBCU Fair on Friday, February 14, 2025! Farquhar will provide a bus to and from the fair for students who need transportation. Students should be dropped off at FMS at 5:15 pm to depart to the Universities at Shady Grove. This is for 8th grade students only

This sign-up is for transportation on a first-come, first-serve basis for the first 36 students. If you are interested in learning more about HBCUs and the many other opportunities for students please complete the google form HERE.

Please note, families are welcome to take their student to the fair independently from Farquhar. This sign up is only for those who would like transportation provided.

If you have any questions please reach out to Ms. Kristina Mason (Kristina_D_Mason@mcpsmd.org) or Ms. Payne (Jacqueline_M_Payne@mcpsmd.org).

The MCPS 2024-2025 Change of School Assignment (COSA) transfer season opens on Monday, Feb. 3, and ends on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. The COSA process allows families to submit a request for their children to transfer out of their assigned home school.

Important changes for the upcoming COSA transfer process:

• Requests submitted after April 1, 2025, will not be considered unless there was a recent move or an emergency event that could not have been foreseen prior to April 1.

All COSA requests will now be submitted online through ParentVue in Synergy. Parents who need support on how to use ParentVue to complete an online COSA request will be encouraged to reach out to a staff member at their child’s assigned school.

• Detailed information related to the COSA process can be found in the 2025-2026 COSA information booklet, which will be available at the end of January. Hard copies will be sent to schools.

**If your 8th grade student is currently at Farquhar on a COSA, you will need to re-apply for the COSA in order to remain in the preferred feeder pattern in high school.**

For questions, call the Division of Pupil Personnel and Attendance Services at 240-740-5620.

Attention Grade 8 NJHS New Inductees & Current Members

Your meeting will be Friday 2/7/25. It will be in Room 004 during the first 10 minutes of Open Rock.

(Due to the Grade 8 Skate Zone trip)

At the meeting we will discuss:

• The 5 Pillars of NJHS
• Valentine's for First Responders
• Clothing Drive Collection

Each week, MCPS shares a community message with helpful system-wide information, reminders, and invitations to events. Though they are sent out via email, we will always link them here.

VOLUNTEERS: Our FMS staff is AMAZING and we are in need of volunteers to support with snacks for the upcoming staff meetings. Please sign up here. The next staff meeting is Monday, October 7th and we need a volunteer!

The PTA is looking for a new treasurer, as our current Treasurer's term will be ending. We will be sharing more information in the coming weeks, so if you are interested, stay tuned!

If you have any questions about how our current treasurer manages this role, please reach out to our PTA president, Kristin Menefee, at menefeekristin@gmail.com.

Did you know that the MCCPTA, which currently represents over 50,000 members in 194 local PT(S)As, adopted a Digital Balance Resolution (DBR) in January of 2023 to combat learning loss and excessive screen time? Released in the wake of significantly increased screen use and the release of studies linking it to negative academic, health, and socio-emotional outcomes, the DBR serves as a guide to help reverse the impact screen time has on learning, attention, physical health and mental well-being.

The resolution calls for MCPS to make changes that include, but are not limited to: limit screen time in classrooms, release a digital best practices guide, minimize digital testing, discourage digital game time and screen breaks, and immediately use hard copy resources for elementary schools.

We encourage parents to review the resolution in its entirety, and feel free to reference it when advocating at your local school or cluster level.

Direct donations to the FMS PTA are our primary source of fundraising! Help us avoid sales-based fundraisers!

• If you have already joined, but have NOT made a tax-deductible donation, we encourage you to do so. Any amount is appreciated!
• If you have not yet joined, please join, and donate, today!

Your direct donations help the PTA fund:

• Math, English, and STEM materials
• Counseling and wellness initiatives
• Field trips
• Arts, music, and athletic activities,
• Staff appreciation
• Parent/family resources

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

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