Roadrunner's Digest

Good evening FMS Families and Staff,

Thank you for another fantastic week at Farquhar! A special shoutout to our students, families, and staff who made International Night on Wednesday such a success. It was incredible to see our community come together to celebrate the many cultures that make Farquhar such a special place. The performances, food, and displays showcased the rich diversity that strengthens our school, reminding us that our differences make us stronger and our shared experiences bring us closer.

At Farquhar, we take pride in fostering a community where every student feels valued and represented. Events like International Night highlight the importance of embracing and learning from one another. Thank you for your continued support in making our school a welcoming and inclusive space for all.

Wishing everyone a restful weekend and a great week ahead!

In this newsletter you will find:

• This week's bell schedules
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• NEW: Congratulations to our winning Roadrunners!
• After School Activities Schedule
• RecXtra Tennis Opportunity
• FMS Counseling Updates
• NEW: College Week 2025!
• NEW: 8th Grade End of Year Activities
• NEW: MocoCAP @ Farquhar
• NEW: MCPS Math Curriculum Nights
• Support FMS Career Day
• NEW: Lost and Found Clean Out
• NEW: March Media News
• FMS Annual STEAM Night
• NJHS Clothing Drive
• MCPS Things to Know

PTA Corner:

• Volunteers needed
• PTA Board Vacancies
• Support the Away All Day Policy
• Join the PTA

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

• Mrs. Pignone
• Mrs. Smith
• Joanna Nguyen
• Linda Lindstrom
• Eden Zerihun
• Candice Morgan
• Helena Awoke
• Jenaba Jah
• Edom Zerihun
• Madison Wright
• Olivia Tindley
• Dawayne Gordon
• Rowan Miller
• Edom Zerihun
• Ms. White-Steiner
• Mr. Lichvar

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.

Congratulations to Sophie Dodge, Madeline Parks, and Madilyn Persak whose Junior Documentary, "A Person's a Person No Matter How Small" won second place in the History Day Competition in MCPS! Their work advances to the Maryland History Day Contest, on May 3, 2025 at UMBC. Good luck!

Ada Nelson, Kristen Nguyen, Vicky Lam, and Blen Asegu entered their art in this year's Youth Art Competition hosted by the Women's Club of Bethesda. All four students' pieces were displayed in the exhibit on Saturday, February 22nd. Congratulations!

Also, congratulations to Blen, who won 2nd place for her digital illustration of Misty Copeland, and Ada Nelson, who won 3rd place for her celebrity digital illustration. Both students will compete with students from four other Districts in Maryland.

The Maryland State winners will receive their awards at the Convention of Maryland General Federation of Women’s Clubs at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Annapolis in April 2025.

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.

RecXtra MCTEF Tennis will be offered again this spring at Farquhar MS.

The program will start March 24th and run until May 13th .

Complete the permission slip linked below, or pick up permission slips in the main office, cafeteria, or in Mrs. Rose's room 003. Spots fill up quickly, so please return slips promptly. All permission slips should be turned into Mrs. Rose in room 003. Please do not turn in forms to the main office, as space fills up quickly and admissions is first-come, first-served (however, priority will be given to students who were on the waitlist this fall, if a new permission slip is submitted).

Please email Mrs. Rose with any questions @ Laurie_E_Rose@mcpsmd.org

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

Farquhar Middle School will be celebrating "College Week" March 17th-21st. Students will have an opportunity to participate in a variety of events and activities throughout the week to begin envisioning post-secondary education opportunities.

Attention 8th Grade Families,

We are quickly approaching the exciting end-of-year events for our 8th graders! Please mark your calendars for the 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 1:00 PM. The ceremony will take place at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, and each 8th-grade student will receive two guest tickets. More details will be shared as we get closer to the date.

Additionally, Hershey Park permission slips have been distributed! To secure your student's spot, please return the signed permission slip and payment by Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Payment is made by accessing School Cash Online. Click below for the permission slip which includes all necessary details.

We look forward to celebrating these milestones with you!

Attention, Farquhar families! Did you know our school has a career advising program called MoCo CAP? MoCo CAP (Montgomery County Career Advising Program) is a collaboration between Work Source Montgomery, Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery College, and the Universities at Shady Grove, aimed at helping middle and high school students prepare for college and careers. Watch the video below to learn more about the program.

Here are some ways MOCO CAP is making a difference in the Farquhar Community!

• Monthly Lunch & Learn Sessions
• Career Advising Lessons & Coaching
• Career Speaker-Class Visits From Local Professionals

MoCo CAP March Highlights

• Guest speakers from the Olney Theatre recently visited Dr. Higley's performing art classes. (Rebecca Dzida, Director of Education & Training, and Jay Frisbee, DC Actor who performed in The Waitress). See pictures from their visit below.
• The next "Lunch & Learn" session will take place Monday, March 24th, in room 29.

(See Mr. Lichvar or Ms. Merchant for a lunch bunch pass.)

Interested In Individualized Career Coaching?

Complete the interest form below and our Career Advising Coach, Mr. Kamie, will arrange a time to meet with you. He is available at Farquhar on Mondays & Tuesdays to connect with students. He can also be reached directly at mark_a_kamie@mcpsmd.org.

MCPS Elementary and Secondary Mathematics teams are hosting Curriculum Nights, which will include information on math curricular resources, course programming for Grades K–12 and upcoming changes from the Maryland State Department of Education regarding Integrated Math. Attendees will also participate in learning experiences from the Eureka Math and Illustrative Math curricula.

Two in-person sessions remain and will be held:

• Tuesday, March 18, 6:30–8 p.m., Wheaton High School, 12401 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring
• Wednesday, March 26, 6:30–8 p.m., Watkins Mill High School, 10301 Apple Ridge Road, Gaithersburg
• April 7, 2025, Screencast published to MCPS website in English and Spanish

FMS' 2025 Career Day is occurring on Thursday, May 22nd, from 8:00 AM to 10:30 AM!

We would love to have FMS parents and community members join us as guest speakers to share insights about careers!

If you are interested in participating as a presenter, please take a moment to fill out the Google Form below by April 2nd so that our Counseling Department can begin organizing the event:

Attention parents and caregivers: All lost clothing items from the grade-level hallways will be displayed on a table in the cafeteria for students to retrieve from Tuesday 3/18-Friday 3/21. Any items not claimed by next Friday 3/21 will be donated.

We are hosting our 4th Annual STEAM Night on Thursday, May 1st, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. This extraordinary night features amazing opportunities, activities, and exposure to the world of STEAM 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 STEAM 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 1st!

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 activities, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM and save the date for 5/1/25.

The NJHS Annual Spring-Cleaning Clothing Drive is ongoing this week and will end Friday, March 21.

Please bring in gently used or new clothing to your Period 1 class, including shirts, pants, shorts, jackets, shoes, and socks.

Here are the results from the first collection:

• 1st place: Ms. Higley with 162 items
• 2nd place: Mr. Foster with 139 items
• 3rd place: Dr. O with 125 items

Which Period 1 class will claim the donut party and bragging rights? A big thank you to all the students who have already made donations!

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!

FMS PTA Board has the following openings for SY25-26- President, Executive VP/Delegate, Treasurer, Communications and Programs VP. Additional details to follow!

An Away All Day policy requires smartphones and other devices to be turned off during the entire school day. Currently, MCPS allows smartphones to be used during lunch for middle schools, and during lunch and transition times for high schools. This school year, the MCPS Office of Strategic Initiatives implemented an “away all day” pilot at 11 middle schools and 1 high school to test out a bell-to-bell ban on personal devices. Schools that participated have reported positive results: fewer distractions, fewer fights, and more student engagement and attention on instruction. MCPS presented preliminary results to the Board of Education on Feb 20, and will present its final report in March. MCPS will consider revising the policy on cell phones in schools, to be finalized in May.

This letter, with signatures representing parents from multiple MCPS schools, will be shared with Superintendent Taylor, the Office of Strategic Initiatives, and the members of the BOE.

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