Roadrunner's Digest

Good evening FMS Families and Staff,

Thank you for another fantastic week at Farquhar! We are especially grateful to all the families, friends, and community partners who made our Career Day a success. Your time, stories, and passion opened our students’ eyes to new possibilities and inspired them to dream big. We couldn't have done it without you!

This week is also Culture Week, and we’re encouraging students to show their spirit and pride in the rich diversity that makes our FMS community so special. Whether through clothing, language, music, or stories, we’re excited to celebrate the many cultures that shape who we are. Scroll down to see the spirit week schedule for Tuesday-Friday.

As we enjoy the long weekend, we want to wish everyone a safe and joyful Memorial Day. It’s a meaningful time to honor and remember those who gave their lives in service to our country.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support, and have an excellent week!

In this newsletter you will find:

• This week's bell schedules
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• NO After-School Activities
• FMS Counseling Updates
• THIS WEEK: Culture Week Spirit Schedule
• HIGHLIGHT: Career Day
• TIMELY: Upcoming SSL Deadlines
• NEW: Support Color Wars
• NEW: RecXtra Survey
• Therapeutic Summer Programs Available
• NEW: Free AI/ML Workshops for MS students
• Summer RIASEC Road Trip
• MCPS Things to Know

PTA Corner:

• Join the PTA

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

• Roy Lynn
• Sophia Brewer
• James Makfinsky
• Ellisa Hernandez Ruiz
• Mrs. Page
• Mrs. Moton
• Dr. Higley
• Mason Verna
• Catie Braham
• Abigail Skoczdopole
• Mrs. Moton
• Charlotte Bond
• Penny Ketchen
• Catie Braham
• Abby Skoczdopole
• Kayvon fisher
• Sam Crickey
• Raven Maysonet
• Nikia Williams
• Michelle Wheeler
• Michael Hernandez
• Brittany Hawkins
• Hector Zavala
• Alyssa Zaidi
• Adriana Trelles Pacheco
• Muhaymin Tihami
• Ibrahim Akbari
• Girl's Soccer Team

Congratulations to 7th grader, Bryceson Burthey on his acceptance into the Junior Minority Scholars Program Summer Student Internship. He will be representing Farquhar Middle School out of the 10 middle schools represented. Students attending this summer internship will develop leadership skills and come back to their middle school’s in the Fall ready to put the programs mission into action. The Minority Scholars Program is a student led, student based, and student driven program, aimed at closing the opportunity gap and creating a more equitable future. Way to go!

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.

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

This years Culture Week will be May 26th – 30th. During this week students are encouraged to participate in the different activities to celebrate diversity, unity, and change. The color black represents power, and the students in the Minority Scholars Program wanted their peers to know that they have the ability to make their voices heard now! Culture Week is a space where every culture is honored and every student is invited to share, learn, and connect. Let’s celebrate what makes us unique — and what brings us together.

FMS students had the opportunity to participate in an engaging and informative Career Day! Throughout the event, each student attended three different sessions, where they were introduced to a wide range of career paths. These sessions provided valuable insights into various professions, allowing students to explore their interests, ask questions, and gain a better understanding of potential future careers.

Middle school and high school students should continue earning SSL hours towards their SSL graduation requirement by engaging in SSL opportunities during the 2024-2025 school year and over the summer, including traditional in-person opportunities and select virtual/remote opportunities that follow the guidelines posted on the MCPS SSL webpage (www.mcps-ssl.org).

The required systemwide deadline for submission of all SSL documentation is FRIDAY, May 30, 2025.

All SSL forms (MCPS Form 560-51: Student Service Learning Activity Verification form - https://bit.ly/SSLReflection) must be turned in to the school’s SSL coordinator (https://bit.ly/SSLCoordinatorsMS or https://bit.ly/SSLCoordinatorsHS) by the systemwide required deadline of May 30, 2025, to be added to students’ SSL records.

SSL forms for service completed during the 2024-2025 school year and the previous summer will NOT be accepted after May 30, 2025.

The excitement is building as our 6th and 7th grade students prepare to face off in the ultimate year-end tradition—Color Wars 2025! This spirited competition marks the end of the 2024–2025 school year, and we’re planning a day filled with fun, teamwork, and unforgettable memories.
To make this event truly special for all students, we’re kindly asking for donations. Whether it’s beads, bandanas, face paint, or ice pops, every little bit helps to ensure a successful and memorable experience for our students.

If you're able to donate or support in any way, we’d greatly appreciate it! The link is posted below. Please have materials delivered to FMS at 17017 Batchellors Forest Road
Olney, MD 20832. Reach out to Mr. Eisenhower or Mr. McNaboe if you have any questions.

Attention parents/guardians of students who participated in one of our RecXtra After School Programs this year. Please have your child complete this brief survey to provide us valuable information on our RecXtra programs and how we can better serve our students, after school, in the future.

RecXtra Programs offered this year were:

• RecXtra Tennis (fall or spring session)
• RecXtra Dungeons & Dragons
• RecXtra Leo Club
• RecXtra Culinary Club

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

The Expressive Therapy Center is offering four different summer camps geared towards middle schoolers--

• Planting Mindfulness Nature Based Summer Program (grades 6-9)
• Transition to Middle School Camp (for incoming 6th graders)
• Art and Mindfulness (grades 6-8)
• Unstuck and On Target: Executive Functioning Skills Program

Keep in mind that therapeutic programs carry a higher cost than the typical summer camp, but some insurance companies may reimburse for at least partial coverage. Contact your student's counselor if you would like support accessing any of these programs.

Dear students and parents,

We are thrilled to announce a unique opportunity for you to dive into the world of artificial intelligence! Our names are Cheren and Vishnu, and we are the two qualified high school students who founded The Youth AI Initiative (YAI). YAI is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing equity in education by providing inclusive and accessible opportunities for students to explore and engage with artificial intelligence.

This spring (Early June), YAI is teaching free workshops about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer science. With each workshop, we will introduce machine learning and artificial intelligence topics through the lens of math and logic, as well as develop strong practical skills for building AI/ML models in Python. No prior experience is required to attend! In each workshop, students will address real-world issues and grow their understanding of how to solve problems using machine learning techniques. If you are interested in our spring workshops, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/Bs5xfSzbJXV5nY8M7. For all of our sessions, we have limited spots, so reserving interest is on a first come first serve basis and will close on May 27th at 11:59 PM EST.

We will also be hosting a 1-2 week YAI Summer Camp during August, and the interest form for that will come out later. If you want emails for information whenever we host new workshops, camps, or other events, make sure to join our email list by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/xML2EC4ZVzrtruWi7.

We will email you when the interest form for the summer camp comes out.

For more information about YAI, you can access our website here: https://sites.google.com/view /youth-ai-initiative/home. Hope to see you at our classes!

RIASEC Road Trip is an optional half-day (AM) summer programming compliment that is being offered at Farquhar Middle School this summer at no cost to families.

The activities offered will range from RIASEC self-identification review, college and career readiness skill-building, and career exploration.Coaches will lead students through support sessions and activities rooted in experiential future-learning. These sessions build upon MoCo CAP Core Programming.

The RIASEC Road Trip Summer Program at FMS will run based on student interest. If you are interested in this option for your student, please click below for dates, times, and other logistics.

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.

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