Roadrunner's Digest

Good evening FMS Families and Staff,

I hope you've enjoyed a restful weekend. A special shout-out to our incredible Counseling Department and all the volunteers who made College Week 2025 a huge success. Your dedication and creativity helped our Roadrunners envision the many possibilities for their future. From college cafe to all the college gear worn throughout the week, it was inspiring to see our students engaging in conversations about their goals and aspirations.

As we approach the final week of Marking Period 3, we encourage families to check grades in ParentVUE and support students in submitting any missing assignments. This is a great opportunity to reinforce responsibility and finish the quarter strong! If you have any questions about your child’s grades, please reach out directly to their teacher.

Thank you for your continued partnership, and I wish everyone an excellent week ahead!

In this newsletter you will find:

• This week's bell schedules
• This week's Roadrunner Shout Outs
• After School Activities Schedule
• FMS Counseling Updates
• 8th Grade End of Year Activities
• MocoCAP @ Farquhar
• Support FMS Career Day
• Lost and Found Clean Out
• FMS Annual STEAM Night
• 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!

• Michele Fuentes
• Ms. Affinito
• Brittany Hawkins
• Ms. Affinito
• Roy Lynn
• Jessica Gray
• Tyler Herman
• Christian LaCroix
• Kristin Rhone
• Jessica Via
• Ansh Acharya
• Alannah Nickelson
• Sidney esser
• Rowan miller
• Ronan Zelo
• Sabrina Saleh

Congratulations also to the FMS Orchestra and Band for their incredible performances at their respective adjudications this week! Our talented Roadrunners earned Superior ratings in Orchestra and Excellent ratings in Band. Thank you to Dr. Higley as well, for her dedication to our fast-growing instrumental music program at Farquhar. We look forward to seeing your performances in the spring!

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.

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.

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:

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.

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