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Important Dates
February 3: Report cards distributed
February 8: Eighth graders receive 2010-11 course registration materials from high school counselors (due 2/19)
February 8-12: Sixth and seventh graders receive 2010-11 course registration materials (due 2/19)
February 9: Parent Meeting for current 6th and 7th graders to help plan next year's courses. Click here for more information IMC 7:30 - 8:30 pm
February 12: 8th grade field trip to Washington, D. C., 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (rescheduled from 12/23)
February 12: PTA newsletter deadline
February 15: Holiday: Presidents’ Day
February 16-19: African American Heritage events
February 17: Northeast Consortium (NEC) Registration Night for Grade 8 students and parents
(at students’ assigned high school)
February 19: Course registration cards from 6th & 7th graders are due to Farquhar counselors
February 19: NEC course registration cards from 8th graders are due to Mr. Ingram, 8th grade counselor
Roadrunner Night is coming March 19, 2010! Click here to learn more about helping with this annual fundraiser family event. If you would like to donate to the Silent Auction, click here.
Order Yearbooks Now! Click here for more information.
Parents are Encouraged to Polish Their Algebra Skills - Click here to view this article that was in the MCPS Bulletin.
When your child is absent – do you want to know what he or she missed? use edline!!!
Farquhar teachers are posting assignments, due dates, weekly updates, and supplementary lesson materials on their Edline sites. Please be sure to check Edline daily for assignments when your child is absent. Students are also encouraged to check Edline to stay up to date. After checking Edline, if an assignment is not posted, please call the main office for assistance. If you are having trouble accessing Edline, please email Beth_A_Hopkins@mcpsmd.org. Let Edline help you to stay informed! Thank you
Farquhar Yearbook
Yearbooks are now on sale for $30 through December 4, and order forms were sent home with
students October 21. If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook, please put the completed
order form along with your check made payable to Farquhar Middle School in the yearbook
envelope. Order forms may be given to Mrs. Grandin (room 26), Ms. Lazarick (room 15), or the
main office. After December 4 the price will be $33. Extra order forms are available in the main
office and posted on the FMS website. If you have any questions please contact Becky Grandin,
co-yearbook sponsor, at Rebecca_A_Grandin@mcpsmd.org or Rachel Lazerick, co-yearbook
sponsor, at Rachel_Lazarick@mcpsmd.org
Parent Academy workshops are designed to inform and empower parents as advocates and
partners in their children’s education. All workshops are FREE and held at locations throughout
Montgomery County. Please click here for more information for workshop topics, dates, locations, and
registration form.
Wanted: CAREER Café Speakers
Parents, please consider making a one-time commitment to speak at one of our six fun lunchtime career programs this year. Share about your career in an informal setting, with staff members present to assist you. Please contact Susan James, Career Committee chairperson at Susan_C_James@mcpsmd.org
H1N1 Preparations and Edline
As you may know, flu is spreading easily from person to person and school-age children are among the groups most affected. As a result, student and staff absences from school will fluctuate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that flu is widespread in many states, including Maryland, and that almost all of the flu viruses they have identified so far across the country are of the H1N1 strain. Although the school is unable to verify whether sick students and staff have H1N1 (swine) flu, we do know that people are reporting or exhibiting flu-like illness.
Please be assured that we are taking steps to prevent the spread of flu in our school. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) continues to work closely with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to monitor student and staff absences due to illness. Students and staff who exhibit flu-like symptoms are staying home or being sent home in accordance with guidance from the CDC. Staff continues to model and encourage students to practice good hygiene—washing hands frequently; coughing into a tissue or sleeve; and avoiding touching the eyes, nose, and mouth—and our school is being routinely cleaned following guidelines approved by county health officials.
We want to keep the school operations on a normal schedule and minimize any disruption to teaching and learning. You can help us in our efforts to prevent the spread of flu by:
Knowing the symptoms of the flu. These include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired.
Keeping children home from school if they are sick. Individuals who have been sick with the flu should stay home until they have been fever-free for 24 hours. Any children or staff who are sick at school will be sent home.
Reminding your children to wash their hands often with soap and water.
Encouraging your children not to share personal items like drinks, food, or utensils.
Telling your children to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. If they don't have a tissue, they should cough or sneeze into their upper sleeve, not their hands.
For more information, visit the MCPS website at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org, the Montgomery County government website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/h1n1flu, or call the County flu hotline at 240-777-4200.
Parents-- we need your help. Please be sure that your emergency contact information is up-to-date in the main office, and please contact us immediately if a phone number or email address changes. Also, please be sure to sign-up for the PTA Email Listserve (http://farquharpta.org) and activate your Edline account, which will be used for communication. Edline can be used to find out assignments that your child missed when absent, and it will also be used to continue instruction should there be a major disruption to school operations. Finally, please continue to reinforce good hygiene habits and keep your children home if they have a fever or show any flu-like symptoms. We will continue to keep you updated on this situation and thank you for your support.
Roadrunner Night is coming March 19, 2010! Click here to learn more about helping with this annual fundraiser family event. If you would like to donate to the Silent Auction, click here.
FMS Newsletter is going Green - Sign up now
The PTA email list is the primary means by which important school information is emailed directly to parents. Not only will the weekly News be emailed to subscribers, but the Email List is also used for emergency communications. All parents must sign up now at www.farquharpta.org
All parents and students must have active Edline accounts! For new parents--activation codes and instructions for account activation will be sent home in the U.S. mail, so please look out for this envelope on or around September 1. For returning parents, usernames and passwords will remain the same as in 2008-09. If you have difficulty, please go to www.Edline.com and click “Forgot Username” or “Forgot Password.” Students will receive their activation codes at school. For advanced assistance with your Edline account, please contact Beth Hopkins Beth_A_Hopkins@mcpsmd.org, or go to http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/oars/.
Public Announcements for Weather and Other Emergencies - Click here for a letter from our Principal, Mr. Murphy regarding weather related issues.
Information about school operations is announced publicly as soon as possible on area radio and television stations, Montgomery County Cable Channel 6 or Cable Channel 34—MCPS TV, on the Internet at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org, and on a taped telephone message service at 301-279-3673. Emergency e-mail announcements are available by signing up for MCPS QuickNotes on the school system’s home page. If schools are closed or delayed, the announcement is made no later than 6:00 a.m. (or the night before if possible). If schools are closing early, the announcement is made by 11:00 a.m.
Health Room information: The health room is open daily from 7:40 a.m. - 3 p.m. Medicine cannot be given to a student unless authorized by the physician on MCPS form 525-13 (please use MCPS form 525-14 for epipens only). This includes both prescription and over the counter medications. Over the counter medications must be in the original, unopened bottle/box. Prescription medications must be in a container properly labeled by a pharmacist. Students are not permitted to bring medicine to school to either deliver to the health room or carry for self medication. Attention parents of 6th graders and new to MCPS 7th and 8th graders: The Health Inventory form is needed in the health room as soon as possible if you have not already returned the form. Please contact the health room if you have any questions, 301-924-3111, Mary Rafferty, nurse or Patty Tyler, health room technician.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE
Regular and punctual attendance is absolutely necessary for success in school. When a student is absent, a note from the parent/guardian is required in order for the absence to be recorded as excused. For absences of five days or more, a medical excuse from a doctor is required. It is important that medical appointments and other engagements be planned around the school day. In order to obtain missed assignments from an absence, students and parents should first check Edline.
Please note that absences for family travel are typically not excused legal absences.
Students will be marked tardy if they have not reported to their first period class by 7:50 a.m. When arriving to school after 7:50 a.m., students must sign in at the main office. A note from home is required, explaining the reason for the late arrival. Please note that tardiness to school for unforeseen reasons such as traffic, automobile trouble, missing the bus, oversleeping, etc., is typically recorded as unexcused tardies.
Three unexcused tardies to first period will result in administrative detention and administrative referral. In order to be considered present on a given day a student must attend a minimum of four class periods. A written request, signed by a parent, must be presented before a student can be excused prior to the close of the school day. This request should be presented to the main office before school. You must sign out in the main office.
IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT BUS TRANSPORTATION
School bus transportation is a privilege that is provided to students and their families. Students who ride the bus are expected to behave appropriately on the bus. All school rules apply while students are on the school bus and when they are walking to and from the bus stop. The bus driver is the responsible adult on the bus and students are expected to listen to the bus driver at all times. In some instances, students who do not abide by the rules will be assigned seats or may have their bus-riding privileges suspended in accordance with MCPS’ transportation procedures. It is important that students remember to be respectful and responsible when they ride the school bus to ensure the safety of all passengers. Please check out the link below for additional information and tips to use with your children. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/transportation/about/aboutriding.shtm
Electronic devices
Cell phones, IPods, digital cameras, and other electronic devices are not authorized for use at all during the school day. If students bring the devices to school with parent consent, they must be turned off and out of sight during the entire school day (secured in a locker). Increasingly students are attempting to send text messages or phones are ringing during class, which causes a serious disruption. These items are subject to confiscation and student disciplinary action. Parents- please discuss with your child whether it is appropriate to bring these devices to school, as they are often misplaced, shared, or lost. Cell phone use is not permitted until the conclusion of after-school activities, at 4:00. Students are always welcome to use the office phone to contact their parents if a need arises, and messages to students from parents are received and processed by the main office. Students should secure PCD’s and any valuables in lockers during the entire school day. The school will not investigate or be held responsible for lost or missing electronic devices.
IPOD’s & OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES – These popular devices must be off and out of sight during the entire instructional day. Please discuss with your child whether it is appropriate to bring these devices to school. Students may listen to music on the bus, for example, but the device must be secured in a locker, off, and out of sight upon arriving to school. These valuable devices are often misplaced, shared, or lost by adolescents. The school will not be held responsible for electronic devices that are lost or stolen.
DIGITAL CAMERAS- Digital cameras are no longer allowed at school, unless for a special occasion or school project with the approval of teacher or administrator. Electronic devices have become a distraction to the educational process and are often lost, shared, or used inappropriately. Like cell phones, digital cameras should be off and out of site for the entire school day, or they will be subject to confiscation.