William H. Farquhar Middle School
16915 Batchellors Forest Road
Olney, Maryland 20832
Main Office:
301-924-3100
Counseling Office: 301-924-3113
Fax:
301-924-3152
Joel Beidleman, Principal
Laura Shabazz, Assistant Principal
July 17, 2015
Dear William H. Farquhar Middle School Families,
On behalf of the Farquhar faculty and staff, we would like to welcome you to the 2015-2016 school
year. This year we welcome several new key staff members to our community. Laura Shabazz has
become our new Assistant Principal and Jennifer Hallmark is our new Staff Development Teacher.
As we look forward to this school year, we are planning and creating exciting opportunities to
enhance the learning for our students. It is our goal to create a climate of superior academic
achievement with an emphasis on student collaboration and understanding.
As you may know, last year the State of Maryland fully implemented the Partnership for the
Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) assessments, which is aligned to the
common core state standards and serves as a total reset of the State’s accountability system. These
standards increase rigor and complexity, building for students a foundation for future success.
Based upon that information and the recent changes, we have implemented the following actions:







Provided time for each grade level to plan, discuss, and communicate grade level expectations
Restructured our daily schedule to allow our teachers time to build creative lessons
collaboratively with their colleagues that emphasize knowledge and understanding
Created tools that allow teachers to create specific student learning objectives (SLO)
Fostered a professional development plan focused on providing opportunities for students to
collaborate in order to solve academic and challenging tasks
Designed processes to recognize our outstanding staff, students and parents
Planned to continue the 15 minute Connect Time to foster positive interpersonal relationships
Redesigned our Roadrunner Way initiative to include a school-wide commitment to nurturing
the social emotional health of all students
This year we want to inspire all of the Farquhar Family to be actively engaged in our school, but more
importantly, your child’s individual academic performance and social development. We will have
several forms of communication to support and enhance your engagement this school year.

Weekly Newsletter: We publish a weekly newsletter that is posted to the parent list-serv. The
newsletter will include information from the Grade Level Teams, Counseling, Athletics, Media
Center and Curriculum Information. These publications will also be available on our website.





ConnectEd Calls: Parents should expect to receive messages by email or phone via the
ConnectEd system. These messages will include activities, featured events and important
school updates.
Website: Our site includes information on Grade Level Teams, Counseling, Athletics, Media
Center and Curriculum Information.
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/farquharms/
Farquhar Morning Show: This student-produced show provides daily announcements, a
glimpse into middle school and showcases the expertise of our TV production class
PTA Listserv: This parent-maintained communication tool helps parents connect with one
another regarding school events.
Twitter: @farquharms: Social media is not just for kids! Twitter is a great way to receive quick
reminders about school activities, hear of exciting classroom experiences and see pictures of
key events.
Below are important school events to place on your calendar in preparation for the first day of school:

6th Grade Orientation: Intended for incoming sixth grade students only.
Monday, July 20
(Last Names A-D)
Tuesday, July 21
(Last Names E-L)
Wednesday, July 22 (Last Names M-R)
Thursday, July 23
(Last Names S-Z)

New Student Orientation Day: Thursday, August 27
(half day with MCPS transportation provided for any 6th,7th or 8th grade student new to
Farquhar Middle School)

First Day of School: Monday, August 31
(Please be mindful of the new school times: 8:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., with morning drop off
beginning at 7:50 a.m.)

Back To School Night: Thursday, September 10
(specialized meetings begin at 6:30 p.m., school-wide event 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.)
You will be receiving the summer postcard in mid-August which lists pertinent back to school
information that will be available on our school website.
In addition, please be aware that there will be ongoing construction of our new school building
throughout this school year. Be mindful of your speed and traffic patterns on school grounds.
Through collaboration, we will continue to nurture a school climate where excellence in teaching and
learning is a daily reality for each and every student. We appreciate the support provided by our
community. Together, we will ensure all of our students are able to demonstrate superior academic
achievement with an emphasis on student collaboration and understanding.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Beidleman
Principal