Important Dates
- September 1- Schools and Offices Closed
- September 4- Back to School Night - 6:00 pm
- September 8- PTSA Meeting @ FQMS - 7:00 pm
- September 17- Schools Close 3 Hours Early
- September 23- Schools and Offices Closed
- September 24- Student Fall Picture Day
- September 26- PTSA Fall Dance (purchase tickets here)
Visit our FQMS website for more upcoming news and events.
August PTSA Newsletter (link)
Important Phone Numbers
School Office: 410-313-1506
Student Services: 410-313-1514
Health Room: 410-313-1510
Dear Falcon Families,
It has been a wonderful first week back to school. We started off this week with building community and learning about our school with a focus on belonging, inclusion, and the importance of academic success. We also had grade level Town Hall meetings where we talked about the HCPSS Code of Conduct and HCPSS policies. We highlighted topics such as: Arriving on Time, Cell Phones, Importance of being Kind, Bullying/Harassment/Intimidation and Hate/Bias, Best Effort, Intent vs. Impact, Lunchroom/Recess Procedures, Academic Dishonesty, and more. We will finish the HCPSS Code of Conduct next week during our Falcon Time homeroom. We encourage you to also review the Code of Conduct with your children throughout the year.
We have enjoyed seeing many classes this week and seeing the connections that students and staff are making! This week was more than the syllabus - it was about building relationships and taking it slow to get used to procedures and routines. We know it is going to be a great and fun year of teaching and learning! Thank you to all of our students for their excitement, to our families for their support, and to our staff for their commitment to a high quality education for our children!
We look forward to seeing you at one of many upcoming events. We have our Back to School Night on Thursday, September 4, at 6:00 pm and our PTSA Meeting on Monday, September 8, at 7:00 pm If you have not already done so, we encourage you to join our PTSA because our school has so many fun activities planned because of our PTSA and your membership helps ensure these opportunities can continue. Our PTSA has an upcoming event for our students. There will be an after-school dance later this month and you can purchase tickets here.
We wish you and your family a relaxing long weekend. We are excited to see our students and staff again on Tuesday.
Mike Babe and Michele Hewitt
Principal and Assistant Principal
Chromebooks for 6th grade students and NEW students
The chromebooks have been distributed to students this week for all new to Folly Quarter students including 6th grade students.
Please help students learn good habits when using their computers and remind them that they are for school activities only (no gaming, chatting in google docs, etc). Students must follow Responsible use of Technology policy.
If you need support or have any questions, please contact heather_taylor@hcpss.org.
Back to School Night - September 4
Back to School Night at Folly Quarter Middle
When: September 4, 2025 at 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Back to Music Session for Parents and Guardians of students enrolled in Band, Chorus, and Orchestra at 5:30 PM in the cafeteria.
We are excited to welcome each and every family to the 2025 Back to School Night at Folly Quarter Middle School. Our classroom doors will open at 6:00 PM. We would like all families to arrive to first period by 6:10 PM. We provided a little extra time for parking, talking with the PTSA and more. We encourage you to carpool, if possible, as parking is limited. Please do not block a firelane so we have full access to the building. You can also park at Triadelphia Ridge Elementary and there is a walking path between our schools.
What should I bring? We encourage you to bring a copy/picture of your child’s schedule with you. You can always take a picture or screenshot of their schedule from the computer/smart device. You will only go to quarter one classes for Back to School Night. You can always sit with your child to review the schedule as well. You may want to bring something so that you can take notes, if needed.
How do I access my child’s schedule? To do before BTSN
- Log into your Synergy account at www.hcpss.org/connect
- Once in your account, click on Student Info on the left. To see your schedule, click on Class Schedule and you will see the schedule. In the upper right corner, you can see Quarter 1, Quarter 2, Quarter 3, Quarter 4 or All. You only need quarter 1 for Back to School Night.
If you need assistance with accessing the schedule, please see a counselor in the lobby prior to 6:10 PM. A counselor will be able to assist with locating a schedule upon request as needed.
What You Can Expect? Back to School Night will allow you to visit your child’s classrooms and to meet the professionals who teach them. You will start in First period where we will start with our welcome from the Administration, PTSA, and hear from our GT Research teacher. You will then have the opportunity to travel around the building to each of your child’s classes and get to know your child’s teachers better. Each class visit is only eight minutes, which is a great way for the teacher to talk to all parents at once. That said, if there is something that you would like to address with a teacher, we want to give you the time and attention you deserve which cannot be achieved on Back to School Night. If this is the case, we respectfully request that you contact the teacher directly. Staff contact information is located here.
You will also have the opportunity to sign up for our PTSA, which does so much for our school. We appreciate the membership and donations as it directly supports the students and staff at Folly Quarter Middle School. Please consider joining as we could not do a lot of the exciting initiatives for our kids without our PTSA!
We know you are wondering if you should bring your student with you. Space is at a premium. Imagine 700+ students, plus parents trying to move from class to class. If you are able, we ask that you come to Back to School Night without your child as space will be limited. We have plenty of staff to help guide you where to go as well as maps.
Schedule for the Evening: Please see chart below for class times. Please arrive at your child’s first period for important information by 6:10 PM.
Time
Period
5:30-6:00
Back to Music Session for Parents/Families
in the Cafeteria with Ms. Karanovich, Ms. Sartor, and Mr. Corbett-Wilson
6:00 – 6:10
Arrival for parents and families
PTSA information and table in lobby
Map available in lobby
Locate first period classroom
6:10 - 6:38
Welcome and Information from Mr. Babe, Mrs. Hewitt, PTSA, and GT Research in Period 1
6:41 – 6:49
Period 2
6:52- 7:00
Period 3
7:03 - 7:11
Period 4
7:14- 7:22
Period 5
7:25 - 7:33
Period 6
7:36 - 7:44
Period 7
Families report to Quarter 1 classes only and do not report to Falcon Time Homeroom and they do not report to lunch on their students’ schedule.
We look forward to seeing you and partnering with you in your child’s education. Thank you for your time, your support, and your commitment to your child’s success.
Student Picture Day - September 24
The very special tradition of Picture Day is coming soon!
Student Picture Day is September 24. LifeTouch Studios will begin taking pictures promptly at 8:15am, so please make certain to have your child arrive on time. For Lifetouch ordering information, please visit our website. FQMS Picture Day ID: EVRPNMBWI
Family File (homework #1)
PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR STUDENT(S) FAMILY FILE before TUESDAY!
Family File Update - ALL Families. This must be completed each year - don't delay! We need updated information, including emergency contacts. Phone numbers, addresses and emails can change. Please do this today!
- Link: https://www.hcpss.org/connect/
- Directions: https://www.hcpss.org/f/connect/family-file-user-instructions.pdf
From our Career Readiness Advisor
Folly Quarter is excited to continue hosting a monthly Career Cafe during grade level lunch shifts for our 6th-8th graders to expose students to a variety of careers.
Once a month, an adult from our community is invited to speak with interested students about the responsibilities, rewards/challenges, required skills, and pathway(s) to their job.
Sign-up here to be part of our directory of parents, guardians, family friends, and/or community members that would be willing to volunteer once this school year to speak with a group of students while they eat lunch and engage. The speaker would need to be available from 10:30am-12:50pm to meet with students during each grade levels' respective lunch shift.
Feel free to reach out to Folly Quarter's Career Readiness Advisor with any questions: Pauline_Baek@hcpss.org.
From the Gifted & Talented Department
We are looking forward to a wonderful 2025-26 school year full of learning through research! G/T Instructional seminars are a great way to enrich the Folly Quarter middle school experience. Our research-based multi-disciplinary Instructional Seminars are open to all students. A complete list of seminars, with a link to sign up this academic school year, will be sent out to all students through Canvas in early September. Seminars will begin meetings at the end of September or early October. Have a great start to the school year!
Safety Protocols for Visitors, Volunteers, and Chaperones
Please be aware of the following procedures for any visitor to a school/office:
- The front door is the only entrance point for all visitors.
- Please ring the bell and look into the camera.
- Be prepared to provide your name and purpose for visiting.
- All visitors must walk directly into the front office with a valid photo I.D. and sign in using our LobbyGuard system.
- A visitor’s sticker will be given to visitors following the above procedures and must be worn and prominently visible.
- Any visitor in the school without a visitor sticker will be escorted directly to the front office by a staff member.
Are you interested in volunteering or chaperoning this year?
Each year, volunteers and chaperones must complete the mandatory training. Here is the location for the training and you can drop-off the completed certificates to the front office where they stay on file. We must have them on file prior to volunteering at school or chaperoning during the day.
Welcome to our new counseling intern
I would like to introduce Olivia Geiger, a graduate student at Loyola, who is getting her Master’s in School Counseling and will be working with Ms.Downey and our student services team through December. She may be attending upcoming meetings and will be working with the students in a variety of ways throughout the building. She has been a teacher in HCPSS for six years and is excited to be at FQMS!
School Meals and Free and Reduced Meals
For the 2025-2026 school year, the meal prices are as follows: breakfast $2.00, lunch $3.30, and milk $.50. You can access your student's lunch account here. Students will be given a PIN # to pay for lunch; cash is not accepted. Please ensure your student has this number before the first day of school.
Many HCPSS families are eligible to participate in the Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMs) program, which provides children with a wide range of benefits. Families are encouraged to verify their eligibility and submit a FARMs application as soon as possible. Families must submit a new application every school year. Details on Free and Reduced Meals can be found here.
Student Absences
If your student has to be absent from school, please submit a note to fqmsabsence@hcpss.org or send a note in with your child to submit to Student Services. Absence notes must be received within 5 days of your student’s return to school or the absence will remain unlawful.
- Students who are absent due to lawful reasons per HCPSS Policy 9010 will be considered Absent Excused.
When emailing a note, you will receive an automated message to verify that your email was received.
Please do not send attendance notes to your child's teachers. If you have any questions about your child's attendance, please email fqmsabsence@hcpss.org.
If you would like to request a discretionary absence, please complete the form found here: Discretionary Absence Request and email it to fqmsabsence@hcpss.org.
Please review the HCPSS Attendance Policy for further information.
Late Arrivals:
- Students will report to the front office to sign in and receive a pass when arriving late to school.
- Parents must send students in with a note or provide an email explaining the reason for the late arrival. Students who arrive late due to lawful reasons per HCPSS Policy 9010 will be considered Tardy excused.
Early Dismissals:
- We ask all early dismissals to occur by 2:00 PM to reduce disruptions to the end of the school day as our clerical staff are preparing for student dismissal.
- Parents/ Guardians will sign students out from the front office for early dismissals.
- Parents/Guardians are to show their photo ID upon arrival to confirm their eligibility to pick up the student in the family file.
- If you know that your student will have an early dismissal ahead of time, please send in a note or an email letting us know the time of the dismissal and the name of the person picking the student up. All attendance communications/questions should be sent to fqmsabsence@hcpss.org.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures for Car Riders- Please have your student inside the building by 7:45 AM
Link to information We have provided a map to follow the procedures. We want all students in class before 7:50 am to start their academic day on time. Please ensure that you arrive to school early so your student is not late to period 1.
Resources in our Community
Additional Resources/Supports:
After hours mental health support: If you have an immediate need for help with depression, suicidal thoughts, or other serious mental health issues, please contact:
Call or text 988
Grassroots Crisis Intervention at 410-531-6677
The Maryland Crisis Hotline: Dial 211 and then choose option 1
The Crisis Text Line: Text 741741 and a trained counselor will respond.
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255
After hours threat/safety concern: We encourage you to utilize Safe Schools Maryland, an anonymous and free system to report any school or student safety concerns, including mental health concerns. Safe Schools Maryland operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Anyone can call the tip line (1-833-MD-B-SAFE / 1-833-632-7233), complete an online form, or use the Safe Schools Maryland app.
HCPSS provides countless supports for students and families, and recognizes there are times when additional help is needed. Various reputable county, state and national organizations can provide assistance every day and during times of crisis. Visit the HCPSS website for additional resources: Family Supports and Resources
Additional services for residents in Howard County are available on the Howard County Government website.
The organizations listed are neither sponsored nor endorsed by HCPSS, and instead serve to extend resources available for students and families.