Weekly Update
Farmland Weekly UpdateWeek of July 27, 2026
Good afternoon, Farmland Families,
It is almost time to return to school! We hope your summer is going well and that your family is enjoying these last few weeks before the new school year begins. We are excited to welcome everyone back to Farmland soon!
Farmland uses ParentSquare to communicate with families. Please make sure your email address and contact information are up to date in your ParentVUE account to ensure you receive important school information throughout the year.
Beginning August 9 and continuing each Sunday evening throughout the school year, I will send a ParentSquare message with school updates and important information for families. We encourage you to read these messages each week. Classroom teachers will also share weekly newsletters through ParentSquare with information specific to their classroom. Emergency information and urgent updates will also be communicated through ParentSquare.
We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, and look forward to seeing our Farmland students and families in a few weeks as we begin another great school year together!
Farmland Updates
Contact Information
Warm regards,
April
April D. Longest
Principal
Farmland Elementary School
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Farmland families, we need your help with enrollment! Student enrollment directly impacts our staffing allocations, so every student counts.
Recently, Central Office reviewed our current and projected enrollment numbers. Because our current enrollment is lower than what was projected at the end of the last school year, two teaching positions were reallocated from Farmland. Based on MCPS transfer procedures, the teachers selected for transfer are determined by seniority within MCPS and are not based on grade-level needs or teacher performance.
As a result, Ms. Julia Herman and Ms. Caroline Eayrs were involuntarily transferred to other schools within Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). This was a very difficult process for our school community. Ms. Herman joined Farmland after teaching at Takoma Park Elementary and had yet to start at Farmland. However, Ms. Eayrs taught 5th grade at Farmland last year. Ms. Eayrs is an outstanding educator who made a tremendous impact on our students, and we are grateful that she will continue to share her talents with students at another MCPS school.
I want to clarify that the decision regarding which staff members are involuntarily transferred is not made at the school level. These decisions are determined through MCPS procedures and are based on a staffmember's years of service within MCPS. When multiple staff members have the same seniority, Human Resources uses additional criteria, such as the date an employee received their offer of employment, to determine placement.
Following these changes, we made adjustments to staffing and grade-level assignments to best support the needs of our students. These decisions are based on staff certifications, experience, and the instructional needs of each grade level. At this time, we are holding off on sharing specific grade-level assignments, as ongoing enrollment in the coming weeks might result in additional staff changes before the start of the school year.
The good news is that our enrollment continues to grow. Last Friday, we welcomed five additional kindergarten students, and we currently have approximately nine additional students who are in various stages of the enrollment process.
We need your help! If you know of families who plan to attend Farmland this school year but have not yet started or completed enrollment, please encourage them to begin or complete the process as soon as possible. Central Office will review enrollment again during the second week of August, and additional students could make a significant difference in maintaining our staffing.
Below is a comparison of our spring enrollment projections and our current enrollment as of July 24, 2026.
Thank you for helping us spread the word. We appreciate your partnership and look forward
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Farmland Family Summer AdventuresHow did you spend your summer? We have created a Google Slides slideshow that our Farmland families can use to share their summer memories with our school community!
Using the link below, please select a slide, add your child’s or family’s name, and share a little about your summer adventures. You are welcome to include photos too! Click here to insert your pictures.
The slideshow will be featured on the foyer video display during the first few weeks of school so students and staff can enjoy seeing the fun experiences and memories from summer.
We can’t wait to see what you have been up to this summer!
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A Few Helpful RemindersSchool Supply List
Please click here to access the suggested school supply lists.
Families in grades 1 through 5 can bring school supplies during Meet the Teacher.
Kindergarten families, please hold onto your school supplies until classes have been finalized.
Farmland Bus Routes Are Not Yet Available
Farmland's bus routes will be posted sometime in August. Please click this link to access the MCPS Transportation Website where the routes and information from the Bethesda Depot will be posted. If you don't see our routes, please continue to check back each week, including just before school begins.
Before and After School Care
Kids After Hours is our daycare provider. For more information about the program, or to sign up your child/ren, please click here.
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As we prepare for the start of the school year, please take a moment to review the important dates below.
We want to highlight that there will not be a separate Kindergarten session during Back-to-School Night on Thursday, September 17. Instead, our Kindergarten team will provide a dedicated Kindergarten Orientation/Back-to-School Presentation on Friday, August 21, from 9:30–10:30 a.m. Feedback from families has shown that Kindergarten parents appreciate having this opportunity before the start of the school year, allowing them to receive important information and ask questions earlier rather than waiting until our September Back-to-School Night.
Additional dates will be added as they become available.
Please ensure you have all MCPS No School days and Early Dismissal Days marked on your calendars. You can find those by clicking here.
August
September
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Administration
Mrs. April Longest, Principal (Kindergarten and 3rd Grade)
Ms. Pam Strauss, Assistant Principal (2nd Grade and 5th Grade)
Mrs. Kharima Wilson, Assistant Principal (1st grade and 4th grade)
Administrative Assistances
Health Room Contacts - We will be updating this information when it is available.
Food Services
Mrs. Olga Cardenas, Food Svc Satellite Mgr II - For questions related to menu or lunch accounts
PTA President
School Hours
Doors Open: 9:15 pm
Bell Rings: 9:25 am
Dismissal: 3:50 am
Office Hours
8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Office Phone: 240-740-0660
School Address: 7000 Old Gate Rd, Rockville, MD 20852
Early Release Schedule
9:15 am Doors open
9:25 am Bell Rings
1:20 pm Dismissal
No Recess
Two-Hour Delay Schedule
11:15 am - Doors open
11:25 am - School Day Begins
(No recess on a delayed opening
Important Links
Late Arrival / Early Dismissal Form - Coming Soon
Transportation Survey Link - Coming Soon
Farmland Master Schedule Coming Soon
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