CJMS Weekly Updates

Good Evening, Cabin John Middle School Families!

This is your Principal, Ms. Snider with the Sunday announcements for the week of October 28 - November 1. Happy Diwali to all who celebrate! May this festival of lights bring joy, peace, and prosperity to you and your loved ones. Wishing our school community a wonderful celebration filled with warmth and togetherness.

We are excited to have our first SGA spirit days of the year this week. Tomorrow, Monday is college or school swag day, Tuesday is jersey or hat day, Wednesday is color day, check out your grade levels in the digital newsletter, Thursday is costume day, and Friday is spooky PJ day. Please remember for Thursday, no weapons or masks with any costumes. Also, all costumes must be school appropriate. We are looking forward to seeing everyone's spirit!

SGA is also throwing a Fall Movie Night on Friday, November 8th. You can play some games, eat some pizza, and watch the original Beetlejuice movie for only $5.00. The permission slip will come home later this week.

On Monday, November 11th, Cabin John will be having an open house during Periods 1, 2, 3, and Advisory. If you are interested in coming in and checking out your child's classes, please fill out the google form to pre-register. The pre-registration form allows us to plan better, speed up your entrance on Monday, November 11th, and continue to maintain Security and Safety. This will allow us to run the normal visitor check in ahead of time and create name tags in order to have them ready for you Monday morning.

If you pre-registered, on Monday morning when you arrive, you may enter at the main entrance and obtain your name tag from the greeting tables by showing any picture Identification. Name tags will be sorted by grade level and alphabetically. Please complete one submission for each adult attending the Open House on Friday. If you do not pre-register, you will need to check in using the normal Visitor Management System in the Main Office. Please note it will take extra time to run your ID through our Visitor Management System. Please pre-register by close of business on Wednesday, November 6th.

A final reminder for 8th Grade Families: The HS Special Program Applications are due November 1st. If you have any questions, please reach out to the counseling department.

Please remember the phone message just highlights some of the information you can find in our digital newsletter that arrives through email. There are lots of congratulations this week to students participating in and excelling in different activities! Please take a look for these celebrations and more opportunities!

We look forward to welcoming every back tomorrow into our Cabin John community focused on respect, positive relationships, and resilience.

Have a great evening!

Ms. Somer Snider
Principal, CJMS

Our digital newsletter can be translated into many different languages and the font can be adjusted so our entire community has access to what is happening in the CJMS community!

To adjust your view of the newsletter, click on the "accessibility" button. The button is a circle with figure in it. Once you click the accessibility button, the menu to choose the language or different font size will appear.

• Monday, October 28 to Friday, November 1 - SGA Spirit Week
• Friday, November 1 - Last Day of Marking Period 1
• Monday, November 4 - No School for Students, Grading Day for Teachers
• Tuesday, November 5 - No School for Students and Staff, Election Day
• Wednesday, November 6 - First Day of Marking Period 2
• Friday, November 8 - SGA Fall Movie Night, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
• Monday, November 11 - 8:15am to 11:00am - CJMS Open House - More Details to come!
• Wednesday, November 13 - MP1 Report Cards available in ParentVue
• Monday, November 25 - Early Release for Students (12:30pm Dismissal)
• Tuesday, November 26 - Early Release for Students (12:30pm Dismissal)
• Wednesday, November 27 - Friday, November 29 - Schools and Offices Closed

When: Friday, November 8th 2024 6pm-8:30pm

Where: CJMS Cafeteria

Movie: Beetlejuice (1988, Rated PG)

Tickets: May be purchased during lunch from 11/1 - 11/6

Description: SGA is hosting a Fall Movie Night on Friday, November 8th from 6:00-8:30 pm in the CJMS cafeteria. Tickets are $5 and will include 2 slices of pizza and a drink. Snacks will be available for purchase. Students will be able to enjoy the fun activities planned and the movie will start at 6:45pm.

Students interested in attending must bring the permission slip signed by a guardian in order to purchase their ticket at lunch between Friday, November 1st - Wednesday, November 6th! Tickets will NOT be sold at the door before the event, only during lunches. Permission slips will be released soon—stay tuned! For more information see or email Ms. Pun.

Please take time to review what students are currently learning in their classes this week at Cabin John Middle School in our weekly assignment summary.

Members of our Cabin John Chorus have prepared very hard for the Montgomery County Honors Chorus auditions the past few weeks! CJMS has the most amount of the students represented in the whole county! Please congratulate the following 21 students who were accepted into the Montgomery County Honors Chorus group!

Michael Ahn

Ivy Wang

Sky Hall

Isabella Rabitor

Alexa Gregory

Natalie Friedman

Hannah Hwang

Ryan Rosenbaum

Enerlen Ganbaatar

Ananya Bhat

Krystienne Tecson

Yasha Sharma

Miraya Sharma

Joy Liang

Alex Jison

Ashlyn Mancuso-Conyers

Ray Spivak

Jason Asuzu

Dimitris Balaras

Sammy Afolabi

Dev Chhatwal

The Cougar boys softball team played a near flawless game against Lakeland school last week. 8th grade captain Freddy Sharman had an impressive 2 home runs to start the game. 7th grader Michael Angelone had 2 RBIs. The infield had multiple single and double plays that allowed the Cougars to advance to the next innings with no contest. Rizzy Rana had a super athletic pop fly catch to close the inning off. The final score was 14-2. They face off with Julius West at home next Monday.

The Girls softball team faced off with Tilden middle school on the road. The team was led by 8th grade captain Violet Wilner who started the game with a home run. Katie Reich had 2 RBIs that pushed the team to maintain a lead of 6-1 for a few innings. The team played well in the field with multiple plays by Violet, Nicole Warren, and Saba Ciani-Dausch including a major pop fly. The team was led by the pitchers where 7th grade Makayla Bellamy had 2 strike outs and 8th grade Tessa Rosacker had a very impressive game with 9 strikeouts. The final score was 6-4.

Congratulations to both the boys and girls cross country teams for winning their meet on Thursday, October 24th, against Wood MS.

Livy Dickerson placed first and Savina Whang second. Laila Yunes placed fourth, smashing her previous time. Our boys took first through 8th places, with Patricio Pardo leading the pack with another impressive run followed by Jack Epperly, Josh Downey, Charles Liu, Nico Aguel-Martinez, Anay Sood, Aryan Juneja and Riyen Shah. All runners had a best time! Our next race is at CJMS, next Tuesday, come out and cheer on all of our runners!

We are delighted to share with you that twenty Cabin John MS students attended their first Model UN Conference of the school year on Saturday, October 19, at Holton-Arms Middle School (HAMUN 2024). This conference was attended by over 250 students. All of our Cabin John students were outstanding and our school delegation swept up 8 awards. We would like to recognize the following students:

• Elly Kamphaus received a Verbal Commendation representing Ecuador in the Commission on the the Status of Women - Access to Maternal Healthcare
• Spencer Lan received a Verbal Commendation representing China in the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space - Use of Satellites for Military Purpose
• Johnathan Chang received an Honorable Mention (3rd place) representing Nigeria in the United Nations Security Council - Combating the Spread and Impact of Piracy
• Rizzy Rana received and Outstanding Delegate (2nd place) representing Norway in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - The Protection of Journalists in Conflict Zones
• Ronen Yu received an Outstanding Delegate (2nd place) representing Portugal in the United Nations Security Council - Combating the Spread and Impact of Piracy
• Yihyon (Jayden) Hwang received Best Delegate (1st place) representing Syria in the Commission on the the Status of Women - Access to Maternal Healthcare
• Yigon (Ryan) Hwang received Best Delegate (1st place) representing "Magna Chambriard" in the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean - Indigenous Rights and Mineral Extraction in the Amazon
• Melinda Jiang received Best Delegate (1st place) representing "Hong Zhang" in the International Olympic Committee - Preventing Doping at the Olympic Games

Congratulations!

The Wootton Acatonics, Wootton High School’s premier all gender a cappella group, released their debut album on all streaming platforms this Thursday 10/10/24! The album titled “Don’t You Understand” features professional recordings of their award winning competition set from 2024.

The album is now available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and all other music streaming services. In addition to the album, the group has produced a music video for the three songs. That video can be found here: https://youtu.be/2IuTIZtGaSI.

The Acatonics are very excited to represent our entire Montgomery County community, and more specifically, our Wootton Cluster with this huge achievement. This is the community that raised them, supported them, and fostered their love of music. They are so appreciative of your support and hope that you will continue to support them with your song streams and views! The endeavor of competition season and recording an album is expensive. As they prepare for their 2025 competition season, please consider donating to them using this link: https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/75210/354/False/True. Any amount helps and goes a long way.

They are planning on representing our community this year in both Tennessee and in New York. You can also follow their year on Instagram using the handle @woottonacatonics or on Facebook as Wootton Acappella.

Questions or bookings? Please contact the Wootton Choral Director, Keith Schwartz, at Keith_A_Schwartz@mcpsmd.org. Congrats Acatonics!

Dear Students, Teachers, and Parents/Guardians,

We are excited to invite you to the Introduction Seminar for the 2025 Montgomery County Science Fair! ScienceMONTGOMERY is actively working on the planning of this next year's fair, and this seminar will help you stay informed and prepared.

We will cover essential topics including timelines, registration details, required forms, scoring criteria, general rules, and what to expect for the upcoming fair. Additionally, you'll learn about the Scientific Review Committee (SRC), the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Seminar Details:

• Date: Wednesday, October 30th, 2024
• Time: 7:00 PM (Virtual)

Once you complete this survey https://forms.gle/1JMBVrFKV4v67fUb9 you'll receive an email with further details, including the link to join the seminar. Please take a moment to fill it out to express your interest and help us plan accordingly. We look forward to your participation as we work together to ensure another successful Science Fair season!

Stay Connected:

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ScienceMONTGOMERY
• Twitter (X): twitter.com/Scimontgomery
• Zfairs Website: https://md-usmd03.zfairs.com

Best regards,

Fair Director

Attention 8th Grade Students: The HS Special Program Applications will be available late on October 4 in ParentVUE. Look for the individual eligibility report letter in the Documents folder. Review the offerings and programs in the letter and at the links on the MCPS website.

The application deadline is November 1. Speak with Mr. Thompson, Ms. Poole, Mrs. Green, or Mrs. McCutcheon with questions.

2024-2025 Resources: Grade 8 High School Regional and Countywide Programs

• High School Programs At A Glance for Grade 8. Includes Eligibility and Open House Dates. Programas de la escuela secundaria. Incluye elegibilidad y fechas de reuniones.
• High School Preview Presentation recording.
  Grabación de la presentación de los programas que se ofrece en las esquelas secundarias.
• High School Application Programs Eligibility listed by High School Cluster

• Frequently Asked Questions - Preguntas frecuentes

• Current Grade 8 High School Application Essays - A resource for parents, students and schools -Vista previa de los ensayos en la aplicación: recurso para padres, estudiantes y escuelas.
• Directions for private and home schooled students.
• Video on how to access the application. (Coming soon) Vídeo sobre cómo acceder a la aplicación. (Estará disponible pronto)
• ParentVUE Support Guide / Guía de Ayuda para Usar ParentVUE
• Instructions on how to change the language in ParentVUE. ¿Cómo cambio el idioma en ParentVUE?

• Request support from your student’s counselor with accessing the application (starting on 10/7/2024). Solicite ayuda al consejero de su estudiante para acceder a la solicitud (a partir del 7/10/2024).

Wootton Patriot Players is now in the process of presenting two different Fall Plays, Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are In A Play!” and Game of Tiaras, and we are more than excited. Elephant & Piggie, November 9-10 and 16-17, is geared more towards elementary students, while Game of Tiaras, November 8-9 and 15-16, is geared more towards middle school students.

Don't miss Wootton Patriot Players presenting Game of Tiaras on November 8-9 and 15-16 in the Thomas S. Wootton auditorium! Game of Tiaras combines hilarious plot twists of Game of Thrones and the Shakespearean tragedy King Lear in a laugh-out-loud comedy.

Attention Parents! We are looking for all parents that would be interested in helping with the Black History Heritage Month Celebration preparations.

If you are interested, please contact Tamara Hardy in the Counseling Office or by email at Tamara_A_Hardy@mcpsmd.org for more information.

Due to an increase in respiratory illnesses in the community, we want to remind parents that they should pay attention to their child's symptoms. If they are exhibiting excessive coughing, along with fatigue, shortness of breath or fever, they really do need to go to the doctor as they need to be monitored and treated if necessary. Respiratory viruses can lead to secondary infections that cause bacterial pneumonia which can be very serious and be spread to other members of the community that are more vulnerable such as the elderly or the very young. Students also need to stay home until they are feeling better and are less contagious.

In the interest of reducing the spread of respiratory illnesses, when students come to the health room with excessive coughing, we will give students a mask to wear and will be calling parents and requesting that they go home if they seem to be extremely fatigued, have a fever or are not feeling well. We appreciate your assistance in keeping the community safe and healthy. Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you so much for your continued support.

As always, we are here to help your child to thrive while at school! Please feel free to contact me (Brienne_B_Merritt@mcpsmd.org) if you have any questions or if we can be of assistance.

The D.C. chapter of INTEGIRLS is hosting a beginner-friendly, in-person math competition Saturday, December 14th from 9 am - 4 pm at the Bioscience Education Center at Montgomery College Germantown Campus! Our mission at INTEGIRLS is to encourage girls and non-binaries in STEM fields through math competitions and events.

This year, we will have math competition rounds (individual and team), an estimathon, a speaker event, awards ceremony, provided lunch, and lots of fun STEM activities. Teams of up to 4 students will be able to connect with and enjoy math with other girls and non-binaries around the DMV. There will be a lot of prizes and fun swag for all participants.

Register here directly or go to the INTEGIRLS D.C. website (dc.integirls.org) to learn more about the competition.

The Social Studies team is hosting a series of Curriculum Night webinars for families to learn more about how social studies is taught in MCPS and how its curricula in kindergarten through 11th grade incorporate the history of various ethnic and cultural groups. The webinars will be held from 6:30–7:30 p.m. on the following dates:

• Thursday, Sept. 12–Black and African American History
• Thursday, Sept. 26–Asian History
• Thursday, Oct. 10–Hispanic History
• Thursday, Oct. 24–Arab History
• Thursday, Nov. 7–Indigenous History of the United States
• Thursday, Dec. 5–LGBTQ+ History (Middle and High School Only)
• Thursday, Dec. 12–Jewish History

To attend, families must register at the above links and a link to attend the webinar will be sent to them.

The safety of our MCPS community is critical, and being able to communicate with students, staff, and families during severe weather or other emergencies is of the utmost importance.

Use this link to find all the ways you can connect with MCPS to receive emergency operational information from the school system. The current operating status options for the school district appear on the MCPS website and on individual school websites.

In the event of a change in operational status, this link will provide more information about the MCPS Operating Status options.

Resources for SSL:

• SSL forms, resources, and guidelines
• September SSL Opportunities
• SSL opportunities -September and Montgomery County Volunteer Center
• SSL program overview
• Step-by-step directions for viewing student SSL record on StudentVUE
• Introduction to SSL Handout: English | Español| 中文 | Français | tiếng Việt | 한국어 | አማርኛ | Portuguêse

This year we have 15 minutes at the end of each grade level lunch for student wellness time. During this time, students are allowed to go for a walk in the courtyard, play outside for recess (weather permitting), or play games in the cafeteria. Thank you to all the families who donated games to us on Back to School Night! If you have any old board games or activities appropriate for middle school age students, please feel free to donate them! We will put them to good use! All donations can be dropped off in the main office.

PTSA has also created a wellness wish list for us if you would like to purchase an item from the list. All items will be shipped directly to CJMS and used for our students wellness time. Thank you in advance for all of your generosity!

Welcome to our new CJMS PTSA Board that was voted in during the Back to School Night Welcome Back Fair! We appreciate you!

Please be sure to become a member of this important organization. Our PTSA is funded primarily through our memberships and donations.

Membership Information:

Family Memberships (2 parents) are $50

Student and Faculty Memberships are $10

General donations are welcomed.

Ways to join the CJMS PTSA:

**Preferred Method** AtoZConnect (payment can be made with any credit card) @ https://cabinjohnptsa.membershiptoolkit.com/

Mail in an application (send in your membership form with a check;

mail to Cabin John MSPTSA, Attn: Treasurer, 10701 Gainsborough Road, Potomac, MD 20854)

Questions? Send an email to PTSA Membership.

Our first meeting will be at the start of Back to School Night on August 28th. Please join us to hear more about how we can all support our CJMS school community!

Main Office telephone: 240-406-1600

Counseling Office telephone: 240-406-1560

Health Office telephone: 240-406-1570

FAX: 240-740-4403

website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/cabinjohnms/

The school day for students is from 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It is imperative that students not be dropped off prior to 7:55 a.m. Students being dropped off by parents/guardians at school must enter through the doors by the cafeteria. Parents/guardians, if you are using the student drop-off loop, please make sure to pull as far as possible to the stop sign at the end of the loop - students are not permitted to enter through the main office doors, so it doesn't help to drop them off at that location.

After school activities will start on September 10th and will be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Students must be picked up from after-school activities by 4:35 p.m. as supervision is not scheduled outside of these hours.

If you have questions about events, schedules or other school-related matters, including reporting the absence of a student, please call us at 240-406-1600.

If you need to report an absence and would like to submit a letter via email, please send an email to our attendance secretary, Ms. Jordan Murek (email: Jordan_Murek@mcpsmd.org). CJMS Attendance policies can be found here.

In an effort to keep our weekly newsletter shorter and more concise, I am not going to add the resources that appear every week. Instead, I will link our BTS newsletter here so you have easy access to that information.

Principal: Ms. Somer Snider

Assistant Principal (6th Grade): Mr. Casey Siddons

Assistant Principal (7th Grade): Mr. Andy Lee

Assistant School Administrator (8th Grade): Ms. Jen Wingate

Main Office Phone: 240-406-1600
Fax: 240-740-4403
Guidance Counseling Office: 240-406-1560
Health Room: 240-406-1570

Attendance Office: 240-406-1599 (to leave a VM)

Please call CJMS to notify us of your child's absence.

CJMS Attendance Office Procedures can be found here.

Email: Somer_Snider@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/cabinjohnms/
Location: 10701 Gainsborough Road, Potomac, MD, USA
Phone: 240-406-1600
X: @CabinJohnMS