Hello BBMS families!!! What an amazing week as we welcomed our Bobcats back to school. This week students learned about our core values of BOBCAT P.R.I.D.E. As a reminder, there will be no school on Monday, September 2nd in observance of Labor Day. Students will return to school on Tuesday, September 3rd.

The entire Banneker community is welcome to join the Bobcat chorus as we sing the national anthem for the Frederick Keys on Wednesday, September 4th. We will leave school at 4:30pm and return at 9:30pm. Cost $21.75 per person for students riding the bus. Cost for parents and siblings not riding the bus $10. Pay online at schoolcashonline.com.

Looking forward to singing with you.

For the 2024 - 2025 school year Benjamin Banneker Middle School is adopting the Cell Phone "Away All Day" policy. This policy includes additional personal media devices that distract from the teaching and learning process. Students received information in their homeroom classes during the first week of school regarding updated policies and procedures for the school year. Please see linked an article which explains why we are taking this step.

Attention 7th Grade Families:

Each year the World Studies 7 classes participate in the Finance Park curriculum. Students learn basic personal finance skills and the culminating activity is a free field trip to the FA Park facility at Albert Einstein High School! BBMS students are beginning their world studies classes with the curriculum and we are looking for adult volunteers to help facilitate the field trip on Monday, September 30 and Tuesday, October 1. Volunteers will run a “store front” and help students through various activities including developing and maintaining a budget.

If you are interested in volunteering, please see this flier for more information and to sign up! Mx. Cogdill and Mr. Van Scyoc's classes will be attending on Monday, September 30 and Mr. Jamison’s classes will attend on Tuesday, October 1. Please reach out to Ms. de Jong, the Social Studies Content Specialist, with any questions (Colleen_H_DeJong@mcpsmd.org).

Represent your ETHNIC HERITAGE @ the 2024 Annual Burtonsville Day Parade!!! Saturday, September 21st!

Come Dressed to Represent & Share the SITES & SOUNDS of your Native Culture; Bring the Exciting Energy of your Native Lands and Let's Dance & ENJOY as we Celebrate our Diversity and the Rich Cultural Fabric of our EAST COUNTY/NEC Community!

Parade Route starts at 10AM @ Paint Branch High School and Ends at 11AM @ Marilyn Praisner Recreation Center where an amazing Festival carries on till 3 & it's Free! Come out and line the parade route to see, celebrate and join in the fun!

NOW, if you want to BE IN THE PARADE and REALLY REPRESENT YOUR HERITAGE collectively please email us at parade@burtonsvilleday.org or register here https://forms.gle/oC1tF5UJpAQjEJp38.

***SSL Hours available for students participating in the Sea of Solidarity Section of the Parade! Just show up wearing BLUE with your Crew to represent your school community. Ask your school and student leaders for more information on how to participate or email parade@burtonsvilleday.org!

As the BBMS Community School Liaison, I work with staff, parents, and students to first determine which programs will benefit us best. Then I reach out to community organizations to bring valuable and diverse programs such as food markets, clothes drives, wellness programs, educational experiences, and much more! All with the goal to make experiences better on campus, and to engage as many people as I can in our peaceful community!

I am ready to help make this a great school year, and I hope to have your support!

Email: Carmen_moore@mcpsmd.org

Please see Chromebook information below:

• BBMS will continue to be 1 to 1 device school

• 6th grade students received their chromebooks during the first week of school.

• BBMS Family Chromebook Agreement states that

“Each student is financially responsible for damage caused or loss of any Chromebook and charger checked out to the student. The device is loaned and for instructional purposes only. No cost is associated with a student borrowing, possessing, or using an MCPS Chromebook. A family is only financially responsible when there is avoidable damage to the device. There is a charge for any lost or stolen devices or chargers.” Charges range from $25 to $300”.

Monday September 2nd: Schools and Offices Closed Holiday

Tuesday, September 10th: MAP-M Testing

Thursday, September 12th: Back to School Night

Tuesday, September 17th: MAP-R Testing

The Montgomery County Police Sports Club (PSC) aspires to be a premier youth serving organization with the primary objective of creating a consistent network of positive reinforcement, safety, and accountability for the youth. Competitive sports and recreational activities are the cornerstone of our youth development strategy. For more information on how to sign your student up for the PSC at Benjamin Banneker MS, please see the link below.

https://pscmoco.com/

The attachment below includes the 2024-2025 BBMS Bus Routes. It can also be found on our school website.

As our entire region adjusts to a return to school, MCPS wishes to remind families of the usual impact on traffic and the expectation of typical, but very few, bus route delays on some of our runs. This may be particularly true in areas affected by the Purple Line rail system construction. Due to the size and interconnectedness of our transportation system, we anticipate that the impact may be felt beyond just the immediate schools near the construction. Although delays are the exception, we know that traffic in our area can sometimes be challenging.

Need Help?

To address any concerns or issues with bus delays, we want to introduce the MCPS Transportation Hotline. This service will begin Monday, August 26, starting at 6:00 am to 5:00 pm, and will be available during the first week of school. MCPS transportation staff will be able to support families if questions, concerns or problems with a bus or bus stop need to be addressed. To access this service, call 240-740-7790.

We are excited to share that Benjamin Banneker Middle School will become a federally-funded Title I school in the 2024–2025 school year. Title I of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) requires that schools with the highest poverty in the district receive supplemental Title I funding. Please see the community letter below for more details.

Benjamin Banneker Middle School and the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County are excited to continue our partnership to support the Well-Being of our school community. The purpose of this school-based conflict resolution program is to provide the students and staff of Benjamin Banneker Middle School the opportunity to address and resolve student disputes with an “on-site” conflict resolution professional. The program will empower students to use the on-site Conflict Resolution Office to address and resolve disputes in constructive ways supporting a positive and safe learning environment. Additionally, students will practice restorative discipline principles that focus on: strengthening relationships, collaborative problem-solving, and student accountability. For more information regarding this partnership, please read the attached letter.

Cluster Project's Weekly Newsletter for Friday, 08/30.

English Version:

PBSB Newsletter

Spanish Version:

PBSB Boletin

MCPS has implemented a new online service to accept payments for school-sponsored field trips along with other school-related activities School Cash Online (SCO). To help reduce the confusion of remembering PINs, our online service provider no longer requires them. MCPS highly encourages everyone to sign up and use this service. By using this service, it makes it convenient for parents to make payments at their own convenience and minimizes loss of funds which often happens when carrying cash. The online system is a great way to keep track of student payments. Families can easily log into the system and see which activities are being offered to students and discuss which ones they would like to participate in.

For approved guardian(s) who do not currently have an SCO account, you will receive an automated email with an invitation to create an account.

For approved guardian(s) who already have a SCO account, but who have not yet linked their student(s) to their account. An automated email from SCO for each unlinked student will be sent to the guardian. The email will have an “Accept” button. If the guardian clicks the button, the system will attach that guardian’s child to their account automatically based on the student Information data.

SchoolCash Online: Subscription Process for Guardians

SchoolCash Online: Registration Instructions