Hello BBMS families!!! We had a wonderful week of teaching and learning. Thank you to all the families that attended Back to School Night on Thursday. The event was well attended and we hope that families valued the information that was shared. If you were unable to attend, please see linked the presentation from the general session. Below is the QR code to provide feedback

Tuesday, September 17th: MAP-R Testing

Students who completed Student Service Learning (SSL) hours over the summer must submit their Activity Verification forms to their schools SSL coordinator by Friday, Sept. 27.

All MCPS students must earn 75 SSL hours to graduate from high school. Students who enroll in MCPS after Grade 6 will receive a waiver that prorates the SSL requirement.

A full list of SSL in-person and virtual opportunities, reminders and updates are available on the SSL website.

Benjamin Banneker Middle School After-School Activity Programs will begin on September 24th. See attached schedules and website for specific dates of activities. New clubs may be added so check back from time to time.

Signing the Permission Form acknowledges that you are agreeing to the terms and conditions set by the Montgomery County Public Schools and Benjamin Banneker Middle School regarding every student’s rights and responsibilities to participate in activities after school hours.

Signing the Permission Form also acknowledges that you are permitting your student to attend an activity or activities sponsored by Benjamin Banneker Middle School, Montgomery County Public Schools and their staff members.

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). We are especially looking for volunteers who speak Tagalong on September 30 and French on October 1 to help support some of our EML students.

The Holiday Giving Project has provided Thanksgiving and December holiday assistance to low-income households for over 30 years. Local non-profits, faith-based organizations, and public agencies serve Holiday Giving recipients, as donations are available. If you and your family are in need and would like to be referred for possible assistance for the holiday season, please fill out the Holiday Giving Project Referral and Consent form with the required information. Please return the completed form to BBMS Counseling Office or email to Taryn_E_richards@mcpsmd.org by October 25th. Paper copies will be available in the counseling office as well. Resources are limited: please apply only if you and your family are truly in need. While a referral is not a guarantee of assistance, the Project helps as many families in need as donations allow. Please contact Taryn_E_richards@mcpsmd.org with any questions.

Remind is a messaging platform that has been implemented in all schools this year for communication among MCPS schools, teachers, students and parents. School staff, central office staff, students and parents all have Remind accounts to enable them to send and/or receive messages using a preferred mode of communication, such as text message, email or phone call in their preferred language.

Parents don’t have to sign up for Remind or download an app to receive messages. Messages will be sent to the email and phone number registered with the school, and parents will automatically receive messages when they are sent. If parents wish to respond to a message, they will need to download the app or create an account on the website. See below for information on how to download the app.

YouTube video on how to use Remind

Parent Quick Guides

English, Spanish, French, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Amharic

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!

ATTENTION MCPS! The Montgomery County Board of Elections is in search of civic-minded students grade 6-12.

Since 2004, the Montgomery County Board of Elections has conducted the Future Vote Initiative to encourage students from grades 6 to 12 to participate in elections. To date, +52,000 students have participated in the Future Vote, including over +12,000 who have served as election workers after their sixteenth birthday. The program also provides an experience for young people that will shape their values and character and give them an understanding of what it means to exercise their vote and empower others to do the same. To apply, review the registration instructions provided here: 2024_FV_Registration_Instructions_03292024-2.pdf (montgomerycountymd.gov).

Future Vote deadline is October 16, 2024, with mandatory training held from October 8-17, 2024. Training information, dates and locations provided during registration.

• FV FAQs Montgomery County Board of Elections: Future Vote FAQs (montgomerycountymd.gov)
• Future Vote Recognition by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission Montgomery County MD 2018 Clearinghouse Award Winner | U.S. Election Assistance Commission (eac.gov)

Students 16 years or older are eligible to register to vote and serve as election poll workers. Each minor must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Maryland State Board of Elections, that they meet all qualifications for voter registration in the State. Each student will earn a minimum $250 stipend or up to 25 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours per full day of service. Individuals who served at the polling places or early voting in previous elections will receive a $100 bonus per full day served ($50 for half-day shifts). To serve in this paid volunteer position election workers must be U.S. citizens, registered to vote in the State of Maryland, able to speak, read, and write the English language, and cannot hold, or be a candidate for, public or party office. In addition, election workers may not serve as campaign managers for candidates or as treasurer for any campaign finance entity. Training is required and will be provided to election workers. This includes an online quiz and in-person classroom training held now through October. Volunteers will be paid for completing training and working during Early Voting and/or on Election Day. Due to the diversity within the county, voters who speak multiple languages are encouraged to apply. We offer several different positions, full-day, and part-day. To apply, text SERVE to 77788, or EJ Connection - Montgomery County Board of Elections (montgomerycountymd.gov). The Maryland voter registration deadline is Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

• High School Election Worker FAQs High School Poll Workers - Montgomery County MD
• Position Description & Stipend/SSL Amounts Montgomery County Board of Elections - Election Worker Job Descriptions (montgomerycountymd.gov)

You are cordially invited to attend our Opening Ceremony being held on Saturday, September 21, at 9:00a.m. - 11:30a.m. During this time, parents and students will meet our Saturday School Staff and learn more about the extended learning opportunity. Please email Troy_A_Horsley@mcpsmd.org

or Lakesha_N_McMillian@mcpsmd.org if you are interested in attending or having your student volunteer for SSL hours.

English
PDF Download – Calendar At-A-Glance

Español
Descargar PDF – de un vistazo

Français
Téléchargement PDF – en un coup d’oeil

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

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.

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”.

This portal will help you find solutions to your questions about MCPS programs. You can use this page to search for guides, videos, or get your questions answered through a virtual agent. Please click on the portal's support guide for additional information. If you need support using the portal, we have provided the support guide.

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.

Here are the Cluster Project's Weekly Newsletters for Friday, 09/13.

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