Hello BBMS families, We are beyond excited to begin the 2024-2025 school year on Monday, August 26th. When student arrive for the first day of school students will report to their Homeroom classes. Homeroom posters are posted throughout the building. In addition to schedules, your students will be provided with the following items to bring home:

Directory Withholding

Emergency Cards

Cafeteria News and Information

Pest Management Notice

Asbestos Management Plan

As we work to improve teaching and learning we do so with our updated core values. We are happy to share our BBMS Core Values below:

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 will receive information in their homeroom classes regarding updated policies and procedures for the school year. Please see linked an article which explains why we are taking this step.

We would like to thank our families who were able to attend our Family Orientation on Thursday. Any families that were unable to attend please see the presentation linked. We would also like to thank our families who attending our Back to School Picnic as well. Below are a few images from the event.

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

• New 6th graders will receive their chromebooks on Tuesday, August 26 through science classes.

• 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”.

Wheaton, MD (August 19, 2024) – Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will celebrate the start of the new school year with its annual Back-to-School Fair on Saturday, August 24, from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at Westfield Wheaton mall. This free event will feature family-friendly activities, entertainment, information and resources from the school system and from county programs and services.

Dozens of MCPS offices and departments, along with government agencies and community partners will provide information and resources to families.

This is the fifth year in which the fair has been held at Westfield Wheaton mall thanks to our partnership with Westfield bringing these valuable resources and information to the community.

Key highlights of the 2024 fair Include:

• School system staff answering questions about programs.
• Interactive activities for children and families from KID Museum.
• Live entertainment, including a DJ, Zumba dance performance and more.
• AskMCPS! table staffed with school system community navigators and representatives.
• Free Kaiser Mobile health screenings.
• Montgomery County Recreation Department.
• Representatives from local theater companies
• Free immunizations for children 5 years old and up.
• First responder mobile units.
• Health and wellness resources, including many focused on mental health.

The fair will largely take place in the mall’s North parking lot.

MCPS will offer free, round-trip shuttle buses between the fair and the following MCPS high schools:

• Gaithersburg High School, 101 Education Blvd., Gaithersburg
• John F. Kennedy High School, 1901 Randolph Road, Silver Spring
• Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd. East, Silver Spring
• Paint Branch High School, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville
• Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive, Rockville
• Wheaton High School, 12401 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring

The first shuttle will depart from high schools at 9 a.m. and the last shuttle will leave Westfield Wheaton at 2 p.m.Westfield Wheaton is located at 11160 Veirs Mill Road, Wheaton

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, 08/23.

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