#EagleNation Updates

• August 24: MCPS Back to School Fair at Westfield Wheaton
  
• August 26: 1st Day Of School
• September 2: Labor Day
• September 11: PICTURE DAY!!!
• September 19: Back To School Night

UPCOMING EVENTS

EASTERN'S School Year Calendar/ MCPS School Calendar 24-25

Join the entire MCPS community on Saturday, Aug. 24 for the annual MCPS Back-to-School Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Westfield Wheaton mall. The event is a wonderful opportunity for families to learn about the school system, and county programs and services. Enjoy free family activities, music, entertainment and giveaways. This year’s vendors include KID Museum, Glenstone Museum, Imagination Stage, Montgomery County Recreation, the Montgomery County Police Department’s Community Opioid Prevention Education trailer. Students and families will have assistance with ParentVue. There will also be a free immunization clinic.

Free shuttles to the event from six high schools will be available starting at 9 a.m. Visit the fair’s webpage for shuttle locations and departure times.

Many parents may want to drop off and pick up their students tomorrow and during the first week. Please familiarize yourself with Car Loop Procedures to ensure safety of all students and staff.

*Note: If students will regularly ride a bus, it is better for them to start on the first day to get familiar with the routines and ensure adults are clear on their travel plans.

ONE LANE ONLY

DROP OFF

• Time: 7:45 AM
• Enter: On FRANKLIN ONLY (You may not enter the car loop from University)
• EXIT: On FRANKLIN ONLY (Make the full loop to exit)
• DROP OFF: LOADING ZONE ONLY (See map below)
• AVOID: Do Not drop off students prior to reaching the LOADING ZONE. Avoid dropping students off on Franklin.

PICK UP

• Enter: On FRANKLIN ONLY (You may not enter the car loop from University)
• EXIT: On FRANKLIN ONLY (Make the full loop to exit)
• PICK UP: LOADING ZONE ONLY (See map below) Do not pick up in any area in red.
• AVOID: Do Not pick up students prior to reaching the LOADING ZONE. Avoid asking students to walk towards the car in the red areas.

DOs & Don'ts

• Do pack extra patience for the first week. Traffic is expected to be heavy.
• Do smile, as we are all glad to be back in school again.
• Do work with us to keep your student and other students safe.
• Don't disregard staff instructions.
• Don't disregard the instructions provided in the map.

As a reminder Eastern will continue with it's cell phone policy from the past two school years. We are working on developing new ways to enforce the policy because we KNOW, our children are safer during the school day when phones are OFF! Please plan to attend PTSA meetings where we will brainstorm on an upgraded plan. Eastern is an MCPS pilot school for the Away All Day policy which means MCPS is working with us on best practices and reasonable financial supports to help in our efforts this year. Please join us in figuring this out!

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REPOST: The Policy

As a reminder phones & all personal mobile devices (PMDs) should be turned OFF as we turn the learning ON during the school day!

• Technology that is necessary for learning is provided by the school.
• Parents/guardians are always welcome to contact the main office to communicate an emergency message to students.
• Cellphones and other Personal Mobile Devices (PMDs) are only allowed for use before and after school.
• Cellphones are not allowed during the school day.
• NEW: No electronics will be allowed for use in the cafeteria during lunch.

We are confident this will help students to focus on the valuable instructional time in-class and further develop other social skills throughout the day. If you have any questions, feel free to follow up with your student’s grade-level administrator: 6th Grade- Ms. Levin, 7th Grade- Mr. Kerwin and 8th Grade- Mr. Feamster.

Opening Week Bell Schedules

Students should report to Homeroom as the first period of the day on the first day of school, 8/26. Schedules are available in StudentVUE and ParentVUE and students will receive a copy of the schedules in Homeroom on Monday. If you have a concern about a missing or duplicate class on your schedule, please call the grade level counselor included below:

GRADE 6

• (Last Names A-Q): Ms. Meyer jessi_meyer@mcpsmd.org
  
• (Last Names S-Z): Ms. Birkett shondell_birkett@mcpsmd.org

GRADE 7

• (Last Names A-R): Ms. Greene- rachel_m_greene@mcpsmd.org
• (Last Names S-Z): Ms. Birkett- shondell_birkett@mcpsmd.org

GRADE 8

• Ms. Cwerner cayla_cwerner@mcpsmd.org

Our Eastern On-Site Emergency Team (OSET) met with our MCPS Security Cluster Coordinator this past week to review safety procedures, talk through emergency scenarios and prepare for emergency drills that will occur during the first week of school. We take emergency preparedness seriously as it is important to our students and staff.

We are so excited to welcome you to a new school year! On Monday, Aug. 26, close to 160,000 students will walk through the doors to begin the school year. MCPS is committed to excellence, and by working in partnership with our families and the community, we will pave the pathway to a bright future for all of our students. We encourage you to visit the Back-To-School Resource Website, including a list of back-to-school nights.

Stay Up-to-Date with Holidays, Professional Days and More with the School Calendar

• 2024-2025 Traditional School Year Calendar
  Spanish / Chinese / French / Português / Korean / Vietnamese / Thai / Thai

• 2024-2025 Innovative School Year Calendar (Arcola Elementary School only)
  español / 中文 / français / Português / 한국어 / tiếng Việt / ማርኛ

Eastern Middle School 7th graders will spend three weeks in world studies classes learning important ideas of financial literacy like saving, investing and budgeting.

Learning will end with a field trip to Finance Park at Edison High School to put into practice what they learned through a real-life simulation.

Students must shop for what they need to live and work but stay within their budget.

Eastern will need several parent volunteers each day January 15, 16, and 17, to support our students. To sign up click here or scan the QR code.

Thank you in advance for your support.

https://bit.ly/FinanceParkVolunteerEMS.

If you have not been vaccinated 7th graders, you will be excluded from school on Monday, September 16, 2024

Find a free vaccination clinic at the following locations and times:

**Loiderman Middle School:** September 10th, from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM

**Francis Scott Key Middle School:** September 11th, from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM

MCPS Division of Food and Nutrition Services (DFNS) works collaboratively with parents and other district staff to ensure an equal opportunity to participate in the school meal programs and receive program benefits. Schools make substitutions to meals for students with a disability; these substitutions are on a case-by-case basis and only provided when supported by a written statement from a state-licensed healthcare professional—such as provided on the Special Dietary Needs Form. Please find the forms included below and talk to your student's IEP Case Manager or School Counselor if you have questions about applying for Special Dietary Needs.

• Special Dietary Needs forms
• Cafeteria News and Meals and Information (Includes Menus)

If you have not already, please review the Principal's Welcome Back Letter.

Please join us on August 21st for our EagleNation Block party and on August 24th for MCPS' annual Back to School Fair!

• English Newsletter
• Spanish Newsletter

As a reminder, Monday, September 16, 2024: 7th Grade students who have not provided documentation of the required vaccinations must be EXCLUDED from school until such documentation is provided.

Immunization Clinic Schedule for Families

Find the MCPS handbooks which include guidelines developed for students of Montgomery County Public Schools which address Board of Education (BOE) policies and MCPS regulations. Updated online versions of all four handbooks are available on the MCPS website at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/students/rights/.

On this site you will find:

• Students' Rights and Responsibilities
• Student Code of Conduct
• Guidelines for Respecting Religious Diversity
• Guidelines for Student Gender Identity

• Sign up for the PTSA email group. It's FREE! Connect with other parents and receive important communications and reminders. https://groups.google.com/g/eastern-ptsa

• Become a member of the Eastern PTSA. Suggested donation: $10. Your contributions go to academic programs, teacher mini-grants, social events, staff appreciation meals and more. https://fspta-00016130.givebacks.com/store/items/709250

Emails and phone numbers for support in the school:

• Main Office: (240) 740-6280
• Admin Secretary: Ms. Perez: priscilla_b_smith@mcpsmd.org
• Attendance Secretary: Ms. Blanco: isaura_m_blanco-flores@mcpsmd.org
• Front Office Secretary: Ms. Alexander monica_s_alexander@mcpsmd.org
• Financial Assistant: Ms. Zhang: rui_zhang@mcpsmd.org

Counselors: (COUNSELING WEBSITE- RESOURCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH)

GRADE 6

• (Last Names A-Q): Ms. Meyer jessi_meyer@mcpsmd.org
  
• (Last Names S-Z): Ms. Birkett shondell_birkett@mcpsmd.org

GRADE 7

• (Last Names A-R): Ms. Greene- rachel_m_greene@mcpsmd.org
• (Last Names S-Z): Ms. Birkett- shondell_birkett@mcpsmd.org

GRADE 8

• Ms. Cwerner cayla_cwerner@mcpsmd.org

Administrators:

• Principal - Ms. Shorts: lisa_n_shorts@mcpsmd.org
• 6th Grade Assistant Principal- Deidre Levin: deirdre_m_mcshealevin@mcpsmd.org
• 7th Assistant Principal- Matthew Kerwin: matthew_f_kerwin@mcpsmd.org
• 8th Grade Assistant Principal- Charles Feamster: charles_s_feamster@mcpsmd.org

Family Supports:

• Parent Community Coordinator - Mirna Medrano-romero: mirna_a_medrano-romero@mcpsmd.org
• PTA President- Shripal Shah: eastern.ptsa.president@gmail.com

Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/easternms

Location: Eastern Middle School, University Boulevard East, Silver Spring, MD, USA
Phone: (240) 740-6280
X : @EasternMS_Prin