Banneker Bobcat Family Bulletin
May 3, 2024
Hello BBMS families, please see the newsletter for updates regarding the 8th Grade Promotion, Promotion speaker auditions, and end of the school year activities. MCAP Math Testing will take place on Tuesday, May 7th and Wednesday, May 8th. Thursday, May 9th is the final day for after school activities. The Straight A Breakfast will take place on Friday, May10th, parents of students who earned straight A's will receive email communication next week.
8th Grade End of the Year Activities
This letter contains information regarding the events and celebrations to assist with your planning and preparation. Please review the information with your student and keep it for future reference.
Auditions for 8th Grade Promotion Speakers
We will be holding auditions for student speakers for 8th-grade promotion next week. Details are below.
Dates: Tuesday, 5/7-Thursday, 5/9
Time: 8th-grade lunch
Location: 225F
What: Students should prepare a short speech (no more than 5 minutes) to present at 8th-grade promotion. For the audition, students will read their speech to a small group of 8th-grade teachers, and those chosen will work with Mr. Scott to polish their speech.
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, May 7th: MCAP Math (All Students)
Wednesday, May 8th: MCAP Math (All Students)
Thursday, May 9th: NJHS Inductions
Thursday, May 9th: High School Athletic Director Visit (8th Grade Students Only)
Friday, May 10th: Straight A Breakfast
Tuesday, May 14th: Schools closed Primary Election Day
Wednesday, May 15th: MCAP Social Studies (8th Grade Students Only)
Thursday, May 16th: MCAP Social Studies (8th Grade Students Only)
Tuesday, May21st: MAP R (All Students)
Wednesday, May22nd: MAP R (All Students)
Monday, May 27th: School closed Memorial Day
Wednesday, May 29th: MAP M (All Students)
Thursday, May 30th: MAP M (All Students)
Tuesday, June 4th: 8th Grade Promotion RehearsalThursday, June 6th: 8th Grade Promotion Rehearsal
Monday, June 10th: 8th grade Main Event trip
Tuesday, June 11th: 8th Grade Promotion Rehearsal
Wednesday, June 12th: 8th Grade Promotion 6pm to 8pm Paint Branch High School
Thursday, June 13th: Last Day for Students/Early Release Day
PTSA
The PTSA is closing out the school year by supporting several events. Your help is needed too! You can volunteer for one or all of the events or you can send in a monetary donation to help us execute these events.
- Staff Appreciation Luncheon for approximately 120 people on Friday, May 10
- Straight A Breakfast for BBMS students on Friday, May 10
- Concession Sales for students participating in Destination Passport on Monday, May 13
- Ice Cream Social for approximately 700 BBMS students on Wednesday, May 22
This year has been full of ups and downs and we want to take a moment to recognize everyone for their commitment to navigating the day-to-day operations of a middle school. The PTSA would like to provide the staff members with catered lunch and breakfast items for students participating in the Straight A breakfast on Friday, May 10. Additionally as testing wraps up for the year, we would like to treat the kids to ice cream during their lunch periods on Wednesday, May 22. No donation is too big or small and will go a long way in celebrating the BBMS family. Click here to send a monetary donation or sign-up to volunteer for an upcoming event here. Email BBMSPTSA@yahoo.com for additional information
PTSA Session Recordings from 3/12/24
Upcoming Events
Free Summer Coding Camp for Middle School Students
Montgomery Can Code's FREE, weeklong summer camp is open to rising sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students. Kids will learn how to code with a programming language that creates world-class apps!
In-person camps start during the weeks of July 15–19 or July 22–26. A third week, available from July 29–Aug. 2, will be offered virtually.
Campamento de codificación de verano gratuito para estudiantes de educación intermedia
El campamento de verano GRATUITO de una semana de duración de Montgomery Can Code está abierto a estudiantes de sexto, séptimo y octavo grado. ¡Los niños aprenderán a codificar con un lenguaje de programación que crea aplicaciones de clase mundial!
Los campamentos presenciales comienzan durante las semanas del 15 al 19 de julio o del 22 al 26 de julio. Una tercera semana, disponible del 29 de julio al 2 de agosto, se ofrecerá virtualmente.
Common Sense Resources
Families, as a Common Sense School we wanted to share another resource from Common Sense Media about Digital Citizenship. This resource helps guide you through an activity about what to share online or electronically. We hope you find the Relationships & Communication activity helpful.
Title 1 Funding for School Year 2024-2025
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.
BBMS School Calendar.
BBMS After School Activities Weekly Schedule (Last Day May 9th)
TUESDAY ACTIVITIES:
Goal Setting Girls (6th Grade)
Peer to Peer Tutoring
Drama Club
WEDNESDAY ACTIVITIES:
Soccer
Cooking Club (8th Grade)
Step Team
SGA
Peer to Peer Tutoring (Every other Wednesday)
THURSDAY ACTIVITIES:
Goal Setting Girls (7th Grade)
Soccer
Cooking Club (6th and 7th Grade)
Step Team
NJHS
Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County (CRCMC) Partnership with BBMS
Benjamin Banneker Middle School and the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County had engaged in a 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.
Food Delivery Policy
This is a reminder that students can not have food delivered to school through a delivery service such as Door Dash or Uber Eats. If a student has food delivered to school that food will be held in the office and not given to the student during the instructional day. If a parent would like to bring food for their student they may do so during their students lunch period.
MCPS Would Like Your Feedback
Tell Us What You Think About Our Food
The Division of Food and Nutrition Services (DFNS) is still collecting feedback on what you want to see more of on school menus. Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey and give us your input. Survey results will directly impact menu development.
Chromebook Reminders
Recently, we sent home the Family Chromebook Agreement as a reminder of the purpose of the MCPS loaned Chromebook devices. Each time a person logs onto the device they agree to the User Responsibility for Computer Systems, the Students Rights and Responsibilities, and the Student Code of Conduct. Chromebook and charger obligations will be processed this year. We will use the repair cost document as guidance.
Banneker Boutique
We will be accepting donations to our new Banneker Boutique (a free store at BBMS). Help us stock the store by donating gently used clothes and/or shoes. Students will be able to shop at the store for free once a month during lunch. Donation bins will be in the school lobby in the mornings. Thank you for your support!
Gentle Safety Reminder for Drop Off
This is a gentle safety reminder as we are continue to develop our routines. When dropping your student off, please pull as far forward as you can before dropping your child off. Please let your child out of the car when they can exit directly onto the sidewalk. Also, please follow the directions of our staff members who are working to move traffic as safely and as quickly as possible.
2023-2024 BBMS BUS ROUTES (POSTED 9/19/2023)
Please review bus routes closely with your students as most route numbers have changed from the previous year. The attachment below includes the 2023-2024 BBMS Bus Routes. It can also be found on our school website.
Ride-On Transportation
The issue of safe and healthy bell times for teenagers has been plaguing MCPS, and no action has been taken toward achieving a bell time of 8:30 a.m. or later since 2015. MCPS claims that the issue is transportation, yet has neglected to conduct a study to assess the feasibility of achieving this goal.
ACTION REQUESTED: Please respond to Montgomery County's request for feedback on its Ride-On Reimagined initiative to request Ride-On bus routes serve MCPS High Schools. This may help MCPS implement later bell times. Please send an email to: rideon.reimagined@montgomerycountymd.gov
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.