#EagleNation Updates

• Feb. 5: Zoom Chat with the Principal (Re Change in Magnet Coordinator/ 7th Grade Administrator)

• Feb. 5: PTSA General Body Meeting

• Feb. 6: Report cards

• Feb. 14: Round 1 (Pilot Day of Morning Cellphone Storage)

• Feb. 17: Presidents' Day (Schools Closed)

• Feb. 24: Official Start of Cellphone Collections

• Feb. 28: Early Release

*NEW: EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR- Last Day of School is Now June 16. (June 13 is now a FULL day)

MCPS School Calendar 24-25

Eastern's 25-26 School Calendar

MCPS 2025-2026 School Calendar

Login for the Principal's Family Chat on Wednesday, February 5th. The goal is to share information about the transition of the Magnet Coordinator and 7th grade administrator, answer any questions and gather additional input from families. The virtual meeting has been moved to 6:30, just 30 minutes before the PTSA General Body Meeting and the link has been updated to the PTSA virtual link:

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 721 715 1047

Passcode: EMS2024

Thank you for continuing to partner with us on behalf of your children.

Report cards will be distributed on Thursday, February 6th. Be sure to ask your student for their report!

Eastern Middle School will hold a training for students on how to respond to an active assailant situation. This training will be held through normal classes on Thursday, February 6. This is not a simulation and we will not drill possible responses. Instead, students will be presented with a lesson where staff will review best practices and possible responses to different scenarios.

We think it is important that families are aware since the thought of preparing for such a serious incident can be impactful to our students. Unfortunately, we do need to think through how we would respond if faced with a difficult incident. Please talk to your child and encourage them to see a counselor if they need to.

On February 14th, we plan to show our love 🥰 to the entire EagleNation student body, by starting our practice of storing the phones (including smartwatches) away in the morning so they can enjoy a distraction free day of learning. Our leadership team has been working with staff, sharing information with parents and gathering input from other MCPS middle schools who are already successful in their implementation of cellphone (smartwatches) collections, such as our neighborhood friends at Takoma Park MS.

• Students will start at 8th period to turn in phones (including smartwatches) so the phones are already with the 8th period teachers at the end of the day.
  
• After cellphones are filed bins, the bins will be picked up by security on large carts which will be locked away in the main office.
• The main office will be able to retrieve a student's cellphone (including smartwatches) for early dismissal, just ask when you come to the office.
• The carts will allow us to move the phones out of the building so that in a real emergency we can redistribute the phones and children will be able to have them for emergency usage.

Timeline of Events (Cellphone/smartwatches collection)

2/4: There will be townhalls for each grade-level to explain the process and hear student feedback. We appreciate parents' support messaging the importance of having time without the cellphones (including Smartwatches).

2/14: We will hold our first school-wide cellphone (smartwatch) collection

Week of 2/17: We will not collect cellphones to allow for reviewing the processes to update areas that need support.

2/24: Official start of school-wide cellphone collections.

A Message from Eastern Middle School PTSA

Dear EMS Community,

Join us for the PTSA General Body Meeting on February 5th at 7:00 PM via Zoom. We’ll share the new schedule of PTSA events, updates on upcoming activities, and more.

Zoom Meeting Details:
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 721 715 1047
Passcode: EMS2024

We look forward to seeing you there!

Best regards,
Eastern Middle School PTSA

Checkout the latest at Eastern’s Library Media Center in the February Book Nook! Questions? Contact Library Media Specialist Mrs. Hughes (christina.n.hughes@mcpsmd.net)

Mandatory student expectation lessons were shared to ensure consistent messaging to students regarding building a Culture of Respect and the MCPS Code of Conduct. The training modules are mandatory asynchronous learning accessible on every student’s MCPS Canvas page. Each lesson will take approximately 45 minutes. The completion of the lesson is important which is why during the first quarter, we allocated in-school time to complete the module. Currently the Eastern student body has reached 67% completion and we would like to move closer to 100% completion to ensure all students have certified their understanding of the Code of Conduct and expectations for respect in schools.

This year’s annual student training module has two parts, and both are required learning experiences.

• Part one is the updated edition of the annual “Culture of Respect.” We must take an active role to ensure students are informed and able to recognize signs of bullying/cyberbullying, harassment (including sexual harassment), hate-bias incidents, hazing, intimidation, student gender norms, and how to use the Speak Up Protocol.
• Part two ensures that students are aware of key information in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Student Rights and Responsibilities and MCPS Code of Conduct documents. This training educates students on their expectations for creating a learning environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and knows the various ways to report alleged/concerning incidents.

For questions regarding the modules, please reach out to Mr. Kerwin at: matthew_f_kerwin@mcpsmd.org.

The January 30th Things to Know message includes information on kindergarten registration, which opens on Monday, Feb. 3; prekindergarten and Head Start registration, which will begin in March; commemorating Black History Month; ensuring safety should immigration law enforcement visit MCPS schools; the Dance Showcase on Feb. 7; the annual used car and computer sale on Feb. 22; upcoming student opportunities; the Girls With Impact entrepreneurship program’s spring session and more. Read the full message here:

Online registration for kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year opens on Monday, Feb. 3. Children who will be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2025 are eligible to register. Registration will be online through the ParentVUE portal. If your family is new to MCPS, you will need to create a ParentVue account here. For more information about eligibility and the registration process, visit the MCPS Kindergarten Enrollment webpage or contact your local elementary school.

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:
• Financial Assistant: Ms. Zhang: rui_zhang@mcpsmd.org

Counselors: (COUNSELING WEBSITE- RESOURCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH)

GRADE 6

• (Last Names A-Q): Ms. Meyer Jessica_A_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

• Online Bullying Reporting
• Formulario para Reportar Acoso, Hostigamiento o Intimidación
  

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