CJMS Weekly Updates

Good Evening, Cabin John Middle School Families!

This is your Principal, Ms. Snider with the Sunday announcements for the week of November 13 - 17. It was a pleasure to see so many parents at the Open House last Friday. Happy Diwali to our families celebrating. May your year be as colorful and joyful as the Diwali colors. CJMS grade 8 student, Tavishi Ghosh Dastidar explains with her family about this festival of lights in this video.

Marking period 1 report cards went home with students on Thursday, November 9th, and are also available on ParentVUE.

As a reminder, students are not permitted to take their Chromebooks home this year. Students who attend Churchill HS for Period 1 are an exception to this rule. Students should be leaving their Chromebooks in their Period 8 classes to charge for the following day. We are asking for your cooperation to ensure your child is not bringing their device home. If your child needs a device for home use, please complete this request form.

CJ Winter 2023 athletics online registration for Boys and Girls Basketball will be submitted through the ParentVUE Portal. The portal opened on Oct. 30th and the portal will close on Dec. 5th, 2023. Tryouts for Girls Basketball will take place Dec. 5th-7th and tryouts for Boys Basketball will take place Dec. 12th-14th. Both will be from 3:15pm to 4:20pm. See more details in the newsletter portion of this message and on the Athletics webpage.

This week's newsletter has many opportunities happening in the upcoming weeks. Please take the time to read through them and take advantage.

We look forward to welcoming everyone on Monday into our Cabin John community focused on respect, positive relationships, and resilience.

Have a great evening!

Somer Snider

Principal, CJMS

Our digital newsletter can be translated into many different languages and the font can be adjusted so our entire community has access to what is happening in the CJMS community!

To adjust your view of the newsletter, click on the "accessibility" button. The button is a circle with figure in it. Once you click the accessibility button, the menu to choose the language or different font size will appear.

• Thursday, November 9 - MP1 Report Card available on ParentVue

• Friday, November 10 - Open House (8:30 am - 10:45 am) - More details to come

• Monday, November 20 & Tuesday, November 21 - Early Release Days

• Wednesday, November 22 - Friday, November 24 - No School for Students and Staff

• Wednesday, November 29 - Picture Make-up Day

(Order today on mylifetouch.com using your Student ID or Picture Day ID: EVTR7RBV8)

• Friday, December 1 - Choral Winter Concert @ Churchill HS, students report by 5:45, the concert starts for the public at 7pm
• Wednesday, January 10 - Band Concerts @ Wootton HS, students report at 6pm, the concerts start at 7pm
• Wednesday, January 17 - Orchestra Concerts @ Wootton HS, students report at 6pm, the concerts start at 7pm

Please take time to review what students are currently learning in their classes this week at Cabin John Middle School in our weekly assignment summary.

We are again offering an amazing lineup of freshly picked citrus and cheesecake just in time for the holidays. All items will be delivered to CJMS for an outside pickup on our loading dock Dec 8.

Proceeds will be used to help support our music program's academic and traveling needs this year.

All sales are online here until November 19th. It’s an easy process. If you are making a purchase for your own family, simply find your child’s name in the checkout process so their group receives sales credit. If you have friends or family supporting our program, they can select your child’s name in the checkout for sales credit.

Anyone in the US can order the designated gift items for their friends and family which can be shipped anywhere in the US, again CJMS will benefit from their purchase of gift items.

Thank you for your support!

The Winter sports season is fast approaching and below is all the information about registration and tryouts. In the Winter, MCPS offers Boys and Girls Basketball for 7th and 8th graders.

Winter 2023 interscholastic athletics online registration for Boys and Girls Basketball will be submitted through the ParentVUE Portal, it will open on Oct. 30th and the portal will close on Dec. 5th, 2023.

Both the ParentVUE portal registration and supporting documents (SR-8 Doctors Physical and Medical Clearance) must be completed prior to the 1st tryout.

• Tryouts for Girls Basketball will take place Dec. 5th-7th from 3:15-4:20.

• Tryouts for Boys Basketball will take place Dec. 12th-14th from 3:15-4:20.

All athletics practices and contests are held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays when it is a full day of school. Practices are 3:15-4:20 and all contests start promptly at 3:30.

A detailed walkthrough of the registration process can be found at the following link if needed.

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/cabinjohnms/clubs/athletics/

Any questions regarding the registration process or athletics can be directed to our Athletic Coordinator, Mr. Blumenthal, at David_J_Blumenthal@mcpsmd.org

Come out Wednesday, November 16th @ 6PM at CJMS to hear how your student can take a trip of a lifetime to Budapest, Vienna and Prague.

Use the link to RSVP your attendance. https://bit.ly/3QHWT04

Contact Mr. Siddons and Ms. Roarty for more details.

NOTE: EF Tours are NOT sponsored by MCPS.

Did you miss the chance to join CJMS Model UN Fall Session? Then come and join us for the 8-week Winter Session starting on November 30 - January 25.

Global Minds offers three 8-week instructional sessions (Fall, Winter and Spring) throughout the year, and serves as administrators to register students in local Model UN conferences at the U.S. Department of State, universities, high schools and middle schools throughout the DMV area.

Date & Time: Winter Session starts, Thursday, November 30 at 3:15pm - 4:15pm (8 weeks). Ends on January 25 (meet in Ms. Gotteman's classroom, Room 1221)

Cost: $200/session (8 weeks)

We encourage students who need financial aid to contact us at globalmindsmun@gmail.com

Best Buddies is a club which gives you the chance to get to know new friends and hang out with students who are often left out, because they have disabilities. The mission of Best Buddies is to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships.

Go to the CJMS website today and fill out your membership application to join!

Join the CJMS coding club, a club where students will learn the foundations of computer science and the basics of programming languages such as Python and will use those skills in fun projects and exercises. For more information about the club, visit this link: https://tinyurl.com/CJcode2324

This club is very beginner-friendly, open to anyone with any level of experience in programming. Students will be taught the fundamentals of computer science through the widely-used and popular programming language Python and will be given projects to help them develop their programming skills as well as logical and problem solving skills. This club is completely free, and students will need nothing but their laptops or school-provided chromebooks.

If you are interested, email cjmscoding@gmail.com for more information and register by October 30.

It is time to think about s'mores, sledding and winter registration. The lineup for winter programs from Montgomery:

• Monday, Nov. 13, registration opens for Recreation (County residents only) and Parks winter programs and activities beginning at 6:30 a.m. Registration for Recreation's Bone Builders will open at 9 a.m.

• Wednesday, Nov. 15, registration opens for non-County residents for Recreation programs.

• Tuesday, Dec. 19, registration opens for Ice/Tennis Winter Term I, beginning at 6:30 a.m.

• Friday, Feb. 16, registration opens for Ice/Tennis Winter Term II, beginning at 6:30 a.m.

Visit ActiveMONTGOMERY.org for program registration.

ORDER THE 2023-2024 YEARBOOK TODAY!

The yearbook staff is working diligently on this year’s yearbook.

Be sure to remember to order by 1/26 to guarantee your yearbook this year.

Order your yearbook at www.jostens.com or CLICK HERE or call 1-877-767-5217.

Parent Academy TO GO is designed to inform and empower families as advocates and partners in their children's education. Workshops provide families with useful information and resources to support their children's academic and emotional well-being, as well as help them to be college and career ready. Through a variety of learning opportunities hosted by MCPS staff and community partners, we hope to strengthen our engagement with families and the community. We recognize that behind every successful student are supportive families, teachers, school staff and community members who take an active role in educating our students.

Monday, Nov. 13 – Parent Academy: Parenting Strategies for Managing Behaviors

Tuesday, Nov. 14 – Parent Academy: Sharpening Phonics Skills at Home

Thursday, Nov. 16 – Board of Education’s Facilities and Boundaries Decisions

Thursday, Nov. 16 – Parent Academy: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Teen Dating Violence

We are inviting all of our wonderful cluster schools to please come out and cheer on our Boys Churchill Varsity Football Team this Friday evening at 6:30pm.

Our Varsity Team plays Gaithersburg in the 4A West Region Semifinals at Churchill High School. Also, ABC 7 Sportscaster Scott Abrams will once again be broadcasting and pre-filming and our very own Bulldog Mascot will be there too!

Many of you and your families have been our #1 fans throughout the season. We hope to see you there!

Please purchase all Tickets HERE.

Eligible residents must have an email address and a library card to make an appointment online at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/computer when the computer distribution program opens in November.

If a resident needs assistance to make an appointment, they should call the Marylander Online Help Hotline at 301-405-9810, from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday to Friday or from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Saturday. Help is available in English and Spanish and in other languages upon request.

Residents also can visit any Montgomery County Public Library in person to receive a library card or apply for one online. Click here for full details.

MCPS is hosting a series of forums to learn more about the process for the 2024–2025 operating budget. Join us for a discussion with MCPS leadership and an opportunity to engage in breakout sessions. Please let us know whether you will attend and whether you will need Spanish or American Sign Language interpretation. Events will be held:

• Tuesday, Nov. 14, 6:30-8, Walter Johnson High School, 6400 Rock Spring Drive in Bethesda. RSVP.

As new cases of COVID-19 increase locally, we have seen outbreaks occurring in multiple schools across the county. Temporary outbreak precautions for individual classrooms where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly helps prevent spread to vulnerable individuals and to the rest of school.

Check out the FAQ page for more information about how outbreaks are managed.

The newly approved COVID-19 updated vaccine will be available in our area in the next few weeks. For information about COVID-19, influenza and RSV vaccine availability, refer to Vaccines.Gov.

All Montgomery County Public Schools students must earn 75 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours to graduate from high school. Middle school and high school students should continue earning SSL hours towards this state graduation requirement by engaging in SSL opportunities during the 2023-2024 school year, including traditional in-person opportunities and select virtual/remote opportunities that follow the SSL guidelines posted on the MCPS SSL webpage

CJMS SSL Coordinator is Ms. Jennifer Poole (Jennifer_A_Poole@mcpsmd.org).

The Youth Cruiser card is a SmarTrip card that provides free rides, on all MCDOT buses and most Metrobuses within the County, to Montgomery County residents under 19 years old. Value can be added to the card for use on Metrorail, Metrobuses outside the County, and other transit systems in the metropolitan area.

Get your card now at any MCPS middle or high school location or any Montgomery County Public library.

Learn more at http://ow.ly/sagl50JOBsh.

MCPS has developed a new Pathways to College, Career, and Community Readiness

Learn more about the Pathways in these videos: English and Spanish.

Additionally, there are parent resources:

• English: Middle School

• Spanish: Middle School

• Vietnamese: Middle School

• Korean: Middle School

• French: Middle School

• Chinese: Middle School

• Amharic: Middle School

• Portuguese: Middle School

Remind is a messaging platform that will be used to communicate among MCPS schools, teachers, students and parents. School staff, central office staff, students and parents will 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 and in their preferred language.

Parents will receive a text message or email notification from the teacher(s). Parents can log into their Remind account via the web or using the Remind app. Get the Remind app here.

• Remind Parent Quick Guide

• Remind Getting Started for Parents [Video]

Montgomery Recreation’s out-of-school programs are back this fall, providing a safe environment for a variety of activities including sports, arts and crafts, dance, cooking and STEM.

Club Adventure is an after-school program for children from kindergarten through fifth grade. For $75 per month and available at 10 locations, Club Adventure features fun, after-school programming.

Club Friday is a weekly Friday night event for children in third through sixth grades that includes a DJ-led dance party, bingo, raffles and other special events. Register now through Active Montgomery.

Also returning this fall are the youth development after-school programs including Excel Beyond the Bell, RecZone, RecXtra, Soccer4Change, TeenWorks and more. Visit the Montgomery Recreation website to learn more about the programs.

MCPS is offering out-of-school programming for elementary and middle school students throughout the 2023-2024 school year.

Families are invited to take advantage of a host of activities for students on four days: Oct. 9, Nov. 1, Jan. 29 and April 10 when schools are closed for students.

Students can participate in person or virtually. The cost is $15 a day. For a list of activities, sign up with the following links for Kids Day Out and Teens Day Out. For additional opportunities, visit the MCPS out-of-school time webpage.

Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office of Montgomery County is hosting a contest that challenges teens to create an original video to promote awareness of the dangers of opioid abuse or overdose and fentanyl among teens. The video contest is open to all students grades 6 through 12 living in Montgomery County.

The top prize is $1,000; second place is $750; third place and fan favorite winners will receive $500.

Students can enter the contest on their own or as a group; however, students may only participate in ONE entry. If a student in any way participates in more than one PSA video, all of those entries will be disqualified.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER and for step-by-step information on how to upload your video.

You can easily find valuable district information and community resources for students, staff, and families on the MCPS homepage and at the top of every school website. MCPS is committed to the physical, social, and psychological well-being of its more than 160,000 students and over 24,000 employees.

• Student & Family Support / Mental Health Resources

• Be Well 365 Resources by School

• Mental Health and Crisis Support

• MCPS Stronger Student mobile app

• Apple Store

• Google Play Store

• LGBTQ+ Information

• Other Mental Health and Wellness Resources

Common Sense Media articles provides tips for parents to help their kids manage phone use and find a healthy balance between screen time and other responsibilities.

Consider using the Common Sense Media Family Media Agreement to spark a conversation.

Articles:

How Can I Get My Kids to Put Down Their Phones?

4 Conversations to Have with Older Kids and Teens About Their Screen Time Habits

How to Help Teens Manage the Effects of Social Media on Their Mental Health

The Office of Special Education (OSE) has developed new resources for staff members, students, and families. OSE news now has YouTube videos, flyers/bulletins, Twitter, and events posted on Facebook for our community. The OSE Family Support Center also provides virtual drop-in sessions via Zoom to engage, answer questions, and assist students and their families.

MCPS Special Education News:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063543524256. Our Facebook handle/account is: MCPS Special Education.

• Twitter handle/account: @MCPSMDSpecialEd

• YouTube MCPS Special Education: https://www.youtube.com/@MCPSMDSpecialEd.
  Our channel provides content through videos uploaded monthly from our Special Education Community and Citizens Advisory Committee meetings and other live events.

• Montgomery County Public Schools: Special Education Community Information page.

Still having trouble navigating the student and parent portal? There are a series of published videos to walk families through using the system efficiently.

MCPS Tech Shorts (All videos)

• Navigating the ParentVUE Mobile App

• Accessing Reports Cards with the ParentVUE Mobile App

What Happens When My Bus Is Delayed or Canceled

There is a local and national challenge with recruiting, hiring and retaining bus drivers for school systems and the transportation industry. When a bus driver or attendant is unable to come to work due to illness or unexpected leave, it puts a strain on the system to keep that bus on the road. The MCPS Department of Transportation uses substitute drivers and multiple runs to ensure that it has as many buses as possible on the roads to deliver students to school every day. Canceling a bus route is a last resort.

If your child’s route is delayed or canceled, here is how we let you know:

• Impacted routes are published the day before or the morning of by 6:15 a.m.
• Information published on MCPS website and ConnectEd message is sent to families
• Department of Transportation continues to identify possible drivers for impacted route
• Bus route information dashboard updated every half hour until 9:30 a.m.

Updates for afternoon routes

• Bus route information dashboard updated by 1:30 p.m.

Updated for 2023-2024 School Year!

• MCPS Transportation - Bus Routes

• Letter from MCPS Bethesda Bus Supervisor

• Bus Routes for Cabin John Middle School - General Education

• Arrivals

• Departures

Check out the letter from our PTSA President, Ms. Yen Wang!

Please be sure to become a member of this important organization. Our PTSA is funded primarily through our memberships and donations.

Membership Information:

• Family Memberships (2 parents) are $50
• Student and Faculty Memberships are $10
• General donations are welcomed.

Ways to join the CJMS PTSA:

**Preferred Method** AtoZConnect (payment can be made with any credit card) @ https://cabinjohnptsa.membershiptoolkit.com/

Mail in an application (send in your membership form with a check;

mail to Cabin John MSPTSA, Attn: Treasurer, 10701 Gainsborough Road, Potomac, MD 20854)

Questions? Send an email to PTSA Membership.

Our first meeting was at the start of Back to School Night on August 30th. Please stay tuned for upcoming dates to hear more about how we can all support our CJMS school community!

The Community Outreach Program runs throughout the school year and is designed to assist any student in emergency need with essential items when other resources are not readily available. Students must attend one of the nine Wootton cluster schools, and they are typically on the Montgomery County Public School’s FARMS Program.

How does this program work?

• School’s guidance counselor or PPW will identify a student that is in need of essential item(s).
• Once identified, contact Jen Eisenfeld, Wootton HS PTSA Community Outreach Liaison, with the needed item(s). Ptsa_community_liaison@tswoottonhs.org or jjeisenfeld@verizon.net.
• Examples of items given in the past ranged from a new pair of shoes, coat, clothing, school supplies, or grocery store gift card – anything a child is in immediate need of to help ensure school success.

Jen will contact donating families, have the item(s) purchased, then contact the guidance counselor letting them know the items are purchased, and arrange to have the item(s)

What can I do?

1. Email List: Parents interested in being notified when a child is in need should contact Jen Eisenfeld at ptsa_community_liaison@tswoottonhs.org.

2. Donate: Gift cards to Target, Amazon, Giant, and Safeway are a great way to support your families. If you are interested in donating a gift card, contact Nikki Bossert at ptsa_treasurer@tswoottonhs.org.

3. Share: Please share this information with families and anyone you know can help or help to spread the word.

Cluster schools, which feed into Wootton High School, include:

Lakewood ES, Fallsmead ES, Travilah ES, DuFief ES, Robert Frost MS, Stone Mill ES, Cold Springs ES, and Cabin John MS shared with Churchill cluster.

Parents and guardians can view their children's Canvas courses as a Parent Observer. Access Canvas / myMCPS Classroom as a Parent Observer via Synergy ParentVUE. Click here to learn more!

1. Volunteer Form

   Complete the MCPS Parent/Guardian and Community Volunteer Form or the MCPS Volunteers in the Virtual Classroom form as appropriate. These forms serve as an introduction of yourself, your interests and availability in volunteering, and some important reminders about volunteers in schools.

   
   

2. Online Training
   

   Complete the mandatory online Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect Training. This training is required for any volunteer who regularly supports schools, chaperones a field trip, etc. and is available in multiple languages. When the course is completed, a report is created to serve as proof of satisfying the training requirement.

   
   

3. Contact School
   

   Contact the school(s) where you wish to serve and provide them with a copy of the following:

   • Appropriate MCPS Parent/Guardian and Community Volunteer Form or the MCPS Volunteers in the Virtual Classroom Form and
   • Your online course grade sheet that will show 100% for completing the online Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect Training.

Principal: Ms. Somer Snider

Assistant Principal (6th Grade): Mr. Andrew (Andy) Lee

Assistant School Administrator (7th Grade): Ms. Jennifer Wingate

Assistant Principal (8th Grade): Mr. Casey Siddons

Main Office Phone: 240-406-1600
Fax: 240-740-4403
Guidance Counseling Office: 240-406-1560
Health Room: 240-406-1570

Attendance Office: 240-406-1599 (to leave a VM)

Please call CJMS to notify us of your child's absence.

Email: Somer_Snider@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/cabinjohnms/
Location: 10701 Gainsborough Road, Potomac, MD, USA
Phone: 240-406-1600
Twitter: @CabinJohnMS