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 6- 10. The second marking period began on Thursday, November 2. Marking period 1 report cards will be available on ParentVUE on November 9th.

Parents and guardians are invited to our Open House on Friday, November 10 from 8:30 to 10:45 AM. Please RSVP on this form if you plan to attend. Visitors who pre-register will check-in with photo ID at the Main Atrium to receive a badge. Non-registered visitors should check-in at the Main Office with their photo ID. There may be a wait if you do not preregister. The office check-in machine works slowly. Please pre-register by close of business on Wednesday, November 8th.

A reminder that our Cabin John spirit gear store closes tomorrow, November 6th. Make sure you order before then - last week we added some junior items and an option to pick it up at Cabin John instead of paying for shipping. Please Order today using the link in the digital newsletter. The store is open until tomorrow, November 6th!

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)

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.

Check out the new CJMS gear store! We just added in some junior size options and an option to have it delivered to CJMS instead of paying for shipping!

We are excited to offer a variety of spirit wear including long and short sleeve t-shirts, long and short sleeve hoodies, shorts, joggers, jackets, book bags and more!

Order today! The store will only be open for until November 6th.

Come and visit your child's classes on Friday, November 10th from 8:30am to 10:30am. You will get a chance to visit Periods 1, 2, and 3 to see how classes run and learn more about our school community here at Cabin John.

In an effort to speed up your entrance on Friday, while still maintaining Security and Safety for the students and the building, we are asking parents to register for the Open House. This will allow us to run the normal visitor check in and create name tags in order to have them ready for you Friday morning.

If you pre-register on Friday morning you may enter at the main entrance and obtain your name tag from the greeting tables by showing any picture Identification. Name tags will be sorted by grade level and alphabetically. Please complete one submission for each adult attending the Open House on Friday.

If you do not pre-register, you will need to check in using the normal Visitor Management System in the Main Office. Please note it will take extra time to run your ID through our Visitor Management System.

We thank you for coming in and visiting during Open House on Friday morning. Please feel free to visit your student's classes from 8:30 until 10:45 at the end of third period.

Please pre-register by close of business on Wednesday, November 8th.

Model UN Update

Our Model UN program was recently honored to be the first school in-school session with UN personnel outside of New York. Brenden Varma, Deputy Director of the UN Information Center in Washington, DC, briefed students October 2023. Read about this wonderful opportunity our students experienced here.

Last month students attended Model UN Conferences hosted at nearby schools in the DMV area. For some students, it was their first Model UN conference.

We recognize those students who made an exemplary performance and received the awards Best Delegate (1st place), Outstanding Delegate (2nd place) and Honorable Mention (3rd place) in their respective committees at the conference hosted by Holton-Arms School on Saturday, October 14:

• Marshall Wolf - Best Delegate for representing Cambodia in UN Oceans (Protection of Coral Reefs)

• Riz Rana - Best Delegate for representing Indonesia in DISEC (Impact of Private Military Security Contractors)

• Melinda Jiang - Outstanding Delegate for representing Armenia in UNODA (Sustainable Development in Space Exploration)

• Aadya Mani - Outstanding Delegate for representing Liberia in UNICEF (Removing Tangible Barriers for Children to Escape Poverty)

• Ami Madia - Honorable Mention for representing Burkina Faso in UNESCO (Technology and its Benefit to Improving Education)

• Nico Aguel-Martinez - Honorable Mention for representing Paraguay in UNICEF (Child Labor in the Agricultural Industry)

On October 13 and 14, a separate group of students attended a Model UN Conference hosted by Basis Independent School in McLean, VA. The following students were given special recognition for their exemplary performance.

• Ronen Yu - Special Recognition for representing Mexico in the Food and Agriculture Organization

• Elly Kamphaus - Special Recognition for representing France in the Food and Agriculture Organization

• Spencer Lan - Special Recognition for his role as Senator Abraham Ribicoff in the crisis committee, Chicago 1968.

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

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.

Math Team Try-Outs will take place on Wednesday, November 8th after school. The location will be determined and announced soon.

Students from any grade level can attend. Students need to bring a scientific (non-graphing) calculator, a chromebook, and a pencil. 20 students will be accepted onto the team.

To register, go to bit.ly/cjms_mathteam23 .

Students must register with their school gmail account.

After school activities and clubs registration have started!

Go to the CJMS website and review the nearly two dozen clubs and activities we have available for students this year. Registration opened on September 24th via a Google Form to gauge interest in each club. Make sure you register!

The Cabin John Yearbook is now on sale at the lowest price available.

Order yours now before the price increases.

USE PROMO CODE 9833YB24$10 TO SAVE $10 - BUY NOW & SAVE Yearbook order directions

Mamma Mia! is Churchill's next musical production.

The shows will be the second and third weekends of November. It's a great show for young audiences and we would love to see your future Bulldogs at the shows!

Montgomery College is holding its 27th annual Sonya Kovalevsky Day on Saturday November 18, 2023 on the Rockville campus. The program goal is to increase participation of girls in STEM fields. Research indicates that 6th grade is when many girls turn away from STEM, which is why our program targets 6th grade students. Details are available in English and Spanish.

The event is free, but space is limited to the first 48 students who register on our website:
https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/academics/stem/k-12/sonya-kovalevsky-program.html

If you or any of your families have questions, please email us at SonyaKovalevsky.Program@montgomerycollege.edu

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:

• Thursday, Nov. 2, 6:30–8 p.m., virtual forum. This event will be livestreamed on the MCPS homepage. RSVP.

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

There is also a forum on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at Gaithersburg High School, open to students only.

Applications for the Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) for the 2024-2025 school are open and due Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Applications for the waitlist for Semester 2 of the Virtual Academy’s 2023-2024 year are also due on Nov. 3. This deadline has been extended to Nov. 8. Applications submitted after Nov. 8, 2023, but by Feb. 9, 2024, will be added to the 2024-2025 waitlist.

Rising Grades 2-12 students can apply in ParentVUE. Current MVA families MUST also reapply in ParentVUE. More information.

Grade 8 High School Regional and Countywide Programs Timeline 2023-2024

• September 20, 2023 - High School Preview Presentation - Broadcasted on the MCPS website

• English Presentation (recording)

• Presentación en español (grabación)

• October 6, 2023- Application opens (on or about October 6) on ParentVUE

• November 3, 2023- Application deadline - EXTENDED to NOV 8

• First Week of February 2024- Notification of results

• February 16, 2024- Deadline to Accept a Program Invitation

• February 16, 2024- Deadline to appeal results (criteria-based programs only)

Resources: Grade 8 High School Regional and Countywide Programs

• High School Programs At A Glance for Grade 8. Includes Eligibility and Open House Dates

• High School Application Programs Eligibility listed by High School Cluster

• Current Grade 8 High School Application Preview- Resource for parents, students and schools

• Directions for private and home schooled students.

• Parent/Student Letter for HS Regional/Countywide Programs, September 2023 (sent via Connect Ed on 9/13/23)

• 2023-2024 Grade 8 FAQ (this document is updated as needed, please check document for updates)

• Grade 8 Common Application Support Guide for Families

• Instructions on how to change the language in ParentVUE. ¿Cómo cambio el idioma en ParentVUE?

Please visit this High School Programs webpage for more information.

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.

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!

Holiday Helping Hands assists students, who attend one of the 9 Wootton cluster schools and their siblings (newborn to 18 years of age) with clothing, toys, person hygiene items, and a grocery store gift card during the holiday season. Last year, 78 of our cluster students were given a happy holiday.

If you would like your child to participate, please complete the 2023 Holiday Helping Hands Information Form (English or Spanish) and return paper or email Ms. Jen Poole (Resource Counselor).

An individual form needs to be filled out for EACH child in the family (newborn to 18 years of age). Siblings do not need to attend one of the 9 Wootton cluster schools. Please know that your student’s name(s) will remain anonymous. Forms for each child is to be emailed and handed to Ms. Poole NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 6.

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