Author: Heather Braswell-Ho

Last week, two local families with children attending Cabin John Middle School and Bells Mill Elementary School were severely impacted by a devastating fire. As a result, Amanda and her son Michael, as well as Danielle, Kendall, and their four children—including Brycin, a 3rd grader at Bells Mill–have been displaced from their homes.

Both school communities and the CJMS PTSA and BMES PTA are coming together to support these families. Thank you to everyone who has already donated or reached out with help. As recovery continues, these families still need additional support. If you’re able, please consider contributing items or gift cards. Every bit of help truly makes a difference.

Please see the sign up genius for information on what items are needed and where to drop off please see the sign up Genius Link.

Thank you for helping our school community come together in support.

Winston Churchill High School Performing Arts brings us “Once Upon a One More Time”—a Britney Spears Musical that promises to entertain. The group is putting on multiple shows all this month; get your tickets here.

MCCPTA has partnered with Montgomery County Public Libraries to present special film screenings of “Can’t Look Away,” a documentary on the dark side of social media and its sometimes fatal impact on teens. The film also touches on legal efforts to hold social media companies responsible for the addictive design of their platforms, which has also recently been in the news.

Participants can earn 3 SSL hours for attending and providing feedback. Parents and caregivers are also encouraged to attend.

There are currently three upcoming screenings:

• November 9, Sunday, 2-5 pm – Kensington Park Library – Register Here
• November 15, Saturday, 2-5 pm – Potomac Library – Register Here
• December 13, Saturday, 2-5 pm – Potomac Library – Register Here

Don’t wait to register; seats fill up fast!

Board of Education Representative Julie Yang is hosting a meeting for the Churchill community to discuss the Crown/Damascus Boundary Options and potential impacts on their school communities. MCPS Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor is invited. 

Date: Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Time: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Location: Winston Churchill High School – Cafeteria

11300 Gainsborough Rd, Potomac, MD 20854

PTA leaders from each potentially impacted school will first provide comments, and then invite questions/comments from their communities. Time is limited to a total of 20 minutes per elementary school and 10 minutes per middle school. Because of the limited time available, PTA leaders may need to prioritize questions from their communities. Comments should focus only on the boundary options and the potential impacts to the current Churchill cluster.

• 6:30 Introductory Remarks – Julie Yang and Dr. Taylor

• 6:40 Wayside ES

• 7:00 Potomac ES

• 7:20 Bells Mill ES

• 7:40 Herbert Hoover MS

• 7:50 Cabin John MS

• 8:00 Follow-up Questions & Comments

• 8:25 Closing Remarks – Julie Yang

• 8:30 Adjourn

If you would like to submit input to your PTA or have an individual question/comment to submit before the meeting, please reach out to your school’s PTA president. The contact information for Cabin John MS is Debbie Fleischer, CJMS PTSA President, at president@cabinjohnptsa.org. 

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the CJMS PTSA table at the Wootton Fall Festival! We enjoyed meeting so many families, students, and community members and sharing all the exciting things happening at Cabin John. We appreciate your time, your smiles, and your support!

The Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (MCCPTA) has introduced a proposed resolution asking Montgomery County Public Schools to extend their MCPS Academic Programs Analysis by at least one year. This extension would allow time to:

• Gather and review key information (such as implementation costs, transportation, program effectiveness, staffing, and program continuity)
• Provide meaningful opportunities for public engagement
• Collect feedback from a wide range of stakeholders

Your CJMS PTSA Delegates would like to hear your feedback about the proposed resolution, which they will vote on during the October 29th, MCCPTA Delegates Assembly. We ask that you please review the proposed resolution and share your feedback by emailing our CJMS delegates, Jessica McClellen and Priyanka Kamat.

This week MCPS released revised boundary study options for its opening of the new Crown High School in Gaithersburg. These options impact which middle school some of our Cabin John communities would attend. Please use the Interactive Map Tool to enter your home address and understand the impact of the options on your assignments. We want our community to be aware of the following changes:

• Two of the proposed options would split students from Bells Mill ES between CJMS and Hoover MS, then all move onto Churchill
• All of the proposed options would send students from Stone Mill ES to Frost MS and then onto Wootton
• All of the proposed options would send students from Cold Spring ES to Hoover MS and then onto Wootton
• All of the proposed options keep students from Seven Locks going to CJMS then onto Churchill

What can you do?

• PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THESE OPTIONS TO MCPS USING THIS SURVEY. It is important to share which options you prefer and what you like and do not like about them.
• Attend a public meeting (more to be scheduled), watch a recording of one, or participate in virtual office hours (starting next week) to learn more and provide feedback
• Share this information with your friends and neighbors
• Engage with the PTAs of your local Elementary Schools to learn more about their advocacy efforts
• Information will be shared in Cougar Clips as we know more. Reach out to Debbie Fleischer at president@cabinjohnptsa.org if you have questions.

UPDATE: At the October 16, 2025, Board of Education meeting MCPS suggested it may pause the opening of Crown High School due to declining enrollment. However, until that decision is final we encourage families to review the options above and provide comments to MCPS. 

In addition, if you support pausing the opening of Crown to allow it to be used as a holding school while renovations take place at Damascus HS, Wootton HS, and Magruder HS, you can email the Board of Education at boe@mcpsmd.org to share your support. 

We held our first PTSA meeting of the year on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 which was attended by more than 30 parents/guardians and staff. Key takeaways include:

• The PTSA goals for this year focus on family engagement, fundraising and school collaboration
• The membership passed the amended PTSA bylaws and they will be submitted to Free State PTA. The amended bylaws allow for a 3rd vice president for school support. The chairs of the following standing committees will sit on the board: membership, communications, and the NAACP Parent Council Representative.
• The treasurer provided the September Treasurer’s report, and the membership voted to approve the financial review for the 2024-2025 school year.
• Ms. Hardy encouraged parents to get involved with the NAACP Education Committee Parents’ Council. Meeting dates are posted here. Please contact her at Tamara_A_Hardy@mcpsmd.org  if you are interested in supporting these efforts at Cabin John.
• The CJMS Delegates provided a summary of the September Delegates Assembly. Please review and provide feedback on the MCCPTA Draft Resolution on Programs Analysis before October 29. 

The meeting featured presentations from Thrive Behavioral Health on mental health, screen time, and online safety. Importantly, parents/guardians should be aware of the therapy resources available for students at CJMS. Reach out to the counseling office if they have questions or need assistance.

Minutes from the meeting will be posted on the PTSA website when available. The next scheduled PTSA meeting will be held on Zoom on December 9.