Author: Julie Ehrlich

The Cabin John MS PTSA knows that a strong partnership among our families, school leaders, and community members is important to the success of our students and school. That’s why we are participating in the National PTA School of Excellence program, which grows partnerships between PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being of all students.

We need your help! As part of the process outlined by National PTA, we are requesting feedback from families, administrators and teachers at two points in the school year—the beginning and the end. Using the community feedback, we will build an Excellence Action Plan to strengthen family-school partnerships.

Please take 5-10 minutes to reflect on your experience at this school and complete this survey. Please complete this survey by December 23, 2025. If you have any questions, please email Debbie Fleischer at president@cabinjohnptsa.org. 

Complete the School of Excellence Survey

Stock up on brand new CJMS merch to keep you cozy all winter long—hoodies, flannel pants, joggers, t-shirts, hats, and more! The PTSA’s Online Spirit Wear Store is open for a limited time now through December 23. Make sure to click on each item to see the various color options. Your order will ship free to the school and be distributed in January. A portion of each sale supports the PTSA! 

Order here: https://cabinjohnmiddle2025.itemorder.com/shop/home

A huge thank you to our amazing school community for your incredible donations and volunteer efforts! Your generosity and baking talents made our event extra special (and delicious!). We had over 70 people that helped to make this event a big success.

We are so grateful for the time, effort, and care you put into supporting our staff and school. Every cookie shared reminded us that we have a strong and supportive community. The teachers and staff were very excited and thankful for the delicious treats!

Thank you for making this such a sweet success — we couldn’t have done it without you! 💙

Cabin John PTSA

If you haven’t had a chance to help a Cabin John student in need this holiday season, please take a moment to help out today. We deliver gifts this upcoming weekend and we still need $600 in grocery store gift cards. If you could make a $25 donation today, it would go a long way to helping us meet our goal. 

1. Donate any amount towards a grocery store gift card (we are aiming to donate $100 per child): Grocery Store Gift Card Sign Up Form
2. Donate money, and we can shop for you (send an email to holiday@tswoottonhs.org or text Nikki at 239-247-9944 to confirm receipt). Here’s how to donate cash:
   • Venmo: @WoottonHoliday
   • PayPal: nbossert8@gmail.com
   • Zelle: nbossert8@gmail.com

This program is only possible with your support!

Jen Eisenfeld and Nikki Bossert
Co-founders, Holiday Helping Hands Program

Click here for more information: woottonptsa.org/holiday

Dear Wootton Cluster Families,

The Wootton CIP Task Force invites you to join them for an important Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, December 16 at 7:00 PM at Wootton High School.

This session will focus on the new boundary study options currently under consideration, with particular attention to Option H, which proposes permanently moving Wootton High School to the Crown site.

Your voice matters. This is a critical opportunity to:

• Learn more about the boundary study process and the implications of Option H.
• Ask questions and share your perspectives directly with community leaders.
• Understand how these changes could affect our students, families, and the broader Wootton Cluster.

This Town Hall is open to all Wootton Cluster families — whether or not you currently have children enrolled in MCPS. The decisions made will have lasting impacts on our school community, and your input is essential.

Town Hall Details:

• Date: Tuesday, December 16
• Time: 7:00 PM
• Location: Wootton High School
• Registration required: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/ZLkrdUHHVn

Thank you for your continued engagement and advocacy for our schools. We look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,
Wootton CIP Task Force

Join us next Tuesday, December 9th, from 6:30-7:30 pm via Zoom, for our second PTSA meeting of the school year. We will provide a membership and budget update, share information about upcoming PTSA events, and launch our National PTA School of Excellence program. We will also discuss key advocacy efforts, including the Crown High School Boundary Study and the MCPS Program Analysis.

Ms. Snider will present on the Maryland State School Report Card for Cabin John, and Mr. Adams will provide an introduction to the CJMS Career Education Program. The zoom link will be distributed in advance.

Hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who has already joined the PTSA! Your support makes it possible for us to fund programs, events, and resources that make our school community shine. But we’re not stopping now – every new member strengthens our impact and helps us do even more for our students, families, and school staff. Plus, members get access to our online PTSA Directory. If you haven’t joined yet, there’s still time – become a PTSA member today and be part of something great!

Join and Donate HERE!

The Cabin John MS Counseling Department is partnering with the Salvation Army for a second year to support Montgomery County students in need this holiday season. The CJMS community will sponsor 50 students.

There is a giving tree in the main office by the VMS. Each tag (“angel”) represents a student and lists four gift categories:

• Need: essentials like diapers, shoes, coats, or grooming/hair kits
• Want: a toy from their age range (no bikes, scooters, tablets, drones, or other high-cost items)
• Wear: clothing such as pajamas, socks, underwear, shirts, or pants
• Read: a book

When you choose an angel, please plan to purchase all four items (Need, Want, Wear, and Read) for that student. For many of these children, these may be the only gifts they receive this holiday season.

How to participate:

1. Take an angel from the tree (feel free to take more than one if you’re able).
2. Scan the QR code on the tree to let us know which student you selected.
3. Take a photo of the tag in case it gets misplaced.
4. Drop off all unwrapped gifts at Cabin John Middle School by Wednesday, December 3.

For any questions, please contact Ms. Poole in the counseling office at Jennifer_A_Poole@mcpsmd.org or 240-406-1560.

The Wootton High School Poms will be holding a Pee Wee Pom Clinic on Friday, December 19th, which will be followed by the game later that evening. The clinic will be from 5:00-7:00pm in the Wootton High School cafeteria. Participants will learn an age-appropriate poms dance routine and have the opportunity to perform alongside the Wootton Pom squad during halftime at approximately 8:00pm, in the main gym. The game starts at 7:15pm. The cost is $50 per participant and includes a Pee Wee Pom t-shirt and a set of mini poms. All are welcome; no dance or poms experience needed!

For more information or to register, please email the coach at Mia_Krawczel@mcpsmd.org. Be sure to complete the registration or email Mia no later than Friday, December 12th, to secure your spot.

Dear Churchill Cluster Families,

Thank you to everyone who joined Tuesday’s community town hall on the boundary study. The best of Potomac was on full display — your heart, care, and commitment to both our neighborhood schools and the broader MCPS community truly stood out.

I heard your key priorities loud and clear:

• Stability for students and families
• Mental health and well-being at the center of our decisions
• Avoiding split articulations
• Ensuring walkability and logical boundaries
• Supporting Crown High School as a holding school 

Your thoughtful feedback will continue to shape this process.

The next step is to attend the Boundary and Regional Program Community Engagement event on Thursday, November 13, from 7–8 p.m. at Churchill High School. Please send a school representative or join personally to share your input.

The superintendent will release additional options in early December, followed by his recommendation to the Board in January. The Board will then hold another round of community engagement before making a final decision in the spring.

For me, community feedback must shape outcomes in this process. My job is to make sure that the government works better for the people. Thank you again for your partnership, your civility, and your unwavering advocacy for our students.

Warm regards,

Julie Yang
President, Montgomery County Board of Education