Dear CJMS Families,
 
As we close out National Principal’s Month, we want to take a moment to celebrate and thank Ms. Somer Snider for being the very best principal here at Cabin John Middle School! Each day, Ms. Snider leads our community with kindness, vision, and dedication to every student’s success. Her energy, compassion, and commitment make CJMS such a special place to learn and grow.
 
We invite you to join us in showing appreciation by sharing a few words of gratitude or celebration using  this form that is also linked below. Your messages will be printed and presented to Ms. Snider on October 31 as a heartfelt reminder of how much she means to our community.
 
Thank you for helping us end National Principal’s Month with joy and gratitude for Ms. Snider’s exceptional leadership!
 
Warmly,
The Cabin John Middle School Administrative Team

Appreciation Form

CJMS Family!

The Cabin John MS Counseling department will be working with the Salvation Army for a second year in a row to sponsor students in Montgomery County to provide gifts to needed children for the holidays. The CJMS community will be sponsoring 50 students in Montgomery County for the holidays!

We have placed the tree in the main office by the VMS with various angels hanging from the tree. Each angel contains the name of a student identifying an item from a Need (diapers, shoes, coats, grooming/hair kits); Want (a toy from a list for their age range – NO bikes/scooters/tablets/drones or expensive toys); Wear (pjs, socks, underwear shirts/pants or other clothing items) and Read (a book). For the student that you pick, please buy their need, want, wear, and read items.

For many of these students, it will be the only gifts that the student will receive during the holiday season!

We hope that each student is able to receive their selection from each category. Please feel free to come take an angel off of the tree to make a child enjoy and celebrate a joyful holiday season. Feel free to take more than one if your budget allows.

All items must be dropped off unwrapped to Cabin John Middle School by Wednesday, December 3^rd.

After taking an angel, please make sure to scan the QR code to let us know who you picked! It would be wise to also take a picture of your paper with your phone in case the card gets misplaced!

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

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.

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!

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. 

We need YOUR help! We’re up to 408 members! Our goal is 450 members by the end of the month, so just 42 to go! Your membership and support help us provide programs, events, and resources that make our school a vibrant and welcoming place for every student. Plus, members receive access to our online PTSA Directory. We’re so close to reaching our goal! Join the PTSA today because together we can make a difference!

Join and Donate HERE!

Dear CJMS Families,
 
As we close out National Principal’s Month, we want to take a moment to celebrate and thank Ms. Somer Snider for being the very best principal here at Cabin John Middle School! Each day, Ms. Snider leads our community with kindness, vision, and dedication to every student’s success. Her energy, compassion, and commitment make CJMS such a special place to learn and grow.
 
We invite you to join us in showing appreciation by sharing a few words of gratitude or celebration using  this form that is also linked below. Your messages will be printed and presented to Ms. Snider on October 31 as a heartfelt reminder of how much she means to our community.
 
Thank you for helping us end National Principal’s Month with joy and gratitude for Ms. Snider’s exceptional leadership!
 
Warmly,
The Cabin John Middle School Administrative Team

Appreciation Form