The Weekly Update #4

Dear Eastern Middle School Families,

Happy Sunday and Daylight Savings Time! I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween weekend. This is a reminder that there is no school for students tomorrow, Monday, November 2nd as it is a Grading and Reporting Day. On Tuesday, November 3rd all schools are closed for Election Day. Regardless of the short school week ahead, we look forward to continuing to have a wonderful school week for our students.

Game Night is this Thursday, November 5 at Eastern 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Please plan to attend with the whole family to this great and FREE event.

A look ahead to some of our events in November, on Wednesday, November 11th we will have our Open House from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. This event is open for all families, and we ask that you pre-register using this link here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmz0o3Z7j35u4f5SZbY_k43RPkVGc9Lrs2m0SX9Gn2fXfDBw/viewform. There is more information in this link about our event found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1de1MfnMrGiO-n25t0kqxMPOGFOZH2RJjfnLs-M70Op8/edit?tab=t.0.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support in making Eastern Middle School a wonderful place to learn and grow.

Yours in partnership,

Elizabeth J. Merino (she/her/ella)

Principal/Directora

Para traducir este boletín, seleccione "español" en "Translate Newsletter" en el cuadro negro a su derecha o en su celular encima.

Monday, November 2: No School for Students: Grading and Planning for Teachers

Tuesday, November 3: Holiday - No School: Election Day

Thursday, November 5: Game Night at Eastern 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Wednesday, November 11: Open House for Families 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Tuesday, November 17: Winter Sports Interest Meeting: Basketball 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

Wednesday, November 18: Make Up Picture Day

Unplug, connect, and play! Bring the whole crew to the Eastern Middle School cafeteria this Thursday for our annual Family Game Night. Whether you are a board game master or just looking for a fun night out with the kids, there is a seat at the table for everyone.

🎲 Event Details

• When: Thursday, November 5th | 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

• Where: Eastern Middle School

• Cost: Completely FREE!

🎯 What to Bring

• Your favorite tabletop game: Board games, card games, or strategy games—bring whatever your family loves to play!

• The whole family: Parents, siblings, and students are all welcome.

No RSVP needed—just show up ready to play, laugh, and connect with other Eastern families. We can't wait to see you there!

On Wednesday, November 11th from 9am-2pm we will welcome our families into our building and our classrooms for Open House. You can find more information here about this year’s Open House at Eastern Middle School.

This year we are "rebranding" our Parent Conferences that will now called Family Check-In's held on Monday, November 23rd. As I shared at our PTSA meeting in October, we have historically had a fantastic turn out for our Parent Conferences which is wonderful! In order to ensure equitability for all families to hear from their child's teachers, we wanted to move from the term Parent Conference to Family Check-In. The rationale behind this is because the term Parent Conference is a more intimate meeting that is not what has been provided at a secondary level. While this is a great and important time to hear from your child's teachers, because of the volume of parents who attend, there is a time limit to check in with your child's teachers of 5 minutes.

Should you want or need a more time with each of your child's teacher, or would like to have a more in-depth conversation, please contact your child's School Counselor directly. Our School Counseling team information is found below:

Grade 6 - Last Names = A - R

Ms. Jordan Bolinger - Jordan_A_Bolinger@mcpsmd.org

Grade 6 - Last Names = S - Z

Ms. Donniel Gamble - Donniel_K_Gamble@mcpsmd.org

Grade 7 - Last Names = A - R

Ms. Kristen Ruffin - Kristen_Ruffin@mcpsmd.org

Grade 7 - Last Names = S - Z

Ms. Donniel Gamble - Donniel_K_Gamble@mcpsmd.org

Grade 8 - Last Names = A - R

Ms. Jessica Meyer - Jessica_A_Meyer@mcpsmd.org

Grade 8 - Last Names = S - Z

Ms. Donniel Gamble - Donniel_K_Gamble@mcpsmd.org

Tuesday November 10 or Wednesday November 11

3:00-4:15

Callbacks: November 12, 2026

Chorus Room 501

First Rehearsals Wednesday, November 18 and 19th

See Ms. Rowe

(room 605) or Ms. Boyd (room 501) for Audition information!

Contact the Counseling Office or your student’s grade level Counselor for more information:

240-740-6290

• 6th Grade:

• Ms. Bolinger: Last Names A-R

• Jordan_A_Bolinger@mcpsmd.org

• Ms. Gamble: Last Names S-Z

• Donniel_K_Gamble@mcpsmd.org

• 7th Grade:

• Ms. Ruffin: Last Names A-R

• Kristen_Ruffin@mcpsmd.org

• Ms. Gamble: Last Names S-Z

• Donniel_K_Gamble@mcpsmd.org

• 8th Grade:

• Ms. Meyer: Last Names A-R

• Jessica_A_Meyer@mcpsmd.org

• Ms. Gamble: Last Names S-Z

• Donniel_K_Gamble@mcpsmd.org

Please see the Elementary and Middle School Consolidation and Closure Study website for the most up to date information about this study. Please complete the Community Feedback Form, which is open through Wednesday, November 4, 2026.

MCPS and the Department of Consortia and Application Program Services (DCAPS) are hosting Webinars via Zoom for parents that would like more information about the High School Regional application process for the 2027-2028 school year. Please use this link to get the latest information. Presentations are in English and Spanish.

Get to know Ms. Afram, Eastern Middle School's fantastic Career Advising Coach!

Please save our Community Schools Resource Hub which is linked by clicking on the picture below. There are resources on food, health/wellness, student programs, and family support services.

Eastern Families, did you know we have a fully stocked "Eagle Essentials Closet" with clothing, school supplies and hygiene products for our students?

If your student needs something, please let us know — or encourage your student to advocate for themselves! They can ask a teacher, school counselor, school nurse, administrator, or a staff member in the main office for support. 💛

🧡 What is in the Eagle Essentials Closet?

📚 School Supplies

Backpacks • Pencils • Pens • Markers • Crayons • Colored pencils • Highlighters • Lined paper • Spiral notebooks • Composition notebooks • Binders • Dividers • Folders

🧴 Hygiene & Personal Care

Skincare • Haircare • Menstrual products

👕 Clothing & Shoes

Underwear • Bras • Sports bras • Socks • T-shirts • Long-sleeve shirts • Shorts • Pants • Sweatshirts • Winter coats • Hats • Gloves • Sneakers • Soccer cleats • Umbrellas

📏 A Wide Range of Sizes

Our clothing ranges from approximately kids' sizes 10–16 through adult XS–XXL, so we can support students at many different stages and sizes.

🎓 Formal Wear for Promotion

We also have formal clothing available to help our 8th graders feel confident and ready for their promotion celebration!

💛 A HUGE THANK YOU! Eagle Essentials would not be what it is without our incredible community of supporters.

Thank you to the volunteers who have helped organize and maintain the closet, and to the generous donors who have supplied items, including Eastern Staff & Families, Overflow City Church, I Support the Girls and Leveling the Playing Field.

And a very special thank you to the MCPS Educational Foundation for the generous grant we received last school year. That funding allowed us to purchase the bins, racks, and organizational materials that helped us turn this space into a functional, welcoming resource for our students.

This closet represents what happens when a school community comes together to make sure students have what they need to learn, grow, and soar. 🦅💛🖤

Stay Connected to MCPS

• VISIT the MCPS homepage.

• CALL 240-740-3000. Staff take calls from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, in English and Spanish (240-740-2845). Visit the AskMCPS website.

• READ news and information sent via email and text message and on the MCPS News page.

• FOLLOW the MCPS social media pages:
  x.com/mcps / facebook.com/mcpsmd / instagram.com/mcps_md facebook.com/mcpsespanol / x.com/MCPSEspanol / instagram.com/mcpsenespanol

• SIGN UP for emails and text alerts and make sure your ParentVue information is up to date.

• WATCH the MCPS cable channels Comcast 34 (1071 HD), Verizon 36 or RCN 89

More MCPS Resources

• School calendar

• Parent resource page

• News and Information page / Noticias en Español

• Latest photo galleries

• MCPS TV videos

• MCPS TV español

• Subscribe to our PTSA email listserve. Click here to join - it's FREE!
• Join as a PTSA member with a suggested donation of $10. Your contributions go to academic programs, teacher mini-grants, social events, staff appreciation meals and more. Click here to join.
• Join the Eastern PTSA WhatsApp group. Click here to join.

Emails and phone numbers for support in the school:

• Main Office: (240) 740-6280
• Attendance Secretary: Isaura Blanco: Isaura_M_BlancoFlores@mcpsmd.org
• Front Office Secretary: Aura Cincuir: Aura_R_CincuirPena@mcpsmd.org
• Humanities Secretary : Jessica Alvarez: Jessica_B_Alvarez@mcpsmd.org
• Financial Assistant: Vanessa Delgado: Vanessa_R_Delgado@mcpsmd.org
• Counseling Secretary/Registrar: Herenia Lovo: Herenia_V_Lovo@mcpsmd.org
• Admin Secretary: Priscilla Perez: Priscilla_B_Perez@mcpsmd.org

Counselors:

GRADE 6

• Last Names A-R: Ms. Jordan Bolinger: Jordan_A_Bolinger@mcpsmd.org
• Last Names S-Z: Ms. Donniel Gamble: Donniel_K_Gamble@mcpsmd.org

GRADE 7

• Last Names A-R: Ms.Kristen Ruffin: Kristen_Ruffin@mcpsmd.org
• Last Names S-Z: Ms. Donniel Gamble: Donniel_K_Gamble@mcpsmd.org

GRADE 8

• Last Names: A-R: Jessica Meyer- Jessica_A_Meyer@mcpsmd.org
• Last Names S-Z: Ms. Donniel Gamble: Donniel_K_Gamble@mcpsmd.org

Administrators:

• Principal/6th grade Administrator: Ms. Elizabeth Merino: Elizabeth_J_Merino@mcpsmd.org
• Magnet Coordinator/7th grade Administrator: Ms. Katherine Estes: Katherine_E_Estes@mcpsmd.org
• Assistant Principal/8th grade Administrator: Ms. Deirdre McShea-Levin: Deirdre_M_McSheaLevin@mcpsmd.org

Family Supports:

• PTSA Co-Presidents- Mitra Feldman and Kea Anderson: Eastern.PTSA.President@gmail.com
• Community School Liaison- Ms. Dana Pelzman: Dana_K_Pelzman@mcpsmd.org