#newsletter

• September 8: First PTSA Meeting (6:30 Virtual)
• September 17: Back to School Night
• September 18: Early Release Day
• September 21: Non-Instructional Day (No School)

At Benjamin Banneker, we want every student to outperform their previous academic experience. We believe every learner has room to grow, whether they are strengthening a skill, seeking additional support, or ready to extend their learning.

The George B. Thomas Learning Academy, held Saturday mornings at Paint Branch High School, is an excellent opportunity for students to receive additional academic support and enrichment. The program offers:

• Certified teachers for tutoring and academic support
• Coding classes for enrichment
• Bus Transportation
• Affordable tuition of just $100–$150 for the entire YEAR (Note: Many tutors charge close to this amount per hour.)

The Learning Academy is an opportunity for any student who wants to strengthen their skills, challenge themselves, or get ahead and it is an especially affordable option for families seeking additional academic support.

We encourage you to consider whether this opportunity is a good fit for your student. If you enroll, please let your child's counselor and teacher know so we can support their continued growth and success!

The current registration fee is $85 per student or $40 for students who qualify for waivers.

🚨 Beginning September 1, 2026, fees will increase to:

• $100 per student

• $50 for students receiving FARMS

Families who plan to participate are encouraged to register before September 1 to take advantage of the current registration fee.

👉 Register online: GBTLA Saturday School Registration

Payment options include PayPal or Zelle through the online registration form.

For all things PTSA please go to our link tree. https://linktr.ee/bbmsptsa & email BBMSPTSA1@gmail.com

📅 General PTSA Meeting – Tuesday, September 8 at 6:30 PM. Please join us virtually via Zoom for our first General PTSA Meeting of the school year! We’d love to see our families, staff, and students there. Zoom Link

💙🧡 Summer Membership Special Ends 9/8!- There’s still time to join the Benjamin Banneker Middle School PTSA at our discounted summer membership rate! The special ends September 8, so don’t miss out. Every membership helps strengthen our PTSA and supports the work we hope to do for our Bobcat community this year.

🌯 SAVE THE DATE – Chipotle Fundraiser! Give yourself a night off from cooking and have Chipotle for dinner with us on Tuesday, September 15 at the Burtonsville Chipotle, 15503 Old Columbia Pike. (Does it make sense to print the Chipotle flyers out and send home ?)

We want to share a brief update regarding administrative support for our 6th grade students. Ms. Lertora, our 6th Grade Assistant Principal, is currently on leave for personal reasons.

Since the beginning of the school year, Mr. Weinshel, a retired administrator who also worked in the same capacity at Banneker last school year, generously supported our students while we anticipated a short-term need. We are grateful for his time and care. As that need has extended beyond our original expectation, on Thursday we will welcome Mr. Isabel as our temporary 6th Grade Assistant Principal. Mr. Isabel previously served as a middle school assistant principal in MCPS, and we are grateful to have his experience and leadership supporting our students.

Mr. Isabel will serve as the primary administrative liaison for 6th grade while working closely with the entire administrative team. Our team will continue to communicate and collaborate so that we have a shared understanding of student needs and can provide consistent support to our students and families.

Please know that your children are in good hands. We remain committed to providing the care and support our students deserve while we work toward a more permanent staffing solution. Thank you for your continued partnership and trust in Banneker.

Please read MCPS Things to Know find information about what is going on in MCPS.

MCPS and Benjamin Banneker Middle School are committed to student safety. During the first week of school, our students were successful in practicing all safety drills. Find a copy of the slides that were shared with the students on emergency procedures.

MCPS has updated its Cell Phone & Personal Device rules (COG-RA) to help students thrive. At Benjamin Banneker Middle School, these expectations will be enforced starting on the first day of school.

• Phones must be off and Away All Day. This includes ALL Personal Mobile Devices (Phones, earbuds, iPads, personal laptops, etc.)

• Support tools: Phones will not be collected at the beginning of the day as was done previously. All staff members will have access to a tracker to record infractions and to monitor patterns throughout the year.

• If not followed:

  • First offense: phone confiscated; parent/guardian is notified and the phone is returned to the student.

  • Second offense: phone confiscated and returned to a parent/guardian.

  • Third offense: phone confiscated, returned to a parent/guardian, and the student will not be allowed to bring a phone to school going forward.

Why this matters: Minimizing distractions helps students focus on learning, engage more meaningfully with peers and teachers, and practice positive digital citizenship. As always, our priority is ensuring that every student is challenged academically and supported socially and emotionally.

Questions? Contact us for more information, or review Regulation COG-RA Personal Mobile Devices.

Less screen time. More learning time!

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Attendance Matters! Being in school every day and getting to class on time matters because when you are here and ready to learn, you can take full advantage of the learning happening each day. Be smart about your time:

• plan your bathroom trips
• avoid using passes excessively
• make sure you are getting to class instead of missing valuable learning time.

We’ve been thinking about how we can better support you in being in class and on time, and you’ll find our new Tardy Policy for the 2026–2027 school year below. Let’s make being here, being on time, and being ready to learn part of how we are Becoming Banneker!

Find the MCPS handbooks which include guidelines developed for students of Montgomery County Public Schools which address Board of Education (BOE) policies and MCPS regulations. Updated online versions of all four handbooks are available on the MCPS website.

• Student Code of Conduct (Updated for 2026-2027)
• Student Rights and Responsibilities, (Updated for 2025-2026)
• Guidelines for Respecting Religious Diversity in MCPS,
• Guidelines for Student Gender Identity

Main Office: (240) 740-6250

• Admin Secretary: Ms. Ellen D O'Brien: Ellen_D_OBrien@mcpsmd.org
• Attendance Secretary: Ms. Marilyn Joseph: Marilyn_Joseph@mcpsmd.org
• Front Office Secretary: Mrs. Martha H Mendez: Martha_H_Mendez@mcpsmd.org
• Financial Specialist: Ms. Desiree E Lee-Thompson: Desiree_E_Lee-Thompson@mcpsmd.org

Ms. Patricia H Reidy: Patricia_H_Reidy@mcpsmd.org

Counselors:

• GRADE 6: Ms. Mitra A Ghandeharizadeh (Ms. G.): Mitra_A_Ghandeharizadeh@mcpsmd.org
• GRADE 7: Mrs. Wilma A Benjamin Drakes: Wilma_A_Drakes@mcpsmd.org
• GRADE 8:Ms. Taryn E Richards: Taryn_E_Richards@mcpsmd.org

Administrators:

• 6th Grade Assistant Principal: Mrs. Katherine W Lertora: Katherine_W_Lertora@mcpsmd.org (See Ms. Shorts during leave.)
• 7th Grade Assistant Principal: Mr. Nasser Muhammad: Nasser_Muhammad@mcpsmd.org
• 8th Grade Assistant Principal: Mrs. Rochelle L Hawes: Rochelle_L_Hawes@mcpsmd.org

Family Supports:

• PTSA President: LaKeisha Carroll: bbmsptsa1@gmail.com
• Community School Liaison: Carmen Moore: Carmen_Moore@mcpsmd.org

Website: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/bannekerms/

Location: 14800 Perrywood Dr. Burtonsville, MD 20866
Phone: (240) 740-6250
X : @BannekerMS_Prin

Instagram: @BBMSBocats

PTSA Instagram: @BBMS_PTSA