The Cougar News issue 08

A Message from the Principal

Hello Cougars!

This past week, we were happy to host Mr. Chris Truffer, Executive Director of the Maryland Association for Secondary School Principals (MDASSP), at CHMS! We appreciate him taking the time to visit our school, connect with our community, and see firsthand the amazing work our students and staff are doing each and every day! I had a great time bragging about all the awesome things happening at CHMS!

It was a busy week and students are continuing to impress me with their thoughtful participation, paying attention to their cougar goals and even excelling at line dancing (be sure to checkout the facebook and instagram).

Be kind on purpose,

Mrs. Sands

Hands of Kindness

HANDS OF KINDNESS IS BACK! On Thursday our FOR Club celebrated our first 3 winners of the school year. Each week, students can nominate a peer who they think exhibited kindness at CHMS.

The first picture is our FOR club members with today's winners and the people who nominated them! The second picture is the winners and the students who nominated them:

Colton Horne nominated by Caleb Esper
Austin Carter nominated by Davion Plath
Gigi Facciolo and Katie Longeway both nominated by Thomas Brady (not pictured)

Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee

Please join the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee at the North East Public Library on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 6:00-7:30. Parents will receive information on “Executive Functioning and the Impact on Your Child’s Learning”

BMHS College and Career Fair

College and Career Fair at Bohemia Manor High School on Tuesday, October 6th at 6 p.m.

School Health Update from Nurse Thayer

Dear Families,

As we work together to keep our students happy, healthy, and learning, I want to share a few important reminders regarding our school health policies.

When to Stay Home (and When to Return!)

If your child is experiencing a fever (100°F or higher), vomiting, or diarrhea, please keep them home.

Students must be symptom-free for 24 hours without medication before returning to school.
Please call or email the school when your student is out sick.

Medication Policy

Does your student experience cramps, headaches, or other ailments? We want to make sure your children get the relief they need to stay in school. If your child needs to take medication at school, please note the following:

Authorization Needed: All over-the-counter and prescribed medications coming to school must have a Medication Administration Authorization form signed by a licensed prescriber.
The Cough Drop Exception: Cough drops are the only exception to this rule! You can send cough drops to school (to be kept in the health room) with a written parent note stating that your student is allowed to have them.
All medications must be in their original container and not expired. Please double-check your expiration dates before bringing them in!

Required Health Screenings

To support your child's academic success, the health office conducts routine screenings:

Who is Screened? Hearing and vision screenings are mandatory for all students entering the district and all 8th graders. I will also screen any students who were not screened at least once in 1st-7th grade and those who were referred previously.
Follow-Ups: If a student does not pass a screening, they will either be rescreened at a later date or referred for a further evaluation by their doctor.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our school community safe and healthy!

Nurse Thayer

nmthayer@ccps.org

Drug Free Cecil

Save the Dates:

Drug Free Cecil leaders will meet on October 13 from 2:30-3:30
The Drug Free Cecil Club will meet October 27, 2026, from 2:30-3:30

Bus Expectations

Please review the bus expectations with your students:

Click here for more resources on the CCPS website.

Sport Updates

Monday 10/5

Varsity Soccer vs PVMS HOME Boys at 3:30, Girls at 4:30

Bocce and XC at NEMS. The bus will leave at 1:30.

Tuesday 10/6

Boys JV Soccer Practice until 4:15

Wednesday 10/7

Bocce practice until 4:00

XC practice until 3:45

Girls Soccer practice until 4:30

Boys JV Soccer practice until 4:15

Thursday 10/8

Boys Varsity Soccer practice until 4:15

Friday 10/9

Soccer vs BMMS. HOME Girls at 3:30, Boys at 4:30

PTSO

Membership Drive

We hope everyone in our school community (families, teachers, staff) considers joining Cherry Hill's Parent, Teacher, Student Organization. With a small membership donation of $5 per family, you can help fund school needs, extracurricular activities, and contribute to a positive school experience - no volunteering necessary! Join the PTSO today!

Membership dues can be paid by sending cash into the CHMS front office in an envelope labeled "PTSO Membership Dues" and your name, OR via PayPal (CherryHillPTSO).

Restaurant Raffle

All paid PTSO membership forms received by October 29th will be entered into a raffle to win a $50 gift card to Grain Craft Bar & Kitchen! Click here to enter!

Mark Your Calendars

The next PTSO General Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 5th at 6pm in the Media Center. We hope to see you there!

If you have an idea or suggestion for the PTSO, drop us a line! Email ptso.cherryhill@gmail.com.

PBIS Monthly Incentive

School Improvement Team (SIT)

Join us 2:40-3:30 in the media center- all are welcome!

September 1

September 22

September 29

October 27

November 10

December 8

January 26

February 23

March 9

April 27

We will be breaking into four small sub-groups during our School Improvement Team meetings. If you're interested in focusing on one of these four areas, please join us: