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Dec 7 Newsletter

Posted Date: 12/07/25 (02:00 PM)
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A festive holiday graphic with ornaments, gifts, and text.
 

A Joyful Start to December!

Our first week of December is off to a busy and festive start. On Monday, we hosted our annual Christmas Treasures Store, where students had the opportunity to shop for gifts for their families. It was truly heartwarming to watch them carefully select presents for little siblings, grandparents, guardians, and loved ones. Seeing their faces light up when they found the perfect item was absolutely priceless. A huge thank you to our community for donating such wonderful items and helping make this tradition so special.

We also kicked off our 12 Days of Christmas with fun dress-up days. Thursday’s theme was “The Grinch,” and who knew there were so many different Grinch-style shirts out there? It was such a treat to see spirits high and hearts grow three sizes as students and staff embraced the holiday fun.

Speaking of growing, our students completed their ELA iReady testing on Thursday, and we are excited to see overall progress. Math iReady testing will take place on Tuesday. To wrap up 2025, our Benchmark testing the final week will help determine RTI schedules for next semester. Please encourage your student to do their best, take their time, and show what they know. We are so proud of their effort and growth.

As we countdown to Christmas Break, the excitement is definitely building! We’re looking forward to finishing the semester strong, creating joyful memories, and celebrating all the hard work our students have put in.
 

Car Rider Safety

The safety of our students is our highest priority. Recently, we’ve noticed some unsafe driving behaviors during arrival and dismissal, including cars going around other vehicles in the car rider line. This creates a dangerous situation, as students and staff are moving between cars.

For everyone’s safety, please follow these important guidelines:
  • Stay in the car rider line — do not drive around other vehicles.
  • Drive slowly and be prepared to stop at any time.
  • Follow staff directions and watch for students crossing.
  • Be patient — a few extra minutes helps keep every child safe.
We appreciate your cooperation and commitment to making our car line safe for all students!
 

Dr. Potts' 12 Days of Christmas

We’re excited to celebrate the season with 12 festive days of holiday dress-up! Each day will have a simple, optional theme to help students enjoy the spirit of the holidays and spread a little extra cheer around campus. Join us as we wrap up the year with fun, creativity, and community; because a little ho-ho-holiday spirit goes a long way!

We can’t wait to see everyone’s festive flair!

Monday is Santa Hat Day!
 

Attendance Incentives & Improvements

Coming to school and arriving on time is so important to student success! This season, we have several fun attendance incentives to help encourage great habits.

Throughout the month, we’re tracking our “Tree-mendous Attendance”. The grade level with the highest percentage of students arriving on time will earn a Free Seat Friday in the cafeteria. So far, 6th grade is rocking it, celebrating several days of 100% on-time attendance!

We’re also thrilled to share that our school has seen significant improvements overall - dropping from more than 50 tardies a day to our best day yet with just 11 tardies. Thank you for your support and attentiveness in helping our students start their day strong!
 

Every Minute Matters!

In addition to tracking attendance, we’re also keeping an eye on students’ timeliness throughout the day. Getting to class on time is just as important as being at school—every minute matters!
To qualify for Fun Friday, students must:
  • Arrive to class on time
  • Have all their work completed
  • Demonstrate positive behavior (no ISS or OSS)
And finally, we have a sweet reward coming up, right before Winter Break! Students with no unexcused absences between October 27 and December 17 will be invited to our Cotton Candy Social Hour. These students will enjoy cotton candy, time with friends, and the chance to relax with their phones.

Sweet Success!!! Right now we have over 400 students qualified.
 

5th Graders & Drama Club Shine at MPMS “Newsies” Performance

Our 5th graders and Drama Club students had a fantastic time visiting MPMS yesterday to watch their production of Newsies. Seeing our students take in the performance with such excitement, curiosity, and appreciation was truly heartwarming.

We couldn’t be more proud of how beautifully they represented EA Cox.
From the moment we arrived, their kindness, respect, and outstanding behavior stood out. They supported one another, encouraged the performers, and demonstrated exactly what makes our school community so special.
 

Keeping Our Students Healthy This Season

As we move through cold and flu season, it’s important that we work together to keep our school community healthy. Please remind your child about good hygiene habits: washing hands often, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding sharing food or drinks, to help stop the spread of germs.

If your student is showing symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or an unexplained rash, please keep them home using the graphic for guidance. This helps protect other students and staff and gives your child time to fully recover.

MCPS allows 5 parent notes per semester to excuse absences when your child is not feeling well enough to attend school but does not need to see a doctor. If your child is seen by a doctor, please be sure to obtain a doctor’s excuse. All notes, parent or doctor, can be turned in to the front office or emailed to our attendance clerk at mshamburg@mauryk12.org.

Thank you for helping us keep our school healthy and learning strong!
 

Join Us for Our Winter Band Concert!

We are excited to invite you to our Winter Band Concert, a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the season with festive music and see just how much our talented student musicians have grown since their fall performance at the beginning of the year. Their hard work, dedication, and practice truly shine on stage, and we can’t wait for you to hear the progress they’ve made!

This event is free for everyone, so feel free to bring family, friends, and anyone who enjoys good music and holiday cheer. It’s always a joyful evening filled with beautiful performances and plenty of seasonal spirit.
 
Colorful graphic promoting school clubs, featuring art supplies, pom-poms, and a lightbulb.
 
A snowman with a hat and scarf stands in the snow, with text indicating winter break dates.
 
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
 

Cougar Sports

A softball schedule for E.A. Cox Middle School, listing dates, visiting teams, and home teams.
Softball team roster for E.A. Cox Middle School, featuring a softball graphic.
E.A. Cox Middle Basketball Team roster for 2025/26, with team logo.
A basketball team roster for the Lady Cougars, featuring player names on a blue background.
A basketball schedule for EA Cox Middle School, featuring game dates, locations, and times.
A baseball schedule for E.A. Cox 2026, listing game dates and times.
A team roster for E.A. Cox Middle School Baseball, with player names listed.
Track and field open conditioning announcement with a cougar logo on a red track.
 

Bell Schedules

A school bell schedule for 5th and 6th grade students, with period times listed.
A school bell schedule for 7th and 8th grade, with period times listed.
 
cms logo with cougar

Contact info

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach out via the following links: