Newsletter Sept 22

Posted Date: 9/22/24 (1:06 PM)

E.A. Cox Middle School

September 2024

Hello Cougar Families

This past Tuesday, we showed our students what it's like to have an old school pep rally! We had the band playing in the halls along with our cheerleaders chanting as we escorted our students to the gym. We recognized our fall sports teams along with our 8th grade players. Our band and cheerleaders did a fabulous job hyping up our football team for their last home game of the season! We also had some old fashion fun competitions including tug of war & leap frog! We definitely made some noise! It brought so much joy to our staff and students to bring back this great tradition. We're already planning for the next pep rally!

Our cookie dough sale is in full swing! Our grade levels are competitive and it's very close. Our energetic and enthusiastic 5th graders have a slight lead over our 7th graders. Perhaps, our 6th and 8th graders will show them how it's done this coming week! This is our first big fundraiser and we are definitely looking forward to providing future fun events and activities for our student body from the proceeds.

Parents please remind your students to keep their hands to themselves.This includes everything from hand holding to horseplay and all things tik tok, etc. It may seem silly in middle school to have this reminder but this prevents minor issues from escalating by observing this one act of self discipline. We will continue to take this matter seriously until everyone can maintain the motto of hands to themselves.

We had a fantastic week! We kicked off our cookie dough with assemblies, followed by another afternoon of pep rally fun, we've celebrated 8th grade night with Football & Volleyball (soccer is Tuesday), hosted a medley of after school clubs and ended the week with a camo themed Fun Friday with concessions. Academically, we've wrapped up screener testing, started RTI classes and some 5th grade tutoring. We're just over half way through the first quarter and we are noticing improvements at every turn!

Boys & Girls Basketball Tryouts

Basketball season is right around the corner! If your student is interested in playing Cougar Basketball please have them sign up by September 24th with Coach Gilbreath or Coach Sweeney. Interest meeting on September 25th & actual tryouts on September 27th. We're excited to get our students onto the court and share their passion for the game with our fans. A physical dated after 4/15/24 must be on file to try out. Please email Coach Gilbreath if you have questions agilbreath@mauryk12.org

Cookie Dough Sale

Submit final orders by Oct. 2 - all items $22

September is Suicide Prevention Month

MCPS has teamed with Cowboy Up, a local organization that promotes suicide awareness to our youth. This month Cowboy Up has some important dates to share:

Tuesday, September 24th: Light Up the Darkness Walk - Join us at the Cowboy Up Office (604 North High Street). Music starts at 6:30 PM, followed by a short walk at 7:00 PM, with messages of hope, awareness, and prevention. The evening will conclude with a Candle Lighting Service in memory of those lost to suicide.
Friday, September 27th: Cowboy Up Shirt Day - Wear your Cowboy Up shirt to help raise awareness! Post your picture on social media using the hashtags #CowboyUp and #TheresALot2Live4.
Monday, September 30th: Cowboy Up Yard Sign Day - Take a picture with a Cowboy Up yard sign, or create your own! Post it on social media with the hashtags #CowboyUp, #TheresALot2Live4, and #988.

New Staff

This week we want to welcome our two newest Cougars to join us! Sarah Grams, 7th grade Social Studies and Michele Jones, 8th grade Social Studies. We're excited about our new additions!

Before & After School Tutoring

We've heard your requests! We will be offering tutoring for ALL grades when we return from Fall Break. Express your interest at Parent Teacher Conferences & watch for more details!

Important Reminders

Students cannot be dropped off before 7am
Students arriving after 7:45am are considered tardy
No early sign outs after 2:15pm
Students not staying for authorized after school activities must be picked up by 3pm
Government issued ID is required to enter our building
We enforce MCPS dress code. Students must be covered from shoulders to 3" above the knee. Leggings & yoga pants are not allowed unless worn with a tunic type top. House shoes, hats and hoodies are not to be worn in the building. Full dress code can be found on our website

School Website

Fun Fridays Are Back

We're bringing back Fun Fridays! Each week students can earn the opportunity for free time and $1 concessions by meeting schoolwide expectations. From Thursday to Thursday, students should have their school badge, all their work completed, arrive to class on time for every period and not have any suspensions.

Student Meals

All students eat breakfast and lunch for free thanks to a community eligibility provision. You may add money to your student's account at www.schoolcafe.com OR have your student bring money to the cafeteria to fund their account for extra treats. Please click the link below to view the menus.