North Bethesda Middle School
8935 Bradmoor Drive
Bethesda, MD 20817
(301) 571-3883
Fax (301) 571-3881
montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/northbethesdams/
A Word from the Principal
North Bethesda Middle School is a caring professional learning community of passion and purpose where the highest levels of teaching and learning take place in an environment that is academically rigorous, yet socially and emotionally nurturing. We are committed to providing professional and courteous services to our students and their parents/guardians.
Our Counseling Department, led by Mrs. Cynthia Drucker, Resource Counselor, works closely with students to provide a broad array of comprehensive services in response to their academic and individual needs.
Our three grade-level teams send weekly parent updates via email to keep parents/guardians up-to-date on team projects as well as the activities that are taking place in each teacher’s class. Parents/guardians also have the opportunity to keep up with their children’s progress through Edline currently and will soon be able to do so via a new My MCPS program. In addition, in 2015, we will be implementing an online registration process which will allow students, using their school login and passwords, to access the class registration site and complete the online process with their parents.
North Bethesda is indeed an outstanding learning community. Staff, parents, students, and the community at large collaborate to provide the best possible middle school experience for our children.
Alton E. Sumner
Principal
Counseling Department
(301) 897-2260
The information in this booklet will describe the courses that will be offered for the 2015 - 2016 school year. Please pay careful attention to the important dates, deadlines, and timelines, as the counselors and other staff must meet these deadlines when scheduling and enrollment information is entered into the county's database.
Instructional Practices
Differentiated instructional practices address a wide range of academic abilities and physical, social, and emotional differences among students. They include acceleration, enrichment, and other strategies as needed to foster intellectual growth. Students are placed in classes so they have the opportunity to work in homogeneous groups, heterogeneous groups, or individually, depending on their developmental needs in each instructional area or the task involved. As students' needs and abilities change, regrouping may occur at any time during the year to accommodate the academic growth of each student.
Student Service Learning Credit
In Middle School, Student Service Learning (SSL) hours are earned through the infusion of service into the Middle School curriculum. Students will complete service projects in Grade 6 Science, Grade 7 English, and Grade 8 History. Through these classroom activities, all students attending Middle School, and completing the projects, will be credited with 30 of the 75 student service learning hours that Montgomery County Public Schools require for graduation from High School. Middle School students may earn additional SSL hours by volunteering to work at those agencies that have been approved by the school system for this purpose and that are able to use the services of middle school age students. Ms. Ashley Rice is currently the SSL Coordinator for NBMS. For further information you may visit the NBMS website, montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/northbethesdams/, the MCPS SSL site, mcpsssl.org, or contact Ms. Rice at Ashley_B_Rice@mcpsmd.org or (301) 897-2260.
Program of Studies 2015 — 2016
North Bethesda Middle School is committed to providing the best possible transition from elementary to secondary education. The emphasis of the program of studies will be on academic achievement and will include emotional and social supports to help students adjust to the middle school program. We provide more in-depth learning experiences for those students who master the basic course objectives. Students who require academic support will be provided additional instruction. As you read the program of study, please keep in mind that the course descriptions provide only a brief summary of the various courses. When school begins in the fall, students will receive the specific course objectives.
Students and parents are encouraged to read the course descriptions very carefully. All students will be scheduled for seven subjects. Counselors will explain the registration process to parents and students.
Required Subjects
English or ESOL
Digital Literacy 1 (6th Grade only)
Social Studies
Mathematics
Science
Physical Education and Health
Elective Subjects
World Languages – French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese,
Latin (Latin 8th grade only) (full year courses)
Band 6, 7, 8 (full year)
Intermediate Orchestra 6 (full year)
Advanced Orchestra 7, 8 (full year)
Chorus 6 (full year)
General Chorus 7, 8 (full year)
T.V. Studio 7, 8 (full year)
Art 8 (full year)
Art 6, 7 (semester course)
General Music 6, 7 (semester course)
Imagineering Technology 6 (semester course)
Computer Applications 6, 7 (semester course)
Living with Technology 7 (semester course)
Earth and Space Technology 8 & (full year)
Robotics 8
