School FAQ’s

These are the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) that the PTSA can answer.

Takoma Park Middle School teaches students from grades 6 through 8.

Local students come from Piney Branch Elementary School and East Silver Spring Elementary School.

This is probably the biggest transition year since dropping your child off at kindergarten, so here are some practical notes…

The school day schedule is available on the school website here.
Call the school when your child is going to be late or absent, provide a note when he or she returns to school.
Lunch is more flexible and provides students more choices on an a la carte menu, which can lead to nutrition concerns and bigger expenses. Lines can be long in the beginning of the year.
Your child will have a different teacher for each subject and will have to keep track of assignments for each class.

Sports Interscholastic sports teams start in 7th grade: girls and boys softball, basketball, soccer, cross-country running and track. Students have to try out for teams, have a GPA above 2.0, complete health forms and pay a fee. These teams compete against other schools in the county. Practices are usually immediately after school.
After School Clubs are run by TPMS staff on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The brochure listing the clubs will be given to students in early September. Activity Buses are available those days at 3:50pm to transport students. They begin running in mid-September, drop children at central locations, and do not run on the afternoon before a school holiday or on half days. For more information, contact the MCPS Transportation Department.

Service Learning is 75 hours of community service that students must fulfill to graduate from high school. They can start volunteering in middle school. Students fill out forms, get them signed by the supervisor of the activity and turn them into the Main Office.