Takoma Park Middle School

Greg Swaluk

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Attention 8th Grade Parents – High School Choice begins…

MCPS will be broadcasting a High School Preview Presentation tonight, September 21, 2022 at 7PM.  Please see the info and timeline below, from the MCPS website.

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Grade 8 High School Regional and Countywide Programs Timeline

  • September 21, 2022 – High School Preview Presentation – Broadcast on the MCPS website (available 9/21/22)
    • English Presentation (link will go live at 7pm on 9/21/22)
      • Cable – 34 & HD 1071 (Comcast), 36 (Verizon), 89 (RCN) – 7:00 pm
    •  Presentación en español (el enlace se activará a las 8 p. m. el 21/09/22)
      • Cable – 33 (Comcast), 35 (Verizon), 88 (RCN) – 7:00p.m.
  • October 7, 2022-  Application opens on ParentVUE
  • November 4, 2022- Application deadline
  • First Week of February 2023- Notification of results
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https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/high/

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7th and 8th-Grade Ice Cream Socials – September 29

The PTSA will be hosting an ice cream social for all 7th graders (5:30 – 6:30 PM) and 8th graders (6:45 – 7:45 PM) on Thursday, Sept 29

Make sure to submit your RSVP by Monday, Sept 26 at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0E4DA8A729A75-rsvp.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Thursday, Sept. 29 Ice Cream Socials for 7th and 8th Grader

Can you help us make the event a success? If so, please sign up to volunteer at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0e4da8a729a75-tpms or email Shana Fulcher at fulcher@gmail.com.

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Reconnecting with NAACP at TPMS

We want to hear from you.  What has been your experience  at Takoma Park Middle School. The NAACP and parent council representative strive to offer assistance, guidance, and support for African American families and families of color pursue the highest quality education in MCPS.

Please click here to provide your feedback!

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PTSA Meeting – 10/11/22, 7:00-8:30PM, TPMS

The TPMS Middle School PTSA will hold our second in-person PTSA meeting at 7pm on October 11.  We hope that you can join us for the meeting and if you’re not a memebr, we welcome you to Join the PTSA by following this link.

Thanks to all who attended our first in-person meeting on September 13, 2022.  If you missed it, you can find a copy of the September Meeting Minutes here.

We are currently working on plans to potentially host hybrid in-person/Zoom meetings in the future.  Please watch this space for updates as we attempt to accomplish this.  If you have technical expertise and/or experience with this and are willing to help us provide a more accessible meeting solution for our members, please let us know – you can volunteer here. 

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Dine Out Event – Oct 12 – Cielo Rojo

You can support a local business and the PTSA at Takoma Park Middle School when you enjoy fine-casual Mexican in the heart of Takoma Park!

Dine at CIELO ROJO – 7056 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912

ALL DAY Wednesday, October 12th: 11:30am-9pm – The PTSA will get 10% of all proceeds for dine-in and carryout orders.

Cielo Rojo and the PTSA encourage the use of the restaurant’s online ordering system, as the restaurant won’t be able to process a large volume of phone orders.  Just follow the link above and click on “ORDER ONLINE”…

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TPMS Parents at Lunch (PAL) Progam Announcement

Dear TPMS families,
I hope each of your families had a great first week of the school year. I’m writing to you as a fellow parent of an 8th grader. I’m writing with an invitation to join in helping to build a strong and healthy community across the families, students, and staff at our school.  Last year a group of us worked with school staff to launch the TPMS Parents At Lunch (PAL) program. PAL is a group of volunteers that support a healthy, safe and vibrant lunchtime experience at Takoma Park Middle School.  As PAL volunteers, we are encouraged to get to know staff and students, support healthy interactions, ensure the cafeteria and outdoor areas are cleaned up, and help make lunchtime fun!
For those of you who might have the occasional (or regular) time to volunteer for 30-min (the length of one lunch period), this is a GREAT way to get to know staff, to support our students being able to make use of outdoor space at lunch, and just generally to have a better direct sense of what the school day is like.
To become a PAL, you must first complete the required online training and the COVID vaccination attestation (which takes less than an hour) if you haven’t done so before. If you’ve done this in the last three years you don’t need to do it again. Then you can sign up for volunteer shifts that work for your schedule. The TPMS PAL handbook (which includes the link to sign up for lunch shifts) is here: https://bit.ly/tpmspal
For those of you ready to jump right into signing up to volunteer, this year we’re using this tool (no need to create an account to use it): https://signup.com/go/bnRKuWH
The signup allows a person to select “all lunch periods” for a day or specific grade levels. Once you’ve made that selection, you can share if you have a preference for outside, inside, or the door. If you’re ready to commit to a recurring time slot (for example, PAL extraordinaire Susie Bailey will be at all three lunch shifts on Fridays), please just send an e-mail to tpmspal@gmail.com and I’ll add you as a recurring volunteer and you’ll get a reminder in advance of each of your shifts.

No worries if you’re still getting into the rhythm of the year and aren’t sure of your long-term ability to commit. Here is my gentle ask of all of us… let’s get the first month of the year fully staffed up (TPMS – like most schools – is still hiring for vacancies in a number of positions and so our support will go so far in helping staff not be overwhelmed as the year is getting started). If you’re not sure if this is your thing, think about signing up with another TPMS parent and coming together. I assure you it is easy, fun, and so rewarding.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Here’s to a great 22-23.   Here we go!

Jaime Koppel
TPMS PAL Coordinator

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PTSA Meeting – 9/13/22, 7:00-8:30PM, TPMS (UPDATED)

The TPMS Middle School PTSA is excited to kick off the 2022-2023 school year with a number of fun events in September, including our first in-person PTSA meeting at 7pm on September 13. We hope that you can join our PTSA and welcome you to do so at: JOIN THE PTSA

You can find a copy of the proposed agenda here

A copy of the proposed budget is also available to registered members for review.  Please email a request to Greg Swaluk.