Takoma Park Middle School

|

Volunteer Coordinator need to help restart PAL program

The PTSA is looking to restart the Parents At Lunch (PAL) program. PALs are a group of volunteers that support a healthy, safe and vibrant lunchtime experience at TPMS.  We need a volunteer coordinator to help schedule other parent volunteers to be onsite for lunch so the kids can have outside recess time during lunch. PAL volunteers get to know staff and students, support healthy interactions, ensure the cafeteria and outdoor areas are cleaned up, and help make lunchtime fun! The biggest need is for volunteers during 6th grade lunch. If you are interested, please email Emily Pickren at epickren@gmail.com or TPMS.pta.president@gmail.com. 

|

Blue Devil Digest for Week of February 9, 2026 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

 

Tomorrow: Monthly PTSA Meeting (Zoom)

Join us on Tuesday, February 10, from 7-8:30 pm over Zoom. Among the topics on our agenda is a focus on Gen AI. A panel discussion will include TPMS students and counselors moderated by TPMS parent and former Common Sense Media researcher, Amanda Lenhart. TPMS Parent Ruth Masterson will also walk us through available Digital Literacy resources. We will also hear from Mr. Loznak about ongoing work that came out of your feedback from the School Climate survey. 

Friday: Black History Month Celebration  

February is Black History Month, and to celebrate the PTSA is sponsoring an all grade assembly on February 13 showcasing African drumming circles during the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th periods of the school day. We’ve done this before and it’s always a hit. Be sure to ask your kiddo about it on Friday evening!

 

Friday: Multicultural Night 

Our beloved Multicultural Night event celebrating all of the places everyone in the TPMS family is from is Fri, Feb 13 from 6-8pm in the Cafeteria.   Please join us for this event!

Your student can earn 7 SSL hours by creating a performance or table display about their country or cultural heritage. 

Learn more, get inspired, and sign up to make a display or performance here:

English information/form and Spanish information/form. 

Parents & Caregivers, sign up here to help setup/cleanup the event.

 

Books and Basketball is Coming Soon

We Still Need Your Books Donations – Drive to School Saturday February 14 to Drop Off Your Books.

We are now only three weeks away from the 2026 edition of Books & Basketball (February 27-28) and we still need your book donations! Thanks to those who have already dropped books. As a reminder, we are interested in all types of books (picture books, first readers, chapter books, Young adults, fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, travel books, etc). There are several ways you can still donate books:

Now that the school has re-opened, the box outside the main office is waiting for your donations. The box will be there until February 27. You can also drive by on our second special drop-off window on Saturday February 14 (10 am to 1 pm) and drop your boxes by the school. We will be there to receive them. You can always drop books on my porch, 409 Beech Avenue (celineallard@yahoo.com) or on the porch of 902 Gist Ave , Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com)

And next week, we will be sharing more information on ticket sales for the basketball game and how you can volunteer to help during the event and for bake goods donations.

 

A Note from Your PTSA President

As we’ve now entered into our second semester, it’s time to begin thinking about next year’s PTSA board!  If you are interested in a board position, or discussing what the board does and how you might participate, please reach out to Emily at TPMS.PTA.president@gmail.com.

 

Advocacy from Your PTSA

SpED Autism Resource Services (ARS) Program Advocacy

We are hoping you can amplify a message that has been sent to the BOE and Superintendent regarding our ARS (and LAD) programs at TPMS. MCPS has been cutting back on resources negatively impacting these programs.  And when those programs receive cuts, it impacts EVERYONE in our school in a myriad of ways, seen and unseen. Please take a moment to read the blog post, and two minutes to send the email (or one of your own) amplifying the message to the BOE and Superintendent. 

Here’s a link to the post: https://www.tpmspta.org/protect-spedars-resources/

Thank you for your support, and supporting TPMS as an inclusive community that nurtures and grows every student!

News from MCCPTA

Report Un-Approved Sites Access by MCPS Students

MCPS’s Office of Technology and Innovation encourages families to use this form is to report unapproved websites that are accessed by MCPS students (for example, gaming websites that students are accessing by bypassing MCPS’s internet filters. OTI will investigate the website(s) and block access, as appropriate.

Some sites that have been reported recently:

 

Action Alert: Start Schools Later Initiative 

The Maryland General Assembly has introduced cross-filed bills on safe and healthy school start times — consistent with the MCCPTA Resolution on Healthy Sleep for Adolescents:

Committee hearings happened on Feb. 4 & 5, 2026, but your voice is still needed. Read the blog post to learn more.

 

Mañana: Reunión mensual de la PTSA (Zoom)

Únase a nosotros el martes 10 de febrero de 7 a 8:30 p. m. por Zoom. Entre los temas de nuestra agenda se encuentra un enfoque en la Generación AI. Un panel de discusión incluirá estudiantes y consejeros de TPMS moderado por la madre de TPMS y ex investigadora de Common Sense Media, Amanda Lenhart. La madre de TPMS, Ruth Masterson, también nos explicará los recursos de alfabetización digital disponibles. También escucharemos al Sr. Loznak sobre el trabajo en curso que surgió de sus comentarios sobre la encuesta sobre el clima escolar.

Viernes: Celebración del Mes de la Historia Afroamericana

Febrero es el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana y, para celebrarlo, la PTSA patrocina una asamblea de todos los grados el 13 de febrero que mostrará círculos de tambores africanos durante el segundo, tercer y cuarto período del día escolar. Hemos hecho esto antes y siempre es un éxito. ¡Asegúrese de preguntarle a su hijo sobre esto el viernes por la noche!

 

Viernes: Noche Multicultural

Nuestro querido evento de Noche Multicultural que celebra todos los lugares de donde provienen todos los miembros de la familia TPMS es el viernes 13 de febrero de 6 a 8 p. m. en la cafetería. ¡Únase a nosotros para este evento!

Su estudiante puede ganar 7 horas SSL creando una actuación o una mesa sobre su país o herencia cultural.

Obtenga más información, inspírese y regístrese para realizar una exhibición o presentación aquí:

Información/formulario en inglés e información/formulario en español.

Padres y cuidadores, regístrese aquí para ayudar a organizar/limpiar el evento.

 

Los libros y el baloncesto llegarán pronto

Todavía necesitamos sus donaciones de libros: conduzca a la escuela el sábado 14 de febrero para dejar sus libros.

¡Estamos a solo tres semanas de la edición 2026 de Libros y Baloncesto (27 y 28 de febrero) y todavía necesitamos sus donaciones de libros! Gracias a los que ya dejaron caer los libros. Como recordatorio, nos interesan todo tipo de libros (libros ilustrados, de primera lectura, libros de capítulos, para adultos jóvenes, ficción, no ficción, libros de cocina, libros de viajes, etc.). Hay varias formas de donar libros:

Ahora que la escuela ha reabierto, la caja afuera de la oficina principal está esperando sus donaciones. La caja estará allí hasta el 27 de febrero. También puede pasar por nuestra segunda ventana especial de entrega el sábado 14 de febrero (de 10 am a 1 pm) y dejar sus cajas en la escuela. Allí estaremos para recibirlos. Siempre puedes dejar libros en mi porche, 409 Beech Avenue (celineallard@yahoo.com) o en el porche de 902 Gist Ave, Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com)

Y la próxima semana compartiremos más información sobre la venta de entradas para el partido de baloncesto y cómo puede ofrecerse como voluntario para ayudar durante el evento y donar productos horneados.

 

Una nota de su presidente de la PTSA

Ahora que hemos entrado en nuestro segundo semestre, ¡es hora de comenzar a pensar en la junta directiva de la PTSA del próximo año! Si está interesado en un puesto en la junta directiva o en discutir lo que hace la junta y cómo podría participar, comuníquese con Emily en TPMS.PTA.president@gmail.com.

 

Defensa de su PTSA

Promoción del programa de Servicios de Recursos para el Autismo (ARS) de SpED

Esperamos que pueda ampliar un mensaje que se envió a la BOE y al Superintendente con respecto a nuestros programas ARS (y LAD) en TPMS. MCPS ha estado recortando recursos que impactan negativamente estos programas. Y cuando esos programas reciben recortes, afecta a TODOS en nuestra escuela de muchas maneras, visibles e invisibles.Tómese un momento para leer la publicación del blog y dos minutos para enviar el correo electrónico (o uno propio) amplificando el mensaje a la BOE y al Superintendente.

Aquí hay un enlace a la publicación: https://www.tpmspta.org/protect-spedars-resources/

¡Gracias por su apoyo y por apoyar a TPMS como una comunidad inclusiva que nutre y hace crecer a cada estudiante!

 

Noticias de MCCPTA

Informar el acceso a sitios no aprobados por parte de estudiantes de MCPS

La Oficina de Tecnología e Innovación de MCPS alienta a las familias a utilizar este formulario para informar sitios web no aprobados a los que acceden los estudiantes de MCPS (por ejemplo, sitios web de juegos a los que los estudiantes acceden sin pasar por los filtros de Internet de MCPS). La OTI investigará los sitios web y bloqueará el acceso, según corresponda.

Algunos sitios que han sido reportados recientemente:

Smart.flightbooker.es
https://c.sghub.co.za/
https://brightfuture.bostoncareercounselor.com/d
https://www.stat2games.sites.grinnell.edu/games/tigerstat.html
https://colute.net/play/?id=319

Alerta de acción: Iniciativa de comenzar las escuelas más tarde

La Asamblea General de Maryland ha presentado proyectos de ley sobre horarios de inicio de clases seguros y saludables, de conformidad con la Resolución de la MCCPTA sobre el sueño saludable para los adolescentes:

HB189 (Casa)
SB103 (Senado)
Las audiencias del comité se llevaron a cabo los días 4 y 5 de febrero de 2026, pero su voz aún es necesaria. Lea la publicación del blog para obtener más información.

 

ነገ፡ ወርሃዊ የPTSA ስብሰባ (አጉላ)

ማክሰኞ፣ ፌብሩዋሪ 10፣ ከቀኑ 7-8፡30 በማጉላት ይቀላቀሉን። በአጀንዳችን ላይ ከቀረቡት ርእሶች መካከል በጄኔራል AI ላይ ትኩረት ማድረግ ነው. የፓናል ውይይት የTPMS ተማሪዎችን እና አማካሪዎችን በTPMS ወላጅ እና በቀድሞ የኮመን ሴንስ ሚዲያ ተመራማሪ አማንዳ ሌንሃርት ያካትታል። TPMS ወላጅ ሩት ማስተርሰን በተገኙ የዲጂታል ማንበብና መፃፍ ግብዓቶችም ይመራናል። እንዲሁም ከት/ቤት የአየር ንብረት ዳሰሳ ጥናት ከእርስዎ አስተያየት ስለወጡ ቀጣይ ስራዎች ከአቶ ሎዝናክ እንሰማለን።

አርብ፡ የጥቁር ታሪክ ወር አከባበር

ፌብሩዋሪ የጥቁር ታሪክ ወር ነው፣ እና PTSA ለማክበር በየካቲት 13 የሁሉም ክፍል ስብሰባ የአፍሪካ ከበሮ ክበቦችን በ2ኛ፣ 3ኛ እና 4ኛ የትምህርት ቀን ስፖንሰር እያደረገ ነው። ይህን ከዚህ በፊት አድርገናል እና ሁልጊዜም ተወዳጅ ነው. አርብ ምሽት ላይ ልጅዎን ስለሱ መጠየቅዎን እርግጠኛ ይሁኑ!

 

ዓርቢ፡ ብዝተባህለ ምሸት

የእኛ ተወዳጅ የመድብለባህላዊ የምሽት ዝግጅታችን ሁሉም በ TPMS ቤተሰብ ውስጥ ያሉ ቦታዎችን የሚያከብረው አርብ ፌብሩዋሪ 13 ከ6-8pm በካፌቴሪያ ውስጥ ነው። እባክዎን ለዚህ ዝግጅት ይቀላቀሉን!

ተማሪዎ ስለአገራቸው ወይም ስለባህላዊ ቅርሶቻቸው ትርኢት ወይም የጠረጴዛ ማሳያ በመፍጠር 7 SSL ሰዓቶች ማግኘት ይችላሉ።

የበለጠ ይወቁ፣ ተነሳሱ እና ማሳያ ወይም አፈጻጸም እዚህ ለመስራት ይመዝገቡ፡

የእንግሊዝኛ መረጃ/ቅጽ እና የስፓኒሽ መረጃ/ቅጽ።

ወላጆች እና ተንከባካቢዎች፣ ክስተቱን ለማዋቀር/ለማፅዳት ለማገዝ እዚህ ይመዝገቡ።

 

መጽሐፍት እና ቅርጫት ኳስ በቅርቡ ይመጣሉ

አሁንም የመጽሃፍቶችዎ ልገሳዎች እንፈልጋለን – መጽሐፍትዎን ለመጣል ቅዳሜ የካቲት 14 ወደ ትምህርት ቤት ይንዱ።

አሁን ከ 2026 የመጽሐፍት እና የቅርጫት ኳስ እትም (የካቲት 27-28) ሊጠናቀቅ ሶስት ሳምንታት ብቻ ቀርተናል እና አሁንም የመጽሃፍ ልገሳዎች እንፈልጋለን! አስቀድመው መጽሃፎችን ለጣሉ እናመሰግናለን። ለማስታወስ ያህል፣ ሁሉንም ዓይነት መጻሕፍት (ሥዕል መጽሐፍት፣ የመጀመሪያ አንባቢዎች፣ የምዕራፍ መጻሕፍት፣ ወጣት ጎልማሶች፣ ልብ ወለድ፣ ልብወለድ ያልሆኑ፣ የምግብ መጻሕፍት፣ የጉዞ መጻሕፍት፣ ወዘተ) ፍላጎት አለን:: አሁንም መጽሃፍትን መስጠት የምትችልባቸው ብዙ መንገዶች አሉ፡-

አሁን ትምህርት ቤቱ እንደገና ስለተከፈተ ከዋናው መስሪያ ቤት ውጭ ያለው ሳጥን የእርስዎን ልገሳ እየጠበቀ ነው። ሳጥኑ እስከ ፌብሩዋሪ 27 ድረስ ይኖራል። እንዲሁም ቅዳሜ ፌብሩዋሪ 14 (ከ10 ሰአት እስከ ምሽቱ 1 ሰአት) በሁለተኛው ልዩ የመውረጃ መስኮታችን ማሽከርከር እና ሳጥኖችዎን ከትምህርት ቤቱ አጠገብ መጣል ይችላሉ። ልንቀበላቸው እንሆናለን። ሁልጊዜ መጽሐፌን በረንዳዬ 409 ቢች ጎዳና (celineallard@yahoo.com) ወይም በ902 Gist Ave፣ Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com) በረንዳ ላይ መጣል ትችላላችሁ።

እና በሚቀጥለው ሳምንት፣ ለቅርጫት ኳስ ጨዋታ የቲኬት ሽያጭ እና በዝግጅቱ ወቅት እንዴት በበጎ ፍቃደኝነት እንደሚረዱ እና የዳቦ እቃ ልገሳ ላይ ተጨማሪ መረጃ እናካፍላለን።

 

ከእርስዎ የPTSA ፕሬዝዳንት ማስታወሻ

ወደ ሁለተኛ ሴሚስተር እንደገባን፣ ስለሚቀጥለው ዓመት የPTSA ቦርድ ማሰብ የምንጀምርበት ጊዜ አሁን ነው! በቦርድ ቦታ ላይ ፍላጎት ካሎት ወይም ቦርዱ ምን እንደሚሰራ እና እንዴት መሳተፍ እንደሚችሉ ለመወያየት እባክዎን ኤሚሊን በ TPMS.PTA.president@gmail.com ያግኙ።

 

ጥብቅና ከPTSA

የSPED ኦቲዝም ሃብት አገልግሎቶች (ARS) የፕሮግራም ተሟጋችነት

በTPMS ላይ ያለንን የARS (እና LAD) ፕሮግራሞቻችንን በተመለከተ ለBOE እና ሱፐርኢንቴንደንት የተላከውን መልእክት ማጉላት እንደምትችሉ ተስፋ እናደርጋለን። MCPS በእነዚህ ፕሮግራሞች ላይ አሉታዊ ተጽዕኖ በሚያሳድሩ ሀብቶች ላይ ሲቀንስ ቆይቷል። እና እነዚያ ፕሮግራሞች ሲቀነሱ፣ በትምህርት ቤታችን ውስጥ ያሉትን ሁሉንም ሰው በሚታዩ እና በማይታዩ መንገዶች ይነካል።እባኮትን የብሎግ ልኡክ ጽሁፍ ለማንበብ ትንሽ ጊዜ ይውሰዱ እና ኢሜይሉን ለመላክ (ወይንም ከራስዎ አንዱን) መልዕክቱን ለBOE እና ለዋና ተቆጣጣሪው ለመላክ ሁለት ደቂቃ ይውሰዱ።

የልጥፉ አገናኝ ይኸውና፡ https://www.tpmspta.org/protect-spedars-resources/

ለድጋፋችሁ እና TPMSን እንደ አንድ ሁሉን ተማሪ የሚያሳድግ እና የሚያሳድግ ማህበረሰብ ስለምትደግፉ እናመሰግናለን!

 

ዜና ከMCCPTA

ያልተፈቀዱ ጣቢያዎችን በMCPS ተማሪዎች መድረስን ሪፖርት አድርግ

የMCPS የቴክኖሎጂ እና የኢኖቬሽን ቢሮ ቤተሰቦች ይህንን ቅጽ እንዲጠቀሙ ያበረታታል በMCPS ተማሪዎች የሚደርሱባቸውን ያልተፈቀዱ ድረ-ገጾች ሪፖርት ማድረግ ነው (ለምሳሌ፡ ተማሪዎች የMCPSን የኢንተርኔት ማጣሪያዎች በማለፍ ተማሪዎች የሚያገኟቸው የጨዋታ ድረ-ገጾች። OTI ድህረ ገፁን ይመረምራል እና እንደአግባቡ መዳረሻን ያግዳል።

በቅርቡ ሪፖርት የተደረጉ አንዳንድ ጣቢያዎች፡-

Smart.flightbooker.co.za
https://c.sghub.co.za/
https://brightfuture.bostoncareercounselor.com/d
https://www.stat2games.sites.grinnell.edu/games/tigerstat.html
https://colute.net/play/?id=319

የድርጊት ማስጠንቀቂያ፡ ትምህርት ቤቶችን በኋላ ተነሳሽነት ይጀምሩ

የሜሪላንድ ጠቅላላ ጉባኤ በአስተማማኝ እና ጤናማ የት/ቤት ጅምር ጊዜዎች – ከ MCCPTA ለወጣቶች ጤናማ እንቅልፍ ላይ ካለው ውሳኔ ጋር በተጣጣመ መልኩ የፍጆታ ሂሳቦችን አስተዋውቋል፡

HB189 (ቤት)
SB103 (ሴኔት)
በፌብሩዋሪ 4 እና 5፣ 2026 የኮሚቴ ችሎቶች ተከስተዋል፣ ነገር ግን የእርስዎ ድምጽ አሁንም ያስፈልጋል። የበለጠ ለማወቅ የብሎግ ልጥፉን ያንብቡ።

|

Action Alert: Start Schools Later Initiative

The Maryland General Assembly has introduced cross-filed bills on safe and healthy school start times — consistent with the MCCPTA Resolution on Healthy Sleep for Adolescents:

Committee hearings are happening on Feb. 4 & 5, 2026, but your voice is still needed.

Start School Later has created a quick, one-click email tool that allows you to contact all 30 committee members at once. A pre-written letter is included and can be personalized.

Please click HERE  and send your message as soon as possible.

If we don’t reach committee members promptly with strong support, these bills may not advance. Timing matters — let’s make sure they know this is a priority for families across Montgomery County.  Please share this with your members as soon as you can

Background & Context (FYI)

As many of you know, MCCPTA:

These new bills establish guardrails:

  • Middle schools may start no earlier than 8:00 a.m.

You may recall our Resolution calls for no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The difference reflects the bill’s role as a statewide safety standard — allowing flexibility while preventing dangerously early start times. Local control is preserved.

In the past, MCPS and some boards have opposed similar legislation citing “local control.” In my testimony to the MCPS Board of Ed last night, I emphasized that:

  • These bills set health and safety standards, just like instructional hour requirements and school health laws
  • They do not eliminate local control
  • We expect MCPS to both support the legislation and honor the MCCPTA Resolution locally

What Comes Next

Our first goal is to get the bills out of committee and enacted.

If needed, we may later organize to ensure MCPS does not oppose the legislation — even if they choose not to formally support it.

More to come on that front.

For now, please take a minute to send your email today.

Your voice truly matters.

Thank you for your continued advocacy,

For more info on this initiative you can contact: 

Sandra S. Landis

Montgomery County Chapter Leader

Start School Later

https://www.startschoollater.net/md—montgomery-county.html

https://www.startschoollater.net

|

Blue Devil Digest for Week of February 2, 2026 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

 

Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and the PTSA hopes everyone finds opportunities to celebrate, educate, and inspire with others throughout our community. 

NEXT TUESDAY: Monthly PTSA Meeting

Join us on Tuesday, February 10, from 7-8:30 pm over Zoom. Among the topics on our agenda is a focus on Gen AI. A panel discussion will include TPMS students and counselors moderated by TPMS parent and former Common Sense Media researcher, Amanda Lenhart.  TPMS Parent Ruth Masterson will also walk us through available Digital Literacy resources.  We will also hear from Mr. Loznak about ongoing work that came out of your feedback from the School Climate survey. 

 

NEW DATE: Multicultural Night is being rescheduled, date TBD

Our beloved Multicultural Night event celebrating all of the places everyone in the TPMS family will be rescheduled due to the extended snow days. While the date is being decided, consider how you will participate!

Your student can earn 7 SSL hours by creating a performance or table display about their country or cultural heritage.  

Learn more, get inspired, and sign up to make a display or performance here:

English information/form and Spanish information/form. 

Parents & Caregivers, sign up here to help setup/cleanup the event.

 

Books and Basketball is Coming Soon

We still need your book donations! Thanks to those who have already dropped books, including on Saturday ten days ago for our special drop-off window. We take all types of books (picture books, first readers, chapter books, Young adults, fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, travel books, etc). There are several ways you can still donate books:

  • As soon as the school reopens, the box outside the main office will be there waiting for your donations. The box will be there until February 27.
  • You can drive by on our second special drop-off window on Saturday February 14 (10 am to 1 pm) and drop your boxes by the school. We will be there to receive them.
  • You can also let your friends and neighbors know if they have books to donate. If you collect books from your neighbors, you can contact me (celineallard@yahoo.com) and I can come and pick them up, if that helps.
  • You can always drop books on my porch, 409 Beech Avenue or on the porch of 902 Gist Ave, Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com)

Around mid-February, we will also send a call for volunteers to help during the event and for bake goods donations.

 

Advocacy from Your PTSA

Traffic Observations at Pickup/Dropoff

At our January PTSA meeting, Kayci-Ann from the City of Takoma Park presented the observations from the October 8, 2025 review. The review looked at two locations including at pickup and drop off to see what a typical day at TPMS is like related to the movement of our students.  

 

SpED Autism Resource Services (ARS) Program Advocacy

We are hoping you can amplify a message that has been sent to the BOE and Superintendent regarding our ARS (and LAD) programs at TPMS. MCPS has been cutting back on resources negatively impacting these programs.  And when those programs receive cuts, it impacts EVERYONE in our school in a myriad of ways, seen and unseen. Please take a moment to read the blog post, and two minutes to send the email (or one of your own) amplifying the message to the BOE and Superintendent. 

Here’s a link to the post: https://www.tpmspta.org/protect-spedars-resources/

Thank you for your support, and supporting TPMS as an inclusive community that nurtures and grows every student!

News from MCCPTA

MCCPTA Delegates Assembly Passes Resolution on Technology and AI

On January 27, 2026, the Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA) Delegates Assembly, representing well over 100 PTA units in Montgomery County Public Schools, voted unanimously to approve the “MCCPTA Resolution on Intentional, Effective, and Safe Use of Technology, including Artificial Intelligence, in MCPS Schools” presented by the MCCPTA Technology Committee. 

The resolution was approved on the heels of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) closure of public comments on its revised technology policy, Policy IGS, Emerging Technologies in Education, on January 26, as well as the release of the MCCPTA Technology Committee’s report summarizing results of a district-wide survey: Community Feedback on School Chromebook Use.

You can read more about the resolution in the press release here.

 

View MSDE Math Policy in Advance

MSDE has released a Math Policy that reimagines how students become college and career ready. One part of the Math Policy requires the implementation of the Numeracy Development Framework. This identifies competencies for PreK-8 mathematics that students need to know each year. If you are interested in viewing the framework in advance, you can use this link for direct access. Come join the PreK-12 Math Team on Thursday, February 5, from 6:30-7:45 on Zoom.

Information for the webinar:

Additional messages from MCCPTA President, Brigid Howe

  1. Please remember that safe routes to school are a shared responsibility! Please look out for students on roads because sidewalks aren’t plowed, or at bus stops that are icebergs. Drive slowly around your school parking lots and be aware that lanes may shift and change. (Also, thank you to Einstein Cluster Coordinator Rebekah Kuschmider for suggesting in a chat that the county send out an Alert Montgomery notice saying just that – I was able to reach out to someone in the County government who made that happen tonight! It’s great to see even a small impact from our work to keep kids safe).
  2. If you have the opportunity, remember to thank your building services teams. They have been working so hard and as those of us who shoveled our own driveways know, it was backbreaking work. Additionally, thank bus drivers – they’ve been cleaning up the depots so buses are ready to go tomorrow — and thank the Department of Food and Nutrition Services – they worked so hard before and during the closure to ensure kids could pick up meals.
  3. Finally, tomorrow at 1:30 the Council will have an oversight hearing about the snow response – you should consider watching it and also submitting questions to councilmembers in advance.

 

Mes de la Historia Afroamericana

Febrero es el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana, y la PTSA espera que todos encuentren oportunidades para celebrar, aprender e inspirarse junto con otros miembros de nuestra comunidad.

PRÓXIMO MARTES: Reunión mensual de la PTSA

Únase a nosotros el martes 10 de febrero, de 7:00 a 8:30 p. m., a través de Zoom. Entre los temas de nuestra agenda, destacamos la inteligencia artificial generativa. Un panel de discusión contará con la participación de estudiantes y consejeros de TPMS, moderado por Amanda Lenhart, madre de un estudiante de TPMS y exinvestigadora de Common Sense Media. También escucharemos al Sr. Loznak sobre el trabajo que se está realizando a partir de sus comentarios en la encuesta sobre el clima escolar.

NUEVA FECHA: La Noche Multicultural se pospone, la fecha se anunciará próximamente.

Nuestro querido evento de la Noche Multicultural, que celebra la diversidad cultural de toda la familia de TPMS, se pospone debido a los días de cierre por nieve. Mientras se decide la nueva fecha, ¡piensen en cómo les gustaría participar!

Su hijo/a puede obtener 7 horas de servicio comunitario (SSL) creando una presentación o una mesa informativa sobre su país o herencia cultural.

Para obtener más información, inspirarse y registrarse para participar con una presentación o una mesa informativa, haga clic aquí:

Información/formulario en inglés e información/formulario en español.

Padres y tutores, inscríbanse aquí para ayudar con el montaje y la limpieza del evento.

¡Libros y Baloncesto llegará pronto!

¡Todavía necesitamos sus donaciones de libros! Gracias a quienes ya han donado libros, incluyendo a quienes los entregaron el sábado hace diez días durante nuestro horario especial de recepción. Aceptamos todo tipo de libros (libros ilustrados, libros para primeros lectores, libros de capítulos, libros para jóvenes, ficción, no ficción, libros de cocina, libros de viajes, etc.). Hay varias maneras de donar libros:

  • Tan pronto como la escuela reabra, la caja ubicada fuera de la oficina principal estará allí esperando sus donaciones. La caja estará disponible hasta el 27 de febrero.
  • Puede pasar en coche durante nuestro segundo horario especial de recepción de donaciones el sábado 14 de febrero (de 10:00 a 13:00) y dejar sus cajas en la escuela. Estaremos allí para recibirlas.
  • También puede avisar a sus amigos y vecinos si tienen libros para donar. Si recolecta libros de sus vecinos, puede contactarme (celineallard@yahoo.com) y puedo ir a recogerlos, si le resulta más fácil.
  • Siempre puede dejar los libros en mi porche, en 409 Beech Avenue, o en el porche de 902 Gist Ave, Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com).

A mediados de febrero, también solicitaremos voluntarios para ayudar durante el evento y donaciones de productos horneados.

 

Iniciativas de la Asociación de Padres, Maestros y Estudiantes (PTSA)

Observaciones sobre el tráfico durante la entrada y salida de la escuela

En nuestra reunión de la PTSA de enero, Kayci-Ann, de la Ciudad de Takoma Park, presentó las observaciones del estudio realizado el 8 de octubre de 2025. El estudio analizó dos ubicaciones, incluyendo las zonas de entrada y salida, para observar cómo es un día típico en TPMS en relación con el movimiento de nuestros estudiantes.

 

Defensa de los programas de Educación Especial y ARS

Esperamos que puedan difundir un mensaje que se ha enviado a la Junta Directiva de Educación y al Superintendente con respecto a nuestros programas ARS (y LAD) en TPMS. MCPS ha estado reduciendo los recursos, lo que afecta negativamente a estos programas. Y cuando estos programas sufren recortes, esto impacta a TODOS en nuestra escuela de diversas maneras, tanto visibles como invisibles. Por favor, tómese un momento para leer la publicación del blog y dos minutos para enviar el correo electrónico (o uno propio) para difundir el mensaje a la Junta Directiva de Educación y al Superintendente.

Aquí tiene un enlace a la publicación: https://www.tpmspta.org/protect-spedars-resources/

¡Gracias por su apoyo y por apoyar a TPMS como una comunidad inclusiva que nutre y ayuda a crecer a cada estudiante!

 

Noticias de MCCPTA

La Asamblea de Delegados de MCCPTA aprueba una resolución sobre tecnología e inteligencia artificial

El 27 de enero de 2026, la Asamblea de Delegados del Consejo de Asociaciones de Padres y Maestros del Condado de Montgomery (MCCPTA), que representa a más de 100 asociaciones de padres y maestros en las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Montgomery, votó por unanimidad para aprobar la “Resolución de MCCPTA sobre el uso intencional, efectivo y seguro de la tecnología, incluida la inteligencia artificial, en las escuelas de MCPS”, presentada por el Comité de Tecnología de MCCPTA.

La resolución se aprobó poco después de que las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Montgomery (MCPS) cerraran el período de comentarios públicos sobre su política de tecnología revisada, la Política IGS, Tecnologías Emergentes en la Educación, el 26 de enero, y tras la publicación del informe del Comité de Tecnología de MCCPTA que resume los resultados de una encuesta a nivel de distrito: Comentarios de la comunidad sobre el uso de Chromebooks en las escuelas.

Puede leer más sobre la resolución en el comunicado de prensa aquí.

 

Consulte la Política de Matemáticas de MSDE con anticipación

El Departamento de Educación del Estado de Maryland (MSDE) ha publicado una Política de Matemáticas que replantea la forma en que los estudiantes se preparan para la universidad y la vida profesional. Una parte de la Política de Matemáticas requiere la implementación del Marco de Desarrollo de la Alfabetización Numérica. Este marco identifica las competencias matemáticas de PreK a 8.º grado que los estudiantes deben dominar cada año. Si está interesado en consultar el marco con anticipación, puede usar este enlace para acceder directamente. Únase al Equipo de Matemáticas de PreK a 12.º grado el jueves 5 de febrero, de 6:30 a 7:45 p. m., por Zoom.

Información para el seminario web:

Marco de Desarrollo de la Alfabetización Numérica
Enlace de Zoom
Código de acceso de Zoom: 106086
Unirse por teléfono:
+1 301 715 8592 (Washington D.C.)
+1 646 558 8656 EE. UU. (Nueva York)

 

የጥቁር ታሪክ ወር

የካቲት የጥቁር ታሪክ ወር ሲሆን፣ PTSA ሁሉም ሰው በማህበረሰባችን ውስጥ ከሌሎች ጋር ለማክበር፣ ለማስተማር እና ለማነሳሳት እድሎችን እንደሚያገኝ ተስፋ ያደርጋል።

ቀጣዩ ማክሰኞ፡ ወርሃዊ የPTSA ስብሰባ

ማክሰኞ፣ የካቲት 10፣ ከቀኑ 7-8:30 ሰዓት በZoom ይቀላቀሉን። በአጀንዳችን ላይ ካሉት ርዕሰ ጉዳዮች መካከል በጄን AI ላይ ትኩረት ማድረግ ይገኝበታል። የፓናል ውይይት በTPMS ወላጅ እና የቀድሞ የኮመን ሴንስ ሚዲያ ተመራማሪ አማንዳ ሌንሃርት የሚመሩ የTPMS ተማሪዎችን እና አማካሪዎችን ያካትታል። እንዲሁም ከትምህርት ቤት የአየር ንብረት ጥናት አስተያየትዎ ስለተገኙ ቀጣይ ስራዎች ከአቶ ሎዝናክ እንሰማለን።

አዲስ ቀን፡ የመድብለ-ባህላዊ ምሽት እንደገና ተይዞለታል፣ ቀን TBD

የኛ ተወዳጅ የመድብለባህላዊ የምሽት ዝግጅታችን በ TPMS ቤተሰብ ውስጥ ያሉ ሁሉም ቦታዎችን የሚያከብሩበት በተራዘመ የበረዶ ቀናት ምክንያት ለሌላ ጊዜ ይዘጋጃል። ቀኑ በሚወሰንበት ጊዜ፣ እርስዎ እንዴት እንደሚሳተፉ ያስቡ!

ተማሪዎ ስለ አገራቸው ወይም ስለ ባህላዊ ቅርሳቸው የአፈጻጸም ወይም የጠረጴዛ ማሳያ በመፍጠር 7 የSSL ሰዓቶችን ማግኘት ይችላል።

ተጨማሪ ይወቁ፣ ተነሳሽነት ያግኙ እና እዚህ ማሳያ ወይም ትርኢት ለማድረግ ይመዝገቡ፡

የእንግሊዝኛ መረጃ/ቅጽ እና የስፓኒሽ መረጃ/ቅጽ።

ወላጆች እና ተንከባካቢዎች፣ ዝግጅቱን ለማዘጋጀት/ለማጽዳት እዚህ ይመዝገቡ።

 

መጽሐፍት እና የቅርጫት ኳስ በቅርቡ ይመጣል

አሁንም የመጽሐፍ ልገሳዎችዎን እንፈልጋለን! አስቀድመው መጽሐፍትን ላወጡልን ሰዎች እናመሰግናለን፣ ይህም ቅዳሜ ከአስር ቀናት በፊት ለልዩ የመደርደሪያ መስኮታችን ጭምር ነው። ሁሉንም አይነት መጽሐፍት እንወስዳለን (የስዕል መጽሐፍት፣ የመጀመሪያ አንባቢዎች፣ የምዕራፍ መጽሐፍት፣ ወጣት ጎልማሶች፣ ልብ ወለድ፣ ልብ ወለድ ያልሆኑ፣ የምግብ አዘገጃጀት መጽሐፍት፣ የጉዞ መጽሐፍት፣ ወዘተ)። አሁንም መጽሐፍትን ለመለገስ የሚያስችሉዎት በርካታ መንገዶች አሉ፡

  • ትምህርት ቤቱ እንደገና እንደተከፈተ፣ ከዋናው ቢሮ ውጭ ያለው ሳጥን ልገሳዎችዎን ይጠብቃል። ሳጥኑ እስከ የካቲት 27 ድረስ እዚያው ይቆያል።
  • ቅዳሜ የካቲት 14 (ከጠዋቱ 10 ሰዓት እስከ ምሽቱ 1 ሰዓት) በሁለተኛው ልዩ የመድረሻ መስኮታችን መኪና መንዳት እና ሳጥኖችዎን በትምህርት ቤቱ አጠገብ መጣል ይችላሉ። ለመቀበል እዚያ እንገኛለን።
  • እንዲሁም ለጓደኞችዎ እና ለጎረቤቶችዎ የሚለግሱ መጽሐፍት ካላቸው ማሳወቅ ይችላሉ። ከጎረቤቶችዎ መጽሐፍትን ከሰበሰቡ፣ እኔን (celineallard@yahoo.com) ሊያገኙኝ ይችላሉ እና ያ የሚረዳ ከሆነ መጥቼ ልወስዳቸው እችላለሁ።
  • በረንዳዬ፣ 409 ቢች አቨኑ ወይም በ902 ጂስት አቨኑ፣ ሲልቨር ስፕሪንግ (summersmith100@gmail.com) በረንዳ ላይ ሁልጊዜ መጽሐፍትን መጣል ይችላሉ።

በየካቲት ወር አጋማሽ አካባቢ፣ በዝግጅቱ ወቅት በጎ ፈቃደኞች እንዲረዱ እና የመጋገሪያ እቃዎችን እንዲለግሱ ጥሪ እናቀርባለን።

 

ከPTSAዎ የተሰጠ ተሟጋች

በመኪና መውረጃ/ማውረጃ ላይ የትራፊክ ምልከታዎች

በጥር PTSA ስብሰባችን ላይ፣ ከታኮማ ፓርክ ከተማ የመጣችው ካይቺ-አን ከጥቅምት 8፣ 2025 ግምገማ የተገኙ ምልከታዎችን አቅርባለች። ግምገማው በTPMS የተለመደ ቀን ከተማሪዎቻችን እንቅስቃሴ ጋር በተያያዘ ምን እንደሚመስል ለማየት በመኪና መውረጃ እና ማውረጃ ቦታን ጨምሮ ሁለት ቦታዎችን ተመልክቷል።

  • ሪፖርቱን ያንብቡ፣ የPTSA ስብሰባ ቃለ ጉባኤ/ስላይድ ያንብቡ፣ እና በድረ-ገጻችን ላይ ተጨማሪ መረጃ ያግኙ፡ https://www.tpmspta.org/pick-up-drop-off-observations-oct-2025/
  • የዳሰሳ ጥናታችንን ይውሰዱ (የካቲት 6 ይዘጋል) – ስለታቀዱት የከተማ ምክሮች ምን ያስባሉ? አስተያየትዎን ከከተማው ጋር እናካፍላለን። https://forms.gle/H1bTosCAUiHyU3oC7

 

የSpED ARS ተሟጋችነት

በTPMS ስለሚገኙ የARS (እና LAD) ፕሮግራሞቻችን ለBOE እና ለሱፐርኢንቴንደንት የተላከ መልእክት ማጉላት እንደሚችሉ ተስፋ እናደርጋለን። MCPS በእነዚህ ፕሮግራሞች ላይ አሉታዊ ተጽዕኖ የሚያሳድሩ ሀብቶችን እየቀነሰ ነው። እነዚያ ፕሮግራሞች ቅናሽ ሲደረግላቸው፣ በትምህርት ቤታችን ውስጥ ያለውን እያንዳንዱን ሰው በብዙ መንገዶች፣ በሚታዩም በማይታዩም መንገዶች ይጎዳል። እባክዎን የብሎጉን ልጥፍ ለማንበብ ትንሽ ጊዜ ይውሰዱ፣ እና ለሁለት ደቂቃዎች ያህል ለBOE እና ለሱፐርኢንቴንደንት መልእክቱን የሚያጎላ ኢሜይል (ወይም የራስዎን) ለመላክ።

ወደ ልጥፉ የሚወስድ አገናኝ ይኸውና፡ https://www.tpmspta.org/protect-spedars-resources/

ለድጋፍዎ እና እያንዳንዱን ተማሪ የሚንከባከብ እና የሚያሳድግ ሁሉን አቀፍ ማህበረሰብ TPMSን ስለደገፉ እናመሰግናለን!

 

ከMCCPTA የተገኘ ዜና

የMCCPTA ተወካዮች ጉባኤ በቴክኖሎጂ እና በAI ላይ ውሳኔ አፀደቀ

ጥር 27፣ 2026፣ በሞንትጎመሪ ካውንቲ የህዝብ ትምህርት ቤቶች ውስጥ ከ100 በላይ የPTA ክፍሎችን የሚወክሉ የሞንትጎመሪ ካውንቲ የPTAዎች ምክር ቤት (MCCPTA) ተወካዮች ጉባኤ፣ በMCCPTA የቴክኖሎጂ ኮሚቴ የቀረበውን “በMCPS ትምህርት ቤቶች ውስጥ አርቲፊሻል ኢንተለጀንስን ጨምሮ ሆን ተብሎ፣ ውጤታማ እና ደህንነቱ የተጠበቀ የቴክኖሎጂ አጠቃቀምን በተመለከተ የMCCPTA ውሳኔ” በሙሉ ድምጽ ለማፅደቅ ድምጽ ሰጥቷል።

ውሳኔው የተፀደቀው በጥር 26 የሞንትጎመሪ ካውንቲ የህዝብ ትምህርት ቤቶች (MCPS) በተሻሻለው የቴክኖሎጂ ፖሊሲ፣ IGS፣ በትምህርት ውስጥ ያሉ አዳዲስ ቴክኖሎጂዎች ላይ የህዝብ አስተያየቶችን በመዘጋቱ እንዲሁም የMCCPTA ቴክኖሎጂ ኮሚቴ የዲስትሪክት አቀፍ የዳሰሳ ጥናት ውጤቶችን የሚያጠቃልል ሪፖርት በመውጣቱ ምክንያት ነው፡ በትምህርት ቤት Chromebook አጠቃቀም ላይ የማህበረሰብ ግብረመልስ።

ስለ ውሳኔው እዚህ በጋዜጣዊ መግለጫው ላይ የበለጠ ማንበብ ይችላሉ።

 

የMSDE የሂሳብ ፖሊሲን አስቀድመው ይመልከቱ

MSDE ተማሪዎች ለኮሌጅ እና ለሙያ ዝግጁ እንዴት እንደሚሆኑ እንደገና የሚያስብ የሂሳብ ፖሊሲ ​​አውጥቷል። የሂሳብ ፖሊሲው አንድ ክፍል የቁጥር ልማት ማዕቀፍ መተግበርን ይጠይቃል። ይህ ተማሪዎች በየዓመቱ ማወቅ ያለባቸውን የቅድመ-ኬ-8 የሂሳብ ብቃቶችን ይለያል። ማዕቀፉን አስቀድመው ለማየት ፍላጎት ካሎት፣ ይህንን ሊንክ በቀጥታ ለማግኘት መጠቀም ይችላሉ። ሐሙስ፣ የካቲት 5፣ ከ6:30-7:45 በZoom ላይ ከቅድመ-ኬ-12 የሂሳብ ቡድን ጋር ይቀላቀሉ።

ለዌቢናሩ መረጃ፡

የቁጥር ልማት ማዕቀፍ
የዙም አገናኝ
የዙም የይለፍ ቃል፡ 106086
በስልክ ይቀላቀሉ፡
+1 301 715 8592 (ዋሽንግተን ዲሲ)
+1 646 558 8656 አሜሪካ (ኒውዮርክ)

|

Action Alert: Help Protect Special Education Resources at TPMS

Dear TPMS Families,

Our school is known for its incredible diversity and its commitment to inclusion, particularly through our ARS (Autism Resource Services) and LAD (Learning and Academic Disabilities) programs.  The ARS program in particular is hosted in only three MCPS middle schools. However, recent and upcoming budget cuts from the MCPS Central Office are putting these programs—and our students—at risk.

We have seen the removal of critical Autism Specialists and are facing a future of even deeper staffing cuts. This doesn’t just affect students with IEPs; it affects every classroom where these students learn, grow, and build friendships. When our special education staff is overextended, the entire school loses the support it needs to thrive.

Want to know more?  Read the talking points and information provided by xMinds (Non-profit improving education for autistic students in MoCo) here:

How You Can Help:

Please take two minutes to email the Board of Education and the Superintendent. You can use the template below – feel free to add a sentence about your own child’s experience at TPMS to make it even more impactful.

To: boe@mcpsmd.org, superintendent@mcpsmd.org

And/or send to individual BOE members and MCPS administration:

Subject: Protect Special Education Staffing at Takoma Park Middle School

Dear Members of the Board and Superintendent,

As a parent at Takoma Park Middle School, I am writing to urge you to restore and protect the specialized staffing resources for our ARS and LAD programs.

The recent removal of the centralized Autism Specialist has left our school leadership to manage 160+ IEPs without the necessary district-level support. We are seeing the impact of these cuts on our staff’s ability to provide the high-quality, inclusive education that TPMS is known for.

Further cuts projected for 2027 are unacceptable. I am asking the Board to:

  1. Restore the Autism Specialist positions to support our ARS programs.

  2. Increase RTSE staffing so that each specialized program has dedicated leadership.

  3. Ensure transparency regarding how MCPS plans to support neurodivergent students moving forward.

Our students deserve a school that is fully staffed and legally compliant. Please prioritize our most vulnerable learners in this budget cycle.

Sincerely, [Your Name] TPMS Parent

|

Sat, Feb 28 – Used Book Fair & Community Event 2026

Where:  Takoma Park Middle School (TPMS) in the Cafeteria

When:  Saturday, February 28, 2026, 10am-1pm

Who:  All community members and school families who wish to support TPMS

Join us for our Used Book Fair Fundraiser & Community Event in support of Takoma Park Middle School

– Browse to find treasures at our epic used book sale
– Enjoy a concert by the school Jazz Band and Flute Choir
– Admire the Art Show by students
– Buy your plants for spring by the school Horticulture Club
– Make your bids on incredible items at the Silent Auction
– Indulge on treats at the Bake sale
– And plenty of other fun activities!

Interested in donating books for this event?

We take all types of books (picture books, first readers, chapter books, Young adults, fiction, non fiction, cookbooks, travel books, etc).

|

Blue Devil Digest for Week of January 26, 2026 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

 

We Need Your Help for Multicultural Night

We are getting ever closer to Multicultural Night, and we very much need your help putting on the best event possible. Please see the links to signup and the flyer for more information. We are only 10 days away from the event and need many more volunteers for this to be a success. Join us for one of the most fun nights of the year where we celebrate all the amazing places TPMS families come from. Students set up tables showcasing a culture or country of ancestry or origin. Through food, costumes, stories, dance, music and performance we will celebrate!

 

Books and Basketball is next month and we still need more books!

What is Books and Basketball? A fundraiser for the PTSA but more than that, an AMAZING community event bringing together TPMS, but also Takoma at large, families.

When is it?

  • Friday February 27, 6-9 pm: Students versus Staff basketball game in the gym
  • Friday February 27, 5-8 pm: Book Pre-sale open to TPMS family in the cafeteria
  • Saturday February 28, 10-1 pm: Book sale open to all in the cafeteria

Why you should definitely not miss this event:

  • Come and enjoy the thrill of a basketball game, and listen to the fantastic “We will rock you” band ahead of the game and a preview of the musical “Mean Girls” by the Drama Club at halftime
  • Come and browse to find treasures among the book sale
  • Come and enjoy a concert by the school Jazz Band and Flute Choir
  • Come and admire the Art Show by students
  • Come and buy your plants for spring by the Horticulture Club
  • Come and bid at the Silent Auction for amazing prices
  • Come and indulge on treats at the Bake sale
  • And plenty of other fun activities…

How you can help:

We still need your book donations! Thanks to those who have already dropped books, including this past Saturday morning for our special drop-off window. We take all types of books (picture books, first readers, chapter books, Young adults, fiction, non fiction, cookbooks, travel books, etc). There are several ways you can still donate books:

  • There is a box outside the main office where you can drop your books. The box will be there until February 27.
  • You can drive by on Saturday January 14 (10 am to 1 pm) and drop your boxes by the school. We will be there to receive them.
  • You can also let your friends and neighbors know if they have books to donate. If you collect books from your neighbors, you can contact me (celineallard@yahoo.com) and I can come and pick them up, if that helps.
  • You can always drop books on my porch, 409 Beech Avenue or on the porch of 902 Gist Ave, Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com)

Around mid-February, we will also send a call for volunteers to help during the event and for bake goods donations.

 

Tomorrow: (TPMS AND HEALING HMS PRESENTS) Topic of Stress Management for Middle School Students and Parents

This interactive workshop will help families understand what stress looks like in middle school and offer practical, realistic strategies that students and parents can use together. Participants will learn how to recognize signs of stress, strengthen communication, and obtain practical simple tools to build resilience, balance and emotional wellbeing at home and at school.

Date: Tuesday, January 27

Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM (1 hour presentation and 30 min Q & A session)

Location: Virtual via Zoom (Zoom link will be sent out to those who sign up)

SIGN UP USING THIS GOOGLE FORM: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGWjxDMjB4S2ndilj-5XOjjJyQ9cRTGWBad52_bzaF-uDcQw/viewform

We’re glad you’re partnering with us to support the emotional well-being of our students.

Warmly,

TPMS Counseling Department

In partnership with Healing Hearts Minds & Souls (Jeanne Johnson, LCPC)

 

Friday: Join MCCPTA’s Curriculum Committee and Gifted Education Committee for Math Night

Maryland has adopted new K–12 math standards, which will affect classes from elementary school through high school. At this virtual Math Night, families will:

  • Learn about Maryland’s new K–12 math standards
  • Understand how math instruction and coursework will change across grade levels
  • Explore what high‑quality math instruction looks like
  • Learn ways parents and caregivers can advocate for strong math learning experiences for all students

To encourage open conversation and questions, this meeting will not be recorded. However, presentation slides will be shared with all registrants after the event.

The event is at 7 p.m. and is free to attend, but registration is required. Please register here.

 

Necesitamos tu ayuda para la Noche Multicultural

Cada vez falta menos para la Noche Multicultural, y necesitamos mucho tu ayuda para que sea un evento inolvidable. Consulta los enlaces para inscribirte y el folleto para obtener más información. Faltan solo 10 días para el evento y necesitamos muchos más voluntarios para que sea un éxito. Acompáñanos en una de las noches más divertidas del año, donde celebraremos la diversidad cultural de las familias de TPMS. Los estudiantes montarán mesas para mostrar la cultura o el país de origen o ascendencia de sus familias. ¡Celebraremos con comida, trajes típicos, historias, bailes, música y presentaciones!

  • Detalles: Viernes, 6 de febrero, de 18:00 a 20:00 en la cafetería
  • Inscríbete para ser voluntario o para mostrar tu cultura: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E4BAAA923ABFE3-61625116-tmps#/
  • ¿Preguntas? Comunícate con Ramata Diop a mutchad@yahoo.com

 

¡Libros y Baloncesto es el mes que viene y todavía necesitamos más libros!

¿Qué es Libros y Baloncesto? Es una recaudación de fondos para la Asociación de Padres y Maestros (PTSA), pero más que eso, es un evento comunitario INCREÍBLE que reúne a la escuela TPMS y a toda la comunidad de Takoma.

¿Cuándo es?

  • Viernes 27 de febrero, de 18:00 a 21:00: Partido de baloncesto entre estudiantes y personal en el gimnasio
  • Viernes 27 de febrero, de 17:00 a 20:00: Preventa de libros para las familias de TPMS en la cafetería
  • Sábado 28 de febrero, de 10:00 a 13:00: Venta de libros abierta a todo el público en la cafetería

Por qué no te puedes perder este evento:

  • Ven y disfruta de la emoción de un partido de baloncesto, y escucha a la fantástica banda “We will rock you” antes del partido y un adelanto del musical “Mean Girls” a cargo del Club de Teatro durante el descanso.
  • Ven y busca tesoros entre los libros en venta.
  • Ven y disfruta de un concierto de la Banda de Jazz y el Coro de Flautas de la escuela.
  • Ven y admira la exposición de arte de los estudiantes.
  • Ven y compra tus plantas para la primavera en el puesto del Club de Horticultura.
  • Ven y puja en la subasta silenciosa por premios increíbles.
  • Ven y date un gusto con las delicias de la venta de pasteles.
  • Y muchas otras actividades divertidas…

Cómo puedes ayudar:
¡Todavía necesitamos tus donaciones de libros! Gracias a quienes ya han donado libros, incluyendo los que los trajeron el sábado pasado por la mañana durante nuestro horario especial de recepción. Aceptamos todo tipo de libros (libros ilustrados, primeros lectores, libros de capítulos, libros para jóvenes, ficción, no ficción, libros de cocina, libros de viajes, etc.). Hay varias maneras de donar libros:

  • Hay una caja fuera de la oficina principal donde puedes dejar tus libros. La caja estará allí hasta el 27 de febrero.
  • Puedes pasar en coche el sábado 14 de enero (de 10:00 a 13:00) y dejar tus cajas en la escuela. Estaremos allí para recibirlas.
  • También puedes avisar a tus amigos y vecinos si tienen libros para donar. Si recolectas libros de tus vecinos, puedes contactarme (celineallard@yahoo.com) y puedo ir a recogerlos, si te resulta más fácil. Siempre pueden dejar los libros en el porche de mi casa, en 409 Beech Avenue, o en el porche de la casa en 902 Gist Ave, Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com).

A mediados de febrero, también enviaremos una convocatoria para voluntarios que quieran ayudar durante el evento y para quienes deseen donar productos de repostería.

 

Mañana: (TPMS Y HEALING HMS PRESENTAN) Tema: Manejo del estrés para estudiantes de secundaria y sus padres

Este taller interactivo ayudará a las familias a comprender cómo se manifiesta el estrés en la escuela secundaria y ofrecerá estrategias prácticas y realistas que estudiantes y padres pueden usar juntos. Los participantes aprenderán a reconocer los signos del estrés, fortalecer la comunicación y obtener herramientas sencillas y prácticas para desarrollar resiliencia, equilibrio y bienestar emocional en casa y en la escuela.

Fecha: Martes, 27 de enero

Hora: 18:00 a 19:30 (1 hora de presentación y 30 minutos de preguntas y respuestas)

Lugar: Virtual a través de Zoom (El enlace de Zoom se enviará a quienes se registren)

INSCRÍBASE UTILIZANDO ESTE FORMULARIO DE GOOGLE: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGWjxDMjB4S2ndilj-5XOjjJyQ9cRTGWBad52_bzaF-uDcQw/viewform

Nos complace que colaboren con nosotros para apoyar el bienestar emocional de nuestros estudiantes.

Atentamente,

Departamento de Orientación de TPMS

En colaboración con Healing Hearts Minds & Souls (Jeanne Johnson, LCPC)

 

Viernes: Únase al Comité de Currículo y al Comité de Educación para Estudiantes Talentosos de MCCPTA para la Noche de Matemáticas

Maryland ha adoptado nuevos estándares de matemáticas para los grados K-12, que afectarán las clases desde la escuela primaria hasta la secundaria. En esta Noche de Matemáticas virtual, las familias podrán:

  • Aprender sobre los nuevos estándares de matemáticas de Maryland para los grados K-12
  • Comprender cómo cambiarán la enseñanza y los cursos de matemáticas en todos los niveles escolares
  • Explorar cómo es una enseñanza de matemáticas de alta calidad
  • Aprender cómo los padres y tutores pueden abogar por experiencias de aprendizaje de matemáticas sólidas para todos los estudiantes

Para fomentar la conversación abierta y las preguntas, esta reunión no se grabará. Sin embargo, las diapositivas de la presentación se compartirán con todos los inscritos después del evento.

El evento es a las 7 p.m. y la asistencia es gratuita, pero se requiere inscripción. Regístrese aquí.

 

የለብዙ ባህሎች ምሽት የእርዳታዎን እንፈልጋለን

ወደ ብዙ ባህሎች ምሽት እየተቃረብን ነው፣ እና በተቻለ መጠን ምርጡን ዝግጅት ለማድረግ የእርስዎን እርዳታ በጣም እንፈልጋለን። ለተጨማሪ መረጃ እባክዎን ወደ ምዝገባ የሚወስዱትን አገናኞች እና በራሪ ወረቀቱን ይመልከቱ። ከዝግጅቱ 10 ቀናት ብቻ ቀርተውናል እና ይህ ስኬታማ እንዲሆን ብዙ ተጨማሪ በጎ ፈቃደኞች ያስፈልጉናል። የTPMS ቤተሰቦች የሚመጡባቸውን አስደናቂ ቦታዎች የምናከብርበት በዓመቱ ውስጥ ካሉት በጣም አስደሳች ምሽቶች በአንዱ ላይ ይቀላቀሉን። ተማሪዎች ባህል ወይም የዘር ሐረግ ወይም የመነሻ ሀገር የሚያሳዩ ጠረጴዛዎችን ያዘጋጃሉ። በምግብ፣ አልባሳት፣ ታሪኮች፣ ጭፈራ፣ ሙዚቃ እና ትርኢት እናከብራለን!

  • ዝርዝሮች፡ አርብ፣ የካቲት 6፣ ከቀኑ 6-8 ሰዓት በካፌቴሪያ ውስጥ
  • ባህልዎን በፈቃደኝነት ለማቅረብ ወይም ለማሳየት ይመዝገቡ https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E4BAAA923ABFE3-61625116-tmps#/
  • ጥያቄዎች? ራማታ ዲዮፕን በ mutchad@yahoo.com ያግኙ

 

መጽሐፍት እና የቅርጫት ኳስ የሚቀጥለው ወር ነው እና አሁንም ተጨማሪ መጽሐፍት ያስፈልጉናል!

መጽሐፍት እና የቅርጫት ኳስ ምንድን ነው? ለPTSA የገንዘብ ማሰባሰቢያ ፕሮግራም ነው ነገር ግን ከዚያ በላይ፣ TPMSን ብቻ ሳይሆን ታኮማንም በአጠቃላይ ቤተሰቦችን የሚያገናኝ አስደናቂ የማህበረሰብ ዝግጅት።

መቼ ነው?

  • አርብ የካቲት 27፣ ከ6-9 ፒኤም፡ ተማሪዎች በጂም ውስጥ ከሰራተኞች የቅርጫት ኳስ ጨዋታ ጋር
  • አርብ የካቲት 27፣ ከ5-8 ፒኤም፡ ቅድመ-ሽያጭ በካፌቴሪያ ውስጥ ለTPMS ቤተሰብ ክፍት ቦታ ይያዙ
  • ቅዳሜ የካቲት 28፣ ከ10-1 ፒኤም፡ የመጽሐፍት ሽያጭ በካፌቴሪያ ውስጥ ላሉ ሁሉ ክፍት ነው።

ይህንን ዝግጅት በእርግጠኝነት እንዳያመልጥዎት የማይገባዎት ምክንያት፡

  • መጥተው የቅርጫት ኳስ ጨዋታ ደስታን ይደሰቱ፣ እና ከጨዋታው በፊት ያለውን ድንቅ “We will rock you” የሚለውን ባንድ እና በድራማ ክለብ የሚቀርበውን “Mean Girls” የሙዚቃ ቅድመ እይታ ያዳምጡ።
  • በመጽሐፍት ሽያጭ መካከል ውድ ሀብቶችን ለማግኘት ይምጡና ያስሱ።
  • ይምጡና በትምህርት ቤቱ የጃዝ ባንድ እና የዋሽንት መዘምራን ኮንሰርት ይደሰቱ።
  • ይምጡና በተማሪዎች የሚቀርበውን የጥበብ ትርኢት ያደንቁ።
  • ይምጡና በሆርቲካልቸር ክለብ ለጸደይ ወቅት ተክሎችዎን ይግዙ።
  • በሚገርም ዋጋ በዝምታ ጨረታ ይምጡና ይሸጡ።
  • በቤክ ሽያጭ ላይ ጣፋጭ ምግቦችን ይደሰቱ።
  • እና ሌሎች ብዙ አስደሳች እንቅስቃሴዎች…

እንዴት መርዳት እንደሚችሉ፡

አሁንም የመጽሐፍ ልገሳዎችዎን እንፈልጋለን! መጽሐፍትዎን ለጣሉ ሰዎች እናመሰግናለን፣ ይህም ባለፈው ቅዳሜ ጠዋት ለልዩ የመክፈቻ ክፍላችን ጭምር። ሁሉንም አይነት መጽሐፍት እንወስዳለን (የስዕል መጽሐፍት፣ የመጀመሪያ አንባቢዎች፣ የምዕራፍ መጽሐፍት፣ ወጣት ጎልማሶች፣ ልብ ወለድ፣ ልብ ወለድ ያልሆኑ፣ የምግብ አዘገጃጀት መጽሐፍት፣ የጉዞ መጽሐፍት፣ ወዘተ)። አሁንም መጽሐፍት መዋጮ ማድረግ የሚችሉባቸው በርካታ መንገዶች አሉ፡-

  • ከዋናው ቢሮ ውጭ መጽሐፍትዎን ማስቀመጥ የሚችሉበት ሳጥን አለ። ሳጥኑ እስከ የካቲት 27 ድረስ እዚያው ይቆያል።
  • ቅዳሜ ጥር 14 (ከጠዋቱ 10 ሰዓት እስከ ምሽቱ 1 ሰዓት) መኪና መንዳት እና ሳጥኖችዎን በትምህርት ቤቱ አጠገብ መጣል ይችላሉ። እነሱን ለመቀበል እዚያ እንሆናለን።
  • እንዲሁም ጓደኞችዎ እና ጎረቤቶችዎ ለመለገስ መጽሐፍት እንዳላቸው ማሳወቅ ይችላሉ። ከጎረቤቶችዎ መጽሐፍትን ከሰበሰቡ (celineallard@yahoo.com) ሊያገኙኝ ይችላሉ እና ያ የሚረዳ ከሆነ መጥቼ መውሰድ እችላለሁ።
  • ሁልጊዜም መጽሐፍት በረንዳዬ፣ 409 ቢች አቨኑ ወይም በ902 Gist Ave፣ ሲልቨር ስፕሪንግ (summersmith100@gmail.com) በረንዳ ላይ መጣል ይችላሉ።

የካቲት አጋማሽ አካባቢ፣ በዝግጅቱ ወቅት በጎ ፈቃደኞች እንዲረዱ እና የመጋገሪያ እቃዎችን ልገሳ እንዲያደርጉ ጥሪ እንልካለን።

 

ነገ፡ (TPMS እና Healing HMS ያቀርባል) ለመለስተኛ ደረጃ ተማሪዎች እና ወላጆች የጭንቀት አስተዳደር ርዕስ

ይህ በይነተገናኝ አውደ ጥናት ቤተሰቦች በመለስተኛ ደረጃ ትምህርት ቤት ውስጥ ውጥረት ምን እንደሚመስል እንዲረዱ እና ተማሪዎች እና ወላጆች አብረው ሊጠቀሙባቸው የሚችሏቸውን ተግባራዊ እና ተጨባጭ ስልቶችን ያቀርባል። ተሳታፊዎች የጭንቀት ምልክቶችን እንዴት መለየት፣ ግንኙነትን ማጠናከር እና በቤት እና በትምህርት ቤት የመቋቋም፣ ሚዛን እና ስሜታዊ ደህንነት ለመገንባት ተግባራዊ ቀላል መሳሪያዎችን እንዴት ማግኘት እንደሚችሉ ይማራሉ።

ቀን፡ ማክሰኞ፣ ጥር 27

ሰዓት፡ ከ6፡00 – 7፡30 ፒኤም (የ1 ሰዓት አቀራረብ እና የ30 ደቂቃ የጥያቄ እና መልስ ክፍለ ጊዜ)

ቦታ፡ በZoom በኩል ምናባዊ (የZoom አገናኝ ለተመዘገቡ ሰዎች ይላካል)

በዚህ የGOOGLE ቅጽ ይመዝገቡ፡ https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGWjxDMjB4S2ndilj-5XOjjJyQ9cRTGWBad52_bzaF-uDcQw/viewform

የተማሪዎቻችንን ስሜታዊ ደህንነት ለመደገፍ ከእኛ ጋር በመተባበርዎ ደስተኞች ነን።

ሞቅ ያለ፣

የTPMS የምክር ክፍል

ከሄሊንግ ልቦች ማይንድ ኤንድ ሶልስ (ጄን ጆንሰን፣ LCPC) ጋር በመተባበር

 

አርብ፡ የMCCPTA የትምህርት ኮሚቴ እና የባለተሰጥኦ ትምህርት ኮሚቴን ለሂሳብ ምሽት ይቀላቀሉ

ሜሪላንድ ከአንደኛ ደረጃ ትምህርት ቤት እስከ ሁለተኛ ደረጃ ትምህርት ቤት ድረስ ያሉትን ትምህርቶች የሚነኩ አዳዲስ የK-12 የሂሳብ መመዘኛዎችን ተቀብላለች። በዚህ ምናባዊ የሂሳብ ምሽት፣ ቤተሰቦች የሚከተሉትን ያደርጋሉ፡-

ስለ ሜሪላንድ አዲስ የK-12 የሂሳብ መመዘኛዎች ይወቁ

የሂሳብ ትምህርት እና የኮርስ ስራ በክፍል ደረጃዎች እንዴት እንደሚለወጡ ይረዱ
ከፍተኛ ጥራት ያለው የሂሳብ ትምህርት ምን እንደሚመስል ይመርምሩ
ወላጆች እና ተንከባካቢዎች ለሁሉም ተማሪዎች ጠንካራ የሂሳብ ትምህርት ልምዶችን መደገፍ የሚችሉባቸውን መንገዶች ይወቁ

ክፍት ውይይት እና ጥያቄዎችን ለማበረታታት፣ ይህ ስብሰባ አይቀረጽም። ሆኖም፣ የዝግጅት አቀራረብ ስላይዶች ከዝግጅቱ በኋላ ከሁሉም ተመዝጋቢዎች ጋር ይጋራሉ።

ዝግጅቱ በ7 ሰዓት ላይ ሲሆን ለመሳተፍ ነፃ ነው፣ ነገር ግን ምዝገባ ያስፈልጋል። እባክዎን እዚህ ይመዝገቡ።

|

Wondering about 6th Grade Outdoor Ed?

This page is collecting information about where / when you can find out more info on TPMS’s Outdoor Ed program for 6th Graders – Spring 2026.

Outdoor Ed is held at Camp Letts.  There will be three sessions of outdoor ed.   Your student will be placed in one of these sessions.

  • Session 1 – May 4 – 6
  • Session 2 – May 6 – 8
  • Session 3 – May 18 – 20

An informational meeting about Outdoor Ed is tentatively scheduled for March 11th.  More infomation will be shared about this to 6th grade families in February.

Get more information about this program through the  Outdoor Education Chaperone Flier .  This flyer includes links to slides that include information about the program.  It also includes a recording of the meeting describing chaperoning.

Please consider chaperoning/volunteering to make this trip possible.  Find out more here: Outdoor Education Chaperone Flier

MCPS describes their Outdoor Program here at the MCPS site. 

|

Blue Devil Digest for Week of January 19, 2026 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

 

January PTSA Meeting Minutes (aka notes)

If you missed last week’s PTSA meeting, you can catch up by reading our meeting minutes. 

https://www.tpmspta.org/january-2026-ptsa-monthly-meeting-notes/2026.01.13 – PTSA General Meeting Minutes

Here’s what we discussed:

  • Upcoming events
  • Books & Basketball 
  • Silent Auction
  • Multicultural Night
  • Pick up / Drop off Observations and recommendations – The Takoma Park Transit Planner and Police Department observed our pick up and drop off situation at TPMS.  We’ll discuss their recommendations, and gather your input.  
  • Rising 7th & 8th Grade Class Selection Process – TPMS Counselors and Administration will also be walking 6th and 7th grade parents and students through how the class selection process works. 

 

Multicultural Night – Friday, February 6th 6-8pm in the cafeteria

Join us for one of the most fun nights of the year where we celebrate all the amazing places TPMS families come from.  Students set up tables showcasing a culture or country of ancestry or origin. Through food, costumes, stories, dance, music and performance we will celebrate!

 

Books and Basketball event on February 27 and 28 – Please keep the books coming!

Taking place over two days in the last weekend of February, this is our biggest community event and fundraiser of the year – and it’s a ton of fun!   It’s a used book sale event combined with a student vs teachers basketball game, silent auction AND a community showcase of student activities including the jazz band and horticulture club, the Difference makers and more!

Why you should definitely not miss this event:

  • A thrilling basketball game, and fantastic performance by “We will rock you” band ahead of the game
  • Treasures and bargains at the book sale
  • Concerts by the school Jazz Band and Flute Choir 
  • An Art Show by students
  • Plants for purchase by the Horticulture Club
  • Amazing prices at the Silent Auction (more in two slides)
  • Yummy Bake sale
  • And plenty of other fun activities…

When

  • Friday February 27, 6–8:30 pm: Student v Teacher basketball game and book presale (Gym)
  • Friday February 27, 5–9 pm: Book Pre-sale open to TPMS families (Cafeteria)
  • Saturday February 28, 10–1 pm:  Book sale, Community event with amazing activities, and Silent auction (Open to the entire community, bring your friends! Cafeteria) 

Book Sale – how you can help 

We need your book donations! We take all types of books (picture books, first readers, chapter books, Young adults, fiction, non fiction, cookbooks, travel books, etc). There are several ways you can donate books:

  • A donation box outside the main office 
  • Drop-off sessions on Saturday January 24 and Saturday January 14 (10 am to 1 pm). Drive and drop your boxes by the school. 
  • Let your friends and neighbors know about the call for book donations (and the event!). If you collect books from your neighbors, you can contact me (celineallard@yahoo.com) and I can come and pick them up, if that helps.
  • Drop books on my porch, 409 Beech Avenue or on the porch of 902 Gist Ave, Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com )

Silent Auction – how you can help

The Takoma Park community will have the chance to bid on outings and experiences in the D.C. area, food and beverage donations from local retailers, and various items. 

We need your help to make it a success!

  • Volunteers needed!
    • 2-3 hours of work to solicit donations and build the auction catalog. Ideal for students who want fundraising experience. Reach out to Ann Gordon ann.w.gordon@gmail.com for details.
  • Items needed! 
    • Fill out the form with your contribution for event tickets,  handmade items, experiences, etc. Reach out to Ann Gordon with questions.

Reach out to Ann Gordon (ann.w.gordon@gmail.com) with questions and/or to volunteer.

 

TPMS AND HEALING HMS PRESENTS: Topic of Stress Management for Middle School Students and Parents

This interactive workshop will help families understand what stress looks like in middle school and offer practical, realistic strategies that students and parents can use together. Participants will learn how to recognize signs of stress, strengthen communication, and obtain practical simple tools to build resilience, balance and emotional wellbeing at home and at school.

Date: Tuesday, January 27

Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM (1 hour presentation and 30 min Q & A session)

Location: Virtual via Zoom (Zoom link will be sent out to those who sign up)

SIGN UP USING THIS GOOGLE FORM: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGWjxDMjB4S2ndilj-5XOjjJyQ9cRTGWBad52_bzaF-uDcQw/viewform

We’re glad you’re partnering with us to support the emotional well-being of our students.

Warmly,

TPMS Counseling Department

In partnership with Healing Hearts Minds & Souls (Jeanne Johnson, LCPC)

 

Free Parenting Class through PEP (Parent Encouragement Program)

Join PEP’s free 8-week virtual class for parents/caregivers of children Prek to 12th grade. Learn to help support your child’s mental wellness, school success, and connect with fellow parents. Classes start the week of February 1. Earn a $50 gift card for going to at least 5 classes and the evaluation. Register today: pep-frp.org

 

Interesting MCPS Opportunities Open to Middleschoolers

  • HBCU Fair: Registration is now open for this event from 6-8:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 at The Universities at Shady Grove, 9630 Gudelsky Drive in Rockville. It’s open to 8th graders.
  • Choose Respect Video Contest: Open to middle and high school students, this contest challenges teens to create an original video promoting awareness of dating violence/abuse among teens. Videos can be in English or Spanish. Top prize is $1,000. Deadline: Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026.
  • Keeping It Safe Video Contest: Open to middle and high school students, the contest invites students to create a 30-second video on the risks and dangers of under 21 alcohol use. Deadline: Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

 

Actas de la reunión de enero de la PTSA (también conocidas como notas)

Si se perdió la reunión de la PTSA de la semana pasada, puede ponerse al día leyendo las actas de nuestra reunión.

https://www.tpmspta.org/january-2026-ptsa-monthly-meeting-notes/2026.01.13 – Acta de la reunión general de la PTSA

Esto es lo que discutimos:

  • Próximos eventos
  • Libros y baloncesto
  • Subasta silenciosa
  • Noche Multicultural
  • Recoger/Dejar Observaciones y recomendaciones: el Planificador de Tránsito de Takoma Park y el Departamento de Policía observaron nuestra situación de recoger y dejar en TPMS. Discutiremos sus recomendaciones y recogeremos sus opiniones.
  • Proceso de selección de clases para estudiantes de 7.º y 8.º grado: los consejeros y la administración de TPMS también explicarán a los padres y estudiantes de 6.º y 7.º grado cómo funciona el proceso de selección de clases.

 

Noche Multicultural – Viernes 6 de febrero de 6 a 8 p.m. en la cafetería

Únase a nosotros para una de las noches más divertidas del año donde celebramos todos los lugares increíbles de donde provienen las familias de TPMS. Los estudiantes colocan mesas que muestran una cultura o país de ascendencia u origen. ¡A través de comida, disfraces, historias, danza, música y actuaciones celebraremos!

  • Regístrate para ser voluntario o mostrar tu cultura https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E4BAAA923ABFE3-61625116-tmps#/
  • ¿Preguntas? Póngase en contacto con Ramata Diop en mutchad@yahoo.com

 

Evento de libros y baloncesto el 27 y 28 de febrero: ¡sigan llegando los libros!

Este es nuestro mayor evento comunitario y recaudación de fondos del año, que se llevará a cabo durante dos días el último fin de semana de febrero, ¡y es muy divertido! Es un evento de venta de libros usados ​​combinado con un juego de baloncesto entre estudiantes y maestros, una subasta silenciosa Y una muestra comunitaria de actividades estudiantiles que incluyen la banda de jazz y el club de horticultura, The Difference Makers y más.

Por qué definitivamente no deberías perderte este evento:

  • Un emocionante partido de baloncesto y una actuación fantástica de la banda “We will rock you” antes del partido.
  • Tesoros y gangas en la venta de libros
  • Conciertos de la Banda de Jazz y Coro de Flautas del colegio
  • Una muestra de arte de estudiantes
  • Plantas para compra por el Club de Horticultura
  • Precios increíbles en la subasta silenciosa (más en dos diapositivas)
  • Venta de pasteles deliciosos
  • Y muchas otras actividades divertidas…

cuando

  • Viernes 27 de febrero, 6–8:30 pm: juego de baloncesto entre estudiantes y maestros y preventa de libros (gimnasio)
  • Viernes 27 de febrero, 5–9 pm: Preventa de libros abierta para familias de TPMS (Cafetería)
  • Sábado 28 de febrero, de 10 a 13:00 h: venta de libros, evento comunitario con actividades increíbles y subasta silenciosa (¡abierto a toda la comunidad, trae a tus amigos! Cafetería)

Venta de libros: cómo puedes ayudar

¡Necesitamos sus donaciones de libros! Aceptamos todo tipo de libros (libros ilustrados, de primera lectura, libros de capítulos, juveniles, de ficción, no ficción, libros de cocina, libros de viajes, etc). Hay varias formas de donar libros:

  • Una caja de donaciones fuera de la oficina principal.
  • Sesiones de entrega el sábado 24 de enero y el sábado 14 de enero (de 10 a 13 horas). Conduce y deja tus cajas cerca de la escuela.
  • Informe a sus amigos y vecinos sobre la convocatoria de donaciones de libros (¡y el evento!). Si coleccionas libros de tus vecinos, puedes contactarme (celineallard@yahoo.com) y puedo ir a recogerlos, si eso te ayuda.
  • Deje libros en mi porche, 409 Beech Avenue o en el porche de 902 Gist Ave, Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com)

Subasta silenciosa: cómo puedes ayudar

La comunidad de Takoma Park tendrá la oportunidad de ofertar por excursiones y experiencias en el área de D.C., donaciones de alimentos y bebidas de minoristas locales y diversos artículos.

¡Necesitamos tu ayuda para que sea un éxito!

  • ¡Se necesitan voluntarios!
    • 2-3 horas de trabajo para solicitar donaciones y crear el catálogo de la subasta. Ideal para estudiantes que quieran experiencia en recaudación de fondos. Comuníquese con Ann Gordon ann.w.gordon@gmail.com para obtener más detalles.
  • ¡Artículos necesarios!
    • Complete el formulario con su contribución para entradas para eventos, artículos hechos a mano, experiencias, etc. Comuníquese con Ann Gordon si tiene preguntas.

Comuníquese con Ann Gordon (ann.w.gordon@gmail.com) si tiene preguntas o si desea ser voluntario.

 

Clase gratuita para padres a través de PEP (Programa de Apoyo a los Padres).

Únase a la clase virtual gratuita de 8 semanas de PEP para padres/cuidadores de niños (5-18 años). Aprenda a ayudar a apoyar el bienestar mental, el éxito escolar y conéctese con otros padres. El programa iniciará la semana del 1 de  febrero. Obtenga una tarjeta de regalo de $50 por asistir al menos a 5 clases y a la evaluación. Inscríbase hoy: pep-frp.org

 

Oportunidades interesantes de MCPS para estudiantes de secundaria

  • Feria de Universidades Históricamente Negras (HBCU): La inscripción ya está abierta para este evento que se llevará a cabo de 18:00 a 20:30 el viernes 13 de febrero de 2026 en The Universities at Shady Grove, 9630 Gudelsky Drive en Rockville. Está abierto a estudiantes de 8.º grado.
  • Concurso de videos “Elige el Respeto”: Abierto a estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria, este concurso desafía a los adolescentes a crear un video original que promueva la concienciación sobre la violencia/abuso en las relaciones de pareja entre adolescentes. Los videos pueden ser en inglés o español. El primer premio es de $1,000. Fecha límite: domingo 15 de febrero de 2026.
  • Concurso de videos “Manteniéndolo Seguro”: Abierto a estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria, este concurso invita a los estudiantes a crear un video de 30 segundos sobre los riesgos y peligros del consumo de alcohol en menores de 21 años. Fecha límite: martes 31 de marzo de 2026.

 

የጥር PTSA የስብሰባ ደቂቃዎች (በማስታወሻዎች)

ያለፈው ሳምንት የPTSA ስብሰባ ካመለጡ፣ የስብሰባ ደቂቃዎችን በማንበብ ማግኘት ይችላሉ።

https://www.tpmspta.org/january-2026-ptsa-monthly-meeting-notes/2026.01.13 – የPTSA አጠቃላይ የስብሰባ ደቂቃዎች

የተወያየንበት ነገር ይኸውና፡-

  • መጪ ክስተቶች
  • መጽሐፍት እና የቅርጫት ኳስ
  • ጸጥ ያለ ጨረታ
  • የመድብለ ባህላዊ ምሽት
  • ምልከታዎችን እና ምክሮችን አንሳ/አውጣ – የታኮማ ፓርክ ትራንዚት ፕላነር እና ፖሊስ ዲፓርትመንት በ TPMS የማንሳት እና የማውረድ ሁኔታን ተመልክተዋል። የእነርሱን ምክሮች እንወያያለን እና የእርስዎን አስተያየት እንሰበስባለን.
  • የ 7 ኛ እና 8 ኛ ክፍል ምርጫ ሂደት – የ TPMS አማካሪዎች እና አስተዳደር የ 6 ኛ እና 7 ኛ ክፍል ወላጆችን እና ተማሪዎችን የክፍል ምርጫ ሂደት እንዴት እንደሚሰራ ይራመዳሉ።

የመድብለ ባህላዊ ምሽት – አርብ የካቲት 6 ከ6-8 ፒኤም በካፊቴሪያ ውስጥ

የ TPMS ቤተሰቦች የሚመጡትን አስደናቂ ቦታዎች የምናከብርበት በዓመቱ ካሉት በጣም አዝናኝ ምሽቶች አንዱን ይቀላቀሉን። ተማሪዎች ባህል ወይም የዘር ሐረግ ወይም የትውልድ አገር የሚያሳዩ ጠረጴዛዎችን ያዘጋጃሉ። በምግብ፣ አልባሳት፣ ታሪኮች፣ ዳንስ፣ ሙዚቃ እና ትርኢት እናከብራለን!

  • በፈቃደኝነት ወይም ባህልዎን ለማሳየት ይመዝገቡ https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E4BAAA923ABFE3-61625116-tmps#/
  • ጥያቄዎች? Ramata Diopን በ mutchad@yahoo.com ያግኙ

 

በፌብሩዋሪ 27 እና 28 ላይ የመጽሐፍት እና የቅርጫት ኳስ ዝግጅት – እባኮትን መጽሃፎቹ እንዲመጡ ያድርጉ!

በፌብሩዋሪ የመጨረሻ ቅዳሜና እሁድ ከሁለት ቀናት በላይ የሚካሄደው ይህ የአመቱ ትልቁ የማህበረሰብ ዝግጅት እና የገንዘብ ማሰባሰብያ ነው – እና በጣም አስደሳች ነው! ያገለገለ የመፅሃፍ ሽያጭ ክስተት ከተማሪ እና አስተማሪዎች የቅርጫት ኳስ ጨዋታ ፣የፀጥታ ጨረታ እና የጃዝ ባንድ እና የሆርቲካልቸር ክለብ ፣ልዩነት ሰሪዎች እና ሌሎችንም ጨምሮ የተማሪ እንቅስቃሴዎችን የሚያሳይ የማህበረሰብ ትርኢት ነው!

ለምን በእርግጠኝነት ይህንን ክስተት እንዳያመልጥዎት፦

  • አስደሳች የቅርጫት ኳስ ጨዋታ፣ እና ከጨዋታው በፊት በ”እናስወግዳችኋለን” ባንድ ድንቅ አፈጻጸም
  • በመጽሃፍ ሽያጭ ላይ ያሉ ውድ ሀብቶች እና ድርድር
  • በትምህርት ቤቱ ጃዝ ባንድ እና የዋሽንት መዘምራን ኮንሰርቶች
  • የተማሪዎች የጥበብ ትርኢት
  • በሆርቲካልቸር ክለብ የሚገዙ ተክሎች
  • በፀጥታ ጨረታ ላይ የሚገርሙ ዋጋዎች (በሁለት ስላይዶች ተጨማሪ)
  • ጣፋጭ የዳቦ ሽያጭ
  • እና ሌሎች ብዙ አስደሳች እንቅስቃሴዎች…

መቼ

  • አርብ ፌብሩዋሪ 27፣ 6–8፡30 ፒኤም፡ የተማሪ v መምህር የቅርጫት ኳስ ጨዋታ እና የመጽሐፍ ቅድመ ሽያጭ (ጂም)
  • አርብ ፌብሩዋሪ 27፣ 5-9 ፒኤም፡ ለTPMS ቤተሰቦች (ካፌቴሪያ) ቅድመ-ሽያጭ የተከፈተ መጽሐፍ
  • ቅዳሜ ፌብሩዋሪ 28፣ 10–1 ሰዓት፡ የመጽሐፍ ሽያጭ፣ የማህበረሰብ ዝግጅት በአስደናቂ እንቅስቃሴዎች እና ጸጥ ያለ ጨረታ (ለመላው ማህበረሰብ ክፍት፣ ጓደኞችዎን ይዘው ይምጡ! ካፌቴሪያ)

የመጽሐፍ ሽያጭ – እንዴት መርዳት እንደሚችሉ

የእርስዎን መጽሐፍ ልገሳ እንፈልጋለን! ሁሉንም ዓይነት መጻሕፍት እንወስዳለን (የሥዕል መጽሐፍት፣ የመጀመሪያ አንባቢዎች፣ የምዕራፍ መጻሕፍት፣ ወጣት ጎልማሶች፣ ልብወለድ፣ ልብወለድ ያልሆኑ፣ የምግብ አዘገጃጀት መጻሕፍት፣ የጉዞ መጻሕፍት፣ ወዘተ)። መጽሐፍትን ለመለገስ ብዙ መንገዶች አሉ፡-

ከዋናው ቢሮ ውጭ የመዋጮ ሳጥን
ቅዳሜ ጃንዋሪ 24 እና ቅዳሜ ጃንዋሪ 14 (ከ10 ሰዓት እስከ ምሽቱ 1 ሰዓት) የማቋረጥ ክፍለ ጊዜዎች። ሣጥኖቻችሁን ነድተው በት/ቤቱ ጣሉ።
ስለ መጽሐፍ ልገሳ ጥሪ (እና ዝግጅቱ!) ጓደኞችዎ እና ጎረቤቶችዎ እንዲያውቁ ያድርጉ። ከጎረቤቶችዎ መጽሐፍን ከሰበሰቡ እኔን ማግኘት ይችላሉ (celineallard@yahoo.com) እና ያ ከረዳኝ መጥቼ ማንሳት እችላለሁ።
መጽሐፎችን በረንዳዬ 409 ቢች ጎዳና ወይም በ902 Gist Ave፣ Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com) በረንዳ ላይ ጣል ያድርጉ።
ጸጥ ያለ ጨረታ – እንዴት መርዳት እንደሚችሉ

የታኮማ ፓርክ ማህበረሰብ በዲ.ሲ. አካባቢ ለመውጣት እና ልምዶች, ከአገር ውስጥ ቸርቻሪዎች የምግብ እና የመጠጥ ስጦታዎች እና የተለያዩ እቃዎች ላይ ለመጫረት እድሉ ይኖረዋል.

ስኬታማ ለማድረግ የእርስዎን እገዛ እንፈልጋለን!

በጎ ፈቃደኞች ያስፈልጋሉ!
መዋጮ ለመጠየቅ እና የጨረታ ካታሎግን ለመገንባት ከ2-3 ሰአታት ስራ። የገንዘብ ማሰባሰብ ልምድ ለሚፈልጉ ተማሪዎች ተስማሚ። ለዝርዝሩ አን ጎርደንን ann.w.gordon@gmail.com ያግኙ።
የሚያስፈልጉ ነገሮች!
ቅጹን ለክስተት ትኬቶች፣ በእጅ የተሰሩ እቃዎች፣ ልምዶች፣ ወዘተ ባደረጉት አስተዋጽዖ ይሙሉ። በጥያቄዎች አን ጎርደንን ያግኙ።
ከጥያቄዎች እና/ወይም ፈቃደኛ ለመሆን አን ጎርደንን (ann.w.gordon@gmail.com) ያግኙ።

 

በPEP በኩል ነፃ የወላጅነት ክፍል (የወላጅ ማበረታቻ ፕሮግራም)

ከቅድመ ትምህርት እስከ 12ኛ ክፍል ላሉ ልጆች ወላጆች/ተንከባካቢዎች የPEP ነፃ የ8-ሳምንት ምናባዊ ክፍል ይቀላቀሉ። የልጅዎን የአእምሮ ጤና፣ የትምህርት ቤት ስኬት ለመደገፍ እና ከሌሎች ወላጆች ጋር ለመገናኘት ይረዱ። ክፍሎቹ የሚጀምሩት የካቲት 1 ሳምንት ነው። ቢያንስ 5 ክፍሎችን እና ግምገማውን በመከታተል የ50 ዶላር የስጦታ ካርድ ያግኙ። ዛሬውኑ ይመዝገቡ፡ pep-frp.org

 

ለመካከለኛ ደረጃ ትምህርት ቤት ተማሪዎች ክፍት የሆኑ አስደሳች የMCPS እድሎች

  • የHBCU ትርኢት፡ አሁን ለዚህ ዝግጅት ከ6-8፡30 ፒኤም ምዝገባ ክፍት ነው። አርብ፣ ፌብሩዋሪ 13፣ 2026 በ Shady Grove፣ 9630 Gudelsky Drive በሮክቪል በሚገኘው ዩኒቨርስቲዎች። ለ 8 ኛ ክፍል ተማሪዎች ክፍት ነው.
  • የአክብሮት ቪዲዮ ውድድርን ምረጥ፡ ለመካከለኛ እና ሁለተኛ ደረጃ ተማሪዎች ክፍት ነው፣ ይህ ውድድር ታዳጊ ወጣቶች ስለ ጓደኝነት ጥቃት/በታዳጊ ወጣቶች ግንዛቤ የሚያስተዋውቅ ኦሪጅናል ቪዲዮ እንዲፈጥሩ ይሞክራል። ቪዲዮዎች በእንግሊዝኛ ወይም በስፓኒሽ ሊሆኑ ይችላሉ. ከፍተኛው ሽልማት 1,000 ዶላር ነው። ማለቂያ ሰአት፡ እሑድ ፌብሩዋሪ 15፣ 2026
  • የአስተማማኝ የቪዲዮ ውድድርን ማቆየት፡ ለመካከለኛ እና ሁለተኛ ደረጃ ተማሪዎች ክፍት፣ ውድድሩ ተማሪዎች ከ21 አመት በታች አልኮል መጠጣት ስላሉ አደጋዎች እና አደጋዎች የ30 ሰከንድ ቪዲዮ እንዲፈጥሩ ይጋብዛል። ማለቂያ ሰአት፡ ማክሰኞ፣ ማርች 31፣ 2026

|

January 2026 PTSA Monthly Meeting Notes

January 19, 2026 | Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) General Meeting Minutes

Meeting slides: 2026.01 – PTSA General Meeting

 

Link to meeting minutes from last General Membership Meeting: 

Attendees

TPMS PTSA Board: Jesse Loznak, Emily Modde, Summer Smith, Mic Murphy, Chris Campbell, Ramata Diop, Heather Brown – Palsgrove

 

TPMS Teachers / Staff : Ms. Soriano, Ms. Steinberg, Ms. Lever, Mr. Einhorn, Ms. Martinez, Ms. O’Connell, Lara Finklea

 

Other Guest: Kaysi-Ann Webley- City of Takoma Park Transit Planner

 

Public attendance: At the peak of the meeting, there were 132 members participating in the Zoom call, including the Board, community members, and students.  

Agenda

  • Upcoming Events (Chris Campbell)
  • Multicultural Night Information (Ramata Diop)
  • Books & Basketball and Silent Auction Information (Celine Allard, Ann Gordon)
  • Update from Student Climate Survey (Principal Loznak)
  • Budget (Mic Murphy) 
  • Financial Review Committee Findings (Kristin O’Planick)
  • Present the findings from the Observations of pickup and dropoff (Kayci-Ann Webley – the TPk Transit Planner)
  • Shifts in the traffic / pedestrian flow (Principal Loznak)
  • The class selection process for rising 7th & 8th graders (Vice Principal Soriano)
  • Open Q&A with Mr.Loznak and the PTSA

 

Meeting Minutes

Welcome & Important events

Chris Campbell welcomed everyone to the meeting at 7:03. He thanked everyone for attending our first meeting of 2026. He gave a brief overview of the agenda and what we would be discussing tonight. He asked that any students put their name in the chat and indicate that they are a student so we can offer SSL hours. Ramata welcomed everyone in Spanish and offered a breakout room if needed. No one asked for the Spanish room. 

 

Chris reminded everyone of important upcoming events that have been shared by the school, the PTSA, and in our communication channels. 

 

January

  • January 16: Parent Workshop: MyMCPS Classroom and Canvas 
  • January 19: No School (MLK Day)
  • January 23: Deadline to submit elective choices for next year (6th and 7th graders only)
  • January 23: End of marking period 2
  • January 26: No School 
  • January 27: Parent Workshop: Stress Management for Middle School Students and Parents
  • January 29: National History Day Competition

 

February

  • February 4: Report cards distributed
  • February 6: Multicultural Night
  • February 6–13: Book Fair
  • February 16: No School (Presidents’ Day)
  • February 17: No School
  • February 25: Scripps Spelling Bee
  • February 27: Early release day
  • February 27-28: Books and Basketball events

 

Multicultural Night – February 6, 2026

TPMS annual Multicultural Night will be Friday, February 6, 2026 from 6-8 PM. The event will celebrate the richness of our diverse cultures. The night will feature music, dance, delicious food, and traditions from all around the world – all at our wonderful school. Please bring your family and friends to this unique TPMS event.

 

We need students and families to sign-up to sign-up to present their cultures. For more information / sign up  https://bit.ly/45TrzCO see the QR code in the slides and/or reach out to: mutchad@yaoo.com. 

 

Books and Basketball – February 27th (game and book presale) – February 28th (book sale and community event)

Taking place over two days in the last weekend of February, this is our biggest community event and fundraiser of the year – and it’s a ton of fun!   It’s a used book sale event combined with a student vs teachers basketball game, silent auction AND a community showcase of student activities including the jazz band and horticulture club, the Difference makers and more!

 

Why you should definitely not miss this event:

  • A thrilling basketball game, and fantastic performance by “We will rock you” band ahead of the game
  • Treasures and bargains at the book sale
  • Concerts by the school Jazz Band and Flute Choir 
  • An Art Show by students
  • Plants for purchase by the Horticulture Club
  • Amazing prices at the Silent Auction (more in two slides)
  • Yummy Bake sale
  • And plenty of other fun activities…

When

  • Friday February 27, 6-8:30 pm: Student v Teacher basketball game and book presale (Gym)
  • Friday February 27, 5-9 pm: Book Pre-sale open to TPMS families (Cafeteria)
  • Saturday February 28, 10-1 pm:  Book sale, Community event with amazing activities, and Silent auction (Open to the entire community, bring your friends! Cafeteria) 

Book Sale – how you can help 

We need your book donations! We take all types of books (picture books, first readers, chapter books, Young adults, fiction, non fiction, cookbooks, travel books, etc). There are several ways you can donate books:

  • A donation box outside the main office 
  • Drop-off sessions on Saturday January 24 and Saturday January 14 (10 am to 1 pm). Drive and drop your boxes by the school. 
  • Let your friends and neighbors know about the call for book donations (and the event!). If you collect books from your neighbors, you can contact me (celineallard@yahoo.com) and I can come and pick them up, if that helps.
  • Drop books on my porch, 409 Beech Avenue or on the porch of 902 Gist Ave, Silver Spring (summersmith100@gmail.com )

Silent Auction – how you can help

The Takoma Park community will have the chance to bid on outings and experiences in the D.C. area, food and beverage donations from local retailers, and various items. 

We need your help to make it a success!

  • Volunteers needed!
    • 2-3 hours of work to solicit donations and build the auction catalog. Ideal for students who want fundraising experience. Reach out to Ann Gordon ann.w.gordon@gmail.com for details.
  • Items needed! 
    • Fill out the form with your contribution for event tickets,  handmade items, experiences, etc. Reach out to Ann Gordon with questions.
  • Reach out to Ann Gordon (ann.w.gordon@gmail.com) with questions and/or to volunteer.

 

Communications

Chris reminded attendees on all the ways you can stay in touch with the PTSA: newsletters (Announce and Discuss) and multiple Whatsapp groups (see the slides for QR code to join the groups). Chris reiterated that if you are a student, please put your name in the chat so we can record your SSL hours. 

https://www.tpmspta.org/abouttpmspta/mailinglists/ 

 

Update from Student Climate Survey

Mr. Loznak presented a quick update on the Climate Survey. He thanked members for responding. There will be another chance to provide input in the Spring. Positive growth was shown in 14 of the 15 categories and in 11 of the 14 went up by 12%. One area of concern is homework. He presented overall homework timeframes for each grade:

6th

He also addressed concerns over finding assignments and upcoming assignments. 

 

Budget Update

Mic Murphy, Treasurer, presented a budget update for the PTSA. We have raised $ and we have spent. We have  in the bank.

 

The TPMS PTSA is now current with the Maryland Secretary of State Charities Registry. This was a priority for this BOard and we are pleased to have met this goal. 

 

At the end of the PTSA’s fiscal year (June 30, 2025) the treasurer closes out the financial records 

 

Mic provided a summary of the 2024-2025 of the findings of the independent review committee. Kristin O’Planick presented the results of review. She thanked Megan and X.

 

Certify the results of the review and made sure that the 2024-2025 Board met their requirements last year to make sure funds were being spent as appropriate. They found that the Board met their requirements. There were minor errors that were easily addressed by the Board. One check was missing, but the proper documentation was presented to account for this. There had been findings in the past review that were all addressed by the 2024-2025 Board, which shows they not only met the requirements. 

 

Summer Smith, PTSA Secretary called a vote to approve the review. The majority of members approved the review and no one indicated that they did not approve the review.

 

Pick-up and Drop-off observations and Recommendations

Emily introduced our new Safe Routes to School Chair – Kelly Doordan. Please reach out if you have concerns…

Findings from the Observations of pickup and dropoff Review

Kayci-Ann from the City of Takoma Park presented the observations from the October 8, 2025 review. The review looked at two locations including at pickup and dropoff to see what a typical day at TPMS is like related to the movement of our students.  Find out more at our website:  https://www.tpmspta.org/pick-up-drop-off-observations-oct-2025/ 

 

There were many things that were working well: 

  • Students generally follow crossing rules
  • Crosswalks and signals functioning as designed
  • Bus stop locations appropriate with good visibility
  • School staff actively assisting where possible

 

Challenges: the primary safety concern is related to heavy congestion blocking intersections. THis was worse in the afternoon because the dismissal is all at once. There were also concerns about vehicles making unsafe actions including …

Piney Branch Rd

  • Vehicles stuck in intersection due to congestion
  • Crossing guard arriving late / leaving early
  • Guard not actively crossing students or using hand signals
  • Red light violation exiting school.

Grant Ave

  • Drop-off line backing onto Grant & Chestnut
  • Students exiting vehicles into traffic lanes
  • Mid-block crossings between parked cars
  • Three-point turns and idling reduce roadway width

 

Another issue was the crossing guard did not arrive early enough and was not using appropriate signals and engaging students in safe behavior.   This crossing guard has since been dismissed and is no longer working as a guard. 

 

The recommendations are focused on things that can quickly improve student safety. There isn’t a crossing guard at Grant, but the school does a great job picking up the need for assistance. 

 

Reinforce no-exit and no-turn

 

Assess if Grant Ave can be one way and improve visibility. The overall goal is to make sure students, caregivers, staff, and community members are making sure that everyone is safe. The students are mostly operating in a safe manor with the cars having the largest negative impact. The City looks forward to continuing to work with the PTSA, the School, and others to make sure that everyone is safe. 

 

Mr. Loznak thanked Kaysi-Ann, the TPMS Police Department, and the City for all their help and support to make sure our kids are safe. He also shared some adjustments that have already been made related to traffic flow. There were some students observed walking to parked cars across Piney Branch. This has been eliminated. There was also observed walking on Grant Ave, where our buses come up for pickup. Students have been asked to stay on the sidewalks. The school has already seen a difference in student and caregiver behavior. THere is a new crossing guard at the Piney Branch location to help students move safely to and from schools. 

 

There is a QR code that has the full report provided by the City on our website. https://www.tpmspta.org/pick-up-drop-off-observations-oct-2025/ 

 

There is also a place for feedback – we want to hear more about what you think and what TPMS and the PTSA Board can do to keep our kids safe. These links will also go out on our channels. 

Submit feedback on the report here: https://forms.gle/DbgdKh6ArqpDDiV4A 

 

Next PTSA Meeting

Our next PTSA meeting will be Tuesday, February 10 7-8:30 over Zoom. More information on the School Climate Survey and a conversation on Generative AI and Digital LIteracy with a panel discussion. 

 

Rising 7th and 8th grade Class Choice Discussion 

If you are an 8th grade family, you can drop off if you would like. The conversation will focus on Elective choices for next year’s 7th and 8th grade students. Today, the Administrators went into math classes today to present electives for next year. 

TPMS Parent Articulation Meeting for Rising 7th & 8 (2026-2027) – Google Slides 

 

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG7Vdb2rzw/LZ5Z9J5Ush7JuLZY7EUX2g/edit

 

Required classes for 7th grade:

Advanced English

Math

Historical Inquiry 

 

Required classes for 8th grade

 

Detailed information on Math classes at TPMS: Depending on what class your student is in now, will depend on what course they will take next year. All information is reviewed to see if students should be moved. Math courses are decided by the math content specialist and teachers: grades from previous math courses; MAP-M scores; teacher recommendations; and student interest. If you have questions or concerns about your students’ math course for next year, reach out to your students’ teacher or Administrator. There is also a Math Intervention Course Math 180…and Reading: EBLI and ILit. If a student needs these classes the Administration will reach out to discuss with families. If a student is in the class now, there will also be a conversation if the student should stay in this class. 

 

Opportunities for Extensions – for 8th grade students only

 

Electives next year will be paired to make scheduling easier and make sure that electives are not overcrowded. This means that electives come as a set, you have to choose both of them.

 

7th grade electives: The students get to chose what they want to take, but they have to chose the pair. There is one exception: if they did not take a foundational class in 6th grade (because they were in Band, Orchestra, Chorus, or World Language). If they decide to drop Band, Orchestra, Chorus, or World Lange, they can pick the arts rotation. 

 

FACS 1 is new to all rising 7th grade students because they could not take it as 6th graders. 

 

8th grade elections: the students have to pick pairs. The pairings have not been decided what semester they will be offered to your student. Note that for some rising 8th graders, they may not have the experience for (they can’t take Art 3 Ceramics if they have not taken Art 1 and Art 2). If none of these pairings work then they can provide that information. IF your student CAN take a paring (even if they don’t necessarily want it) they should try and choose that paring. If none of these options work, they can indicate that on their sheet. Remember, if ANY option works, they should request it (as in, if they don’t like it, they can’t not choose it). 

 

World Language: If you are already in a language, they will be placed in the next level (in most cases). If they haven’t started a language, Dr. Finklea suggests that students start now.  These classes go on their high school transcript and count towards the MCPS requirement for 2 years of the same language in high school. It must be the same world language for two years. If you have specific questions, please reach out to Dr. Finklea. 

 

For rising 8th grade students: there is a virtual school option. This is a small program with very specific requirements. Ms. Soriano will share an interest form. This is for students who are coming off the Block Schedule as 6th graders who might need/want to take another class to fulfill a requirement. It is the responsibility of the student to stay on top of this class.

 

High School Credit Classes: World Language, math, and technology education. The requirements for high school credit taken in middle school: … see slide.

 

The process for selecting the electives are on the form that was shared with students today. They will either be choosing two one semester pairings and one year elective. OR they might select two one year electives. There will also be a place to indicate backup electives. 

 

Link for course registration to make decisions for electives. 

https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/tpmscounseling/tpms-registration 

 

Next Tuesday the students will register on the google form to collect the final information. 

 

After the deadline, there is no guarantee that requests to change electives will be granted. Please discuss these options with your students so they are excited about them for next year. 

 

Student Service Learning

Students must earn 75 hours before they can graduate from any public High School in Maryland. Hours can be earned during the school year and during the summer. They are updated as they come up, but sometimes there is a lag. The best place to see current SSL hours will be quarterly. 

 

Emily Modde, PTMS PTSA President suggested that folks put questions in the chat and/or come off mute. Slides and notes will be posted soon. 

 

Emily adjourned the meeting at 8:25.