Takoma Park Middle School

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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. 

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Blue Devil Digest for Week of October 27, 2025 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

Last call to send us your input on the MCPS Boundary and Programming Analysis!

At our recent PTSA Meeting we presented an overview of the MCPS Boundary and Programming Analysis, we also created a blog page with linked information about this on our site and a whatsapp group for this topic. 

We also shared that our parent organization MCCPTA has drafted a resolution to demanding MCPS take more time for the programming analysis to take place.  MCCPTA is seeking input and feedback on this resolution.  To better serve TPMS families, we’ve created a form for you to share your thoughts on this resolution, and any other feelings you may have about the programming and boundary study you think we should know.  We will vote on the resolution based on your feedback.  

 

November 11 at 7 pm in the TPMS Cafeteria is our next PTSA meeting  

Mark your calendar for the next PTSA Meeting. We’ll be holding this one in person to workshop this year’s School Improvement Plan. Each year using input from the Maryland Report Card and the community, the school creates a plan. Learn what’s in it and how you can contribute to shaping it through this interactive workshop designed for parents, caregivers and students! SSL hours will be provided. 

 

Feedback Needed: PTSA membership drive

Thanks to all of you, we met 100% of our PTSA membership goal with our membership drive that ended 10/1. 

 

Needed: One volunteer needed for budget audit

We need 1 more volunteer to do a review of the PTSA budget from last year l, as a requirement to keep our PTSA in good standing. This is a one-time commitment of a few hours. Please email beccaj@gmail.com if you’d be willing to do this.

 

Interested in Safe Routes to School and Traffic Safety? 

Traffic, pedestrian and bike safety is incredibly important to our school community.  The PTSA has many ideas on advocacy, but not enough bandwidth to take action.  If this is a passion of yours, please contact  beccaj@gmail.com to help us work on this important issue. 

 

Upcoming Community Events

  • Sunday, 11/9 – at the Kensington Park Library – “Can’t Look Away”

 

 

¡Último llamado para enviarnos sus comentarios sobre el Análisis de Límites y Programación de MCPS!

En nuestra reciente reunión de la PTSA, presentamos un resumen del Análisis de Límites y Programación de MCPS. También creamos una página de blog con información vinculada al tema en nuestro sitio web y un grupo de WhatsApp sobre este tema.

También compartimos que nuestra organización matriz, MCCPTA, ha redactado una resolución para exigir que MCPS dedique más tiempo al análisis de programación. MCCPTA busca comentarios y sugerencias sobre esta resolución. Para servir mejor a las familias de TPMS, hemos creado un formulario para que compartan sus opiniones sobre esta resolución y cualquier otra opinión que tengan sobre el estudio de programación y límites que consideren que deberíamos conocer. Votaremos sobre la resolución con base en sus comentarios.

 

El 11 de noviembre a las 7 p. m. en la cafetería de TPMS es nuestra próxima reunión de la PTSA.

Apunten en su calendario la próxima reunión de la PTSA. La realizaremos presencialmente para un taller sobre el Plan de Mejora Escolar de este año. Cada año, utilizando las aportaciones del Informe de Calificaciones de Maryland y la comunidad, la escuela crea un plan. ¡Aprenda qué contiene y cómo puede contribuir a su desarrollo a través de este taller interactivo diseñado para padres, cuidadores y estudiantes! Se proporcionarán horas de SSL.

 

Se necesitan comentarios: Campaña de membresía de la PTSA

Gracias a todos ustedes, alcanzamos el 100 % de nuestra meta de membresía de la PTSA con nuestra campaña de membresía que finalizó el 1 de octubre.

 

Se necesita: Un voluntario para la auditoría presupuestaria.

Necesitamos un voluntario más para revisar el presupuesto de la PTSA del año pasado, como requisito para mantenerla al día. Este compromiso es único y requiere unas pocas horas. Si está dispuesto a colaborar, envíe un correo electrónico a beccaj@gmail.com.

 

¿Le interesan las Rutas Seguras a la Escuela y la Seguridad Vial?

La seguridad vial, peatonal y ciclista es fundamental para nuestra comunidad escolar. La PTSA tiene muchas ideas para promover la causa, pero no la suficiente para actuar. Si esto le apasiona, comuníquese con beccaj@gmail.com para ayudarnos a trabajar en este importante tema.

 

Próximos eventos comunitarios

  • Domingo, 9/11 – en la Biblioteca de Kensington Park – “Can’t Look Away”
    • Proyección especial de “Can’t Look Away”, un documental sobre el lado oscuro de las redes sociales en la juventud. Los estudiantes pueden obtener 3 horas de SSL por asistir. Más información sobre MCCPTA aquí. O regístrese a través de MCPL.

 

የመጨረሻ ጥሪ በMCPS የወሰን እና የፕሮግራም አወጣጥ ትንተና ላይ ያለዎትን አስተያየት ለመላክ!

በቅርቡ በPTSA ስብሰባችን የMCPS የወሰን እና የፕሮግራም አወጣጥ ትንተና አጠቃላይ እይታ አቅርበናል፣ እንዲሁም በጣቢያችን ላይ ስለዚህ ጉዳይ የተገናኘ መረጃ የያዘ የብሎግ ገጽ እና ለዚህ ርዕስ የዋትስአፕ ቡድን ፈጥረናል።

እንዲሁም የወላጅ ድርጅታችን MCCPTA የፕሮግራም አወጣጥ ትንተናው እንዲካሄድ MCPS ተጨማሪ ጊዜ እንዲወስድ የሚጠይቅ ውሳኔ እንዳዘጋጀ አጋርተናል። MCCPTA በዚህ ውሳኔ ላይ ግብዓት እና አስተያየት እየፈለገ ነው። TPMS ቤተሰቦችን በተሻለ ሁኔታ ለማገልገል፣ በዚህ ውሳኔ ላይ ያለዎትን ሀሳብ እና ስለ ፕሮግራሚንግ እና የወሰን ጥናት ሊኖሮት የሚችሉትን ሌሎች ስሜቶች የሚያካፍሉበት ቅጽ ፈጥረናል። በአስተያየትዎ ላይ በመመስረት በውሳኔው ላይ ድምጽ እንሰጣለን።

 

ህዳር 11 ከቀኑ 7 ሰዓት ላይ በTPMS ካፌቴሪያ የሚቀጥለው የPTSA ስብሰባችን ነው

ለሚቀጥለው የPTSA ስብሰባ የቀን መቁጠሪያዎን ምልክት ያድርጉ። ይህንን በአካል በዚህ ዓመት የትምህርት ቤት ማሻሻያ ዕቅድ አውደ ጥናት እናካሂዳለን። በየዓመቱ ከሜሪላንድ የሪፖርት ካርድ እና ከማህበረሰቡ ግብዓት በመጠቀም ትምህርት ቤቱ እቅድ ይፈጥራል። በውስጡ ያለውን እና ለወላጆች፣ ለተንከባካቢዎች እና ለተማሪዎች በተዘጋጀው በዚህ በይነተገናኝ አውደ ጥናት አማካኝነት እንዴት አስተዋጽኦ ማድረግ እንደሚችሉ ይወቁ! የSSL ሰዓቶች ይቀርባሉ።

 

ግብረመልስ ያስፈልጋል፡ የPTSA የአባልነት ድራይቭ

ለሁላችሁም እናመሰግናለን፣ 10/1 በሆነው የአባልነት ድራይቭ የPTSA የአባልነት ግባችን 100% አሳክተናል።

 

አስፈላጊ፡ ለበጀት ኦዲት አንድ በጎ ፈቃደኛ ያስፈልጋል

የPTSA ን በጥሩ ሁኔታ ለማቆየት እንደ መስፈርት፣ ባለፈው ዓመት የPTSA በጀት ግምገማ ለማድረግ አንድ ተጨማሪ በጎ ፈቃደኛ ያስፈልገናል። ይህ ለጥቂት ሰዓታት የሚቆይ የአንድ ጊዜ ቁርጠኝነት ነው። ይህንን ለማድረግ ፈቃደኛ ከሆኑ እባክዎን beccaj@gmail.comን በኢሜል ይላኩ።

 

ወደ ትምህርት ቤት እና ለትራፊክ ደህንነት ደህንነቱ የተጠበቀ መንገዶችን ይፈልጋሉ?

የትራፊክ፣ የእግረኛ እና የብስክሌት ደህንነት ለትምህርት ቤታችን ማህበረሰብ እጅግ በጣም አስፈላጊ ነው። PTSA ስለ ተሟጋችነት ብዙ ሀሳቦች አሉት፣ ነገር ግን እርምጃ ለመውሰድ በቂ የመተላለፊያ ይዘት የለውም። ይህ የእርስዎ ፍላጎት ከሆነ፣ በዚህ አስፈላጊ ጉዳይ ላይ እንድንሰራ ለመርዳት beccaj@gmail.comን ያነጋግሩ።

 

መጪ የማህበረሰብ ክስተቶች

  • እሑድ፣ 11/9 – በኬንሲንግተን ፓርክ ቤተመጻሕፍት – “ራቅን ማየት አይቻልም”
    • በወጣትነት ላይ ስላለው የማህበራዊ ሚዲያ ጨለማ ገጽታ የሚገልጽ ዘጋቢ ፊልም የ”ራቅ ብሎ ማየት አይቻልም” ልዩ የማጣሪያ ፊልም። ተማሪዎች ለመገኘት 3 SSL ሰዓቶች ማግኘት ይችላሉ። ተጨማሪ MCCPTA እዚህ ያግኙ። ወይም በMCPL በኩል ይመዝገቡ።

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Blue Devil Digest for Week of October 20, 2025 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

Send us your input on the MCPS Boundary and Programming Analysis

Last week at our PTSA Meeting we presented an overview of the MCPS Boundary and Programming Analysis, we also created a blog page with linked information about this on our site and a whatsapp group for this topic. 

We also shared that our parent organization MCCPTA has drafted a resolution to demanding MCPS take more time for the programming analysis to take place.  MCCPTA is seeking input and feedback on this resolution.  To better serve TPMS families, we’ve created a form for you to share your thoughts on this resolution, and any other feelings you may have about the programming and boundary study you think we should know.  We will vote on the resolution based on your feedback.  

 

Oct 2025 PTSA Monthly Meeting Minutes

If you missed last week’s PTSA meeting, please find the General Meeting minutes and slides posted here.  

Read the October 2025 meeting minutes

 

Feedback Needed: PTSA membership drive

Thanks to all of you, we met 100% of our PTSA membership goal with our membership drive that ended 10/1. 

 

Needed: Two volunteers needed for budget audit

We need 2 more volunteers to do a review of the PTSA budget from last year l, as a requirement to keep our PTSA in good standing. This is a one-time commitment of a few hours. Please email beccaj@gmail.com if you’d be willing to do this.

 

Upcoming Community Events

  • Saturday, 10/25, 10am-2pm – Wheaton – Montgomery County Racial Equity and Social Justice Town Hall Meeting.  
    • Conversations with Subject matter experts on topics such as health, education, immigration, housing and economic opportunity, and community safety. Find out more.
  • Sunday, 10/26, 4-6pm – Rockville – xMinds Fundraiser 
    • xMinds is dedicated to improving education for autistic students in Montgomery Country. Find out more.
  • Sunday, 11/9 – at the Kensington Park Library – “Can’t Look Away”

 

 

Envíenos sus comentarios sobre el Análisis de Límites y Programación de MCPS

La semana pasada, en nuestra reunión de la PTSA, presentamos un resumen del Análisis de Límites y Programación de MCPS. También creamos una página de blog con información vinculada al tema en nuestro sitio web y un grupo de WhatsApp sobre este tema.

También compartimos que nuestra organización matriz, MCCPTA, ha redactado una resolución para exigir que MCPS dedique más tiempo al análisis de programación. MCCPTA solicita comentarios y sugerencias sobre esta resolución. Para servir mejor a las familias de TPMS, hemos creado un formulario para que compartan sus opiniones sobre esta resolución y cualquier otra opinión que tengan sobre el estudio de programación y límites que consideren que deberíamos conocer. Votaremos sobre la resolución con base en sus comentarios.

 

Actas de la Reunión Mensual de la PTSA de octubre de 2025

Si se perdió la reunión de la PTSA de la semana pasada, puede encontrar las actas y diapositivas de la Asamblea General publicadas aquí.

Lea las actas de la reunión de octubre de 2025

Necesitamos comentarios: Campaña de membresía de la PTSA

Gracias a todos, alcanzamos el 100 % de nuestra meta de membresía de la PTSA con nuestra campaña de membresía que finalizó el 1 de octubre.

 

Se necesitan dos voluntarios para la auditoría presupuestaria.

Necesitamos dos voluntarios más para revisar el presupuesto de la PTSA del año pasado, como requisito para mantenerla al día. Este compromiso es único y requiere unas pocas horas. Si está dispuesto a colaborar, envíe un correo electrónico a beccaj@gmail.com.

 

Próximos eventos comunitarios

  • Sábado, 25/10, 10:00 a. m. a 2:00 p. m. – Wheaton – Reunión comunitaria sobre equidad racial y justicia social en el condado de Montgomery.
    • Conversaciones con expertos en la materia sobre temas como salud, educación, inmigración, vivienda y oportunidades económicas, y seguridad comunitaria. Más información.
  • Domingo, 26/10, 4:00 p. m. a 6:00 p. m. – Rockville – Recaudación de fondos de xMinds
    • xMinds se dedica a mejorar la educación de los estudiantes con autismo en el condado de Montgomery. Más información.
  • Domingo, 9/11 – en la Biblioteca de Kensington Park – “Can’t Look Away”
    • Proyección especial de “Can’t Look Away”, un documental sobre el lado oscuro de las redes sociales en la juventud. Los estudiantes pueden obtener 3 horas de SSL por asistir. Más información sobre MCCPTA aquí. O regístrese a través de MCPL.

 

በMCPS Boundary and Programming Analysis ላይ የእርስዎን አስተያየት ላኩልን።

ባለፈው ሳምንት በPTSA ስብሰባችን የMCPS የወሰን እና የፕሮግራም ትንተና አጠቃላይ እይታን አቅርበናል፣በጣቢያችን ላይ ስለዚህ ጉዳይ የተያያዘ መረጃ ያለው ብሎግ ገጽ እና ለዚህ ርዕስ የዋትስአፕ ቡድን ፈጠርን።

እንዲሁም የእኛ እናት ድርጅታችን MCCPTA MCPS ለፕሮግራም አወጣጥ ትንተና ተጨማሪ ጊዜ እንዲወስድ ለመጠየቅ ውሳኔ እንዳዘጋጀ ተጋርተናል። MCCPTA በዚህ የውሳኔ ሃሳብ ላይ ግብአት እና ግብረ መልስ ይፈልጋል። የTPMS ቤተሰቦችን በተሻለ ሁኔታ ለማገልገል፣ በዚህ የውሳኔ ሃሳብ ላይ ያለዎትን ሀሳብ እና ስለፕሮግራም አወጣጥ እና የድንበር ጥናት ሊኖሮት በሚችል ማንኛውም ሌላ ስሜት ላይ እንዲካፈሉ ቅጽ ፈጥረናል። በአስተያየትዎ መሰረት በውሳኔው ላይ ድምጽ እንሰጣለን.

 

ኦክቶበር 2025 የPTSA ወርሃዊ የስብሰባ ደቂቃዎች

ያለፈው ሳምንት የPTSA ስብሰባ አምልጦዎት ከሆነ፣ እባክዎ እዚህ የተለጠፉትን የጠቅላላ ስብሰባ ደቂቃዎች እና ስላይዶች ያግኙ።

የጥቅምት 2025 የስብሰባ ደቂቃዎችን ያንብቡ

 

ግብረመልስ ያስፈልጋል፡ የPTSA አባልነት ድራይቭ

ለሁላችሁም አመሰግናለሁ፣ 100% የPTSA አባልነት ግባችንን በ10/1 በተጠናቀቀው የአባልነት ጉዞ አሳካን።

 

የሚያስፈልግ፡ ለበጀት ኦዲት ሁለት በጎ ፈቃደኞች ያስፈልጋሉ።

PTSAን በጥሩ ሁኔታ ለማቆየት እንደ መስፈርት ካለፈው ዓመት የ PTSA በጀት ለመገምገም 2 ተጨማሪ በጎ ፈቃደኞች እንፈልጋለን። ይህ ለጥቂት ሰዓታት የአንድ ጊዜ ቁርጠኝነት ነው። ይህን ለማድረግ ፍቃደኛ ከሆንክ እባክህ beccaj@gmail.com ኢሜይል አድርግ።

 

መጪ የማህበረሰብ ክስተቶች

  • ቅዳሜ፣ 10/25፣ 10am-2pm – Wheaton – የሞንትጎመሪ ካውንቲ የዘር እኩልነት እና ማህበራዊ ፍትህ የከተማ አዳራሽ ስብሰባ።
    • እንደ ጤና፣ ትምህርት፣ ኢሚግሬሽን፣ የመኖሪያ ቤት እና የኢኮኖሚ እድል እና የማህበረሰብ ደህንነት ባሉ ርዕሰ ጉዳዮች ላይ ከርዕሰ ጉዳይ ባለሙያዎች ጋር የተደረገ ውይይት። የበለጠ እወቅ።
  • እሑድ፣ 10/26፣ 4-6pm – Rockville – xMinds Fundraiser
    • xMinds በሞንትጎመሪ ሀገር ውስጥ ላሉ ኦቲዝም ተማሪዎች ትምህርትን ለማሻሻል ቁርጠኛ ነው። የበለጠ እወቅ።
  • እሑድ፣ 11/9 – በኬንሲንግተን ፓርክ ቤተመጻሕፍት – “ራቅን ማየት አይቻልም”
    • በወጣትነት ላይ ስላለው የማህበራዊ ሚዲያ ጨለማ ገጽታ የሚገልጽ ዘጋቢ ፊልም የ”ራቅ ብሎ ማየት አይቻልም” ልዩ የማጣሪያ ፊልም። ተማሪዎች ለመገኘት 3 SSL ሰዓቶች ማግኘት ይችላሉ። ተጨማሪ MCCPTA እዚህ ያግኙ። ወይም በMCPL በኩል ይመዝገቡ።

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October 2025 PTSA Monthly Meeting Minutes

October 14, 2025 | Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) General Meeting Minutes

Meeting slides: 2025.10 – PTSA General Meeting

Link to meeting minutes from last General Membership Meeting: 2025.09.09 | PTSA General Meeting Minutes

Attendees: 

TPMS PTSA Board: Erin Martin, Summer Smith, Emily Modde, Jesse Loznak, Chris Campbell, Becca Jones-Albertus, Heather Brown – Palsgrove, Monisha Shah, Mic Murphy, and Ramata Diop.

At 7:18 there were 76 members participating in the Zoom call, including the Board, community members, and students.  

 

Meeting Minutes

Welcome

Chris Campbell, VP of Communications, opened the meeting and welcomed members of the TPMS community and students. He encouraged people to use the chat to ask questions, and members of the Board will do their best to answer them during the meeting. He outlined the meeting agenda and reintroduced the Board to the community. Chris noted that we still need a VP for Fundraising (if you are interested, please reach out to TPMS.PTA.president@gmail.com). 

 

Upcoming Events

There are many events offered at TPMS. For the most up-to-date information, check out the school calendar here: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/takomaparkms/calendar-index/ :  

 

Upcoming TPMS events:

October 

October 16: Vaccination Clinic (2:00 pm – 8:00 pm)* 

October 16: MOCOCAP Career Advising Lesson*

October 17: No School

October 20: No School

October 22: Cross Country Meet @TPMS (3:30 pn)

October 24:  Last day to submit assignments

October 27 – 29: Grade 7 Finance Park Simulation

October 30: Grade 8 Annapolis Field Trip

October 31: End of Marking Period 1

*more info on these events here: https://app.smore.com/n/gjwx6

 

November 

November 5:  Student photo make-up day

November 12: Next PTSA meeting IN PERSON 

November 17: SpED workshop on Transition Services workshop  

TBD:  Parent Teacher Conferences

 

Information on Survey Data From the Last PTSA Meeting. 

Emily Modde, PTSA President, presented the survey data we collected during our last meeting. She presented ranked survey results of what members wanted from the PTSA:

  • Upcoming events and key issues at TPMS
  • Updates from Ms Martin and the school administration
  • Upcoming changes in MCPS
  • Opportunities to share ideas and concerns for the PTSA
  • Spaces to build connections with other TPMS families
  • Volunteer opportunities at TPMS
  • Discussions on community needs
  • General parenting education

 

Additional topics that were brought to the PTSA include (note these are not in rank order):

  • Mental Health topics (eg.emotional changes)
  • Understanding how the DCC works for HS
  • Insights into curriculum (esp if changes)
  • Technology issues – too many platforms, how do we use them?!
  • Boundary and Programming study
  • Enrichment opportunities
  • Bus Sched / Transportation issues
  • SSL opportunities: How parents can help
  • Ensuring an inclusive environment, and school culture, building community
  • Resources for the unexpected needs created from recent DC  area disruptions
  • Online and media safety

Emily noted that during this PTSA meeting we will discuss some of the topics and we have left time at the end for open questions/answers. As we continue to meet, the PTSA Board will continue to cover topics that are important to our community. If you have additional ideas, please reach out: TPMS.PTA.president@gmail.com.

 

Putting the “S” in PTSA

Monisha Shah, Co-Executive VP, explained that the Board really heard from our members at our last meeting that we should really engage the “S – Student” in PTSA and make that partnership stronger. One of our first steps is to work with the Principal’s Advisory Council (Council) to bring their voices to the PTSA. The Board will also reach out to other groups at the school and other students who have individually joined the PTSA.

Mr. Loznak, Principal Intern, said that the Council students have been working on how to make STRIVE time better. Mr. Joznak welcomed the students who joined the meeting tonight. He asked a few students why they wanted to be members of the Council. Bralin said that he wanted to join the Council because he has ideas that will make school better including adding sports teams to make school more fun. Anushka wanted to join the Council to have a close knit group to work with Ms. Martin and Mr. Loznak to share ideas to help improve the school. She’s excited to work directly with them on issues that can only be fixed by students. She also said that as a current student, she’s excited to help students for many more years at TPMS. 

Mr. Loznak then asked about the mission of the Council. What is it that student members want to get out of this and what do they want the Council to do? Saron said that her mission was for students to get their voices heard, especially related to STRIVE. She said it’s important to make sure everyone is included. Khaia said her main idea of what the Council is for is to understand the unique backgrounds of students and to bring everyone together to make decisions – that many people should be involved in decisions being made at the school. She said that as an 8th grader who has been at the school for 2 years, she has a view on how to make the school better. 

Mr. Loznak presented the last question to the Council Students: what ideas do you have for putting “S: in PTSA: Chloe said that the biggest idea discussed at the last Council meeting was to add bigger activities at the school. Things like expanding the selling of merch and lanyards. She said that a lot of students don’t have time to buy things before school starts. She added that things like pep rallies, poms/dance, food trucks, and general student excitement for school sports events would be great. STRIVE themes could also be incorporated, including wearing House colors or sitting with your House. She also mentioned fundraisers and prizes for winning including a day of doing House activities on a day that isn’t normally a STRIVE day or spending the day one-on-one with a teacher. Elliot said there are multiple ways to incorporate student’s voices into the PTSA and these activities would benefit students. For example, if students have an interest they join an after school activity. They join because they are interested in something. For the PTSA, there needs to be a reason why they should join. He said that the voices of students need to be more present in the PTSA. He also mentioned that for many students, SSL hours are an important reason why they show up and get involved. He suggested making sure that students know about what the PTSA does and that they can. Willa said that there is a lot of important information that is shared with students, but it’s sometimes hard to process it. For example, there is a lot of important information brought to students in STRIVE, but there isn’t a place to process it. She would like to see more interaction. Mr. Loznak said they will continue to work with the Council and will report back in the future. He thanked the student who came to talk today.

Ms. Martin also thanked the students who joined the meeting and offered the Board and community feedback. For some context, she said that the staff does a lot of planning for students – instruction, afterschool activities, and other activities. The default is to engage with adults and we hope that things hit well with students. Things are happening for them, but also to them and their voice hasn’t been part of the process. The dive and passion for the Council is to get their views and hear their voices. The big areas include: “S” in PTSA; STRIVE advisory – making it more engaging; collecting ideas and feedback on what’s happening in the building (one takeaway from the Council students’ applications was “adults are old and don’t know how to work the channels that kids can relate to”); and looking for their voices to elevate the planning process for activities. Emily thanked everyone for their ideas and being here tonight. 

 

Membership Drive Update

Heather Brown-Palsgrove, VP of Membership, shared that we met our fundraising goal by 100%. Our membership goal was four times our previous fundraising goals and we met it! Heather thanked Rahel Allison, TPMS mom, who gave her advice on how to better run the campaign. Heather also thanked others who helped us reach our goal. The PTSA now makes up 20% of the TPMS population. She presented slides on who our members are (teachers and staff; parents and caregivers; students). We also did a friendly competition with the Houses to see who could sign up the most members. Triumph House won!

Please use this form to give us feedback on how the fundraising campaign went from your perspective. Feedback form. brownpalsgrovefamily@gmail.com can yo add the form?

 

Budget Update

Mic Murphy, Treasurer, presented the 2025-2026 budget update. He presented what will be supported by PTSA this year:

  • Mini-grants to Teachers and Staff to Enrich Curriculum 
  • Welcome Picnic Potluck
  • 6th Grade Outdoor Ed Reptile Man
  • 7th Grade Family Winter Social
  • 8th Grade Family Winter Social 
  • 8th Grade Promotion Dance
  • 8th Grade Promotion
  • Student Dances
  • 3x Heritage Month Enrichment Performances
  • International Multicultural Night Event
  • Books & Basketball Community Building Event
  • We Shine Night 
  • Speakers and Presenters
  • Music Program
  • Teacher & Staff Appreciation Events and Meals
  • Teacher & Staff Professional Development Augmentation Materials
  • …And A Whole Lot More!

He also presented our expense categories and a high level on the major PTSA incomes and expenses. 

Income (money the PTSA brings in)

Member Donations

  • Our largest source of income. Successful 2025 membership drive reduces pressure on fundraising. Thank you members!

Fundraising

  • e.g., Silent Auction, Bake Sales.
  • Still need to raise ~$6k to meet budget target

Program Revenue

  • e.g., Books and Basketball, 8th Grade dance

Grants and Reimbursements

Expenses (money the PTSA spends)

PTA Objectives

  • This is where the bulk of spending goes to ~$13k budgeted for 25-26
  • e.g., Mini-grants, staff appreciation, Music Department, staff development

Event Sponsorship

  • About ~$9k budgeted for event sponsorship 
  • e.g., Heritage Month performances, Outdoor Ed (Reptiles), Student dance, welcome picnic and lots more.

PTA Expenses

  • Operating expenses. E.g., Insurance, Website, software etc.,
  • Organizational expenses. E.g., bank fees
  • Fundraising expenses.

Mic then gave an overview of the 2025-2026 budget:

Summer Smith, PTSA Secretary, asked for someone to propose we pass the 2025-2026 PTSA Budget. Becca Jones-Albertus (Co-Executive VP) proposed the budget be passed. Chris Campbell (VP of Communications) seconded the motion. Summer then asked members to give a “green check – yes” reaction if they agreed we should pass the budget. She then asked if anyone objected using the “X – no” react button or to come off mute to verbally object. At the time of the vote, there were 70 members of the PTSA, including members, the Board, and students. There were no objections, and the 2025-2026 budget passed. 

 

PTSA Board Needs

Becca Jones-Albertus, Co-Executive VP, presented current open roles:

  • Financial Review: Need 3 volunteers for review of PTSA finances due in October
  • VP of Fundraising 
  • Grant Writer

Please contact Becca if you are interested in any of these roles (beccaj@gmail.com) 

 

Boundary and Programming Study Information

Emily opened the discussion of the Boundary Study. The TPMS Board strongly encourages everyone to do their own research on this complex topic. Please see the slides (listed at the top of this document for details on what was presented. In addition, please visit the TPMS PTSA website for documents, discussions, and more.

Emily said there is currently an ongoing Boundary Study. This is because there are two new schools opening in MCPS and there needs to be a decision on where students will go. The final decision will happen in Spring 2026. 

There is also another analysis being conducted in MCPS, the Academic Programming Analysis (Analysis). The Analysis will create six regions each with 4 to 5 high school clusters in each. Right now we have three regions, and TPMS is part of the Down County Consortium (DCC). The new Analysis will end the DCC. According to MCCPS, the Analysis is intended to increase access to services to all students across the county. There is currently an issue that some students are able to attend popular schools with highly sought after programs. According to MCCPS, the Analysis will redistribute these programs across the county and offer more students access to these programs. There is also a plan to update the admission process so students can change tracks during high school, if needed. Originally the Boundary Study stood alone. On October 3, the Analysis was attached to the boundary study. 

A few things that the Board has noted: the Boundary Study went through three rounds of review, included many comment periods, and occurred over a year. The Academic Programming Analysis came out of the boundary study (from what we can tell). The Analysis has had no public review or comment. This means that families, students, principals, staff, and others, have not been part of the process.

From our review and others, there are some key pieces of information missing from the Analysis:transportation analysis (how will students move throughout the county); staffing analysis (how will some schools scale up staff, while others scale down staff); financial analysis (what will this cost and how will it be paid for); and feasibility (how will the changes ensure that the quality of programming is maintained in every school). In addition: these decisions impact all our families with students who are part of MCCPS (we all have a vested interest in these decisions); there is no requirement that changes to academic programming be done concurrently with boundary changes (why now, why so fast?); while there is general acknowledgement that exploring changes to programming for better access and admissions movement is good – it needs more time to be designed, shaped, and feasibility of implementation understood (again, why so fast?).

Liz Ryan, TPMS MCCPTA Delegate offered some context on who she is, the role she plays, and what we are looking for from families. Every elementary, middle, and high school in MOCO has a PTA/PTSA. Each of these PTA/PTSA is a hyper local group of people who are focused on their school. They roll up to the MCCPTA which operates much like local PTA/PTSAs with monthly meetings that focus on issues that impact all schools in MOCO. MCCPTA, like our PTSA, is made up of community people who are volunteering their time (they are NOT MCPS). In addition, MCCPTA advocates at the county level for all students and on behalf of local PTA/PTSAs. Liz emphasized that MCCPTA and local PTA/PTSAs have a strong voice. We are the largest parent/guardian/teacher organization and one of the largest public education stakeholders in the county. This is why we are asking for your involvement and attention to this important change being proposed for our schools. 

What are we asking of you? MCCPTA is proposing a resolution to MCPS to basically ask for more time. A resolution is “a position statement on a particular issue either for or against. It must be approved by the Delegates Assembly and be consistent with MCCPTA’s guiding principles. Anyone within MCCPTA or within any local PTA/PTSA unit can put forth a call for a resolution.”

So what does the current MCCPTA resolution say? Well, it’s long and complicated (please read it yourself here: MCCPTA Draft Resolution: More Time for Programs Analysis). It basically asks MCPS to slow down the process and give students, families, staff, more time to provide input and understand what is going to change. 

Why are we asking for more time? According to MCCPTA, MCPS does not have a strong record of success with regional programs. In addition, there is a lack of a comprehensive proposal being put to the community. For example, the information MCPS has shared to date lacks: full cost analyses, stated educational outcomes and metrics for “success,” regional programs transportation study, curriculum development, robust staffing and training plan, safeguards to ensure each region will have comparable programs with equivalent quality, evidential data to support the regional interest level in the chosen programs, and plan to ensure proportionate seat availability between regions. Further, MCCPTA says that MCPS has not appropriately engaged students, staff, and community stakeholders for input and feedback and that there are questions around procedures related to BOE policies and MCPS regulations (more info: Resolution FAQs). 

What’s next? From October 3 – October 28: Delegates engage their communities (this meeting and more information to come from our PTSA Board), solicit feedback, and submit proposed revisions to resolution language. October 29: Delegates Assembly meeting @ 7PM where all local PTA Presidents, Delegates, and MCCPTA Board of Directors are invited to review the resolution language and vote on the resolution.

What happens if the motion is passed? If it passes, it will have the weight of the full MCCPTA. The MCCPTA will then have a large backing to formally ask MCPS Superintendent, Board of Education, and the County Council to pause the study. Note bringing it to the County Council is not something that usually happens (they are being included because they are the ones who will have to fund the BOE). There’s a good chance this will make the news and generate press. 

What else? Even with so much uncertainty, it is thought that current 8th graders will be able to complete whatever program they attend as 9th graders. However, the resources that are allocated to those schools will change. The schools will lose critical funding as resources are reallocated. One thing that most of us want is to ensure students across the county can access classes that not all students currently have access to. We want all the great things that MCCPS has to offer to be available to everyone. That’s why the MCCPTA is asking for more time to make sure critical questions are answered. 

What now? We, as a Board, know this is a lot. We hope we have given you a high level of the basis of what is going on. We encourage families to review the proposals, watch presentations from MCPS, and get involved. We provide all links to all the information we have on our website, and encourage you to do what is right for your families.There are additional webinars scheduled, information and dates can be found in links on our website. https://www.tpmspta.org/mcps-boundary-programming-study/

Please provide us feedback so we can make sure TPMS PTSA thoughts are being brought to the MCCPTA.  We created a new WhatsApp group for discussion around this important topic. 

Liz added that there is no current plan for how the new schools will be allocated. In addition, there would be no more magnet program at TPMS, and there is no replacement for the DCC. A lot of the confusion is because there is no full plan. During the MCCPS Meetings, the MCCPS Board controls the questions they are answering. It is thought they are doing this so they can control the narrative. This means that it’s hard to understand what the true questions are coming from the community. Someone asked in the chat about the impact of ARS. Ms. Martin said that she doesn’t have any additional besides what is being given to the community. 

 

Open Q&A with Ms. Martin and the PTSA

Emily asked if there were any other topics that people wanted to discuss. One member said that their family has been impacted at Wood Middle School, with the tragic death of a student last week. She asked if there was any discussion of this at the principal level. Ms. Martin said that principals are working to support the school. No additional guidance has been provided around student transition from home to school and back. She said that the TPMS administration team and Emily have been working with The City of Takoma Park Police to assess the situation at the school. Last week, instead of walk and roll to school day, the school took a more thoughtful approach on how students get to school. One difficulty is having one parking lot with two access points where everyone comes together. Ms. Martin said they continue to find solutions for our community as students come and go to school. Another member asked about the preference survey for HS for 8th grade. The message says before you open, make sure you read this. Emily said that she thinks you can complete the form many times, and Ms. Martin said to check with the counselor. 

At 8:32 Emily closed the meeting. She thanked everyone for attending and said all information will be shared tomorrow. 

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The Boundary and Academic Programming Analysis Proposals

Please check this page regularly as we will continue to add relevant information here.

Learn more from the district

Note that you can find webinars and presentations, as well as upcoming meeting information on these pages:

Information about the district:

Learn more from the community

The PROPOSED MCCPTA Resolution

Timeline

September
  • Community engagement
  • Continued collaboration with the Design Team
October
  • Presentation to the Board (Moved from September): Local HS Pathways, Additional Program Specifics, Middle School Assets
  • Community engagement
November
  • Identify professional learning and resource needs
  • Build the budget and resources for high quality programming
December
  • Program Analysis Plan Finalized : Communication and Implementation
January
  • Boundary and Program Access Plan recommendation from Superintendent
March
  • BOE finalizes boundary recommendations
Fall 2026
  • Outreach season begins for 1st class to go through new boundaries and academic programming 

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Blue Devil Digest for Week of October 13, 2025 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

Tomorrow: October PTSA Meeting, 7-8:30pm

This is a reminder that our October Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) meeting is tomorrow, October 14 at 7 pm.Below is the Zoom link. Among the agenda items is a discussion about the boundary and programming survey and the MCCPTA proposal. We hope to see you there.

Zoom link: https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/86766580428?pwd=h9zmjZGbYaoDa1FkWsXQrnB0vZL8qH.1

PTSA membership drive + STRIVE Houses

Thanks to all of the STRIVE Houses, we met 100% of our PTSA membership goal. Congratulations to the Triumph House for enrolling the most PTSA members during this year’s membership drive. 


Although the membership drive is over, we still welcome new PTSA members all year. If you haven’t already, join PTSA today!

 

Mañana: Reunión de la PTSA de octubre, de 19:00 a 20:30 h

Les recordamos que nuestra reunión de la Asociación de Padres, Maestros y Estudiantes (PTSA) de octubre es mañana, 14 de octubre, a las 19:00 h. A continuación, encontrarán el enlace de Zoom. Entre los puntos de la agenda se incluye una discusión sobre la encuesta de límites y programación, así como la propuesta de la MCCPTA. Esperamos contar con su presencia.

Enlace de Zoom: https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/86766580428?pwd=h9zmjZGbYaoDa1FkWsXQrnB0vZL8qH.1

 

Campaña de afiliación de la PTSA + Casas STRIVE

Gracias a todas las Casas STRIVE, alcanzamos el 100 % de nuestra meta de afiliación para la PTSA. Felicitaciones a la Casa Triumph por inscribir a la mayor cantidad de miembros de la PTSA durante la campaña de afiliación de este año.

Aunque la campaña de membresía ya terminó, seguimos dando la bienvenida a nuevos miembros de la PTSA durante todo el año. Si aún no lo has hecho, ¡únete a la PTSA hoy mismo!

 

ለነገ፡ የጥቅምት PTSA ስብሰባ፣ 7-8፡30 ፒኤም

ይህ የእኛ የኦክቶበር የወላጅ መምህር ተማሪዎች ማህበር (PTSA) ስብሰባ ነገ፣ ጥቅምት 14 ከቀኑ 7 ሰአት መሆኑን ለማስታወስ ነው። ከዚህ በታች የማጉላት ማገናኛ አለ። ከአጀንዳዎቹ መካከል ስለ ድንበር እና የፕሮግራም ዳሰሳ ጥናት እና የMCCPTA ፕሮፖዛል ውይይት ይገኝበታል። እዚያ እንደምናገኝ ተስፋ እናደርጋለን።

የማጉላት አገናኝ፡ https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/86766580428?pwd=h9zmjZGbYaoDa1FkWsXQrnB0vZL8qH.1

 

የPTSA አባልነት ድራይቭ + STRIVE ቤቶች

ለሁሉም የSTRIVE ቤቶች ምስጋና ይግባውና የPTSA አባልነት ግባችንን 100% አሳክተናል። በዚህ አመት የአባልነት ዘመቻ ብዙ የPTSA አባላትን ስላስመዘገቡ ለትሪምፍ ሃውስ እንኳን ደስ አላችሁ።

ምንም እንኳን የአባልነት ጉዞው ቢያልቅም፣ ዓመቱን ሙሉ አዲስ የPTSA አባላትን እንቀበላለን። እስካሁን ካላደረጉት ዛሬ PTSAን ይቀላቀሉ!

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Blue Devil Digest for Week of October 6, 2025 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

THANK YOU for a strong end to the PTSA membership drive!

Many thanks to the PTSA community for showing up for this season’s membership drive. Because of you, we met 100% of our membership goal. 

More communications and results for the STRIVE HOUSE competition will follow. For now, the PTSA Board extends our sincere appreciation; we look forward to working with and for you this year!

Note that, although the membership drive is over, we still welcome new PTSA members all year and the membership link remains active. Please share with friends or others who might want to join us.

 

Next PTSA Meeting Tues, October 14, 7-8:30pm

This meeting will be virtual over Zoom. Agenda and link to be published soon. 

 

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

On October 7 the PTSA is proud to present a Salsa dance instructor who will be leading the students through some salsa dance steps and playing some great music at the lunch hour. Be sure to ask your kiddo about it!

 

¡GRACIAS por el excelente final de la campaña de membresía de la PTSA!

Muchas gracias a la comunidad de la PTSA por asistir a la campaña de membresía de esta temporada. Gracias a ustedes, alcanzamos el 100% de nuestra meta de membresía.

Próximamente les enviaremos más comunicaciones y resultados del concurso STRIVE HOUSE. Por ahora, la Junta de la PTSA les extiende nuestro más sincero agradecimiento; ¡esperamos trabajar con ustedes y para ustedes este año!

Tengan en cuenta que, aunque la campaña de membresía ya terminó, seguimos dando la bienvenida a nuevos miembros de la PTSA durante todo el año y el enlace de membresía permanece activo. Por favor, compártanlo con sus amigos u otras personas que quieran unirse a nosotros.

 

Próxima reunión de la PTSA: martes 14 de octubre, de 7:00 p. m. a 8:30 p. m.

Esta reunión será virtual a través de Zoom. La agenda y el enlace se publicarán próximamente.

 

Celebrando el Mes de la Herencia Hispana

El 7 de octubre, la PTSA se enorgullece de presentar a un instructor de salsa que guiará a los estudiantes en algunos pasos de salsa y tocará música excelente durante la hora del almuerzo. ¡No olvides preguntarle a tu hijo sobre esto!

 

ለPTSA አባልነት ድራይቭ ጠንካራ ፍጻሜ ስላደረጉ እናመሰግናለን!

ለዚህ ወቅት የአባልነት አንፃፊ ስላሳዩት የPTSA ማህበረሰብ በጣም እናመሰግናለን። በአንተ ምክንያት፣ የአባልነት ግባችንን 100% አግኝተናል።

ለSTRIVE HOUSE ውድድር ተጨማሪ ግንኙነቶች እና ውጤቶች ይከተላሉ። ለአሁን፣ የPTSA ቦርድ ልባዊ አድናቆትን ያሰፋል። በዚህ አመት ከእርስዎ ጋር ለመስራት በጉጉት እንጠብቃለን!

ልብ ይበሉ፣ የአባልነት መንዳት ቢያልቅም፣ አሁንም አዲስ የPTSA አባላትን ዓመቱን በሙሉ እንቀበላለን እና የአባልነት ግንኙነቱ ንቁ እንደሆነ ይቆያል። እባክዎን ከእኛ ጋር መቀላቀል ለሚፈልጉ ጓደኞች ወይም ሌሎች ያካፍሉ።

 

የሚቀጥለው የPTSA ስብሰባ ማክሰኞ፣ ኦክቶበር 14፣ 7-8፡30 ፒኤም

ይህ ስብሰባ በማጉላት ላይ ምናባዊ ይሆናል። አጀንዳ እና ሊንክ በቅርቡ ይታተማል።

 

የሂስፓኒክ ቅርስ ወርን በማክበር ላይ

ኦክቶበር 7 PTSA ተማሪዎችን በአንዳንድ የሳልሳ ዳንስ ደረጃዎች የሚመራ እና በምሳ ሰአት ጥሩ ሙዚቃ የሚጫወት የሳልሳ ዳንስ አስተማሪ በማቅረብ ኩራት ይሰማዋል። ስለዚህ ጉዳይ ልጅዎን መጠየቅዎን ያረጋግጡ!

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Blue Devil Digest for Week of September 29, 2025 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

Help us finish strong: The PTSA membership drive ends on Wednesday!

The last day of the PTSA membership drive is almost here – Wednesday, 10/1. We appreciate Ms. Martin’s recent endorsement and her Saturday email to the TPMS community. She shared inspiration in the form of what PTSA means to her – “a collaborative body of parents and caregivers, teachers/staff and students who, when we work together, can create an engaging, enriching and rigorous educational experience.”

Join online and help us reach our membership goal! When you join, your membership earns a point for your student’s STRIVE house. At the end of the membership drive, the winning house wins a special treat and bragging rights! The house counts are very close and ***any house can still pull ahead*** in the next two days – currently: 

  • Triumph house is in first place
  • Value house is in second place 
  • Inquire and Share houses are tied for third place
  • Engage and Respect houses are tied for fourth place

With two days left, we are at 93% of our membership goal – will you submit the membership that gets us to 100%? Join online today for a chance at that honor and to be counted in the friendly house competition before the end of membership drive. All memberships before midnight on Wednesday, 10/1 count. 

Join the PTSA today! 

 

TOMORROW (Tuesday, Sept 30): MCPS Academic Programming Analysis Webinar

MCPS is engaging in two different studies happening at the same time:  1.) a Boundary analysis to redraw school boundaries to accommodate new and expanded high schools, and 2.) an Academic Programming analysis to examine the programs being offered across the county.      

On *Tues, Sept 30* the district will present a webinar at two different times to provide information on the *Academic Programming* analysis. You can learn more about this study and get a the link to attend the webinar here: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/

Like you, the PTSA is learning about what’s in these studies, and encourage you to learn more too! 

 

Safe Routes to School Survey

Please take this short survey that may be completed by Students, Caregivers and School Staff to help move us understand how safe it is to walk and roll to school.

How Safe is your Route to School

 

Ayúdanos a terminar con fuerza: ¡La campaña de membresía de la PTSA termina el miércoles!

El último día de la campaña de membresía de la PTSA ya casi llega: miércoles, 1 de octubre. Agradecemos el reciente apoyo de la Sra. Martin y su correo electrónico del sábado a la comunidad de TPMS. Compartió su inspiración con lo que la PTSA significa para ella: “un grupo colaborativo de padres y cuidadores, maestros/personal y estudiantes que, cuando trabajamos juntos, podemos crear una experiencia educativa atractiva, enriquecedora y rigurosa”.

¡Únete en línea y ayúdanos a alcanzar nuestra meta de membresía! Al unirte, tu membresía gana un punto para la casa STRIVE de tu estudiante. Al final de la campaña de membresía, ¡la casa ganadora recibirá un obsequio especial y el derecho de presumir! El conteo de casas está muy reñido y ***cualquier casa aún puede avanzar*** en los próximos dos días. Actualmente:

Casa Triumph ocupa el primer lugar.
Casa Value ocupa el segundo lugar.
Casas Inquire y Share empatan en el tercer lugar.
Casas Engage y Respect empatan en el cuarto lugar.
A dos días del final, hemos alcanzado el 93% de nuestra meta de membresía. ¿Nos enviarás la membresía que nos lleve al 100%? Únete en línea hoy mismo para tener la oportunidad de obtener ese honor y participar en la competencia amistosa de casas antes de que finalice la campaña de membresía. Todas las membresías antes de la medianoche del miércoles (1/10) cuentan.

¡Únete a la PTSA hoy mismo!

 

MAÑANA (martes, 30 de septiembre): Seminario web sobre el análisis de la programación académica de MCPS

MCPS participa en dos estudios simultáneos: 1) un análisis de límites escolares para adaptar los límites escolares a las escuelas preparatorias nuevas y ampliadas, y 2) un análisis de la programación académica para examinar los programas que se ofrecen en todo el condado.

El martes, 30 de septiembre, el distrito presentará un seminario web en dos horarios diferentes para brindar información sobre el análisis de la programación académica. Puede obtener más información sobre este estudio y el enlace para asistir al seminario web aquí: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/

Al igual que usted, la PTSA está aprendiendo sobre los contenidos de estos estudios y le anima a que también se informe más.

 

Encuesta sobre Rutas Seguras a la Escuela

Por favor, responda a esta breve encuesta. Estudiantes, tutores y personal escolar pueden completarla para ayudarnos a comprender la seguridad de ir a la escuela caminando o en bicicleta.

¿Qué tan seguro es tu camino a la escuela? Encuesta en español.

 

ጠንክረን እንድንጨርስ እርዳን፡ የPTSA አባልነት ጉዞ እሮብ ላይ ያበቃል!

የPTSA አባልነት ድራይቭ የመጨረሻ ቀን እዚህ ሊደርስ ነው – እሮብ፣ 10/1። የወ/ሮ ማርቲን የቅርብ ጊዜ ድጋፍ እና የቅዳሜ ኢሜይሏን ለTPMS ማህበረሰብ እናደንቃለን። PTSA ለእሷ ምን ማለት እንደሆነ ተመስጦ አጋርታለች – “የወላጆች እና ተንከባካቢዎች፣ አስተማሪዎች/ሰራተኞች እና ተማሪዎች በጋራ ስንሰራ አሳታፊ፣ የሚያበለጽግ እና ጠንካራ የትምህርት ልምድ የሚፈጥሩ የትብብር አካል።

በመስመር ላይ ይቀላቀሉ እና የአባልነት ግባችን ላይ እንድንደርስ ያግዙን! ሲቀላቀሉ፣ አባልነትዎ ለተማሪዎ STRIVE ቤት ነጥብ ያገኛል። በአባልነት ምርጫው መጨረሻ ላይ አሸናፊው ቤት ልዩ እንክብካቤ እና ጉራዎችን ያሸንፋል! የቤቱ ቆጠራዎች በጣም ቅርብ ናቸው እና ***ማንኛውም ቤት አሁንም ወደፊት መግፋት ይችላል *** በሚቀጥሉት ሁለት ቀናት – በአሁኑ ጊዜ፡-

የድል ሀውስ በመጀመሪያ ደረጃ ነው።
ዋጋ ያለው ቤት በሁለተኛ ደረጃ ላይ ይገኛል
ጠያቂ እና አጋራ ቤቶች ለሦስተኛ ደረጃ የተያዙ ናቸው።
የተሳትፎ እና የተከበሩ ቤቶች ለአራተኛ ደረጃ የተያዙ ናቸው።
ሁለት ቀን ሲቀረው፣ የአባልነት ግባችን 93% ላይ እንገኛለን – ወደ 100% የሚያደርገንን አባልነት ታስገባለህ? ለዚያ ክብር እድል ለማግኘት እና የአባልነት ጉዞ ከማብቃቱ በፊት በወዳጅነት ቤት ውድድር ለመቆጠር ዛሬ በመስመር ላይ ይቀላቀሉ። ሁሉም አባልነቶች እሮብ ከእኩለ ሌሊት በፊት፣ 10/1 ቆጠራ።

ዛሬ PTSAን ይቀላቀሉ!

 

ነገ (ማክሰኞ፣ ሴፕቴምበር 30)፡ የMCPS የአካዳሚክ ፕሮግራሚንግ ትንተና ዌቢናር

MCPS በአንድ ጊዜ በተደረጉ ሁለት የተለያዩ ጥናቶች ላይ እየተሳተፈ ነው፡  1.) አዳዲስ እና የተስፋፋ ሁለተኛ ደረጃ ት/ቤቶችን ለማስተናገድ የድንበር ትንተና፣ እና 2.) በካውንቲ ውስጥ የሚቀርቡ ፕሮግራሞችን ለመመርመር የአካዳሚክ ፕሮግራሚንግ ትንታኔ።

በ *ማክሰኞ፣ ሴፕቴምበር 30* ወረዳው *የአካዳሚክ ፕሮግራሚንግ* ትንተና መረጃ ለመስጠት በሁለት የተለያዩ ጊዜያት ዌቢናር ያቀርባል። ስለዚህ ጥናት የበለጠ ማወቅ እና በዌቢናር ላይ ለመሳተፍ አገናኙን ማግኘት ትችላለህ፡ https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/

እንደ እርስዎ፣ PTSA በእነዚህ ጥናቶች ውስጥ ስላለው ነገር እየተማረ ነው፣ እና እርስዎም የበለጠ እንዲማሩ ያበረታታዎታል!

 

ወደ ትምህርት ቤት ዳሰሳ አስተማማኝ መንገዶች

እባኮትን ወደ ትምህርት ቤት መራመድ እና መንከባለል ምን ያህል አስተማማኝ እንደሆነ እንድንረዳ እንዲረዳን በተማሪዎች፣ ተንከባካቢዎች እና የትምህርት ቤት ሰራተኞች ሊጠናቀቅ የሚችለውን ይህን አጭር የዳሰሳ ጥናት ይውሰዱ።

ወደ ትምህርት ቤት የሚወስደው መንገድ ምን ያህል ደህንነቱ የተጠበቀ ነው? ቅኝት በአማርኛ.

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Blue Devil Digest for Week of September 22, 2025 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

PTSA membership – less than 10 days to make membership history! 

Thank you to those of you who joined PTSA last week, either online or at Back to School night. We now have less than 10 days to go in our membership drive. We have already exceeded past membership numbers but we still have not yet met this year’s ambitious goal – and we need your help! If you join online before Saturday at midnight, you will also be entered in a raffle for a TPMS t-shirt. 

Remember that your membership earns a point for your student’s STRIVE house. Join now to be counted in the numbers for this week. As we start week 6, the competition remains close and any house still has a chance to be the final winner of a special treat!

Become a member now to be counted in the house competition and have a chance to win a TPMS t-shirt. Today is a great day to join PTSA.

 

Parent Coffee with Ms. Zuniga-Sanchez & Principals Martin and Loznak

Our Family Engagement Specialist, Ms. Zuniga-Sanchez holds monthly parent coffees. The coffees are a way to learn about different aspects of your child’s education, ask questions and dialogue with Ms. Zuniga-Sanchez and the administors, and meet other parents/caregivers. Click here for the full PDF.

 

PTSA SpED Committee: IEP Workshop Sept 30, 7-8:30pm

This workshop will be held over zoom (link to be sent to registered participants).

Register for this workship here:  https://forms.gle/XvcgR9udXvhs3SpF7

 

Reminder About Safety During Drop-off and Pick-Up

With fall weather returning, we’re amplifying the Principals message about safety during drop off and pick up:  

To ensure a safe and efficient drop-off and pick-up process, please use only the designated zone (located between the bus loop and staff parking) and avoid blocking crosswalks, bus lanes, or parking areas. For drop-off, students should remain in the vehicle until you reach the designated area, and for pick-up, they should wait until you arrive at the pick-up zone. These procedures help keep traffic flowing smoothly and safely. We kindly ask that you follow staff directions, drive slowly, and remain alert for children crossing. Allowing a little extra time during arrival and dismissal will make the process safer for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation and support in keeping our students safe.

 

Membresía de la PTSA: ¡menos de 10 días para hacer historia!

Gracias a quienes se unieron a la PTSA la semana pasada, ya sea en línea o durante la Noche de Regreso a Clases. Nos quedan menos de 10 días para nuestra campaña de membresía. Ya hemos superado el número de miembros anteriores, pero aún no hemos alcanzado la ambiciosa meta de este año, ¡y necesitamos su ayuda! Si se inscribe en línea antes del sábado a la medianoche, también participará en el sorteo de una camiseta de TPMS.

Recuerde que su membresía le otorga un punto para la casa STRIVE de su estudiante. Únase ahora para ser considerado en los números de esta semana. Al comenzar la semana 6, la competencia sigue reñida y cualquier casa aún tiene la oportunidad de ser el ganador final de un obsequio especial.

Hágase miembro ahora para participar en el concurso de casas y tener la oportunidad de ganar una camiseta de TPMS. Hoy es un gran día para unirse a la PTSA.

 

Café para padres con la Sra. Zúniga-Sánchez y los directores Martin y Loznak

Nuestra especialista en participación familiar, la Sra. Zúniga-Sánchez, organiza cafés mensuales para padres. Estos cafés son una forma de aprender sobre diferentes aspectos de la educación de su hijo, hacer preguntas y dialogar con la Sra. Zúniga-Sánchez y el personal administrativo, y conocer a otros padres/tutores. Haga clic aquí para ver el PDF completo.

 

¿Comité de Educación Especial de la PTSA: Taller del PEI, 30 de septiembre, de 19:00 a 20:30 h

Este taller se realizará por Zoom (se enviará el enlace a los participantes registrados).

Inscríbase aquí: https://forms.gle/XvcgR9udXvhs3SpF7

 

Recordatorio sobre seguridad durante la entrada y salida

Con el regreso del otoño, reforzamos el mensaje del director sobre seguridad durante la entrada y salida:

Para garantizar un proceso seguro y eficiente, por favor, utilice únicamente la zona designada (ubicada entre la rotonda de autobuses y el estacionamiento del personal) y evite bloquear los cruces peatonales, los carriles de autobús o las áreas de estacionamiento. Para la entrada, los estudiantes deben permanecer en el vehículo hasta llegar a la zona designada, y para la salida, deben esperar hasta que llegue a la zona de recogida. Estos procedimientos ayudan a mantener el tráfico fluido y seguro. Les pedimos que sigan las instrucciones del personal, conduzcan despacio y estén atentos a los niños que cruzan. Un poco más de tiempo durante la entrada y la salida hará que el proceso sea más seguro para todos. Gracias por su cooperación y apoyo para mantener la seguridad de nuestros estudiantes.

 

 

የPTSA አባልነት – የአባልነት ታሪክ ለመስራት ከ10 ቀናት ያነሰ ጊዜ!

ባለፈው ሳምንት በመስመር ላይ ወይም ወደ ትምህርት ቤት ተመለስ ምሽት PTSAን ለተቀላቀሉት እናመሰግናለን። አሁን በአባልነት ድራይቭ ውስጥ ለመግባት ከ10 ቀናት ያነሰ ጊዜ ቀርተናል። ያለፉትን የአባልነት ቁጥሮች አልፈን ነበር ነገርግን የዘንድሮውን ታላቅ ግብ ገና አላሳካንም – እና የእርስዎን እገዛ እንፈልጋለን! ከቅዳሜ እኩለ ሌሊት በፊት ኦንላይን ከተቀላቀሉ፣ ለቲ.ፒ.ኤም.ኤስ ቲሸርት እሽቅድምድም ውስጥ ይገባሉ።

አባልነትዎ ለተማሪዎ STRIVE ቤት ነጥብ እንደሚያስገኝ ያስታውሱ። ለዚህ ሳምንት በቁጥር ለመቆጠር አሁኑኑ ይቀላቀሉ። 6ኛውን ሳምንት ስንጀምር ውድድሩ ተቀራራቢ ነው እና ማንኛውም ቤት አሁንም የልዩ ዝግጅት የመጨረሻ አሸናፊ የመሆን እድል አለው!

በቤቱ ውድድር ለመቆጠር እና የTPMS ቲሸርት ለማሸነፍ እድሉን ለማግኘት አሁን አባል ይሁኑ። PTSAን ለመቀላቀል ዛሬ ጥሩ ቀን ነው።

 

የወላጅ ቡና ከወ/ሮ ዙኒጋ-ሳንቼዝ እና ርእሰ መምህራን ማርቲን እና ሎዝናክ ጋር

የእኛ የቤተሰብ ተሳትፎ ስፔሻሊስት ወይዘሮ ዙኒጋ-ሳንቼዝ ወርሃዊ የወላጅ ቡናዎችን ትይዛለች። ቡናዎቹ ስለልጅዎ ትምህርት የተለያዩ ገጽታዎች የሚማሩበት፣ ከወ/ሮ ዙኒጋ-ሳንቼዝ እና ከአስተዳዳሪዎች ጋር ጥያቄዎችን እና ውይይትን ለመጠየቅ እና ከሌሎች ወላጆች/አሳዳጊዎች ጋር የሚገናኙበት መንገድ ናቸው። ሙሉውን PDF ለማግኘት እዚህ ይጫኑ።

 

የPTSA spED ኮሚቴ፡ የIEP አውደ ጥናት ሴፕቴምበር 30፣ 7-8፡30 ፒኤም

ይህ አውደ ጥናት በማጉላት (የተመዘገቡ ተሳታፊዎች የሚላክ አገናኝ) ይካሄዳል።

ለዚህ ሥራ እዚህ ይመዝገቡ፡  https://forms.gle/XvcgR9udXvhs3SpF7

ዛሬ PTSAን ይቀላቀሉ!

 

በማውረድ እና በማንሳት ጊዜ ስለ ደህንነት ማስታወሻ

የበልግ የአየር ሁኔታ ሲመለስ፣ በሚወርድበት እና በሚነሳበት ጊዜ ስለ ደህንነት የርዕሰ መምህራንን መልእክት እናሳድጋለን፡-

ደህንነቱ የተጠበቀ እና ቀልጣፋ የማውረድ እና የመልቀሚያ ሂደትን ለማረጋገጥ፣ እባክዎ የተሰየመውን ዞን ብቻ ይጠቀሙ (በአውቶቡስ ሎፕ እና በሰራተኞች ማቆሚያ መካከል የሚገኘውን) እና የእግረኛ መንገዶችን፣ የአውቶቡስ መስመሮችን እና የመኪና ማቆሚያ ቦታዎችን ከመዝጋት ይቆጠቡ። ለመውጣት ተማሪዎች የተመደበለት ቦታ እስክትደርሱ ድረስ በተሽከርካሪው ውስጥ መቆየት አለባቸው እና ለመውሰድ ደግሞ የመልቀሚያው ዞን እስክትደርሱ ድረስ መጠበቅ አለባቸው። እነዚህ ሂደቶች የትራፊክ ፍሰትን በተቀላጠፈ እና በአስተማማኝ ሁኔታ ለመጠበቅ ይረዳሉ. የሰራተኞች መመሪያዎችን እንድትከተሉ፣ በዝግታ እንድትነዱ እና ልጆች ለሚሻገሩበት ንቁ እንድትሆኑ በትህትና እንጠይቃለን። በመድረስ እና በመባረር ላይ ትንሽ ተጨማሪ ጊዜ መፍቀድ ሂደቱን ለሁሉም ሰው ደህንነቱ የተጠበቀ ያደርገዋል። የተማሪዎቻችንን ደህንነት ለመጠበቅ ለምታደርጉልን ትብብር እና ድጋፍ እናመሰግናለን።

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Blue Devil Digest for Week of September 15, 2025 (PTSA Weekly Newsletter)

boletín informativo en español / ጋዜጣ በአማርኛ

Monthly Meeting Minutes Online Now

If you were unable to attend the Sept 9th PTSA meeting, or would like to review what was presented, you can now find them posted to our website here:  https://www.tpmspta.org/sept2025ptsamtg/

 

Will you help us set a PTSA membership record?

We increased PTSA membership last week and are now 75% of the way to our goal with less than 2 weeks to go. Please take a moment to join online or at Thursday’s Back-to-School night. The 200th PTSA member to join will win TPMS pajama pants!

As our numbers grow, the STRIVE house friendly competition continues. We can see last week’s surge in membership as we start week 5:

  • Triumph house has pulled ahead to now tie with Value house for first place
  • Engage has advanced to second place
  • Inquire house and Share house are tied for third place
  • Respect house is in fourth place

There’s still time to help your child’s house. When you become a member, your child’s TPMS STRIVE house gains a point. If you join PTSA online or drop by our PTSA booth at Back-to-School night to join, you may be our 200th member and the lucky winner of TPMS pajama pants.

Join PTSA today!

 

Exploring the equinox

Join us for an evening at the new Montgomery College Planetarium! Let’s explore the September equinox, its astronomical cause, its effects on our seasons, and its role in calendars and cultural traditions around the world. You’ll leave with a star chart and the ability to find celestial objects on your own.

The astronomy faculty will be on hand to answer your questions about the universe.

The planetarium is a state-of-the-art facility which offers an immersive experience under a tilted 30-foot dome. It features stars, nebulae, galaxies, layered Earth simulation software, and 360-degree virtual reality video and sound.

Minimum age requirement: 5 yrs, accompanied by an adult.

Given by: Dr. Carrie Fitzgerald, Director of the Planetarium

Time: Saturday, Sept 20 at 7 pm
Location: Planetarium, LB 103, Montgomery College Takoma Park, Catherine and Isiah Leggett Math and Science Bldg., 7615 Fenton St, Takoma Park MD 20912

Tickets: Free. Make reservations at MC Plantarium Events Page

 

IEP Parent Workshop: Supporting Families Through the IEP Process

Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 7 pm – 8:30pm

Please RSVP for this workshop so we know how many will attend:  RSVP here

 

Actas de la Reunión Mensual en Línea

Si no pudo asistir a la reunión de la PTSA del 9 de septiembre o desea revisar la presentación, puede encontrarlas publicadas en nuestro sitio web: https://www.tpmspta.org/sept2025ptsamtg/

 

¿Nos ayuda a batir un récord de membresía en la PTSA?

La semana pasada aumentamos la membresía de la PTSA y ya estamos al 75% de nuestra meta, con menos de dos semanas para el final. Por favor, únase en línea o en la Noche de Regreso a Clases del jueves. ¡El miembro número 200 de la PTSA que se una ganará un pijama de TPMS!

A medida que crecemos, la competencia STRIVE continúa. Al comenzar la quinta semana, podemos observar el aumento de membresía de la semana pasada:

La casa Triumph ha avanzado y ahora está empatada con la casa Value en el primer lugar.
Engage ha avanzado al segundo lugar.
La casa Inquire y la casa Share están empatadas en el tercer lugar.
La casa Respect está en cuarto lugar.
Aún hay tiempo para ayudar a la casa de su hijo. Al hacerse miembro, la casa TPMS STRIVE de su hijo gana un punto. Si se une a la PTSA en línea o visita nuestro stand de la PTSA durante la noche de regreso a clases, podría ser nuestro miembro número 200 y el afortunado ganador de un pijama de TPMS.

¡Únase a la PTSA hoy mismo!

 

Explorando el equinoccio

¡Acompáñenos en una velada en el nuevo Planetario de Montgomery College! Exploremos el equinoccio de septiembre, su causa astronómica, sus efectos en las estaciones y su papel en los calendarios y las tradiciones culturales de todo el mundo. Saldrá con un mapa estelar y la posibilidad de encontrar objetos celestes por su cuenta.

El profesorado de astronomía estará disponible para responder a sus preguntas sobre el universo.

El planetario es una instalación de vanguardia que ofrece una experiencia inmersiva bajo una cúpula inclinada de 9 metros. Presenta estrellas, nebulosas, galaxias, software de simulación de la Tierra en capas y video y sonido de realidad virtual de 360 ​​grados.

Edad mínima: 5 años, acompañados por un adulto.

A cargo de: Dra. Carrie Fitzgerald, Directora del Planetario

Hora: Sábado 20 de septiembre, 19:00 h
Lugar: Planetario, LB 103, Montgomery College, Takoma Park, Edificio de Matemáticas y Ciencias Catherine e Isiah Leggett, 7615 Fenton St, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Entradas: Gratuitas. Reserve en la página de eventos del Planetario de MC

 

Taller para padres sobre el IEP: Apoyo a las familias durante el proceso del IEP

Martes, 30 de septiembre de 2025, de 19:00 a 20:30 h

RSVP for this workshop

 

ወርሃዊ የስብሰባ ደቂቃዎች አሁን በመስመር ላይ

በሴፕቴምበር 9ኛው የPTSA ስብሰባ ላይ መሳተፍ ካልቻላችሁ ወይም የቀረበውን ለመገምገም ከፈለጋችሁ አሁን እዚህ ድረ-ገጻችን ላይ ተለጥፈው ሊያገኟቸው ይችላሉ፡  https://www.tpmspta.org/sept2025ptsamtg/

 

የPTSA አባልነት ሪኮርድን እንድናዘጋጅ ይረዱናል?

ባለፈው ሳምንት የPTSA አባልነትን ጨምረናል እና አሁን 75% ወደ ግባችን ለመድረስ ከ2 ሳምንታት ያነሰ ጊዜ እየቀረው ነው። እባክዎ በመስመር ላይ ለመቀላቀል ትንሽ ጊዜ ይውሰዱ ወይም በሃሙስ ወደ ትምህርት ቤት ምሽት። የሚቀላቀለው 200ኛው የPTSA አባል የTPMS ፒጃማ ሱሪዎችን ያሸንፋል!

ቁጥራችን እያደገ ሲሄድ፣ የSTRIVE ቤት ወዳጃዊ ውድድር ይቀጥላል። 5ኛውን ሳምንት ስንጀምር ያለፈውን ሳምንት የአባልነት መጨመር ማየት እንችላለን፡-

ትሪምፍ ሃውስ ከዋጋ ቤት ጋር ለመጀመሪያ ጊዜ ለማገናኘት ወደ ፊት ቀጥሏል።
ተሳትፎ ወደ ሁለተኛ ደረጃ አልፏል
ጠያቂ ቤት እና ሼር ቤት ለሶስተኛ ደረጃ የተሳሰሩ ናቸው።
አክብሮት ቤት አራተኛ ደረጃ ላይ ይገኛል
የልጅዎን ቤት ለመርዳት አሁንም ጊዜ አለ. አባል ሲሆኑ፣ የልጅዎ TPMS STRIVE ቤት ነጥብ ያገኛል። PTSAን በመስመር ላይ ከተቀላቀሉ ወይም ለመቀላቀል በ PTSA ቡዝ ወደ ትምህርት ቤት ተመለስ ምሽት ከገቡ፣ እርስዎ 200ኛ አባል እና የTPMS ፒጃማ ሱሪ እድለኛ አሸናፊ ሊሆኑ ይችላሉ።

ዛሬ PTSAን ይቀላቀሉ!

 

እኩልነትን ማሰስ

በአዲሱ የሞንትጎመሪ ኮሌጅ ፕላኔታሪየም ምሽት ይቀላቀሉን! የመስከረም ኢኩኖክስን ፣ የስነ ፈለክ መንስኤውን ፣በወቅቶቻችን ላይ ያለውን ተፅእኖ እና በአለም ዙሪያ ባሉ የቀን መቁጠሪያዎች እና ባህላዊ ወጎች ውስጥ ያለውን ሚና እንመርምር። በኮከብ ቻርት እና የሰማይ አካላትን በራስዎ የማግኘት ችሎታ ይተዋሉ።

ስለ አጽናፈ ሰማይ ያለዎትን ጥያቄዎች ለመመለስ የስነ ፈለክ ፋኩልቲው ዝግጁ ይሆናል።

ፕላኔታሪየም በታጠፈ ባለ 30 ጫማ ጉልላት ስር መሳጭ ልምድ የሚሰጥ እጅግ በጣም ዘመናዊ ተቋም ነው። ኮከቦችን፣ ኔቡላዎችን፣ ጋላክሲዎችን፣ የተነባበረ የምድር ማስመሰያ ሶፍትዌር እና ባለ 360 ዲግሪ ምናባዊ እውነታ ቪዲዮ እና ድምጽን ይዟል።

ዝቅተኛው የዕድሜ መስፈርት፡ 5 ዓመት፣ ከአዋቂ ጋር አብሮ።

የሰጡት፡- የፕላኔታሪየም ዳይሬክተር ዶ/ር ካሪ ፍዝጌራልድ

ሰዓት፡ ቅዳሜ፡ ሴፕቴምበር 20 ከቀኑ 7፡00 ሰዓት
ቦታ፡ ፕላኔታሪየም፣ ኤልቢ 103፣ ሞንትጎመሪ ኮሌጅ ታኮማ ፓርክ፣ ካትሪን እና ኢሲያ ለገት ሒሳብ እና ሳይንስ ብሉጅ.፣ 7615 ፌንቶን ሴንት፣ ታኮማ ፓርክ ኤምዲ 20912

ቲኬቶች: ነጻ. በMC Plantarium ክስተቶች ገጽ ላይ ቦታ ያስይዙ

 

የIEP የወላጅ አውደ ጥናት፡ ቤተሰቦችን በ IEP ሂደት መደገፍ

ማክሰኞ፣ ሴፕቴምበር 30፣ 2025፣ 7 ከሰአት – 8፡30 ከሰአት

RSVP for this workshop