Takoma Park Middle School

|

PTSA Sponsored Events for the 2024-25 School Year

The following are events the TPMS PTSA is sponsoring or participating in.

Event Date Time Who 

is it for? 

 Tell Me More… Volun-

teers Needed
Back to School Night Th, 8/5 5:30-8:00 Family Event Tour the school, meet the teachers, and see your students classrooms
Student Assembly – Latin Dance M, 8/16 Day All Students To celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, an interactive dance performance will engage  students in the basics of Latin Dance during the school day. 
Fundraising Kick-off M, 10/7 Day All Students Fitness minded fundraising to help raise money for the school to fuel our programs!
PTSA Meeting – First of the year!  Tu, 10/8 7-8:30

In person

TPMS

Cafeteria

 Family Event First meeting of the year: Meet families and school admin, PTSA members, and learn best approaches for supporting your middle schooler to set them up for success this year!  Plus special information for High School choice.
Fundraiser End Celebration Th, 10/16 Day Volunteer & 

All Students

 Students will celebrate their PTSA fundraising efforts with fun day activities and prizes.  Volunteers are needed to support this event. V
Dance TBD Evening All Students SGA Dance for all ages TBD
Election Day Bake Sale Tu, 11/5 Day Volunteer Support education by voting and baked goods V
International Night F, 11/15 Evening Family Event Represent your country or culture of origin by bringing a dish to pass, and/or showcasing your culture’s talent.  V
7th Grade Families 

Winter Social

 F, 12/6 Evening 7th Grade Family Event 7th Grade families – come join us for a social hour with cocoa and snowflake factory!
8th Grade Families 

Winter Social

 F, 12/13 Evening 8th Grade Family Event 8th Grade families – come join us for a social hour with cocoa and snowflake factory!
PTSA Meeting   M, 1/13 7-8:30

In person

TPMS

Cafeteria

 Family Event Find out more about school electives for rising 7th and 8th graders, and more about rising High Schooler options
Student Assembly – African Drum M, 2/3 Day All students To celebrate Black History month students will learn about African drumming and rhythms in an interactive assembly!
Books & Basketball F, 2/28 –

S, 2/29

 Evening & Day Family Event The biggest TPMS Community Event of the year – watch the students vs. teachers basketball game, then stay for an excellent book sale and silent auction fundraiser!
PTSA Meeting & Women’s History Event Tu, 3/11 7-8:30

In person

TPMS

Cafeteria

 Family Event Celebrate Women’s History Month with us, plus a special guest and lots of useful information about the TPMS community!
We Shine Night Th, 4/3 5:30-8 Family Event A student showcase of Science, tech and the arts with exciting  presentations and demonstrations.  
Dance F, 4/4 Evening All students SGA Dance for all ages TBD
Student Assembly – Dragon Dance M, 5/5 Day All Students Celebrating Asian Heritage month dragon dancers will bring the hallways of TPMS to life.
Staff Appreciation Week M,5/5 – F, 5/9 Week Volunteers We have a week of activities and food to honor our teachers and staff.  Please consider helping for this event! V
PTSA Meeting – Elections & More Tu, 5/6 7-8:30

In person

TPMS

Cafeteria

 Family Event Our last meeting of the year we will elect new PTSA board members and more.
8th Grade Dance  M, 6/9 Evening 8th Graders Only A party to bring our 8th graders together one last time before they are 9th graders.  Please consider chaperoning if you are a 7th grade parent! V
8th Grade Promotion Tu, 6/10 Evening 8th Grader Families Only It’s a rite of passage and a final good-bye to our students and TPMS.  We need volunteers to help set up the gym, and pass out treats to our graduates.  Please consider if you are a 7th grade parent! V

 

|

First PTSA Meeting – Oct 8th!

Join us for the first PTSA Meeting of the school year.

Tuesday, October 8th from 7:00-8:30pm in the Cafeteria.

Pizza will be served.   Your student is encouraged to attend and will receive SSL hours for attending.

The Agenda:

  • Introductions and what’s in store this year
  • Safe Routes to School information
  • Fundraiser Kick off – we’re only doing one (hopefully)!  A quick overview about this program.
  • STRIVE – TPMS created this fun and exciting way to build a school culture.  Find out how it’s going!
  • PTSA Budget Approval –  Learn what we are fundraising for, and what is in the budget.  You get to vote on the budget.
  • High School Choice Process presentation – The 8th Grade Counselors and Administrator information navigating the High School Choice process.  All 7th & 8th Grade families are encouraged to attend.

|

What your donations support!

Wondering what your contribution to the TPMS PTSA will fund in the 2024-25 school year?  

Here’s a little list!  Please consider making a donation –  I want to donate!

  • Mini-grants to Teachers and Staff to Enrich Curriculum  (Last year these included: Counseling office reboot room materials, after school program materials, training resources, Pi Day activities, Turkey Trot t-shirts and PE equipment, instrument repair, curriculum enrichment, and so much more)
  • 6th Grade Welcome Families Picnic
  • 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
  • No Device Policy Materials for Safely Storing Devices
  • …And A Whole Lot More!

|

PTSA TPMS Community Events in 2024-25 

Here’s what your PTSA is planning for the TPMS community in 2024-25 school year!

  • Oct 8, Jan 13, Mar 11, and May 6 | Four in-person PTSA Meetings designed to be  useful, and create opportunities to connect with other families, Principal Martin and staff
  • Nov 15  |  An International Night showcasing foods and performances from the many countries and ethnicities we’ve all come from 
  • Dec 6 and Dec 7 |  Winter socials for 7th and 8th grade families (6th grade families had a welcome picnic in
  • Feb 28-29 |  Our biggest, awesomest event of the year Books and Basketball.  Spanning two days   students will square off against teachers in a basketball game to remember.  At the same time, we’ll be having a used book sale, silent auction, games and more!  This is a great event you won’t want to miss.

|

Last PTSA Meeting of the Year and Board Elections

The most social PTSA meeting of the year – Tuesday, May 28 from 7-8:30 in the cafeteria!
Bring the family and join us for the last PTSA meeting of the year, where we will celebrate the achievements of our students, hold a PTSA board election, and have a potluck dinner.  So bring a dish of your favorite food to share and celebrate the end of the year with us!

Get involved with the PTSA!
The PTSA needs parents and caregivers to join the board next year so that we can continue to support TPMS staff and provide fun and educational events and activities for our kids.

Check out the available positions here https://www.tpmspta.org/ptsa-board-elections/. Please contact PTSA President Ramata Diop for more information: TPMS.PTA.president@gmail.com.

|

Parents at Lunch (PAL) Program Needs Volunteers

PALs (Parents at Lunch), a volunteer program for parents and caregivers to lend a hand during school lunch periods, is back! The staff could really use our help getting the kids through their meals, cleaning up and going outside, especially these last few weeks of school.
Sign up to volunteer here. 
Volunteers must have completed the Recognizing Signs of Abuse and Neglect online training (which takes approx. 30 minutes and can be found via ParentVue/Canvas). Click here for instructions to find your way to the training (which is valid for three years).
Once your training is completed, come for any or all three lunch periods!
6th grade: 12:15 to 12:45 pm
7th grade: 1 pm to 1:30 pm
8th grade: 11:25 to 11:55 am

For more information on the program, please check out the PAL handbook:

|

April PTSA Meeting Notes

April 16, 2024

PTSA General Meeting

PTSA Board Attendees
Ramata Diop, President
Emily Pickren, Correspondence and Communications Secretary
Emily Modde, Treasurer

Staff Attendees
Principal Erin Martin

Upcoming events:

8th Grade Dance: June 8, 7-9pm – need chaperones and volunteers

8th Grade Promotion Day:  June 11 at Blair. Need 7th grade parents to help with promotion set-up

Ms. Martin asks attendees to reach out to 5 different families and ask them to attend May’s PTSA meeting.

Meeting Overview:

  • Wax Museum presentation in honor of Women’s History Month – students represented Sally Ride, Jane Goodall, and Cleopatra.
  • Clare, PTSA Board member at Blair and former TPMS PTSA president, talked to the group about the Blair PTSA and encouraged incoming 9th grade parents to join their Listserv: www.blairptsa.org

o   May 4 was Blair Fair – door prizes, opportunity to tour the school.

  • Kaysi-Ann Webley from the City of Takoma Park discussed Safe Routes to School and presented $1k check to TPMS – revenue from previous 5K races – this was seed money for the five area schools participating in the Safe Routes to Schools program. Ms. Webley also shared:
  • May is Bike Month in TKPK– will have free bike repair pop-ups at Farmers’ markets.
  • Bike to School Day is May 8 – encouraged all kids to ride to school. There are also Adult Learn to Ride classes, there is currently a wait list for them. Bike to Work Day is May 17.
  • Participate in Safe Route to School 5-minute survey.

Teacher Appreciation Week was May 6-10 – parent Alisa O’Brien was the lead coordinator. There was a sign-up genius for parents/caregivers to donate food for teachers, for students to write cards for their teachers.

Treasurer’s Report: Emily Modde presented. PTSA has $22K in the bank but has a lot of big-ticket items coming up such as the 8th grade dance and promotion. The PTSA also helped to sponsor We Shine Night. We Shine is a venue where students can shine, make connections to what they are learning and create a project. It is expanding every year and students are planning for it for next year.

Ms. Martin reported that TPMS is continuing to roll out STRIVE, which focuses on kindness toward others and recognizes student’s achievements in and out of school. Always in Principal’s newsletter.

|

March PTSA Meeting Slides

Takoma Park Middle School (TPMS) PTSA General Membership Meeting

March 12, 2024
7:00 – 8:30pm

View the slides and what we discussed at the meeting here or click on the image below.

|

Books & Basketball – A Big Success!!

A big thank you to all the parents, students, teachers and staff who came out for the Books & Basketball event this weekend, February 2 & 3. This FUN-raiser exceeded our goals of building community and raising funds for our school. Camaraderie, community, and sportsmanship were on full display, with some amazing basketball performances by 8th grade players and the teachers!  

The money from this PTSA fundraiser will be used to finance other school events, support and appreciate teachers, provide field trip scholarships, and a whole lot more. 

Special shout-outs to all those who made this event possible:

  • TPMS parents Céline Allard and Patty First for their leadership and for managing the silent auction
  • TPMS staff for managing the basketball game and all the logistics.
  • All the parents who donated food for the bake sale.
  • Horticulture club for selling plants during the book sale. 
  • Special thanks to Mayor Talisha Searcy for reading to children at Storytime on Saturday during the book sale.
  • Difference Makers for their huge volunteer support, and a big high-five goes to all the parent donors and adult volunteers. We couldn’t have done it without you. Finally, a huge thanks to all the businesses and parents who donated to the silent auction. 

Silent Auction Donors (in no particular order):

Restaurants and Food

Dance 

  • Tango lessons with Céline Allard

Home goods, Clothing, Books & Accessories

Hair and Nails

Special Item donations

  • Pare (Ethical Consumptive Coaching)
  • Patty First Coaching (Executive Coaching)
  • Connective Development (Nonprofit strategy coaching) 
  • Lunch with Takoma Park Mayor Talisha Searcy
  • Lunch with Takoma Park Councilmember Shana Fulcher (Ward 1)
  • Lunch with Takoma Park Councilmember Cindy Dyballa (Ward 2)
  • Lunch with Takoma Park Councilmember Cara Honzak (Ward 5)
  • Popcorn party with Ms. Martin

Hope to see you at this event next year!