Be in the know.
Welcome Back Events!
Ice Cream Social
We look forward to welcoming back students & families on August 21st for our annual Ice Cream Social. This will be an opportunity to take a self-guided tour of the school, meet your teachers and enjoy each other’s compamy with ice cream provided by Handel’s.
Due to limited parking at Tumwater, we strongly encourage carpooling, walking and biking. Below are the recommended times by last name, to help spread out student entry times.
6:00-6:30, student last names A-G
6:45-7:15, student last names H-O
7:30-8:00, student last names P-Z
Upon arrival, students will receive their class schedules and can proceed from classroom to classroom greeting their teachers for the school year. When they reach their final ‘B’ day class, students will receive a coupon for a free ice cream in the cafeteria. Additional ice cream will be available for purchase for family members as well. We will have additional tables set-up with information in the cafeteria.
Parent Coffee
All parents/guardians are invited for coffee, pastries and conversation in the TMS Commons from 10-11am on Wednesday, August 27th. This will be a drop-in, casual event, so stop by for a few minutes or stay for the entire hour. This will be a great chance to meet other TMS parents!
Community Grant 2024-25 Projects!
This year, the Tumwater PTO’s Community Grant program was able to fund 25 projects, thanks to generous donations from our Rising Tides campaign. The projects this year supported afterschool clubs, science, technology & design, art, drama, PE, Spanish, student services and other amazing programs at TMS!
In total, Tumwater PTO awarded over $20,000 to support these specific asks of Tumwater staff:
Art Dept - Clay
AVID - 5 sets of Tassel Dash board game
Computer & Design: 3 Sewing machines, 1 Cricut machine, software for CTE Future Labs & drones
Drama Dept: Costumes, plastic storage & sound system upgrades
Incentives for new attendance program
Multimix wireless for choir department
Recess & PE equipment
Scholastic’s NY Times Upfront subscription for the entire 7th grade
Science Expo support
Spirit Trophies
Spanish Dept: Gimkit subscriptions & headphones
Speech - Language curriculum
SRC / ISC: Cooking supplies, sensory aids, storage, & activities
TMS Garden Club: planting beds and equipment
WINCO gift cards for families to use over the holiday breaks
Tumwater PTO Community Meeting Minutes
Last week, we hosted our final PTO Community meeting of the year! We heard updates from Principal Smith, voted in new Board Members for next year, approved a few final budget requests for this year and voted on a new budget for next year.
Please see link for minutes from the meeting, as well as a link to the slideshow presented in the meeting. Minutes
Field Day & the 8th Grade party are coming up and are great ways to get involved. Sign up in Parent Square to volunteer!
Finally, we are still looking for a Committee Chair to lead the Welcome Events for the next school year! These are easy ways to get involved and make a big impact! Please reach out to president@tumwaterpto.org if you are interested.
Thank you to all of our volunteers and everyone who has poured time and resources into making this year a great one for our Tumwater Middle School Students!
Community Meeting THIS THURSDAY, 6:30pm!
Join us this Thursday in the TMS Library for our final Community PTO Meeting. This will be a great chance to meet the 2025-26 Board Members, hear updates and chat with other Tumwater parents. We hope to see you there!
Check out the draft agenda here.
May 2025 PTO Board Meeting Minutes
The PTO Board met last week for our final Board Meeting of the year. See link below for minutes from our meeting.
As we near the end of the year, we are looking forward to our final Community Meeting on 5/22 at 6:30pm where we will vote in a new TMS PTO Board for next year and approve a new PTO budget. See minutes for proposed Board candidates and proposed budget.
There are still multiple ways to be involved as we race toward the finish line. Sign up to volunteer for Field Day on 6/10 or for the 8th Grade Celebration! Signups in Parent Square.
Thank you for all of the volunteers this year and for all of the Rising Tides donations!
Updated PTO Budget ‘24-’25
Please see link to updated PTO budget for the 2024-25 school year. Please reach out to our Treasurer, Amy, with any questions!
treasurer@tumwaterpto.org
PTO Community Meeting Notes
In case you missed the PTO Community Meeting, please see a link to the information that was covered! Community Meeting Details
There is so much going on at TMS as we sprint toward the end of the year. A few highlights:
State Testing is coming up - encourage kids to take the testing seriously, it matters for our school!
Art Literacy Training shifted to 4/16 at 6:30. Join the team to learn about artist Keith Haring. Teaching will occur April 21-May 9th.
Volunteers needed for TEMPO Play-a-thon, Monday April 7th, especially 12-3pm. Sign up in ParentSquare to help!
The week of May 5th is Staff Appreciation Week. There will be an opportunity to donate snacks & drinks to compliment the PTO funded staff lunch. Say thank you to both teachers & staff at TMS!
Other upcoming events at TMS: Beetlejuice Theater Production; Science Expo; 8th Grade Celebration; Field Day
TMS Information Night for New Families!
This Thursday, February 27th, we welcome incoming 6th Graders to Tumwater Middle School. This will be a great opportunity to tour the school and learn more about the year ahead. There will also be an opportunity to learn more about the PTO board and how to get involved!
TMS PTO Community Meeting Minutes
Please see link for February PTO Community Meeting minutes, plus a few highlights!
-5th Grade Fly-ups this week + family information night Feb 27th
-One final grant review March 6th
-Art Lit Training April 10th
-PTO Board Members & Committee Chairs Needed for 2025-2026
-8th Grade Celebration, June 9th, 2pm-4pm, volunteers needed!
Community Meeting:
Date: February 20, 2025
Time: 6:30-8pm
Location: Tumwater MS Library
Join the PTO Board!
Are you looking for a great way to get involved at Tumwater? Join the PTO Board! It’s an amazing way to be involved in the community, make a difference in our school and support our students. We’re inviting parents and guardians to consider joining the PTO Board for the upcoming school year.
We have the following open positions:
President – Oversees activities and committees, leads board and community meetings, and manages the grant program.
VP of Fundraising – Leads fundraising efforts during our fall Rising Tides initiative.
Treasurer – Manages finances, budgets, and reimbursements.
Each position is a two-year term, making them ideal for parents of current or incoming 6th graders. Additionally, both the President and VP roles can be shared—creating a great opportunity to serve alongside a friend (though it’s not required!).
Middle school PTO leadership is very different from elementary PTO—our structure, built in 2021, ensures that roles are manageable, well-supported, and stress-free. We serve with joy, and we’d love to welcome new leaders to continue our mission!
If you’re considering the role or have questions (no question is too small), please email president@tumwaterpto.org.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
Jan 23 PTO Board Meeting Minutes
Please see link for January PTO Board meeting minutes and a few highlights!
-Prinicipal Update
-Board Members Needed for Next Year (President, VP, Treasurer)
-Rising Tides Total: $54,698.96 as of 1/22/25
-Approved 7 new grants!! See link below for details.