Thomas Johnson Middle School

Parents and Students,

A great big HELLO to all new parents and students of the TJMS family!!!  We are pleased and honored to have you as a part of our learning community and look forward to a great year with you.  We are more than pleased with the progress of the first day of school.   There were a few small bumps here and there, but all things resolved by the end of the day. Students learned procedure, many parents concerns were addressed and (most importantly) students began a new chapter in their lives toward adulthood.

A few general reminders for students:

Please be mindful of the school-wide dress code. It is not optional and we will not compromise on it.  Parents, please assist the school in this matter by ensuring that your child is properly dressed prior to leaving home.  In this way, you can help us maintain a safe and orderly educational environment.  This includes all-black shoes, an all-black belt and the students’ shirts tucked in so that the belt loop is visible. This is safety issue as it helps us to quickly identify our students in case of an emergency.

In the mornings, students who arrive prior to 8:30pm are to wait quietly outside of the front doors to the gym (6th and 7th grade) or the front of the building (8th grade).  At 8:30 am, 6th and 7th grade students are to quietly enter the gym, sitting on opposite sides of the gym by grade level. 8th grade students are to enter the multi-purpose room. All students remain at these locations until they are dismissed by administrators or picked up by their teachers.  No students are to roam the halls without permission.

All electronic devices including cell phones are to be turned off and not visible during the school day.  Not silent or vibrate, but off. Parents, your child’s cell phone will be confiscated if it is found to be operational during the school day.  If you need to contact your child during the school day, please call the school at 301-918-8680 and we will be happy to put you in contact with your child in case of emergency, change of transportation home or other issue. Please understand that unauthorized usage of electronic devices in the classroom is an unfair disruption to the rest of students who come to school to learn. The new administrative policy regarding electronic devices will be sent home with your child prior to this week for you to review, acknowledge that you have read, sign and return to school.

Please be mindful of your travel time in the hallways.  Students will have approximately 4 minutes to travel between classes that they are not being fully escorted to.  There will be three bells: the first bell to alert students and teachers to move to the next class, the second bell will be a warning bell. At this point, teachers have been instructed to lock their doors. After the final bell rings (one minute after the warning bell), any students in the hallway may be caught in a hall sweep.  Repeat offenders will be subject disciplinary action including, but not limited to citation, detention and more severe penalties.

Let’s make this a spectacular and Jaguar year!