Thurgood Marshall MS WEEKLY UPDATE
AUGUST 24 - AUGUST 28, 2026
Thurgood Marshall Middle School
4909 Brinkley Road
Temple Hills, MD 20748
301-702-7540
Click Here to Access Thurgood Marshall MS Website
Sonia Sotomayor
Justice Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court after being nominated by President Barack Obama. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 6, 2009.
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice and a strong advocate for civil rights and equality. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 30, 1967, and served on the Court until 1991.
Ketanji Brown Jackson
The first African American woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice is Ketanji Brown Jackson. She was confirmed in 2022 and became the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Thurgood Marshall Middle School Community Message
Dear Thurgood Marshall MS Families:
First, I would like to welcome you back to a new and exciting school year at Thurgood Marshall Middle School! As the new principal of Thurgood Marshall Middle School, I look forward to partnering with our dedicated staff, students, and families to cultivate a culture of teaching and learning that inspires excellence, innovation, and achievement. Together, we will strive to make TMMS a model of educational excellence—not only within Prince George’s County Public Schools, but throughout the state of Maryland and across the nation.
Second, as we prepare for another year of growth, learning, and achievement, we are excited to launch three schoolwide instructional initiatives designed to strengthen teaching and learning across every classroom: Reading in the Zone, the CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) Schoolwide Writing Initiative, and Structured Student Discourse. Through Reading in the Zone, students will engage regularly with meaningful, standards-aligned texts that build reading comprehension, vocabulary, critical thinking, and content knowledge across disciplines. The CER Schoolwide Writing Initiative will provide students with a consistent framework for developing claims, supporting ideas with relevant evidence, and explaining their reasoning in both written and academic responses. Finally, Structured Student Discourse will create intentional opportunities for students to collaborate, articulate their thinking, listen to multiple perspectives, and engage in meaningful academic conversations. Together, these initiatives represent our commitment to developing confident, capable, and critical thinkers while ensuring that every student experiences rigorous, engaging, and purposeful instruction every day. I look forward to partnering with our staff, students, and families as we make this a year of excellence, growth, and achievement for every Marshall student!
Third, Being Chronically Present: Every Day. Every Class. Every Opportunity. At Thurgood Marshall Middle School (TMMS), we are committed to addressing chronic absenteeism with urgency and purpose by identifying and removing attendance barriers that prevent students from being engaged and present every day, in every class, and for every opportunity to learn. During School Year 2025–2026, TMMS had a chronic absenteeism rate of 41%, meaning that 41% of students missed 10% or more of the school year. Our three-year goal is to reduce chronic absenteeism by 9 percentage points each year, decreasing the rate to 32% by the end of SY 2026–2027, 23% by the end of SY 2027–2028, and 14% by the end of SY 2028–2029. Through proactive attendance monitoring, targeted student and family supports, meaningful relationships, and a schoolwide culture that values being present, TMMS will work collectively to ensure that every student is chronically present—every day, every class, and every opportunity.
Fourth, I would like to thank parents, students and TMMS staff for coming out the the New Principal meet and greet on Friday, August 7, 2026. It was great to see so many students excited about starting the new school year and enjoying something cool to eat from Gabby's Sweet Treats.
Finally, I would like to thank the amazing staff of Thurgood Marshall Middle School for their diligent efforts of getting ready for the return of students this past week. Your dedication to the education of our students does not go unnoticed.
P.S., please review information in the Thurgood Marshall School Information Center to receive important updates from Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS), Thurgood Marshall Middle School (TMMS), and Prince George's County Government.
Beginning Sunday, August 30, 2026, the weekly edition of the TMMS Newsletter will be shared with the community on Sunday evening between 6:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Dr. Lorenzo R. Prillman, Principal
