1. What is a charter school?

Charter schools are public schools that are approved by the state and run by a non-profit board. It’s open enrollment for all NC residents and if there are more applications than available spots, then we would have a lottery. Charter schools are tuition free. They are accountable to the state for student academic performances as well as finance of the school

2. What grades are you accepting?

TMSA has been approved by the NC State Board of Education as a K-12 public charter school. We started with K-6 for 12/13 and currently accepting applications for K-7 for 13/14 school year. We will continue adding a grade level every following year.

3. Are you accepting applications?

Yes, we are accepting applications for all grades for 13/14 school year. . Any applications received after the deadline will be placed at the bottom of the waiting list and we will contact parents as spots become available. 

4. Where is the school located?

Currently school is temporarily located in Downtown Raleigh for the first year. 

TMSA has signed a contract for our new and permanent school building. The property is located at 303 Gregson Dr. Cary, NC 27511. This building consists of 72,000 sq. ft. and is situated on 9.5 acres of land.  This is an important step in finding TMSA’s new home and we will continue to work on financing the project, obtaining the necessary permits from the Town of Cary, and renovating the building. 

5. When is the first day of school?

TMSA Follows traditional school calendar starting mid-August and ending early June. First day of 12/13 school year was Monday, August 27^th 2012. Calendar for 13/14 school year will be posted on the website once it's finalized. 

6. Will the school have an orientation day and if so when?

TMSA will hold an orientation day for the enrolled students where parents and students will meet teachers, get their schedule, and get more information about school procedures. Orientation will be held on the last Friday before the school starts. 

7. Is the building permanent or temporary?

The building that we are working on for 13/14 school year will be our permanent home.

8. Will there be an open house?

Open house for 13/14 applications is scheduled on January 19^th from 1-3pm.

9. What are the certification requirements for teachers?

All core subject teachers will be highly qualified as outlined by Federal No Child Left Behind requirements. As North Carolina State Statute requires, 75% of elementary school teachers and 50% of middle and high school teachers will be licensed. Teachers who are not licensed will hold a minimum of Baccalaureate degree in a related field. TMSA will strongly encourage its non-licensed teachers to become North Carolina licensed by going through the licensure procedures.

10. Will the school provide transportation?

We would like to update you on our transportation plan.

         Carpool: We’ve set up a website to help parents form car pools. You will be creating an account for yourself by providing your address, car poll information, and select user name and password. The system will automatically match parents living close to each other and notify them. We are strongly encouraging every parent to sign up for the car pool website. Here is the direct link and it is also available on our website under the “Parents” tab.

11. Will the school serve lunch?

TMSA will serve hot lunch to its students. Students will have the option to bring their own lunch as well. Lunch will be catered by a vendor and price will be announced before the school starts.

12. When will the parents complete the enrollment?

Once the enrollment lottery is completed, we will invite parents to fill necessary forms and submit required documents. Parents will have two weeks before loosing their spot.

13. When will we notify the current school?

Once your child is accepted and receives an invitation, you will come to our Admissions Office to complete enrollment. An enrollment deadline will be given and after that, you will lose your spot.

14. Does the school require uniforms?

TMSA requires uniforms for its students. This is a part of the school culture. Details of dress code as well as vendors can be found on our website.

15. Is there a charge for clubs or tutoring?

After-school clubs and tutoring as well as the weekend tutoring are offered to our students free of charge.

16. What clubs will be offered for next year?

The list of clubs for each school year will be determined with the teachers at the beginning of each school year. We will make the list available to our students and parents before they sign up for any of them. Some clubs are essential for our school and we will offer them every year. These are including academic competition teams such as Math Olympiad, Science Olympiad, Odyssey of the Mind, First Lego League Robotics, Future City Design, Science Fair, Spelling Bee, and GeoBee.