

OLHMS Weekly 9/19/23
Tuesday's Top of the Mind Topics:
Did you know that D123 Family Conferences is right around the corner?
We look forward to D123 Family Conferences on October 12th and 13th! Conferences are a great opportunity for scholars to express their progress through student-led conferences! Families will schedule meetings with advisory teachers, who are one of the core content teachers along with choosing encore teachers and/ or clinicians.
Did you know that many commonly used social media platforms are recommended to be used by young people aged 13 and up?
Social media concerns taking place outside of school or on the weekends makes our schools days challenging! Critically important is monitoring the use of our scholars' devices. Please remain vigilant with what is happening on social media- TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram are consuming our scholars! Here is the perspective from the National Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) thinking about whether or not TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram are safe for kids. Please remind our scholars that cell phones should be turned off and locked in their lockers daily.
Announcements/ Reminders
Mustang Families,
We appreciate our scholars and families spending time with us for our OLHMS Open House! We had a great turnout, important information disseminated and look forward to strong partnerships this year! The weather might be shifting, but our year is just starting the heat up! Please remind our scholars to continue following our Mustang Musts- Be Safe, Be Responsible and Be Respectful!
Illinois Assessment of Readiness(IAR): We have distributed last Spring results to all students. Here is the letter LINK accompanying these results.
MTSS: School District 123 defines Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) as a framework consisting of academic, social-emotional, and behavioral supports. All D123 students’ developmental needs are met through high quality, research-based instruction and interventions tailored to his or her unique learning style. In addition to tailoring instruction to unique learning styles, School District 123 strives to implement the MTSS Framework in a culturally responsive and systemically consistent manner. Ultimately, the goal of D123’s MTSS framework is to meet the needs of all unique learners, and in doing so, identify students who are struggling and intervene quickly. The MTSS framework consists of three tiers of instruction. Additional information is LINK here with this Family Letter.
SAEBRS: The Illinois State Board of Education has adopted learning standards for children’s social and emotional development, in addition to academic standards that already exist for each grade. All schools in Illinois are charged with the responsibility of teaching children how to manage their emotions, get along with others, and make good decisions. Three times a year, staff engage in this process for our scholars. Additional information is LINK here with this Family Letter.
Working Lunch: We are very excited about our start to the year! As we move forward in our year, we will maintain high expectations for our scholars! We have implemented a plan for scholars to finish work during lunch. Working lunch will be used to support work completion and behavioral reflection. Students assigned to working lunch will be given a bagged lunch if they did not bring one.
Safety Drills: We will practicing safety drills over the next couple of weeks. Please speak with our students about the importance of being prepared in the event of an emergency and the reality of taking each of these opportunities seriously.
First Student Bus Company: We will continue to work with our bus partners to elevate efficiency and timely communication. Typically, this will take 3-4 weeks to balance out. That said, we still have a couple routes that continue to be a work in progress. As we receive communication from First Student about route delays, messages will be sent to families.
Student Device Insurance
Families of students in all grade levels can sign up for this insurance program by adding the optional “Student Device Insurance” fee through Skyward Family Access. You have until September 30th to purchase device insurance every year. Additional information about the student device insurance program and deductibles can be found at: https://d123.org/about/technology/student-device-insurance/
Please view either the written or video tutorial on how to add Chromebook / iPad insurance to your student's account.
Health Examination and Immunization Requirements
There are specific requirements for students entering preschool, kindergarten, second grade and sixth grade, as well as for all new students. Visit our Health Forms & Guidelines page for more information. Please note that these vaccinations and/or health examinations are required by state law.
- All incoming 6th Graders must have a physical and dental report on file.
- Current 7th and 8th Graders will need sports physicals to try out for teams.
- We have begun reviewing student records to ensure compliance.
Fertilizer Application
Here is a letter informing our community of a lawn treatment.
Graduation Expectations
Our 8th grade scholars and parents have been given this Parent Letter. These expectations have been discussed with scholars and families during open house. As the year progresses additional information will be provided for our graduates!
One-Way Traffic Reminder!
Arrival and Dismissal
Parking lots are for staff parking only. All parent/student drop off and pick up takes place in the back of the school on Oak Center Dr.
Main Entrance: Bus entrance only!
Oak Center Drive: One-Way moving West to East for morning and afternoon drop off and pick up.
Parents dropping off and walkers enter the building in the back of the school on Oak Center Dr. Parents please be patient, follow guidance from support staff and do not block the driveways of our neighbors on Oak Center Dr.
6th Grade scholars use Door 4
7th Grade scholars use Door 6
8th Grade scholars use Door 5
Please make sure students are using designated crosswalks!
PTSA
OLHMS PTSA
Membership is $6.00 per student and $10.00 per family
Reach out to Mrs. Masek, our PTSA President for more information (oliviacmasek@gmail.com)
PTSA Meeting- September 5, 2023 at 7:00pm
All parents/ guardians/ staff & students are highly encouraged to join the PTSA and attend meetings. This is an incredible opportunity, partnership and fun way to support our scholar’s experience at the middle school!
OLHMS PTSA Open Gym
Looking Ahead
9/23/23: D123 6K
9/27/23: D123 Parent University: School Safety Update (6:30pm)
9/28/23: PTSA Open Gym
Make Your Calendars
10/2/23: PTSA Meeting
10/4/23: D123 Late Start
10/9/23: No School
10/12 & 10/13: Family Conferences
10/16/23: D123 Unity Week
10/19/23: Fall Picture Retakes, OLHMS High School Fair
2023-24 School District Calendar
High School Happenings
Oak Lawn Community High School
Open House on Sunday, October 15, from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Shadows and Tours held on Mondays from October 2023-May 2024. Registration is required.
Chicago Christian High School is excited to announce the return of our Middle School Scholastic Bowl Tournament. What is Scholastic Bowl, you might ask? This is a game in which teams of 2-5 students compete head-to-head to answer questions from a variety of topics, including history, literature, fine arts, pop culture, current events, etc. (Click HERE for more information.) The best part about Scholastic Bowl is the use of a buzzer to answer the questions! The event will be run by members of the Chicago Christian High School Scholastic Bowl Team, 2019 IHSA Scholastic Bowl Champions.
We would like to invite your school to participate in the 4th Annual CCHS Middle School Scholastic Bowl Tournament on Saturday, November 4, 2022. What are the steps to participate?
Reserve a spot for your team. To reserve a spot for your school, simply reply to this email. The first 10 schools to respond by October 1, 2023, will get to play.
Find a staff member to organize your school’s team and start talking to your students about Scholastic Bowl to get them interested.
Get a team together and start practicing. You can go to the NAQT website for more information about how to get practice materials and other resources. (https://www.naqt.com/ms/). You can also anticipate a follow-up email from Chicago Christian High School with more information about how the Scholastic Bowl competition works.
We can’t wait to see your team on November 4. Please let me know if you have any questions.
2023 Viewbook: Learn what IMSA is all about! Our Application for the Academy is open!
IMSA Profile: Information about matriculation, courses, and colleges that our students attend
Providence Catholic High School