OLHMS Update 4/9/24

Did you know WGN visited and spent time at OLHMS to celebrate the eclipse?

We were fortunate to have reporter, Erin McElroy and her team here yesterday for the interdisciplinary work around the solar ecplise. Check out the LINK with the live news reports from WGN and the WGN 5:00 and 6:00 clip.

Did you know we had a former American Idol and Country music rising star visit last week?

We had the pleasure of sharing our space with Harper Grace who shared her story and entertained us with a couple songs! She was also kind enough to spend some additional time with our award winning band and chorus artists who had a special Q & A! She is looking forward to our school community reaching out and following her journey! Check her out at Harper’s website (www.harpergracexo.com) and social media @harpergracexo! Don't forget her new song is set to drop on April 12th!

Did you know Class of 2024 Commencement will take place on June 4th at 7:00pm?

Our 8th grade scholars and parents have been given the information in this Parent Letter. Class of 2024 parents, remember the graduation fee deadline was on April 5th! Please contact our Main Office if you have questions. Online payments are no longer available via Skyward. Payments will have to be done in the main office. Also, SELECT 123 applications are due on April 12th!

8th Grade Graduation Lawn Sign orders are due today!! Order at https://olhmsptsa.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true.

Mustang Families,

We have had a very busy couple of weeks back from break here at OLHMS and are so excited for our scholar's success on the upcoming IAR assessments. We are so appreciative of our visitors since we returned from break! Once again, thank you to Harper Grace, Erin McElroy and Representative Kelly M. Burke for sharing your stories with our school community, enlightening us with your presence and educating us with your expertise! Speaking on excitement, we have our Variety Show on Thursday night with ticket sales supporting Cradles to Crayons, an organization providing essentials to Chicagoland students.

IAR Assessments: We are very excited for this assessment window! The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) is the state assessment and accountability measure for Illinois students enrolled in a public school district. All public school students in grades 3 to 8 must take the IAR. The IAR is given every spring as posted on the District's standardized testing schedule. The IAR is taken on a computer and is designed to provide information about student progress toward the long-term goal of college and career readiness.

Children cannot study for a standardized assessment like they would for a regular classroom

test, but there are ways you can help your student prepare to do their best:

• Eat a healthy breakfast.
• Speak with your child about testing so that they understand why doing their best is important.
• Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before the assessment.
• Ensure your child arrives to school on time on the day of the assessment.
• Remind your child to take their time, listen to and read all directions, and tackle one question at a time.
• Help your child maintain a positive mindset by reminding them of their strengths and accomplishments.
• Offer positivity and encouragement.
• Review the Student Readiness Tools to gain familiarity with the testing experience.

(https://srt.testnav.com/psrt/psrt.html)

We are committed to your child’s academic success, know our scholars are prepared and look forward to their progress!

8th Grade Graduation Lawn Signs: 8th Grade Graduation Lawn Signs are available for purchase online at: https://olhmsptsa.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true. All order must be placed by Tuesday, April 9th. Pickup will be May 9th.

D123 4WARD: We have begun a new effort to engage our alumni!! From the classroom to the stage, the athletic field to the culinary club, and everywhere in between, we want to know what our graduates have been up to in "tomorrow's world."

Whether these alumni excelled in high school, found opportunities in college, or started a successful career, the stories, adventures, and triumphs shared will inspire us, current students, and future leaders. This program is an opportunity to celebrate these achievements together and keep the D123 community spirit alive long after middle school graduation.

Families of alumni and D123 graduates themselves are invited to fill out this form to submit for possible inclusion in our alumni spotlight E-Newsletter, "D123 4-WARD." The newsletter will be produced and sent semiannually in December and May. Participants will be notified if their story will be included in the publication.

PSTA Spirit Gear: We do have another opportunity to get your OLHMS gear for the spring! This is also a perfect opportunity for our next years 6th grade class to start sporting their soon-to-be school pride! Check out the flier below or use this LINK! The order deadline is April 18th!

D123 Summer Programming is now available!! Check out the full brochure for options!

Main Parking Lot, Circle Drive and 99th Street: Students should not be dropped off in the morning or picked up during dismissal via the main parking lot while buses are present. Family drop off and pick up is done on Oak Center Dr. If family members are helping out, please let them know to use the rear of the building for drop off or pick up. As the weather continue to cooperate, please designate a pick up and drop off area or place for our scholars to meet you and avoid the congestion!

During drop off and dismissal, please do not pass cars in the circle drive without staff support. Please do not have students run across 99th street or Oak Center Dr. to be picked up without adult supervision. We want to make sure all of our students and families are kept safe. Please be patient and courteous! The rear doors (Oak Center Dr./ Circle Drive) will close at 8:35am and the rear doors will be closed at 3:30pm.

Erin's Law: House Bill 6193 was signed by Governor Pat Quinn on January 24, 2013. This law requires schools to implement an age-appropriate sexual assault and abuse awareness and prevention curriculum for grades pre-K through 12. It is recommended that four communications a year on Erin’s Law be made available to all students. We will be welcoming our presentation on April 19th.

Our Community: Please be respectful of our neighbors around our school during arrival and dismissal. It is also important to remind our scholars about staying off community members property while waiting for a bus or walking home.

Graduation Expectations

Our 8th grade scholars and parents have been given the information in this updated Parent Letter. These expectations have been discussed with scholars and families throughout the beginning of the year and sent home on multiple occasions. The end of year events for the Class of 2024 are detailed in this letter. Class of 2024 families make sure to send back the permission forms! Graduation this year is scheduled for June 4th at 7:00pm.

Graduation were due payments on April 5th! If you have questions or need to make this payment please contact the main office.

SELECT 123: In partnership with our D123 Ed Foundation, SELECT 123 is a prestigious group of scholars who embody aspects of our D123 mission and vision. This is our second year to acknowledge twenty three scholars who have not only demonstrated academic excellence, service and contributed to our community- they have each modeled expressions of perseverance, drive and integrity. These 23 leaders will be featured on our “Wall of Fame” for the entire 2024/ 2025 school year! More than being featured on a wall, we will expect this prestigious and unique group of alumni to remain connected to D123 and provide valuable insight for years to come! Our Class of 2024 applications are live and be due April 12th!

Join us at the next PTSA meeting on Tuesday, May 7th at 6pm!

Spirit Wear: This will be our last sale before the end of the school year yet also a perfect opportunity for our next years 6th grade class to start sporting their soon-to-be school pride! The order deadline is April 18th! Order can be placed at: https://olhms24.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Century Fundraiser delivery is expected the week of 4/8 - 4/12/24. Additional details will be provided closer to the week of. Questions: please email us at olhmsd123ptsa@gmail.com

The 5th grade Open Gym for our incoming 6th graders will be Thursday, May 2nd. Volunteers are needed to supervise.

8th Grade Graduation Lawn Signs are available for purchase online at: https://olhmsptsa.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true. All order must be placed by Tuesday, April 9th. Pickup will be May 9th.

Information regarding the 8th grade dance has been sent home with your students! The Glow Night dance will be on May 31st.

Please support our school with Box Tops. If you receive a paper receipt, a quick scan with the Box Tops app will identify participating products and automatically credit the school's earning online. Download the app and make every shopping trip count including purchases made online. Digital receipts are accepted as well. Use this referral code NXVB5P83 when you sign up and you’ll get 25 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt now through 05/31/2024, while supplies last. Use this link to download the Box Tops app: https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=NXVB5P83

Thank you for your time and support!

Contact us at: olhmsd123ptsa@gmail.com

Follow us on FB at OLHMS PTSA

4/11/24: Variety Show at 7:00 pm, Bilingual Parent Advisory Council Meeting

4/12/24: SELECT 123 Applications Due

4/19/24: Erin's Law Presentations

4/25 & 4/29/24: 8th Grade College Trips

4/26/24: Service Day

4/27/24: IGSMA State Competition

4/29-5/3/24: OLHMS Book Fair

5/2/24: OLHMS PTSA 5th Grade Parent Night

5/4/25: IGSMA State Competition

2023-24 School District Calendar

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CALENDAR