OLHMS Weekly 10/3/23

Did you know tomorrow is a D123 Late Start Day?

Remember we start school an hour later than normal!

Did you know our scholars keep their cell phones turned off and in their lockers daily?

This is will make the National Emergency Alert Test schedule for tomorrow at 1:20pm less of a distraction to our learning since cell phones will not be in classrooms!

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, along with choosing encore teachers and/ or clinicians.

Did you know our PTSA is looking for a new President?

If you are interested in supporting our school in a different capacity please reach out to our PTSA! Also, our meetings will now take place at 6:00pm monthly.

Family Conferences will be held on:

• Oct. 12 from 5:00pm - 8:00pm & Oct. 13 from 11:30am - 6:30pm

Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 Family Conferences will be completely scheduled online via Skyward and families will have the opportunity to select either an in-person or phone conference.

• K-5 families will have the opportunity to schedule conferences with their student's grade-level teacher, encore staff, and specialists.
• 6-8 families will have the opportunity to schedule conferences with their student's advisory teacher, encore staff, and specialists.

Beginning on September 28 at 10:00 am and Ending on October 9 at 11:59 pm families can log into Skyward Family Access and pick their family conference time and date. Below you will find a series of resources to answer any questions you may have about Skyward Family Access. As always you can contact your school office if you have any additional questions about scheduling or a family conference.

• VIDEO DIRECTIONS
• WRITTEN DIRECTIONS (English)
• WRITTEN DIRECTIONS (Spanish)
• WRITTEN DIRECTIONS (Arabic)
• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION on D123.ORG
• SKYWARD LOGIN

Mustang Families,

Once again thank you to our PTSA and volunteers for our first PTSA Open Gym night! We had a great turn out of students and a wonderful group of parent volunteers! Do not forget to sign up for Fall Family Conferences. Sign ups take place through Skyward and this will close on October 9th!!

Finally, do not forget that tomorrow is a D123 Late Start Day!

Report Card Guidance: As we plan for Fall Family Conferences, here are some additional support links for standards based grades.

• Standards Based Family Report Card Guide
• Standards Based Reporting – Expanded Meaning Matrix
• Download Skyward Family Access Rubrics

Individual Student Reports: We have completed the Fall NWEA MAP Assessment. Student scores can be found on Skyward.

The following documents are generally available in the "Portfolio" section of Skyward.

• "Latest NWEA MAP Report"

• "D123 Report Card"

• "D123 Student User Name & Password"

D123 Parent University: Thank you to each of the viewing members of the dialog around safety in D123 last week! Parent universities are achieved on our D123 website!

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.

Breast Cancer Awareness: Our Mustang community is welcome to support breast cancer awareness by wearing pink each Wednesday of October.

Safety Drills: We participated in a evacuation and relocation drill to Sward School last week. Thank you to our Mustang for practicing this safety drill and moving our entire school to Sward in just under 18 minutes.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Mrs. Ogean would love some additional support with one last push before Sunday's Chicago Marathon for Gavin.

Mrs. Ogean is running her 16th consecutive Chicago Marathon this Sunday, 10/8. Each year she runs for charities like Make-a-Wish and Live Like Abby. This year she is running for Gavin Springsteen, a 7 year old boy who has been battling cancer since he was four. Our students made nearly 300 cards for Gavin which I sent in a care package of Marvel superhero goodies including matching socks and tattoos we'll be sporting on race day. Monies donated will go to offset the expenses of hotel and meals when there is no room at Ronald McDonald House. She appreciates all of the support and well-wishes she has received and will have my OLHMS Family in my heart!

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!

• • OLHMS PTSA

    • Membership is $6.00 per student and $10.00 per adult

    • PTSA Meeting- November 6, 2023 at 6:00pm

    • PTSA Facebook

  • 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!

10/4/23: D123 Late Start

10/9/23: No School

10/10-10/13: OLHMS Book Fair

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

CLICK HERE TO VIEW CALENDAR