Did you know the annual 5 Essentials Parent Survey is open?
We appreciate your feedback! Additional information is below! To take the survey use this LINK! Currently, we have a 12% parent response rate. Please ensure your feedback is collected by competing this survey and elevating this response rate!
Did you know OLHMS will be hosting the D123 State of District Dinner this week?
We are excited to host this huge event on the 123rd day of the school year from 5:00-8:00 PM. We have maxed out the guest list! Additional information can be found below!
Scholars supporting the event should arrive at 4:45 PM.
Did you know that our Music Department continues to excel?
Congratulations to the OLHMS Concert Chorus receiving a Division 1 at IGSMA District Contest at Troy Middle School. We have another group headed to State in April!
Did you know that our annual Illinois State testing will begin next week and will continue after break?
We will be starting the Illinois Science Assessment next week with 8th grader scholars.
Earphones will be needed for the upcoming state assessments.
Mustang Families,
Trimester three is off to a busy and exciting start, and Spring Break is right around the corner! As we move toward the end of this historic and successful year, we encourage you to stay connected with your scholar and keep an eye on our calendar—there are many important events and activities coming up.
We are committed to working together to create meaningful experiences for our scholars here at OLHMS. Your time, involvement, and support are key to making this possible, and we are truly grateful for your partnership.
Our mission remains focused on helping our scholars turn their dreams into reality. By collaborating as a community, we foster academic excellence, character development, and resilience—values that align perfectly with this year’s theme: U Belong! We hope you’ve noticed our new signage, which adds to our school's pride and enhances our beautiful building.
We are incredibly thankful for our dedicated educators, who inspire our scholars each day. Their hard work, combined with your continued support, creates an environment where students can thrive and achieve their goals.
We look forward to connecting with those attending the State of the District Dinner—another great opportunity to stay informed and engaged.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support.
Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 will commemorate the 123rd school day of its 123rd year with a special State of the District Dinner on March 13, 2025, at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School, starting at 5:30 PM.
School District 123’s learning community members are invited to celebrate 123 years of tradition, pride, and accomplishment in D123 with friends and neighbors. Join us as we honor our legacy and look ahead to the future.
Attendees will discover the inspiring vision of our 2025-2030 Strategic Framework, shaped by over 700 community voices and a 25-member committee of educators, parents, administrators, and community leaders.
Together, we will unite as a learning community to reflect on our past, celebrate our progress, and embrace School District 123's future through academic success, supportive schools, a thriving workforce, operational excellence, and strong community engagement.
This is an adult-only event; childcare will not be provided.
Scholars supporting should arrive at 4:45PM
Evening Agenda
5:00 — Doors Open & Reception: "Celebrating Our Schools"
6:00 — Dinner Served
6:30 — "Building Tomorrow: A Roadmap for Growth and Excellence"
7:00 — Breakout Sessions
- "Thriving Together: Academics, Well-Being, and Community"
- "Sustaining Excellence: People, Places, and Progress"
8:00 — "The Bookends of District 123: A Journey of Success"
5Essentials Survey to Improve Student Learning
Once again Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 will participate in the 13th annual statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions conducted by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). This survey provides a platform for students, teachers, and parents to express their opinions on ways to improve their community's schools. The survey will be administered to families and teachers from February 18 to March 31 and students (Grades 4-8) from February 27 to March 31. The surveys will provide schools with valuable insight into their progress since the last state-wide survey implementation.
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey provides a comprehensive picture of a school’s organizational culture in an individualized report measuring five “essentials” critical for school success:
- Effective Leaders
- Collaborative Teachers
- Involved Families
- Supportive Environment
- Ambitious Instruction
The survey's outcome will be included in the 2025 Illinois State Report Card of your child's school. The identities of students, staff, and parents will be kept private, and responses will not be associated with any individual. To review the privacy policy related to this survey, please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/privacy.
To see the 5Essentials survey that will be administered to students in 4th through 8th grade, please visit https://impactsurveyshelp.force.com/s/article/illinois-5essentials-survey-questions.
If you do not wish to have your child participate in the survey please complete this form and return it to your child's school office by February 26, 2025.
Graduation Fees: Make sure you have taken a look in Family Access and submitted your graduation fees.
Class of 2025: Information has been distributed for our Class of 2025 and the end of the year events!
We do expect and desire to have 100% of our scholars earn the opportunity to walk the stage with their graduating 2025 Class. We will be communicating with families if any scholar is in jeopardy of this opportunity prior to Spring Break.
Here is the LINK to the letter sent home with the reminder expectations and future dates.
We’re glad to see our scholars taking pride in their hygiene and personal care! However, the use of cologne and perfume has become overwhelming at times and is occasionally being applied inappropriately during the school day. To ensure a comfortable learning environment for everyone, we kindly ask that students leave their scented products at home.
Please take a moment to discuss with your child the proper use and appropriate amounts of fragrance. While we appreciate the effort to smell nice, excessive scents can be distracting and overpowering in shared spaces. Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a pleasant and respectful atmosphere for all!
Mustang families we need your support!
We need all families dropping off or picking up our scholars to be more responsible, respectful and safe. Recently, we have seen too many cars driving too fast during drop off and pick up. We have also seen cars passing and driving around other cars way too close to students- please be patient, cautious and courteous. Remember was are all modeling our Mustang Musts! The same can be said while buses are loading and unloading.
As a reminder, families should not be using the main entrance parking lot to drop off or pick up between 8:15-8:45 am and 3:15-3:45 pm while the buses are present.
School attendance is a huge predictor for school success! That said, we know the weather changes and this time of the year can be difficult with multiple sickness going around. We appreciate our families communicating with the school when our scholars are out! Please remind our scholars to take care of themselves by getting proper rest, eating as healthy as possible and washing their hands.
Bus Behavior: Please remind bus riders that we must be following our Mustang Musts. We have been hearing about challenging, inappropriate and unsafe behavior on the bus riders to and from school. We do have the ability to request bus video footage. Students will be given consequences for their behavior which may include a suspension from the bus.
Bus Loading and Unloading: Families should not be passing buses in our parking lot. This is dangerous and almost caused an accident. Do not pass buses with their stop sign extended.
It is great to see so many scholars taking advantage of the opportunity to come in early or stay after school for additional time and support with academics. Please remind our scholars that this time should not be treated as a social opportunity and our school expectations of being safe, responsible and respectful should be maintained at all times. We appreciate everyone's support and partnership. Parents can check out the available times for each grade level on the student portal page!
Membership is $6.00 per student and $10.00 per adult
PTSA Meetings are at 6:00pm monthly
- Next PTSA Meeting is April, 7th at 6:00pm
- Reach out to Delecta Harris, our PTSA President for more information (olhmsd123ptsa@gmail.com )
- 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!
If you are interested in supporting our school in a different capacity please reach out to our PTSA! Maybe you do not have the time to donate, but your contributions can still be made through your membership!
Dates to Remember:
3/11/25: D123 Early Childhood Center Open House
3/13/25: Yearbook Club and Activity Pictures
3/13/25: State of the District Dinner
3/14/25: OLHMS Career Fair
3/21/25: iFest
3/24-3/28/25: Spring Break
3/28/25: D123 PTA Council Open Gym and Laser Tag at Wintrust Sports Arena
3/30/25: OLHMS PTSA Spirit Gear Deadline
3/31/25: No School (Board Declared Holiday)
4/3/25: D123 International Fest
4/5/25: D123 PTA Council Parking Lot Vendor Sale
4/7/25: PTSA Meeting
District 123’s students’ artistic accomplishments will be showcased
on Thursday, April 24th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The (K-5) Elementary Level students’ artwork will be located in the main gym, while the (6-8) Middle School students’ artwork will be displayed in the library.
This is a special event to celebrate D123’s students’ artistic talents and creative accomplishments! We would love for you to attend to see the amazing talents of our students.
