OLHMS Update (2/18/25)

Did you know Family Conferences are coming up later this month (2/20 & 2/21)?

We are looking forward hosting our family conferences at the end of the week! Please remember that Thursday, February 20th is a half day of school and scholars will be dismissed at 11:30am.

Did you know that the OLHMS Make-A-Wish celebration was a huge success?

If you didn't get the chance to check out our Special Edition Newsletter, here is the LINK. We are in the process of creating final totals and hope to have generated more than $13,000 for a great cause!

Did you know our Class of 2025 SELECT 123 application went live on 1/23?

We are very excited to open the SELECT 123 application process! This will be our scholar's opportunity to be 1 of 23 from the 8th grade class memorialized on the "Wall of Fame!" Many have already begun the brainstorming process, now it is their time to put those thoughts into action and start the application process! There are two portions to the application process (Application- Part 1 Google Form and Screencastify- Part 2). The application is posted as an assignment for those interested in their Google Classroom for individual submissions. All submissions will be due by April 11th.

Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 Family Conferences will be completely scheduled online via Skyward.

• 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 February 4 at 10:00 am and ending on February 17 at 10:00 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.

Mustang Families,

We hope you had a wonderful long weekend as we honored Presidents’ Day. This is a short but meaningful week of learning, with D123 Family Conferences taking place this Thursday and Friday. Our scholars are eager to share their progress and insights as they navigate the student-led conference process.

Our commitment to turning dreams into reality continues to shape our school community. Together, we foster academic excellence, character development, and resilience—values that align perfectly with this year’s theme: U Belong! As we welcome you later this week, we hope you also notice some new signage that enhances our already beautiful building.

We are incredibly grateful for our passionate and dedicated educators who inspire our scholars every day. Their hard work, combined with your support, creates an environment where students can thrive, grow, and achieve their goals. We look forward to connecting with you during conferences!

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support.

Class of 2025: Information has been distributed for our Class of 2025 and the end of the year events!

Here is the LINK to the letter sent home last week with the reminder expectations and future dates.

Next Week (February 18th to12th): High School Hype Week!

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 third 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 2025/ 2026 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 2025 began brainstorming their opportunity to apply as applications went live last week on 1/23 and be due April 11th!

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.

We want to remind families that OLHMS does not allow student lunch deliveries from outside services (such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, or other vendors). This practice minimizes disruptions and contributes to a safe and structured lunch experience for all students.

To comply with both District 123 policy and state law, you are asked to call the school before 8:00am if your child is going to be absent. You may leave a message with office staff at 708-499-6400. Please leave your child’s name. Grade level and reason for absence. If the office does not receive a call then the office staff will attempt to reach you at home or work to verify absence, however, please remember that the responsibility for reporting absences remains with parents/guardians. If a student absence is not called in, and office staff is unable to contact the parent/guardian, then the absence will be recorded as unexcused.

Students are expected to be in school except in cases of emergency or for reasons stated below, which according to School Code, are the only legal excuses for absences from a school.

• Illness (the school may require a note from a doctor)

• Observance of a religious holiday

• Death in the immediate family

• Family emergency

• Other circumstances outside of the student’s control as identified by the Board of Education in each district

• Other circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for the safety or health of the student

Absences and Extracurricular Activities

• A student who misses a full day of school may not participate in any extracurricular activities on that day.

• Students who report to school before 11:30 am may participate in any extracurricular activities on that day.

• Students who leave school during the school day, due to illness , may not participate in after school extra curricular activities.

We will continue to be in constant communication with First Student Bus company about their timing and route efficiency.

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.

We love having fans here to support our Mustang Athletes. Here is the LINK for our Spectator Permission Form and Code of Conduct for student spectators. Student fans unaccompanied by parents, must have an electronic or paper form on file to attend home games. Students cannot stay in the building for games unless they are part of a club or activity.

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 March, 3rd 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:

2/18-2/20: High School Hype Week
2/20 (1/2 Day) & 2/21: Family Conferences

2/24/25: Band Practice-A-Thon
2/26/25: PTSA Open Gym
2/28/25: End of Trimester 2
3/1/25: Illinois Grade School Music Association (IGSMA) District Band Contest
3/1/25: Illinois Grade School Music Association (IGSMA) District Jazz Band Contest

3/4/25: D123 Early Childhood Center Open House
3/7/25: D123 Ed Foundation Taco ad Trivia

3/11/25: D123 Early Childhood Center Open House

3/13/25: State of the District Dinner
3/14/25: OLHMS Career Fair

3/19/26: OLHMS PTSA Lou Malnati Fundraiser

Calling All Parents: Get Involved in the OLHMS Career Fair!

We need YOU to help inspire the next generation of leaders! Our upcoming OLHMS Career Fair is a fantastic opportunity for students to explore different careers, and we’re inviting parents to participate by sharing their professional experiences.

Whether you’re a doctor, engineer, artist, entrepreneur, teacher, or work in any other exciting field, your involvement can make a real impact. By sharing your journey and what it takes to succeed in your career, you’ll help spark curiosity and inspire students to dream big about their futures.

Interested? Click HERE to request more information on this event!

Let’s work together to show our students all the amazing possibilities ahead of them!

Thank you for supporting our students’ future!

Oak Lawn Community High School

H. L. Richards High School

• D218 2025 STEAM Camps are available for current 1st- 7th graders living in the CHSD 218 school boundaries.

Brother Rice High School

• 7th Grade STEM Competition

Chicago Christian High School

De La Salle Institute

IMSA

Marist High School

• Summer Camps

Mother McAuley High School

• BIG Shadow Day for 6th & 7th Graders

• Monday, February 17 (Presidents' Day) from 7:45am - 1pm

• Morning Math (McAuley Pre AP Algebra Class) Placement Test
  **Please share with your 7th grade/math teachers

• Saturday, March 8 at 8am

• For current 7th grade girls only

Morgan Park Academy

Mt. Carmel High School

Open House Registration

Providence Catholic High School

St. Ignatius High School

St. Laurence High School

St. Rita High School

HFS Chicago Scholars

The 2025 Illinois Radon Poster Contest will run from January 1, 2025 – March 15, 2025 with a goal to raise awareness about the dangers of radon throughout the state of Illinois. Please review more information about this educational opportunity:

2025 Illinois Poster Contest:

• The poster contest is open to students ages 9-14.

• The top three winners will receive a cash prize of $100 (3rd place), $150 (2nd place) and $200 (1st place)

• Posters and entry forms must be received by March 15th, 2025.

• Posters must be sized 8.5x11

• More information can be found here: https://www.lung.org/il/radon-poster

Please find the official rules, details, guidelines and contest entry forms at https://www.lung.org/il/radon-poster. Please make sure students follow the guidelines as close as possible. These guidelines will be the outline for judging.

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.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST EDITION OF D123 4-WARD!