

OLHMS Update (3/4/25)
D123 Late Start 3/5/25
Tuesday's Top of the Mind
Did you know that tomorrow is a D123 Late Start Day?
We look forward to seeing our scholars at 9:30 tomorrow!
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 10% 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?
We are looking forward to this event on March 13th (the 123rd day of the school year) from 5:30-8:00 PM. Additional information can be found below and your RSVP can be found HERE!
Did you know that our Music Department continues to excel?
Recently, our Band/ Chorus Solo and Ensemble had an amazing showing at the IGSMA Band/Chorus Solo and Ensemble Festival earning 35 Division 1 Rating and 1 Division 2 Rating. The success continued this past weekend at the IGSMA Jazz Ensemble District Contest with our COncert Band and Jazz Ensamble both earning Division 1 Ratings and headed to state in April! Way to go Mustangs and good luck!
Reminders and Updates
Mustang Families,
Welcome to Trimester Three! We have begun our final trimester of the year! We are excited for a very busy finish to this historic and successful year! Make sure you are checking in with our scholars and checking the calendar, we have a busy schedule ahead. We continue to partner in the overall experience here at OLHMS and your time and support is greatly appreciated!
We will remain committed to turning dreams into reality as we collaborate to serve our scholars and school community. Together, we foster academic excellence, character development, and resilience—values that align perfectly with this year’s theme: U Belong! Hopefully, everyone has noticed our new signage enhancing our already beautiful building with a strong sense of pride.
We are incredibly grateful for our dedicated educators inspiring our scholars every day. Their hard work, combined with your support, create an environment where students can thrive, grow, and achieve their goals. We look forward to connecting with you the State of the District Dinner will be another opportunity to say informed!
Thank you for your ongoing partnership and support.
District 123 hosting State of the District Dinner March 13, 2025
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. To RSVP, click HERE.
Evening Agenda
5:30 — Doors Open
5:30 — 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"
We Need Your Input!
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.
Class of 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.
Cologne and Perfume
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!
Report Cards
Yearbooks!
Student Drop Off and Pick Up
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.
Student Lunch Deliveries
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.
Student Attendance
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 Transportation
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.
Spectator Permission
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.
STAR and Power Hour
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!
OLHMS PTSA
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!
PTSA OLHMS Spirit Gear
Order Deadline is March 30th!
Important Dates
Dates to Remember:
3/5/25: D123 Late Start
3/7/25: D123 Ed Foundation Taco ad Trivia
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
PTA Council
D123 International Fest
April 3, 2025
D123 Art Show
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.
High School Happenings
Oak Lawn Community High School
Morning Math (McAuley Pre AP Algebra Class) Placement Test
**Please share with your 7th grade/math teachersSaturday, March 8 at 8am
For current 7th grade girls only
Providence Catholic High School