OLHMS Update (1/28/25)

Did you know that we celebrated D123 Day at OLHMS this past week?

Last week marked a truly special occasion for our district as we celebrated 123 years of excellence in education. We reflected on our incredible history, the milestones we’ve achieved together, and the bright future ahead. We commemorated this milestone as we celebrating District 123 on Thursday and Friday this past week. We are so proud of our Mustang Community!

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.

Did you know that our OLHMS Musical is this Friday and Saturday?

We are proud to present Frozen Jr. this Friday night and Saturday afternoon! Do not miss this amazing show!

Dear Mustang Families,

Our focus remains on turning dreams into reality. Together, we nurture a vibrant school community built on academic excellence, character development, and resilience. These values align perfectly with this year’s theme: U Belong!

This week, we took time to celebrate our District 123 pride in a special way! At 1:23 p.m., the entire school came together for a school-wide dance party, proudly wearing our grade-level colors. The energy and excitement continued with a school assembly filled with spirited competitions that brought our Mustang family even closer together. It was a fantastic reminder of the strength and pride we share as part of the OLHMS and District 123 community.

We are thrilled to share that a special gift is on the way for all of our scholars—a keepsake to honor this year’s theme, U Belong, while celebrating our school’s Exemplary status. We can’t wait to see our students showing off their Mustang pride with this gift, which reflect the incredible achievements and vibrant spirit of our OLHMS family. Mustang Monday will a perfect opportunity to show it off!

We are incredibly fortunate to have passionate and talented educators inspiring our scholars every day. Their dedication, combined with your partnership, creates an environment where students can thrive, grow, and achieve their dreams.

Thank you for your ongoing support and collaboration. Together, we are making dreams a reality for our scholars every day.

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.

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!

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 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 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.

Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 utilizes systems of academic and social-emotional support linked directly to the assessed needs of our students. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) provides all students with timely and targeted interventions based upon the results of universal screening tools in reading, math and behavior. Universal screening helps school staff to determine which students may be academically or behaviorally “at risk.” Use this LINK to view the family communications in English, Spanish or Arabic.

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 February, 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:

1/31/25 & 2/1/25: OLHMS Musical

2/3/25: PTSA Meeting

2/5/25: D123 Late Start

2/7/25: Make-A-Wish

2/10-2/14: D123 Kindness Week

2/17/25: No School (D123 Family Ice Skating)

2/20 (1/2 Day) & 2/21: Family Conferences

2/26/25: PTSA Open Gym

2/28/25: End of Trimester 2
3/7/25: D123 Ed Foundation Taco ad Trivia
3/13/25: State of the District Dinner

Oak Lawn Community High School

• Freshmen Course Selection Night is February 5, 2025. Information found at Community HS. Additional information and questions can be answered by contacting Maria Vanderwarren, at 708-741-5602 or mvanderwarren@olchs.org.

H. L. Richards High School

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

• Rising Bulldog OPEN GYM: Monday, February 3rd

Brother Rice High School

Chicago Christian High School

• Friday, January 17, 2025 from 6-9 pm

Middle school boys basketball players are invited to Dunkin' with the Knights at Chicago Christian High School. This is a great way to learn more about the CCHS basketball program. This fun event includes:

-A meet-up with the Varsity Coach

- Watching the game from behind the bench

- Swag, and lots of donuts!

Registration is required. Register HERE.

*Girls night to be announced soon.

De La Salle Institute

IMSA

Marist High School

Mother McAuley High School

• Movie with the Macs! (Taylor Swift THE ERAS TOUR)

• Saturday, February 8 from 1-3pm

• All ages are welcome!

• 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!