OLHMS Update (12/9/25)

Did you know we have a 8 days until Winter Break?

We have added a tab bit of additional holiday cheer as we look forward to Winter Break. We are running attendance and behavior incentives along with random admin "Grinch" drop ins! Scholars may be winning gift cards or extra gym time! We will also have spirit days next week! Check out the flyer below!

Did you know that paper report card were sent home?

As part of this year's transition to traditional grading paper report cards were sent home on December 1st with all of our scholars. Did you see them? We asked all families to sign and return the manilla envelops by the end of the last week (12/5) so we could celebrate an advisory with 100%. We are planning to use these envelopes again for Trimester 2, please send this back to school with our scholar if you have not already done so.

Did you know that we are will host our annual Feed 6 event this Saturday?

We are excited to pack 50,000 meals on Saturday, December 13th, taking our grand total to 400,000 meals in 11 years! If you are interested in supporting this event please reach out to Heather McCarthy, our OLHMS Media Specialist, hmccarthy@d123.org. The information is also LINKED and below in this newsletter. We will still accept donations!

Mustang Families,

The holiday spirit has officially arrived at OLHMS! We’ve added a tad bit of extra holiday cheer as we countdown to Winter Break, including attendance and behavior incentives AND surprise “Grinch” drop-ins from our admin team! The Grinch(es) may stop into classes and give scholars raffle tickets to win gift cards, extra gym time, and other surprises!

Next week also kicks off our Winter Spirit Days! Be sure to check out the flyer below so your scholar can join in the fun.

We are especially excited to share that on Saturday, December 13th, our amazing Mustang community will come together to pack 50,000 meals, bringing our 11-year total to an incredible 400,000 meals packed! This tradition speaks to the heart of who we are. If you’d like to support this meaningful event, please reach out to Heather McCarthy, OLHMS Media Specialist, at hmccarthy@d123.org. Additional information is LINKED and included below and we currently have enough volunteers. Donations are still being accepted!

As Trimester Two gets fully underway, please continue encouraging your scholar to embrace our Mustang Musts: Be Responsible, Be Safe, Be Respectful. We also ask that families return the manila envelopes sent home on December 1st containing printed report cards. Your signature confirms you’ve reviewed them and helps guide us as we transition back to traditional grading practices. If you haven’t yet sent yours in, please do so at your earliest convenience.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and the support you show our school every day. We are truly grateful for our Mustang families and the vibrant community we continue to build—together.

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 sicknesses 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. Now that we have the snow and chilly temperatures, this is also a good time to remind our scholars to dress prepared for the weather- hoodies are great as a layer, but may not keep you warm.

As we are all aware, Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123 transitioned to Qmlativ (Skyward 3.0) for the 2025-26 school year. Qmlativ offers enhanced features across a wide range of areas, including student information, grades, scheduling, attendance, food service and much more. Hopefully, each of our OLHMS families have logged into the new system!

If you have not logged in for the first time to the new Qmlativ Family Access, you will need to click "Forgot Your Username or Password" and follow the steps to log in to your account.

Log in to your account here. Please note, School District 123 does not keep track of passwords, however, your school’s main office can send you a reset link.

For additional information and resources about Qmlativ Family Access, we have created a family resource page on our website with helpful videos to guide you through the new Qmlativ Family Access platform.

Our main entrance vestibule will serve as the visitor reception and waiting area. Guests will continue to be warmly welcomed, greeted by the staff member hosting them, and escorted to their meeting location. This update is part of our continued effort to strengthen safety and streamline visitor check-in procedures.

As we continue partnering with our local safety agencies, we remain committed to refining our practices and keeping safety at the heart of all we do. Ensuring a secure environment for our students, staff, and families is always our top priority.

To support this shared goal:

• Please bring a valid driver’s license or photo ID when picking up a student during the school day.

• For everyone’s safety, visitors may not leave the main office without a staff escort.

• All students, staff, and guests are expected to wear their designated ID badges while on campus.

Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our Mustang community safe, connected, and thriving.

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.

As technology continues to play a central role in our students’ daily lives, we encourage families to stay actively engaged in monitoring phone and device use. Research continues to show that excessive screen time and social media use can impact adolescents’ social and emotional health, leading to increased anxiety, disrupted sleep, and challenges with peer relationships.

We know that online interactions often extend beyond “after-school hours” and can sometimes affect students’ focus, well-being, and relationships during the school day. That’s why our partnership with families is so important. By setting healthy boundaries, fostering open conversations, and supporting positive digital habits, we can help ensure all Mustangs feel safe, connected, and ready to learn.

We’ve recently noticed elevated challenges on social media, so please take a few moments to talk with your child and check their online activity. Your ongoing support and proactiveness make a tremendous difference!

Here’s a helpful resource for families on preventing cyberbullying.

Retakes will be available for scholars in the Summative Assessment category (70%). Retake procedures for the Summative Assessment category include:

• Students will complete a reflection form, which will include the corrected test.

• Students are to ensure all classwork/homework/independent work for that unit is completed before the retake date.

• Retake dates will be established within 10 days of the graded assessment.

• Retakes will not be allowed once the trimester has completed.

• Retakes will not be completed during regular instructional time.

• 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!

• Thank you to our PTSA Board members, families and scholars for joining us last night for a wonderfully informative first meeting of the year.

• Membership(Click Here) is $7.00 per student and $10.00 per adult

• PTSA Meetings are at 6:00pm monthly

• PTSA Meeting- January 12, 2026 at 6:00pm
• Reach out to Delecta Harris, our PTSA President for more information (olhmsd123ptsa@gmail.com)
  
• PTSA Facebook
  

Our Annual Veterans Day Tribute was once again a deeply moving and humbling experience, one that reminded us just how powerful it is when a school community comes together in gratitude. We could not be more proud of our scholars, staff, and the entire D123 community for uniting in such a meaningful display of respect and honor for the heroes who have served our great nation.

This event is monumental in every way, requiring tremendous time, coordination, and resources- worth every second. Through this tradition, we reaffirm the significance of our Veterans, celebrate their courage, and honor the sacrifice that protects the freedoms we cherish.

What an extraordinary day for our school and district! More importantly, what a profound privilege it is to stand together in tribute to those who have given us so much.

Check out this SPECIAL NEWSLETTER celebrating the event!