Hammond Middle School Bulletin

Greetings HMS Families,

The start of a new school year is just around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome our students back! Our dedicated staff returned last week and have been working hard to get everything ready for a fantastic year ahead.

The HMS Bulletin will come out bi-weekly. We’ll be sharing lots of important information through our newsletter, so please be sure to read each edition carefully.

Don't forget to visit our HMS Website regularly for the latest news and upcoming events—we want you to stay in the loop!

We’re looking forward to a wonderful year together!

Sincerely,

Ms. Lisa Smith, Principal

Mrs. Mel Thompson, Assistant Principal

• August 21 - New Student Orientation @ 1 pm - 2:30 pm
• August 21 - Returning 7th & 8th Grade Open house @ 3pm - 4pm
• August 25 - First Day for Students
• September 1 - Schools & Offices closed Labor Day
• September 4 Back to School Night - 6 pm - 8 pm
• September 17 - 3 Hour Early Dismissal
• September 23 - Schools & Offices Closed - Rosh Hashanah
• October 2 - Schools & Offices Closed - Yom Kippur
• October 17 - Schools Closed for Students
• October 20 - Schools and Offices Closed - Diwali
• October 31 - End of 1st Quarter - 3hr Early dismissal

Beth Riege - Financial Literacy/Careers

Stephen Murphy - Choir/ General Music

Eric Piccirelli - Orchestra

Rebecca Stryker - Math Specialist

Natori Garnett - ELA

Karen Pastwa - Social Studies

Kathi Livas - Media Para

Alluson Korvah - Custodian

Gia Hunter - Health Assistant

Rachel Zimmerman - Social Worker

Tammi Mitchell - Special Education Teacher

Parents/guardians must verify and/or update emergency information for each child every school year. This is completed online in Family File, which has several new updates including how and where to access. Full details on updating your Family File are available online.

One exciting new feature is that families now can submit a change of address via Family File, rather than completing a separate form and sending to their school. Full directions and information for families on this new process can be found online.

Once logged in, you will be asked to update or provide the following information:

• Student Information

• Parent/Guardian Contact

• Emergency Contacts

• Medical Information

• Arrival/Dismissal Procedures and Transportation Options

• Photo Approval

• Data Confidentiality

• Student Creative Work Approval

• PTA/PTSA Directory

Each student will utilize their county-provided Chromebook. Our rising 6th-grade students and new HCPSS students will receive their Chromebooks soon. Information about Chromebooks, repair costs, and more are available here.

Upon arrival at school, student's cell phones must be off and away all day. Per HCPSS Policy 8080, student use of cell phones is not permitted in Howard County schools during the school day. Families are reminded that students must abide by Board of Education Policy 8080 Responsible Use of Technology, Digital Tools, and Social Media, specifically Standard E. Student Use-Technology, which states that “HCPSS permits students to bring personal technology devices to school, according to the following rules:

• Students will not use personal technology devices during instructional and non-inistructional time, inicluding but not limited to transition between classes, lunch, recess, locker rooms, or in bathrooms.

A student phone is located in the front office for students to use to call home if needed. Students can access this phone whenever needed.

If your student has to be absent from school, please submit a note to hmsabsence@hcpss.org or send a note in with your child to submit to the front office.. Absence notes must be received within 5 days of your student’s return to school or the absence will remain unlawful.

• Students who are absent due to lawful reasons per HCPSS Policy 9010 will be considered Absent excused.

When emailing a note, you will receive an automated message to verify that your email was received.

Please do not send attendance notes to your child's teachers. If you have any questions about your child's attendance, please email hmsabsence@hcss.org

If you would like to request a discretionary absence, please complete the form found here: Discretionary Absence Request and email it to hmsabsence@hcpss.org.

Please review the HCPSS Attendance Policy for further information.

Late Arrivals:

• Students will report to the front office to sign in and receive a pass when arriving late to school.

• Parents must send students in with a note or provide an email explaining the reason for the late arrival. Students who arrive late due to lawful reasons per HCPSS Policy 9010 will be considered Tardy excused.

Early Dismissals:

• Parents/ Guardians will sign students out from the front office for early dismissals.

• Parents/Guardians are to show their photo ID upon arrival to confirm their eligibility to pick up the student in the family file.

• If you know that your student will have an early dismissal ahead of time, please send in a note or an email letting us know the time of the dismissal and the name of the person picking the student up. All attendance communications/questions should be sent to hmsabsence@hcpss.org

HCPSS Family Academy Kick-Off on August 16th

Join us for the HCPSS Family Academy Kick-Off on August 16th from 9 am - 12 pm at Guilford Park High School, a free event designed to support families as we prepare for a successful 2025–2026 school year! This event will feature valuable school and community resources, opportunities to connect with staff and partners, and a keynote address from Superintendent Bill Barnes. Registration preferred, but not required. Childcare is provided with registration. All families are welcome! If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Shereé Tilley-Whitaker.

Event Flyers: English, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish

The student walk zone maps are available on each school’s website. Scroll to the bottom of the site and select the 2025-2026 Walk Area Map in the footer.

• Students who ride a bike to school, are encouraged to lock

their bike at the bike rack.

• We encourage you to take time now to familiarize your child with their route to and from school.

• Map out and walk the route between your home and school to ensure all roads, sidewalks, and pathways are familiar to your child. In addition, review crosswalks and intersections that are safe for crossing the road if required and review safe pedestrian tips . with your student. If you encounter any issues regarding safety as you walk these routes with your student, please contact the HCPSS Office of Student Transportation. to make HCPSS staff aware.

All students will be assigned a locker for the school year, and backpacks will need to be stored inside during the day. Students will not be permitted to carry backpacks from class to class.

These are the designated locker times for students to get what they need for a few classes. Students will only need to bring their computers to the classes using them for instruction. If a computer is not required for class, it should remain in the locker. We encourage students to learn their locker combinations, unpack their bookbags, organize their belongings, and practice opening their locker.

The 8th-grade locker times:

Arrival to school

After period 2

Before and after lunch

Dismissal

7th grade locker times:

Arrival to school

After period 2

After period 4

After lunch

Dismissal

Grade 6

Arrival to school

Before Lunch and after Lunch

Before Pd. 6

Dismissal

If a student needs to access their locker outside of the designated locker times, they may ask their teacher for a pass. Students should organize their supplies based on their morning and afternoon classes so they can only carry some materials around all day.

Students can carry a small purse, fanny pack, or belt bag with them throughout the day for small

personal items. This bag should be small enough to fit inside a student desk. We ask that students do not carry string/cinch bags or totes for this purpose as they can be a tripping hazard. Zip binders can be carried around all day.

HCPSS requires a new medication order form each school year dated on or after July 1st for all medications, including both prescription and over-the-counter medications (over-the-counter medications must be received by the health room in new, unopened containers and be clearly labeled with the student’s name). The links to the order forms are below.

• http://www.hcpss.org/f/aboutus/physician-medication-form.pdf

• https://www.hcpss.org/f/schools/health/epipenorder-careplan.pdf

Important Immunization Requirements for 7th-Grade Students:

Effective the first day of school for the 2025-2026 school year, all students entering 7th grade are required by the state of Maryland to have one dose of the Tdap vaccine AND one dose of the Meningococcal vaccine (MCV4). Many students may have already received these immunizations, but the Health Room may not have the updated immunization record. Please contact your student’s healthcare provider and email or fax (240-456-0391) an updated copy of your student’s immunizations to the Health Room. You can also schedule an appointment to have your student receive these immunizations at the Health Department. They provide immunization opportunities for kids who are not up to date on school-required vaccinations. Call the Health Department at 410-313-7500 for more information and to schedule a vaccination appointment for your child.

If you have any questions, please contact the HMS health room (410-880-5836) or email Ms. Christina Toler, school nurse (christina_toler@hcpss.org)

Please visit https://www.hcpss.org/food-services/farms/ to apply for Free and Reduced Meals. Families must submit a new application every school year. During the first 30 school days, students with free and reduced-price meal eligibility from the prior school year will be carried over.

Any student who has not filled out an application up to the 30th school day will have their prior year status changed to full pay status until a new application is received.

If you have additional questions regarding the FARMs program, please review the FAQ Section or email foodsvc@hcpss.org.

HMS will hold a new student orientation on August 21st from 1 pm to 2:30 pm. During this time, 6th-grade students will meet with their advisory teacher to receive their schedule, and their locker assignment, as well as learn a little about the expectations of the first day of school.

Our new students entering 7th and 8th grade will meet with their school counselor to be welcomed to the school. Families will also meet the Administration and the Student Support Team to hear about the transition to middle school.

Any student who can not attend the orientation can access their schedule and locker assignment online. They will also have an opportunity to practice their locker and walk their schedule on the first day of school.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the school.