OLHMS Update (5/6/25)

Did you know that tomorrow, May 7th is a D123 Late Start Day?

Enjoy the extra time tomorrow morning as our school day begins an hour later than normal.

Did you know that the Returning Student Registration in now open?

Please complete this registration before May 30th! Go to Skyward Family Access and complete Returning Student Registration. This can be found on the left hand side of the screen and the second option down.

For more information regarding registration, health requirements, etc, please visit

Returning Student Registration

If you have any questions or need assistance with your username or password, feel free to reach out to your school or the district registrar at 708-857-5020.

Did you know our 5th-grade transitions are almost complete?

The 5th-grade transitions began back in February with our wonderful performance of Frozen Jr. and took us to Service Day Kahoot games with each 5th-grade classroom along with visits to each classroom. Last week, each school toured and visited their soon-to-be middle school. We could not be more excited to welcome 5th-grade families on Thursday, May 8th as we will host in partnership with the OLHMS 2025 PTSA Open Gym and Parent Night.

Mustang Families,

Thank you to all who helped make the Hellen Whalen PTA Scholarship Dinner such a meaningful evening. Events like this truly reflect the strength of our District 123 community and the powerful impact of partnership between families, students, educators, and schools. They bring our mission/ vision of“Preparing Today’s Learner for Tomorrow’s World & Creating a Dream to Become a Reality" to life and demonstrates our shared vision of empowering all learners to thrive in a supportive and collaborative environment.

This week, we’ve had many wonderful reminders of that vision in action. On Monday, our 4th-grade band gave a fantastic performance, showcasing the dedication of our students and music educators. Tomorrow, we look forward to the excitement and talent on display during our Variety Show, a highlight of student creativity and confidence. Please remember that Wednesday (May 7th) is a D123 Late Start.

On Thursday evening, we are excited to welcome our incoming 5th-grade families to our PTSA Open Gym and Parent Night. This an important opportunity to build connection and community as students transition to middle school.

Here is the agenda:

6:00-6:10 pm: Greeting and Welcoming Address

6:10-6:20 pm: 5th Grade Student Transition

6:20-6:45 pm: OLHMS Student Panel

6:45-6:50 pm: Parent Transition to Tours

6:50-7:25 pm: Parent School Tours

7:25-7:30 pm: Program Conclusion and PTSA Raffle

And throughout it all, we are proud to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week (Thank you PTSA), honoring the educators who live our mission every day. Their passion, care, and commitment truly make a difference in the lives of our students, and we are so thankful for all they do.

Great organizations celebrate success, and this week has offered so many reasons to do just that. Thank you for your continued partnership and for being an essential part of our scholars’ journey.

Speaking on journey, congrats to our Jazz Band bringing home another Level 1 Superior Rating at last weeks state competition. Also, congrats to our entire track program for another successful season, especially our 6th and 7th grade boys who finished in 1st place. Fingers crossed as our soccer teams continue to compete at the conference level!

As part of our ongoing commitment to student safety, we continue to closely scrutinize all initial entry into the building to ensure a secure environment for everyone. We kindly remind all families to bring a valid driver’s license or photo ID when picking up a student during the school day. Additionally, visitors are not permitted to leave the main office without a staff escort. These safety procedures are in place to protect our students and staff, and we appreciate your continued cooperation and partnership in maintaining a safe school community.

Graduation Fees: The deadline for online payments has passed. Bring cash payments into the main office.

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.

SELECT 123: The application deadline has now passed for this year's prestigious alumni group. Congratulations to 70 applicants! This year's class will be announced in May!

We do expect and desire to have 100% of our scholars earn the opportunity to walk the stage with their graduating 2025 Class. We have been and will continue to communicate with families if any scholar is in jeopardy of this opportunity.

May 29, 2025: 8th-Grade Trip

May 30, 2025: 8th-Grade Dance

June 3, 2025: SELECT 123 Breakfast(7:30am) & 8th-Grade Awards(9:00am)

June 4, 2025: Elementary Grad Walk(1:30pm)

June 5, 2025: 8th Grade Commencement Ceremony (7:00pm)

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. Please pull all the way up in the circle drive before dropping off. This will help the traffic flow.

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.

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.

• Membership is $6.00 per student and $10.00 per adult

• PTSA Meetings are at 6:00pm monthly

• Next PTSA Meeting is May 13th 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!

Final Stretch of Dates:

5/5: Teacher Appreciation Week & 4th Grade Band Concert & Helen Whalen Scholarship Dinner

5/7: Late Start & Variety Show

5/8: 5th Grade PTSA OLHMS Parent Night

5/9: Spring Band Concert @ OLCHS

5/12: Book Fair Begins

5/13: PTSA Meeting

5/15: Spring Chorus Concert

5/19: Book Fair Ends

5/20: Beginner Band Meeting

5/21: Beginner Band Meeting

5/22: Jazz Band Dress Rehearsal

5/23: Jazz Band Concert

5/26: No School

5/27: 6th Grade Breakfast & 7th Grade Trip

5/28: Band Breakfast & 7th Grade Trip

5/29: Beginner Band/ Chorus Breakfast, 8th Grade Trip & 6th Grade Incentive

5/30: D123 Returning Student Registration Due & 8th Grade Dance

6/2: 7th Grade Breakfast

6/3: SELECT 123 Breakfast & 8th Grade Awards

6/4: Elementary Grad Walk

6/5: 8th Grade Commencement Ceremony

6/6: Final Day of School (½ Day)

Families can access the e-wallet with this LINK.

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