Murray Messenger 3/29/19

Sun, 03/31/2019 - 11:43am
Murray Hill Middle School 

Murray Messenger 3/29/19

Important Dates:

March 29th

6th Grade Field Trip- Newsies Production at RHS

April 5th

3-Hour Early Dismissal- Professional Work Day

April 9th @ 7:00 p.m.

PTA Meeting

April 15th – April 22nd

Schools Closed- Spring Break

April 24th

Report Cards Issued

April 26th @ 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

MHMS Music Boosters BINGO Night

 

News From The Hill

School News

Breakfast Procedures:  Starting on Monday, April 1st, students who wish to obtain breakfast in the morning will be allowed in the building at 8:10 a.m., five minutes before the bell.  We are excited to service so many students in the morning, and we want to establish a procedure that assists them in getting to their period class in a timely manner.  If your student purchases breakfast, please encourage them to enter the building at 8:10, go directly to the cafeteria to obtain their breakfast, then go to their lockers and then class.  

Yearbook Sales: Students have been working hard to create a great keepsake from this school year.  A variety of events, field trips, and activities have been included!  The online ordering system is open and you can place your order now to reserve your copy of our Memory Book. The cost of our Memory Book is $20.  Memory Book sales will close next Friday, April 5th.  To ensure you get a copy, purchase it now!  When you order online you have the option upgrade to a hard cover book, personalize the book with your student’s name, and other optional add-on’s for an additional cost. 

Directions for ordering online:

1.    Go to ybpay.lifetouch.com

2.    Enter our Yearbook ID Code: 13198619

3.    Enter your student’s name and complete the payment

 

Walk-A-Thon T-Shirts:  6th and 7th grade students will participate in a Walk-A-Thon, a service learning project to collect donations for Grassroots on April 30th.  Any and all interested students are encouraged to purchase a Walk-A-Thon t-shirt to support this cause.  T-shirts can be purchased through OSP, by visiting the MHMS website. 

Cell Phone Use:  Please know that the MHMS Leadership Team is in the process of discussing and potentially making changes to the access and usage of cell phones during the school day for MHMS students.  We have found that the full-time access that students currently have to their devices during the school day is proving to be a distraction often times.  Please know that we will be sure to communicate any and all changes with our school community as soon as we finalize the details.  

In the meantime, we ask that parents and family members assist us with decreasing cell phone distractions for our students, by not reaching out to them during the school day on their personal devices.  If there is an emergency, please call our front office, and we will facilitate getting a message to your student or allowing them to speak with you on our front office phone.  Alternatively, contacting your student during their lunch time, would be an appropriate way to connect with your student during the school day.  Please be reminded that cell phones being used during class time, without teacher consent will be confiscated, and a parent will have to pick it up during the school hours.  Thanks in advance for your support.  

Home School Connection:  Communication between school staff and parent/guardians is an essential component of the success of students.  Our teachers value ongoing communication in order to support all students in every way possible.  Please be reminded, though, that in alignment with HCPSS guidelines, staff members are encouraged to respond to parent-initiated contact within 48-hour time period.  Please also recognize, that the 48-hour response time falls within contractual workdays.  Teachers are not required to check their email after school hours or during the weekend, so, for example, if an email is sent on a Friday after school hours, the 48-hour response time would technically begin on the next school day, which most likely would be a Monday.  If there is any need for further clarification, please feel free to reach out to MHMS administration.   

MHMS Attendance:  Please be reminded that if your student is absent for any reason, that it is important to provide written documentation of their absence.  Documentation should include student name, the date(s) of absence, and the reason for the absence.  Parents also have the choice to inform us of a student absence by sending an email to the following address:  MHMSAttendance@hcpss.org

8th Grade News

AHS Fall Sports:  Tryouts for all fall sports at Atholton High School will begin on Wednesday, August 14, 2019. Fall sports include cheerleading, girls/boys cross country, football, girls/boys golf, girls/boys soccer, girls volleyball, and girls field hockey. Tryouts last 3 consecutive days, with practices beginning immediately after teams are selected.  Please plan vacations accordingly.  Due to the number of student athletes trying out for our programs, tryouts are mandatory and we cannot make special exceptions for individuals who cannot make the tryout dates.  In June, Atholton HS will host a parent meeting for any incoming 9th grader who would like to tryout for a sport. Dates and times will be sent soon.  It is highly recommended to sign up for the Atholton High School SchoolMessenger to receive important information about Atholton High School.   If you have any immediate questions and/or concerns, please feel free to contact Atholton’s Athletics and Activities Manager, Mike Senisi at Michael_Senisi@hcpss.org

HCPSS News

Alpha Achievers of Howard County:  The Alpha Achievers of Howard County will be sponsoring a workshop intended for middle school males.  The workshop will be held at Long Reach High School, on April 13th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  The event is free, but registration is required.  Please see the attached document for more detailed information B2M parent letter 2019 (1).docx 

HCPSS Gifted and Talented Summer Institute:  Enrollment is now open for the HCPSS Gifted and Talented Summer Institutes located at Wilde Lake Middle School. The G/T Summer Institutes provide interested students with advanced-level instruction and enrichment experiences not regularly available during the academic school year. Advanced-level classes are offered in mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, technology, and fine arts. The curriculum is focused on talent development and provides academically and artistically rigorous activities. The program runs for two separate sessions; the first from July 1st- July 12th and the second from July 15th- July 26th. More information can be found at https://www.hcpss.org/summer-programs/

2019 Summer Sports Camps - Atholton High School Athletic Boosters:  Have fun, get active and get some practice in for fall tryouts this summer at one of our many AHS Athletic Booster Sports Camps. NEW this year is a co-ed, full day basketball camp offering before care and after care options for an extra fee. Ages 10 thru incoming freshmen are eligible for these camps.  Tuition cost for camp is $145/half day and $300/full day.  Tuition includes a Raider t-shirt, individual skills testing and specialized instruction from Atholton’s Coaches. For more information please contact: Tracy Boulle at tracyboulle@verizon.net or 443-812-2559.  Camp Schedule, Information and Online Registration http://atholtonboosters.org/athletics/summercamps/

STAY CONNECTED 

Communication is an essential component of a successful school experience for both students and parents.  There are many ways to stay connected to MHMS and to HCPSS.  Please consider the following ways to stay connected:

  • Visit the MHMS website often at:  http://mhms.hcpss.org/   
  • Follow MHMS on Twitter at:  @hcpss_mhms
  • Visit Canvas often
  • Visit the HCPSS website often at:  www.hcpss.org
  • Download the HCPSS app on your mobile device (search Howard County Public School System)

Community News

For more Community News visit the Community News and Programs pagehttp://www.hcpss.org/community-news-and-programs/ on the HCPSS website for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.

 

Murray Hill Middle School | 9989 Winter Sun Road, Laurel, MD 20723 | 410-880-5897 | mhms.hcpss.org