Murray Hill Middle School

A Note From The Principal

Dear MHMS Families,

Last week was a great week at Murray Hill Middle School!  Our Beginning Band, Concert Band, and Big Band hosted their Winter Concert, more than 30 students participated in the MHMS Spelling Bee, and 8th grade students worked diligently to complete their high school course selections.   

Please be sure to review the calendar below for upcoming events; take special notice of our rescheduled Winter Choir/Orchestra Concert which will be on Thursday, January 23rd at 7:00 p.m.

Finally, registration for the Howard County Recreation and Parks RISE program will be closing soon.  Representatives from Howard County Recreation and Parks will be at MHMS on the evening of the Winter Choir/Orchestra Concert to assist in onsite registration.      

 

Sincerely,

Lisa R. Smithson

Principal

Murray Hill Middle School

Important Dates:

January 20th	Schools Closed- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 21st @ 7:00 p.m.	MHMS PTA Meeting
January 21st	MHMS Music Boosters Restaurant Night- Chipotle
January 23rd @ 7:00 p.m.	Winter Choir/Orchestra Concert
January 23rd	MHMS PTA Restaurant Night- Chick-Fil-A
January 24th	End of Quarter 2
January 27th	No School For Students- Professional Work Day
January 30th	MHMS PTA Restaurant Night- Chick-Fil-A
February 1st  (Snow Date- February 8th)	Howard County Solo/Ensemble Festival
February 3rd	Quarter 2 Report Cards Issued
February 4th	Schools Closed- Election Day
February 5th @ 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.	National History Day Showcase
February 6th	Smile Program Dental Clinic

News From The Hill

School News

Did You Know???:  Did you know that each student should know their plan for inclement weather days?  Winter weather is here, and if there is a need for HCPSS schools to close early, students need to know if they are to follow their regular routine for getting home or if there is an alternative plan for them to follow.  Similarly, they should be aware of their plan if HCPSS schools have a delayed opening.  Thanks for reviewing this important information with your student. 

Extended Absences:  If your student is engaging in a planned extended absence (3 days or more), please note the following:

• A local discretionary form should be completed and submitted at least a week prior to the planned absence.https://www.hcpss.org/f/aboutus/absence_request.pdf
• You are welcome to contact teachers and ask for work to be provided prior to the planned absence.  While some work may be provided, please know that it is not required that work is provided in advance.
• Students will have as many days as they were absent to make up the work that they missed (if they were absent for 5 days, they will have 5 days to turn in all missing work, after that, they will receive zero’s on any work not turned in).
• Teachers have different strategies for managing make-up work; it is the student’s responsibility to communicate the need for missed work with their teachers, and to be responsible for turning it within the established timeframe.

Remember, attendance has a major impact on student success (https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/attendancedata/chapter1a.asp ).  It is highly encouraged to plan extended absences in alignment with the HCPSS calendar to decrease absences from school.  Chronic absences may lead to the creation of an attendance plan or an attendance contract for individual students. 

MHMS National History Day Showcase:  The Murray Hill Middle School G/T Social Studies team would like to invite you to our first ever National History Day Showcase.  This event is scheduled for Wednesday, February 5th from 6-7 pm.  Students have been working hard on their NHD projects, and we are looking forward to showing their work.  Guests will be able to view projects and hear directly from studnts about their research.  It is expected, but not required for students to attend. As an incentive, any student who attends, and gets the handout for the night signed by their teacher, will receive one homework pass to use in their History class during 2nd semester.  Flyers will be distributed closer to the date of the event.  In the meantime, if you will be attending, please RSVP.  If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Stern at jessica_stern@hcpss.org. 

Black History Month Program:  MHMS will host a Black History Month Program on the evening on February 21st, at 6:00 p.m.  We are looking for students to participate by sharing a song, speech, poem, native/tribal dance or other cultural connection.  Permission slips are available at lunch, or see BSAP Liaison, Ms. Whye in Room 219.  Feel free to contact Ms. Whye for any additional information at hope_whye@hcpss.org. 

MHMS Pride:  Congratulations to the following students for outstanding accomplishments:

MHMS Spelling Bee Winners

Champion:  Janica Palabrica

Runner-Up:  Michael Kittredge

Howard County Young Author’s Contest:

Honorable Mention:  Vesna Adjei

Honorable Mention:  Neil Chibber

Howard County Middle School Gifted and Talented Wind Ensemble:

Austin Adaranijo, French Horn

Samuel Lee, Bassoon (1st Chair in the County)

Luke Strovel, Tuba

Howard County Middle School Gifted & Talented Symphonic Band:

Logan Rhoades, Trombone

Howard County Middle School Gifted & Talented Honor Band:

Isaiah Clark, Trombone

Joshua Meadows, Trombone

Charush Minna, Alto Saxophone

Art Room Donations:  Ms. Robinson is seeking donations for the art room of newspaper, yarn, cereal boxes, masking tape, packing tape and more.  See the attached flyer for details  MHMS Art Room Donations.pdf

MHMS RISE Program:  In partnership with Howard County Recreation and Parks and the Horizon Foundation, we are pleased to offer a new after-school sports program called RISE.  Registration and payment are due by January 27th.  Howard County Recreation and Parks representatives will be at MHMS before, during and after the Winter Choir/Orchestra Concert, on Thursday, January 23rd, to assist with onsite registration.  Please see the attached documents for detailed information.  RISE _flier_Murray Hill MS_19.pdf 

Clothing To Cash Recycling Program:  MHMS is a part of the Clothing To Cash Recycling Program.  The program not only supports environmental efforts, it also serves as a fundraiser for our school.  MHMS earns a cash payment for every pound of collected items. Please, bring your used clothing, shoes and other items in plastic bags, and place them in our collection bin located at the entrance of our parking lot.  Please see the attached flyer to learn about all of the different items that can be donated.  MHMSClothingToCash.jpg 

PTA News

PTA Membership:  Sign up for the PTA while visiting the Murray Hill Middle School PTA website https://mhms.ptboard.com/home

PTA Meeting:  The January 21st at 7:00 p.m.

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 official MHMS website 
• Follow MHMS on Twitter  
• Visit Canvas often
• Visit the HCPSS website
• Download the HCPSS app on your mobile device (search Howard County Public School System)
• Get HCPSS Connect  for "access to a variety of student information and classroom instructional tools offering personalized communication and timely, relevant and easily accessible information relating to your student."

Community News

RISE Program Job Opportunity:  Are you interested in part-time after school employment? Do you have coaching or recreation experience and enjoy working with middle-school students? Apply to work with the RISE (Recreation-Inspired Sports for Everyone) program at Murray Hill Middle School.  This is a shared initiative between the Howard County Public School System, Howard County Recreation and Parks and the Horizon Foundation for students to participate after school two days a week for two separate 6-week sessions of coed mixed sports and recreation at a reduced fee.  If you have no coaching experience, but have played a sport in the past - we can train you to coach!   For full job descriptions and application instructions, please see attached flyer! This is an excellent opportunity for at home college students or fresh out of college students looking to get their foot in the door.  RISE Job Description.pdf 

HC DrugFree Update:  HC DrugFree will host a free educational program, Not My Child- Teen Vaping and More, on January 29th, at 7:00 p.m. at Marriotts Ridge High School.  (Snow Date- February 11th).  NotMyChildVaping (1).pdf 

For more Community News visit the Community News and Programs page 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