Murray Messenger 11/3/17

Murray Hill Middle School
 

Murray Messenger 11/3/17

A Note From The Principal

Dear MHMS Families,

Last week I attended the MHMS PTA meeting, and I am so excited about the many things that are planned to support our students.  I did, however, find out that our membership numbers are low this year.  I would like to reach out to each of you and ask you to show your support for the MHMS PTA by joining.  Please see the attached flyer, and send it along with your membership to the front office soon as possible.  PTA Membership.pdf 

HCPSS Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Monday, November 20th through Wednesday, November 22nd.  Parents will be able to schedule conferences online starting at 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday, November 8th through 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, November 15th.  Conferences will be scheduled in 15-minute time slots.  Please see the attached directions in order to schedule your conference.  SYN073 Parent Conference Parent-1.pdf 

Sincerely,

Lisa R. Smithson

Principal

Murray Hill Middle School

Important Dates:

November 6th @ 7:00 p.m.

MHMS Band Booster Meeting

November 8th @ 7:00 p.m.

Grassroots Change Matters Concert

November 10th

3-Hour Early Dismissal (End of the Marking Period)

November 11th @ 6:00-10:00 p.m.

PTA Sponsored MHMS 20th Anniversary Gala

November 17th

8th Grade Field Trip- Newseum

November 20th

3-Hour Early Dismissal (Parent/Teacher Conferences)

November 21st

3-Hour Early Dismissal (Parent/Teacher Conferences)

November 22nd

Schools Closed for Students (Parent/Teacher Conferences)

November 23rd-November 24th

Schools Closed- Thanksgiving Break

November 27th

Fall Pictures Retake Day

November 28th @ 6:30 p.m.

PTA Meeting

November 29th @ 6:00 p.m.

Passport to Success:  College and Career Night

News From The Hill

SCHOOL NEWS

MHMS Winter Bazar:  The Winter Bazaar is back again this year!  The Winter Bazaar is a small “store” filled with donated items that students can purchase using their Gotchas.  We are currently looking for donations- small items such as books, candles, jewelry, games, household items, decorative items, baby items, toys, movies, CDs, etc.  Donations can be dropped off in Ms. Hodder’s classroom (Room 106) or brought in with your student and dropped off starting on November 6th.  We will accept donations through December 1st.  Thank you for your support!

Passport To Success; College and Career Night:  Save the date for November 29, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. for this annual event brought to you by our educational partners, The SEL/H Ladies of the Continental Society, Inc. Prepare to experience a college and career fair, and learn about financial aid and scholarship opportunities, explore career options, learn interviewing tips and tips for course selection for high school, and more. Students who attend will receive a homework pass and snacks will be provided. 

8th GRADE NEWS

8th Grade Newseum Field Trip:  The 8th Grade class has a field trip coming up on Friday, November 17th, the Friday before Thanksgiving. We will be going to the Newseum to see how newspapers and reporters have shaped our history. We are then going to the National Mall where students can visit whichever memorials, monuments, and museums interest them. Students can come into school at the regular time but will need to get picked up after school as we will get back around 4:30. If your student is going home with someone other than their own parent/guardian, please have your child bring in a signed note to Ms. Schaefer. Permission slips were sent home and are due back to Social Studies teachers as soon as possible. There are extra copies of the permission slip attached here. Payment is $25 and online payment is available at https://osp.osmsinc.com/HowardMD/ . All students going on the field trip to DC must also have a medical form completed and returned. The form is also attached here.

Chaperones are needed (chaperones do not have to pay for the trip!), please fill in the information on the bottom of the permission slip if you can come with us. For any additional information, please contact Ms. Schaefer at molly_schaefer@hcpss.org.

BSAP NEWS

Academic Enrichment Fair:  The Council of Elders will host an Academic Enrichment Fair.  Please see the flyer for additional information.   TCOE_EnrichmentFair_Nov2017 (1).pdf 

PTA NEWS

PTA Membership: The MHMS PTA drive is still in full effect! Please remember to join the MHMS PTA, by October 31st. Individual Membership (single parent home) $15 and Family Membership- $20.00.  Direction donations are also accepted, if you are unable to pay the full membership fee, or if you wish to contribute more to the MHMS PTA.   PTA Membership.pdf 

PTA Volunteers Needed:  The MHMS PTA has several committees that are in need of volunteers.  Please see the Committees, along with a brief description and contact, PTA President, Femi Williams, if you are interested in volunteering (femiptamhms@gmail.com )

  • Art Show/Art Fair Studio (Chair Needed)- This committee will work closely with the art teacher, to put together an art showcase. This will be the 4th Annual Art Show. The Art Show is an opportunity to show-off what our students have been doing in art class. In order to create excitement and have non-art students excited about attending, we are planning on combining the event with “Make & Take Art Stations” or an art vendor sale where students who make their own jewelry or wallets or pens can come and set-up a booth to sell their products. The Band will also display their talents throughout the night. (May 3, 2018)
  • 5K/1k Run/Walk -Spring (Chair Needed)- This committee is a work in progress. We are striving to host our first 5k sometime in March. We are in the process of figuring out how to get a registered 5k track and all the details of planning such an event. If we successfully plan this event, it could be our biggest fundraiser. (March 24, 2018)
  • World Day for Cultural Diversity (Chair Needed)– Week of May 2018 – 2nd Annual Event. The vision of this event will be in collaboration with MHMS Social Studies department. We will kick off the event with an activity on May 21 and each day we will have various activities during lunch time for the students. On May 22, 2018, there will be a school wide presentations where the students who wish to participate will have an opportunity to talk about their culture (parents etc.) to their grade level peers. On the evening of May 22, 2018, the parents of the students will then prepare a dish from their culture and the students will also present to the parents. The Cultural Arts activities will be held during lunch; The Murray Hill Band will assist with music from around the world.  More information to follow.

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 TRES 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 page http://www.hcpss.org/community-news-and-programs/ on the HCPSS website for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.
 

Date

Monday, November 6, 2017 - 8:30am