Murray Hill Middle School
A Note From The Principal
Dear MHMS Families,
We have many families who still need to verify/update Family File for the 2020-2021 school year. Family File must be verified/updated at the beginning of every school year. At this time we still need Family File completed for over 250 of our students. If you have not completed Family File for the 2020-2021 school year, please do so this weekend by logging into http://www.hcpss.org/connect/. Parents who have forgotten their login credentials for Family File may click the View instructions on resetting passwords. link on the sign in page. Thank you for completing this very important task.
Families please know that the quarter ends on November 6th. Grades for all quarterly classes, which include Related Arts classes, Reading Modules, and Academic Seminars will be finalized in just a few short weeks. November 6th, also marks the midpoint for all other courses. It is important that your student attends all of their Google Meets on a daily basis, submits all asynchronous work on time, and utilizes the Support Classes for extra help and assistance. Please be sure to log into http://www.hcpss.org/connect/, frequently to access Canvas and review your students academic progress.
We are happy to report that our virtual administration of the fall MAP assessment was successful. If your student missed the assessments offered on October 7th and 14th, or if they did not finish testing, the following make-up opportunities will be provided (Please contact Ms. Couch, MHMS Assistant Principal at alexia_couch@hcpss.org, with any questions or concerns):
Reading
Date
Time
Meet Code
Wednesday 10/21/20
9:00-11:00 AM
OR
1:00-3:00 PM
mhms-read-map
Math
Date
Time
Meet Code
Wednesday 10/28/20
9:00-11:00 AM
OR
1:00-3:00 PM
mhms-math-map
Sincerely,
Lisa R. Smithson
Principal
Murray Hill Middle School
Important Dates:
October 16th 12:00 pm-2:00 pm
Memory Book Pick-Up
October 20th @ 6:00 p.m.
BSAP and Me Parent Session (see BSAP News below for details)
October 22nd
Restaurant Night @ Sweet Frog
October 23rd 8:30 am-3:00 p.m.
Memory Book Pick-Up
November 3rd
Schools and Offices Closed
November 6th
3-Hour Early Dismissal (End of Q1)
MHMS News:
Memory Books: 2019-2020 Memory Books have finally been delivered!!!! We will facilitate another distribution of yearbooks on Wednesday, October 21th from 8:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. and on Friday, October 23rd from 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. When you arrive in the front of the school, please call the main office (410-880-5897), and a staff member will bring your Memory Book to your vehicle. If you did not order a Memory Book, but would like one, we have additional copies for sale. Hard copies will be sold for $25.00 and soft covers will be sold for $20.00. Only cash or checks made payable to MHMS will be accepted.
Reporting Absences: Attendance during Virtual Learning is critical. Students are expected to attend the entirety of their period 1, 2, 3, and 4 classes on Monday’s, Tuesday’s, Thursday’s and Friday’s. If your student is unable to attend a Google Meet, due to illness, an appointment, etc., a note must be submitted within two days of the student’s return. To report an absence, please email: MHMSAbsence@hcpss.org.
Family File: Please remember that Family File must be updated every school year. HCPSS uses Family File for parents/guardians to complete emergency information. Parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child, and can do so by logging into http://www.hcpss.org/connect/. Parents who have forgotten their login credentials for Family File may click the View instructions on resetting passwords. link on the sign in page.
Parents who are new to the Howard County Public School System will receive a welcome email with instructions to activate an account.
(Please note- change of address may not be made through Family File. If you have recently moved, please contact our Student Services Secretary, Brenda Ganzermiller, at brenda_ganzermiller@hcpss.org, as soon as possible)
Thank you to the 450 MHMS families who have completed their Family File for the 2020-2021 school year.
School Supplies: A number of school supplies have been donated to MHMS. Reusable bags include a binder, loose-leaf paper, folders, post-it notes, spiral notebooks, index cards, pencils, erasers and earbuds. If your student is in need of school supplies, please come to the school any day next week, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. When you arrive in the front of the school, please call the main office (410-880-5897), and a staff member will bring the school supplies to your vehicle.
Meal Distribution: Meals are available daily at nearly all HCPSS schools. Students 18 and under can pick up a grab and go breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday at any meal distribution site. Food Services Staff have meals available from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Both breakfast and lunch can be picked up during either time slot. Several days of meals can even be pre-ordered. If MHMS is a convenient meal distribution site for your student, you will find our Food Services Staff ready to assist you right inside our main entrance doors. More detailed information can be found here.
From the Math Office: As a result of the 2020-2021 4X4 schedule, not every student is engaging in math this semester. We have heard from many families looking for math engagement during the fall semester in order to prepare for the spring semester. We suggest the Get Ready Courses in Khan Academy. This link takes you directly to these courses. These are excellent resources that combine topics from the last course your student took and the new course your student will take this year.
Materials Distribution and Collection: If you have items that need to be returned to MHMS (i.e. textbooks, media center books, instruments), please know that there is a collection bin located inside the first set of doors to our main entrance; items can be dropped off between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Additionally, if you were contacted by a MHMS staff member to receive art supplies, books for Seminar C, spring pictures, or a device, please contact the main office between 7:30 and 3:30 to arrange pick up (410-880-5897).
Building Access: MHMS is currently not accessible to parents or students. If you need to get in contact with MHMS staff, you can email staff directly, or call the main office at 410-880-5897. Main office staff will be available to assist during school days from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. We ask for your patience, as we will be working with a reduced front office staff.
MHMS BSAP News:
MHMS BSAP Survey: Interested families, please complete the survey so that our BSAP program can be a support to you and your student. This survey is intended to gather information on ways the BSAP Liaison can support you and your student during the 2020-2021 school year from parents whose student(s) identify as Black or African American. For questions, please contact MHMS BSAP Liaison, Ms. Whye at hope_whye@hcpss.org.
MHMS BSAP & Me Parent Session: Please join your MHMS Black Student Achievement Program (BSAP) Liaison, Ms. Whye, for a BSAP & Me season on October 20th at 6:00 pm. During the session, you will be introduced to the program and have the opportunity to provide feedback about how we can best work together in this virtual world. Students are welcome to attend with parents. Please use the following Google Meet information to join:
https://meet.google.com/mqe-zqfj-ncj
Dial-in: (US) +1 352-503-8947 PIN: 506 757 677#
MHMS Media Center News:
A Message For 6th Grade Students: We're very excited that we're going to start Curbside Library Media Book Pick Up for 6th graders soon, but first we need the 375 books that were checked out returned to their former elementary schools. Some kids have up to 5 books each - 375 - that's a LOT of books!
If you could please drop your overdue media book off to your previous elementary school vestibule or return box, that would be the best! They will be SO happy to have them back to pass along to their current students! If you can't manage that, you can drop them off at MHMS and we'll make every effort to get them back to the right school & Library Media Collection.
Students can verify if they have overdue books by checking their Office 365 email (link on the bottom of hcpss.me) to see if they got a notice that they're OVERDUE. -- Email address for students follows yourusualnameloginand#@inst.hcpss.org - You may have to designate EASTERN STANDARD Time - NYC or Washington DC, then look for the overdue notice with the book titles.
Canvas inbox Ms. Gwyneth Jones or email at gwyneth_jones@hcpss.org if you have questions. Thank you!
MHMS PTA News:
PTA 2020-2021 Membership: Please visit https://mhms.new.memberhub.store/store to obtain your MHMS PTA membership for the 2020-2021 school year.
MHMS SPIRITWEAR: MHMS Spiritwear is now available to order online! Support the MHMS PTA and show your MHMS pride by purchasing today! Spiritwear can be customized and features both glitter and non-glitter options. All merchandise will be mailed directly to the address of your choice. FREE SHIPPING is available from October 23rd through November 9th, and will be available for orders over $50.00 after November 9th.
sweetFrog Restaurant Fundraiser: The MHMS PTA is sponsoring a restaurant fundraiser on Thursday, October 22nd at sweetFrog (3341 Corridor Marketplace). The MHMS PTA will earn 25% of the sales. Please support by showing the flyer or mentioning MHMS when you place your order- SweetFrog Flyer.pdf
HCPSS News:
HCPSS Family Survey for Second Semester Planning: HCPSS staff are currently evaluating possibilities for in-person instructional options for the second semester, which begins February 1, 2021. Please be sure to complete the survey by Friday, October 23rd. For instructions on completing the survey, please visit this link.
Community News:
Fresh Food Giveaway: Glen Mar UMC in partnership with the MD Food Bank will sponsor a fresh food give away on October 23rd, from 4:00-6:00 pm at the Glen Mar Church parking lot (4701 New Cut Road, Ellicott City, MD 21043). 200 families will be provided boxes of produce at each event. The boxes are FREE. See the flyer for more details- Pantry on the Go- Ellicott City Oct 23 English.pdf Pantry on the Go- Ellicott City Oct 23 Spanish.pdf
MLS Oratory Contest: See the attached flyer for more information regarding the Martin Luther King, Jr. Oratory Contest. MLKORATORYPACKET.pdf
The Council of Elders Community Academy: See the attached flyer for information regarding The Council of Elders Parent Workshop Series. TCOE Flyer.png
Murray Hill Middle School | 9989 Winter Sun Road, Laurel, MD 20723 | 410-880-5897 | mhms.hcpss.org