A Note From The Principal

Dear MHMS Families,

Last Thursday, HCPSS Superintendent, Dr. Martirano visited Murray Hill Middle School.  During his visit, he had the opportunity to speak directly with a group of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students as a part of his Student Advisory Meetings series, which supports his mission of hearing directly from students all over the county.  Our students had the opportunity to share what it is like to be a middle school student at Murray Hill Middle School, and they shared things they would like Dr. Martirano to consider in order to make our school and our school system even better than it already is.  Dr. Martirano sincerely enjoyed the open and honest dialog that occurred; and, while he could not speak with every student, he did address our MHMS community over the public-address system, and reminded us all to “Work hard, and be kind.”  Thank you Dr. Martirano for your visit. 

Sincerely,

Lisa R. Smithson

Principal

Murray Hill Middle School

Important Dates:

News From The Hill

School News

Did You Know???:  Did you know that it is a great time replenish school supplies?  As we move into the second half of the year, check in with your students to make sure they have the supplies that they need including loose-leaf paper, pens, pencils, journals.  It is important for students to be prepared with the necessary supplies when they attend their classes.  If you have a need for supplies, please contact our school counselors, Ms. Raymond and Ms. Svoboda, and they will be more than happy to assist you.   

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 students 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, using the following link:  https://forms.gle/ojnYgcsc2kqd8z87A .  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 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.  We were excited to have Howard County Recreation and Parks representatives assisting families and conducting onsite registrations for the RISE program during our Winter Choir and Orchestra concert last week; many of our families are now signed up to participate.   Registration has been extended through Wednesday, January 29th. Please see the attached documents for detailed information RISE _flier_Murray Hill MS_19.pdf 

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. 

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 

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 

A Note From the Nurse:  Flu season is here!  This is a reminder that good hand washing and covering sneezes and coughs with tissues and sleeves are essential steps to preventing the spread of germs.  Also, remember that despite concerns about school attendance, your child’s health (and the health of others around them) is most important of all.  For this reason, we ask you to please:

• Call the school nurse to let us know if your child is absent with a contagious illness such as strep throat or the flu, etc.Please provide any documentation from your physician about a diagnosis and a release to return to school.(Ear and sinus infections, while often a reason for keeping a child home, are generally not contagious).
• Keep your child home if he/she has a fever of over 100.0 degrees.A fever indicates that your child has an infection that could be passed to other students or staff members.If you give your child Motrin or Tylenol, the fever will, of course, disappear, but he/she will still be contagious to others.Children must be fever-free for 24 hours (without medication) before returning to school.
• Have your children wash their hands properly after using the restrooms and prior to eating.
• If the doctor prescribes medication for your child, please make sure he/she takes it as directed, which means the right amount at the right time, without missing doses.

Thank you very much for helping in keeping our MHMS community healthy. 

BSAP News

BSAP Summer Institute:  If your child is an African-American, Latino or Native American male planning to attend the BSAP Summer Institute, please contact Ms. Whye immediately for information about scholarship funds available to help cover the cost of the program.  

PTA News

PTA Membership:  It is not too late to join the MHMS PTA.  Sign up today by visiting the Murray Hill Middle School PTA website https://mhms.ptboard.com/home

PTA Meeting:  February 11th 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

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 http://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