August 19, 2026 | Issue 186

School starts next Monday, August 24! As students return, please take extra care when you drive. Watch out for pedestrians, follow speed limits, stop for buses, and sprinkle in a generous helping of patience.

We hope our OM students, teachers, and staff have a wonderful, successful year!

Brigitta Warren, Village Manager

Amy Carpenter, Events & Administrative Coordinator

Traffic Notice

Construction on Oakland Mills Middle School is ongoing. This work continues to impact traffic near the OMMS/OMHS campus, particularly during morning and afternoon dismissal. Please be sure to follow all staff directions as you enter both schools.

Families and student drivers should anticipate significant delays and plan additional travel time to ensure students arrive at school on time and are picked up promptly. Although it will not be monitored by staff, students may also use the Blandair Park path for arrival and dismissal (drop off at the Blandair West parking lot—see map below).

Please note that tardies resulting from traffic or construction delays are not considered excused.

OMHS Principal Dwayne Williams (edited)

OMHS New Student Orientation & cOMmunity Day

August 20

OMHS

9:00 a.m. New student orientation

11:00 a.m. cOMmunity Day

See flier above for more info

OMHS Back to School Night

August 20, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

OMHS Auditorium

More info

OMHS Food Pantry

August 26, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

OMHS Front Entrance

OMHS Homecoming Weekend

October 9 & 10

OMMS Student Arrival Changes

As part of OMMS's continued commitment to student safety, students will now enter the school building upon arrival rather than waiting or gathering outside before the school day begins. Students arriving by bus will transition directly from their buses into the building, and the school team will have supervision and routines in place to support their arrival. Doors will open for all students at: 8:15.



For those families that drop students off or have students walk to school, please be mindful that students should not be dropped off or walk to school prior to the time doors open as there will be limited supervision prior to when the doors officially open for students. 

OMMS Principal Rhoda Núñez-Donnelly (edited)

OMMS Construction Update

County Executive Calvin Ball recently posted a video on his official Facebook page showing aerial views of the construction along with info about the construction. Check it out HERE.

OMMS New Student Orientation

August 20, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.

OMMS

Includes session en español from 2:30 to 3:00

OMMS Back-to-School Night

September 2, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

OMMS

OMMS Restaurant Night at Chipotle

September 2, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

6181 Old Dobbin Ln., Columbia

TSES Back-to-School Supply Distribution

August 19, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

August 21, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

TSES Gym

For TSES families in need of financial assistance. Registration required. More info & registration

TSES 2026-27 School Supply List

Find the supply list HERE.

TSES Dates to Remember

August 21 - TSES Open House

RECC/PreK, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

COMPASS, 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.

Kindergarten, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

New Student Orientation, 1:30 to 2:00 p.m.

Grades 1-5, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Popsicles on the Playground, 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.

September 8 - Grades K-2 Back to School Night

September 10 - Back to School Night

Advanced Programming (GT), 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Grades 3-5, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

THES Dates to Remember

August 21, 10:00 a.m. - Kindergarten Open House

August 21, 1:15 p.m. - New Student Orientation/Open House

August 21, 2:00 p.m. - Open House for Other Grades

September 8, 6:00 p.m. - Back-to-School Night, K-2

September 9, 5:30 p.m. - Back-to-School Night, Gifted & Talented

September 9, 6:00 p.m. - Back-to-School Night, 3-5

THES Arrival & Dismissal

9:10 a.m. - arrival begins

9:25 a.m. - students must arrive by this time

3:55 p.m. - dismissal

THES 2026-27 School Supply List

Find the supply list HERE.

School Closure Dates

August 24: First Day of School for K-12

September 7: No school (Labor Day)

September 21: No school

September 30: 3-hour early dismissal

October 16: No school

October 28: No school

Full HCPSS Calendar

Emergency/weather closings info

Update Your Family File Today!

HCPSS utilizes Family File for parents/guardians to supply emergency information. Parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child every year.

Free & Reduced Meals

Changes to federal law may have impacted students’ Free and Reduced Meals Program (FARMs) eligibility for the 2026-2027 school year, and families that previously received direct certification may not be automatically enrolled this year. All eligible families are urged to complete a FARMs application, available online or via paper form.

Get the Scoop on the 2026-27 School

Year

See a general list of resources on HCPSS's 2026-27 School Year page.

Board of Education Meetings

Upcoming Regular Meetings:

• August 20, 4 & 7 p.m. – Regularly Scheduled Meeting
• September 24, 4 & 7 p.m. – Regularly Scheduled Meeting

The BoardDocs website has transitioned to Diligent Community. The Board’s Community website houses Board reports, presentations and related documents. It additionally is home to the Board’s document library and all pertinent Board information. School Board announcements/meetings can still be found on HCPSS's Board of Ed page.

Come on out to the Oakland Mills Fall Festival! Several OM schools will participating, including a performance by the OMHS band (11 a.m.), the Stevens Forest ES hot dog stand, and Talbott Springs ES face painting and crafts. Admission is free, and we'll have lots of family-friendly activities. Visit the festival website for updates and info!

If you'd like to be a vendor, visit our vendor page to start the process.

Free Immunizations Available

August 31, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Columbia Health Center

8930 Stanford Boulevard, Columbia 21045

The Howard County Health Department will offer FREE immunization events for children age 18 and younger to get the required vaccines required for Howard County Public Schools. For more information, visit Back to School Vaccination Clinic | Howard County

Tis the Season for Back-to-School Scams

 A message from the Howard County Office of Consumer Protection

Check out this Federal Communications Commission resource about back-to-school scams that target students and families.

Parents hunting for bargains may find fake school shopping deals on look-alike websites. College students may be at risk from fake rental housing advertisements or scholarship offers designed to steal their personal information. 

Remember: be wary of offers that are too good to be true and protect your banking and personal information. For more information on how to protect yourself from scams, check out this FDIC resource.

Safe Schools Maryland

Safe Schools Maryland is an anonymous and free reporting system available to students, teachers, staff members, parents, and the general public to report any school or student safety concerns, including mental health concerns. 

Safe Schools Maryland is Maryland’s only official anonymous reporting system. Safe Schools Maryland operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. Your anonymous report can be submitted by calling the tip line (1-833-MD-B-SAFE / 1-833-632-7233), completing an online form or downloading the free Safe Schools Maryland app from the App Store or Google Play.​ 

All students should feel comfortable in Maryland’s schools. Children and young adults are stronger students when they feel safe and secure. Strong students go on to serve as the foundation for strong communities. 

Safe Schools Maryland exists to ensure that our schools and our students remain safe and secure. With Safe Schools Maryland, all interested members of our communities are able to report their school and student safety concerns anonymously and sec​urely.  

Oakland Mills High School Food Pantry

August 26, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Free, no contact.

Free Student Meals

Click HERE to learn more and apply.

HC DrugFree Teen Advisory Council

HC DrugFree invites all Howard County students in grades 8-12 to join its Teen Advisory Council (TAC.) Members of TAC meet once monthly during the academic year and act as student ambassadors in their schools and in the community.

Why join TAC?

• Earn community service hours
• Gain experience for job & college applications
• Volunteer opportunities year round
• Be a leader and role model in Howard County!

Previous (and new) members, please remember to submit your 2026-2027 TAC Registration so your contact information can be updated.