Oakland Mills School Happenings | February 4, 2026 | Issue 175 | | |
It's February, and Valentine's Day is coming up. Spread the love by donating to our school orgs! The OMHS Chamber Choir is hoping to go to Carnegie Hall, the OMHS PTSA is doing a membership drive (with a fun raffle!), PLUS there are a few restaurant nights and ongoing donation drives. Check out each school's box below to see how you can help!
And watch out for falling ice and snow, and stay warm!
Brigitta Warren, Village Manager
Amy Carpenter, Events & Administrative Coordinator
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Oakland Mills High School
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Chamber Choir Opportunity - Donations Needed!!
The OMHS Chamber Choir has an unforgettable two-day performance opportunity at the legendary Carnegie Hall in March 2026, led by nationally renowned conductors, Dr. Edryn Coleman & Marques Garrett, and World Premiere Composer-in-Residence, Kahan Taraporevala.
This event includes two rehearsals, a sound check, and ends with a public concert. We are seeking financial support for our students to attend, estimated in total at $42,000, including hotel, food, a Broadway show & museum tickets. Bus transportation for all students is an additional $4,000.
Your generous donation will bring us one step closer to this great honor. More details: Chamber Choir Donations - Performance at Carnegie Hall, NYC
Link: https://www.nationalconcerts.com/products/national-concert-chorus-23
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PTSA February Membership Drive
Win a Valentine’s-themed basket
• $5 for 1 raffle ticket
• $20 for an arm’s length of raffle tickets
Your support helps fund student programs and staff appreciation, making a real difference at OMHS. Purchase raffle tickets HERE.
PTSA Coffee & Donuts
February 13, Morning
OMHS Cafeteria
Enjoy coffee, hot cocoa, and donuts — available to all members (current & new).
Special membership incentive for new members:
- ONE FREE raffle entry for the Valentine’s basket
- A sweet token of appreciation
Join HERE.
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OMHS Food Pantry
February 25, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
OMHS
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Tri-M Concert at Savage Mill
February 21, 1:30 p.m.
Savage Mill
8600 Foundry St, Savage, MD
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Save the Date! OMHS Spring Musical
March 5-6, 7:00 p.m.
March 7, 2:00 & 7:00 p.m.
OMHS Auditorium
More info & tickets to come soon!
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Help with Winter Sports Concessions!
The OMHS Boosters need people to held with concessions during games. Sign up HERE!
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Sports Schedules
Visit County Sports Zone for schedules and results.
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Oakland Mills Middle School
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OMMS PTSA Givebacks
Want to donate to the OMMS PTSA? Visit the PTSA's Givebacks page to find out how.
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Donate to the Falcon Store
The PTSA is looking for donations for the Falcon Store. Students are able to purchase items with the Falcon bucks they earn for good behavior. Email the PTSA for suggestions or if you are interested in staffing the store during student lunch periods.
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Stevens Forest Elementary School
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Valentine's Dance
February 12, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
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SFES Family Science Night
February 19, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
SFES Cafeteria
Presented by the Maryland Science Center and sponsored by the Howard County Arts Council. More info
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SFES Judy Center
The Judy Center Early Learning Hub connects families with high-quality, comprehensive, full-day, full-year early education services, promoting school readiness for children ages 0 to 5. Its goals are to serve students and families within the schools’ boundaries. Would you like to learn more about the SFES Judy Center? Call 410-313-8245, or fill out this form or in Spanish - Spanish Interest Form
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Talbott Springs Elementary School
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TSES Raising Cane Restaurant Night
February 10, 3:00 to 9:00 p.m.
9071 Snowden River Pkwy, Columbia
Facebook Event Page
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Save the Date: TSES Sneaker Ball
March 5
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Thunder Hill Elementary School
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KidzArt Parents Night Out
February 13, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
THES Cafeteria
$35. Pizza included. See flier for more info.
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Winter Thunderland
February 19, 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.
THES
Food trucks, music, games, activities, photo booth, and robotics team presentation. Children must be accompanied by a parent or adult caregiver at all times.
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THES Restaurant Night at BJ's Brewhouse
February 26, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
6181 Columbia Crossing Cir, Columbia
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Thunderbirds SOAR Cart: Donations Needed!
The THES Thunderbirds are working hard this year demonstrating THES's SOAR behaviors! They are earning many DOJO points for Showing Kindness, Including Others, Showing Respect to Others, and Being Responsible. They can use DOJO points to shop at the SOAR cart every other week. We are looking for creative ways to replenish items on the cart. If you would like to donate an item, you can use this Amazon Wish List to have items sent directly to our school.
Thank you for your consideration and generosity! -- THES SOAR Team
https://a.co/240ihGJ
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Howard County Public School System
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School Closure Dates
February 5 & 6: Elementary Schools ONLY 3-hour Early Release
February 16 & 17: Schools Closed
March 3: 3-hour Early Release
March 20: Schools Closed
March 30 - April 6: Spring Break
Emergency/weather closings info
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Howard County Dance Festival
February 7, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Guilford Park High School
8500 Ridgelys Run Road, Jessup
Featuring performances by all thirteen high school dance companies and the 2025-26 All-County Dance Performance Ensemble. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online. There will be no option to purchase tickets with cash at the door.
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HCPSS Special Education Parent Resource Fair
March 14, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Cedar Lane School
11630 Scaggsville Road, Fulton
The HCPSS Special Education Resource Fair provides families with information available from the community and HCPSS to support their students receiving special education and related services. Get connected to: Services within HCPSS, Recreational Activities, Camps, Community Groups, Service Providers, Transition Information, Assistive Technology, Behavioral Health, Howard County Government Resources, and much more!
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Board of Education Meetings
Budget Public Hearing
February 12, 7:00 p.m.
The Board of Education has scheduled an additional public hearing on the Superintendent’s Proposed FY27 Operating/Capital Budgets. Community members must pre-register by 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 11 to testify. Details on pre-registration and testimony and a link to register are available online.
Upcoming Regular Meetings:
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February 26, 4:00 & 7:00 p.m. – Regularly Scheduled Meeting
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March 26, 4:00 & 7:00 p.m. – Regularly Scheduled Meeting
Board meetings may be viewed live or on-demand online, and during and after each meeting on Howard County Comcast channel 95 or Verizon channel 42. Upcoming Public Hearings can be found online.
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Oakland Mills Board of Directors
Education Committee
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OMCA Education Committee meeting
Next meeting: TBA
The Oakland Mills Community Association's Education Committee advocates for and assists our schools to ensure students attending schools in the Oakland Mills Cluster have top-quality educational opportunities in diverse, enriching settings. New members always welcome!
For more information contact Oakland Mills Board of Directors, Jonathan Edelson at jledelson.omca@gmail.com.
| | | Community Resources & Announcements | | | |
Volunteers Needed to be Mentors
OhanaHC matches students from OMHS and three other Howard County high schools with adult mentors there to help them reach their chosen goals. More mentors are needed for OMHS students! Interested in helping? Click the button below to find out more.
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Oakland Mills Online (OMO) is an online social learning platform founded by Oakland Mills families to keep our community connected.
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HC DrugFree provides resources and education on prevention, treatment, recovery, and health and wellness to help Howard County residents develop knowledge and skills to understand and address behavioral health (substance use and mental health) disorders. HC
DrugFree website.
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CAREAPP makes it easy to find and connect with over 2,500 Howard County programs for food, health, housing, transportation, education, employment assistance, and more.
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The Grassroots Day Resource Center at Leola Dorsey is located at:
10390 Guilford Road, Suite A
Jessup, MD
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FindHelp.org's Listings of Food Pantry Programs in Columbia
Click HERE
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CAREAPP
Find services for food, health, housing, transportation, education, employment assistance, and more. Click HERE for info.
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Howard County Food Connections Map
Interactive tool to help you find low-cost, accessible food and nutrition resources in the County. Also find transit routes/stops. Click HERE.
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Howard County Food Bank
Shop for the Foods YOU want at the Howard County Food Bank. All shopping trips are family-choice. Fresh items such as milk, eggs, hygiene products, meats, produce are all on hand each time. Families who may qualify should visit www.CAC-HC.org (Community Action Council website) or call 410-313-6440 for more details.
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Howard County Multiservice Center Food Pantry
9900 Washington Blvd, Suite 1, Laurel
Mondays & Wednesdays
12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Third Saturday
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
More info: English, Spanish
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What to Do If You Are Laid Off
Losing a job can be a devastating experience. What to Do If You Are Laid Off is a new resource from the Office of Consumer Protection which provides helpful tips and links for people facing job loss. Howard County is offering resources for people affected by federal job loss - reach out to hocohelp@howardcountymd.gov for assistance.
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Columbia Community Care
Free food and goods for those in need. Volunteers and donations welcome. For food distribution dates and location and other information please visit the CCC website for details.
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Oakland Mills High School Food Pantry
January 28, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Free, no contact.
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Free Student Meals
Click HERE to learn more and apply.
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Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland
Meals on Wheels provides nutritious meals once a week for seniors, as well as support and safety-net services. To learn more about services or to donate/volunteer, click HERE.
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Community Action Council Assistance
Community Action Council offers housing assistance, energy assistance, food assistance, and early childhood education. Visit www.cac-hc.org to learn more. Get support or get involved now by calling 410-313-6440.
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Discounts for Food Deliveries
This article by the Associated Press/WBALTV lists companies offering discounts and/or free delivery for SNAP beneficiaries, including free delivery from food banks.
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Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center
8990 Old Annapolis Road, Suite A , Columbia
Call: 410-531-6677 or 410-531-6006
24 Hour Hotline: Dial 988
grassrootscrisis.org
Telephone counseling, free walk-in counseling, a 24-hour suicide hotline, Mobile Crisis Team, and a Runaway Teen Program that provides crisis intervention for runaway youth and their families. The emergency shelter will still be open at its location, 6700 Freetown Road. All services are free. Marylanders with mental health or substance use issues are encouraged to call 988 to reach help.
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988.
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Oakland Mills High School Food Pantry
Donations Accepted at The Other Barn, Mondays through Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
See details, including a list of needed items HERE. Donations always welcome! No expired food please! Items can be dropped off in the front office during school hours, 7:30 am - 3:00 pm. Monetary donations are also welcome or order donations through the pantry's Amazon Wishlist. More info.
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AOK Mentoring & Tutoring: Tutors Needed!
Would you like to be a volunteer mentor-tutor who supports Howard County elementary and middle school students? Are you a trustworthy adult who can commit to one school year of service for a student? A-Ok would love to meet you! Find the next A-Ok info session on the A-Ok website.
AOK News: A-Ok Mentoring-Tutoring, Inc. has rebranded and has a name and logo! The new name is AOK Mentoring & Tutoring, with a new tagline for the AOK acronym: All Our Kids.
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