April 9, 2025 | Issue 163

Next week is spring break! We hope our OM students have a fun, restful break and come back ready for the final push to the end of the school year!

Two restaurant nights are happening today: OMMS PTSA's BurgerFi and TSES PTA's Pizzaman. See each school's box below for details.

Coming up THIS FRIDAY, April 11 we will be hosting our final Lively Arts for Little Ones concert of the season with Pam the Kindersinger at 10:30 a.m. at The Other Barn. See flyer below, along with a link to purchase tickets online (or buy at the door).

Also, later in the month, we'll be holding a family-friendly Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Courtyard at The Other Barn. Yards Alive will be there with its annual native plant giveaway, and School of Rock will perform at 11:30 a.m. We'll also have vendors and free kids crafts.

Enjoy spring break!

Brigitta Warren, Village Manager

Amy Carpenter, Events & Administrative Coordinator

PTSA Restaurant Night at BurgerFi TODAY! April 9, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

6181 Old Dobbin Lane, Columbia

Remember to mention OMMS! More info

PTSA Meeting

April 28, 6:30 p.m.

OMMS Media Center

OMMS Music in the Parks Fundraiser - FINAL PUSH!

Fundraiser ends April 20

Help OMMS music students participate in this year's Music in the Parks! Find out more and donate HERE!

OMMS Spiritwear Sale

Ongoing through the end of the school year

Find all of your Oakland Mills Falcons spirit wear and school spirit apparel for youth, women, and men, all in one place at 1st Place Spiritwear.

Donate to the PTSA

Support the OMMS PTSA by visiting the OMMS PTSA Givebacks Store to make a direct cash donation.

OMMS School Store

At the OMMS school store, students use the Falcon Dollars they earned for good behavior to purchase items. OMMS is still looking for donations. Very popular items: cosmetics (they love the ELF brand ) and body care products; sporting equipment; small stuffed animals; small hand sanitizers (like from BBW); and snacks. If you'd like to donate, visit the store's Amazon wishlist.

SFES Judy Center

The SFES Judy Center will be housed within existing SFES facilities and is expected to officially begin serving families in fall 2025. In the months leading up to the SFES Judy Center’s opening, HCPSS will work with SFES to hire staff, begin to establish relationships with partners and stakeholder groups, and conduct outreach to families to help them understand the programs and services the Judy Center will offer.

Once it is open, the SFES Judy Center will offer a range of services, including adult education and parenting classes.

“As educators, we know how essential early learning is to students’ success in kindergarten and beyond. At the Judy Center, we aim to build awareness and understanding of the importance of early learning among our parents and caregivers, enlist them as partners, and teach them ways to help their child be ‘school ready,’” explains Carter.

The SFES Judy Center also will provide case management services, helping to connect families with programs and services needed to improve their overall well-being.

“Howard County has a wide range of services available to help families, but they are not always easy for families to navigate. By providing case management, the SFES Judy Center will help to ensure that families know where to go and how to access the services they need,” La Marca Lessner says.

In addition, SFES’s Judy Center will host weekly multigenerational playgroups, guided by evidence-based practices that align to the Maryland Early Learning Standards and help prepare children for kindergarten. Parents and caregivers of the participating children will have the opportunity to participate in family education events, where they may learn about such topics as the importance of school attendance and the role play has in building skills needed in school.

SFES also will partner with a variety of groups and organizations to provide early intervention identification, developmental and health screenings, parenting classes, and other services that support students and families.

The establishment of SFES’ Judy Center supports HCPSS’ efforts to fulfill the requirements of Pillar 1 of Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which calls for investment in high-quality early childhood education and learning experiences, and more specifically, for the expansion of Judy Centers.

PTA Restaurant Night at Pizzaman

TODAY! April 9, 3:00 to 9:00 p.m.

5810 Robert Oliver Place (OM Village Center)

Dine-in and carryout only. Mention TSES PTA before paying. More info

PTA Meeting

April 9, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

TSES Media center or online

Contact PTA for Google meet code.

TSES International Night

May 1, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

TSES

TSES Restaurant Night at Chipotle

May 14, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

9851 Broken Land Parkway, Columbia

Flyer

Taharka Brothers Ice Cream Fundraiser

April 21 to 23

Coupon Code is THUNDER THUNDER Fundraiser - Taharka Brothers

Ice Cream will be delivered on April 25 to your residence after 4:30 p.m.

Spring Community Craft Fair & Yard Sale

April 26, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

THES Front Parking Lot

Rain Date: May 3

Info & vendor registration

PTA's Let's Glow Dance-a-thon

May 16, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.

THES Gym

PTA Meeting

May 22, 6:00 p.m.

THES

Free childcare provided. The PTA has planned a special activity with Karate 4 Girls. It is a free workshop for boys and girls. It will be lots of fun!

School Closure Dates

April 14 - 21: Spring Break

Change to Last Days of School:

• June 9 - 13: Full days of school
• June 16 - 17: 3-hour early dismissal
• June 18: Last day/3-hour early dismissal

Emergency/weather closings info

Howard County Student Film Festival

May 2, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Miller Library Branch

9421 Frederick Rd, Ellicott City

More info

Be a Judge at a Simulated Congressional Hearing!

Various dates/schools available. Topic: We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution. Listen to students, ask questions, and provide feedback. You do not have to be an expert on the Constitution to be a judge. Training provided. Registration & Info

Attention Parents of Rising Kindergarteners: Don't Wait for Summer to Address Developmental Concerns!

If you have concerns about your child's development—whether it's their speech, motor skills, social skills, or learning—it's important to act now. Waiting until the summer for a referral can delay crucial support that your child may need before starting kindergarten.

Contact HCPSS's Child Find to schedule a screening. Call 410-313-7046 or email ChildFind@hcpss.org.

2025-2026 Kindergarten Registration Now Open

Parents/guardians can now begin the kindergarten enrollment process online for the 2025-2026 school year. Parents/guardians of children who will be five on or before Sept. 1 must enroll their children in kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year.

Information for Families Regarding Visits by Representatives from State or Federal Agencies

Please see the Howard County Public School's message related to the Department of Homeland Security’s directive allowing immigration enforcement actions to occur in sensitive areas, including schools and bus stops, and the process school administrators take when schools are unexpectedly visited by representatives from State or Federal Agencies.

Student RFID Bus Cards

Effective February 2025, HCPSS will expand its pilot program for a student bus identification card to all elementary schools and several others that are serviced by Zum Services, Inc., which has the required hardware and software readily available. Read more.

Board of Education Meetings

• April 9, 4:00 & 7:00 p.m. – Regularly Scheduled Meeting
• April 29, 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.

Battle of the Books Volunteers Needed!

April 25 at Merriweather Post Pavilion

Help Howard County Library System and the Howard County Public School System host a great Battle of the Books for our county’s kids!

High school students can volunteer if they sign up for the same shift with a supervising adult (we can sign for service hours). Details (about parking, pizza and more!) will be sent to you via email. Contact winifred.lafrancechambers@hclibrary.org with any questions. 

Student volunteers needed for LakeFest 2025!

The Columbia Festival of the Arts (CFA) would like to invite your middle and high school students to support the artists and the festivalgoers at LakeFest 2025. Students must be at least 13 years old and, if under 16, must be accompanied by a parent. Volunteers may help visual artists load and unload their art & supplies and set up their booths or provide relief to artists who need to leave to get lunch or take a quick break. They will have the opportunity to network with artists and hear first-hand accounts of their journeys to becoming an artist and perfecting their craft. Additional info and registration is on the CFA website. 

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.