October 28, 2026 | Issue 190

Congratulations to the OMHS Boys' Soccer team, who won the County Championship!

The leaves are turning, the air is crisp (at least at night), and spooky yard scenes have popped up all over the village. It's definitely Halloween this week! We hope you all have a fun, safe night! (And if you're driving on Halloween, watch out for excited trick-or-treaters!)

Happy Halloween!

Brigitta Warren, Village Manager

Amy Carpenter, Events & Administrative Coordinator

Rockettes Workshop - donations needed!

OMHS Dance students have the opportunity to not only watch the Rockettes perform live at Radio City Music Hall, but to also engage in a workshop with the Rockettes backstage on Tuesday, December 15, 2026!! OMHS is seeking donations to support students needing financial assistance to participate in this experience. The field trip price of $475.00 per dancer includes a charter bus, show tickets and lunch. Thank you for your consideration and generosity! Donate HERE.

FAB Restaurant Night at Chipotle

November 4, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

9851 Broken Land Pkwy, Columbia

Click HERE for flier & online order instructions

OMHS Craft Fair

November 7, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

OMHS

Vendor registration now open! Email omhscraftfair@yahoo.com or visit the PTSA's Givebacks page.

OMHS Food Pantry

November 18, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Open to all community members; having a student at OMHS is not required. More info.

OMHS Fall Play: Puffs

November 12-13, 7:00 p.m.

November 14, 2:00 & 7:00 p.m.

OMHS Auditorium

Tickets $10, available Nov. 1 on BookTix

OMHS Shredheads Concert

November 18, 7:00 p.m.

OMHS Auditorium

Save the Date: WBAL Concert for Kids

December 5, 1:00 & 7:00 p.m.

OMHS

Stay tuned for more info & tickets!

Science Olympiad Fundraiser

Science Olympiad is selling Slice the Price cards with Dominos to help pay for invitationals, shirts and to help with their building events. The card is $20 and gets you a free large pizza with every large pizza you buy from Dominos till June 30th, 2027. You can use it as many times as you want and it stacks, so if you buy 4 large pizzas, you get 4 free large pizzas! https://store.dominos.cards/57707. Or feel free to give a financial donation by using this link.

Fall Sports Concessions Sign Up

Want to help staff concessions during fall sports? Sign up here!

County Sports Zone

Get sports schedules on County Sports Zone! This year, OMHS has girls flag football, in addition to all the other sports!

Get tickets to OMHS games HERE.

OMMS Restaurant Night at Chipotle

TONIGHT, October 29, 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.

9851 Broken Land Pkwy, Columbia

Order online for pick up with code 8C9L3LV or show flyer.

OMMS Celebrates Hispanic Heritage

November 19, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Dinner served at 5:30 p.m.

OMMS Gym

For OMMS families. Must register to receive a ticket. Prizes, family fun, music, and more! Register.

OMMS PTA Main Event Fun Card Fundraiser

The PTSA is raising funds to support student activities, including field trip scholarships, PBIS initiatives, and teacher appreciation events. Please purchase your Main Event passes HERE, share the page with friends and family, and enjoy a fun day out while supporting OMMS!

Trot for Talbott

November 20

TSES

TSES Sunshine Cart

The TSES Sunshine Committee would love your help in showering TSES's amazing staff with monthly treats! The goal is to provide each staff member with a sweet or salty snack and a beverage each month as a small token of appreciation.

Please consider donating individually wrapped snacks and/or drinks. Donations can be dropped off at the front office.

Prefer not to shop? Monetary donations are also welcome. Please send checks or money orders (payable to Talbott Springs Elementary School) in a sealed envelope marked Attention: Sunshine Committee.

If you have any questions, please contact patricia_cristiani@hcpss.org.

TSES School Hours

8:45 a.m. - arrival

3:15 p.m. - dismissal

THES Fall Fest & Truck or Treat

October 30

Fall Fest: 5:00 to 6:30

Trunk or Treat: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Rain Date: November 1, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

THES

Volunteer/donate or become a sponsor!

THES Arrival & Dismissal

9:10 a.m. - arrival begins

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

3:55 p.m. - dismissal

HCPSS Free RTA Bus Pass Program

Thanks to a continued partnership between HCPSS, Howard County Government, and Regional Transportation Agency (RTA), all HCPSS middle and high school students have access to free RTA bus passes through summer 2027. Students have full access to the RTA system and are not limited to transportation to and from schools or to school-related activities.

If your child is interested, they can visit the front office to request a free pass. To obtain the free student bus pass, students must agree to: ​

• Provide name/student ID, address, and grade to school staff​
• Maintain possession of the pass ​
• Not transfer or share the pass with others​
• Abide by Howard County Public School System rules while on-board.

Note: If the pass is lost or misplaced, only one replacement pass will be provided to the student.

Howard County government and the Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland also have a digital bus pass program, enabling students to access free RTA bus passes directly from their phones or smart devices using a mobile app. Students who do not have access to a smart phone may still receive a free, printed bus pass from their school office.

For more information on RTA and detailed schedule information, please call 1-800-270-9553 or visit Transit RTA.

School Closure Dates

November 3: No school

November 23 & 24: 3-hr early dismissal

November 25-27: Schools closed

December 9: 3-hr early dismissal

December 24 - January 1: Schools closed for Winter Break

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:

• October 29, 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.

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

November 18, 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.