Dear Old High Middle School Families,
Welcome to what promises to be your best year yet, at Old High Middle School! Bentonville Schools is committed to Excellence, Opportunity, and Integrity. We believe as Old High Knights, we are the gatekeepers of this vision and apply it to everything that we do, and everyone that walks through our doors. Speaking of walking through our doors…. We can’t WAIT to get you here!!
Old High Middle School Open House/Meet the Teacher will be Monday, August 14th from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. We will all gather in the original Old High Front Lawn to pick up your student’s “passport” that includes their homeroom teacher and map for all the landmarks you can visit. Then wait for an exciting entrance into the new year at 4:00! This is one of everyone’s favorite moments; we countdown the last 10 seconds, and when the clock strikes 4:00 there is confetti and the old front doors burst open!!! Think Willy Wonka. After all of that excitement, make sure you meet your homeroom teacher and join one of the most informative stops; the Principal Workshop called, “Middle School 101; How to be a Knight.” We will offer two thirty-minute sessions. The first session starts promptly at 4:15 and the second session promptly at 5:15. During these sessions, Mrs. Lyons, Principal, and Mr. Brunner, Assistant Principal, will offer information and answers to frequently asked questions and go over the logistics (like traffic flow and expectations) of Middle School.
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)- Our 2022-23 PTO Board is as below:
Amy See: adorzab@yahoo.com President
Molly Darragh: mollyrosedarragh@yahoo.com Vice-President
Lillian Bolinger: Lillianbolinger@gmail.com Treasurer
Heather Hudec: hmhudec0401@gmail.com Secretary
Is this you??? If so, email Amy to volunteer! Hospitality (creates fun ideas for staff!!)
I cannot say enough good things about our PTO Executive Board. I’m always amazed at how PTO participation impacts school culture, atmosphere, and morale. We would love for each one of you to play an active role in the PTO at OHMS. Remember there are always big and small roles to play in being part of a school community. Please stop by the PTO table at Open House to join, buy OHMS gear, and donate. Every contribution counts.
This year, our PTO meetings will be held on campus and include a 20 min. classroom walkthrough led by Principal Lyons- this will be a great way to gain first hand knowledge of what actually goes on at Old High. You can find the PTO meeting dates on our website calendar www.bentonvillek12.org/o/ohms and on our PTO page found under “menu”
OHMS Spirit Gear- PTO has already created a Spirit Wear store! Check out https://skylinemerch.printavo.com/merch/ohmsbts23 to order all kinds of cute shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and hoodies! This is a great way to support OHMS and raise money for PTO.
School Meds and Health Concerns- If your child will be taking medications during the school day or has any significant health concerns we need to be aware of, please email Nurse Tiffany(tbartholomew@bentonvillek12.org or 254-5453). Medications given during the school day require you to arrange an appointment to drop off medication before school and have the Health History and Permission Form for Prescribed Medications completed and signed by the doctor. If your child has asthma, seizures, food allergy, etc, please email the nurse for additional forms.
Lunch Money- Make sure your student has money in their lunch account to start the year! If you’re like me, you’ll need to add money to their lunch account or maybe fill out a Free/Reduced Lunch application. There is a NEW on-line payment option that is SOOO much easier to use called Meal Magic Family Portal. This also houses the Free/Reduced Lunch Application- Don’t know if you qualify?- just fill it out and see! No harm, no foul. Hint: you will need to know your student’s school id#
MyPaymentsPlus - Set Up My Payments Plus. This helps you pay for field trips and different fees throughout the year. No action necessary if you already have a My Payments Plus account.
Tdap Reminder - If your child is 11 years old on September 1st, 2022, they will need the Tdap by October 1st.
The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 16th.
The first few days of school for students will focus on logistics, relationships and expectations. We believe in building our school on a solid foundation of clear expectations to allow us to focus on learning for the rest of the year.
Individual schedules will be given during the first week of school.
Please see Old High’s School Wide Behavior Expectations
School Supply List feel free to bring these to open house or wait to bring them on the first day
If you are using the car line for drop off or pick up, please review this Traffic Flow Diagram and video explanation
If you will be using bus transportation, make sure you check out this helpful information on Bentonville’s transportation website! You will need to download two important apps so make sure you check out the site for the instructions.
School hours are 7:50 a.m. – 2:50 p.m.
It is imperative your son or daughter is at school on time. Learning begins promptly at 7:50 a.m. Please be on campus by 7:40 a.m.
We will have teachers on duty beginning at 7:25 a.m. Students should be dropped off after 7:25 a.m for safety reasons
To report absences, please email ohmsattendanceclerk@bentonvillek12.org.
Communication-
You will find everything on our website www.bentonvillek12.org/o/ohms It’s your one stop shop for all information. Make sure you save it as a bookmark for Announcements, Events Calendar, Newsletters, Staff Directory, Social Media feeds, PTO updates, volunteer opportunities, and more!
Follow Social Media on FaceBook @oldhighms, Instagram, and Twitter and always look for our hashtag #UKnighted. All of these posts can also be found on our website!
Checking Student Grades: TeacherEase- a new Parent Portal to track your student’s academic progress!
OHMS/Principal Lyons will utilize email and text messaging for updates and important information reminders. Make sure your contact information is up to date and correct in your eschool account.
Attendance- Attendance is very important. You will receive an automated phone call when your student is absent and an email from Principal Lyons if your student exceeds an absence rate of 10%. Please make sure you communicate absences with your student’s teacher and ohmsattendanceclerk@bentonvillek12.org
Lastly, I want to share our Mission and Vision with you. This drives everything we do at Old High and can be seen in every nook and cranny. Please enjoy this flier and video explanation found on the OHMS Parent Hub
The teachers, Mr. Brunner and I are ecstatic to start the new school year! Schools have an advantage of being able to start fresh each year; energized, hopeful, and full of big ideas for the year to come. This year is no different. We’ve been working hard with you in mind and are excited to see you at Open House!
Respectfully,
Leslie Lyons Jason Brunner
OHMS Principal OHMS Assistant Principal