LKMS Important Dates and News
May 2- Schools Closed - Professional Day
May 9-10- ELA MCAP Testing
May 12- Rising 6th Grade Visits
May 16- Spring Band Concert
May 18- 3 Hour Early Dismissal
May 18- Social Studies MCAP Testing - 8th Grade
May 18- PTA Virtual Meeting
Please view our full calendar for LKMS News and upcoming important dates to include:
- 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony, 8th Grade Dance, 6th Grade - Main Event, Lime Time, and Rising 9th Grade High School visits
LKMS News
National History Day State Competition
We wish the following students the best of luck this Saturday, April 30, at the National History Day state level competition at UMBC. Our students will be representing Howard County in the following categories:
- Cheren Song, Tevin Son, Jayen Tolia - Group Documentary : Tear Down This Wall: The Role of Debate and Diplomacy in Germany's Reunification
- Shriya Khosla, Leilani Ryang, Phu Tran - Group Website: Roe v. Wade: The Debate That Changed History
- Leilah Fokar - Paper: Resolution 181: The United Nation’s Unsuccessful and Ill-fated Endeavor to Create Peace Between Palestinians and Jews Using a Two-State Solution
We wish you the Best of Luck!
48th Annual HCPSS K-12 Student Art Exhibition at Columbia Mall
Congratulations to our 53 young artists who will display their beautiful artwork in the annual art exhibition at Columbia Mall this year. The show will run from April 20 to May 2, 2022. The opening night is April 20, 5:00-6:30pm. We look forward to seeing our wonderful artists and families on opening night. Everyone is welcome to join us. Congratulations!
6th Grade Student Service Learning
6th Grade Student Service Learning kicks off the week of March 28. This year, we will be partnering with Read to Feed, an organization that helps meet basic needs in impoverished communities through generous giving. Students are being asked to read for 30 minutes a night (beyond their assigned reading for school) as part of this read-a-thon. Students are also encouraged to locate friends and family to act as sponsors, donating financially for every book read, to help those in need. We are pleased to announce that to date, the 6th grade class has raised $1,735 for families in need. Keep up the great work! For more information, check out these two Google Slide presentations that explain more about Read to Feed, show how students will log their reading minutes, and how students can locate sponsors for this program.
LKMS - Environmental STEAM Seminar
Dear Lime Kiln Community,
The STEAM students and I are so excited to start mounting the bottle caps on our mural. We are in need of drills to complete our project. If you are able to send in your drill (labeled with your name) for a week or two, we will be so appreciative. We currently have ten magnetic drill bits. The screws we are using are sharp point lath screws (labled #2 Phillips on the box). The drills will be safely secured in my classroom. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at tracy_spillman@hcpss.org
Sincerely,
Tracy Spillman
Google Additional Services
Google Translate is now available in Google’s menu of additional services on HCPSS issued Chromebooks for students in grades 4-12. Parent or guardian consent is required for students to access the tool/application. If you have previously provided consent for Google’s menu of additional services, your child will automatically be given access to Google Translate, and no further action is needed.
If you desire to provide consent for your child to access Google’s additional services which include Google Translate, YouTube (grades 6-12), and CS First (grades K-5), please complete the following steps:
- Log in to HCPSS Connect.
- Select More Options from the left panel.
- Select HCPSS Google Menu from the middle of the page.
- Click the check box to provide consent. Changes are automatically saved.
The Google Additional services will include:
- CS First for grades 4 and 5: This is an authorized Supplementary Digital Tool for creating interactive stories, games, and animations using a programming language called Scratch during the Computational Thinker unit.
- Google Translate grades 4-12: This additional service or authorized Supplementary Digital Tool, offers free service to instantly translate words, phrases, and web pages between English and over 100 other languages. Students will be informed when this service is allowable for use during classwork, independent assignments, and/or World Language assessments.
Indicators of Educational Equity Survey
All HCPSS schools will be asking for feedback from their students, staff, and communities to work on school improvement efforts. As part of our LKMS school improvement process, we are asking families to provide input about their equity priorities for our school. Please use the links below to complete the Indicators of Educational Equity Survey by Friday, June 17. We are hoping for 100% participation.
We will use your input, along with other school data, to refine our school improvement plan for next school year. The survey is anonymous and available in multiple languages. If you have children at more than one school, please complete one survey per school.
Survey Links:
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Tammy Jones, Principal, Tammy_Jones@hcpss.org.
Early Dismissal Reminder
When picking up your child after 2:30pm, please utilize either the LKMS lower parking lot or the Cedar Lane School parking lot, as buses begin arriving and you may run the risk of being blocked between buses.
Thank you.
Media Center News
LKMS is hosting a community Book Photo Challenge for the month of April in honor of School Library Month.
We are showcasing our students, staff, and community’s love of reading on the morning announcements! The students love to see themselves and people they know! Please use the ideas found on this link to take pictures of your student and your family reading! Students can upload their images to Google Drive and share with Stefanie Taylor, or inbox Mrs. Taylor in the Lime Kiln Middle School Student Resources page in Canvas with the photo attached. These pictures will be shown on the morning announcements in the month of April!
Have fun reading and taking pictures!
StickTogether
StickTogether is a unique, inclusive stress-free group activity for learners to work collaboratively while they share quality time interacting with each other, and celebrate success together. In these extraordinary times, both educators and students need more opportunities for positive shared experiences to build and nurture the sense of a learning community.
Lime Kiln Middle School is one of the five nationwide winners for a micro-grant from StickTogether that includes:
- 30 Standard Sticker Mosaic Poster kits - for use in the Library, Common Area, Classroom, Cafeteria, etc.
- Classroom - 500 Virtual Stickerboard Codes - for use by classroom teachers for in class collaborative learning
- Plus startup and ongoing support to ensure successful implementation.
StickTogether is a colorful sticker mosaic puzzle poster kit with a beautiful reward. Like paint-by-numbers but with stickers, the image is not revealed until the puzzle is completed. Each kit includes a coded poster, color key, and 3,996 stickers, enough to complete the image with extras. A standard StickTogether poster measures 40” by 36”. Our inclusive sticker activity is for all ages and abilities and creates a safe space for sharing and collaboration. This 42 second video shows the creation of a StickTogether Poster. Lime Kiln is very excited to have this opportunity to build our community through this program!
Student Services News
Student Withdrawals to Private or Other Schools for 2022-2023
If your child will be transferring to a private school or to a school that is not the current feeder school, please contact our Registrar for assistance with withdrawing and transferring your child's records their new school. rhonda_hill@hcpss.org
Moving before the end of the current school year?
Moving over the summer?
HC DrugFree Updates:
FREE Life Skills Classes for Students: HC DrugFree is providing a highly interactive skills-based program designed to promote positive health and personal development for youth in grades 6-9. For slightly younger or older students, please register and we will consider each request. We encourage siblings and friends to take these classes together! These skills have been shown to help students resist substance use, violence, and other high-risk behaviors. Our instructional team consists of dedicated adults and older students sharing situations they may face in high school, college, and beyond. The next series of classes will be held via Zoom Tuesdays and Thursdays May 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, 31 and June 2 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Registration is required. Please sign-up ASAP as space is extremely limited! For more information: Email
LifeSkills@hcdrugfree.org, visit
www.hc drugfree.org or view downloadable flier.
Parents: If you are interested in learning more about what is happening in Howard County, the many free resources HC DrugFree and other organizations offer, or how your student can volunteer as they learn skills and receive more community service hours, then sign up for our free newsletter to get updates on events as well as information to keep your family safe and informed. Go to the bottom of our homepage at
www.hcdrugfree.org.
Medication and Sharps Drive-thru Collection: HC DrugFree’s next drive-thru prescription and over-the-counter medication and sharps (needles, syringes and EpiPens) collection will be held on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Wilde Lake Village Center parking lot in Columbia. Medication will be guarded and transported by the Howard County Police and the DEA. For more information visit
www.hcdrugfree.org or email
Admin@hcdrugfree.org or view downloadable flier Adults, teens, youth groups, and medically-trained adults may volunteer at
www.hcdrugfree.org/drug-take-back-day-1/
Health Room News
Vaccination requirements for current 6th Grade students - 2022/23 School Year
Please read the attached
letter from our Health Room regarding vaccination requirements for current 6th grade students for the upcoming 2022/23 school year. Letters have been mailed to those parents/guardians whose children may have not received the vaccinations. The Maryland Department of Health will provide a clinic at LKMS on
Friday, May 6, to provide those vaccinations.
Mask Update
All students, staff and visitors will be able to choose if they wish to wear a mask in HCPSS buildings. While optional in buildings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health experts continue to recommend face masks as a precautionary measure.
Per the CDC, masks are required in healthcare settings, so students and staff must continue to wear a mask in school health rooms.
PTA News
A Message from our PTA
Dear LKMS Families,
It’s hard to believe with the crazy weather that it’s actually spring. As we are coming towards the end of another school year at LKMS, we are once again excited to celebrate all that our LKMS staff have done for our children and community this past year.
We will celebrate Staff Appreciation Week during May 2-6, and are very excited to recognize our staff in person this year. During this past year, our PTA budget was greatly reduced to support student enrichment opportunities throughout the year. At this time, we are asking our LKMS community for your support to ensure a successful Staff Appreciation Week.
Those families who would like to make a donation may do so directly through our PTA PayPal or by check made payable to LKMS PTA, Attention Staff Appreciation. Donations will greatly assist the PTA with providing small items of appreciation for over 70 amazing staff members.
Let’s show our teachers and staff how much we appreciate all they do!
Thank you so much!
Read the latest information in our PTA's
newsletter and view our PTA’s website for upcoming events.
HCPSS News
FREE Student Bus Passes:
HCPSS has partnered with Howard County Government and the Regional Transit Authority of Central Maryland (RTA) to provide
free RTA bus passes to students. These can be used any time between now and September 12. Please contact our LKMS Front Office at 410-880-5988 to request a pass.
The Council of Elders and the Howard County Public School System have partnered to sponsor a social studies workshops series, The Essence of US: Chronicling the Black American Experience. The series is open to any middle school or high school students who are interested. Sessions will be held virtually on the following Saturdays from 10-11 a.m.
Additional details regarding each session are forthcoming. Students may express their interest in participating in any of the sessions via the online form.
Please visit the website for all the latest HCPSS News and Information to include HCPSS’ updated academic school calendar.
RESERVOIR HIGH SCHOOL BOOSTER SUMMER CAMPS
Come out to sports camp the week of June 27 and/or July 18 at Reservoir High School. Camp is hosted by Lime Kiln teacher and Reservoir Coach Phil Ranker as well as other certified elementary and middle school teachers in the county and state. The camp is open to current K-8th graders and features many different sports and activities every day. If your child likes PE, they will love camp. Campers are split into age and ability groups to ensure that everyone has a fun and productive time. Full day and half day options available. For more information, please visit
http://rankerssportscamp.weebly.com or email
phillip_ranker@hcpss.org for questions!
RIVER HILL HIGH SCHOOL BOOSTERS SUMMER CAMPS
The River Hill High School Boosters are sponsoring summer camps at River Hill High School. The camps are designed to help young athletes improve their fundamental athletic skills. Over twenty different camps are offered this summer, including football, soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse, field hockey, volleyball, basketball, tennis, cheerleading, art, and weight training. Weekly camps begin on June 13th. For more information and to register, visit
https://riverhill.membershiptoolkit.com/camp.
ATHOLTON HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS BOOSTERS
Atholton High School Athletics Boosters is hosting summer camps this year! Registration can be done via our
website. Summer camp information is located on the left side of the Home Page under Quick Links.