Art Education

Our formal art education program is offered to all students in
kindergarten through fifth grade. (Art class is considered an
encore elective at OLHMS.) The art experiences within the program
are selected and organized to broaden the abilities of each
student to perceive, understand, create, judge, and enjoy art.
Through the program children will have experiences using a variety
of materials to develop their creative abilities.

Computer Education

In District 123, technology is a tool that is utilized by staff and
students to enhance the current curriculum. Each classroom
teacher has a networked instructional workstation consisting of
a multimedia computer connected to a wall-mounted television
for classroom display. Each K-5 building also has a networked
eMac computer lab staffed by a trained technology assistant. All
classes receive at least one period of computer education each
week.

Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School has four eMac labs
where students learn computer skills, keyboarding, and word
processing in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The middle
school also has two wireless mobile labs which are available for
classroom use. In the Synergistics lab, students work through
curriculum-based modules to build their technology and problem-
solving skills as they explore curriculum topics.

All of the district’s buildings have internet accessibility. Each
staff member has an e-mail account to use over the district’s
Wide Area Network as well as globally. For more information,
visit our web site @http://www.d123.org.

Foreign Language Program

Foreign language opportunities will be made available to
students at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School. Full year
courses in French and Spanish will focus on development of listening
and speaking skills, grammar, and cultural awareness.
Students in the sixth grade who qualify for a foreign language
will be commited to the same language all three years at
OLHMS.

General Music

The general music program begins in kindergarten and
builds through the eighth grade (as an Encore elective).
General music concepts are expanded at each grade level
and the activities become more complex as the students
progress. Some of the musical concepts taught are vocal
development, music reading, improvisation, and playing
instruments. Also, music history is an integral part of the
curriculum.

Instrumental Music

Band instruction begins in fifth grade. All band students
have class lessons during the school day and full band
rehearsals before the regular school day begins. Parents
must provide the student’s instrument.

Interscholastic Activities

District 123 is a member of the Southwest
Interscholastic Conference and competes in after-school
activities at the middle school level for boys and girls.
These groups meet to engage in seasonal sports which the
Conference schedules. Each participant must have a current
physical exam on file with the Athletic Director.

Library

The mission of the library media program is to ensure
that the students and staff are effective users of information
and ideas. The program also provides opportunities for students
to develop an appreciation of literature.

Physical Education

Physical education is offered to all students in
kindergarten through eighth grade on a daily basis.
The goal of this program is to promote the growth
and development of the physical, mental, emotional
and social characteristics of life through bodily activities.
Children need to develop their muscular strength,
skills, agility, endurance and coordination to the best
of their abilities in order to be physically fit for everyday
needs.

Objectives of the physical education program are
the development of physical fitness, useful physical
skills, safety skills and habits, and the enjoyment of
recreation.

Reading Recovery

Reading Recovery® is a researched based, short
term, early intervention program for 1st grade students.
There are four aspects of the program: 1) the
teaching of children, 2) the training of teachers, 3)
the training to teacher leaders, and 4) implementing
the program in an education system and
coordinating the long-term prevention strategy.
Teachers help children from the lower end of the
achievement distribution to participate at or near an
average level in their classrooms. Research has
demonstrated that the procedures work with children
who differ markedly in their prior experience and in
their ways to responding (Clay, 1982, 1987, 1990,
1991).

Title I Program

The District 123 Title 1 Program is a federally
funded Primary Literacy Program serving students in
Kindergarten through Grade 3 in a small group setting
(3-5 students) in our eligible targeted-assisted
schools. The program is offered during the regular
school day to those students most in need and who
fulfill the eligibility criteria.

Science and Environmental Center

The Science and Environmental Center opened in
the fall of 1992 to provide an activity-based component
to the district’s science curriculum. Students
receive instruction at the Center once or twice each
month, depending upon their grade level. The “handson”
approach to science actively involves all students
in a wide variety of experiments and activities.
Students use the scientific method to conduct experiments,
manipulate equipment, and develop the skills
required to meet the Illinois State Goals for Learning.

The center features a Starlab, an inflatable dome
planetarium. Inside Starlab, students learn about
stars, constellations, planets, and the movements of
our solar system. All other instruction takes place in
fully equipped laboratories, suited to each grade level.
The center provides a unique learning environment to
complement daily classroom instruction.

Robert Crown Program

The Robert Crown Center for Health Education is
dedicated to the encouragement and reinforcement of
non-abusive patterns of thought and behavior and better
living through better health. It is a unique teaching
institution staffed by professionals with tremendous
expertise who utilize modern classrooms and the latest
technology and exhibits in their presentations.
Students in fourth grade participate in the “Drugs-
Choice or Chance” Program. Fifth grade students participate
in the “Life Begins” series which is an age appropriate
section of the Robert Crown Family Living
Education program.

Both programs provide content in a challenging and
rewarding manner. Frankness, honesty and the proper
use of terminology is utilized by experienced staff
teachers. Emphasis is placed on the roles of personal
decision making and value systems. Problem solving
techniques and methods of coping with peer pressure
are stressed. All parents reserve the right to request
that their children do not participate in these programs.
Parents requesting this exemption should notify their
school’s principal in writing in advance of the program.

Transitional Program of Instruction

The program is designed to assist students of non-
English background who have limited proficiency in
English progress in academic subjects while receiving
specialized instruction in English. Students are entitled
to remain in the program for 5 years or until the school
determines that they are able to participate in all academic
areas without this assistance.