Welcome
Welcome Letter from the HSA 2021-2022
(Home-School Association)
Dear SOMS Families,
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! It’s another year of uncertainty, yes. But last year taught us that the SOMS community can come together to support one another and our children, and that our students are admirably resilient and adaptive. We are SOMS STRONG.
As this year’s HSA co-presidents, we look forward to working alongside the great HSA board and getting to know many of you as volunteers at events and in other capacities throughout the year! We hope to work with you to make this year special and memorable for our students and to fully support our teachers and families.
Membership: Did you know that SOMS HSA membership is FREE? We don’t have dues! All you need to do to belong to the HSA is participate, starting by signing up for e-blasts (see #2 below).
Communications: Here are the ways to stay up on what the HSA and SOMS are doing:
- The SOMS website: somshsa.net
- E-Blasts: New *and* returning families, please go to the website and click HERE to sign up for very informative weekly HSA emails. (Returning families, please don’t overlook this step — you’ll need to update your student’s grade information to make sure you’re receiving the correct grade-specific eblasts.)
- Facebook: Follow the official SOMS HSA Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SOMSHSA)
- In the beginning, flyers. For SOMS families that aren’t on FB and don’t have/don’t regularly check e-mail, we’ll start the year by distributing flyers for events to all students via their first-period teachers. To reduce waste, we’ll cut out that practice later this fall but will continue to give a small number of flyers to teachers/guidance counselors to discreetly distribute to kids who they’ve identified as not receiving information digitally.
- Board meetings: All SOMS parents & guardians are welcome at the HSA’s monthly board meetings. The first meeting will be Tuesday, September 21 at 7:30, probably via Zoom, but we’ll let you know via the other means above.
Parties: Event planning is underway! The HSA calendar will contain milestones familiar to seasoned SOMS families; it’ll also offer new events and opportunities for creating community. It’ll start with two free outdoor parties where kids can reconnect and meet new friends.
- Friday, September 17: 7th- & 8th-Grade Ice Cream Social, SOMS back parking lot
- Friday, September 24: 6th-Grade Ice Cream Social, SOMS back parking lot
Throughout the year, HSA organizers will make sure events are safe and compliant with district mandates. Since events like these depend on volunteer energy, please look for links to Sign-Up Geniuses as the dates approach!
Fundraising: Since the HSA has no dues, we rely on fundraising for our initiatives. If you’d like to make a straightforward, easy, “no-frills” donation now and/or at any point in the year, please visit the donation page of the HSA website here. Thank you!
If you’d like to know a bit more about the two of us, Mia has lived in Maplewood for 19 years. A former art director and marketing designer, she is currently a realtor at Compass. Her son Oliver is entering the 7th grade. Alison, an art historian who’s taught in years past at Rutgers, Drew, and Fairfield, is an 11-year South Orange resident. Her daughter, Jasmine (“Jazzy”), a Seth Boyden alumna, is going into 7th at SOMS as well. Please feel free to reach out to either or both of us at SOMSHSApres@gmail.com. We’re honored to serve the community this year!
Sincerely,
Mia Song and Alison Poe
