Owl Observer News

Greetings Ducketts Lane Friends and Families,

Thank you for helping us have another wonderful week here at DLES. Thank you to those that were able to join last Friday evening for PTA's hosted Family Game Night. It was such a wonderful event, and the laughter and memories we were able to make brought a huge smile to our faces. Thank you PTA for organizing and hosting such a fun event.

Join us in honoring and celebrating Native American Heritage Month. This year our students will continue to have opportunities to learn more about Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island communities rich history and contributions our county has benefited from, not just in November, but throughout the school year. As November comes to a close, we wish to observe Native American Heritage Month as a school community. Let us take a moment to honor the rich tapestry of cultures, traditions, and resilience that define Indigenous peoples across our land. From the vibrant stories passed down through generations to the deep connection with the natural world, we celebrate the invaluable contributions of Native Americans, past and present, and it is our commitment to continue learning from their wisdom while actively working to dismantle harmful stereotypes and build a future where their voices and perspectives are heard and respected.

We want to remind you that next week's schedule is very different. Please take note of the changes below.

Proudly serving you,

Mrs. Caroland, Mrs. Van Osdel, and Mrs. Yerashunas

Take a moment to see all of the amazing options available to show your Ducketts Lane spirit and pride.

Click here to see all the options and deals!

Monday, November 25th- Students Dismiss at 12:15pm & No AM/PM Preschool classes

Monday, November 25th- In-Person Parent/Teacher Conferences

Tuesday November 26th- Students Dismiss at 12:15pm & No AM/PM Preschool classes

Tuesday, November 26th- Virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences

Wednesday, November 27-Schools Closed for Students

Thursday, November 28th-Schools Closed

Friday, November 29th- Schools Closed

Monday, December 2nd-Schools reopen for all students

REMINDER: Joe Corbi's orders will be delivered on Monday, November 25th. They will be available for pick-up on that day from around dismissal time until 7pm in the evening. Please be sure to stop by DLES to pick up your orders on this day as we do not have freezer space available to keep any orders that are not picked up.

Thank you for your support!

If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Abramson (Jennifer_Abramson@hcpss.org) or

by calling 410-313-5050.

During the 2nd Quarter, all of the Band, Orchestra and Chorus students will perform their Winter Concerts. Students are expected to wear the following concert attire:

• Plain white shirt (no writing or big pictures)

• Black pants or skirt

• Black shoes

It is recommended that families start planning to get concert clothes for their musician to wear for the concert.

If families are unable to get what their child needs for the concert, please contact one of the music teachers for assistance.

Mrs. McKay (Band & Orchestra) amanda_mckay@hcpss.org

Ms. Abrams (4th Chorus) hana_abrams@hcpss.org

Ms. Eng (5th Chorus) taylor_eng@hcpss.org

If you have any concert clothes (shirt, pants/skirt, shoes) that no longer fit your child, please consider donating them to the DLES Concert Closet for another student to wear.

It’s that time of year, and we are happy to announce our annual #WEAREDUCKETTS “Fall Fun Run Event!” on Tuesday, November 26th. Each grade will “FUN Run” during their Related Arts time, and you are cordially invited to join. If you want to run with our kiddos or cheer them on:) Please click the link below.

‘DLES #WEAREDUCKETTS Fall Fun Run.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to having you join us!

We are fortunate to have the Kangaroo Kids coming to put on a demonstration here at DLES. Kangaroo Kids is a local jump rope team in Howard county. YES, there are jump rope teams you can join for sport as well! Jump roping is a great way to build confidence, make friends, get a great workout, all while learning skills that your child can use for lifelong joy! If you are interested in exploring the possibility of your student joining Kangaroo Kids, here is a link to their website for more information.

Kangaroo Kids | Jump Rope | Howard County, MD

When: Monday, November 25

Where Ducketts Lane Elementary School

When: During the school day

What Will your Student Need: We encourage all students to wear athletic shoes with shoelaces or Velcro. They may be called upon to join in the demonstration if they do!

Please contact Mr. Abramson if you have any questions!

As we quickly approach the close of another month and look forward to the holidays, we hope you have heard some of the great things we have been learning in Physical Education. During the month of November, our PreK students continue to learn Locomotor Skills and throw and toss activities.

Our k-5th graders have been working hard learning and demonstrating Soccer Skills/Striking with their feet. They have been actively dribbling, trapping, and passing balls and rings of different sizes and shapes using the inside of their foot with varying force and speeds while working independently, with partners and groups if the weather permits, take some time to go out and pass a ball around with your young people so they can show off some of their skills. After the holiday break, going into December we will move on to our Dance & Jump rope unit.

Also, yesterday, we sent information regarding DLES participating in the Raven's Play 60 challenge. We hope to get your support as we strive to be selected as a top school and get that Ravens Pep Rally!!

We sincerely appreciate your continued support and partnership. Your involvement is invaluable, and we look forward to continuing this journey together.

The P.E. Department

Mr. Anderson & Mr. Abramson

#WEAREDUCKETTS

The Howard County Literacy Association invites students in grades 1-5 to submit their original poems and/or short stories to the annual writing contest called The Young Authors' Contest. Please see the attached Young Authors’ Contest Guidelines ( en Espanol) for information about the rules and guidelines. All entries must have a completed YAC Cover Sheet DLES YAC Student Cover Sheet, 2024-25 HOWARD.docx sent as a PDF. Submissions may be emailed to Casey_Sawyer@hcpss.org by December 20, 2024. Please contact Mrs. Sawyer or Mrs. Esposito (Keri_Esposito@hcpss.org) with any questions. All Young Authors’ Contest information can be found on the HCLA website.

Howard County Literacy Association welcomes parents as members. Visit the HCLA Welcome Page for information about joining.

Go on a Shape Hunt

Go on a shape hunt around the house or in your community. What shapes can your child find? Look for circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, cubes and cylinders. Ask students how they know that the shape they have identified is in fact correctly identified.

Do projects with your child

Bake cookies or work on a home improvement project. Real-world applications of mathematical ideas, especially measurement, are everywhere!

If you are stringing up lights, work with them to estimate how many sets you will need and calculate the total number of lights used. If you are baking cookies, count out how many cups of flour you need (with young children).

Older children can discuss fractions, or have them figure out what is needed to make a double batch or to cut the recipe in half.

Have your child show their thinking and talk through what strategies they are using that are similar to what they have learned in class.

Play strategy games with friends and family

This is a great way to spend quality time. Some games include: Rummikub, Crazy Eights, Monopoly, Jr., Yahtzee, Chutes and Ladders, Uno and other classic board and card games. Play as teams while learning so you can talk about strategy and then move onto playing individually. Have your child make her own board game to share with the family. How would you prepare the recipe for 24 guests?

A lot of kids, of all ages, enjoy reading with their parents. There are many benefits of adult-child shared book reading. With young children, research has shown that reading books together allows for opportunities for rich language exchange between adults and children. Studies have shown that early vocabulary and language are related to later reading achievement and reading comprehension; reading with children can provide multiple opportunities to develop language.

Research has also shown that quality of the book-sharing experiences is more important that quantity. The quality of the interaction impacts what children take away from the experience. Shared book reading should not be a passive experience for children; when we are reading books to children, we want them to be actively engaged. Shared book reading provides opportunities for exposure to novel words that children may not encounter in spoken language. Read-alouds with young children allow for parents to have rich language interactions with kids. For example, adults can talk with children about new and unknown words, and this can be an opportunity to develop vocabulary and language. There are also natural chances to ask the child questions about the text, to expand of the topics covered, and ask children about their understanding of the text.

Talk with your child or children about some of their favorite topics or type of stories. Maybe there is a genre or topic that everyone finds interesting, encourage your child to look for that type of book the next time they visit our media center or the library.

This link will send you to PBS Kids to access various read-alouds for free.

This week we will take a closer look at the de-escalation strategy of help. This is typically the first of the de-escalation strategies to be used, but all three strategies, Help-Prompt-Wait can be used in any order. The goal of all of the strategies, whether used in isolation or with the others, is to bring a student back to the Green Zone.

Help:

• Asking a student to communicate with you.

• Give options for how students can communicate with you.

• Would you like to draw or write?

• Ask yes/no questions and have students give you a thumbs up or down, or nod of the head.

• Offer time to a student, ask the student to tell you when they are ready you are here to help.

• Use open-ended questions.

• How can I help?

• What do you need?

• What do you want?

• Would you like to walk with me?

• If the student is not responding, move away from the topic and ask other open ended questions to encourage the student to engage with you. Once communication starts, return to the need at hand.

• Praise all attempts to communicate.

• Thanks for sitting down with me. This tells me you may have something to tell me or ask me for my help.

• Any forward progress should be complimented; sitting, walking in the direction asked…

• Comply with reasonable requests

• A student states “I want a break” or “Leave me alone”, say ok and set a time limit. Be sure to come back to the original task or demand before.

• Offer ‘help’ to get a student back on track. Read the question to a problem to help them re-engage. I write, you write technique and so on.

• Provide support if you can’t comply.

• Validate the request, but explain why you can’t comply. Say for example, “I know you want to return to class. We need a safe body to return.” Encourage the student to sit and demonstrate readiness. Encourage forward progress. Compliment forward progress.

• Validate the frustration the student may be showing. Say, “I sometimes feel frustrated too.” Share and offer strategies to help.

• It’s best to use this Help strategy early when you first notice signals of agitation.

• Signals of agitation may look like a student getting ‘fidgety’ (squirming in seat, looking around, looking for any reason to get up out of seat, using the restroom, …)

• Agitation may sound like deep thoughs or sighs, verbal outbursts, or look like clenching of fists, breaking pencils …

Staff Conference Dinner:

Conferences are coming up, which means it’s time to treat our amazing staff to dinner! The DLES PTA will be setting up a build-your-own salad and baked potato bar! We can’t make this event a success without your help- please use the link below to see what items are needed and consider signing up to send in a donation. All non-perishable items can be dropped off at the school anytime before Monday, November 25th. If you are donating a perishable item please drop them off ON Monday, November 25th by 9:00 am. Please label all donations PTA. Thank you so much for your support!

https://bit.ly/DLESstaffdinner24

Winter Vendor and Craft Fair:

The DLES PTA is hosting our annual Winter Vendor and Craft Fair on Saturday, December 14th from 12-3 pm. If you own a business you would like to promote or have handmade crafts to sell, sign up to be a vendor by filling out the form below. Vendor registration is $25. Student vendors are also encouraged and there is no fee for students to register.

https://forms.gle/iCm49pZnTBVQk7U19

Staff Supplies Drive

The DLES PTA is collecting supplies for our staff to help replenish classroom items before winter break! Wanted items include gel pens, felt pens, and dry erase markers. An amazon wish list has been created for convenience, but please feel free to donate any items from any retailer. Donations can be dropped off to the front office labeled "PTA". Be on the lookout for any great deals you see during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Thank you for your amazing support for our staff and the DLES PTA—we couldn’t do it without you!

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1DVWTE0BVX32U

Free Bikes 4 Kidz (FB4K) is a non-profit organization geared toward helping all kids ride into a happier, healthier childhood by providing FREE bikes and new helmets to those most in need. The public donates gently used bikes, FB4K organizes scores of volunteers to clean and refurbish them, and then gives them away to children referred to them by schools, churches, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. In Maryland FB4K conducts an annual campaign during which they collect bikes until October, refurbish them in ten weeks, and give them away at 6725 Business Parkway, Elkridge by the holidays.

If you would be interested in receiving a FREE used bike and new Helmet and can pick a bike up at 6725 Business Parkway in Elkridge, on December 14 please fill out this FB4K Interest Form and FB4K will contact you with further instructions on how to sign up for a FREE bike.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Annie Chairs, DLES Family Involvement Contact at annemarie_chairs@hcpss.org or 410-313-5050.

The Toys for Tots registration link is now live and ready to accept applicants!

Please use this sign-up link for Toys For Tots to register your child to receive a toy this year from the Howard County Toys for Tots Holiday Campaign.

Families being submitted must be Howard County residents.***

Submission via this online portal does not necessarily constitute approval. You will be contacted if there are any questions. Toys for Tots is thrilled to support children up

to 14yrs old.

Please print email Approval Confirmation, which will help guide you through the lines faster during distribution.

If you have any questions or need help filling out the form please contact Annie Chairs at annemarie_chairs@hcpss.org or 410-313-5050.

We strive to be a school that actively partners with our students, staff, families, and surrounding community members. We welcome your feedback.

Please click on the Feedback Form to share your thoughts with how we can make DLES the best for everyone.

• Principal, Mrs. Caroland Molly_Caroland@hcpss.org

• Assistant Principal, Mrs. Van Osdel Amy_Van_Osdel@hcpss.org

• Leadership Intern, Mrs. Yerashunas Brianna_Yerashunas@hcpss.org

• Principal Secretary, Mrs. Canter Teresa_Canter@hcpss.org

• Registration Support, Secretary Ms. Lynette Carmen_Lynette@hcpss.org

• Attendance, Synergy and Family File Support, Secretary Mrs. Forman Julie_Forman@hcpss.org

• Counselor Mr. Leisawitz Alexander_Leisawitz@hcpss.org