Owl Observer News

It has been a fantastic week here at Ducketts Lane. Students across the grades were busy working together, learning new skills, and laughed while creating memories along the way.

We encourage all of our students to set a goal of reading and practicing their math for at least 30 minutes each day. For our students in 3rd-5th grade, MCAP testing will be fast approaching, and this little practice each day will help to keep learned skills sharp for testing. Additionally, students will again be taking MAP testing later this year, and we want to make sure we are able to see all the new learned skills when they complete their assessments.

SCHOOL BUS STOP SAFETY: We have had several concerned citizens reach out to us asking that we share with you the concerns that they are seeing at various bus stops. As the weather has started to get warmer, students are arriving at bus stops up to 30 minutes early and playing in and around the streets. Children are often unsupervised and often will not respond to adults that are around asking them to stop behaviors that could result in harm. We ask that students arrive 10 minutes prior to the scheduled bus arrival and stay out of the streets.

As we approach the warmer weather, it is always a great time to manage and recognize our behaviors and emotions in order to achieve the goals we set for ourselves at the start of the new year. With the change of seasons our children may forget some of the important skills that have been taught emotionally this year. This is a good time to revisit self-management.

What Exactly is SELF MANAGEMENT?

Self-management is the ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. In other words having self-management means being able to conduct yourself appropriately in a variety of situations so you can participate fully.

What does Self Management look like?

• Impulse control

• Stress Management

• Self Discipline

• Self Motivation

• Goal Setting

• Organizational Skills

What does self management sound like?

• I need a break right now.

• May I please have space? I am not ready to share.

• I think I need help with ___________.

• I don’t understand yet, but I will ________ to reach my goal.

How Can I reinforce this at home?

• We encourage you to visit THIS WEBSITE which introduces seven skills that your child needs to learn early to help your child develop strong self-management skills and improve focus.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Monday.

Proudly serving you,

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

Friday, March 21- DLES Talent Show-this is a family event to enjoy together 5:30pm

Thursday, March 27- DLES Family Fun & Fitness Night-this is a family event to enjoy together 5:30pm

Monday, March 31- Full School for Students (this is a change-it had originally been scheduled to be a teacher work day and no school for students but to make up some of the snow days, now we will have school)

Monday, April 14th- Monday, April 21st -Schools Closed for Spring Break

Tuesday, April 22nd- Schools reopen for all students

TUESDAY, March 25th- Maryland Day-wear clothes that show Maryland Pride

FRIDAY, March 28th-Show your DLES PRIDE! Wear any DLES spirit wear!

MONDAY, March 31st- National Crayon Day-Wear your favorite color or colors

TUESDAY, April 8th- National Love the Zoo Day-Dress like an animal or wear your favorite animal print

Congratulations to Talilah B. and Rebecca P., who represented DLES last weekend in the HCPSS Elementary School Honor Band Concert. Two elementary band students were nominated and selected from each elementary school to participate in this special ensemble. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and efforts!

Spring is in the air, and we hope you and your young people have been enjoying the opportunity to get outside and stay active! As we head into the final stretch of the school year, we’re excited to share some highlights from the DLES PE Department.

Recently, all of our Pre -K - 5th grade students were introduced to and explored the Whiittle Equipment — think jungle gym, Blandair Park, or a playground, but indoors and BIG! Students engaged with concepts like levels, shapes, direction, balance, weight transfer, and movement. Beyond physical skills, it also provided opportunities to practice social-emotional skills such as tackling challenges, building confidence, and showing perseverance.

Next up, we are diving into a Striking with Implements unit. Students will experience activities like pickleball, badminton, tennis, floor hockey, and mini golf. Additionally, our 3rd through 5th graders are continuing their conversations about the importance of aerobic fitness and cardiovascular endurance. They’ve been practicing how to find and calculate their heart rates — an essential part of understanding their own health and wellness.

Every day in PE, we emphasize being Determined Learners and Embracers while maintaining a focus on safety. Our goal is to develop well-rounded young citizens who thrive at DLES and beyond.

We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support and partnership. Your involvement makes all the difference, and we’re excited to continue this journey together!

The P.E. Department

Mr. Anderson & Mr. Abramson

#WEAREDUCKETTS

We’re excited to invite you to our 2nd Annual DLES Family Fun & Fitness Night! This special event is open to students, staff, and parents, offering an evening full of engaging fitness activities, games, and fun throughout the building.

Enjoy activities like cornhole, mini-golf, bowling, Giant Jenga, Uno, and even Lava Lamps—plus much more!

📅 When: March 27, 2025

Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to connect, have fun, and strengthen our school community. We hope to see you there! Please click the link below to register your family today!

DLES Family, Fun & Fitness Night 2025

If you have any questions, please contact Kevin_anderson@hcpss.org. Thank you for your continued support and partnership:

The DLES Family, Fun & Fitness Committee:)

#WEAREDUCKETTS

The Ducketts Lane Elementary school counseling team is looking for volunteers to speak to classes for Career Day on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Please complete this form if you are interested in coming in to share more about your career. You will be asked to share about your occupation/career in an approximately 15-minute presentation and answer questions that students may have. After gathering responses from interested speakers we will contact you to schedule specific times for your presentation on April 2nd (different grades will be presented to at different times throughout the day).

Thank you for your time and consideration!

~The DLES Counseling Team

The DLES Counseling Team is planning a career day at Ducketts Lane, which is set to take place on Wednesday, April 2nd.

We would LOVE to have your student help us mark the occasion by creating a poster that highlights information on a particular career, trade, OR college/university. We would like to create connections between jobs/careers and the major school subjects, so if your child chooses a career, consider selecting one from the following categories:

• Art (Animator, Video Game Designer, Architect, etc.),

• English (Writer, Author, Librarian, Researcher, etc),

• Math (Accountant, Astronaut, Computer Scientist, etc.),

• Music (Music teacher, Music producer, Audio engineer, Conductor, etc.)

• Science (Biologist, Climatologist, Meteorologist, etc.),

• Social studies (Politician, Historian, Police Officer, etc.), or

• Technology (Software developer, Information Security, IT Manager, etc)

  
  

If your child is interested in creating a poster please have them include information such as:

For career/trade

• What is the selected career/trade?

• What are the responsibilities of this career/trade?

• Where does the work typically take place?

• What kinds of education or training are required to attain this type of job?

• Any other information or pictures (drawn or printed out) your student finds interesting and important

For college/university

• What is the name of the college/university?

• Where is this college/university located?

• How many students attend this college/university?

• What are some of the top degrees/programs at this school?

• What is the school's mascot?

• Any other information or pictures (drawn or printed out) your student finds interesting and important

There are no strict requirements on the size or color of posters so please let your creativity run wild! The only thing we ask is that your student delivers their poster to the counselors (Mr. L or Mrs. Barron) by Thursday, March 27th so we can begin to display them around the school.

If you need paper-just let us know.

If you have any questions at all please email or call us at 410-313-5050. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and collaboration!

Mr. L + Mrs. Barron

Are you still confused about the difference between HCPPS Connect and Canvas? Did you receive a new Chromebook and are unsure how to use it? Have you forgotten your HCPSS password? If you need any computer assistance, we are here to help you feel confident in accessing your student's grades, emailing a teacher, seeing attendance records, making a parent teacher conference, and downloading the Canvas app on your phone.

If you answered YES to any of these questions, please sign up on this Computer Assistance Request Form. A Ducketts Lane Liaison will then reach out to you to set up at time to meet with them for Computer, Chromebook, HCPSS Connect or Canvas assistance.

We are here to help you learn how to access HCPSS information on your computer or phone for you to support your student's success.

¿Aún tiene dudas sobre la diferencia entre HCPPS Connect y Canvas? ¿Recibió una Chromebook nueva y no sabe cómo usarla? ¿Olvidó su contraseña de HCPSS? Si necesita asistencia con la computadora, estamos aquí para ayudarle a acceder con confianza a las calificaciones de su estudiante, comunicarse con un maestro, ver los registros de asistencia, programar una reunión de padres y maestros o para descargar la aplicación Canvas en su teléfono.

Si respondió SÍ a alguna de estas preguntas anteriores, complete este Formulario de solicitud de asistencia informática con la computadora. Un enlace de Ducketts Lane se pondrá en contacto con usted para programar una reunión con ellos para obtener asistencia con la computadora, HCPSS Connect o Canvas.

Estamos aquí para ayudarle a aprender a acceder a la información de HCPSS en su computadora o teléfono para que pueda apoyar el éxito de su estudiante.

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!

Ready-set-read: Join our Read-a-thon!
We will be raising money by focusing on reading for the next few weeks and we need your help.
Sign up to activate your child's Read-A-Thon page. From there you can track their reading, and receive donations from friends and family. Together let's show everyone how rewarding reading can be.

Sign up is easy and only takes a minute.
1. Go to: www.read-a-thon.com/readers
2. Enter Code: 3277193
3. Create and share your page.

Prizes will be awarded to the top readers! Happy Reading!

Hersheypark Early Bird Discount Tickets are available for 2025 (valid during the full season, 04/05/2025-01/04/2026). If you need an additional order form, please email us at duckettslanepta@gmail.com. For the earliest ticket delivery, return your completed form with payment to the school by March 25th. A second order will be placed on April 25th, for any forms received after March 25th. We hope you enjoy your time at the Sweetest Place on Earth!

Silent Auction and Raffle/Book BINGO

Get ready for a night of fun! Join us on Thursday, April 10th, from 6:30-8:00 PM in the cafeteria for our Silent Auction and Raffle. Every student gets a free raffle ticket! During the event we will also be playing Book BINGO! Come out to support the DLES PTA and have the chance to win some amazing items. You won’t want to miss it!

The Parent Encouragement Program (PEP) offers online and in-person classes, to give parents of toddlers to teens the knowledge to understand the underlying causes of their children’s behavior, and the practical skills and tools they need to address problems right away. PEP programs are offered in English and Spanish and include videos-on-demand, webinars, virtual and in-person classes, and individual support.

To support parents and caregivers facing job insecurity and high stress for themselves and their families, PEP is offering its Live Webinars and On-Demand Videos FREE OF CHARGE this spring.

Simply add coupon code: PEPFREE to save $25 on all PEP programs!

PEP also offers many other classes FREE on critical topics on parenting. Explore the topics HERE

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

• Counselor Mrs. Baron Krista_Baron@hcpss.org

• Community School Coordinator Ms. Medina Alejandra_Medina@hcpss.org