Owl Observer News

Greetings Ducketts Lane Friends and Families,

It has been another fantastic week here at Ducketts Lane. We had the opportunity to share in the talents of our musically talented 4th & 5th grade students last night with the supports of Mrs. McKay, Ms. Abrams, and Ms. Eng.

While we are speaking of our fantastic school community, we want to thank the PTA for sharing fun winter prizes this week. It was so fun to see the staff that won the raffle each morning and seeing their smiles as they selected the prize of their choice. On behalf of all of our staff, thank you to all the families that donated classroom supplies and other gift items so that this fun activity could be provided for our amazing staff.

Calling All 1st Grade Families!

Want to boost your 1st grader's reading comprehension? Come join the 1st grade team to learn ways to talk with your child about what they are reading. Please review the flyer that went home yesterday and have your first grade student return it to school so that we can prepare for a wonderful night together in January.

We wish everyone a wonderful winter break. Please encourage your children to continue reading, practicing math, and keep up with their practice if they have an instrument that they are learning. It might not seem like a long break, but even a few days without practicing skills can slow the progress our students are making each day that they are here.

Thank you for partnering with us to make Ducketts Lane a truly special place to be, and we look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

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, December 23rd-January 1, 2025- Schools closed for Winter Break

Friday, January 24th- PTA Family Glow Dance 6:30pm

As we quickly approach the close of another month and look forward to the holidays and new year, we hope you have heard some of the great things we have been learning in Physical Education. During the month of December, our PreK students have been busy working on jumping and landing skills.

Our K-5 students have been working hard learning and demonstrating Dance and Jump Rope Skills and concepts. During this unit we discussed beats and rhythms and the similarities they have in both of these great physical activities. While our K-2 students worked on beginner jump rope skills, our 3-5 students were able to learn various skills in an attempt to work with partners to put together jump rope routines. We encourage everyone to get out and practice jump rope (if one is available) or have a dance party with your students for a fun and memorable time . After the new year, we will be moving onto our Striking with Hands Unit.

In addition, we would like to thank everyone who participated in our Ravens Play 60 challenge. Our hope is to be one of the top schools in the county in order to get the Ravens Pep Rally!!!! All students are encouraged to be active for at least 60 minutes everyday!

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

We hope everyone has a great Holiday Break and Happy New Year!

The P.E. Department

Mr. Anderson & Mr. Abramson

#WEAREDUCKETTS

The Ducketts Lane ES counseling team wishes you and your family a warm and happy winter break. We hope your family is able to take some time to be together and enjoy your student's break from school activities.

We also want to recognize that returning from a lengthy break from school may be challenging for some students and families. When the end of break approaches it is important to help our students return to their typical routines. For example, helping students to get to bed on time before they return to school can go a long way in helping them feel good and be successful upon their return to learning.

Whatever your family has planned for the winter break we hope you stay well and enjoy as much as you can. We will be looking forward to seeing your students when they are back at Ducketts Lane in 2025!

Mr. L & Mrs. Barron

Beginning Winter Concert - January 14, 2025 @ DLES

6:00pm 4th Grade Concert (students arrive at 5:30pm)

• 4th Grade Beginning Orchestra

• 4th Grade Band

• 4th Grade Chorus

7:00pm 3rd Grade Orchestra Concert (students arrive at 6:30pm)

• 3rd Grade Orchestra

If your child is in need of a white shirt, black pants or black shoes please contact their music teacher. DLES has a small closet of donated concert clothes available for students in need.

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.

This is the time of year when the winter season takes a toll on school attendance. Common illnesses such as colds, flu, fevers, earaches and Covid-19, along with unpredictable winter weather, can result in students having to miss school.

These absences, even when they are excused, break the routine of daily attendance that contributes to students feeling connected and engaged in learning. As we are seeing many students missing school, we ask that you please consider these steps to keep your children healthy this winter.

Parents/guardians should keep their children home if they are experiencing symptom(s) associated with any communicable disease. For people with chronic conditions such as asthma, the symptoms should represent a change from baseline. A student should NOT come to school with any of these symptoms:

• fever of 100 degrees or higher
• sore throat
• cough
• difficulty breathing
• diarrhea or vomiting
• new onset of severe headache (especially with fever), or
• new loss of taste or smell

Ways to prevent your children from getting sick and missing school can include:

• Encourage children to wash their hands before and after eating and after using the restroom.
• Avoid sharing cups and utensils with other individuals.
• Dress your children for the cold weather. If you need help with winter clothing, please let us know. Visit the HCHD website for cold weather safety information.
• Encourage healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, drinking fluids and getting exercise.
• If your children need to stay home for a prolonged period due to illness, please reach out to your child’s teacher to find out about resources they can use at home to keep learning once they feel well enough.

If you feel that other factors beyond physical health are playing a role in your child’s ability to attend school, talk to your child’s teacher, the school nurse, counselor or your medical provider about how best to support your child.

Let us know how we can help you. If you need resources or guidance, please contact the school at 410-313-5050.

We all want our children to find success in their lives. Sometimes, success for a young child looks like making a new friend. Sometimes, it means learning something new or earning a desired grade. Other times, it may be just getting to school on time. However your child defines success for themselves the school counseling team is here to help them work towards and achieve their goals.

At school the counselors, along with other educators, help students to set both short-term and long-term goals and identify steps they can take to achieve those goals, even if they are far off in the future. This not only helps enhance a student's sense of achievement but also allows them to practice the lifelong skills of planning, organization, and perseverance.

Want to help your student(s) get the most out of their school experience? Here are some things you can do at home to help them develop a positive attitude about school:

• Stay involved and do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher if you have questions or concerns

• Ask your children about their school day and encourage them to share things they like and/or things that they found challenging

• Avoid talking negatively about their teacher or their school

• Read with your child as much as time allows

• Make sure your child is getting enough sleep each night

• Help your student practice the skill of being accountable for their actions

As always, Mrs. Barron and Mr. L are here in partnership with you to support your student's ongoing growth and success so please never hesitate to reach out to our team!

Here are some suggestions on how to incorporate math throughout the day. Finding ways to practice math and showing how important math is to daily life will help all of our students achieve their academic goals.

Encourage your child to bring home new books from the media center that you can read together or ask them about as they read. Take trips to the Elkridge Library, where you can access a wide range of books.

Glow Dance: Come get your glow on at the Family Glow Dance on Friday, January 24th from 6:30-8 pm! This is not a drop-off event, all students must be accompanied by an adult. More information to come.

To stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming events, visit our website and Facebook page.

Do you have a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2025? Please save the date and join us for an upcoming Road to Kindergarten parent information session. All sessions will run 6:30-7:30 p.m. and cover the same content.:

• Expectations for school readiness (and receive a Ready for Kindergarten toolkit;

• Details about the HCPSS kindergarten program;

• Information about HCPSS kindergarten registration and website;
• Ways that families and children can be supported during the transition to kindergarten.

Information sessions will be offered on the following dates:

• January 21, 2025, Hammond High School*

• January 23, 2025 Centennial High School**

• January 28, 2025, Wilde Lake High School*

• SNOW DATE: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, Hammond High School**

* Spanish interpreter will be present at these sites.

** Chinese, Korean, and Spanish interpreters will be present at these sites

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